Parent, educator, and CEO of Empower the Learner, Kathleen McClaskey, shares the need for parents to empower learners with knowing their strengths and challenges in order to take actions that lead to their hopes and dreams. She highlights her personal parenting and educating experiences that provide clear understanding of our important role.Visit the Empower the Learner website.  Email Kathleen: [email protected]

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The listening principal, Dr. Kambar Khoshaba, shares how student voices impacted leadership and staff as well as the students themselves, all leading to increased equity. Hear how equity in middle school honors classes was achieved by focusing on student strengths and possibilities. A personal approach to parents and students has produced results.Email Kambar: [email protected]    Read the article, "Students Sought Changes at Their Middle School. Their Principal Listened" here.

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Educator and technology futurist, Frances Valintine, describes teachers creating and facilitating learning opportunities that tap learner passion and agency. How does technology create new and empowering ways for teachers to create possibilities for learners and allow teachers to focus on the ever-extending human needs of students?

E-mail Frances: [email protected] The Mind Lab site.Visit the Tech Futures Lab site. Find Frances' book, "Future You" here.

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Natalie Ulloa, a secondary instructional coach with a background in instructional design and Steven Baule, a professor in the Leadership Education Department at Winona State University, discuss coach and principal roles in building a collaborative culture for continuous growth. Building and maintaining trust is highlighted.Read the article, "How to Build Relationships With Instructional Coaches"Contact Natalie Ulloa: [email protected] Steven Baule: [email protected]

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Deborah Farmer Kris, child development expert and author, shares the Pomodoro Technique and how parents can use it to assist learners in starting a task. Lowering anxiety and decreasing what, at times, becomes a youngster-parent struggle. Parents can use the strategy for themselves too.Visit Deborah's website here. Read Deborah's article, "Teach Your Kids This Simple Strategy for Improving Focus: Pomodoro Technique."

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Kathleen McCloskey, CEO of Empower the Learner and co-author of "Make Learning Personal" and "How to Personalize Learning," identifies the need to develop student capacity to support their own learning, achieve agency, self-advocate for their learning and realize their hopes and dreams. As leaders, we need to create the same for staff.Visit the Empower the Learner website.  Get in touch with Kathleen: [email protected]

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Tara Brown, The Connection Coach, shares the need for relationships to precede relevance and rigor. The author of "Different Cultures - Common Ground," shares beliefs and strategies that guide us to communicate the needed messages to students. She stresses the need for students to understand that they can be in the driver’s seat for their future.Visit Tara's website. Find Tara's book, "Different Cultures, Common Ground - 85 Proven Strategies to Connect in Your Classroom" here.

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Frances Valintine, the founder of The Mind Lab and The Tech Futures Lab and the author of "Future You", explores learning in and out of schools today. She describes “embracing change” and how leaders support a learning organization with an environment that embraces change.E-mail Frances: [email protected] The Mind Lab site.Visit the Tech Futures Lab site. Find Frances' book, "Future You" here.

Subscribe to the Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud podcast on iTunes or visit BarkleyPD.com to find new episodes!

All of us can learn from reflection. A too often problem is that we neglect setting aside the time to do it. The end of a school year is a great time to encourage your children’s reflections on the past school year, regardless of their age. A set of possible starter questions are included in the podcast.Read Open University's "What is Reflection?" Watch Lulu Chan's video on Reflection. Read Stringer & McFadden's Article, "Children as Reflective Thinkers."Read Dr. Joanne Foster's "Reflective Habits of Mind."

Subscribe to the Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud podcast on iTunes or visit BarkleyPD.com to find new episodes!

Past National Principal of the Year, Mark Wilson, identifies the value of gathering student thoughts, feelings, and insights to promote student reflection and provide data that can focus educator reflection. Mark shares several great questions and strategies to guide a process. Use the link to his website to find more sample questions.

Visit Mark's website. View the 20 Questions For Students at The End of The Year.

Subscribe to the Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud podcast on iTunes or visit BarkleyPD.com to find new episodes!