Welcome back to the Rebel Teacher Alliance! In this episode, we sit down with Emmy-nominated producer Jerry Kolber, the creative mastermind behind Brain Games, Who Smarted?, and Mysteries About True Histories (M.A.T.H.). Jerry shares his journey from making reality TV to redefining edutainment with shows that entertain, educate, and sometimes blow our minds. We talk about magic, Star Wars fandom, and what makes learning fun instead of fearsome. From classroom applications to screen-free engagement, we explore what’s next for Jerry and his team—including a new project that’s literally brainy. Of course, we wrap things up with a solid recommendation for one of the most beloved board games in our ever-popular segment, “Whatcha been playin’…?”

Join @hofmannedu.bsky.social, @jedijamie.bsky.social and @findingmyaloha.bsky.social each week by subscribing to our podcast and rating and reviewing us on Apple Podcasts! Join our Discord on rebelteacheralliance.com or here. Find us on Instagram @rebelteacheralliance, on BluSky @rtalliance.bsky.social, and on TikTok @rebelteacheralliance. Leave us a message here!

Things mentioned on the show:

Catan and Seafarers expansion

Welcome back to a fresh episode of Rebel Teacher Alliance! This week, we dive into the joys and challenges of breaking away from a "frictionless" learning environment to embrace novelty and active engagement in the classroom. From playful lawsuits with "The Firm" to discussions about middle schoolers' peak altruistic learning phase, Michael Matera joins us to share his gamified insights and classroom adventures. We explore balancing creativity and structure, the value of failure, and why sticky brains need recall, not cramming. Plus, don’t miss the cooperative game that turns Texas Hold’em into a heist in our ever-popular segment, "What'cha been playin'...?"

Join @hofmannedu.bsky.social, @jedijamie.bsky.social and @findingmyaloha.bsky.social each week by subscribing to our podcast and rating and reviewing us on Apple Podcasts! Join our Discord on rebelteacheralliance.com or here. Find us on Instagram @rebelteacheralliance, on BluSky @rtalliance.bsky.social, and on TikTok @rebelteacheralliance. Leave us a message here!

Things mentioned on the show:

- The Gang Boardgame

- EMC2Learning

Welcome back to another episode of Rebel Teacher Alliance! This week, Jamie takes us into the sticky, sugary chaos of her legendary gingerbread house project, while Scott shares the triumph of his students conquering a farmers market with their handcrafted creations. Fabian dives into his revolutionary Number Mania project, giving students a chance to connect history with creative data design. Plus, Jamie introduces a game featuring oversized cat mitts that’s as bizarre as it sounds in our ever-popular segment "What'cha been playin...?"

Join @hofmannedu.bsky.social,@jedijamie.bsky.social and @findingmyaloha.bsky.social each week by subscribing to our podcast and rating and reviewing us on Apple Podcasts! Join our Discord on rebelteacheralliance.com or here. Find us on Instagram @rebelteacheralliance, on Twitter @rtalliance.bsky.social, and on TikTok @rebelteacheralliance. Leave us a message here!

Things Mentioned on the Show:

- The Cat Mitt Game

In this episode, Jamie and Fabian chat with Dr. Peter Liljedahl, the mind behind Building Thinking Classrooms. Peter shares how his journey into teaching wasn’t a childhood dream but a path he stumbled into through coaching, carpentry, and a knack for helping others learn. They dive into how the Thinking Classroom approach works in not just math, but other subjects like social studies and language arts. Finally, Peter leaves us with a recommendation for a portable card game, perfect for life on the road, in our ever popular segment “Whatcha Been Playin’…?,

Join @hofmannedu, @mrsjamiehalsey, and @findingmyaloha each week by subscribing to our podcast and rating and reviewing us on Apple Podcasts! Join our Discord on rebelteacheralliance.com or here. Find us on Instagram @rebelteacheralliance, on Twitter @rebelteacherpod, and on TikTok @rebelteacheralliance. Leave us a message here!

Things mentioned on the show:

- Building Thinking Classrooms - Dr. Liljedahl’s book

- Monopoly Deal - Monopoly but without the boring parts!

- Vändtia - Classic Swedish Card Game

In this episode we navigate the transition to BlueSky, the new social media platform, and share their latest classroom innovations. Fabian discusses a creative activity involving the Declaration of Independence, where students use Play-Doh and thin slides to visualize quotes. Jamie introduces her adaptation of an EduProtocol called “EduRacer” to help students construct well-structured paragraphs. Scott shares his “Mashology” project, where students combine global myths with Hawaiian mythology to create new stories. He also talks about winning a contest (again). In our ever-popular segment “Whatcha Been Playin’…?,” Fabian highlights the gamified language-learning app Duolingo and revisits the classic point-and-click adventure game “Return to Monkey Island.”

Join @hofmannedu, @mrsjamiehalsey, and @findingmyaloha each week by subscribing to our podcast and rating and reviewing us on Apple Podcasts! Join our Discord on rebelteacheralliance.com or here. Find us on Instagram @rebelteacheralliance, on Twitter @rebelteacherpod, and on TikTok @rebelteacheralliance. Leave us a message here!

In this episode, hosts Scott, Jamie, and Fabian share their latest classroom innovations. Scott celebrates his new Bamboo Labs P1S 3D printer and discusses integrating 3D printing into student projects. Jamie brings autumn into her classroom with EMC² Learning activities like "Pick a Pie Pandemonium" and "Fall Star Scramble," engaging students in interactive literacy games. Fabian revitalizes his classroom game with new item cards and side quests, and uses  a Rack and Stack as a summative assessment  to help his IB students master command terms. In our ever popular segment “Whatcha’ been playin…?” they also chat about the board game Azul.

Join @hofmannedu, @mrsjamiehalsey, and @findingmyaloha each week by subscribing to our podcast and rating and reviewing us on Apple Podcasts! Join our Discord on rebelteacheralliance.com or here. Find us on Instagram @rebelteacheralliance, on Twitter @rebelteacherpod, and on TikTok @rebelteacheralliance. Leave us a message here!

Things mentioned on the show:- Pick a Pie Pandemonium - emc2learning activity (variation of Poker Chip Chase)

- Fall Star Scramble - emc2learning activity (variation of Station To Station)

- Scott’s new 3d printer - Bambulabs P1S

In this episode of the Rebel Teacher Alliance, hosts Fabian and Scott are joined by special guest Candice Healing, who steps in for Jamie. Candice, an experienced educator from northern Alberta, shares her journey of gamifying her classroom over the past seven years. The trio explores innovative teaching strategies, including EMC² Learning resources like "Coins for Content" and the Marshmallow Catapult Challenge. Candice shares her experiences with classroom activities such as a murder mystery based on Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None," and incorporating games like "Hookie" to develop logical reasoning. In the ever popular segment  “Whatcha’ been playin’...?” Candice shares her love of games like Azul, Wingspan, and new games by Elizabeth Hargrave. Throughout the episode, they emphasize the impact of gamification on student engagement and the joy of bringing interactive learning into the classroom. Follow her on IG!

Join @hofmannedu, @mrsjamiehalsey, and @findingmyaloha each week by subscribing to our podcast and rating and reviewing us on Apple Podcasts! Join our Discord on rebelteacheralliance.com or here. Find us on Instagram @rebelteacheralliance, on Twitter @rebelteacherpod, and on TikTok @rebelteacheralliance. Leave us a message here!

Things mentioned on the show:

In this episode of the Rebel Teacher Alliance, hosts Fabian, Scott, and Jamie share their latest classroom adventures in engaging students through gamified learning. Jamie introduces "Mystery Writing," a program that combines videos with writing prompts.. She also discusses using "Resource Rumble" for interactive learning. Scott talks about engaging his students with games like "Herd Mentality" and "Color Brain" and describes a project where students start their own businesses using classroom resources. Fabian revisits the "Outer Space Galactic Badge Battle Peer Review" activity and in our ever popular segment “Whatcha’ been playin’...?”he shares his experience playing "Dead of Winter," a cooperative survival game.

Join @hofmannedu, @mrsjamiehalsey, and @findingmyaloha each week by subscribing to our podcast and rating and reviewing us on Apple Podcasts! Join our Discord on rebelteacheralliance.com or here. Find us on Instagram @rebelteacheralliance, on Twitter @rebelteacherpod, and on TikTok @rebelteacheralliance. Leave us a message here!

Things mentioned on the show:

In this episode of the Rebel Teacher Alliance, hosts Fabian, Scott, and Jamie welcome special guest Trevor MacKenzie, an educator and author specializing in inquiry-based learning. Trevor shares his journey into teaching and emphasizes the importance of fostering curiosity and student agency in the classroom. The discussion covers practical strategies for implementing inquiry-based learning, such as using provocations and question routines, and addresses challenges educators may face when shifting to this approach. Trevor also offers insights on building strong relationships with students and co-designing learning experiences. Finally, he talks about his favorite game he plays with his family in our ever popular segment “Whatcha’ been playin’...?”

Join @hofmannedu, @mrsjamiehalsey, and @findingmyaloha each week by subscribing to our podcast and rating and reviewing us on Apple Podcasts! Join our Discord on rebelteacheralliance.com or here. Find us on Instagram @rebelteacheralliance, on Twitter @rebelteacherpod, and on TikTok @rebelteacheralliance. Leave us a message here!

Things mentioned on the show:- Follow Trevor on IG (@trev_mackenzie) and check out his website trevormackenzie.com- Trevor’s Books: Inquiry Mindset, Inquiry Mindset: Questions Edition, Dive Into Inquiry, Inquiry Mindset: Assessment Edition

In this episode of the Rebel Teacher Alliance, Scott, Fabian, and Jamie dive into classroom innovations and share some laughs. Scott discusses his success with DonorsChoose and using ChatGPT for project ideas. He also recounts a mix-up attending a Harry Potter fundraiser organized by Fabian's students. Fabian highlights the impressive Harry Potter event, which raised significant funds for Habitat for Humanity. Jamie talks about her intense parent-teacher conference schedule and introduces a new boss battle in her class featuring a "sentient donut." Jamie closes out the episode by talking about a new future addition to her collection in our ever popular segment “Whatcha’ been playin’...?”

Join @hofmannedu, @mrsjamiehalsey, and @findingmyaloha each week by subscribing to our podcast and rating and reviewing us on Apple Podcasts! Join our Discord on rebelteacheralliance.com or here. Find us on Instagram @rebelteacheralliance, on Twitter @rebelteacherpod, and on TikTok @rebelteacheralliance. Leave us a message here!

Things mentioned on the show: