Explore every episode of Vrain Waves: Teaching Conversations with Minds Shaping Education
Dive into the complete episode list for Vrain Waves: Teaching Conversations with Minds Shaping Education. Each episode is cataloged with detailed descriptions, making it easy to find and explore specific topics. Keep track of all episodes from your favorite podcast and never miss a moment of insightful content.
Formative Assessment Strategies and Moves with Dr. Duckor & Dr. Holmberg
00:49:01
Episode 014: Dr. Brent Duckor & Dr. Carrie Holmberg, Mastering Formative Assessment Moves
In the foreword for this book, Dr. John Hattie describes the work of Dr. Duckor and Dr. Holmberg as “[bringing to life] how to think of one’s self on a trajectory of powerful practices that unite instruction and assessment.” In many conversations, we tend to separate the two and don’t think deeply enough about the intersection of instruction and assessment. A highly recommended read from the 2 authors with publisher ASCD. Our conversation with them should give you a good idea of what their perspective before or after you read.
Priming: Preparing the groundwork; establishing & maintaining norms; acting to acculturate students to learning publicly
Posing: Asking questions that size up the learner’s needs in the lesson and across the unit
Pausing: Giving students adequate time to think and respond as individuals or in groups
Probing: Asking follow up questions that use information from actual student responses
Bouncing: Sampling a variety of responses intentionally & systematically to better map the terrain of student thinking
Tagging: Publicly representing variation in student thinking by creating a snapshot or a running record of class responses
Role of Formative Assessment (08:52)
National Research Council, 1999 book: How People Learn: Mind, Brain, Experience, and School (free pdf download)
“Kids are better served when we build the bridges from where their own understanding is to the content than when we ignore it and pretend that they’re a blank slate.”
Why do Formative Assessment (10:57)
Identifies the gap between what we think we’re teaching and what the students are understanding
Teacher decision making and the formative assessment moves (13:32)
Sound principles in educational assessment (14:23) - 2001 National Research Council: Knowing What Students Know: The Science and Design of Educational Assessment
Observation and interpretation
Priming & visibility of thinking (15:36)
(From the Book: “...priming can help make not only learning visible, priming can go a long way toward making students visible”)
Practical uses of priming (16:43)
“We all have the right to be wrong.” “We all can risk an explanation.” “Our voices should be heard.”
Habits of Heart / Habits of Mind (18:15)
Dr. Holmberg on being a better listener, having language for the moves to get better at them (19:27)
Pausing (20:50)
Essential to processing time
Mary Budd Rowe on Wait Time; another
Kenneth Tobin
Pauses of 3 to 5 seconds are where the magic happens
Inside the Black Box, Black & Wiliam (impact of FA on student achievement)
Balance between efficiency and authenticity with follow up questioning
Tagging (26:38)
Visual representations of student responses
High tech or low tech
Releasing control & embracing anxiety (29:49)
“Teachers, like artists, are often dealing with the complexity of the moment.”
Tagging around the room or virtually, what do we do with tagging after the process (32:57)
Moments are unique, this one will end, cherish each one
Practical Optimism (51:16)
Habits of thinking: Permanence (this will always be as it is) & Universality (everything - a whole child, a whole school, education as a system, etc - is affected by this)
Episode 041: Making the Most of Your Summer
A compilation episode highlighting advice on how to make the most of your summer, courtesy of the interviews from some of our amazing guests. Don’t let decision fatigue get you down! And share with us your summer plans at #makesomevrainwaves.
(720) 900-1741 let us know how you are making the most of your summer! Or tweet us at #makesomevrainwaves
04 Feb 2019
Solving Wicked Problems with Design Thinking
00:44:59
Episode 031: Design Thinking for School Leaders
Co-authors Alyssa Gallagher and Kami Thordarson stop by Vrain Waves to share the 5 elements of design-inspired leadership. Alyssa & Kami “believe that educators can solve the challenges that face our schools faster and more effectively than any policy, top down mandate, or expensive commercial solution.” Tune in as they explain how design, creativity, and observation can help us navigate and advocate for change.
Teachers Guild newest collaboration: How might we strengthen communication and trust between families and teachers to better support students’ success?
02 Feb 2024
Find an Open Door!
00:36:15
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).
Kim Scott (Giving and Learning from Feedback, Radical Candor, and more!)
00:56:07
Links & Show Notes (please note, some language bleeped using a horse sound)
Out of our heads and into the classroom: Feedback hacks from Ben & Becky (2:01)
Errors & Misconception videos (3:15)
Adaptive assessments with google forms (5:20) (Written Steps | Video)
Real-time feedback during performances (6:50)
Free up your time for face-to-face student conferences (8:55)
Video yourself (9:50)
Kim on the book, Radical Candor - how to be a good human being, parent, manager, leader (11:44)
What is Radical Candor? (13:18)
Mostly about collaboration
Care Personally & Challenge Directly
Ruinous Empathy (15:05) - ‘Bob’ Story (15:45)
Manipulative Insincerity (17:35) - “the desire to be liked is the path to hell for a leader.”
Radical Candor in student-teacher relationships (19:53)
“It’s not mean, it’s clear” story (21:45)
Order of Operations in Radical Candor
Be willing to solicit feedback first (23:50)
Focus on the good stuff. Give praise first - focus on success (25:00)
Offer criticism (28:20)
Feedback is a gift -
Be Humble (you may not be right) (29:23)
That’s why it’s called ‘candor’ and not ‘truth’. You may be wrong.
Be helpful (31:00)
Do it immediately (32:53)
Do it in person (33:10)
80% of communication is nonverbal
Respond to their reaction
What does this look like when it’s done successfully? (35:15)
Situation - Behavior - Impact (not about personality traits)
How do we get better at receiving and learning from the feedback we receive
First practice asking for feedback. “What could I do or stop doing that would make it easier to work with me?” - What’s your go-to question? (40:00)
Embrace the discomfort. Don’t get defensive. “Listen with the intent to understand, not to respond.” (41:49)
Reward the candor. Publically. (45:25)
Coaching in Kim Scott’s life (47:15)
Rapid Fire (48:50)
Billboard: Radical Candor framework in congress
New belief, behavior, or habit: Getting good sleep
Kim thanks teachers (51:15)
Kim’s novel, The Measurement Problem
To learn more:
Kim’s Podcast
Radicalcandor.com
@kimballscott | @candor
Takeaways: (52:48)
Don’t take it personally - Kim Scott video demonstrating this with her sister
“It’s not mean, it’s clear”
Science of Success podcast, episode with Adam Grant
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Give us feedback!
27 Aug 2018
John Hattie on Visible Learning and Feedback
00:56:55
Episode 018: John Hattie, Visible Learning
We are so excited to share with you the conversation we were lucky enough to have with Dr. John Hattie - educational researcher, professor, Director of the Melbourne Educational Research Institute, and overall brilliant person. Please enjoy, and send your questions, comments, discussions to us @VrainWaves to keep this conversation going!
Dr. Katie Martin: Clarity and Purpose during a Pandemic
00:47:36
Katie Martin is a best selling author, an acclaimed keynote speaker, and a highly sought after educational consultant! Whether you are teaching completely in person, totally virtually, or in a hybrid environment, in this episode we discuss how you can thrive!
Inspired by Research / Informed by Practice (27:38)
..* Book Recommendations:
..* Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)
..* The Power of Moments (Chip & Dan Heath)
..* Originals (Adam Grant)
Jeff Bezos - stay focused on the customer (30:10)
Coaching on strategic abandonment and letting go of things that don’t work (33:56)
Developing a culture of innovation (38:41)
What is the purpose of public education? (40:02)
Katie’s TED Talk (42:14)
..* “I hope they’re just as in love with learning when they graduate high school as they were when they started kindergarten.”
How to Rock the First Week of School: strategies, techniques, and activities for kicking off the school year right!
00:18:42
** How to Rock the First Week of School**
And we’re back!! Thanks for tuning in for Season 2 of Vrain Waves! In this episode Ben and Becky discuss and share activities to make this first week in your classroom the best one ever! Please share your ideas using the #makesomevrainwaves so that we can learn from each other!
Through public life you experience other people’s worlds
Seeing people as ‘other’ is a threat to our future
Diverse classrooms v. Tracking
Open exploration of that diversity in that classroom
Soliciting feedback live from students in the classroom - how can we support each other
“If you think you have more to contribute than someone else, you don’t, and if you think you have less to contribute than someone else, you don’t.” Everyone has something to add.
Episode 045: Dr. Tom Nichols, Expertise in Education Five-time Jeopardy! Champion, professor, and author Dr. Tom Nichols joins us on Vrain Waves to discuss the implications of his work on K12 education. We chat with Dr. Nichols about the importance of relying on experts, cultivating our own expertise, and the cognitive heuristics that get in our way. From his website: “Tom Nichols is a U.S. Naval War College University Professor, and an adjunct at the U.S. Air Force School of Strategic Force Studies and the Harvard Extension School. He is a specialist on Russian affairs, nuclear strategy, NATO issues, and a nationally-known commentator on U.S. politics and national security.” And he agreed to talk to us!! Ben and Becky! We are so excited to share his thoughts with you, our busy listeners - please share your thoughts on Twitter with the #MakeSomeVrainWaves or tweet us @VrainWaves with your favorite takeaways. Thanks for listening!
Sylvia Acevedo on Building Girls of Courage, Confidence, and Character
00:53:30
Episode 032: Sylvia Acevedo, Girl Scouts & STEM
In this episode, Girl Scout CEO Sylvia Acevedo shares so much wisdom and insight into how to reach learners at every level, especially girls. Her stories, both from her own life and from being the CEO of girl scouts and seeing the projects that students are working on, are sure to inspire! Stay tuned after the episode for more classroom tips and instructional resources.
Put that you were / are a Girl Scout on your LinkedIn Profile!! Join the Girl Scout Network!
02 Nov 2019
The Power of Joyful Teaching: A Compilation
00:45:39
Episode 048: The Power of Joyful Teaching
I know, I know - clips episodes seem overdone, but bear with us… in this show, we went through our interviews to this point and used Dr. Martin Seligman’s PERMA model for happiness to think through how we can be more joyful in our classrooms (and beyond). Links to all other shows can be found below!
“I’ve come to a frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s my personal approach that creates the climate. It’s my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or dehumanized.” - Haim Ginott
Violet hosts a podcast for instructional coaches called C3 (Connecting Coaches Cognition) and it can be found wherever you get your podcasts or here.
21 Jan 2019
On Learning Spaces with Dr. Robert
00:48:31
Episode 029, Dr. Robert Dillon: The Space
We’ve covered what we teach, and how we teach, and why we teach… but we have never really talked about WHERE we teach. So today, enjoy the insights and inspirations of Dr. Robert Dillon. In this interview, we discuss the research behind where we learn, how we can put this research into practice by making small changes to our environment, and strategies for keeping this top of mind as we move throughout the school year.
John Medina’s quote: “If you wanted to create an education environment that was directly opposed to what the brain was good at doing, you probably would design something like a classroom.” - from Brain Rules
Designing Learning spaces (14:01)
Optimize the perimeter
Color, Clutter, Visual Noise = distraction
“We always have control over less in our classrooms.”
Strategies to declutter (14:50)
Do I still need that anchor chart?
Ask students every 2 weeks
“Where our students learn matters. Are they guests? Or are they collaborators? (17:04)
7 principles: Equitable Use, Flexibility in Use, Simple and Intuitive Use, Perceptible Information, Tolerance for Error, Low Physical Effort, Size and Space for Approach and Use
Suzy Evans - teacher clip on assessment-capable learners & using space during assessment (45:21)
LEAVE US A MESSAGE!!! 720-900-1741
16 Apr 2018
How to Teach Like a Pirate with Dave Burgess
00:48:58
Get ready to sail the seven seas with this week’s guest, Mr. Dave Burgess. Using magic, humor, and a trademark level of enthusiasm to augment his already stellar content, Dave is a sought after speaker, well-known author, and high-quality publisher followed by educators around the world. In this episode we discuss how good teaching relates with good coaching, some of Dave's favorite hooks, and why a costume can't cover up for boring learning!
Links & Show Notes
Out of our heads and into the classroom: “Hook” hacks with Ben & Becky (1:34)
Snowball Fight (1:34)
Dance Party (2:26) Cue YouTube videos to certain spot
3 Act Math (3:56)
Dan Meyer - Secondary 3 Act Math (Explanation / Background)
Graham Fletcher - Elementary 3 Act Math
(Not familiar with Dan Meyer? Watch his video, ‘Math Class Needs a Makeover’)
Alphabet aerobics (5:21)
Dave Burgess Introduction (6:31)
Dave Burgess Publishing & Consulting
Other pirates mentioned: George Couros, Alice Keeler, John Spencer, AJ Juiliani, Jimmy Casas
How Dave got into teaching (7:30)
Teaching / Coaching overlap (8:45) / John Wooden
PIRATE acronym and how it applies to teaching (10:00)
Passion / Immersion / Rapport / Ask & Analyze / Transformation / Enthusiasm
Digging deeper into passion (12:30)
3 circles of teaching (14:20)
Content / Techniques & Methods / Presentation
Getting better at Presentation (16:40)
Questions are the key to creativity (17:41)
Dave’s recommendations for authors to learn from (18:45) Seth Godin (Linchpin) Anthony Robbins (Awaken the Giant Within / Unlimited Power)
“Questions are the laser of human consciousness.”
Ed Tech integration (22:20)
R. Buckminster Fuller - “Don’t fight forces. Use them.”
Student-centered classroom & TLAP complementary texts (24:56)
Learn Like a Pirate, Paul Solarz
Explore Like a Pirate (Gamification), Michael Matera
Play Like a Pirate, Quinn Rollins
“You teach what you know; you teach who you are.” (27:35)
Maya Angelou & storytelling (28:50)
It’s about the power of your presence.
The most important thing in the world is courage.
Teaser hook (30:47)
Always preheat the grill; creating anticipation / curiosity / buzz before the lesson
Ted Talk - Teach Like a Pirate (33:10)
Dave on Failure (33:33)
Progress happens outside of your comfort zone; if you’re not uncomfortable, you’re not growing
Failure as feedback (36:54)
Pirates turn their sails to the wind (41:08)
Enthusiasm (42:03)
Control your state - 1) what you focus on; 2) your physiology
If they didn’t have to be there, would you be teaching to an empty room? (45:00)
@burgessdave / #tlap / daveburgess.com /daveburgessconsulting.com
Get connected!!
Ben & Becky Take-Aways (47:21)
Joe Biden quote
Medici Effect
07 Jan 2019
Into the Classroom!
00:41:56
Episode 028, Into the Classroom
For our first show of 2019, we decided to outsource for more tangible tips and creative ideas for your classroom to kick off second semester. We asked Vrain Waves listeners to give us a 2-3 minute voice clip of them describing something in their classroom or their practice that they wanted to share with a broader audience - an extended version of our Out of Our Heads and Into the Classroom segment. Here’s the result - we hope you enjoy, and would love it if you would contribute too! We’ll likely include more of these in different episodes, so please call us (720-900-1741) or email us with a short voice memo and we’ll share your ideas with our audience! Thank you so much, and Happy New Year!
(02:13) Megan Soderlund (Teacher, HS Social Studies - @megss_8) → Unit planning with creative essential questions. Ex: Was farming a mistake? Was Alexander the Great overrated?
(03:49) Catrina Estrada (Assistant Principal - @CatrinaEstrada) → Get rid of red notification bubbles with a separate email for junk mail / subscriptions
(11:14) Casey Luker (Learning Technology Coach - @missluker) → BreakoutEDU boxes and the reflections for different participants that come along with the experience
(13:56) Keith Kennison (Teacher, Middle school Math & Science - @kennison_keith) → Join students in exploring the Why, modeling inquiry and learning through challenge
(28:39) Kim Wiggins (Assessment Coordinator - @KWigginsSVVSD) → student empowerment through creating assessment-capable learners; assessment as done with students vs. to students; Learning goals vs. performance goals
(30:48) Sarah Pomranka (Teacher, IB - @sarahpom) → Talking individually with each student for feedback, both before & after assignments; + learning technology to demonstrate understanding
(38:18) Michelle Shory & Irina McGrath (ESL Instructional Coaches - @michelleshory, @irina_mcgrath) → Use closed captioning in Google Slides during presentations - use Screencastify to record; YouTube Clips - settings: adjust speeds, add closed captioning; Google Translate - conversation mode - Things We Wish We Knew 6 Months Ago on Wakelet.com
18 Oct 2024
What's Your Lead Domino?
00:49:19
Happy October to our Vrain Waves listeners! The perfect follow-up to our first episode with Brandon Slade is our conversation with these two rockstar St. Vrain educators, secondary special education teacher, Sarah Patton, and elementary counselor, Mike Laurent. Tune in as we talk about go-to strategies for not just students with needs, but the whole student body. We can't say it enough...what's essential for some is good for all and that includes us adults, too. It's not too late in the year to put some simple routines in place that will pay out huge dividends in your classrooms. What will be the lead domino that you set up tomorrow?!
31 May 2024
Reframing Assessment in Action
01:03:42
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!
"Feedback is not a luxury, it's a necessity; not a means to an end, but an end in itself. It's the purpose of why we teach." If these aren't mic-drop quotes for you, we need to talk! Or you need to for sure read this duo's latest work, Feedback for Continous Improvement in the Classroom. Listen in as we talk all things feedback with Brent Duckor and Carrie Holmberg. You'll hear how they emphasize the respect we give students by creating these opportunities for dialogue as learning and honoring what students already bring to the classroom. And you lucky listeners also get a 25% promo code when you purchase their book directly from Corwin.
@CarrieHolmberg
@BrentDuckor
@SuzannahEvans2
@saeed_shane
31 Mar 2018
Mark Barnes (Hack Learning and the Results Only Learning Environment)
01:03:42
In this episode, we talk hack learning and Results-Only Learning Environments with the original ed hacker - Mark Barnes. Mark challenges us to rethink some of our most fundamental systems - grading, feedback, peer observation - and empowers teachers to make revolutionary changes in their classroom.
Authenticity - we say & do what we actually believe
What about when we’re not consistent with our why? (28:30)
Ask for accountability
Keep goal in our heads = 7-15% will accomplish
Write goals down = 45% will accomplish
Share goals with someone we care about = >80% will accomplish
(Note: I couldn’t find where Stephen found these numbers, so don’t have a link, but tried to look around online and found that the jury is kind of out on whether or not and when it’s a good idea to share your goals, with whom, what kind of feedback to receive, etc. There are a lot of factors here that make goal-sharing for accountability a grey area.)
“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and go do that, because what the world needs is people who can come alive.” - Howard Thurman
Today on Vrain Waves we have an exciting and somewhat earth shaking interview from Natalie Wexler, education journalist and author of The Knowledge Gap. She walks us through the contributing research and education history that led her to write the book, and some strategies for schools to set the foundation for student success. From her website: “Education journalist Natalie Wexler focuses on two ideas that have solid evidence behind them but have been mostly overlooked by schools and reformers: immersing children from less-educated families in knowledge about the world, and linking that knowledge to writing instruction.”
2 Parts of Reading: Decoding and Comprehension (11:27)
Cognitive Scientists and Teachers have come to opposite conclusions - decoding needs direct and explicit instruction and comprehension will come along with more exposure to content
Doug Lemov: “Those of us on the privileged side of the knowledge gap have no idea how we got here.”
Importance of pre-assessment
Misinterpretation of Bloom’s Taxonomy (40:35)
Taxonomy, not a hierarchy
Skipping lower levels is not appropriate
Quote from the book: “That graphic has led many educators to conclude that the ‘lower-order’ tasks should be passed over as quickly as possible, or even eliminated, because they’re inferior to those at the top. In fact, Bloom meant that knowledge and comprehension are prerequisites for higher-order thinking, and that teachers should never ask students to start analyzing or evaluating a topic until first ensuring they have a solid understanding of it.”
Quote: “It’s not so much that particular bits of information are vital in and of themselves—although some certainly are. It’s more that people need to have enough facts in their heads to have what one commentator has called ‘a knowledge party’—a bunch of accumulated associations that will enable them to absorb, retain, and analyze new information. Education certainly shouldn’t end with facts. But if it doesn’t begin there, many students will never acquire the knowledge and analytical abilities they need to thrive both in school and in life.”
Other Resources as well as some relevant citations from The Knowledge Gap:
Catlin’s definition of Blended learning: active, engaged learning in the classroom + active, engaged learning online; + more control over time, place, pace, and path of their learning experience; shift of control from teacher to student
Catlin’s journey to blended learning (08:40)
Fear of amount of time taken to move into blended learning (10:26)
“Everybody is experimenting, taking risks, and learning [in a classroom].” (10:44)
Students handling the extra work (13:17)
More challenging to be a student in a student-centered classroom, but the decision-making / agency trade off pays off
Episode 040: Welcome to the 2019-2020 School Year!!! A quick intro episode after our summer break. Listen for some inspiration, activities, and free resources to help get your year started off right!! Please consider sharing with a friend, and point some feedback our way at tinyurl.com/vrainwavesfeedback! Thank you!
Refrain: “I wrapped your love around me like a chain, but I never was afraid that it would die. You can dance in a hurricane, but only if you’re standing in the eye.”
Welcome to 2025! The month of January is famous for starting new physical activity routines and we can't emphasize enough how important it is to move in the classroom too! "Movement snacks" as @DrJulianReed describes them are not only crucial for a sound body but also translate to increased academic performance. Tune in as we talk about the benefits of understanding the basics of brain science, focus, and stimulation all related to physical activity. While you're listening, move your body!
End-of-Season Call to Action
This time around, instead of standing on the shoulders of more giants, Ben & Becky reflect on the season with their simple next steps for action and invite you to do the same. #MakeSomeVrainWaves with us this summer and share your plans @VrainWaves on twitter or Facebook, or on our website at www.vrainwaves.com.
Links & Show Notes
Knowing-Doing Gap (01:00)
Devorah Heitner episode (01:40)
“The gap between knowing and doing is more important than the one between doing and knowing.” The Knowing-Doing Gap: How Smart Companies Turn Knowledge into Action (02:18)
Challenge for our listeners (06:00)
Easy-to-implement action steps & share with #MakeSomeVrainWaves
Ben & Becky’s action steps (07:08)
Peak-Trough-Recovery calendar color coding - Daniel Pink (07:30)
Giving clear feedback - Kim Scott - reminder with Momentum: “It’s not mean, it’s clear.” (08:09)
“Talk Less, Listen More” on the syllabus - Jennie Magiera - ask participants / students to hold you accountable (08:50)
Say no to projects you can’t handle - Jennie Magiera / Tony Wagner (09:30)
Journaling & reflecting, capturing ideas - Tony Wagner / Dan Meyer (10:30)
Preheating the grill - teaser clips for new episodes - Dave Burgess (11:04)
Control your state - Dave Burgess - 5 minute journal app (11:42)
Share your ideas! #MakeSomeVrainWaves - tweet out your action steps from any professional learning so we can learn from each other.
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!!!
29 Mar 2018
About Vrain Waves
00:08:18
Becky Bio (1:04)
Ben Bio (1:58)
Purpose & goals of the podcast (2:55)
How to contact us (7:25)
Twitter: @VrainWaves
Blog: www.vrainwaves.com
Email: becky@vrainwaves.com; ben@vrainwaves.com
03 Feb 2023
We Love It Here!
00:32:11
We Love It Here! Yep, we sure do! Shane and I are loving being behind the mic with Vrain Waves and in this episode, we chat with Clint Pulver, the Undercover Millennial, whose book, I Love It Here, is a must-read for anyone in the business world AND anyone in education.“No significant learning can ever happen without significant connection” is just one of our favorite takeaways and goosebump moments. Building on the last episode about creating a network and village for yourself as teachers, we will dig into how we can meaningfully and genuinely connect with our students in the classroom and in turn, connect them with their dreams!
“Memory is the residue of thought. To teach well, you should pay careful attention to what an assignment will actually make students think about, not what you hope they’ll think about, because that is what they will remember.” - Dan Willingham
Prime your brain (2:50)
..* “Timing isn’t the main thing, it’s the only thing.” - Miles Davis (3:50) Biological clocks in every cell of our body
Time of day & standardized testing - Denmark study (5:21)
School start time for high schoolers (6:21)
..* Chronobiology / Chronotypes
..* American Academy of Pediatrics Report (don’t start school before 8:30)
..* Teen depression, teen obesity, lower test scores, more car accidents
..* Adults saying ‘don’t be lazy’ - remember how detrimental that can be from our discussion with Glenn Whitman!
..* We don’t take timing seriously (8:43)
Phases of the day based on chronotype (9:53)
..* 15% are larks
..* 20% are owls
..* The rest of us are ‘third birds’
..* Pattern of the day (Twitter, Daniel Kahneman)
..* Peak → Trough → Recovery
“Our cognitive abilities don’t stay the same throughout the day.” (11:20)
..* Peak: Analytic work - most vigilant at this time
..* Trough: increase in medical errors, decrease in handwashing in hospitals, more car accidents: Administrative work - not a lot of brainpower
..* Recovery: High mood but less vigilant - time for Creative Work
Scheduling (14:45) - Not just a logistical issue, it’s a pedagogical issue and a strategic issue
..* Only criterion we use is availability (rooms & people) when we schedule anything - we should give more weight to the ‘when’
..* Time of day alone represents about 20% of variance in how someone performs on the job (15:50)
..* We’re intentional about the ‘what’ - the curriculum, the ‘who’ - who’s in the room, the ‘how’ - the pedagogy, but the ‘when’ takes a back seat, which is a big mistake.
..* Study of 2 million students in LAUSD - student performance in math in the morning vs. math in the afternoon
..* Corporate earnings calls - NYU study (19:07) - even led to temporary stock mispricing
..* Communicate important messages earlier in the day
Taking breaks (22:02)
..* Breaks are undervalued
..* Something is better than nothing - even if 1 to 2 minutes, better than nothing; breaks should be social, even for introverts; moving is better than stationary; outside is better than inside; fully detached is better than semi-detached
..* We look at recess as a concession - recess is part of what we need to learn!
..* Denmark - 20 to 30 min break before those standardized tests, scores went back up
Temporal Landmarks (24:48) - trigger an interesting form of mental accounting
..* Try using fresh start dates or temporal landmarks for when you want students to try something new
Suggestions for School: (27:20)
..* More breaks for teachers and students alike, analytical classes (literacy & numeracy) in the morning, move art / music to later in the day, pay more attention to how well things are working and adjust accordingly - test and reiterate
..* Increase our chances of being successful; not guarantees
Premortems - Gary Klein (30:53)
..* Make mistakes in your head and come up with solutions before you make those mistakes, e.g. ask students: AP test is in 6 months, you get a 1, what went wrong?
Motivation (37:57)
..* Autonomy, Mastery, & Purpose - Genius Hour & self-directed projects, student-led conferences, solve problems in their local community
Homework from Daniel Pink (40:56)
..* Be a better observer of your own behavior - how are you doing at different times of day? Observe and act accordingly
..* Beginnings, middles & ends - importance of the end of the year
Danpink.com / danielpink.com / email newsletter
Takeaways (43:52)
..* Quiz on Daniel’s website to learn your own chronotype
..* Make the end of year powerful!
04 Jun 2018
Teaching Digital Natives with Screenwise Author Devorah Heitner
Links & Show Notes
Virtual assistants (1:45) - Google conference virtual assistant preview video Smarter Than You Think (from here on out known as “STYT”) by Clive Thompson (4:19) The Audience Effect (4:40) - pattern study with little kids; also written up in STYT
How much more we’re writing with technology (05:50)
Introduction to Dr. Devorah Heitner (08:15)
Response to people panicking about technology (09:04)
Definition of digital natives (10:38) - still need mentorship
What they love: Access to content & diversity of content; sharing & creating content (11:35) Dr. Heitner’s TEDx Talk: Empathy is the App
Mentoring > monitoring (15:10) (Blog post on this / Mentorship Manifesto)
Teaching Digital Citizenship (17:26)
Focus on the positive, share in smaller circles, show positive models on social media
Modeling good digital behavior (19:52) Toby - google chrome extension to save your tabs
Tech savvy vs. Experiential wisdom (22:43)
What students have to say about tech in the classroom (24:40) SAMR model
“App-enabled, not app-dependent.”(http://blog.yalebooks.com/2013/11/18/app-enabled-or-app-dependent/)
Thoughts on fears around screen time (27:10)
Consumption v. creation
Parent-Teacher digital communication (28:37)
Including parents virtually in class as mystery readers, guest speakers, etc (29:40)
Temper our expectations (30:17) Connectivity Stress (33:58)
Setting up technology boundaries / Intentional Tech Habits (34:40) Humane Tech / @TristanHarris / @adamleealter
Tips: Turn off wifi during deep work; Double / triple screening; give start and end times for distractions
Devorah on her successes and being flexible (37:48)
Rapid Fire (40:40)
Wrap up (45:05) - Cal Newport Book: Deep Work
10 Mar 2023
Classrooms, Community, and Collective Efficacy!
00:33:48
Our first mini-wave goes straight to the source...2 classroom teachers right here in St. Vrain! Join us as Altona Middle School's Cleveland Smith and Westview Middle School's Danny Hernandez talk classroom connections, relationships, and building collective efficacy.
@SuzannahEvans2
@saeed_shane
@WestviewSVVSD
@AltonaMS
13 Oct 2023
Learning is a party; make sure to invite your students!
00:40:10
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.
Todd Whitaker: The worst behavior that we're willing to tolerate in our organization will become the culture of our organization.
Coaching for administrators (13:10)
Iowa Principal of the Year
Recognizing a toxic culture (15:39)
Processes, Systems, Frameworks
Being a lid (22:03)
Importance of Forgiveness (28:04)
Creating a strong classroom culture (31:10)
“What we model is what we get.”
Being a champion for students, families, and community (35:01)
Collegial feedback & Learning from Failure (40:20)
Optimism as a Leadership Style (50:00)
Learn more from / with Jimmy (53:14)
Wrap Up & Takeaways (54:28)
01 Apr 2019
Digital Minimalism With Cal Newport
01:01:58
** Cal Newport, Digital Minimalism**
Join us to learn from best-selling author & Computer Science professor Cal Newport as we talk to him about exploring the world of digital abundance, using technology with intention, and walking through life with purpose. Learn more from Cal on his website, at calnewport.com, where he has archived about 10 years of blog posts on everything from study habits to career advice and more - and read one of the business books everyone will be reading this year to engage in this discussion further.
From the book: “The urge to check Twitter or refresh Reddit becomes a nervous twitch that shatters uninterrupted time into shards too small to support the presence necessary for an intentional life.”
When it comes to innovation in the classroom, George Couros is simultaneously the man, the myth and the legend! He stops by Vrain Waves to discuss mindsets, guinea pigs, and what parents really want for their students...tune in to find out more!
Innovator’s Mindset definition: ‘the belief that abilities, intelligence, and talent are developed so that they lead to the creation of new and better ideas.’
Episode 041: PLC Plus with Nancy Frey & Doug Fisher
Join us for this discussion with the potent pair Doug Fisher & Nancy Frey! We learn about their new book, PLC+ and the five questions that get to the heart of what collaboration time should look like in schools. Stay tuned until the end for a special promo code for our listeners for the PLC+ Institutes the authors will be hosting in Colorado in October!
From Leading Impact Teams, by Bloomberg & Pitchford (& based on Bandura’s research, as well as Goddard, Hoy, & Hoy): Efficacy = Mastery Moments, Vicarious Experience, Feedback, and Trust
“Where are we going?” and “Where are we now?” (31:08)
5 Questions in PLC+: Where are we going? Where are we now? How do we move learning forward? What did we learn today? Who benefited and who did not benefit?
Bringing data to the PLC+ (33:22)
Student feedback
Equity / Cognitive Bias / The Decisions we choose to make: (35:52)
Quote from PLC+: “Underlying every decision about what we choose to gather data on is an unspoken decision about what we won’t look at.”
Data should be aligned to team’s common challenge; then did we impact learning or not?
HEARTS = Home, Educational Experience, Activities they engage in outside the classroom, Reasons for Learning, Transformative life experiences, Special Attributes
Coping with Covid: Catlin Tucker on teaching during a Quarantine
00:53:09
Episode 054: Coping with Covid, with Catlin Tucker
As we all try to wrap our heads around the implications the pandemic will have on our students, our communities, our families, and ourselves, we hope to provide some comforting guidance from an expert in remote learning. Catlin Tucker, whose original Vrain Waves interview aired back in Season 2 about her book Power Up Blended Learning, joins us again for a Sunday discussion about how we can approach these changes to our instruction.
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!
How can we be more fearless in our creation? (28:36)
What is school?
True creation is messy & noisy - where are we leaving space for that during the school day?
Embrace approximation (instead of perfection) (30:12)
How do we create space for learning from each other? (31:45)
Be deliberate about it
Ms. Disbrow as Cornelius’ mentor
Watching specific teaching moves, going into each other’s classrooms at least once a week - specific, scheduled time to watch, then specific, scheduled time to practice the learning
Links & Show Notes
Reflecting on Learning technology in classrooms (1:46) Jesse Buetow - This 5th Grade Life Podcast
Jennie Magiera intro - book: Courageous Edventures (6:30)
Chief Program Officer at Ed Tech Team ISTE 2018 in Chicago
How do I differentiate with technology? But not lose my personal life in the meantime (9:20)
I could transcend space and time by ‘cloning myself’ with videos
What are innovative ways we can approach the problems teachers face every day? → Courageous EdVentures book is a problem based approach to this
Innovation in the math classroom (12:07)
Jennie’s history with math
Learned that math is really creative & beautiful & inspiring Explain Everything - ToonTastic - tell the narrative of the mathematical story
Other Math Heroes (16:40)
Dan Meyer - blog.mrmeyer.com - 3 act math - twitter Mathalicious #mathchat NCTM conference
How to know your students really well (19:40)
Lunch in the cafeteria with students
Be careful to see your students as whole people, not people we need to save - changes the types of questions you ask them
One human being talking to another
“Instead of asking students ‘what do you want to be when you grow up?’ ask, ‘who do you want to be today?’ In this way, we are no longer asking students to wait to matter.”
Student agency (24:01) - empowering students so they are able to do things that will affect their own lives.
Make time in your day to exercise those skills (25:10) National Teachers Academy
5 to 13 yo at this school speaking at public hearings and city hall, etc… given students an education in social justice, equity, and voice - being involved in their own community #giveNTAachance | @WeAreNTA | wearenta.com
Everyone in the building believes in the power of student voice
Preparing students for discussions in classrooms (29:49) -
Be aware of what voices are in the room first - never try to colonize our student voices - Dr Chris Emdin @ Columbia
Use your voice as a tool - different voices for different tools - mock debates - Today’s Meet (tutorial) - mock Twitter chats
Jennie Magiera’s TED (& other) Talks
Genius Hour (32:07)
Flopped the first time because teacher always knows the answer, creativity is not fostered, asked for a rubric, didn’t know how to get an ‘A’
Ken Robinson - Schools Kill Creativity
Teacher Innovation Exploration Plan (TIEP)
Problem-Based Innovation for working through using learning technology in the classroom
Select one challenge and then work systematically through to your solution
Favorite time saving hacks (38:05)
Use your inbox as a task list
Four D’s of productivity - do, delegate, delete, delay Boomerang / Inbox by Gmail
Automating assessment scoring - gForms, Flubaroo, gClassroom NPR Article - OK Go - Here it Goes Again (43:15) bit.ly/studentsrule Teachinglikeits2999.com
Billboard: Talk Less, Listen More (46:15)
How Jennie learned to say ‘No’ more (47:05) - notecard - say no to three things a month
Takeaways (48:40) tinyurl.com/vrainwavesfeedback
Dr. Pope joins us on Vrain Waves to talk about the role that stress plays in our students lives, how we can work to decrease that cognitive takeover, and some digestible research we can both learn from and share with our parents. Enjoy!!
Alternative & Authentic assessment (26:08) Choice, Voice, Revision, and Redemption, Doing School: How We Are Creating a Generation of Stressed-Out, Materialistic, and Miseducated Students (28:33)
Brain Based Teaching and Learning with Neuroteach Author Glenn Whitman
00:54:59
Episode 008: Glenn Whitman, NeuroTeach
Today we talk with one of the authors of NeuroTeach: Brain Science and the Future of Education, Mr. Glenn Whitman. His dedication to understanding neuroscience and learning in order to effect change at the school building level permeates policy at the Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Potomac, Maryland. Glenn speaks to us about the ways in which learning about the brain can enhance our instruction.
One educational truth: Every day every kid will bring his or her brain to class (7:54)
How do kids actually learn, never trained (8:37)
In 2007 - asked ourselves ‘What makes an Expert Teacher?’ (9:02)
..* Do we know enough about the organ of learning, the brain? Only 20% of teachers have been exposed to that sort of training, per Glenn’s experience
Mind Brain Education - train St Andrews Teachers in the Learning Brain + ongoing PD in Educational Neuroscience (10:17)
..* Denise Pope at Stanford
..* Dan Willingham at UVA
..* Rob Coe at University of Durham in UK
Mission-driven (12:55)
Teacher enthusiasm for working with research (13:41)
Unconscionable List (18:12) - “detrimental pedagogy”
..* Labeling students (19:15)
..* Surprise quizzes that count for substantial points (19:51)
..* Wasting the beginning and the end of class (20:34)
..* Ebbinghaus Curve of Forgetting (21:55)
..* Exclusive Content: add 2 more to the list
..* No high school should start before 830 am (22:42)
..* No more than 4 subjects a day (23:20)
..* Other unconscionable list items:
..* Balance between project-based learning and the content knowledge necessary to be successful in those projects (23:38)
..* The Myth of Learning styles (24:34)
..* Howard Gardner
Start and end of class (25:31)
3 questions every Monday from one teacher - one thing you remember from last week, 1 thing you remember from last month, 1 thing you remember from September (28:19)
..* Primacy recency effect
Labeling (29:09)
..* What labels do to our mindset (29:57)
..* Create a fixed mindset & a self-fulfilling prophecy
..* Neuroplasticity (31:09)
12 Things Teachers should do for every student every day (35:16)
..* Choice Final Exams (35:38)
..* Low stakes Formative Assessment (37:08)
..* Connection between emotion and learning (37:37)
..* Rick Wormeli “Fair is not always equal.”
..* Spacing / active retrieval / dual coding
..* Exclusive Content
..* Teaching students the neuroanatomy behind learning (39:37)
Making the podcast better (40:03)
..* Think Differently & Deeply - authors podcast (40:25)
..* Acknowledging prior knowledge
Multitasking (46:41) - think about the pace and the amount of activities we’re giving our students
Self-testing is the million dollar strategy (49:00) - how much do you know without referencing anything, then build upon the gaps
We want doctors that have studied the organs of the body; we want teachers that have studied the organ of learning (50:47)
..* Studying the learning brain should be the foundation in our professional learning for improving at other pedagogical techniques
Episode 025, John Couch: Rewiring Education
In this episode, we speak with a former executive of one of the most influential companies on the planet! In addition to being a personal friend of Steve Jobs, John Couch was the Vice President of Education at Apple Inc. for 16 years. This giant in education enthralls us with stories from his book, Rewiring Education, explains the merits of challenge-based learning, and shares why creativity is worth 100 IQ points! Couch and jobs pic
Episode 046: Dr. John Medina - Brain Rules We’ve been waiting for years now for the chance to interview Dr. John Medina: Developmental Molecular Biologist, Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Washington School of Medicine, and author of Brain Rules, Brain Rules for Baby, Brain Rules for Aging Well, and Attack of the Teenage Brain, to name a few. Dr. Medina takes time out of his busy schedule to chat with us about Theory of Mind, stress and learning, and some history behind our fancy brains.
The mic has officially been passed to us from Ben Kalb! With the re-launch of the podcast, we are celebrating all things NEW; new year, new students, and new teachers! Our goal is to create inspiration and empowerment for educators, so alongside the giants of education, new hosts Suzy Evans and Shane Saeed will also be talking with classroom educators and how they use these theories in their practice on a daily basis. Join us for our first episode of 2023 as we talk about the power of networking, creating your teaching village, and how connecting with other educators is the key to our collective success!
We reconnect with Ben Kalb, super-podcaster and the creator of Vrain Waves to ground us all in the original mission of the podcast. We also talk about how we plan to carry on with interviewing educational movers and shakers, but then add contributions from classroom educators as well.
Our first classroom guest is one of our own, St. Vrain Valley Schools 5th-grade teacher, Farah Holburn, who talks about how she connects with other teachers, creates a positive atmosphere in her building, and continues to be a lifelong learner.
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!
Inspiring students to self-assess and start working independently doesn't have to be complicated! Not only are students becoming aware of what they need and advocating for themselves, but also engaging in some beautiful metacognition. Another added benefit? All that independence and efficacy actually leads to higher-quality collaborative work! Tune in as we chat with Marcus Luther from The Broken Copier about his 1 through 6 rating system and how this simple strategy has created efficacy and independence in his classroom.
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!
Episode 047: Dr. Jim Afremow - The Champion’s Mind Sports psychologist Dr. Jim Afremow joins Vrain Waves to share the importance of cultivating a champion’s mindset in everything you do. There are plenty of parallels between sports and teaching and learning; some of these parallels are useful for thinking about your classroom or your collegial relationships in a different frame. Download the Champion’s Mind app to hear inspirational audio clips and motivate yourself for anything you’re trying to tackle in life! Enjoy!
“Part of this process requires us to maintain our eagerness to learn and grow, and to take well-trained, disciplined action to make solid change in our lives.”
Rest / Recovery / Regeneration - Don’t be lazy with your recovery
Meditation & breathing techniques (26:47)
Champions & their contract (27:33)
Dr. Afremow article about JJ Watt: "I think no matter what job you do, I don’t care what job it is, you want to outperform your contract. I feel like that’s how everybody should attack their job, at least. You should want people to think you’re underpaid because of how hard you work, because of how well you do your job, because of how you go about your business."
Importance of Gratitude
Sometimes we have to go against socialization to be our best selves
Team Sports & Teaching (29:44)
When we give ourselves to others, we get more in return.
What are we doing that gets in our own way? (40:07)
“I know” list
Gift of failing & how to learn from it: I just learned something that didn’t work
3 P’s: Present, Positivity, Process (43:17)
Let go of today & focus on the next thing
Mantras / Routines (44:44)
Mind over matter
Be like water
I love hills
Bruce Lee quote:
“Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless — like water. Now you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup; You put water into a bottle it becomes the bottle; You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”
Commonalities among people that surround champions (46:03)
“Think about these three self-reflection questions regarding your role as a teammate: 1. What am I doing that is hurting my team (e.g., complaining, gossiping)? 2. What am I not doing that is hurting my team (e.g., cheering for my teammates, accepting my role on the team)? 3. What are the specific action steps I will take to be a better teammate moving forward (e.g., hustling on every play, being more vocal on the field)?”
Educated By Design with The Tech Rabbi
In his new book, Educated by Design, The Tech Rabbi Michael Cohen shares his journey to education through design, while providing useful tools and resources for the reader to help expand students’ belief in their own creative ability. Today on Vrain Waves, he shares many of these insights with us!
“If you don’t take every opportunity to learn something, if you’re not looking at everybody as ‘they have something they can teach me’, then you’re significantly cutting yourself off from insights, some perspectives that could really broaden your own.” (47:32)
Being passionate about something makes you quicker to judge sometimes (49:52)
“Curiosity and judgment can’t fit in the same space.” (51:08)
Summer PD opportunities with Dr. Jackson - 2 Builders Labs (June 24-26 in CA; July 15-17 in Arlington VA for Instructional Coaches)
It's time to connect the Physical and the Education in the classroom. Nothing is in a silo in our world. We are teaching the whole student, so connecting mind and body in our instruction benefits everyone. Incorporating movement in our classrooms creates engagement and builds attention, which helps content stick. Tune in as we chat with two @SVVSD physical education teachers who also teach academic content and how they see these two important worlds complementing each other.
Looking to build agency and standards mastery in your classroom? Then look no further than learning progressions! Tune in as we say goodbye to 2024 and chat with our very own @BennerBrainiacs. She motivates her students to self-assess on standards, visualize their goals more clearly, and achieve true mastery using learning progressions in her classroom.
Elizabeth Green (Chalkbeat, Building a Better Teacher)
00:51:55
Join us as we learn from Chalkbeat founder, journalist, and teacher advocate, Elizabeth Green. She talks with us about developing educational infrastructure and supporting teachers across the country.
15 Apr 2019
Positive School and Classroom Culture
00:44:20
Episode 037: Jennifer Gonzalez, Cult of Pedagogy
It’s not a real cult. It’s a mindset, a family, a ton of free resources, a podcast, great blog posts, relevant topics, and, frankly, a security blanket for busy teachers. Many times it’s pushed our thinking, strengthened our practice, and given us solace. It’s the Cult of Pedagogy, and we had the privilege of speaking to the “Head Teacher Nerd”, Jennifer Gonzalez, about school culture and much much more.
Understanding How We Learn with the Learning Scientists
00:50:20
Episode 024: Dr. Megan Sumeracki & Dr. Yana Weinstein - The Learning Scientists
The Learning Scientists are cognitive psychologists who spend their time sharing research-backed study methods via their podcast, their blog, and their new book, Understanding How We Learn: A Visual Guide. Today, they talk to us about their research and how it translates into the classroom. Enjoy!
“Every time a memory is brought to mind, it is reconstructed and reinforced. When students take a quiz, they’re not just checking their memory, they’re enhancing it.”
ATTN ST VRAIN TEACHERS: Please feel free to reach out to Kim Wiggins, one of the SVVSD Assessment Coordinators, who has more resources and a huge passion for these topics! wiggins_kimberly@svvsd.org, or find her on twitter @KWigginsSVVSD.
Episode 024: Dr. Megan Sumeracki & Dr. Yana Weinstein - The Learning Scientists
The Learning Scientists are cognitive psychologists who spend their time sharing research-backed study methods via their podcast, their blog, and their new book, Understanding How We Learn: A Visual Guide. Today, they talk to us about their research and how it translates into the classroom. Enjoy!
18 Mar 2019
Dwayne Reed on a Culture of We - ASCD Recap
00:23:21
Episode 035: Dwayne Reed, Welcome to the 4th Grade :)
In the first of our mini-series highlighting the conversations at the ASCD Empower 2019 Conference (#Empower19 for more on social media as well…), we sit down with inspirational teacher Mr. Dwayne Reed from Chicago Public Schools. Please enjoy this quick discussion about getting to know our classroom by starting with ‘you’, then ‘them’, then ‘we’, a quick reprise of his keynote at the General Session of the conference. (Becky’s Chicago accent comes back a little harder in this episode, too, so brace yourselves for that…)
Dan Meyer: If Your Content is The Aspirin, How Do You Create the Headache?
00:44:40
Episode 011: Dan Meyer, Desmos
Dan Meyer has been revolutionizing math instruction for years, and in this episode he shares with us the importance of mentors in his life, a few of his favorite teaching mantras, mathematics as storytelling, and how to notice and develop perplexity.
Put students in a place to experience new learning through a need
Dan’s math journey & mentors (4:20)
“Be Less Helpful” (6:58)
Let students do the interesting, important work of the thinking about the problem
Thanksgiving dinner task example - by giving all the information necessary you’re making the problem less interesting, losing the opportunity for deeper thinking, and blocking some students out
Discovery learning in the math classroom (9:52)
You can always add, you can’t subtract (11:08)
Once you add information, you change the nature of the challenge
Perplexity / Curiosity: Teaching as a science - reproducible (24:23)
“Developing curiosity in ourselves and capturing those curious moments and presenting them in curious ways for other people, that has to be an ongoing discipline.”
Benefits of being a connected educator (27:31)
Quick growth; posing open questions and semi-formed ideas
Memorization in math (30:26)
Driving analogy
Having as much as you can in your long-term memory makes more interesting work possible
Practice with purpose, mix frequently with purposeful activities (not memorization drills)
Offer them pictures of where their memorization will be used
Math assessment (35:07)
Break learning objectives down into smaller grains of learning and assess on each
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!
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!
Number 5: Episode 5 with Dave Burgess:
“Mediocrity doesn’t motivate.” Episode 11 with Dan Meyer:
“Never assume anyone even cares.” / “Teach math as if it were an elective.” Episode 9 with Daniel Pink:
“Time plays a much bigger role than we realize… we are temporal creatures.”
“Pay careful attention to endings.”
Number 3: Episode 23 with Dan Heath:
“Beware of the soul sucking force of reasonableness.” Episode 21 with Catlin Tucker:
“Our classroom spaces should be places where everybody is experimenting, everybody is taking risks, and everybody is learning. That can’t just be the students.”
Number 2: Episode 04 with Kim Scott:
“Radical candor is about how to collaborate effectively with a group of people.” Episode 02 with Dr. Tony Wagner:
“Our profession is afflicted with the curse of isolation.”
“Isolation is the enemy of improvement, it is the enemy of innovation and it is the enemy of science.”
PD Credits for listening to Vrain Waves: www.tinyurl.com/vrainwavesPD
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!
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
11 Jun 2018
AJ Juliani on Genius Hour, PBL, Design Thinking and Student Inquiry
What were the last 5 things you learned and why were you excited about learning them? Then, think about how you learn best, and then think about your classroom
Tony Wagner (Creating Innovators, Global Achievement Gap and more!)
00:59:13
Don’t miss this incredible interview with Dr. Tony Wagner - widely respected author, educator, and speaker, helping us all reframe our thinking in order to transform education.
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