Two Pint PLC by Laurence Woodruff & Michael Ralph

04.12.2024

086 PBL Effects & Mindfulness Introspection

Project-Based Learning is a thoroughly researched method of instruction with many benefits. We read a meta-analysis looking specifically at how PBL affects student motivation, and saw data illustrating just how important an excellent project prompt is to project success. Later, we...

03.12.2024

085 Academic Anxiety & Principal Leadership

More schools are looking to address the socio-emotional needs of students, and a key area for that work is helping students manage anxiety in the classroom. We look at a study showing how some accommodations may be reinforcing their anxiety,...

02.12.2024

084 Theater Empathy & Cognitive Load

Field trips to the theater can be memorable opportunities for students to engage in community-based performing arts. Dr. Goldstein joins us to talk about how even a single theater experience can have an impact on socio-emotional outcomes like empathy and...

01.12.2024

083 Underachievement & Artificial Intelligence

Student underachievement occurs when students’ day-to-day class performance is lower than their test scores predict it should be. We read a review of research that shows the causes of underachievement can vary widely. Still, it gives teachers some useful starting...

12.12.2023

082 Stimulus Complexity & Student Caregiving

This month is a collaborative episode with the hosts of the School Spirits podcast. We read a study of pigeon working memory that indicates complex visuals activate substantially more of our brains than simple ones, which can help with memory...

11.12.2023

081 Instructional Agency & Bilingual Math

Researchers measured the impact of student-directed project weeks on their sense of motivation over the course of a school year. We reflect on the importance of consistently prioritizing learner agency throughout the year, rather than sequestering it to a single...

10.12.2023

080 Growth Mindset & Music Distractions

This month we talk with Dr. Elisabeth Tipton about the research support for growth mindset interventions, and the flaws in last month’s meta-analysis. Together we consider how growth mindset should be part of a more comprehensive approach to helping students...

09.12.2023

079 Meta-Analyses: Co-Teaching & Growth Mindset

A meta-analysis of co-teaching showed that it benefits students to have more than one adult in the classroom, regardless of the specifics. We reflect on what it could mean to successfully build a co-teaching classroom based on trust among the...

08.13.2023

078 Season 6 In Review

This month we reflect on our year of reading scholarship and growing as humans. First we’ll return to the segments we felt had the greatest impact on our practice and our thinking from the research we read. Later, we’ll reflect specifically...

07.12.2023

077 PBIS Trauma & Reciprocal Reading

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a framework being adopted by many schools, and some claim it can integrate trauma-informed pedagogies. However, we read scholarship that shows how PBIS is fundamentally incompatible with trauma-informed education. Later, we discuss a large-scale...

06.12.2023

076 Standards - Based Instruction & Belonging Interventions

Many schools have adopted new instructional standards in recent years, but some schools have struggled in helping teachers align their instruction. We talk with author Morgan Polikoff about his team’s work studying why flexible specificity is so important for success. Later,...

05.12.2023

075 Evaluation Reform & Retrieval Memory

Feedback is an essential component of professional growth, and teacher evaluation has changed in most places across the US over the last 15 years. What do we actually know about how those changes impacted school performance? Later, we read a study...

04.12.2023

074 UDL In MTSS & Feedback Processing

Universal Design for Learning represents a framework that can impact every part of the school. We read research looking at how UDL can contribute to more effective MTSS Tier 1 interventions… if teachers have an accurate understanding of UDL. Later, we...

03.12.2023

073 Creative Constraints & Good Errors

This month we are joined by two authors of a piece on constraints that fuel creativity. They share how limits on our writing help us focus on new parts of the writing process and make interesting connections along the way. Later,...

02.12.2023

072 Contextual PD & Teacher Mentorship

This month we look at professional development. A fresh framework for PD lays out how we need to consider teacher learning in-context, with definite answers to the “for whom” and “when” when discussing whether something works. Later, we look at norms...

01.13.2023

071 Extended Research With Youki Terada

This month we are joined again by guest Youki Terada to discuss his 2022 education research roundup. His team at Edutopia has curated their 10 top studies of the year - from retrieval practice to play-based learning - and we...

12.12.2022

070 Critical Ignoring & Reverse Engineering

Digital literacy skills are important for teachers to consider across many teaching contexts. We read about how critical ignoring should be part of what we are teaching to help students manage the information overload of today’s digital landscape. Later, we read...

11.12.2022

069 Self-Regulation & Pedagogy Of Enactment

This month we read a robust, experimental study on teaching self-regulation and the increasing benefits to students over time. They learn more AND close a key achievement gap. Later, we read about a pedagogy of enactment - how to learn about...

10.12.2022

068 Learning Styles & Learning To Learn

The theories about teaching students according to learning styles have been debunked in research, but the idea has been difficult to interrupt in practice. We read a new paper focused on helping teachers move on from old thinking related to...

09.12.2022

067 Teacher Shortage & Homework Inequality

Staffing challenges in districts across the United States are fueling a narrative of a nationwide teacher shortage. However, Paul Bruno joins us to talk about his recent work showing there may not be a national shortage… or national anything. Later, we...

08.12.2022

066 Season 5 Year in Review

This month we reflect on our year of reading scholarship and growing as humans. First we’ll return to the segments we felt had the greatest impact on our practice and our thinking from the research we read. Later, we’ll reflect specifically...

07.12.2022

065 COVID Consequences & Visual Display

As the summer of 2022 wanes, we will spend some time looking at the bigger picture of how education has been affected by COVID-19 these past few years. We read reviews of the current research on COVID impacts on mental...

06.12.2022

064 Evaluative Mindsets & Sociopolitical Consciousness

Why are people so influenced by false information, even when they know better? We are joined by researcher Nikita Antonia Salovich to discuss her recent work on evaluative mindsets, and how we can apply on-going work to how we handle...

05.12.2022

063 Writing Achievement & Cultural Socialization

When professional development programs conflict with overemphasis on test scores, teachers face a precarious tension between their growth and the ever present threat of dubious evaluations. We read about an effort to sustain professional development in writing instruction amid a...

04.12.2022

062 Cognitive Effort & Professional Learning

The routines, rewards, and incentives we use in the classroom can help students build productive habits they use throughout their lives. We read about a series of studies that found how rewarding cognitive effort can lead to greater intrinsic motivation...

03.12.2022

061 Errorful Generation & Local Poems

Retrieval practice has a ton of research support, but we’re still figuring out the when and how of its effective use in instruction. We read a series of studies comparing the impacts of post-testing and pre-testing on measures of learning,...

02.12.2022

060 Digital Equity & (L)ove Praxis

Technology has taken a prominent position in many schools as we have taught these past few years, yet we need to look at who is using what technological tools… and why? We read how technology manifests and reproduces categorical inequalities...

01.12.2022

059 Studying UDL And Science Discourse

Universal Design for Learning is an exciting framework to improve accessibility of instruction. However, Dr. Guy Boysen joins us to discuss his critiques of the existing research to support UDL and how future work could improve confidence among scholars. Later, Lali...

12.14.2021

058 Habits Of Mind & Scaffolded Argumentation

All learning is brain-based, which means taking care of our brain is part of a good education. We read a scoping review to look at some examples of how healthy habits can impact learning, motivation, and mental wellness. Later, we read...

11.12.2021

057 Feedback Delivery And Cognitive Load

Students need feedback on their work in order to improve, but what is the impact of different approaches to giving that feedback? We read a study of how students perceive the feedback they get, and how it impacts their motivation...

10.11.2021

056 Indigenous Erasure & Teacher Responsiveness

State standards set the expectations for what teachers teach in the classroom, but we should continue to examine who is represented in those standards… and who is erased? We read a study of state civics standards to analyze where Indigenous...

09.13.2021

055 Mental Health & Multilingual Literacy

Starting another school year with pandemic concerns rising again, it’s important to address student mental wellness as a classroom goal. We read a national survey that asked students how they feel about school, both at the moment and as they...

08.12.2021

054 Season 4 Year In Review

This month we reflect on our year of reading scholarship and growing as humans. First we’ll return to the segments we felt had the greatest impact on our practice and our thinking from the research we read. Later, we’ll reflect specifically...

07.12.2021

053 Making Spaces & Autonomy Support

This month we are talking about race, and read a series of papers looking at the experience of Black students in US education. First, we read an article that examined the story of “The Space Traders” as a starting point for...

06.12.2021

052 Socio - Emotional Screening & Teacher Expressions

Student social, emotional, and behavior development will be a critical consideration for teachers returning to physical classrooms in the fall. We read a national study examining the various methods schools use to screen students for social, emotional, and behavioral needs....

05.13.2021

051 Retrieval Practice & Metacognition Translation

This month we are thinking… about thinking. We read a review of the applied research on retrieval practice, which recognizes the difference between “learning” something and “knowing” something. We reflect on the ways this has played out in our classrooms,...

04.12.2021

050 Standardized Tests & Start Times

Standardized testing is happening again this year. Researchers are talking about how to use the data more responsibly. We read an advising memo that describes some of the common problems with comparing testing data from this year to past years,...

03.12.2021

049 Multimedia Models & Administrative Dysfunction

Images and animations offer tools to visualize our content, but must strike a balance between ease-of-use and ability to prompt thinking. We read a study that tested the impact of prior knowledge and multimedia format on learning outcomes. Later, we read...

02.12.2021

048 Gamification & Research Impact

Gamification offers a fresh take on teaching design that offers increased engagement and improved learning. However, research to-date has been unclear about what components of gamification work. We read a meta-analysis that searches for which pieces of gamification can benefit...

01.07.2021

047 Epistemic Disobedience & Neuroscience Motivation

047 Epistemic Disobedience & Neuroscience Motivation by Laurence Woodruff & Michael Ralph

12.13.2020

046 Nature Of Science & Malleable Self - Concept

Science communication has been turned upside down by the explosion of popularity of social media platforms. We read a reconceptualization of nature-of-science education for the social media age. What is our job as teachers, of any content area, to prepare...

11.12.2020

045 Differentiated Numeracy & Goal Consensus

The importance of mathematical reasoning is visible in conversations from pandemics to politics. Sarah Dolence joins us to discuss how a numeracy framework developed for citizens can inform math instruction for students. Later, we read research connecting instructional choices to student...

10.12.2020

044 Student Teaching And Scripted Curricula

The future of teaching depends on training future educators, but pairing student teachers with effective veterans can be challenging. New research allays some fears from veteran teachers by showing that taking a student teacher does not negatively impact classroom outcomes. Later,...

09.13.2020

043 Video Technique & Need - Supportive Teaching

With many schools beginning the fall in remote or hybrid settings, we’re still thinking about digital teaching. Research on filming techniques shows how your camera and editing choices impact student retention and understanding. Later, we read about a new model for...

08.12.2020

042 Season 3 Finale

This month we’ll have our year in review! We’re looking back at the papers that impacted our thinking and our practice. We’ll also reflect on our personal journey as educators during an academic year unlike any other.

07.12.2020

041 We Discuss How Racism Impacts Students

This month we’re talking about racism in US education. Our first paper presents the experience of Black men who have been expelled from US schools. Their stories highlight systemic problems that produce a school-to-prison pipeline that we must work to dismantle. Later,...

06.12.2020

040 Kelly Plans For A Fall Reopening

As our minds turn to plans for the fall, many districts are making “what if” plans for whether and how to return to in-person teaching. Guest host Kelly Kluthe brings guidelines for Missouri schools to consider how teachers can make...

05.12.2020

039 We Navigate Helping Students Grow, Remotely

Our second month of emergency remote teaching leaves us searching for ways to help our students grow in all the areas we value. We start by reading a paper that identifies connections between socio-emotional constructs, with ways to promote growth...

04.12.2020

038 We All Adjust To Remote Learning

Lali DeRosier joins us as a guest host for this month’s look at online teaching. The global pandemic of COVID-19 is affecting communities around the world, and many teachers are thrust into remote learning with little warning. First we read a...

03.12.2020

037 Laurence Thinks About Spatial Reasoning

We read a longitudinal study examining US gifted systems failing to identify students with spatial aptitude over the past 60 years. We search for the causes and consequences of undervaluing spatial reasoning, and identify classroom practices that support those students...

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Two Pint PLC episodes:

086 PBL Effects & Mindfulness Introspection

085 Academic Anxiety & Principal Leadership

084 Theater Empathy & Cognitive Load

083 Underachievement & Artificial Intelligence

082 Stimulus Complexity & Student Caregiving

081 Instructional Agency & Bilingual Math

080 Growth Mindset & Music Distractions

079 Meta-Analyses: Co-Teaching & Growth Mindset

078 Season 6 In Review

077 PBIS Trauma & Reciprocal Reading

076 Standards - Based Instruction & Belonging Interventions

075 Evaluation Reform & Retrieval Memory

074 UDL In MTSS & Feedback Processing

073 Creative Constraints & Good Errors

072 Contextual PD & Teacher Mentorship

071 Extended Research With Youki Terada

070 Critical Ignoring & Reverse Engineering

069 Self-Regulation & Pedagogy Of Enactment

068 Learning Styles & Learning To Learn

067 Teacher Shortage & Homework Inequality

066 Season 5 Year in Review

065 COVID Consequences & Visual Display

064 Evaluative Mindsets & Sociopolitical Consciousness

063 Writing Achievement & Cultural Socialization

062 Cognitive Effort & Professional Learning

061 Errorful Generation & Local Poems

060 Digital Equity & (L)ove Praxis

059 Studying UDL And Science Discourse

058 Habits Of Mind & Scaffolded Argumentation

057 Feedback Delivery And Cognitive Load

056 Indigenous Erasure & Teacher Responsiveness

055 Mental Health & Multilingual Literacy

054 Season 4 Year In Review

053 Making Spaces & Autonomy Support

052 Socio - Emotional Screening & Teacher Expressions

051 Retrieval Practice & Metacognition Translation

050 Standardized Tests & Start Times

049 Multimedia Models & Administrative Dysfunction

048 Gamification & Research Impact

047 Epistemic Disobedience & Neuroscience Motivation

046 Nature Of Science & Malleable Self - Concept

045 Differentiated Numeracy & Goal Consensus

044 Student Teaching And Scripted Curricula

043 Video Technique & Need - Supportive Teaching

042 Season 3 Finale

041 We Discuss How Racism Impacts Students

040 Kelly Plans For A Fall Reopening

039 We Navigate Helping Students Grow, Remotely

038 We All Adjust To Remote Learning

037 Laurence Thinks About Spatial Reasoning