Rebel Teacher Alliance

Welcome back to a new episode of Rebel Teacher Alliance! This week we sit down with Dr. John Spencer, fresh off his keynote at the Learning and the Brain Conference in San Francisco. We talk about why slowing down is actually the move in a world that keeps telling us to go faster, how to use AI as a study tool without letting it do all the thinking, and what it even means to teach for depth when your students can generate a five-paragraph essay in 30 seconds. Also: Dr. Spencer once modified a game of Pit to teach how markets work and used a version of Risk to walk students through the whole lead-up to World War One, so you already know the Whatcha Been Playin' segment is going to go places.

If you want to keep the conversation going, subscribe and leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts -- it genuinely helps people find us. Come hang out in our Discord at rebelteacheralliance.com. You can also find us on Instagram, BlueSky, and TikTok all at @rebelteacheralliance. Find Fabian at @hofmannedu.bsky.social, Jamie at @jedijamie.bsky.social, and John at @meehanedu.bsky.social.

Things mentioned on the show:

• The Depth Advantage by Dr. John Spencer

• spencereducation.com

• Learning and the Brain Conference

• Pit card game

• Oregon Trail card game

Welcome back to a new episode of Rebel Teacher Alliance! This week we sit down with Jenny Chan, founder of Pacific Atrocities Education, to talk about the history most Western classrooms still barely touch: World War II in Asia and the Pacific. Jenny shares how her grandma’s reaction to Japanese anime led her into archives, denialist comment sections, and a mission to make “never again” mean something when the first time was never taught. We get into yellow journalism and media literacy, how Japan, Korea, and China remember the war differently, and the challenge of teaching atrocities without turning it into shock value. Jenny also breaks down how she builds lesson plans teachers can actually use (without five extra hours of prep). And in our ever popular segment “Whatcha been playin’…?”, Jenny isn’t gaming, she’s pickling vegetables like the apocalypse is scheduled for next Thursday.

Join @hofmannedu.bsky.social, @jedijamie.bsky.social and @meehanedu.bsky.social 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.

Welcome back to Rebel Teacher Alliance! Today we pick up where the last episode left off, then get practical. We revisit key takeaways from our conversation with Sheri Schmidt, then jump into Fabian’s Articles of Confederation lesson flow: AI-made explainer with NotebookLM, image generation in Gemini’s Nano Banana, and a simple prompt-tracking organizer students actually complete. From there we build a no-nonsense rubric for meaningful PD, call out time-wasting icebreakers, and sketch what good conferences and staff days should look like: choice, niche tracks, protected passing time, and trust.

Join @hofmannedu.bsky.social, @jedijamie.bsky.social, and @meehanedu.bsky.social by subscribing and leaving a rating on Apple Podcasts. Hop into the Discord at rebelteacheralliance.com to drop your PD must-haves, and find us on Instagram @rebelteacheralliance, on BlueSky @rtalliance.bsky.social, and on TikTok @rebelteacheralliance.

Things mentioned on the show:

- CoraQuest

Welcome back to a new episode of Rebel Teacher Alliance! This week we get practical about teaching in the age of online radicalization. With guest educator Dr. Sheri Schmidt, we unpack how memes become on-ramps, the “entertain, envelop, escalate” pipeline, why curiosity beats zero-tolerance, and how to build school and home guardrails that actually work. We talk gaming platforms, algorithm rabbit holes, student vulnerability, and student-led countermeasures. We also hit the manosphere surge, board meeting pressure campaigns, and what media literacy looks like when you teach it early and often. In “Whatcha been playin’…?” we spotlight Votes for Women and how it doubles as a civics lesson.

Join @hofmannedu.bsky.social, @jedijamie.bsky.social and @meehanedu.bsky.social 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.

Things mentioned on the show:

- Resources for Social Justice Work mentioned by Sheri on the show

- Western States Center

- Votes for Women Boardgame

Welcome back to a new episode of Rebel Teacher Alliance! This week, the crew closes the year with games, grit, and some heresy about AI. We talk why conferences got stuck on AI instead of pedagogy, Jamie’s analog win with Snowball Swap, and Fabian’s new classroom app build that replaces Glide with a clean Base 44 setup students actually use. John teases EMC2’s upcoming Faction Clash and we run our year-end “What’ve you been playin’?” featuring Clank Legacy, The Hunger, Wingspan’s dragon cousin Wyrmspan, Betrayal at House on the Hill, We’re Doomed, Five Minute Dungeon, and Dice Throne. Plus Costco chaos, Buc-ee’s brisket, and holiday teacher life.

Join @hofmannedu.bsky.social, @jedijamie.bsky.social and @meehanedu.bsky.social 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 Bluesky @rtalliance.bsky.social, and on TikTok @rebelteacheralliance.

Things mentioned on the show:

Factions Clash

Clank! Legacy: Acquisitions Incorporated

Clank! Catacombs

The Hunger

The Hunger: High Stakes (expansion)

Wingspan

Wyrmspan

Finspan

Betrayal at House on the Hill

We’re Doomed!

5-Minute Dungeon

Dice Throne: Season One

Marvel Dice Throne

Marvel Dice Throne: Missions

Dice Throne: Santa vs. Krampus

Welcome back to a new episode of Rebel Teacher Alliance! This week, John Meehan officially joins as our co-host and we get practical about teaching in the age of AI. We unpack why “if AI can do the task, fix the task,” swap in EMC2 protocols that force real thinking, and show how QFT on vertical whiteboards sharpens research questions. Plus Tier List warm-ups, Micro Lab and Big Picture Pinpoint in action, four common school stances on AI, IB context, and in “Whatcha been playin’…?” we hit Carcassonne (Hills & Sheep), Jaws of the Lion, and Zombie Kids Junior. Also: new-dad life and a very cold house.

Join @hofmannedu.bsky.social, @jedijamie.bsky.social and @meehanedu.bsky.social 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.

Things mentioned on the show:

• “AI Didn’t Break College, It Exposed a Broken System” - Article we discuss

• Carcassonne - The Legacy game?

Welcome back to a new episode of Rebel Teacher Alliance! This week, John Meehan returns to talk UDL and playful learning. We dig into his upcoming book Playing with Purpose with Michael Matera, EMC2’s seasonal drops like 12 Days of Chaos and Egg Dash, why “flow state” matters more than Kahoots, and how to stage lessons so students stay in the pocket. Plus new-dad life, CrossFit jokes, and in “Whatcha been playin’…?” we hit Carcassonne, Sky Team, and Beacon Patrol.

Join @hofmannedu.bsky.social and @jedijamie.bsky.social 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.

Things mentioned on the show:

- Playing with Purpose (John Meehan & Michael Matera)

- Flow state research

- 12 Days of Chaos

- Carcassonne

- Sky Team

- Beacon Patrol

Welcome back to a new episode of Rebel Teacher Alliance! This week we kick off at Jamie’s intro and tease a mystery “permanent sub” joining the crew soon. Fabian recaps Schools of the Future with some honest takeaways, from a sharp student-led AI panel to a sobering session on online radicalization, plus hanging with Dr. Merv and walking out with a Renaissance swag haul. Jamie brings highlights from the Vibe Shift conference, mini-reports that actually work, and why performance tasks carry real weight on state tests. In class talk, Fabian shows how Flocabulary leveled up a 47 Presidents lesson and shares a simple Lyric Lab workaround. We also play with NotebookLM’s interactive podcasts, mind maps, and new explainer videos for sub days and PD. We cap it off with “Whatcha’ been playin’...?” 

Join @hofmannedu.bsky.social and @jedijamie.bsky.social 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.

Things mentioned on the show:

- NotebookLM

- Flocabulary

- Dragonwood

Welcome back everyone! This episode Fabian had the opportunity to hang out with Dr. Mervin Jenkins at the Schools of the Future conference in Honolulu. Mervin talked to Fabian about his involvement with Flocabulary, what you can do with it and why it is one of the best literacy tools out there.

Join ⁠@hofmannedu.bsky.socia⁠l⁠⁠ and ⁠@jedijamie.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠ each week by subscribing and by rating/reviewing us on Apple Podcasts! Hop into our Discord via rebelteacheralliance.com⁠. Find us on Instagram @rebelteacheralliance⁠⁠, on Bluesky @rtalliance.bsky.social⁠, and on TikTok @rebelteacheralliance.

Got a guest or topic we should amplify—especially voices schools don’t hear enough? Tell us in Discord! To join us, go to www.rebelteacheralliance.com!

Welcome back to a new episode! This time we dive into a rich, real talk with school psychologist Stephanie Kennedy (28 years in the work). We unpack what kids are bringing to school right now—and what actually helps. From phones and executive function to nervous-system regulation, tea rituals, and purposeful talk moves, this one’s packed with classroom-ready ideas and a big dose of hope. We close with a quick “What’cha been playin’?” featuring fast-paced favorites students love.

Join @hofmannedu.bsky.social⁠ and ⁠@jedijamie.bsky.social⁠⁠ each week by subscribing and by rating/reviewing us on Apple Podcasts! Hop into our Discord via rebelteacheralliance.com. Find us on Instagram @rebelteacheralliance, on Bluesky @rtalliance.bsky.social, and on TikTok @rebelteacheralliance.

Got a guest or topic we should amplify—especially voices schools don’t hear enough? Tell us in Discord!