Planning instructional units can be less than exciting when all you have to deal with is words and more words. Creating a vision board at the beginning of a unit can generate fresh enthusiasm and help you focus on what truly matters. In this episode, teachers Amanda Cardenas and Marie Morris share how vision boards work in their classrooms. ------------------- Thanks to CommonLit and fastIEP for sponsoring this episode. -------------------

180: Make Units More Inspiring with Vision Boards

Teaching strategies, classroom management, education reform, educational technology -- if it has something to do with teaching, we're talking about it.  Jennifer Gonzalez interviews educators, students, administrators and parents about the psychological and social dynamics of school, trade secrets, and other juicy things you'll never learn in a textbook. For more fantastic resources for teachers, visit http://www.cultofpedagogy.com.

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The rights of parents to choose the best school for their children — also known as school choice — may seem simple on the surface, but it's anything but, and it has the potential to impact teachers and students all over the country. In this episode, I talk with Cara Fitzpatrick, author of The Death of Public School: How Conservatives Won the War Over Education in America. We discuss why school choice is actually pretty complicated, we dig into some of the key groups that have historically pushed for it, and we explore some things concerned citizens can do to ensure that families can still get their children the best education possible.  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks to WeVideo and The Modern Classrooms Project for sponsoring this episode.   --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To read a transcript and get a link to Cara's book, visit cultofpedagogy.com/pod and choose episode 228.

228: A Conversation About School Choice

Annotation can be a powerful way to improve comprehension and increase engagement, but its effectiveness can vary depending on how it's taught. In this episode, two teachers share their classroom-tested approaches to teaching students how to effectively annotate texts: 3rd grade teacher Andrea Castellano and high school English teacher Irene Yannascoli.   Thanks to Listenwise and Studyo for sponsoring this episode.  To read a full transcript of this conversation, visit cultofpedagogy.com/art-of-annotation/.  

227: Two Effective Ways to Teach Annotation

If your school is lucky enough to have a full-time certified librarian, it's likely they are not being utilized to their full capacity. In fact, yours may be one of a growing number of schools that are eliminating librarians altogether, and that is a terrible idea. In this episode, I sit down with four accomplished librarians — K.C. Boyd, Barbara Paciotti, Lauren Mobley, and Karina Quilantan-Garza — to explore all the ways a certified school librarian can make teachers' work easier, more efficient, and more effective, and to make a strong case for why every school needs one.  Thanks to WeVideo and The Modern Classrooms Project for sponsoring this episode.  To read a full transcript of this conversation, visit cultofpedagogy.com/pod and choose episode 226.

226: Yes, Your School Librarian Can Do That (and More)

Many states are seeing record high numbers of teacher turnovers and vacancies. While the problems that caused this shortage have not gone away, there are groups of people who are coming up with some creative ways to address this situation, new and surprisingly affordable pathways for training good, enthusiastic teachers. Two of these programs are Oxford Teachers College at Reach University and Educators Rising. In this episode, educator Kimberly Eckert talks with me about how and why both of these outstanding programs work.  Thanks to Edge•U Badges and EVERFI for sponsoring this episode.  To read a full transcript of our conversation and find links to all the resources mentioned in this episode, visit cultofpedagogy.com/teacher-shortage.

225: Two Programs with Fresh Solutions to the Teacher Shortage

  Crying in front of your students can be a humiliating experience. Not the kind that happens when you're moved to tears by a poignant story or you react to upsetting news; those moments can actually bond you to your students. It’s the kind that comes from frustration, shame, anger, or loss of control. It might be something you experience as a new teacher, but it can also happen well into your career. Regardless, if it happens to you, it can shake you up. In this episode, I share a few thoughts that might help.  Thanks to Edge•U Badges and EVERFI for sponsoring this episode.  To read a written version of this episode and find links to all the resources I mention, go to cultofpedagogy.com/crying-in-class.  

180: Make Units More Inspiring with Vision Boards

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