Listen Now

Educators are often overwhelmed by the pressure to “cover it all” when it comes to content and curriculum. In this episode, Dr. Catlin Tucker talks with Jay McTighe about designing learning experiences for transfer—focusing on how students will apply their learning instead. By reframing and choosing specific long-term goals, teachers can let go of “covering it all” and make time for exploration of essential questions and performance-tasks. “What if we mapped out the curriculum,” says Jay, “not around input or content to be covered, but around rich, authentic tasks that reflect what we want students to be able to do with learning.” Listen now.

How can we reimagine project-based learning (PBL) for this moment in time? In this episode of The Balance, Dr. Catlin Tucker talks with PBL international expert and founder of CraftED Curriculum, Dr. Jennifer Pieratt about how project-based learning can increase student agency and engagement in online and hybrid classrooms. Dr. Pieratt dives into what is essential about PBL and what tweaks can be made during the pandemic to ensure student success with the model.  “The world is our curriculum,” says Dr. Pieratt. “It’s easy for teachers to shy away from the mess right now but the world is so ripe for kids to be finding solutions for the problems that are going on.” Listen now.

The pandemic is changing education. How will teacher preparation programs need to shift in response? How can administrators lead their communities at this time? Why doesn't society value the important work educators do? Dr. Ivy Ewell-Eldridge, current school site administrator in Southern California and Supervisor of Teacher Education and lecturer for UC Riverside's Graduate School of Education, tackles these questions and more with Dr. Catlin Tucker in this latest episode of The Balance. You can follow Dr. Eldridge on Twitter: @IEwellEldridge.

The global pandemic and reckoning around racial justice are creating immediate and sometimes overwhelming changes to the education system. As a result, the daily lives of teachers and educators across the nation look drastically different today than they did last year. Dr. Catlin Tucker invited Linwood Paul, expert executive coach and facilitator with over thirty years of rich and varied experience in individual development, team, and organizational change, to talk about what’s happening. Linwood provides advice for leaders and teachers on how to create Subtle Distinctions that adjust your mindset to create true contentment in your life. Linwood also provides practical advice for the new work-from-home lifestyle teachers find themselves in today.

As educators prepare for an uncertain back-to-school, Dr. Catlin Tucker encourages teachers to take control of what they CAN: the design of their courses. The teacher’s role as a designer of an online or blended learning course is a critical part of the teaching presence in an online or blended community. “We get to create a clear, more manageable roadmap,” says Catlin, “figure out what those most important pieces are, and start from that point.” She encourages teachers to look at their curriculum with fresh eyes when mapping out their year. Listen now.

In episode 12 of The Balance, Dr. Catlin Tucker talks with Jon Corippo, Chief Learning Officer at CUE (Computer Using Educators), where he directs CUE’s onsite, online, social media, and conference planning. Jon and Catlin discuss reprioritizing students and putting them at the center of learning. “We are doing the same thing we’ve always done,” says Jon, “and we’re expecting it to work better. And the same thing we’ve always done leaves out the number one core which is: the human child.” Jon continues by pointing out that the human connection, or rapport between the student and teacher, is key to learning. “Ever heard of School of Rock? Stand and Deliver? Every great Hollywood teacher goes and understands that if I don’t have a relationship with the child, they will reject me.” Listen now to Jon and Catlin's entire conversation—sponsored by StudySync.

Teachers are often asked to incorporate social and emotional learning into their instruction, but what about their own well-being? In episode 11 of The Balance, Catlin Tucker talks with Dr. Maria Hersey, founder and CEO of Global Education Advisors, about how educators can prioritize their own self-care and, in turn, better support student social and emotional learning (SEL). Dr. Hersey’s background as both as an educator and a former director at MindUP (the signature mindfulness program of the Hawn Foundation) allows her to speak both in researched data and personal experience. Catlin and Dr. Hersey discuss best mindfulness practices for teachers themselves and then extend those ideas to SEL strategies in the classroom.

What a whirl-wind the last few months have been for educators. Teachers and students can finally see the light at the end of an emotionally exhausting year. “So many kids,” says Catlin Tucker, “aren’t getting that closure… that celebratory ending that they really crave at the end of the school year.” With summer close, Catlin suggests a few ideas for teachers in the home stretch, including a creative project to celebrate a year of learning. Catlin also talks honestly about recovering from an emotional few months, accepting an uncertain back-to-school future, and finding fun ways to grow professionally. Presented by StudySync. 

In this episode, Catlin Tucker talks with Rachelle Dene Poth, an emerging technology presenter, Spanish/STEAM teacher, author, and lawyer, about the power of relationships in education. They discuss solutions designed to help teachers build stronger connections with students, maximize their time when implementing new technology, and remember their “why” in terms of what they are teaching or asking of their students.  Catlin reminds educators that they are “lifelong learners, teaching lifelong learners” and encourages teachers to have a continuous dialogue with students about what works with a new technology or lesson or what didn’t work. Catlin and Rachelle also wrestle with the question of how do you work a sense of balance into your life when you are juggling so much? Rachelle shares that, in addition to self-care, another important element to achieving balance is to connect with your peers and build your personal learning network (PLN) so that you can share ideas….and have an avenue to vent, learn, and move forward. Listen, rate, and review The Balance so other educators will find this amazing resource.     

We all have so many questions in our heads—How can I teach effectively given this new situation? How can I build relationships with all of my students via online conferencing platforms? How will distance learning and screen-time impact my students in the long run?  In this mini-episode, Catlin Tucker shares ways to build community online and engage students. She reminds us that, just like in the classroom, students need to feel safe, so plan to start with simple, online ice-breakers to build trust and increase students’ comfort levels. She also stresses the importance of personalized feedback and recommends assigning both online and offline work.  Seeking helpful tips for achieving greater balance in this new teaching environment? Listen now. 

How do you balance the needs of family members, working from a new space, and still teach the way you want to teach? Recognizing that most of us are feeling totally off-balance, Catlin acknowledges that navigating this shift from teaching face-to-face to teaching entirely online is a new challenge that leaves us wondering if balance is even possible right now. In this mini-episode of The Balance, Catlin talks about this sudden transition to teaching online and shares three suggestions to help you feel more confident navigating this new learning landscape.   

Catlin talks with Dr. Shaun Woodly about his personal experience teaching in urban schools with culturally diverse students. Catlin and Shaun discuss the need to consider, “What learning really looks like?” and whether teachers are creating spaces to foster authentic learning experiences for kids. Listen to Shaun and Catlin as they discuss the four elements of urban education-–awareness, achievement, alliance, and artistry–and encourage teachers to consider which areas they can develop in their work with students to achieve balance. Please rate and review the series—it will help other teachers and administrators find this amazing resource!

Catlin Tucker talks with Jason Green, a School Transformation Expert and Co-founder of LINC (Learning Innovation Catalyst), about leading innovative change that is scalable, building culture on school campuses, and shifting from performing to being present in the classroom.  When looking at a school culture, Jason cautions that school leaders may get sucked into the urgency of what is happening at the moment. Instead, he urges them to step back and ask, What is important? What is urgent? Does this lead to student learning or build a better school culture? Do our teachers feel they have the agency to innovate? Don’t miss Catlin and Jason’s conversation about how leaders and educators can collaborate to advance culture and innovation. And, they also remind us not to forget about the importance of our own continuous learning and to be compassionate with ourselves!!!

Catlin Tucker talks with Travis Lape (@travislape) an Innovative Programs Director entering his 7th year with the Harrisburg School District in Pennsylvania. Travis is passionate about creating learning environments that leverage the best instructional practices that get the largest effect on learning. Catlin talks with Travis Lape about school and classroom design, and student agency, with a reminder to listeners to maintain their own balance.

Catlin Tucker talks with Lisa Highfill (@lhighfill), a technology integration coach and a classroom teacher for over twenty years, about balance in the classroom and beyond! Lisa weighs in on how teachers can shift their roles from being the disseminator of information to true architects of learning experiences for their classroom and how to stop stealing the "Ah-ha!" moments from their students. Learn more about Lisa at the Hyperdoc website https://hyperdocs.co.   The Balance is presented by StudySync. Visit studysync.com/blog for details. Learn more about SyncBlasts at www.studysync.com/products/syncBlast. 

Catlin Tucker converses with Adam Welcome, a former educator, principal, and director of innovation, now EdTech consultant about balance in the classroom! Adam advises teachers to focus on what is sustainable for their classroom and to consider letting students be the experts on a variety of topics. Facilitate learning for your students. Create lesson plans that don't have your students just sitting, listening, and consuming. Shift some of the responsibility to students so you can focus on things in your job that bring you joy!

In this episode of The Balance, I talk with Tiffany Wycoff, a mother, an educator, and an entrepreneur. We explore issues related to the balance or, more accurately, the imbalance of power and responsibility in classrooms. We question the current role many students occupy as passive consumers. We discuss the need to model a growth mindset for our students and what is needed to cultivate classrooms where we celebrate experimentation, risk-taking, and failing forward. We talk about the potential of technology to connect learners as opposed to isolating them. As advocates of blended learning, Tiffany and I explore both the pitfalls and potential of integrating technology into classrooms. Presented by StudySync.