Think Differently and Deeply Podcast

What happens when the science of learning is applied not only to classrooms, but also to a weekly chapel attended by an entire school community? In this episode of the Think Differently and Deeply podcast, host Glenn Whitman talks with Reverend James Isaacs, the middle and upper school chaplain at St. Andrew's Episcopal School, about his journey from clergy member with no traditional classroom teaching experience to an educator deeply informed by the science of learning.

Drawing on Reverend Isaacs's article, Research-Informed Chapel at St. Andrew's Episcopal School, the conversation explores how principles from mind, brain, and education research can shape the design of a chapel. From creating joy and anticipation before students even enter the space to using consistent rituals, moments of silence, student voice, and reflection, Reverend Isaacs describes how he intentionally designs chapel to support attention, engagement, belonging, and meaning.

"I am sort of setting the bar for what joy level is possible." — Reverend James Isaacs.

What You'll Learn:

• How Reverend James Isaacs transitioned from clergy work into classroom teaching
• Why incremental changes can transform teaching practice over time
• How the science of learning reshaped Reverend Isaacs's approach to teaching
• Why joy and anticipation can help prepare students for learning
• How consistent rituals and routines can reduce cognitive load and create a sense of familiarity
• The role of student voice in designing research-informed chapel experiences
• Why moments of silence can create space for attention, reflection, and presence
• How chapel can incorporate research-informed strategies such as multiple modalities, reflection, and attention
• Why the way educators begin and end an experience can influence what students remember
• How repeated language and rituals can become meaningful parts of a student's long-term experience

"You don't have to fix everything all at once, but if you can make incremental changes, then as time goes on, that really overall has a big effect." — Reverend James Isaacs.

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What if the words teachers use before students begin a task can change how they approach it? In this episode, host Glenn Whitman talks with longtime St. Andrew's educator Chuck James about his research into verbal priming and creativity, exploring how intentional language can give students the permission and confidence to think more originally.

Drawing on Chuck's article, "Words That Matter: The Effect of Verbal Priming on Creativity", the conversation moves beyond the study itself into a broader discussion of student agency, problem-driven learning, design thinking, and the relationship between knowledge and creativity. Chuck shares how simple prompts can signal to students that their unusual ideas are worth pursuing, and why cultivating authentic creativity requires more than simply asking students to complete a project.

"Know it to use it." — Chuck James.

What You'll Learn:

• How verbal priming can prepare students to approach creative tasks differently
• Why the language teachers use can give students permission to pursue unconventional ideas
• How knowledge and skills provide the foundation for meaningful creativity
• The difference between project-based learning and problem-driven learning
• Why authentic problems can create more opportunities for student agency and originality
• How teachers can use questions and discrepant events to activate curiosity
• Why students need opportunities to create unique interpretations of what they have learned
• How trust, high expectations, and appropriate scaffolding can support student agency
• How design thinking, problem-driven learning, and AI can work together to support deeper learning

"If I'm never asking students for a unique conception of what I've taught them, then I really think I have failed in my role as a teacher." — Chuck James.

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In this episode from Season 2, host Glenn speaks with Lisa Shambaugh about student choice, intrinsic motivation, and the role neuroscience can play in rethinking the admissions process.

They discuss how diversity, equity, and belonging intersect with admissions, the limitations of standardized testing, and why student agency should be a greater priority when evaluating applicants.

Listen in to learn what admissions professionals should understand about the brain, how intrinsic motivation can shape student success, and why it may be time to reimagine an admissions process that has changed very little in decades.

"We didn't know what we would be coming into; we didn't know what school might look like, but we knew for sure that we had to rethink what our admission criteria were." - Lisa Shambaugh.

What You'll Learn:

• How many years has Lisa Shambaugh worked in admissions
• What is good about independent schools
• How did COVID-19 affect school admissions
• What are the challenges of working in admissions
• How to educate admissions staff on choice and intrinsic motivation
• Why has the student admission process changed
• How to make the school admission process equitable
• What are admissions offices doing about AI essays
• How do admissions offices analyze submissions
• Which research strategies did the admissions office use when changing their policies

"We see trends coming before they've totally materialized." - Lisa Shambaugh.

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In this episode from Season 2, host Glenn speaks with Rose Currie about her experience as a student intern at the academy. They discuss the importance of her relationship with teachers, how well teachers should know their students, ways to incorporate metacognition into student learning, and what makes for a good homework assignment. Listen in to learn why Rose signed up for a summer internship with the CTTL, how to manage a heavy course load, and what can make teachers better listeners.

"I felt very heard. When I was talking, there was feedback and conversations going back and forth, and I could tell that we were respecting each other and learning a lot from each other." - Rose Currie.

What You'll Learn:

• What should teachers know about their students
• How to manage a heavy course load
• What does Rose Currie do for fun
• Why sign up for a summer internship with the CTTL
• What kind of learner is Rose
• How learning styles change over time
• What is a brain dump
• How can teachers listen better
• Is there good homework and bad homework
• What makes a good homework assignment
• How to take advantage of one-on-one teaching

"Teachers should be open to flexibility and dynamic teaching and having a good variety between online versus on paper." - Rose Currie.

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There are seasons in a teaching career when the questions shift from "What am I doing in my classroom tomorrow?" to "Who am I becoming as an educator, colleague, and human?" In this episode, veteran third-grade teacher, nurse-turned-educator, and new‑teacher mentor Dale Kynoch invites us into that deeper work through the lens of coaching, theorist‑informed practice, and a relentless belief that both children and adults can change.

Across this conversation with host Glenn Whitman, Dale unpacks how she moved from giving advice as a senior teacher to learning the craft of coaching, including completing a fifteen‑month, twenty‑hours‑per‑week coaching course and integrating those tools into daily life at Saint Andrew's Episcopal School. She shares why she calls herself "a Vygotskian through and through," how she uses responsive classroom structures and clear boundaries to empower third graders, and why she believes coaching can help retain early‑career teachers, support parents, and even shape her future as an alpaca‑owning hobby farmer.

"Part of being in this service industry for me is I love, love, love to see people shine. That absolutely floats my boat." - Dale Kynoch.

What You'll Learn:

• Why Dale moved from advice-giving to true coaching and what changed in his conversations with colleagues and students
• The difference between mentoring, advising, and coaching in a PK–12 school context, and why that distinction matters for teacher growth
• How Responsive Classroom structures and six intentional weeks of rule-setting create belonging, boundaries, and a "hum" in the elementary classroom
• What it means to be "a Vygotskian through and through" and how core learning theories shape classroom decisions and adult interactions
• How coaching supports new-to-Saint-Andrew's teachers in years one to five and why that window is critical for retaining great educators
• Practical ways coaching conversations unfold on walks, during hallway chats, and in informal moments, not just in scheduled sessions
• Why believing in a person's ability to grow is foundational to any meaningful coaching relationship
• Strategies Dale uses to "catch kids doing something right," call it out publicly, and help them feel the joy of better decisions
• How movement, like walking during coaching conversations, can change the brain's state and deepen reflection
• The role of coaching for teachers, students, and even parents as schools navigate complex times, high expectations, and the science of learning
• How a fifteen-month, twenty-hours-per-week coaching program reshaped Dale's thinking and clarified when to mentor versus when to coach
• Why Dale dreams of a "hobby farm" with alpaca, and how he seeks learning and coaching even in that next chapter

"To make those changes, you have to feel it on the inside. You have to create it. And so that's coaching, where the person is coming up with their own plan." - Dale Kynoch.

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There are conversations in education that challenge not just what we do in classrooms, but how we think about learning itself. Today's conversation with educator, researcher, and The Scaffolding Effect co-author Alex Fairlamb was exactly that kind of conversation. Alex joins us at the Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning after a whirlwind stretch of presentations across China, New York, Maryland, and beyond — and somehow still brought clarity, energy, and practicality to one of the most misunderstood ideas in education today: scaffolding.

In this episode, Alex insists that scaffolding is not about lowering expectations or making work easier. It is about maintaining ambitious goals for every learner while thoughtfully removing barriers that prevent students from reaching them. In a moment when schools are wrestling with AI, personalization, differentiation, and equity, Alex offers something refreshingly grounded: responsive teaching rooted in the science of learning, teacher expertise, and a deep belief that all students deserve access to rigorous curriculum and high expectations.

"Success equals motivation. So the more that I saw the success of what I was doing in the classroom with the students, the more that I was motivated to find out more and more and more." - Alex Fairlamb.

What You'll Learn:

• Why is scaffolding fundamentally different from "watering down" instruction
• What is the difference between differentiation, adaptive teaching, and responsive teaching
• How does effective scaffolding support equity and academic belonging
• Why "teaching to the top" matters for all learners
• How checks for understanding drive responsive instruction
• What teachers often misunderstand about I-We-You instructional models
• Why teacher expertise—not programs or scripts—remains central to learning
• How can AI support scaffolding without replacing student thinking
• What is the role of coaching and professional learning in improving instruction
• Why the science of learning should shape how schools think about curriculum, assessment, and support systems

"It's about being absolutely and unapologetically ambitious about what each child can do." - Alex Fairlamb.

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Today's guest Kristin Webster taught middle and upper school Latin at St. Andrews for four years and is currently a class dean and Latin teacher at the Nightingale Bamford School in New York City. Kristin has also continued to be a translation group leader at the CTTL'S Annual Science of Teaching and School Leadership Academy, and authored an article for volume four of Think Differently and Eeeply titled Emotion and Cognition: Creating a Positive Classroom Culture.

In this episode, Kristin explains her role when teaching tricky topics and the importance she places on the transparency of her thought process with her students as she teaches. We also talk about how the topic of latin is evolving and which recent research in the science of learning has influenced her teaching style.

"Most of us aren't gonna remember a lot...I am so much happier if you leave and you know how to study, how to advocate for yourself, what are effective strategies, because you're gonna take that to every subject throughout your educational journey." - Kristin Webster

What You'll Learn:

• How to know if study strategies are sticking
• What's to love about teaching Latin
• How is teaching Latin evolving
• Which topics in Latin are difficult
• How important is mindset in learning
• What is it like to be a translation group leader
• Research that informs teaching
• What is the next frontier in the science of learning

"I want them to feel good about learning and know that they're capable of learning. They just need, might need to pivot on what strategy they're using." - Kristin Webster

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Today host Glenn Whitman talks about practical instructional design with instructional coach Gene Tavernetti. Reading to learn has been an integral part of both of their journeys and they co-authored the article "Let's Talk More About Instructional Design (and the science of learning)."

Gene is also the author of the book "Teach Fast: Focused Adaptable Structured Teaching." In this episode, we discuss Gene's educational journey and the benefits of training in the fast framework method.

Listen in to learn what teachers can learn from coaches and how to "shift the lift."

"Being right was never enough. In fact, thinking you were right all the time was a detriment to assisting teachers to open up to try things." - Gene Tavernetti

What You'll Learn:

• What is Gene Tavernetti's educational journey
• How to transition from coach to teacher
• Ways teachers can use humor in the classroom
• How to get the attention of your audience
• Why should teachers talk more about Instructional Design
• What is the connection between the science of learning and fast framework methods
• Which book is Gene reading now
• What does training look like in the fast framework

"The power of this fast framework is if you just get better at a few of the components you're going to see a change. And the change is in the kids. And that's, that's when I know that I've been successful. - Gene Tavernetti

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It is rare to have St. Andrews students on the podcast, so one of today's guests is a special addition. Daphne is a St. Andrews language teacher and a returning guest on the podcast. In this episode, Daphne brings one of her students along to rethink the concept of homework.

We talk about the ways that teachers can promote collective efficacy through homework assignments and what makes a good or bad homework assignment. We also discuss ways that teachers can reduce barriers to learning and encourage motivation to do school assignments.

Listen to this episode to learn how teachers can learn more from their students and improve the connection between homework assignments and classroom learning.

"Presenting at conferences is a great way to pause and ask myself, what do I believe and how can I communicate that with others." - Daphne Clyburn

What You'll Learn:

• How do St. Andrews students study
• Why should teachers be learning more from their students
• How can teachers reconsider the goal of homework
• Why do teachers assign homework
• How to make homework a continuation of class
• What is the difference between good and bad homework
• How has the concept of homework changed
• Is AI affecting homework in the ways predicted

"In everything we do as teachers, we need to be incorporating student voice into making our teaching practice stronger. If we're not getting a perspective, then we're missing the mark." - Daphne Clyburn

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Sean Hurney has been the athletic trainer at St. Andrews for over 24 years. In this episode, we discuss his article, "Taking Care of the Whole Student Athlete," and Sean shares what he has learned during his career and how his outlook has changed over time.

We also discuss factors that can impact student-athletes off the playing field and how AI has affected athletic trainers.

"The injury data is showing that these sports specializations are causing injuries. Orthopedics, the amount of office visits, time lost is, are going up at an astronomical rate." - Sean Hurney

What You'll Learn:

• Should athletes play through pain
• Why are relationships with student athletes important
• How to approach questions for a student athlete
• Should student athletes play multiple sports
• What is the relationship between stress and student athletic performance
• How has athletic training changed
• Has AI impacted student athletic trainers
• What are the pros of being an athletic trainer
• How to stay healthy as an athlete

"You can pretty much pinpoint when the kids hit their breaking point." - Sean Hurney

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