In this enlightening discussion, Claire English, founder of The Unteachables, shares her insights on classroom management and teacher well-being. She outlines three key reasons why classroom order can decline and offers actionable strategies to reclaim it. Claire emphasizes the importance of teacher wellness, highlighting how mental health directly impacts classroom dynamics. With her international teaching experience, she introduces resources like her book 'It's Never Just About the Behavior' and the Behavior Club to empower educators in their journey.

Multitasking isn't great for our brains, it compromises our mental health, and ultimately it doesn't even work, but that doesn't stop many of us from trying to do it all the time. What we may not realize is that it also sneaks into our classrooms and interferes with learning, and it's happening in ways you may not even notice. In today's episode, I'm talking with cognitive scientist Megan Sumeracki about the pitfalls multitasking creates in schools, and what we can do to avoid them. -------------------------------------------- Thanks to The Gilder Lehrman Institute and Alpaca for sponsoring this episode. For a full transcript of this episode, visit cultofpedagogy.com/pod and choose episode 239.

Join Peter Johnston, author of 'Choice Words: How Our Language Affects Children's Learning,' as he unpacks how teacher language shapes classroom dynamics. He reveals practical phrases to navigate differences and foster democratic dialogues among students. Johnston discusses the importance of embracing uncertainty and respectful disagreement to promote critical thinking. Discover strategies to create an inclusive environment that encourages collaboration and diverse perspectives, enriching the overall learning experience.

Books are one of the most powerful ways to learn about others and about ourselves. But for that learning to happen, we need a wide range of stories that represent a whole spectrum of people and lives. In many schools and classrooms, however, the offerings are far too narrow. Curating the kind of library that truly reflects the diversity of human experience takes time, intention, money, and good tools. This episode will help you make that happen. Joining me are three exceptional librarians — Cicely Lewis, Julia Torres, and Julie Stivers — who share their advice for building more inclusive collections. They also recommend a handful of outstanding titles to add to your shelves. Thanks to Scholastic Magazines+ and Alpaca for sponsoring this episode. For a full transcript of this episode, visit cultofpedagogy.com/pod and choose episode 237. 

Any time we teach our students something, we need to check to see how well they learned it. If we only do this check at the very end, after all the teaching is done, and we find that our students haven't learned the material, it's too late to do anything about it. That's why we really need to do formative assessment — checking along the way — so if there are problems, we can fix them. In this episode, we're talking about five important things we need to do to make sure we get formative assessment right. Joining me are two people who really understand what works in education: The Marshall Memo's master curator Kim Marshall, and Jenn David-Lang, the mind behind The Main Idea. Together they have published the Best of the Marshall Memo website, a fantastic, free collection of the best ideas in education. Thanks to Scholastic Magazines+ and Listenwise for sponsoring this episode. For a full transcript of this episode, visit cultofpedagogy.com/effective-formative-assessment/. 

If our students are going to thrive, they all need to feel safe, accepted, and loved while under our care. This week, we're focusing on what that looks like when it comes to gender-expansive students — kids whose gender expression or identity is different from what they were assigned at birth. For these students, creating a school that feels safe and accepting isn't simply a matter of being nice to them; there are some specific do's and don'ts that can make a huge difference in how they experience school. My guest is Dave Edwards, an educator who teaches these principles through his website, Gender Inclusive Schools, and his brand-new book of the same name. As the parent of a transgender daughter who has experienced discrimination, Dave's mission is a personal one. In this episode, he shares specific things schools can do to proactively create safe learning environments for these students. Thanks to The Wired Classroom and Listenwise for sponsoring this episode. For links to Dave's book and a full transcript of our conversation, visit cultofpedagogy.com/gender-inclusive-school.

Jocelyn Greene, a theater educator skilled in improv games, shares innovative ways to engage students. She discusses how incorporating movement and play enhances learning and retention. Greene highlights practical improv techniques that develop social skills and creativity. She also explores collaborative games, like 'Don't Look Behind You' and 'magic elevator', emphasizing their role in fostering memory and confidence. Discover how these fun activities can transform your classroom experience and promote an inclusive learning environment.

Teaching is intense, vulnerable work that brings up a range of emotions all day, every day. If we really want to help teachers thrive, we need to go beyond the technical parts of the job and look at how our core human needs show up in this work. In this episode, author and instructional coach Elena Aguilar joins me to explore what it looks like when a teacher's needs for belonging, autonomy, competence, self-esteem, trust, and purpose are not being met, and what can be done to address that. Thanks to EVERFI and Listenwise for sponsoring this episode. For links to Elena's book, Arise: The Art of Transformational Coaching, visit cultofpedagogy.com/pod and choose episode 233.

Megan Sumeracki, a cognitive scientist specializing in learning optimization, shares fascinating insights on metacognition—thinking about our own thinking. She discusses practical strategies like retrieval practice that enhance learning effectiveness. Sumeracki highlights the importance of self-assessment and reflection in education, urging educators to empower students to become independent learners. The conversation delves into how these techniques can lead to better long-term retention of knowledge, transforming how students approach their studies.

All students can benefit from learning and practicing executive functions, the skills we use to control our attention, keep ourselves organized, initiate tasks, and manage time. But where do we find the time to teach them? In this episode, educator and author Mitch Weathers shares his proven 5-step system for integrating executive functions into regular class time without taking away from the regular lesson. Thanks to EVERFI and The Wired Classroom for sponsoring this episode. For links to Mitch's book, visit cultofpedagogy.com/executive-functions