This week, we are reflecting on our excitements, challenges, and worries as we think forward to the new school year in September. We're chatting all about our latest projects and how we're implementing them into our classrooms in the fall as well as some of the struggles we have had so far with this process.

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**For detailed show notes, please visit our website at https://edugals.com/89**

• Rachel is heading back to the classroom in September!
• New Ontario Grade 9 de-streamed science curriculum
• The students are what makes the job - we both love the classroom and building relationships with our students
• Katie - Building a mastery-based and de-streamed approach to the ESL program at her school with a project-based learning focus
• Rachel - Grade 9 science with a mastery-based, gradeless, and project-based approach (engineering, sustainability, and interdependence lenses)
• Transparency and developing the why is key!
• Building a team that is all in helps to build the momentum (look for folks who want to try new things and are willing to put in a bit of extra time)
• Big struggle currently - lack of time and release time, common lunches can help
• Balance between being innovative and not burning out
• Our worries - not being properly prepared, ensuring student success in de-streaming, burning out with change or emotions, returning to past role (Rachel), PD after school hours will continue, no release time, no collaboration
• Summer PD opportunity: Material Sciences Camp from ASM (lots of locations)
• Summer - Katie is going on a big camping trip, Rachel is looking at day trips to do

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This week, we are discussing the NEW format of the Google Certified Educator exams (Level 1 and Level 2), as well as Google's other certification programs (Trainer, Coach, Innovator). We'll get into some great ideas on how to prepare yourself for the certifications, as well as our best advice on which of the other Google certification programs might be right for you.

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**For detailed show notes, please visit our website at https://edugals.com/88**

There have been lots of changes to the Google Certified Educator Level 1 and Level 2 exams, so be sure to check out all of the great resources here to get prepared!

Exam Format (Level 1 and Level 2):

• No more scenario based questions
• 35 "active" multiple choice, drag and drop questions
• 180 minutes total allowed
• No incognito window  or separate exam account needed
• Beware about your Google account settings before signing up

Resources Mentioned:

• Google Certified Educator - What To Expect On The Exams 
• Google Certified Educator - L1 and L2 Exam FAQs
• Google Educator Level 1 Task Cards
• Google Educator Level 2 Task Cards
• Fundamentals Course Outline.pdf
• Advanced Course Outline.pdf
• Google Certified Educator Registration Guide.pdf   
• Google Teacher Center
• Google Certified Trainer Video Example from Rachel

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This week, we are chatting all about why UDL (Universal Design For Learning) is a great approach to designing classrooms that make learning accessible for all students. We are focusing on the big picture in this episode by going over what UDL is and isn't, how it's different from choice or differentiation, and strategies/tips to begin thinking about UDL in your lesson design.

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**For detailed show notes, please visit our website at https://edugals.com/87**

What is UDL?

• Based on the premise that all students are capable of success when we provide pathways and empower them to determine what they need at any given point in time
• Goal of UDL - create expert learners (purposeful and motivated, resourceful and knowledgeable, and strategic and goal-directed)
• Different from choice (just a piece of UDL) or differentiation (reactionary)
• Learner variability is the rule - a single explanation or model will not address the range of skills, abilities, language proficiencies, etc in a classroom - variability changes according to context, opportunity, etc.
• Lots of overlap with mastery-based learning, culturally responsive and relevant pedagogy (esp. high academic expectations), ungrading, trauma-informed pedagogy, blended instructional models
• 3 main buckets/pillars:
  • Multiple means of engagement - student choice, lesson relevance, motivation, self-assessment, feedback
  • Multiple means of representation - multiple modalities, scaffolds, visuals, cross-curricular connections, note-taking skills
  • Multiple means of action & expression - EdTech tools, choice for demonstrating learning, feedback, reflection (portfolios, conferencing, entrance/exit tickets)
• It's okay to let go of control in your classroom; focus on de-centring yourself and shifting the focus onto students

Resources:

• UDL Infographic from Katie Novak
• Learner Variability Project - Digital Promise
• Learner Variability Navigator
• Universal Design for Learning (UDL): A teacher's guide 
• UDL Guidelines from CAST
• UDL Progression Rubric from Katie Novak
• Chemix 

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This week, we are bringing you our 10 favourite approaches to get started with ungrading. We are focusing on those strategies that are easy to adapt to the needs of your classroom so that it is easy for you to get started! Just keep in mind that there is no right or wrong way to ungrade, so find the strategies that will work best for you.

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**For detailed show notes, please visit our website at https://edugals.com/86**

Our top 10 Ungrading strategies:

1. Feedback/Critiques - use positive, growth mindset language and continuous feedback loops
2. Voice & Choice - let students choose a specific focus for you to concentrate on/assess
3. Create a supportive classroom environment for authentic peer feedback - try using sentence stems/starters and frameworks for peer feedback
4. Reflections - entrance/exit tickets, Google Forms, goal-setting
5. Minimizing your scale - single point rubrics (minimizing your scale - ditching the 100-pt scale (biased towards failure), checklist of skills, standards-based grading/learning progressions)
6. A Shift in language (grade vs assess; What did I get wrong vs What did I learn?, invite/ask vs required etc.)
7. Practice of self-assessment
8. Ditch zeros/late marks (this is behaviour not learning/understanding)
9. Portfolios 
10. Conferencing - can be time consuming!

Resources:

• How To Give Effective Feedback to Your Students - Susan Brookhart
• Dylan Wiliam
• Trauma-Informed Strategies for the Classroom - E085
• Asset vs Deficit Mindset - E080
• Using Portfolios in the Classroom - E074
• The WHY of Ungrading - E070
• The HOW of Ungrading - E071

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In this episode, we are chatting all about trauma-informed pedagogy. While we are not trauma certified ourselves, we have picked up several strategies and tips along the way to help support students who have experienced trauma.
 
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**For detailed show notes, please visit our website at https://edugals.com/85**

Trauma is not an event itself, but the body's protective response to an event or series of events that is experienced as harmful or life-threatening.

Resources Mentioned:

• Definition of Trauma
• Trauma-informed Pedagogy: What It Is and How It Can Help Now
• Understanding Trauma: Learning Brain vs. Survival Brain (YouTube)
• Simon Sinek's Why Video - Long version and Short version
• Asset vs Deficit mindset - E080
• Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
• Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott

Advice/Tips/Strategies:

• Getting to know ALL of your students
• Daily journals (ongoing dialogue between student and teacher)
• Google Chat thread with each of your students
• Exit or Entrance tickets - What's on your mind? Anything bothering you? How can I support?
• Mastery-based teaching and learning approaches free up your time to connect with students
• Behaviour usually has a reason behind it (it's not about defiance)
• Provide materials for class ahead of time (allows students to process on their own time)
• Current events can be triggering for students
• Lots of parallels with UDL (Universal Design for Learning)
• Don't have pity on your students - slippery slope away from high expectations, not culturally responsive
• Make sure pity is not affecting your grading
• Explain your why of your lesson (why to how to what instead of what to how to why)
• There are lots of great lessons from the business world
• Involve parents in your school community
• Connecting face-to

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In this episode, we are joined by a special guest from the Vancouver School Board, Jessica Liew, to chat about shifting our grading practices in the classroom. We'll get into all things assessment, focusing on standards-based grading, growth mindsets, and proficiency scales. Get ready to get nerdy about assessment!

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**For detailed show notes, please visit our website at https://edugals.com/84**

• Jessica Liew:
  • Vancouver School Board
  • Secondary Technology Support Teacher
  • Social Studies Teacher
  • Contact: [email protected]
• Resources Mentioned:
  • Grading for Equity by Joe Feldman
  • Grading Smarter, Not Harder by Myron Dueck
  • Going Gradeless, Grades 6-12 by Elise Burns & David Frangiosa
  • Tom Schimmer and Katie White
• Key Takeaways:
  • Focus on the skills, using content as the vehicle to practice (skills matter more than content) - performance vs rehearsal
  • Feedback first
  • Focus on student learning and growth not grades and points
  • Organizing your gradebook based on skills not tasks
  • What are the outcomes of your course? What are the transferrable skills? 
  • Avoid the omnibus grade, assessment should only focus on the learning and understanding
  • Ditch late marks, bonus marks, zeroes, 100-point scale, participation marks
  • Carrot and stick approaches to grading don't work to support learning
  • Is homework necessary or equitable?
  • If you stop putting marks on everything, students stop asking what their grade is
  • Changing your language around assessment can change student language as well
  • Organizing gradebooks by standards helps provide focus on where students need to improve
  • Standards-based grading is not a one size, fits all
  • 4 point scale:
    • 1 - Beginning (just starting to work with the skill, needs lots of support)
    • 2 - Developing (partial understanding, lacks consistency)
    • 3 - Applying (proficiency, complete understanding)
    • 4 - Extending (work is exemplary, NOT beyond grade level) 
  • Try to avoid relatin

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In this episode, we are talking all about how to leverage audio in the classroom. We'll cover podcasting (of course!) and also so many other ways that we can use audio with our students. Topics include word walls, feedback, audio instructions and more!

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**For detailed show notes, please visit our website at https://edugals.com/83**

• Podcasting or Micro Podcasting:
  • Our presentation slides from VSB: http://bit.ly/podcastVSB
  • Use simple web-based audio tools
  • Go for done, not perfect
  • Scaffold skills over the course of a semester/year
  • Tools: Online Voice Recorder (from 123 Apps), Vocaroo, Mote, voice memo apps on devices
• Word Walls:
  • Create QR codes on a wall with audio linking in Google Drive
  • Digital options - Google Slides or Google Sheets with auto-translate
• Instructions:
  • Include audio in digital handouts
• Adding audio to Google Slides vs Microsoft Powerpoint - both use insert audio, need to upload to Google Drive first
• Feedback:
  • Benefits - students can hear your tone, levels up buy-in, takes less time than written
• Goal-Setting, Reflection, Portfolios:
  • Students can create audio to set goals, reflect on feedback
  • Can be a great accommodation for ELLs
• Written vs Spoken Assignments:
  • Why do we always need to use written? Why not consider adding audio as an option?
  • Scaffold writing - record audio, use voice dictation in Google docs, then revise
• Peer feedback:
  • Pair it with sentence stems like 2 wishes and 1 star, 3-2-1, etc
• 1-1 Conferencing:
  • Record for student review
  • Provides evidence of learning
  • Can be a bit awkward at first, but stick with it!

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In this episode, we are tackling a difficult topic - how to collaborate and deal with those challenging colleagues. Let's address the elephant in the room, while we share some tips and strategies to help you move forward. The struggle is real, so let's work on making the most of the situation and find the positive!

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**For detailed show notes, please visit our website at https://edugals.com/82**

• Reality: There will always be people who you don't agree with and can be challenging to work with
• Listening and keeping an open mind - stay in the open or positive space
• Note-taking strategy - reframe your thinking into "how might we" questions
• Avoid the shutdown and work on finding solutions
• Value voice of all of your teammates
• Asset vs deficit mindset - also applies to staff relationships (E080)
• Get to know each other and build community with staff
• Take time to develop norms for discussions/co-planning time/course teams
• Communication is key - meeting regularly can help
• Avoid emails, just go talk to the person (tone can be misinterpreted)
• Try to understand the behaviour behind the action
• You can only control your actions and reactions
• Anger is a choice - Tik Tok video
• Reticular Activating System (RAS) - filter for incoming data; choose to filter for the positive instead of the negative (Focus on the positive)
• You can't control your initial reactions, but take a second to get curious and move forward
• Self-care - find something just for you that brings you joy (cardio kickboxing, read a book, go for a walk, cleaning, meditation)
• Headspace - meditation can help give you a bit of breathing room
• Find a critical friend - someone you can be totally free to vent without judgement
• Avoid:
  • Bad mouthing your colleagues
  • Allowing it to impact future interactions
  • Being passive aggressive 
• Set clear boundaries for yourself
• Crucial Conversations (book)

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In this episode, we are talking about how to get ready for destreaming. In Ontario, all grade 9 courses will be destreamed next year. This is top of our minds in thinking about our planning for the upcoming school year, so we're going to share our best tips, strategies, and ideas to get ready!
 
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**For detailed show notes, please visit our website at https://edugals.com/81**

• Change can be scary and cause fear - we need time to "get used to this idea" and get excited to try new things
• Ontario's Policy Paper on Destreaming
• Grade 8 to Grade 9 is a big leap, so destreaming makes sense
• Start by revisiting your curriculum
• It's ok if initial implementation is not perfect, it takes time!
• Ideas:
  • Collaborate with others - reach out to colleagues, cross-panel connections, other schools, board contacts, Twitter
  • Go visit elementary classrooms if you can
  • TDSB Destreaming Resources
  • Use a menu of pedagogical choices to promote teacher autonomy (Modern Classrooms, Thinking Classrooms, UDL, Design Thinking, Gradeless/Ungrading practices, CRRP)
  • Learn strategies and pick a focus for next year
  • Incorporating student choice and voice in both content and assessment
  • Alternative assessment formats
  • Focus on descriptive feedback
  • Focus on skills and use the content as a vehicle to develop the skills
  • Class sizes are a real concern
  • Is any timing good timing? Probably not! Do your best and give yourself grace
• Resources:
  • Modern Classrooms Project
  • Book: Going Gradeless, Grades 6 - 12 by Elise Burns & David Frangiosa
  • Station-based learning - Edutopia and Hacking Learning Centers, Grades 6-12 by Starr Sackstein
  • Universal Design for Learning (UDL) - Katie Novak
  • Learning for All (Ont Ed Policy Doc)

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In this episode, we are exploring asset vs deficit mindsets in education. We'll go over our observations as well as some of our ideas to shift away from a deficit mindset in our classrooms.
 
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Featured Content
**For detailed show notes, please visit our website at https://edugals.com/80**

• Asset mindset - what are the strengths that our students bring to the classroom and how you can embrace that with high expectations
• Deficit mindset - what are students lacking and focusing on their weaknesses
• CRRP - High expectations, Cultural competence, Critical consciousness
• Grades contribute to a deficit mindset and don't give the full picture of the strengths of a student
• Ideas and Strategies:
  • Get to know students and don't look at past grades
  • Embrace first language
  • Google Sheets auto-translate words EduGIF from Jake Miller
  • Involve parents/families in school community - builds a positive school culture
  • Watch your language and avoid placing students into buckets (struggling vs striving, harmful language)
  • Destreaming is coming in Ontario for Grade 9 next year and needs asset mindset
  • Book: Going Gradeless, Grades 6-12 by Elise Burns and David Frangiosa
  • Becoming aware and speaking up against deficit language
  • Need PD on asset-based mindsets and language (peer conversations and dialogue, active learning, voluntary, accessing when ready, multiple opportunities, reflection)
  • Video: Asset vs Deficit Mindset Definitions
  • Recognize that our brains are wired for negativity to protect ourselves
  • Rachel's grading Twitter rant
  • Community and relationship building - conversations and conferencing with students, get curious about behaviours, collaborate with other staff
  • Avoid the silo and utilize the whole school team
  • Question your assessment practices, focus on personalized and descriptive feedback (tests = deficit, portfolios = asset for example), varied types, focus on skills

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