Guest Bio - 

Chase Orton spent 12 years teaching both in private residential and public schools. He has been a basketball coach, outdoor educator, wilderness instructor and taught classes like Math, The Physics of Mountain Biking, and many more. He has over ten years’ experience as an independent consultant and is passionate about making classrooms more fulfilling for both students and teachers. He believes in investing in a teacher-centered, teacher-driven style of PD and has recently authored a new book entitled The Imperfect and Unfinished Teacher of Mathematics: A Journey to Reclaim Our Professional Growth which will come out February 2022.

Episode Summary - 

Today Chase and Natalie talk about math stories and how we can make more equitable and successful math classrooms. 

Timestamps - 

Stranded at the Staples Center - 2:33

Healing cultural relationships with math - 7:20

The goal of an unfinished math story - 9:08

Chase’s practical advice for equity and success - 12:12

Considering math stories - 15:50

Accountability for math stories - 17:18

Math teachers are capable of supporting one another in PD - 24:14

Un-grading and student self-assessment - 28:05

Building a common vision of equity in math class - 34:25

Identity and agency as primary drivers - 38:37

Calibrating our measures to our values - 41:06

Seeing class from students’ perspective - 41:49

Benefits of the apprenticeship model - 43:01

Equity isn’t a checklist - 43:44

Chase throws a curveball for the favorite teacher question - 47:10

Resources - 

Chase's Undercover Calculus Website 

Peter Liljedahl’s Website and Book Building Thinking Classrooms

Freebie - 4 Strategies for Nourishing Math Stories in Your Classroom

Guest Bio - Tim Batiuk has worked in virtual education for over seven years. He previously worked in self-publishing and screen printing. Currently, Tim is spending work time on agile project management and migrating services to cloud computing, and his free time is spent fixing up a new house and cooking plant-based foods!

Episode Summary - Today we learn how products like AdminDash can help us write a positive school story for our students and help us create deeper relationships with them as well. 

Timestamps - 

What Tim misses about the classroom [2:25]

How Classrooms and Tech Support are the same [3:40]

What is Tim curious about today? [6:26]

What problems does AdminDash help solve? [8:00]

Beautiful data is better data [10:50]

Filling in gaps in the Canvas LMS [12:22]

Tim’s short list for how to build relationships with students online [17:49]

Cool advancements in ed tech [23:23]

Tim and Natalie are wicked cool [29:24]

Who was Tim’s favorite teacher growing up? [30:03]

Resources - 

AdminDash

Ashley White is a talented educator and leader. She has worked as a brick and mortar teacher and online teacher during her 14 year career thus far. She holds her reading endorsement in Oregon and currently teaches high school English. She’s also an instructional coach dedicated to equitable education.

Episode Summary - In this encore episode from season one we learn how the flipped classroom model (FCM) works and why it benefits our students. My guest, Ashley White, will give us practical guidance on how to flip our classes to increase equity and engagement for all our students. She’ll teach us how to create a weekly starter video (WSV) and how to engage students actively and collaboratively in live class sessions. She’ll make a great case for the flipped class model being a sound practice, and not a fad or educational jargon. It’s a way to make our classes more meaningful, interactive and fun!

Timestamps

• Flipped classroom model defined [3:28]
• What is a weekly starter video and what is its purpose? [3:54]
• What are the best weekly starter videos? [5:43]
• What’s next after the WSV? [7:37]
• The benefits for elementary students and differentiation [9:35]
• How Ashley flipped her HS English class [10:42]
• Translating the FCM to the “I do, we do, you do” model [14:19]
• Ashley proves FCM is not a fad [16:02]
• Leveraging the WSV to get engagement in live sessions  [17:54]
• Ashley’s own children’s experience with FCM online [19:44]
• Challenges are real - how to face them [22:46]
• How to make live class equitable for students who are behind [23:40]
• Ashley’s real world example of skill-based practice over content-based [25:10]
• The freedom that comes with the FCM [27:26]
• Students taking ownership of “your” class [30:52]

Resources

Flipping the Classroom

What is Flipped Learning? 

SYS One Pager

Nefertiti Dukes leads the Professional Development team at Screencastify where they focus on what video makes possible for classroom educators, not what Screencastify makes possible. Before joining the Screencastify squad, Nef taught middle school and high school Humanities. And, she has worked with learners of all ages on speech and debate.

Today Nef and Natalie talk about how video can democratize education, empower students to take control of their learning, lead to more universally designed classes, and much more!

Timestamps

The educator’s desire to have a greater impact [2:08]

What is Screencastify? [3:40]

Why is Nef so excited about Screencastify? [4:18]

Bridging original content creation and pre-published videos [7:12]

Using video to make your classroom more equitable and accessible [10:03]

UDL and access [11:40]

What UHaul has to do with video instruction [12:51]

The Modern Classrooms Project partnership [15:28]

Tying screencasting and assessing together [17:26]

Two questions to ask when we’re working with video instruction [17:58]

What Nef more recently realized about assessment [19:33]

Hidden assessments [21:00]

How can on demand video get parents more easily involved? [24:54]

When time-bound communication doesn’t work [25:53]

Why we don’t get 100% attendance at back-to-school events [27:34]

What it means to democratize education [28:44]

Nef’s favorite teacher and personal friend [30:33]

Resources

Screencastify

TechLearning Screencastify Guide Article 

Rachael George is the Director of Student Services and Elementary Programs in the Oregon Trail School District.  She is a practicing educational leader, author, speaker, adjunct professor, and advocate for education. She currently serves as the NAESP State Representative for Oregon, is an NAESP Fellow, and is the COSA President Elect. Rachael is an all around girl boss! She has a new book coming out this winter called She Leads: The Woman’s Guide to a Career in Educational Leadership. 

Natalie and Rachael discuss being a woman in leadership in schools, the effects of Covid, online learning, and of course a teacher who helped change Rachel’s life. 

Timestamps - 

Rachael’s win of the moment [2:37]

A little about Rachael’s new book [4:30]

Firefighter or teacher? [5:13]

The perfectionist trap [7:05]

Rachael tells women to go for it [8:15]

The importance of mentors [9:45]

Rachael says thanks to online educators [12:06]

Collaboration over competition in education [14:15]

How can brick and mortar schools meet the needs of online learners? [17:49]

Rethinking relationships and connections [19:42]

Benefits of being a #girlboss [21:54]

One size doesn’t fit all [23:13]

Natalie’s hope for the future of online teaching [23:53]

The teacher who changed the trajectory for Rachael [24:50]

Resources - 

Rachael’s co-authored NASSP Article 

Rachel’s Website

Amanda VanBuren has been a high school art educator for nearly 20 years. She spent her first 13 years teaching at two large inner city public high schools in Southern California and the last 6 years in online education here in Oregon. She has taught a range of art courses including Art 1, Painting, Digital Art, Photography, Ceramics, and Illustration. She loves helping students push outside of their comfort zones, open their minds, and gain confidence through creative risk taking, experimentation and a “what if?!” mindset.

Amanda and Natalie talk about what art education is, how awesome it can be in an online context, and leave you inspired to do something creative to feed your soul today. 

Timestamps - 

Amanda’s favorite art to create [2:27]

The Artist’s Way [5:25]

The question everyone asks Amanda [7:13]

What does a Foundations of Art class look like online? [8:40]

Natalie learns the elements of art [9:23]

A week in the life of an online art student [10:00]

How Amanda allows her students to have voice and choice [12:15]

What’s a Creative Cooldown? [14:57]

Advantages of learning art online [16:03]

Drawbacks of learning and teaching art online [17:35]

Remedies to the drawbacks [19:00]

The art of feedback [20:24]

Why is art education important? [24:37]

Amanda’s reminder to us to be present and slow down [27:33]

Blind contour drawing as a way to learn to focus [29:21]

Amanda’s favorite lesson right now [30:32]

Art with mud? [32:48]

Amanda’s favorite teacher growing up [35:49]

How to get in touch with Amanda [38:39]

Resources - 

Contact Amanda at [email protected]

Amanda’s 1 Project 5 Ways Resources

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron

Phil Hansen’s Embrace the Shake Ted Talk

John Spencer’s Website and This Could Fail Video

Guest Bio - 

Kenneth C. Williams shares his experience and expertise as a nationally recognized trainer, speaker, coach, and consultant in leadership and education. He is the Chief Visionary Officer of Unfold the Soul, Inc., an organization dedicated to helping schools  live  their posters. Skilled in joining the why of the work to the how of the work, Ken is known for his powerful  and engaging combinations of “heart, humor, and hammer.” He is an expert  at helping schools build capacity in the collective commitments required of learning for all cultures. Ken is a distinguished teacher, mentor, public speaker, school leader and the author of two books. His latest best- seller, co-authored by Tom Hierck, is Starting a Movement: Building Culture from the Inside Out in Professional Learning Communities.

Summary - 

In this episode Ken and Natalie talk about the importance of belonging and inclusion for real change to take place in a school and for students to truly feel welcomed and valued. They discuss how labels can be helpful and how they can be excuses for shortcomings. You’ll learn how to think differently about the students before you this year and your obligation as an artist of education. 

Timestamps - 

What fuels Ken’s passion? [2:21]

Why Unfold the Soul? [3:12]

Top-down and bottom-up moves to change a school [5:55]

The spiritual side of equity and school change [6:52]

Culture is always fluid [8:13]

If belongingness is about achievement then…? [9:20]

Doing the hard work, especially online [10:04]

Learning for all and learning outcomes [15:07]

Getting away from labels defining students [16:17]

The one thing only the principal can do [19:48]

What’s Loose and What’s Tight? [21:35]

Setting teachers up to do the right work [23:50]

Excuses and context [26:39]

Labels are fine until they change our expectations [28:48]

Are you a Thermometer or Thermostat? [30:23]

Who was Ken’s favorite teacher? [35:48]

Resources - 

Ken's Unfold The Soul Website

Natalie’s Medium Article on Labels

This week’s Freebie

Rick DeFour Article In Praise of Top-Down Leadership 

Books Mentioned in this Episode

Learning by Doing 

Tom Schimmer is an independent education author, speaker, and consultant from Vancouver, BC. For the first 20 years of his career he was a classroom teacher, school administrator, and district level leader. For the past 10 years, Tom has worked as an internationally recognized leader and expert in the areas of assessment, grading, RTI, and educational leadership. He is the author & co-author of six books and is the host of his own podcast aptly called The Tom Schimmer Podcast.

In this episode Tom Schimmer gives us the rundown on how to be reliable assessors of our students’ skills. He gives us tools for thinking about standards and achievement and opens our eyes to the vast benefits of using rubrics and four-point scales. You’ll be a better assessor by the end of this episode!

Timestamps - 

Who is Tom Schimmer? [2:08]

Curriculum and Standards [4:28]

What should a report card represent? [6:14]

Setting teachers up for grading success [7:40]

Tom’s guidelines for determining students’ achievement towards learning goals  [9:43]

Questions to ask ourselves during the summative moment [11:44]

Standards don’t mean standardization [18:39]

The desirable goal of public education standards [21:43]

Tom respects the work of online educators [24:23]

Homework and accountability [26:25]

Tom’s mantra for us all [27:39]

How CPS relates to punitive grading [30:30]

Who was Tom Schimmer’s favorite teacher as a kid? [33:36]

Resources - 

A Guide to Summative Moments

Tom’s Recent Books

Tom Schimmer Podcast

Tom’s Solution Tree Site

Collaborative Problem Solving - Dr. Ross Greene

Guest Bio 

My guest today is Allison Galvin, executive director for Oregon Charter Academy (ORCA), a statewide online charter school in Oregon. She has been in education since 2002. She began her work in schools as a math teacher and then an instructional coach in the Salem-Keizer School District, before transitioning to the role of school administrator with ORCA. She resides in Salem, OR with her husband and daughter. 

Episode Summary 

Allison Galvin walks us through how leaders continually focus forward, strive for excellence, and seek growth within their schools. She explains how she led her school through a tremendous transformation with the end result being better service to students and empowering teachers to reach new heights as well. 

Timestamps

What do you want to be when you grow up? [2:30]

The role of executive director [4:04]

Striving to grow as a school to meet students’ needs [5:27]

Changing management companies after 15 years [7:16]

Change management especially in trying times [11:26]

Better together [12:57]

Allison’s advice for successful school change [13:42]

What does Allison love about her school now? [17:18]

ASCEND is ascending! [18:42]

Benefits of being an AVID school [19:35]

A desire for a better understanding of online education [20:57]

The “three percent rule” and school choice [22:15]

Allison’s most memorable teachers [25:24]

Resources

Oregon Charter Academy Website

Change Management Tips

John Warner is a writer, editor, speaker, researcher, and author of eight books, including: Sustainable. Resilient. Free.: The Future of Public Higher Education, and Why They Can’t Write: Killing the Five-Paragraph Essay and Other Necessities. He is a weekly contributor to Inside Higher Education where he has become a national voice on issues of faculty labor, institutional values, and writing pedagogy. His text The Writer’s Practice: Building Confidence in Your Nonfiction Writing is used in classrooms around the country. He is now affiliate faculty at the College of Charleston. 

Today John Warner and I talk about what it means to write authentically in a school setting and how top-down policies impact our teaching. You’ll learn about what you can do as a K-12 teacher to make students’ transition to writing in college more successful.