powerED Up

Stephanie brings passion, insight, and practical lesson ideas from the first question! The energy of this podcast is off the charts, and the lessons provide an equal punch.  Stephanie is an elementary teacher and differentiation coach.  She shines a much-needed light on the gifted population of students.  She provides amazing strategies for improving differentiation for the benefit of all learners.  Any teacher, K-12, can come out of this interview with strategies for supporting and challenging students.  Get your pen and paper ready!

Ryan has the special opportunity and tough responsibility of teaching his middle school students "leadership".  This broad topic is focused on social and emotional learning, character development, relationships, and really understanding themselves.  Ryan makes it obvious why this is one of the most important classes and experiences his students have.  These topics are so often treated as "if we have time" in public education.  Ryan shares why this is THE topic everyone in public education needs to experience.

Cindy Soule is the 2021 Maine Teacher of the Year.  It is quite obvious, from beginning to end, why she has earned those accolades.  She is focused on developing hard-working students, that care for themselves and others, and are ready to tackle real-world problems with grit.  One of her favorite messages to convey to other teachers is that "every teacher's superpower is belief in students."  Real, genuine belief.    To top it off, Cindy dives deep into her strategies for inquiry-based learning and how they can impact a student's ability to learn to read.

Laura Boyd is an incredible Spanish teacher focused on creating the best experience for students.  She starts with a purposeful plan to establishing a positive rapport with each student and a welcoming community in her classroom.  It transitions into experiences where students are forced to use the language in restaurants and stores speaking only Spanish. 

This is a must-listen for all teachers!

Lee Carlson will do anything to ensure his students, and all students in his district have a positive experience.  He will even drive the bus, seriously, he is driving the bus this year.  Lee is big on harnessing his own growth mindset and modeling it for students.  He shares specific lessons forcing students to harness a growth mindset to find success.

In this show, Matt and Ken compare their own personal approach to how they "train" their students on using technology tools in the classroom. Their personal approach could not be farther apart.  They both heavily utilize technology in the classroom.  Matt has a beginning of the year "boot camp" to whip his students into shape.  Ken has his trademarked "blended objectives" approach he integrates throughout the year.

Dr. Sam Fecich has flipped the switch on what it means to prepare the next generation of educators.  Her innovative undergraduate course on ed-tech is innovative and relevant.  She creates engaging lessons but more importantly the opportunity for authentic and real-world mentorship.  Additionally, she provides the listeners with staple ed-tech tools and amazing criteria to evaluate all other tools.

As educators, we have the opportunity to create a lasting impact on young peoples' lives.  Jessyca Mathews takes this responsibility and opportunity very seriously.  Her students are dedicated to advocating for positive change in their local communities.  She utilizes real-world instruction to engage the students with current and relevant topics.  Jessyca offers great inspiration for navigating heavy topics and doing so with grace.  She also shares some strategies for using alternative media in writing courses.

Kinesthetic learning is an instructional strategy much deeper and more important than brain breaks.  The author of the book The Kinesthetic Classroom, Mike Kuczala, tells the truth about this teaching style.  He provides actionable tips and specific lesson examples of what kinesthetic teaching looks like and how to best integrate it into any classroom.  This instructional style was a core component of Ken's classroom, and the conversation is rich with authentic reflections.  Mike shares the 6 core foundations of kinesthetic learning and provides specific examples for each pillar.

Ken and Matt go toe to toe in a "look at a lesson" smackdown! Watch and listen as they duke out one of their favorite experiences they provide for students! Okay, so there are no figure-four leg locks or chokeholds in this show, but Ken and Matt dive deep into what is becoming the most popular segment of the show, you know, the one that has a different name every episode.  Ken and Matt have thoroughly enjoyed exploring the lessons of the guests, so they run through the questions with each other.