Little Things First

Rusty Mathis is a new principal in Texas, although she is not new to administration having served for many years as an assistant principal.  Rusty tells us about her experiences leading in this unique time, what she has learned, and what supports new principals like her need to be successful. 

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Dr. Doug Fisher and his colleagues have been at the forefront of the latest educational research including working with Nancy Frey and John Hattie on books about teacher clarity and assessment-capable learners in all subject areas.  Most recently, he and his colleagues have turned to distance learning and how we can take what we know about pedagogy into the distance learning setting.  He discusses what he has learned about teaching from afar and what the legacy of distance education might be.  

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https://www.fisherandfrey.com

https://www.youtube.com/user/FisherandFrey

Drs. Kylene Beers and Robert Probst have been working together for years.  Listeners may be familiar with some of their previous works like NOTICE AND NOTE and DISRUPTING THINKING.  Out new today, their latest book is a departure of sorts as they look at the purposes and passions of reading and how we can get young people excited about reading.  Dr. Beers and Dr. Probst delve into what it means to be a reader for critical thinking and for betterment off our citizenry.   FORGED BY READING is available December 8th on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Forged-Reading-Power-Literate-Life/dp/1338670905/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=KYLENE+BEERS&qid=1607295749&sr=8-1.

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Carrie Weldon never intended to be the principal of an elementary school.  A secondary specialist, Carrie was surprised when her district asked her to take over Ashley Elementary.  Carrie probably had little idea at the time how much of an impact she would have on the school.  Ashley Elementary is located in a rural area of Utah called Vernal and is a Title I school with an emerging population of English Language Learners (ELLs).  Early on, Carrie noticed that her ELLs were performing and making progress less well than other student groups.  It was this knowledge that set her on the way to making improvements that would get her school on the national map.  Listen to how she did it in this episode.

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Dr. Paul Gorski has been writing about equity and social justice for years.  His latest article in "Educational Leadership" takes a look at how schools might reinforce trauma through practices that are meant to be trauma-informed.  In our interview, Dr. Gorski discusses some of the little ways educators might avoid the trap of hurting rather than helping students they are intending to help.  

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Shonielle Roberson and her staff at New Stanley Elementary have found a recipe for success.  One of their strategies is use of an electronic data board.  They also use PLCs strategically as a way of building teacher capacity through intentional work and practice.  Using the text LEVERAGE LEADERSHIP (Bambrick Santoro) as a guide, the New Stanley faculty creates assessment exemplars and then practices delivery of instruction, providing one another with feedback.  Ms. Roberson makes it all sound easy, but it really involves some heavy lifting.  Hear how she does this and other strategies she uses to keep student learning at the center of her school's ongoing improvement efforts.

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WE'RE BACK!  After a two week break, we have some terrific guests lined up in the coming weeks including talks with Douglas Fisher, Paul Gorski, and Kylene Beers and Rob Probst of NOTICE AND NOTE fame!  Stay tuned!

This week, we talk with Dr. Dana Winters.  This episode is a follow-up to the interview we did with Dr. Junlei Li of the Fred Rogers Center about simple interactions, those powerful human-to-human developmental interactions that bring out the best in one another.  Dr. Winters takes Dr. Li's interview one step further, applying simple interactions to the K-12 setting. What little things can educators do to prioritize human relationships while at the same time advancing student learning and achievement?  Doing both simultaneously is not only do-able, it's preferable!  Find out how!

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Journalist Natalie Wexler has uncovered what may be wrong with our comprehension reading instruction.  She contends that a focus on comprehension skills has led us down the wrong path.  There is something far more profound that can be used to address comprehension difficulties in schools, that some reading programs have already started to address.  Find out what that is on this week's episode.  

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nataliewexler.com

https://fordhaminstitute.org/national/resources/social-studies-instruction-and-reading-comprehension

Tracy and Jim are both in new positions this new school year--Tracy in a state level position and Jim as a principal/teacher in a rural district.  They both share some learning in this season of distance education models and their hybrids.  Jim is currently teaching his students in a virtual format while his school is out for two weeks.  Tracy is trying to learn new ways of supporting principals and teachers in successfully enacting distance learning.  They discuss the topic and share some little things teachers and schools might try tomorrow to make their distance teaching efforts more impactful.  

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https://sites.google.com/view/rtwdistancelearning/home