Teaching Today

In a matter of weeks, COVID-19 changed how students around the world are educated, and challenged many long-held beliefs about teaching and learning. What new opportunities and challenges can we anticipate for students as a result of COVID?

Joining us for this discussion is Judy Dimon, Founding Chair of HERE to HERE (@heretoherebx)and Chair of the James and Judith K. Dimon Foundation. For over 30 years, Judy Dimon has focused on cost-effective, cross-sector, scaled solutions to help young people overcome the challenges poverty imposes on their lives, learning, and futures.

In the third part of our New Normal series, Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), joins us to discuss the challenges and opportunities surrounding the reopening of K-12 schools.

Schools across the country are approaching the reopening of schools with many deliberations and caution, and the challenges surrounding these efforts are on the minds of everyone from public health officials to parents. In the second part of our New Normal series, we’re chatting with school principals about their plans to manage teaching, learning, safety, and social-emotional health for their students & faculty.

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Special guests:

-- Ryan Goble | Benton Harbor, Michigan

-- Candace Hugee | Brooklyn, New York

-- Tamala Boyd Shaw | Greenwood, Mississippi

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected educational systems worldwide, leading to continued closures of schools, universities, and colleges. These closures have created social and academic disruptions for nearly 58 million children in the US alone.

Without an end to the pandemic in sight, leaders are approaching the reopening of schools with extra caution. In between the pandemic and the politics is the pedagogy — how are district leaders leveraging opportunities and putting students & families at the forefront of the decision-making process?

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Special guests:

-- Darius Adamson | Executive Area Director; Florida

-- Michelle Aquino | Superintendent of Schools; New Jersey

-- Miska Clay Bibbs | Chair, Shelby County School Board; Tennessee

-- Mark Madson | Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education; Pennsylvania

Blended learning — and eLearning as a whole — has seen rapid changes in the past two decades, beginning in 1998 with the first generation of web-based instruction. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic made blended learning a household term as schools around the world transitioned their teaching and learning practices. With so much uncertainty still ahead of us, the 2020-2021 school year will be unlike any other that we’ve experienced. What does blended learning look like, and how can educators prepare themselves for the year ahead?

Special guest:

-- Dr. Robert Monson | Associate Professor at Manhattanville College & Adjunct Professor Teachers College, Columbia University

In education, one of our greatest shortcomings is ignoring widely available research that confirms optimal learning experiences can be achieved by implementing multi-sensory activities, pursuing meaningful tasks, and exploring a variety of skills using real-world applications.

Instead of traditional learning that focuses on reciting and reiterating content, our students would be better served by learning opportunities that tap into their full capacity. How can teachers identify and create authentic curriculum that supports this type of learning?

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Special guest:

Dr. Jacqueline Simmons | Vice Chair, Department of Curriculum & Teaching; Teachers College, Columbia University

Charlotte Danielson's Enhancing Professional Practice: A Framework for Teaching (commonly known as The Danielson Framework) has become the most widely used teacher evaluation tool in the United States. But is the framework being used in the way it was intended?

We're joined by Charlotte Danielson as we unpack the framework, explore its origins, and examine how it's being used today.

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Special guest:

Charlotte Danielson | Author of Enhancing Professional Practice: A Framework for Teaching

Meeting the needs of our students is the totality of our role as educators. To do so, we must know our students, know our curriculum, and know ourselves.

What happens when we find that a curriculum isn't working for us? How can we maintain autonomy and creativity while using materials that are aligned to academic standards? How can we include challenging content and activities for students?

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Special guest:

Dr. Monica White | Senior Director at the New York City Department of Education Office of Innovation

Research increasingly shows that the academic performance of students of color often suffers due to differences between curriculum and culture. Culturally responsive and sustaining curriculum is a critical element in reversing this trend.

How do we integrate culturally relevant material into traditional curriculum? How can we provide students with a curriculum that recognizes and celebrates their identities, lived experiences, and cultures?

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Special guest:

Dr. Marcelle Mentor | Teachers College, Columbia University

Curriculum plays an important role in students becoming global citizens, critical thinkers, and caring advocates. Yet educators and policymakers continue to grapple with the concept of curriculum — identifying its components, determining the content to include, or evaluating a curriculum purchase.

What considerations should schools make when determining whether to purchase a curriculum or design their own?

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Special guest:

Darius Adamson, Orange County Public Schools