Under the Hat Podcast

On this episode, we’re chatting with Derek Oldfield about his educational journey and how we developed Sound Pedagogy. This tool is like a magic wand that captures everything in a classroom, giving us a deeper understanding of how teaching happens in real time. Derek Oldfield is an educator, builder, and coach who has spent his career helping teachers create classrooms full of curiosity, thoughtful work, and deep thinking. He’s the founder of Sound Pedagogy, an emerging platform that uses AI to give teachers actionable insight into their instructional practice—something Derek calls “the autopsy of a lesson.” His work spans teacher mentorship, professional development, AI integration, and designing innovative learning experiences across West Virginia.Outside of work, Derek’s favorite roles are husband and girl dad to three incredible daughters. They keep him grounded, inspired, and endlessly creative—and they’re the reason he cares so deeply about the future of education.

Wanna learn more from Derek? Here are the links:

• Website
• X
• YouTube
• LinkedIn
• Sound of Pedagogy

Welcome back Tisha Richmond to the show as she discusses her new book The Magical CTE Classroom: Bringing Play, Innovation, and Joy! Come learning Tisha's perspective and experiences in the amazing world of CTE.

Tisha is an international speaker, educational speaker, Canva Learning Consultant, podcast host, and author from Southern Oregon. She has served as a district Tech Integration Specialist and Student Engagement & Professional Development Specialist and taught Family & Consumer Science for two decades. She is a co-founder and president of the Southern Oregon CUE affiliate and serves as secretary on the CUE executive board.

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Tisha is the author of three books: Make Learning MAGICAL, which unlocks seven keys to transform teaching and create unforgettable experiences in the classroom, Dragon Smart, a children's book that she co-authored with her son, Tommy, and co-author of the EduProtocol Companion Guide that she created with Jon Corippo and Marlena Hebern.

Wanna learn more from Trisha? Here are her links:

• https://www.tisharichmond.com/
• https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-make-learning-magical-podcast/id1479298310
• https://x.com/tishrich
• https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXONHxkViSaZKibfuG8Mog379_te8zwt3&si=UR6LOfuXPD0LtZmO
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/tishrich
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/tishrich
• Amazon

On this episode, Steve and Sophie reflect on 2025 and chat about goals for 2026six and 2027.

On this exciting episode of Under the Hat, we have Nick Coniglio and Marnie Stockman to chat about The Business of You: a fresh, human-first framework that reimagines college and career readiness. Listen in as we dig into the conversation about better preparing ourselves to shift the mindset of positioning success in a different light.

Check out the website: https://www.thebusinessofyou.ai/

On this episode of Under the Hat, we are chatting School Culture with Brian Kulak. Listen in as we breakdown the importance and implementation of a sustainable school culture....and yes, this includes staff! Brian Kulak is in his 26th year in education. For the first fifteen, he taught English and journalism at his alma mater in New Jersey before joining leadership in 2014. He has been both a Chief Academic Officer and K-5 principal.

Brian has written two books: Level Up Leadership: Advance Your Edugame (2019) and The Hot Seat: Real Teenage Answers to Life’s Real(ly) Hard Questions (2025), both with Edumatch Publishing. Each blends his unique, anecdotal writing style with a commitment to providing educators with ready-to-use strategies and activities to remind us that we are all connected. You can find more of his writing at briankulak.net.

His work has been featured on Edutopia, in Educational Viewpoints, and in Stories in EDU. Brian has also presented on teaching, learning, and leadership at conferences such as NJAMLE, NCTE/CEL, and at various Edcamps.

Brian is a baseball fanatic, a Pearl Jam aficionado, and a devoted family man. He lives in New Jersey with his two children.

On this episode, we have the pleasure of hearing from Starr Sackstein. Starr brings a tremendous amount of insight on various topics but one of her passions is changing the mindset around grading and assessing. Starr Sackstein is a recovering perfectionist, assessment reform advocate, and education consultant dedicated to transforming how we do teaching and learning. As the Massachusetts State Coordinator for Educators Rising, she advocates for bringing young people into education, as it is the best career in the world. And as COO of Mastery Portfolio, she champions standards-based and competency-based learning, taking the emphasis off grades and focusing on metacognition and feedback throughout the formative assessment process. With 16 years as a high school English and journalism teacher, plus roles as a lead Humanities learner, publisher, and developmental editor, Starr brings deep expertise to her work. She partners with schools and districts to empower teachers, engage students, and leverage data for personalized growth. A prolific author, blogger, and speaker, Starr is committed to reshaping assessment practices globally. Learn more at MsSackstein.com. Beyond education, she’s a mom, partner, animal enthusiast, and adventurer, always seeking the next challenge.

On this episode of Under the Hat, we have the pleasure of having Jon Laven of Snorkl! Jon and Steve chat about AI in the classroom, cognitive overload, and Snork.

Jon is a teacher, instructional coach, and co-founder of Snorkl – the classroom AI tool that uses multimodal student input to give students instant feedback on their thinking, writing, problem solving, and explanations. A life-long learner, Jon enjoys thinking about how we get our students thinking and problem solving in ways that are engaging for every student.

On this episode of Under the Hat, we have founder of Short Answer Adam Sparks! Adam unpacks the need for writing solutions in the classroom and the journey he took to get his platform off the ground. Truly, an amazing story! Adam Sparks taught 6-12th grade ELA and SS for 7 years before recently finishing his master's in Learning Design and Technology (LDT) at Stanford. In LDT, Adam built a gamified writing platform called Short Answer which he now works on full-time. As a part of his work with Short Answer, Adam leads workshops with schools across the country on adjusting K12 writing instruction in the wake of AI.

Want to learn more from Adam? Here are the links:

• https://myshortanswer.com/
• https://x.com/mrsparkstweets
• https://www.facebook.com/groups/593089402256533
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-sparks-15652299/
• https://bsky.app/profile/adamsparks.bsky.social
• https://www.tiktok.com/@short.answer

On this episode of Under the Hat, we have math expert/author Lisa M Nowakowski to chat all things math, MathReps, Eduprotocols, and number sense! Lisa is passionate about helping people understand how to use technology in the classroom. She is dedicated to helping teachers, students, and administrators become more effective in their use of Ed Tech. She firmly believes that technology should be used to promote creativity, collaboration, communication, and critical thinking. She has also developed a variety of online resources, including online tutorials, and webinars. She is a Google Certified Teacher & Trainer and Co-Author of The EduProtocol Field Guide: Math Edition. MathReps.com

On this episode of Under the Hat, Steve sits down with AJ Melanson to discuss his experiences as an educator and insight on how we grade with equity in mind. AJ takes pride in his work with Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) work. He has most recently presented on Grading for Equity at MassCUE, RTM Boston, and Medfield’s Design Your Learning Day.