“Idealistic.” “Pie in the sky.” “Unrealistic.” “Chaotic.” Project-based learning can actually be done pragmatically and effectively. Listen to these stories and guidance from my 20-year career in education, so that you don’t make the same mistakes I did.

Check out the conversation that sparked these reflections,episode 12 with Justin Wells.

(0:00) Class in session

(1:00) Overview of project-based learning

(6:00) Project-based learning in India

(12:00) Introducing word problems to a math class in India

(16:00) And why it didn’t work/broke the norm too abruptly (SCAFFOLDING!)

(17:50) Mark Day School and a project about cell phone plans

(20:00) Overachieving students and project-based learning

(26:00) Our project-based learning curriculum: Masks, Emotions, and Math

(33:00) A call to action for our schools to evolve

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PBL Resources:https://www.pblworks.org/what-is-pbl/gold-standard-project-design

PBL Resources:https://www.pblworks.org/what-is-pbl/gold-standard-teaching-practices 

Michael Gurian:https://www.michaelgurian.com/ 

Join our Skool Community:https://www.skool.com/efc-young-mens-advocates-2345 

Email us questions and comments at [email protected]

Create your own mask anonymously athttps://millionmask.org/ 

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Website:https://www.branchspeaks.com/

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Support the podcast and the work of the Ever Forward Club:https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support 

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Educators, do you ever notice how a volunteer or a community leader can completely change how students behave in your classroom? What if these community volunteers could be an entire ecosystem of support for your young people? That’s what Jordan Bowman and his organization, Journeymen, represent when he and a group of male volunteers enter the school space. Please enjoy Jordan’s insights in this week’s episode. 

Getting involved with people like Jordan Bowman means it all doesn’t have to rest on your shoulders - and we know teachers are already dealing with far too much.

We cover:

(0:00) Class in session

(2:00) Jordan introduces himself

(12:00) How can mentors, community leaders/volunteers, and afterschool program leaders better support teachers?

(14:00) Forging independence, resiliency, and emotional maturity

(16:00) The red tape of mentoring

(18:00) Asking, “Where else can we show up? Where else can we support?”

(19:00) What happens when a bunch of male volunteers show up at a school?

(22:30) Rites of passage - or rituals of maturity - can make young people rise to the occassion

(27:50) Youth are stuck in a state of dependence

(30:00) Rites of passage success stories

(34:00) Bio, psycho, social, spiritual

(40:00) More unstructured play and Jonathan Haidt’s “The Anxious Generation”

(42:00) Educators need to practice their own presence

(46:00) How to connect with Jordan

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Connect with Jordan Bownman:

Website: journeymentriangle.org

Website: https://www.jbowman.org/

Social: @Jordan7Bowman; @Journeymen_NC

Join our Skool Community: https://www.skool.com/efc-young-mens-advocates-2345 

Email us questions and comments at [email protected] 

Create your own mask anonymously at https://millionmask.org/ 

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Connect with Ashanti Branch:

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashantibranch/

Website: https://www.branchspeaks.com/

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Support the podcast and the work of the Ever Forward Club: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support 

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I recently read an article and the numbers are appalling. The quotes are heartbreaking. And I can’t get them out of my head. The article is “Why Teachers Quit + What You Can Do Instead” by Devlin Peck. So for today’s episode, I’m going to read some of my favorite excerpts from the article and share my thoughts.

Behavior challenges, staffing, the COVID pandemic, discipline, parent relationships, achievement gaps, class sizes, specialized supports, differentiation, school safety, salaries, school shootings… It’s all in there.

Here are the sections I cover:

(0:00) General premise and welcome

(3:35) Burnout

(10:20) Heavy workloads and staff shortages

(17:40) School safety

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Join our Skool Community: https://www.skool.com/efc-young-mens-advocates-2345 

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Website: https://www.branchspeaks.com/

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Support the podcast and the work of the Ever Forward Club: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support 

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Connect with Ever Forward Club:

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What if learning was just about creating beautiful things? This is the essence of project-based learning. It’s not easy, but we believe that this ethos is essential in order to reach the 21st-century learner. So, what does it take to run a PBL classroom? How do you get students to buy into PBL projects? It’s not easy, and it requires you to view the teaching profession as an art form and expression of creativity in and of itself. Listen to our guest, Justin Wells, and you’ll be convinced.

We cover:

How APB learning gets students to buy-in and prepares them for society

How girls are outperforming boys in all school-based metrics

Why we need to stop using the term “toxic masculinity”

How teachers can be the coach on the side rather than the judge

(0:00) Class in session

(2:00) Justin introduces himself and how he became a teacher

(10:00) Teaching personas, or teacher masks, and code-switching

(20:50) Portfolio defense for high school students, and creating real-world learning experiences

(27:00) The default school design is failing young male students

(29:40) The data on males vs. females in school

(31:00) Stop using the phrase “toxic masculinity”

(40:20) Examples of project-based learning and how it can lead to student buy-in

(44:30) How to reach out to Justin

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Connect with Justin Wells:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jusowells/ 

Website: envisionschools.org

Website: envisionlearning.org

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Join our Skool Community: https://www.skool.com/efc-young-mens-advocates-2345 

Email us questions and comments at [email protected] 

Create your own mask anonymously at https://millionmask.org/ 

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Connect with Ashanti Branch:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/branchspeaks/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BranchSpeaks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BranchSpeaks

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashantibranch/

Website: https://www.branchspeaks.com/

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Support the podcast and the work of the Ever Forward Club: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support 

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Connect with Ever Forward Club:

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Will the Department of Education really be dissolved with Donald Trump set to take office? It’s been a whirlwind of emotions and struggle for educators these past few years, between distance learning, deteriorating attention spans, Chat GPT, inflation, the politicization of every piece of curriculum… - am I missing anything? This episode is a reflection on the past election and upcoming presidency, with Jason Biehl - history teacher and antiracist educator. What is it all going to mean for your school? Your classroom? Your standing as a teacher/educator in America?

We cover:

(0:00) Class in session

(2:00) Some unfiltered grappling with the upcoming Trump presidency - in particular the censoring of education

(11:00) Jason introduces himself

(17:00) Reflecting on our “teaching personas” or “teacher masks”

(21:00) “Being present” with students is more difficult and more complicated than it sounds

(25:00) The financial challenges of being a teacher

(29:30) Project 2025, the Department of Education, and the censorship of curriculum

(34:00) Anything to keep you optimistic about public schools? And helping students feel seen - through a sense of belonging or a sense of purpose via social justice organizing

(43:00) Building a bigger coalition across differences to fight the elite and put the interests of educators and students first

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Connect with Jason Biehl:

changethenarrative.me

www.educatorsforracialjustice.com

Look out for his upcoming book, “Unicorns: A Graphic Memoir for Young White Men”

Join our Skool Community: https://www.skool.com/efc-young-mens-advocates-2345 

Email us questions and comments at [email protected] 

Create your own mask anonymously at https://millionmask.org/ 

---

Connect with Ashanti Branch:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/branchspeaks/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BranchSpeaks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BranchSpeaks

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashantibranch/

Website: https://www.branchspeaks.com/

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Support the podcast and the work of the Ever Forward Club: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support 

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Connect with Ever Forward Club:

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There are countless times as an educator where you have to communicate your vision to an outsider. What comes to mind when you read this? Are you a teacher communicating with a parent? A principal making your case to district leaders? A literacy coach presenting to major stakeholders in your school community?

I recently went to Exchange 24, a conference in DC with all the movers and shakers, hosted by the XQ Institute and the Carnegie Foundation. What stuck out to me the most from this conference was a presentation by Dr. Frank Luntz, about the “words to use” and “words to lose” when talking about education.

Here’s what you’re going to learn today:

(0:00) Class in session

(4:35) The differences between Democrats and Republicans when describing education issues

(12:40) “Words to use” and “words to lose” as as an educator/principal/education advocate/advocate for your school community

(16:00) The middle school matriculation problem in America

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Join our Skool Community: https://www.skool.com/efc-young-mens-advocates-2345 

Email us questions and comments at [email protected] 

Create your own mask anonymously at https://millionmask.org/ 

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Connect with Ashanti Branch:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/branchspeaks/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BranchSpeaks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BranchSpeaks

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashantibranch/

Website: https://www.branchspeaks.com/

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Support the podcast and the work of the Ever Forward Club: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support 

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Connect with Ever Forward Club:

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The secret to teaching is… There is no secret? That’s a common cliche these days that I disagree with. Secrets are real. But I think the main idea of this cliche is that secrets often don’t unlock the superpower you think they will. Sometimes the secret is that teaching is a lot harder than you think it will be going into it. It’s harder, more complicated, and it thrives in the gray areas of life.

This episode believes that in looking back, we can go forward. In understanding our origins, our humanity more than we can possibly conceive, it will help us understand the art of teaching.

Check the conversation that sparked these reflections, episode 4 with Vladimir Puvača.

(0:00) Class in session

(3:00) The things I wish someone told me earlier as an educator

(12:40) My origin story as an educator. How did I get into this?

(19:30) Something you should know about your students’ winter break

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Join our Skool Community: https://www.skool.com/efc-young-mens-advocates-2345 

Email us questions and comments at [email protected] 

Create your own mask anonymously at https://millionmask.org/ 

---

Connect with Ashanti Branch:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/branchspeaks/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BranchSpeaks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BranchSpeaks

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashantibranch/

Website: https://www.branchspeaks.com/

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Support the podcast and the work of the Ever Forward Club: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support 

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Connect with Ever Forward Club:

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What percentage of your student body claims they are in a good place, but deep down, they feel like they can’t share their true feelings? My TED Talk answers this question - using data from the school site where I began my teaching career - and talks about a time when I went to get a gun. If I had pulled the trigger, I would have thrown my entire life away...

(0:00) Class in session; my history with the TED organization

(3:00) Videos about masks, masculinity, teaching, and education that I never post online

(6:50) TED Talk at TEDx Marin

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Join our Skool Community: https://www.skool.com/efc-young-mens-advocates-2345 

Email us questions and comments at [email protected] 

Create your own mask anonymously at https://millionmask.org/ 

---

Connect with Ashanti Branch:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/branchspeaks/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BranchSpeaks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BranchSpeaks

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashantibranch/

Website: https://www.branchspeaks.com/

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Support the podcast and the work of the Ever Forward Club: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support 

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Connect with Ever Forward Club:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everforwardclub

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We’ve all had that amazing lesson plan that we were so excited to teach. And when we finally got to teach it, it fell apart within the first 30 seconds. So what went wrong? I'm riding solo today, with my individual takeaways from a conversation with educator, administrator, headmaster, director… Dr. Ray Swann. Check out my conversation with this veteran educator in episode 3.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

(0:00) Class in session

(2:10) Takeaway 1 - a story about letting students know you have their back, even when it means disagreeing with another educator

(12:10) Takeaway 2 - how teachers make metaphorical waves as they move about the classroom

(14:55) Takeaway 3 - reconnecting to the soul of teaching before you start your winter break

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Join our Skool Community: https://www.skool.com/efc-young-mens-advocates-2345 

Email us questions and comments at [email protected] 

Create your own mask anonymously at https://millionmask.org/ 

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Connect with Ashanti Branch:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/branchspeaks/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BranchSpeaks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BranchSpeaks

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashantibranch/

Website: https://www.branchspeaks.com/

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Support the podcast and the work of the Ever Forward Club: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support 

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Connect with Ever Forward Club:

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Teachers, tell me if this sounds familiar: When you first start teaching, it’s survival mode. Next thing you know you’re barking orders, becoming the disciplinarian. It’s natural, instinctual, understandable. But in order to avoid the trap we all fall for, especially with this new generation of students, we need to do what’s counterintuitive - what some would call “wasting units and falling behind on the curriculum.”

In this episode, you’ll learn:

Check out episode 2

(0:00) Class in session

(2:55) Learning meditation practices in India and bringing Sri Sri Ravi Shankar to high schoolers in Oakland, CA - and how to get successful buy-in

(9:20) Building academic stamina as a math teacher

(14:20) Getting interdisciplinary with social-emotional learning and math, and bringing the community into the curriculum

The Masks, Emotions, and Math Program: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXtA5Pg6wUc 

Join our Skool Community: https://www.skool.com/efc-young-mens-advocates-2345 

Attend our Young Men’s Conference: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdw6tfn3lZrkBxZRqSqHjTTeygRNIgwk0KKgHRcwlclaS1xag/viewform 

Create your own mask anonymously at https://millionmask.org/ 

Email us questions and comments at [email protected] 

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Connect with Ashanti Branch:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/branchspeaks/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BranchSpeaks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BranchSpeaks

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashantibranch/

Website: https://www.branchspeaks.com/

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Support the podcast and the work of the Ever Forward Club: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support 

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Connect with Ever Forward Club:

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/everforwardclub

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