Conceptually Speaking

 Today’s episode will be an exploration of reading, writing, and thinking rhetorically with author and professor Jennifer Fletcher. Jennifer’s work as a high school English teacher, college professor, and chair of California State University’s Expository Writing Curriculum steering committee speaks to her broad experience with and deep understanding of the discipline. Both her research and books focus on the power of rhetorical thinking to encourage students to transfer their understanding to new texts and situations. Joining Trevor this week is Language Acquisition lead, Erin Leininger. If you’re looking for an episode that’s all about fostering autonomy and agency in your composition classroom—you’ve come to the right place. Enjoy!

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This week on Conceptually Speaking, Kayla and I chatted with podcaster, blogger, and creative aficionado, Betsy Potash. One of the many things I love about Betsy’s work is its accessibility. Introducing new, more creative and dynamic frames for curriculum and instruction can be a challenge for many educators, but Betsy does an incredible job creating and curating resources that are approachable and scaffolded for educators AND students alike. One of my favorite parts about this episode was the amount of time we spent discussing modern forms of composition—of positioning things like podcasting, blogging, and video essays as viable and authentic modes of communication. Considering her massive email list and following on social media, Betsy knows full well the power of digital media. Betsy is a delightful guest with much to say about creativity and communication in the modern classroom. We hope you enjoy!

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In this special reflection episode, Julie and Trevor share some of their favorite moments from Conceptually Speaking and discuss some exciting changes on the horizon. If you're new to the podcast, go back and check out some of the fantastic episodes we discussed. 

https://conceptuallyspeaking.buzzsprout.com/

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This week on the show we are trying something new, Trevor and I are rotating co-hosting duties with our core team members from the Learning That Transfers team. This week features co-host Nichelle Pinkney, who is our social studies specialist and currently works as an instructional coach and curriculum specialist for a large school district in Texas. 

So this conversation was pretty special. We had two guests on to discuss diversity, equity, and inclusion, but it was really to me about the Black experience, and I personally learned so much. I’m still thinking about the concept of “validation” of different people’s experiences, different people’s views of what is professionalism, what is success, even what is possible. What was your big takeaway from our chat? 

 What I loved is how they were so unapologetically black in a time when many fail to be. The idea that despite the historical oppression of blacks we have the opportunity to imagine new possibilities and unearth so many levels of potential through studying and celebrating black culture and ingenuity.

 I simply love the idea of imagining the type of reality, the type of community we can build, one that honors the inherent dignity and worth of every human being, one where all people are able to fully be who they truly are, one where people seldom use power to dominate or control other people’s lives. And this conversation was a great part of my personal journey in trying to help to bring that type of reality to life. We hope you enjoy. 

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Today’s episode of Conceptually Speaking features Michael Weingarth, founder of Pillars of Learning neuropsychological tutoring. In addition to his work creating personalized tutoring and test preparation programs for students, Michael has what I can only describe as an encyclopedic knowledge of all things science of learning related. In the few conversations we had leading up to the podcast, and during the podcast itself, I constantly found myself scribbling notes, book titles, and names of researchers I had to dig into. Our conversation today attempts to peel back the layers on a lot of the reductive and problematic assumptions that often accompany notions of learning and intelligence. It’s a great example of just how complex learning truly is and how much damage we can do when we attempt to flatten and quantify that complexity with faulty tools and instruments. In fact, the heart of Michael's work is focused on synthesizing and coordinating siloed perspectives, approaches, and domains of research to develop a more well-rounded understanding of how people learn. This episode is dense with resources, follower recommendations, and cutting-edge research, so grab a writing utensil and get ready to dive in. We hope you enjoy it.

https://pillarsoflearning.com/

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This week’s episode of Conceptually Speaking features educational researcher and school leader Brad Kershner. This was a special episode for me, as a few weeks prior to recording, I’d purchased his book Understanding Educational Complexity, and was absolutely blown away by its depth and clarity. I was thrilled when he agreed to join us. There are few people in the field who can parallel Brad’s ability to tend to both the micro and macro of education with his level of discernment and nuance. His book, and our dialogue, range from cultivating individual meditative practices to analyzing the thoughts, feelings, and emotions of school communities, to conceptualizing the ways modernity’s values and frames shape how we view the process of education. It is a sobering reminder that everyone, not just students, will need to embrace a journey of lifelong learning if we’re to develop the cognitive and cultural tools for our complex times. Despite the complexity involved and the ways we have to go, Brad’s message is one of hope. We were only able to scratch the surface of the ideas explored in his book, so we encourage you to check it out for yourself. A link, as well as information on his weekly meditation sessions, are in the show notes. Enjoy!

Understanding Educational Complexity 

Brad’s Patreon

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This week on Conceptually Speaking, Julie and I chatted with Dr. Tiffany Mitchell Patterson, an assistant professor of secondary social studies in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction/Literacy Studies at West Virginia University. Before entering into higher education Dr. Mitchell Patterson spent a decade teaching students in DC and Virginia about history, social justice, and activism. Her passion and expertise for these concepts is evident throughout our conversation and our dialogue is filled with insight about how to handle difficult, but vital classroom conversations about identity, power, and justice. One of the many things that Julie and I admire about Dr. T-Mitch-P’s work is her commitment to encouraging students and educators alike to engage in meaningful, committed activism—regardless of the topic or context. For anyone looking for ways to instill passion in their students for social justice, this is episode is for you. We hope you enjoy the dialogue and learn as much as we did about how to engage learners in learning that leads to liberation.

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Our guest this week is Dr. Paul Bloomberg, Co-founder of the Core Collaborative and author of Peer Power: Unite Learn, Prosper: Activate an Assessment Revolution. In this personal and impactful episode, Paul shares some of the struggles of managing an educational organization in the age of upheaval caused by COVID-19. Though the particularities of his journey over the last year are unique, we will all be able to relate to the impact this last year has had on our practice and perspective. Throughout the episode, Dr. Bloomberg exemplifies the humility, empathy, and willingness to adapt that is necessary for us to continue to make it through these strange times. Another interesting throughline in this episode is the tricky, even paradoxical process of tending to individuals, collectives, and systems when attempting to support professional learning. Though there is no easy answer, Paul provides some great insight into his knowledge gained thus far. Finding ways to support the individual needs of learners (and by learners I mean, as Dr. Bloomberg notes, everyone in education, while bringing about collective and structural change is a vital part of creating better educational systems. We hope you enjoy the episode and learn as much as we did!

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 This week’s episode of Conceptually Speaking is a special one. It’s the kick-off of our Learning That Transfers Book Tour! To mark the occasion, Julie and I were joined by our two co-authors, Kayla Duncan and Krista Ferraro. The goal of this podcast is to share a little bit about the journey we started on together roughly a year ago to bring this book to life. It all seemed routine at the time, but considering this book was written by a group of people who had never all been in the same room, and in the middle of a global pandemic no less, we thought it’d be fun to revisit the process and share it with our audience. The episode is less of a commercial for the book and more of a “Behind the Scenes” look at what inspired its authorship and its ideas over the last year. Seeing as this book was created during the giant experiment that is COVID distance teaching, it shouldn’t be a surprise that a big part of our conversation focuses on the importance of creating curriculum and instruction that centered agility and flexibility just as much as clarity. As Krista notes, our biggest hope for this book is that the concepts, tools, and resources within empower teachers to make meaningful, informed choices that are suited to their learners and learning context. We hope you enjoy our dialogue and a peak behind the scenes for Learning That Transfers.  

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This week’s episode of conceptually speaking features author, consultant, and EdWeek blogger and moderator, Peter DeWitt. Despite these honorifics, it won’t take long to realize they don’t matter much to him. In fact, Julie and I had to press him on how he’d like to be introduced. Funnily enough, I’d venture a guess that same humility and groundedness are what makes him such a phenomenal leader. Discussions about leadership often focus on externalities—routines, structures, meetings, professional development, the list goes on. What I loved about this episode though, was Peter’s focus on the interior life of a leader. Even in the best of times, being a principal is a challenge, but now more so than ever. It’s with that frame, Peter asks some compelling questions about the wellbeing of our leaders. The conversation Julie and I shared with Peter is equally personal and powerful. Regardless of your job description, it’s filled with great advice about how to maintain your wellbeing, but I’d imagine it’d be an especially impactful listen who are leaders. Enjoy!  

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