The Cult of Pedagogy Podcast

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 

Host is creating four online courses for teachers during the break, focusing on Mastering the Lesson Plan. Detailed discussion on the upcoming online course structure and release plans, highlighting flexibility and quality.

Explore the innovative concept of semantic pulse surveys in education, highlighting the importance of gathering feedback from teachers and students to enhance school atmosphere. Learn about the benefits of using words instead of numbers in surveys for nuanced insights and emotional expression. Discover unique survey methods for administrators to gain valuable insights into school culture and personal matters, including the use of post-it notes and colored cards. Dive into the world of semantic pulse surveys with Alpaca CEO to understand how educators can utilize these surveys for informed decision-making.

Learning specialist Sarah Riggs Johnson and math teacher Nate Wolkenhauer share a tiered system of learning supports applicable to all students. They discuss creating no-pressure relationships with students, fostering accountability and trust in math education, supporting students in utilizing accommodations during tests, and enhancing math understanding through verbalization and individualized learning supports. The episode provides valuable insights for educators looking to help struggling students in any subject.

The rights of parents to choose the best school for their children — also known as school choice — may seem simple on the surface, but it's anything but, and it has the potential to impact teachers and students all over the country. In this episode, I talk with Cara Fitzpatrick, author of The Death of Public School: How Conservatives Won the War Over Education in America. We discuss why school choice is actually pretty complicated, we dig into some of the key groups that have historically pushed for it, and we explore some things concerned citizens can do to ensure that families can still get their children the best education possible. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks to WeVideo and The Modern Classrooms Project for sponsoring this episode.  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To read a transcript and get a link to Cara's book, visit cultofpedagogy.com/pod and choose episode 228.

Two teachers, a 3rd grade teacher and a high school English teacher, share their classroom-tested approaches to teaching effective annotation techniques. They discuss personalized and collaborative methods to enhance comprehension, transitioning students to independent annotation, developing core competencies through collaborative annotation exercises, and the impact of teaching annotation as a practice of deepening learning and assessment.

If your school is lucky enough to have a full-time certified librarian, it's likely they are not being utilized to their full capacity. In fact, yours may be one of a growing number of schools that are eliminating librarians altogether, and that is a terrible idea. In this episode, I sit down with four accomplished librarians — K.C. Boyd, Barbara Paciotti, Lauren Mobley, and Karina Quilantan-Garza — to explore all the ways a certified school librarian can make teachers' work easier, more efficient, and more effective, and to make a strong case for why every school needs one. Thanks to WeVideo and The Modern Classrooms Project for sponsoring this episode. To read a full transcript of this conversation, visit cultofpedagogy.com/pod and choose episode 226.