Dr. Manuel Ferrer (“Manny from Miami”) shares his educational journey, from growing up in Little Havana to becoming the Rookie Teacher of the Year, to his current work supporting special educators as the Regional Manager for TeachTown. Manny and I think-aloud together, drawing from his family experiences, about the impact teachers have, the importance of being an advocate and self-advocate, as well as how imperative access is for all students. We also explore the overlap between the worlds of education and business as we discuss the importance of coaching, training, mentoring, and life-long learning. This episode is packed with resources and recommendations for great reads, great podcasts, and how to order the best IPA.

Here are some of the resources Manny shared:

MO-CASE, Missouri Council of Administrators of Special Education: https://www.mo-case.org 

CASE, Council of Administrators of Special Education: https://www.casecec.org 

CEC, Council for Exceptional Children: https://exceptionalchildren.org
TeachTown: https://web.teachtown.com 

Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/291680/who-moved-my-cheese-by-spencer-johnson/ 

Sales Management Simplified by Mike Weinberg: https://mikeweinberg.com 

The Four Horsemen of Sales: https://www.facebook.com/TheFourHorsemenOfSales/ 

Welcome back! I’m so glad you’re here for this think aloud session. We jump back into our conversation with Lynn Mahaffey, a special educator who works with students in grades 6-8 in a RISE classroom - as a quick reminder, RISE stands for Reaching Independence through Structured Education. She shares a secret about what can be the hardest thing about teaching - and it is something that wasn’t taught when she was in school. The second half of our think aloud conversation brings up the importance of continually learning, having a support system of people who understand our experiences, and the importance of cultivating your network. Lynn shares some of the things she’s focusing on as we embark on a new school year after having gone through a pandemic year.

Here are some of the resources Lynn mentioned:

• DanceAbility https://www.danceability.com DanceAbility is a unique dance method founded in 1987 by Alito Alessi and Karen Nelson and has been under Alito’s leadership since 1989. DanceAbility uses improvisational dance to promote artistic expression and exploration between people with and without disabilities.
• Professional reading: resources on Social Emotional Learning in the Classroom
• Fun reading: books by Michael Connelly

Today’s conversation is with someone who is truly sunshine personified! Lynn Mahaffey is a special educator I am honored to know as a professional and a friend who works in the Columbia Public Schools in Columbia, Missouri, in a RISE classroom - Reaching Independence through Structured Education.

We talk through her education journey, including some twists and turns you might not have seen coming. We also talk about how special education has changed in the course of her career. Our conversation travels through essential concepts for effective teaching and the importance of having a balance and focusing our efforts on what works for the individual student. Lynn does a great job of thinking aloud about the intense level of knowledge and skill that makes good teaching look effortless.

(My apologies for the sound quality - we recorded in her classroom and there was a mechanical hum I couldn't edit out with my limited technical skill. I'm still learning...)
 
Here is a resource Lynn mentioned:

• TASH www.tash.org Founded in 1975, TASH advocates for human rights and inclusion for people with significant disabilities and support needs – those most vulnerable to segregation, abuse, neglect and institutionalization. TASH works to advance inclusive communities through advocacy, research, professional development, policy, and information and resources for parents, families and self-advocates. The inclusive practices TASH validates through research have been shown to improve outcomes for all people.

This episode is part 2 of my conversation with Michael Faggella-Luby. In the first half of the conversation, we discussed lessons learned in his educational journey, and paused on an extremely critical point: teachers do the very best they can and it’s important to remember we work within a system of supports. The second half of our conversation highlights the value of community for teachers and students. We explore how Special Education law has a history in the civil rights movement and equity for all. We wrap up with an optimistic discussion about where the field of Special Education is now and how it can continue to improve. 

Here are some of the resources Dr. Faggella-Luby shared in this part of our conversation:

• Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time by Jeff Sutherland
• Watership Down by Richard Adams

Today, I am excited to share part 1 of my conversation with Michael Faggella-Luby. Dr. Faggella-Luby is a Professor of Special Education and Director of the Alice Neely Special Education Research and Service (ANSERS) Institute at Texas Christian University. I asked him to tell us about his educational journey and how he came to the field of Special Education. As we explore the teaching and learning experiences he shares, we dive into questions and concepts that ring true for all educators. 

We talk about how to know what Special Education is, the idea of “hidden” disabilities, having language to describe – and seek supports for – the struggles our students experience. Join us for this conversation that will leave you energized about teaching and motivated to add to the good that exists in education. 

Here are some of the resources Dr. Faggella-Luby shares:

·      Dr. Michael Faggella-Luby at Texas Christian University https://coe.tcu.edu/faculty-staff/michael-faggella-luby-ph-d/ 

·      Division for Learning Disabilities (DLD) https://www.teachingld.org 

·      A special issue on inclusion in Catholic Schools for students with disabilities: https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/ce/vol23/iss2/

Today, we think aloud about the five take-away themes future teachers identified from a four-week summer course about teaching exceptional learners. We know  the best way to learn/teach something is to connect it – make it meaningful. We will discuss the five big ideas they learned (or unlearned): (1) debunking “learning styles,” (2) person-first language, (3) General Education teachers teach ALL students, (4) evidence-based practices, and (5) differentiation with Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

Here are some resources related to today’s episode:

• Make it Stick: The Science of Successful Learning by Brown, Roediger, & McDaniel
• TEDx Talk on Learning Styles & the Importance of Critical Self-Reflection: https://youtu.be/855Now8h5Rs 
• The Office of Disability Rights page on Person-First Language: https://odr.dc.gov/page/people-first-language 
• Infographic on Evidence-Based Practices from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES): https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/infographics/pdf/REL_SE_Evidence-based_teaching_practices.pdf 
• The UDL Guidelines: https://udlguidelines.cast.org 

Welcome to Think Aloud with Dr. G! You probably have questions, like…. "What’s a think aloud?" And, "Who is Dr. G?" Here's a 3-minute mini-episode to answer those questions.