Have a Life Teaching

Brak Rosenshine first published his Principles of Instruction in 2010 through the International Academy of Education (IAE) as part of their Educational Practices Series (booklet No. 21).

Taking his years of research, Rosenshine paired down what good teachers do to obtain good academic outcomes: review, chunk information, question, model, guide practice, check for understanding, allow student time for independent practice, and scaffold.

In this episode, we speak with UK based educator, former principal, and current consultant Tom Sherrington, one of the creators of WALKTHRUs - a series of playbooks for different instructional moves.

WALKTHRUS has taken Rosenshine's principles and has represented them graphically to better support teacher coaching and mentoring.

Tom and I discuss:

- How the design of WALKTHRUS was influenced by visual tech manuals and info graphics.

- Rosenshine's principles and how WALKTHRUs captures these.

- An Example of how WALKTHRUS works using think-pair-share and cold calling instructional moves.

- How WALKTHRUS has evolved from an individual mentoring tool into a systemic teaching framework.

-How mentorship and coaching differ from evaluation.

- WALKTHRUS growth in both the UK and Australia and its introduction in North American schools.

Tom Sherrington LinkedIn Page

Teacher Head Blog

WALKTHRUS Website

Rosenshine's Principles Article

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Per our next guest on the podcast, MLL/STEM specialist Darlyne de Haan, there are over 900K high school MLL students in the USA - a large number of these students living in poverty (2014).

While Algebra and other STEM classes can catapult students into lucrative STEM careers, still, only a very small percentage of MLL students take these courses.

I hope you will listen in to my conversation with de Haan, author of the book STEM For All, as we discuss:

-Why MLLS are dropped from the STEM Pipeline.

-How tiered WIDA data can help STEM educators learn what MLL students can and cannot do linguistically.

- What STEM educators can do to help integrate MLL students in their classrooms through the use of specific literacy scaffolds.

- How ALL students can and should have access to STEM learning.

Darlene de Haan LinkedIn Page

Neighborhood Science

Brain Based Science

STEM is for Everyone Book

Music - Aylex

Do You Know What the Superpower Understandings in Math Are?

Recently, I wrote an article for ASCD about modeling Math through a gradual release framework. A common way through which to do this is to teach Math conceptually, representationally, and then abstractly (CRA Framework).

However, there are other frameworks that help students understand Math as well. This week on the podcast, I speak with Patrick Sullivan about additional ways to help elementary students see Math holistically.

Sullivan is an Associate Professor of Mathematics at Missouri State University and the author of the Solution Tree book - See It, Say It, Symbolize It: Teaching the Big Ideas in Elementary Mathematics.

We discuss:

- The five superpower understandings all elementary students need

- The interconnections among these understandings

- How to model math through these understandings.

I hope you will listen and subscribe.

Patrick Sullivan Missouri State University Information

See It Say It Symbolize It TPT Resources

See It Say It Symbolize It Book

Elevate to Excellence Website

Music - Aylex

In this episode, we speak with Niles North High School Summer Reading Program leads ELA teacher Katie Gillies and librarian Beverly Zbinden.

While summer reading may help reduce the potential student summer learning slide, Gillies and Zbinden discuss their true purpose in creating this ambitious project at North Niles High School - a large and diverse high school outside of Chicago:

- help students see themselves reflected in the literature they read

- expand student choice in the type of literature to which students are exposed

- create strong school and community around literature

- foster joy in reading and self-discovery.

In a time of increasing attacks on diversity and free speech, this program ensures that everyone in the school community is valued.

We also discuss the processes involved in implementing such a project - from text selection to program launch and after - as well as the partnership that is required between classroom teachers and librarians in the school and, with Skokie Public Library.

Katie Gillies LinkedIn Page

OurLitLab

Niles North Summer Reading Lit Guide

Summer Reading 2025 Incoming Freshman Page

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Earlier in the second season of this podcast, we had as a guest Bo Stjerne Thomsen of LEGO Education discussing the importance of play in creative learning.

In this episode, we continue our look at creativity in learning by discussing how to infuse art in the four core -content areas.

In this discussion, we are joined by Cheri Sterman, Director of Education, for Crayola as well as science teacher Elle LeBlanc who discusses her recent Edutopia article - Integrating the Arts in High School Science.

We discuss:

- Elle's efforts to include all her students in science learning through art

- The benefits of art in promoting student well-being

- The research behind why art matters and the 100 languages of children (Reggio Emilia)

- Specific examples from grade school through high school on how arts can be integrated in core learning

- A plethora of Crayola resources for integrating the arts into your classroom

Cheri Sterman LinkedIn Page

- Crayola Creative Styles Tool

- Crayola Read Along and Draw Along

- Crayola The Art of Learning

- Crayola Learning YouTube Channel

- Crayola Creativity Week

- The 100 Languages of Children

Elle LeBlanc Edutopia Page/Article

Music - Aylex

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When students ask where are they EVER going to use the Math they are learning in middle and high school, there is usually something deeper going on; And that is a disconnect in, disinterest, and lack of curiosity in learning Math which manifests itself in misbehaving students. So says, Jenn Lenhardt - author of the book Common Denominators: Cultivating Engagement and Belonging in Secondary Mathematics 7-12 and former 7-12th grade Math interventionist.

In this episode, we talk with Lenhardt about getting students excited about and engaged within the process of learning Math both individually and collectively. For students to engage with Math, they have to feel that they both belong in Math classrooms and can be successful learners of Math. Teachers also have to push aside thoughts that their students can't do Math focusing instead on what they need to do next to help students learn Math precisely BECAUSE their students might struggle in learning Math.

One strategy that Lenhardt recommends strongly is having students explore Math concepts through quick rotations, or stations, like we might more commonly see in elementary classrooms.

Jen Lenhardt HMH

Jen Lenhardt LinkedIn

Common Denominators Book

Music - Aylex

The other day, I was speaking with a colleague with whom I co-moderated a LinkedIn Live event, a year or two ago, on supporting multilingual students.

She told me that, recently, someone reached out to her from across the country for support. I was so excited by this. I also get excited when people reach out to discuss my occasional online posts pro or con.

My next guest on the podcast and I - Douglas Fisher, Chair of Educational Leadership Programs at San Diego State University - discuss the joy he too feels knowing that his many writings and conference presentations, those accomplished alone and with his frequent collaborator Nancy Frey, are supporting educators and adding to the conversation far and wide.

We discuss:

- Why all educators should be sharing their thinking

- Venues where educators can share their thinking

- Presenting and writing tips that can help us go from "no" to "yes"

- The importance of not just speaking and/or writing but consuming

- How, by sharing info, we can change the negative school narrative

- Reigniting the passion for teaching

Listen and subscribe here!

Douglas Fisher LinkedIn

Douglas Fisher Books

Douglas Fisher ASCD

TNTP Opportunity Makers

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As one of our next guest on the podcast, Daniel Argentar says, students need to know something to learn something. Students need to be able to read and write to be able to internalize scientific information.

In this episode, we are joined by the authors of the book Reading and Writing Strategies for the Secondary Science Classroom to discuss the most important literacy skills in science classrooms and how to help our students develop these skills.

Without a doubt, students - in science - need to have a broad scientific vocabulary and to be able to understand and articulate claims, reasons, and evidence.

Listen in to this episode as we discuss reading and writing strategies designed for use in science (and other content area) classrooms - vocabulary building exercises, reading annotation codes, as well as the hexagonal thinking strategy.

We discuss which reading and writing strategies work best at different points of a lesson - before, during, and after - as well as the power of science classroom libraries where students are empowered to "choice" read.

Maureen Rubsenstein Solution Tree Page

Katherine Gillies Solution Tree Page

Daniel Argentar Solution Tree Page

Book - Reading and Writing for the Secondary Classroom

Music - Aylex

AI can really help teachers plan more engaging lessons in a time conscious manner.

In this episode, we speak about how AI can help teachers to plan engaging lessons with North Carolina based science teacher Paul Cancellieri. Cancellieri is the author of the new book - 50 AI Prompts for Teachers.

We discuss in particular:

- Why it is important for teachers to use AI

- Various AI platforms that teachers may want to explore

- The four types of AI prompts that teachers might create within each part of the learning cycle (pre-assessment, new content, practice, post assessment, and extension or reteaching)

- Some specific AI prompts

- Do's and Dont's when it comes to using AI as a teacher

- How admin can help teachers integrate AI

- How teachers can use AI in their PLC work

Paul Cancellieri LinkedIn Page

Paul Cancellieri Web Page

50 AI Prompts Book

Music - Aylex

How to Teach Using Play Based Learning

In this episode, we chat with Bo Stjerne Thomsen - Director of Education for LEGO Education and former VP with the LEGO Foundation - about how teachers can integrate physical objects (manipulatives) and play-based learning across all content areas.

We also discuss:

What Play Based Learning Is

How it Helps Students Make Meaning and Retain Information

The "Happy Medium" Between Unbounded and Scripted Learning

How LEGO Supports Educators Globally

How We Can Assess Play Based Learning in Our Classrooms

Bo Stjerne Thomsen LinkedIn Page

LEGO Education

LEGO Foundation - Learning Through Play

Music - Aylex