It’s been a few decades since special education became an element of the mainstream education system… but Dr. Mark Alter argues that what it has become today is not what it was meant to be.  Instead of creating one unifying education system that works for everyone, we’ve created parallel education systems that bounce children back and forth.  We’ve created labels for grouping students together instead of identifying and addressing the needs of individual students.  It’s time for a reframing of the special education system.


Timestamps

0:01 - Intro
3:51 - Dr. Mark Alter background and school experience
7:01 - First job with kids with severe disabilities
10:05 - Excitement around the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975
12:15 - The creation of parallel systems - “if you build it they will come”
14:40 - NCLB and standardized testing - have schools delivered?
19:25 - Preparing teachers for the system using a new type of support structure.
21:24 - Is being a teacher is harder than being an ER Doctor?
25:46 - COVID-19 is challenging our model - learning can happen OUTSIDE of school
28:04 - Comparing the US education system with other countries
30:40 - Explaining the term “Least Restrictive Environment” as a continuum
34:15 - Visiting schools in Senegal
36:25 - Shifting to project-based learning
39:56 - Categories of special education mask larger challenges
44:54 - Why teachers should be more involved in advocacy and research
48:43 - Final thoughts on special education
51:01 - Exit Ticket Questions

On this episode, Dr. Kirkland shares the stark truth of his childhood, his education, and how the education and judicial system that's currently failing us, is in fact the system this country built, and in order to change the system, we must accept our history and learn from it in order to create a better future for all.  You don't want to miss all the quotes and truth bombs in this episode.

Timestamps
0:01 - Intro
2:49 - Ode to our history, childhood, and being homeless in Detroit 
6:50 - The teacher that showed compassion
9:27 - The power of our stories
11:18 - Marines recruitment leads to college
13:38 - First job as a teacher
15:59 - How the system failed a young student
18:58 - These systems are real, and it’s our responsibility to change them
23:01 - Research projects at NYU and how we respond
32:09 - Classroom study: slow down to speed up.
35:50 - Our schools serve a particular purpose in our society.
41:37 - Exit Ticket Questions
47:55 - Wrap Up

On this episode we explore how Dr. Ashley Patterson and Jackie Saylor are helping high school students engage in difficult conversations of race and social injustices while maintaining an emotionally safe space to do so.  Dr. Patterson’s research and work challenges us to shift the paradigm of what “literacy” actually is and how race plays a role in our situational literacy.  Her current work gives a platform for her participants to share their personal experiences with traveling abroad and how their perspectives influence their beliefs.

Timestamps:

0:01 - Introduction

3:25 - Dr. Patterson background and growing up

8:59 - Definition of learning

10:31 - Experience at THE Ohio State University

12:59 - Pure data can minoritize groups over time (Moynihan Report and personal story)

17:50 - Penn State - Principles of Social Justice in Education

19:31 - Changing the paradigm of "literacy" and "appropriate educational material"

26:28 - Analyzing the purpose and use of language and literacy

31:28 - {Jackie Saylor - the inception of "Diversity and Social Justice"

35:00 - {Implementation of research in education.

37:53 - {Reflecting on the significance of the class

41:07 - {Goal of the class

42:26 - {What can you do in your opinion?

44:01 - {Resources: Culturaly Responsive Teaching and Learning,  The Power of the Adolescent Brain, Waking up White

47:08 - Ashley’s current research - Finding where inequities live in our system by analyzing how people perceive those inequities.

49:04 - Understanding why study abroad programs are largely white women

51:48 - Honoring the voices of the participants

56:49 - Difference between students’ international experience.

1:01:50 - Exit Ticket Questions

1:07:08 - Wrap-up and conclusion

Have you ever found out that the thing you were looking for isn't really the thing you need?  That's what happened in today's conversation.  Sometimes we think we need a new strategy, or technique, or tool, but Dr. Jill Swavely tells us today those are not the things we should be looking for or turning to when trying to help ESL students in our classrooms.  The reality is it's much more basic than that.

Topics Discussed

0:01 - Intro

4:37 - Dr. Jill Swavely - intro, background, school experience, and first job with the Red Cross

10:38 - Going back to grad school, first experience with ESL students, and becoming a college professor.

14:32 - Inuit "snow" myth, what happens in our brain during language acquisition, and disadvantages of living in a dominantly mono-lingual population.

18:22 - History of ESL programs in schools.

21:18 - Primary challenges for ESL students in our classrooms.

27:44 - Aligning our goals with assignments, assessments, and instructions.

30:28 - Transforming School L.I.F.E. research project: Leadership, Instruction, & Family Engagement

35:42 - Data being collected and preliminary findings

39:02 - Resources and strategies for helping ESL students in a digital medium.

44:41 - Exit Ticket Answers

52:50 - Nuggets and Wrap-up

If you are looking for ways to get your students to relax, better control their emotions, and work on tasks with more focus, you might want to consider implementing a minute or two of mindfulness practice into your classroom!  Today's guest, Stacey Mandel, spent 17 years as a classroom teacher before transitioning to be a mindfulness instructor.  She now travels to different schools, hospitals, and other community settings to help young kids and adults be present and in tune with their minds.

Topics Discussed

0:01 - Intro

3:48 - Stacey's school experience

7:27 - College experience at NYU and pursuing screen writing.

9:48 - Trying to make it in Hollywood.

13:28 - First experience with mindfulness - Zen Buddhist retreats

16:22 - Meditation & Mindfulness coming to the Western World - Jon Kabat Zinn: the father of mindfulness.

21:37 - How unaddressed stress can affect multiple aspects of our bodies and lives.

24:07 - Digging into the research. Neurophysiological changes in our brain.

27:53 - Different between Meditation and Mindfulness

30:51 - Stacey's focus working with school age students

35:18 - Focusing in on self-control and emotional aptitude

38:50 - Implementing meditation in distance learning.

42:16 - Exit Ticket Questions

50:21 - Empowering Lifelong Shine

52:25 - Nuggets and wrap-up

It's been a few decades since segregation and racial discrimination was made illegal, but the ripples of time are still visible in society today, one of the most prevalent examples being the education gap between predominantly white middle class suburban neighborhood schools and predominantly black/hispanic lower class urban neighborhood schools.  Today we sit down with Dr. Maia Cucchiara to discuss an initiative that the city of Philadelphia implemented to increase funding to struggling urban schools, and what the implications and lessons are from that project.

Topics Discussed

0:01 - Intro

3:08 - Dr. Maia Cucchiara background: Experience in DC school.

6:28 - Becoming a lawyer or teacher? Which one has a greater chance for change?

9:28 - PhD research - getting upper-middle class families to stay in urban schools

14:15 - Revitalization of Center City will generate revenue that will trickle down to schools, right?

16:29 - Outcomes from the research: more resources, but new patterns of marginalization

20:41 - It's just really complicated!  There's a sense that dysfunction in urban schools isn't just a lack of resources.

23:52 - What's the response?  How do we fix it?

25:26 - Importance of teachers staying in the professions - only 16% leave due to retirement.

27:49 - Partnering with parents to teach parenting skills - the discourse around the middle class as the 'saviors.'

31:43 - Additional topics we didn't cover? - Thank you to teachers!

32:26 - Exit Ticket Questions

36:51 - Nuggets and Wrap-up

Are you always stressed when your principal comes in to observe you?  Do you feel like everything you do is being put under a microscope?  Are you worried about the repercussions of those observations?  We sit down today with Dr. Helen Patrick to talk about her latest research surrounding teacher observations.  You should have some very real concerns if your state or school is using observation ratings as a means of promoting or punishing students, and we find out why on this episode.

Topics Discussed

0:01 - Intro

2:50 - Dr. Helen Patrick background: Being a student, moving to Michigan and New Zealand weather

8:40 - Transition from studying motivation to studying teacher observation

10:52 - Process of completing the research

14:12 - Building relationships with teachers to complete the research

16:36 - Diving into Dr. Patrick's recent study on the correlation of student growth scores and teacher observation ratings

24:57 - The data collected and the outcomes of the research

30:31 - The final conclusion - they don't work!  Teacher observation ratings do not correlate with student growth.

35:48 - What should teachers do with this information?

38:52 - How can teachers get involved in conducting future research?

40:52 - Exit Ticket Questions

46:30 - Nuggets and Wrap-up

On this episode we have Dr. Karen Dickinson.  She is a professor of counseling at West Chester University of Pennsylvania and has 20+ years of experience as both a school counselor and classroom teacher.  We discuss some basic counseling techniques that every teacher should know as well as some of her research on bullying, particularly how to recognize, acknowledge, and mitigate the bullying behaviors in our classrooms and our schools.

Topics Discussed

0:01 - Intro

3:01 - Karen Dickinson background

5:05 - What is School Counseling?  What's different from psychologist?

7:15 - Dr. Dickinson professional experience 

9:08 - Ethical Practice in the Human Services: Knowing to Being

12:48 - What teachers need to know about being the first line of counseling

15:44 - What makes something bullying?

18:12 - What does the research tell us about bullying?

19:32 - Why do some schools and classrooms struggle with bullying more than others?

22:15 - Using research to change curriculum when it comes to bullying and students with disabilities

25:02 - Final thoughts - take the time to make your classroom a community

26:10 - Exit Ticket Questions

30:52 - Nuggets and Wrap-up.

Do you want to integrate more technology into your classroom, but don't know where to start?  Maybe you're a little hesitant about the steep learning curve that comes with using technology in education.  Or maybe do you already use a lot of technology, but just want some more tips?  In this episode we interview Dr. Chris Penny from West Chester University to discuss some of the newest research coming out of the education technology field.

Timestamps: Topics Discussed

0:01 - Introduction

2:18 - Dr. Chris Penny intro and background

6:10 - Importance of health and wellness

7:42 - Apple and Google Educator programs

11:20 - Mobile Technology and the Post-PC era

13:30 - Benefits of a 1:1 ratio of students to devices

14:24 - Are tablets becoming the new standard in education technology?

16:56 - But there's a big learning curve to technology... isn't that a detriment?

19:08 - Accessibility of information with technology

20:52 - The future of education technology and where you should start.

24:52 - Exit Ticket Questions

30:19 - Nuggets and wrap-up.

Are you curious about what truly motivates us?  Do you want students who are engaged and self-regulated?  Are you looking for that one thing that will keep your students focused?  In this episode we talk with Dr. Avi Kaplan about the psychology of motivation, and why it's not as simple as we hope.

Timestamps: Topics Discussed

0:01 - Intro

2:29 - Dr. Kaplan's life growing up in Israel and how he found his path

9:05 - What is the "Complex Dynamics Systems Approach" to research?

12:05 - How is motivation like the weather?

14:44 - How does the 'environment' influence student motivation?

17:46 - How can external factors influence intrinsic motivation?

18:38 - How reflection and conversation helps create an environment that fosters motivation?

21:14 - Fostering connection and community in our environment around why we come to school.

24:08 - Reflecting on the goal of our assignment and how to include student interests

26:31 - How motivation changes, and how to regulate it.

29:16 - Tips on motivating students, even in a long-distance and online learning platform.

31:23 - Exit Ticket Questions

34:17 - Nuggets and Wrap-up.