Vrain Waves: Teaching Conversations with Minds Shaping Education

Welcome to Season 7 of Vrain Waves! We are kicking off with what we all need at the start of the year. Setting up for success means explicitly unpacking directions and expectations for all students, especially those with executive functioning deficits. Tune in as we chat with Brandon Slade from Untapped Learning and let's all be reminded that what's essential for some, is good for all!

UntappedLearning.com

Untapped Learning YouTube channel 

@UntappedSlade

@SuzannahEvans2

@drshanesaeed

Wrapping up Season 6 with two rockstar teachers who show us what it looks like to reframe Assessment in the classroom. The key to engaging students is not tricky; it's building intrinsic motivation through authentic assessment and grading practices! Tune in as our very own Sam LaFever and Gideon Matchey unpack how they use explicit assessment strategies to develop mastery and shift the cognitive load to their students!

@SuzannahEvans2

@Saeed_shane

@gideonmatchey

@gideonmatcheycomposer

Learning Pit - James Nottingham 

SVVSD Math

What are some ways we can reframe assessment? How can we shift toward seeing assessment as evidence of success rather than a "gotcha"? Tune in as Hacking Student Motivation author Tyler Rablin speaks to creating multiple opportunities for students to grow and learn over time.  Let's stop focusing on mistakes and start focusing on trends in our classrooms! Spoiler Alert: Student motivation is built by giving them more than one attempt and celebrating both what they know now and have yet to learn!

Hacking Student Motivation

@Mr_Rablin

TylerRablin.com

@SuzannahEvans2

@saeed_shane

@avivalevin

March Madness and the solar eclipse might be over but the excitement of Spring continues! Tune in to hear from our very own @missluker as she speaks to shifting the epicenter of learning, replicating yourself, and creating more powerful feedback loops. How do we do this & still ensure quality instruction? Blended Learning! Dive in, build your students' agency, your own agency, the collective efficacy, and honor what it means to be a learner!

@SuzannahEvans2

@Saeed_Shane

@missluker

@Catlin_Tucker

Tune in for our conversation with Dr. Scott McLeod about his 4 Shifts Protocol and how these shifts can help teachers engage in reflection, apply deeper learning principles, and build student agency in their classrooms. As we learn and grow as educators, the 4 Shifts Protocol is intended "to get at some specific, concrete ‘think abouts’ and ‘look fors’ that can help educators dialogue around what they might change." Continuous refinement for the win!

https://twitter.com/SuzannahEvans2

https://twitter.com/saeed_shane

https://twitter.com/mcleod

https://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/resources/4-shifts-protocol

https://www.amazon.com/Shift-Student-Led-Reimagining-Classroom-Workflows/dp/1948334526

If the instructional door you chose to open isn't working, find a different door! We can hold high expectations for our students AND meet them where they are at the same time! Tune in as our second married teaching couple, Ken and Kendra Versoi, drop amazing and tangible strategies for effective facilitation (hint, hint it starts with Relationships). 

@SuzannahEvans2

@saeed_shane

Necessary Conditions, Geoff Krall

Building Thinking Classrooms, Peter Liljedahl

Gifting our listeners with all things Geoff Krall! Author of one of our favorite books, Necessary Conditions: Teaching Secondary Math with Academic Safety, Quality Tasks, and Effective Facilitation, Geoff speaks to creating academic safety, moving from an emphasis on speed to thoughtfulness, and the power of letting go. But if you're not a math teacher, never fear! There is something for ALL teachers here....tune in and take a beat! Let's learn TOGETHER!

@geoffkrall

@SuzannahEvans2

@saeed_shane

Think that the Science of Learning practices are only for older students? Not true! The learning party invitation can and should be extended to all grades, Kindergarten through 12th. Tune in to our first mini-wave episode of Season 6 to hear how master (and married) St. Vrain Valley teachers, Arianne Tasker and Adam Wellington, incorporate the Science of Learning in their 1st-grade and high school classrooms. It's simpler than you think!

@SuzannahEvans2

@saeed_shane

@Arianne_Re

@AWellington83

@PatriceBain1

@RetrieveLearn

@KateJones_teach

How Do I Learn

Why did we all become teachers? Chances are, it's because we love to learn. How can we create and inspire that same love for learning in our students? By magic? No, not with magic at all, but with science. The science of learning allows students to internalize their successes, invest in the outcomes, and get in the driver's seat! Learning is a party; make sure to invite your students, is the mission statement. Embedding these practices in your classroom will be the game changer for you as an educator, and the game changer for your students on their road to becoming lifelong learners. 

Powerful Teaching

Make It Stick

Retrieval Practice.org

Initium

Feedback is too important to only talk about once! We return to one of our favorite topics with two of our own St. Vrain Valley teachers, @HeatherLea303 and @Janis Vogelsberg, to hear how they model feedback in their classrooms, give explicit instruction around the tricky peer feedback loop, and inspire students to shift away from the external motivation of grades and instead use feedback for intrinsic continuous improvement. Tip for Success: Your students should be giving you feedback too! 

@SuzannahEvans2

@saeed_shane

https://www.teachthought.com/critical-thinking/3-2-1-strategy/

https://twitter.com/markbarnes19/status/579628870611111936?lang=en

http://www.makinglearningvisibleresources.org/ladder-of-feedback-see-supporting-learning-in-groups-in-the-classroom.html