Vrain Waves: Teaching Conversations with Minds Shaping Education

Looking to reduce some of your cognitive load? The key is in the planning! Tune in as we chat with Brett Benson, a middle school teacher and the creator of our favorite Substack, Sol in the Wild. When you shift your energy into the most intentional planning possible, your instructional cognitive load is free to respond more genuinely, assess more accurately, and, most importantly, shift the workload to your students. This might be one of our most important episodes, so get ready to dig deep into your lesson plans!

SoL in the Wild

Brett Benson

Suzannah Evans

Shane Saeed 

Following up on our episode with Cornelius Minor, tune in to hear how two incredible SVVS educators, Matt Bado and Dave Elchoness, not only build community in their classrooms but also create relationships that last a lifetime. They’re teaching more than just content; they're modeling LIFE SKILLS, critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration. Saying, “I care about you as a whole person - not just a math student or a junior who happens to be here this semester”, says I care about the adult that you’ll eventually become. THAT is truly the definition of creating community in your classroom. 

@delchoness

@MBado_svvsd

@suzannahevans2

@drshanesaeed

Drumroll please...here comes Season 9 of Vrain Waves! We are so fortunate to have educational giant, speaker, and author Cornelius Minor returning to the show. Education is a story; your classroom is the setting, and we write the narrative of our classroom culture; it's not created accidentally. Tune in as we engage in a beautiful conversational story about how we ensure ALL our students feel successful in our care. 

The Minor Collective

We Got This

@SuzannahEvans2

@drshanesaeed

Wrapping up Season 8 with three outstanding St. Vrain educators who continually seek to refine their practice. We don't need to redo everything every year! Small, intentional shifts in language, error-analysis protocols, and reflection make a huge difference in these classrooms. All of which directly translates to inspiring students to own their learning and stay curious. Smart teaching, stronger learning at all ages!

@SuzannahEvans2

@drshanesaeed

Pooja K. Agarwal

We can't say enough about the collective efficacy that contributed to this incredible book, Smart Teaching Stronger Learning, but more importantly, the collective efficacy that is built when we incorporate science of learning practices. Our biggest takeaway: Don't be intimidated by these concepts! They are actually "bite-sized adjustments" you can make that will result in powerful shifts for your teaching and for your students' learning. Let's leverage what we're already doing in the classroom, intentionally name the practices, explain why they will build long-term memory, and implement these practices routinely! Stronger Learning, here we come!

@SuzannahEvans2

@Drshanesaeed

Pooja K. Agarwal

Smart Teaching Stronger Learning

STSL Media Kit

Janell Blunt

Shana Carpenter

Roberta Ekuni

Lisa Fazio

Cynthia Nebel

Steven Pan

Michelle Rivers

Lisa Son

Kripa Sundar

Veronica Yan

Berklee College of Music: Dancing w The Stars

We are highlighting our incredible St. Vrain Valley AI team in this episode, and their work over the last three years has resulted in an Ethical, Transparent, Human-centered, Opportunity-focused, and Safe AI framework. Keeping people, not tools, at the center of this work is the priority, and let's ask ourselves, "Will AI help our students grow, or just get it done?" "Is it a value-add and elevation of the content, or just an unnecessary extra step?" Tune in for some thoughtful conversation around our AI work and how we keep grounded in the ever-changing world of education and technology!

@Suzannahevans2

@drshanesaeed

@matthewjmoulton

@MissGroskin

@mrkelsall

ETHOS: A Responsible Approach for AI in Education

Exploration AI: Beyond the Algorithm

Tune in for one of our most important episodes with educator, author, and speaker Matt Miller. Facing an ever-changing educational system requires putting on our "Tomorrow Glasses", along with a healthy dose of optimism and skepticism. While we can leverage AI and technology to create engagement and lighten some of our workload, it's sound, fundamental pedagogy that's still the foundation for how we serve our students best. So as we plan our lessons, let's ask ourselves, "I can use technology, but should I?

Matt Miller

Suzannah Evans

Shane Saeed

Tune into one of our favorite conversations ever with master teacher Wendy Schuller, who grounds her scaffolding principles in empathy for her students. What would I need as a 5th-grader in this moment?, How am I using my data to determine what my students need? and What is the endgame for pulling the scaffolding back? are her guiding questions on a daily basis. Observing, responding, and bridging for the win!

@SuzannahEvans2

@drshanesaeed

The Scaffolding Effect

Bringing 2025 to a close with one of our most important conversations! Tune in as we chat with educator-authors, Rachel Ball and Alex Fairlamb, on why we need to be hunters in our classrooms, searching for student understanding, instead of hoping and fishing for mastery. The Scaffolding Effect is one of the best professional development books we've ever read; truly scaffolding and chunking material down for all of us to understand. Happy year-end to all of our listeners!

Rachel Ball

Alex Fairlamb

Suzannah Evans

Shane Saeed

The perfect follow-up to our episode last month with Dr. Catlin Tucker, three rockstar St. Vrain Valley educators give us a peek into how they're using AI as an enhancement tool, as inspiration and a thought-partner for students, a coach for themselves, and the ultimate brainstorming generator. Tune in to get inspired yourself and start to embrace our new AI reality!

@SuzannahEvans2

@drshanesaeed

@Catlin_Tucker

@AckermanSVVSD

Exploration AI: Conversations Beyond the Algorithm