Listen Now

Acceleration research can teach us how to accelerate learning. Dr. Douglas Fisher, co-author of the best-selling book Rebound, Grades K-12: A Playbook for Rebuilding Agency, Accelerating Learning Recovery, and Rethinking Schools. Instead of learning loss, Dr. Fisher is advocating how we can accelerate learning. He reflects on what we have learned and how we can move forward together as we work to emerge (hopefully) from the pandemic. Show Notes: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e768 Today’s episode is sponsored by Tract. Tract will empower your students to develop 21st-Century Ready skills through project-based peer-to-peer learning. For a limited time, you can pilot Tract’s on-demand project-based classes and clubs free in your classroom. I am a project-based learning classroom and have joined the pilot. Request free access today at teach.tract.app with the access code COOLCATTEACHER. If you have students aged 8 or older, you’ll want to bring students into this self-directed project-based platform that will rock your classroom and their world.  See my review, 10 Ways to Personalize Project Based Learning with Tract. Try out Tract today! Related Episodes A 4 Part Distance Learning Framework that Works with Dr. Douglas Fisher Successful Distance Learning for Young Kids with Nancy Frey Dr. Douglas Fisher - Bio as Submitted Doug Fisher is professor of educational leadership at San Diego State University and a teacher leader at Health Sciences High in San Diego, CA. He is the co-author of The Distance Learning Playbook, along with several other books. Blog: www.fisherandfrey.com Twitter: @DFISHERSDSU Youtube Channel: Fisher and Frey - YouTube     Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored podcast episode.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to include a reference to their product. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” This company has no impact on the editorial content of the show.  

"Really, we have to write?" say some students. No more! If you're working to engage your student in writing that is engaging and exciting, Dr. Sarah Levine from Stanford University has some practical ideas for you and your students. In this episode, you'll learn ways to engage students in writing using digital media. You'll also learn about an incredible idea "audio gifts" which you could use to support writing and gift giving for the upcoming holiday season. She also gives us the language for how to help students strengthen their writing with strong verbs and concrete language as they create their audio gifts. Sponsor: Defined Learning has engaging project-based lessons for your students., Take a look at the PBL tools & resources on Defined Learning with an online library of engaging hands-on projects, inspiring career-focused videos, research resources & more to help you create deeper learning opportunities for your students. Listeners of this podcast can get free 60-day access to all of Defined Learning's PBL resources by going to definedlearning.com/coolcat. Show Notes: www.coolcatteacher.com/e767 About Dr. Sarah Levine - Bio As Submitted Sarah Levine is an Assistant Professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Education. Dr. Levine's primary goal as an academic is to help shape the teaching and learning of secondary English teachers and contribute to research that will help students — especially those in urban and under-resourced schools — become independent readers and writers. Twitter: @s_r_levine Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored podcast episode.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via cash payment, gift, or something else of value to include a reference to their product. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Digital portfolios are an essential part of the modern student's creation process. In this show Tisha Poncio shares her tips on digital portfolios and classroom teaching. Learn how to plan ahead to allow for project based learning and digital portfolios and best practices for implementing them in the classroom. Transcript posted on the show page: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e766 Today’s episode is sponsored by Tract. Tract will empower your students to develop 21st-Century Ready skills through project-based peer-to peer learning. For a limited time you can pilot Tract’s on-demand project-based classes and clubs free in your classroom. I am a project based learning classroom and have joined the pilot. Request free access today at teach.tract.app with the access code COOLCATTEACHER. If you have students aged 8 or older, you’ll want to bring students into this self-directed project based platform that will rock your classroom and their world.  Try out Tract today! Tisha Poncio - Bio As Submitted Tisha Poncio, M.S. Learning Technologies/Instructional Design, has served in education for the last 21 years. She has led students in the classroom teaching English, Web Design, Graphic Design, Business Computers, Programming, and Broadcast Journalism. She has also coached educators, students, and administrators as a digital learning specialist for 12 years. She is a Google Certified Trainer, and a Flipgrid, Wakelet, and Buncee Ambassador. Her biggest accomplishment to date has been the creation of a student-led technology leadership group that helps her present globally on student voice, digital citizenship, and the #studentsCANlead movement.

Thomas Arnett from the Christensen Institute Shares What the Insitute has learned from administrators and teachers about best practices for teaching during the pandemic. https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e765 Sponsor: Screencastify. This year, I introduced the free screencasting tool, Screencastify, the first week of school to all of my students so they could record screencasts.   Screencastify isn’t just a screen recorder. You can record, edit, and submit to students quickly as they can to you. The new version of Screencastify has analytics so you can know who is watching and when and more. Head over to screencastify.com today. Thomas Arnett - Bio as Submitted Thomas Arnett is a senior research fellow for the Clayton Christensen Institute. His work focuses on using the Theory of Disruptive Innovation to study innovative instructional models and their potential to scale student-centered learning in K–12 education. Thomas began his work in education as a middle school math teacher in Kansas City Public Schools through Teach For America and as an Education Pioneers fellow with the Achievement First Public Charter Schools. He has also served as an elected trustee and board president for the Morgan Hill Unified School District in Morgan Hill, California, and currently serves as the chair of the board of Compass Charter Schools in California. https://www.christenseninstitute.org/results/?authors=toma  Potential unfulfilled: COVID-19, the rapid adoption of online learning, and what could be unlocked this year (https://www.christenseninstitute.org/publications/online-learning-potential/?authors=toma) Carpe Diem: Convert pandemic struggles into student-centered learning - https://www.christenseninstitute.org/publications/blended-learning-2021/?authors=toma  Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored podcast episode.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via cash payment, gift, or something else of value to include a reference to their product. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

These are challenging times, but what if you're trying to find some normalcy amidst the challenges? Today's guest, Michelle Blanchet, co-author of the Startup Teacher Playbook talks about a method she teaches teachers to help determine the specific issues of concern so that improvements can be made and the teacher can have a sense of forward progress. Social Emotional Learning isn't just for students, this episode focuses on teachers. https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e764 Today’s sponsor is NaliniKIDS, creator of wordworkouts.org, a fantastic free SEL resource that will bring reflection and movement to your classroom. At wordworkouts.org you can select a word as the focus to help students get in the right mindset for a day of learning while making connections between academics and daily life. Wordworkouts.org is great for morning meetings, brain breaks, class transitions or advisory and is a wonderful relationship-building tool for your classroom community. Michelle Blanchet - Bio as Submitted Michelle is an educator striving to improve how we treat, train, and value our teachers. After ten years of experience working with young people, she founded the Educators’ Lab, which supports teacher-driven solutions to educational challenges. Michelle earned a master’s in international relations from Instituto de Empresa in Madrid. She has taught social studies in Switzerland and the U.S. and has presented at numerous events, including SXSWedu and TEDxLausanne. Michelle is a part of the Global Shaper Community of the World Economic Forum. She has worked with organizations like PBS Education, the Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning, Ashoka, and the Center for Curriculum Redesign. The Startup Teacher Playbook through Times 10 Publications is her first book. She occasionally blogs for Edutopia.

Tiffany Wycoff, the co-author of the bestselling book, Blended Learning in Action, talks about the state of blended learning today. She shares how some teachers are battling blended learning burnout but that it is necessary for learning today and how we move forward. https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e763 Sponsor: Screencastify. This year, I introduced the free screencasting tool, Screencastify, the first week of school to all of my students so they could record screencasts.   Screencastify isn’t just a screen recorder. You can record, edit, and submit to students quickly as they can to you. The new version of Screencastify has analytics so you can know who is watching and when and more. Head over to screencastify.com today. Tiffany Wycoff - Bio as Submitted After spending many years in the classroom teaching and several as a school principal, Tiffany co-founded LINC and now serves as Chief Operating Officer at LINC. She is the co-author of the bestselling book, Blended Learning in Action, and a prominent speaker on innovative learning and leadership. blinaction.com @TeachOnTheEdge Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored podcast episode.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via cash payment, gift, or something else of value to include a reference to their product. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Dr. Marc Brackett, founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and lead developer of RULER, a systemic, evidence-based approach to social and emotional learning reflects on where students are now and how to reach them. This Social Emotional Learning (SEL) focused episode is relevant for Fall 2021 as students and teachers return to school. https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e762  Today’s sponsor is NaliniKIDS, creator of wordworkouts.org, a fantastic free SEL resource that will bring reflection and movement to your classroom. At wordworkouts.org you can select a word as the focus to help students get in the right mindset for a day of learning while making connections between academics and daily life. Wordworkouts.org is great for morning meetings, brain breaks, class transitions or advisory and is a wonderful relationship-building tool for your classroom community. Dr. Marc Brackett - Bio as Submitted Marc Brackett, Ph.D., is founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and professor in the Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine at Yale University. His grant-funded research focuses on: (1) the role of emotions and emotional intelligence in learning, decision making, creativity, relationship quality, and mental health; (2) the measurement of emotional intelligence; and (3) the influences of emotional intelligence training on children’s and adults’ health, performance, and workplace performance and climate. Marc has published 125 scholarly articles and has received numerous awards, including the Joseph E. Zins Award for his research on social and emotional learning and an honorary doctorate from Manhattanville College. He also is a distinguished scientist on the National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development and on the board of directors for the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). Marc is the lead developer of RULER, a systemic, evidence-based approach to social and emotional learning that has been adopted by over 2,000 public, charter, and private pre-school through high schools across the United States and in other countries, including Australia, China, England, Italy, Mexico, and Spain. RULER infuses social and emotion learning into the immune system of schools by enhancing how school administrators lead, educators teach, students learn, and families parent. Research shows that RULER boosts academic performance, decreases school problems like bullying, enriches classroom climates, reduces teacher stress and burnout, and enhances teacher instructional practices. Marc is the author of Permission to Feel: Unlocking the Power of Emotions to Help Our kids, Ourselves, and Our Society Thrive (Celadon/Macmillan), which will be released in September of 2019. Marc regularly consults with large companies on best practices for integrating the principles of emotional intelligence into training and product design. He is co-founder of Oji Life Lab, a corporate learning firm that develops innovative digital learning systems for emotional intelligence. With Facebook, Marc has developed a number of products, including: social resolution tools to help adults and youth resolve online conflict; a bullying prevention hub to support educators, families, and teens; and InspirED, an open-source resource center to support high school students in leading positive change in their schools. Marc also holds a 5th degree black belt in Hapkido, a Korean martial art.   Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored podcast episode.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via cash payment, gift, or something else of value to include a reference to their product. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Financial literacy is a must-teach topic for students, a topic Kailen Stover has been teaching for years. In this show, she shares what every student needs to know and how to teach them. Money matters. Let's talk about how. https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e761  Sponsor: Everfi sponsored this episode. If you need standards-aligned, digital resources to teach real-world topics like financial literacy, communication skills, leadership, and SEL, social-emotional learning, then EVERFI has a course for you. This past school year, EVERFI had over 72,000 active courses with 4.8 million student enrollments. These digital resources are free to K-12 schools, so every teacher has access to them, no matter your classroom setting. From sports to banking, you will find a topic with a real-world angle that your students will love. So go to get.EVERFI.com/coolcat. And when you do, sign up to get a virtual swag bag full of free goodies and check out the show notes for links.  Kailen Stover - Bio as Submitted Kailen Stover is a High School Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) Teacher in Colorado. Family and Consumer Sciences falls within the realm of Career and Technical Education (CTE). Although Kailen teaches many pathways inside of FCS CTE the majority of her time is spent on classes that teach how to "adult". She is dedicated to preparing students for life after high school by focusing on 21st-century workplace readiness and Social-Emotional Learning. Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored podcast episode.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via cash payment, gift, or something else of value to include a reference to their product. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Some awesome changes have happened with Google Apps over summer 2021. In today's show, Eric Curts talks about Google Classroom, Google Docs, and other Google apps and what has happened that is new and cool and how these changes will help classrooms improve this school year. https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e760 Sponsor: Today's podcast is sponsored by Google and their Applied Digital Skills Curriculum. All opinions my own and that of my guest. Eric Curts - Bio As Submitted Eric has been in education for 30 years, and currently serves as a Technology Integration Specialist for SPARCC in Canton, Ohio where he oversees G Suite for Education implementation, training, and support, as well as other technology integration initiatives. Eric is an authorized Google Education Trainer and Innovator, and provides training to schools, organizations, and conferences throughout Ohio and across the country. He is a co-leader of the Ohio Google Educator Group at https://bit.ly/gegohio. Eric runs the award-winning blog https://www.ControlAltAchieve.com where all of his edtech resources can be found, and is the author of the book "Control Alt Achieve: Rebooting Your Classroom with Creative Google Projects". Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored podcast episode.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via cash payment, gift, or something else of value to include a reference to their product. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

In today's show, we are working to develop empathy for some of our most struggling students - students who are refugees. Looking at Syrian Refugee students in Lebanon, we are spotlighting students who need our encouragement and help. This is not an easy topic, but we should all consider. Take the time to talk to students in your school who are refugees and help others develop empathy and reach out to help them. We all need someone to help us. https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e759 Sponsor: Advancement Courses is sponsoring DonorsChoose projects from August 18 – September 24. Submit your project to https://www.advancementcourses.com/give/submityourproject/ for the chance to be funded. Remember that you can receive 20% off their online professional development courses with the code COOL20. With this coupon, a 3 grad credit course for continuing education, salary advancement, or recertification is only $359. So, go to advancementcourses.com/coolcat to learn more and use the code COOL20. Never stop learning! Ibrahim M. Karkouti - Bio as Submitted Ibrahim M. Karkouti is an independent thinker, a young scholar, and a life-long learner who recently defended his doctoral dissertation at the University of Hartford, CT - USA. Ten years of professional experience in Lebanon, Qatar, and the United States have taught Ibrahim that learning has no boundaries and that education matters the most when it is used to remedy the deleterious effects of segregation, racism, sectarianism, and other forms of discriminatory practices that prevent historically excluded populations from attaining their basic rights to education, healthcare, and prosperity. Karkouti’s research focuses on diversity issues in higher education, the elements that aid in the facilitation of the use of technology in the classroom and the types of social support K-12 teachers need to embrace and implement reform. Twitter: @ibrahimkarkouti Linked: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ibrahim-m-karkouti-30938696/ Restoring Hope for Syrian Refugees: Social Support Students Need to Excel at School https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/imig.12642 Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored podcast episode.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via cash payment, gift, or something else of value to include a reference to their product. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Nancy Barile has an incredible story of how she uses the show The Walking Dead to engage learners in writing skills and more. Her administration has let her recraft the curriculum around this show with pretty astounding results.   Sponsor: Advancement Courses is sponsoring DonorsChoose projects from August 18 – September 24. Submit your project to https://www.advancementcourses.com/give/submityourproject/ for the chance to be funded. Remember that you can receive 20% off their online professional development courses with the code COOL20. With this coupon, a 3 grad credit course for continuing education, salary advancement, or recertification is only $359. So, go to advancementcourses.com/coolcat to learn more and use the code COOL20. Never stop learning! Nancy Barile -  Bio as Submitted Nancy Barile has been a public high school English Language Arts teacher working with kids in Massachusetts for over twenty-seven years. In 2007, she was named a member of the USA Today All-Teacher Team, and in 2011 she was awarded the Massachusetts Commonwealth Award in Creative Leadership. She is a 2013 recipient of the Kennedy Center/Stephen Sondheim Inspirational Teacher Award. In 2013 she was named Boston Red Sox Most Valuable Educator. She was a 2015 Top 50 Finalist for the Varkey Global Teacher Prize. Nancy is also an adjunct professor in the undergraduate and graduate schools of education of a Boston-area college. Her writing has been featured in the Huffington Post, The Guardian, Ozy, Education Week, the College Board, and Hey Teach. Nancy is the author of I’m Not Holding Your Coat: My Bruises and All Memoir of Punk Rock Rebellion, which was published by Bazillion Points in 2021. Available at bazillionpoints.com or on Amazon. Nancy lives outside Boston with her husband Al Barile and Flippy the Beagle.

Students are coming back to school and many of them are struggling with reading. While this has always been a challenge, this year it may be even more so. In this episode, literacy expert Pam Allyn gives advice to teachers in specifically in grades 6-12 when they have students struggling to read. https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e757/  Sponsor: Today’s sponsor, Literal is an app to help students in grades 6-12 engage with reading. The books literally are broken into text message-sized chunks making reading easier, plus Literal has classroom management features for teachers. Go to https://www.literalapp.com and use the promo code “coolcat” to get a free Educator account to try Literal in your classroom. Pam Allyn - Bio As Submitted Pam Allyn is an award-winning education innovator, author of books for families and educators, public speaker and experienced business executive in the area of educational products and sales. She is the founder of the award-winning global nonprofit organization LitWorld, and co-founder of the family engagement platform Dewey. pamallyn.com @pamallyn  

Google's Applied Digital Skills Curriculum is a fantastic free resource of lesson plans, videos, and learning experiences for students everywhere. Today's guest Coach Victor Hicks talks about how he's used the curriculum for grades kindergarten and up.  Sponsor: Today's podcast includes sponsored content from Google and their Applied Digital Skills Curriculum. All opinions are my own. coolcatteacher.com/skills The "If-Then Adventure Story" that Victor recommends as a starting point is an excellent resource and beginning lesson plan for teachers. www.coolcatteacher.com/if  www.coolcatteacher.com/e756 Coach Victor Hicks - Bio As Submitted "Coach" Victor Hicks is the founder of Coding with Culture; a computer science instructional company that combines computer science, digital literacy and the history and culture of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Victor is also an educator in Atlanta, Georgia. Overall, Coach Hicks has over 20 years experience in education positively impacting the lives of young people in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois and Atlanta, Georgia. Coach Hicks' work is featured on the Google Applied Digital Skills website and he was blessed with the opportunity to present on behalf of the Tynker Corporation at the ISTE convention in Chicago. His work was featured in Forbes Magazine and he received the Educator of the Year award from InspireEDU among others. In his time outside of school and Coding with Culture, Coach Hicks is a Code.org professional development facilitator and the proud Coach of the Psi Phi Beta "HBCU Ready" Step Team! Blog: http://www.coachhicks.com Twitter: @codingwculture Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored podcast episode.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via cash payment, gift, or something else of value to include a reference to their product. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Paolo Tolomeo gets kids excited about learning math and language arts by sailing the 7 seas. Learn how it does it, how he keeps on track with lessons, and how to avoid common mistakes when adding gamification to your classroom. Show Notes with Links: www.coolcatteacher.com/e755  Sponsor: Advancement Courses is sponsoring DonorsChoose projects from August 18 - September 24. Submit your project to https://www.advancementcourses.com/give/submityourproject/ for the chance to be funded. Remember that you can receive 20% off their online professional development courses with the code COOL20. With this coupon, a 3 grad credit course for continuing education, salary advancement, or recertification is only $359. So, go to advancementcourses.com/coolcat to learn more and use the code COOL20. Never stop learning! Paolo Tolomeo - Bio As Submitted I am a 4th grade teacher preparing to enter my 16th year teaching. I am constantly looking for ways to further engage my students, creating epic storylines for us all to navigate each year in my gamified classroom. Twitter: @MrTSVedu Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored podcast episode.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via cash payment, gift, or something else of value to include a reference to their product. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Karen Janowski and her coauthors have written a book Inclusive Learning 365: Edtech Strategies for Every Day of the Year. Today she talks about a mindset of including students who learn differently and better reaching the children you have in the classroom. She also shares some practical examples and edtech tools in the process and how you can work to innovate every day of the year in a way that is not overwhelming. Show Notes: www.coolcatteacher.com/e754 Sponsor: Advancement Courses is sponsoring DonorChoose projects from August 18 - September 24. Submit your project to https://www.advancementcourses.com/give/submityourproject/ for the chance to be funded. Remember that you can receive 20% off their online professional development courses with the code COOL20. With this coupon, a 3 grad credit course for continuing education, salary advancement, or recertification is only $359. So, go to advancementcourses.com/coolcat to learn more and use the code COOL20. Never stop learning! Karen Janowski - Bio as Submitted Karen is an Inclusive Technology Consultant and President of EdTech Solutions, Inc serving school districts in the Greater Boston area. She is a nationally recognized speaker and is passionate about removing the obstacles to learning to ensure that all learners achieve independence and success. Blog: https://teachingeverystudent.blogspot.com/ Twitter: @karenjan Inclusive Learning 365 https://inclusive365.com/ Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored podcast episode.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via cash payment, gift, or something else of value to include a reference to their product. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

With free financial literacy courses for high school and middle school, social-emotional learning, and digital literacy classes, today we highlight six ways you can help students learn real-world skills. Right now, many of us are looking for high-quality, easy-to-use materials that can reach students both at home and in the face-to-face classroom. Today’s show features six ideas for courses with this in mind and is sponsored by Everfi. We talked to educator Alyssa Lyons about how to bring real-world skills to your classroom with some powerful curriculum. Everfi sponsored this episode which contains advertorial content. All opinions are my own. A full transcript of this episode is available at www.coolcatteacher.com/e753 Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored podcast advertorial episode.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via cash payment, gift, or something else of value to include a reference to their product. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Evernote has been my go-to tool for over 10 years. In this productivity episode, I talk through how I'm using Evernote, how I organize my files (across all platforms), and some information on the new tasks feature in Evernote. I'll share the screenshots from Evernote into the show notes for this episode. For me, Evernote is more about organization and not collaboration. This is a peek into how I have kept my files organized for over ten years with ten ways I use Evernote now. The show notes include screenshots and lots of links: www.coolcatteacher.com/e752   

You can engage every learner as you head back to school. I share eight ways to engage every learner as we head back to school in this special extended bonus episode. This was first shared at Pear Fair. Check out the show notes to see the extended video: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e751 Sponsor: Thank you Peardeck for sponsoring today’s show and letting us release the full presentation from their recent Pear Fair. The whole day is archived at www.peardeck.com/pear-fair with lots of presentations including some on how to use the formative assessment tools built into Peardeck. So, check out Pear Fair and get engaged with your students today!   Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored podcast episode.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via cash payment, gift, or something else of value to include a reference to their product. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

When students come into your math class, are they ready to learn? Is their brain in a ready state? In today's show, Liesl McConchie shares how to help students get their brains ready to learn from the moment they walk into the classroom. https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e750  In this show, I also share some updates at the end of the show about what's next for this podcast. We're starting season 10 of the 10-minute teacher that I'm dedicating to my precious Mom. Learn more about what is going on with the show after you listen to Liesl McConchie talk about how the brain learns math. Liesl McConchie - Bio as Submitted Liesl McConchie is an international expert on how the brain learns, and co-author of best-selling book Brain-Based Learning with Dr. Eric Jensen. She has been published in ASCD's Educational Leadership journal. With over 20 years of experience in education, Liesl bridges her knowledge of how the brain best learns with her experience of teaching secondary math to create tangible strategies to support teachers and schools across the globe. She has a rich background in education that includes creating new schools, leading whole-school reforms, delivering workshops to educators, and speaking at conferences. Learn more about Liesl and her contributions to education at lieslmcconchie.com.  

Deeper Learning can happen as we work to connect with students and transform them into critical thinkers as well as knowledgeable about our content areas. Professor Jal Mehta from the Harvard University School of Education has co-written an award-winning book "In Search of Deeper Learning" and reflects on how deeper learning can happen at the secondary level. Sponsor: Pear Deck. Pear Fair is back with another hit virtual event designed to energize and equip you with the resources you need to make this year a success! Pear Fair  is happening Wednesday, July 28th and I’ll be presenting 8 Ways to Engage Every Learner along with many other fantastic educators. Just go to peardeck.com/pear-fair  to reserve your seat. It’s free. There are two tracks of this conference - one focusing on pedagogy and hot topics and the other on best practices for using Pear Deck and GoGuardian. You can mix and match your tracks. So, reserve your spot. If this event has already passed still go to the website and register as some recordings (including my presentation) will be posted after the event. Jal Mehta - Bio As Submitted   Jal Mehta is a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. His research explores the role of different forms of knowledge in tackling major social and political problems, particularly problems of human improvement. He has also written extensively on what it would take to improve American education, with a particular focus on the professionalization of teaching. Jal is the author of The Allure of Order: High Hopes, Dashed Expectations and the Troubled Quest to Remake American Schooling (New York: Oxford University Press, 2013) and the co-editor of The Futures of School Reform (Cambridge: Harvard Education Press, 2012). He is currently working on two projects: In Search of Deeper Learning, a contemporary study of schools, systems, and nations that are seeking to produce ambitious instruction; and The Chastened Dream, a history of the effort to link social science with social policy to achieve social progress. He is co-editor of the Learning Deeply blog at Education Week, and in 2014 was the top-ranked junior faculty scholar in the Rick Hess Education Week rankings. He is also the winner of the Morningstar Teaching Award at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.