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Mastery learning (also called competency-based learning) is being used in some classes and schools. Jon Bergmann, author of the Mastery Learning Handbook talks about how he uses mastery learning in his chemistry and physics classrooms. He discusses common mistakes when teachers implement mastery learning as well as the types of classes that work well with mastery learning. Learn about this method of curriculum development and teaching and see if it is right for you. Notes and Transcript https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e797 Sponsor: Dell Thank you, Dell, for sponsoring today’s show. Access early black Friday deals from now through November 27, 2022. Limited quantities on desktops, gaming laptops, high quality monitors, thunderbolt docks, wireless mice and more. They have created a special link for readers of this blog and listeners of the 10 Minute Teacher podcast:  www.dell.com/epp/coolcatteacher   Did you know that Dell has a cost-free education discount program offered ...

George Couros says we need to stop trying to get back to 2019 and to create something new and better for every child. From trust to micromanagement to the importance of relationships, this motivational podcast will encourage teachers and administrators to move forward in hope. George gives some great advice here!  Transcript and Links to Resources Mentioned: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e796 Sponsor: Dell Thank you, Dell, for sponsoring today’s show. Access early black Friday deals from now through November 27, 2022. Limited quantities on desktops, gaming laptops, high quality monitors, thunderbolt docks, wireless mice and more. They have created a special link for readers of this blog and listeners of the 10 Minute Teacher podcast: www.dell.com/epp/coolcatteacher   Did you know that Dell has a cost-free education discount program offered to educators and their friends and family all year long? Check the deals out today at www.dell.com/epp/coolcatteacher and enjoy so...

Jessica Adams, a teacher popular for sharing #TuesdayTechTips shares her journey of creating a personal website and her journey to create a personal brand. We discuss what website she used, how she picked her name, her colors, her logo, and fonts and her journey. With the holidays coming up, now is a great time for educators to work on their personal website and brand. She discusses the importance of not only student voice, but teacher voice and how it makes her feel to have a personal website. We also discussed the protection a personal website gives for you as a personal brand. Show Notes:  https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e795 Sponsor: TARA TARA  sponsored today’s show. TARA stands for the Teacher Assistant for Resources & Administration which keeps tools, resources, lessons, IEP’s, and meetings tracked in one place. It also includes vetted resources that you can download and use in your classroom immediately. As I reviewed this product, I’ve seen special education te...

Properly evaluating education technology comes down to pedagogy and instructional design, asserts Dr. Liz Kolb, creator of the Triple E Framework. What is the Triple E Framework and how is it being used (and misused) in education today? How are people using it to evaluate the use of educational technology and how should it impact the evaluation of teachers? Get an overview of the framework everyone is discussing and understand how it impacts learning in your classroom on today’s show. Show Notes https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e794 Sponsor: TARA TARA sponsored today’s show. TARA stands for the Teacher Assistant for Resources & Administration which keeps tools, resources, lessons, IEP’s, and meetings tracked in one place. It also includes vetted resources that you can download and use in your classroom immediately. As I reviewed this product, I’ve seen special education teachers and organizations raving about how TARA has helped them organize IEP progress, meetings, and result tr...

Young children have many different ability levels with math concepts. Understandably, kindergarten and elementary teachers need to reach every student where they are on their learning journey, but it isn't always easy. Dr. Carol Ann Tomlinson, an expert on the topic, gives an overview of how to differentiate math instruction with younger students.  See notes and transcript:  https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e793 Sponsor: Thank you, eSpark for sponsoring today’s show. eSpark is a differentiation and intervention tool that helps teachers of kindergarten through grade five save time by providing ready-to-go, standards-based reading and math activities that students love. eSpark is free for teachers. Each Quest includes a pre-quiz, framing videos, instructional videos, practice activities, critical thinking challenges, a post-quiz, and an optional student recording. I love that for activities to remain in the eSpark catalog that it must have a high student engagement rating based...

Today's guest, Chris Chappotin, shares how he uses Notion to organize himself. He talks about how to get started and why people use it. This is a quick seven-minute overview podcast and I've also included many resources to get started with Notion on the blog post . Sponsor - Free Educator Wellness Toolkit: Educator wellness is now more important than ever. Go to  coolcatteacher.com/wellness  and download your free educator wellness toolkit from Advancement Courses. You’ll get access to activities, strategies, and tools to improve the four domains of wellness. Also, you can save 20% off your next course by using the code CAT20. I love their courses because they are flexible, with up to 6 months to complete, and you can receive graduate credit through CAEP and regionally accredited university partners or continuing education units that meet your state requirements. With over 280 courses to choose from, Advancement Course offers subjects in everything from educator wellness to ...

Reading instruction can be challenging when a teacher has many different ability levels in her classroom. Furthermore, kindergarten and elementary grades are fundamental. Reading expert, Laura Robb breaks down excellent reading instruction from kindergarten through fifth grade. Dr. Robb has written more than 25 books on reading but also takes 3-4 months each school year as a classroom teacher. From how to form reading groups, how to reach individual children, and how to communicate with parents, Dr. Robb's advice is practical and extensive. This is an extended, 38-minute episode that covers everything about differentiating instruction with reading and is designed to be a complete overview to help every teacher working with young or struggling readers. This episode also includes a transcript on differentiating instruction. Show notes and transcript: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e791 sponsor: Thank you eSpark for sponsoring today’s show. eSpark is a differentiation and interven...

Artificial intelligence (AI) experiments can open up discussion of the human aspect of training algorithms and help them improve. In this podcast episode, Roberta Freitas shares AI Experiments that any teacher can use with students. Additionally, we discuss the morals and ethics of Artificial intelligence and the responsibility of users to report issues of bias and concerns with  AI and algorithms. Additionally, we discuss the practical needs of humans to be able to break out of the algorithms that can keep them chained to past behavior. Show Notes, Resources & Transcripts: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e790 Sponsor - Free Educator Wellness Toolkit: Educator wellness is now more important than ever. Go to  coolcatteacher.com/wellness  and download your free educator wellness toolkit from Advancement Courses. You’ll get access to activities, strategies, and tools to improve the four domains of wellness. Also, you can save 20% off your next course by using the code CAT...

Graphic Design helps us present in more interesting ways, teach better, and communicate better. Not only do educators need to understand effective graphic design, we need to teach it. Sadie Lewis helps educators understand and teach graphic design in this quick, helpful show full of graphic design resources for educators.  Make sure to scroll down to see the resources and the transcript of this show. Show Notes, Transcript, Links to Resources: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e789 Sponsor: Educator wellness is now more important than ever. Go to  coolcatteacher.com/wellness  and download your free educator wellness toolkit from Advancement Courses. You’ll get access to activities, strategies, and tools to improve the four domains of wellness. Also, you can save 20% off your next course by using the code CAT20. I love their courses because they are flexible, with up to 6 months to complete, and you can receive graduate credit through CAEP and regionally accredited univers...

Where will edtech go in the future? How do we evaluate what to keep doing and what to change? What are the biggest mistakes with edtech that are causing undue technostress on teachers? Al Kingsley tackles these questions and more on this episode. Show Notes, Transcript & Resources: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e788/   Sponsor: Educator wellness is now more important than ever. Go to coolcatteacher.com/wellness and download your free educator wellness toolkit from Advancement Courses. You’ll get access to activities, strategies, and tools to improve the four domains of wellness. Also, you can save 20% off your next course by using the code CAT20. I love their courses because they are flexible, with up to 6 months to complete, and you can receive graduate credit through CAEP and regionally accredited university partners or continuing education units that meet your state requirements. With over 280 courses to choose from, Advancement Course offers subjects in everything fro...

My goal is to read books for an hour each night. In this episode, I wanted to share some of the books that have me thinking this summer. It is a wide assortment of books that I've linked to at the bottom of the show. From technology to interpersonal skills to ponderings from history, sometimes patterns emerge between random books in surprising ways. If you have books you'd like to suggest for my reading list, message me on Twitter or use the contact us form on my website. I'd love to hear what you're reading! Today’s sponsor is  Lum.io , an award-winning digital learning tool that will transform your lessons into active, collaborative learning experiences If you’re looking for a collaborative learning tool to make it easy to level up your lesson materials you already have with assessments, game-based activities, collaborative spaces and lots more all in one place, Lumio is the perfect choice for you. Head to  Lum.io  for more information and to sign up for FREE. Edi...

Self-care is a word thrown around a lot these days in education. In the real world of teaching, answers aren't always easy. In fact, as I release this episode, "self-care" is the reason I did not go to #ISTELive that is this week. I need to focus on my health. So, it is fitting that today I discuss the reality of teaching with another teaching veteran. We share how we have navigated the stresses and struggles of teaching as we seek to live a balanced life and do what matters. In addition to the podcast, I've included some inspiring poems, quotes, and a video from the day I learned to walk this past May. I, Vicki Davis (the show host) have made some mistakes in self-care in the past year, and open up about what I've learned from those mistakes and how I'm moving forward to teach better and take better care of myself.  My hope is by being open about my own struggles and by bringing in the research that this show and blog post will help all of us teachers take ...

Today, Million+ follower, TikTok teacher, and creator of #TeacherTipTuesday, Megan Mayer, shares her thoughts about TikTok, how to prevent profanity on TikTok and why it is a valuable tool for teachers. Megan talks openly about what she’s learned about her videos that have gone viral, how to pick hashtags, and secrets for making videos that will help teachers. We end the podcast by discussing the controversial things teachers sometimes see doing on TikTok that we wish they wouldn’t. I’ve joined TikTok and am learning. This interview with Megan introduced me to TikTok as I embark on a learning journey on a new platform. Sponsor: Advancement Courses Last summer I took my professional development with  Advancement Courses  and I am so glad that I did! On my blog, I recently shared  10 Ways to Rejuvenate and Learn This Summer . All of the course ideas come from the advancement courses catalog to go to  https://www.coolcatteacher.com/top10    Learn about some...

Can we have joy in schools? How about on social media? With so many difficulties, it seems beyond impossible sometimes to find joy but it can be done. Today, Dean Shareski, the author of Embracing a Culture of Joy brings his perspective to the challenges of modern living and learning. While his message has been around for a while, it is perhaps even more important today. In today’s show we’ll discuss: How Dean brings joy and humor to Zoom meetings (and podcasts) including some cool hardware and software The ambient irritability that seems to be prevalent today Why we still need joy How small kindnesses can make a big difference and some examples in schools Keeping perspective as we face problems How we can embrace multiple emotions at once Having concern for the world’s problems and still finding joy in your day The importance of reflection How Vicki gets information from her students at the end of the school year to become a better teacher ...

The end of the school year can be so exciting and give us ideas for great teaching. Jillian DuBois talks about her end of the school year and from the conversation we have twelve inspiring ideas for classrooms everywhere including: how to use the element of surprise in learning vocabulary building ideas watching bald eagles and teaching ideas about them how eagles fly higher on turbulent winds how to know children in even a very large class and more. Show notes and transcript:  https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e783   Sponsor: Advancement Courses Last summer I took my professional development with  Advancement Courses  and I am so glad that I did! On my blog, I recently shared  10 Ways to Rejuvenate and Learn This Summer . All of the course ideas come from the advancement courses catalog to go to  https://www.coolcatteacher.com/top10    Learn about some courses you might want to take and some things that you need to do this summer. Your c...

Awesome teachers connect with their students. KeKe Powell teaches second grade and has lots of ideas for ending the year and also just connecting with kids. She also shares some of her story of deciding to share what she does with a wider audience as she is becoming an education influencer. If you’re considering if you want to share or if you just want great teaching ideas, this is a great listen for you. Scroll down for the show notes and transcript. Notes and Transcript: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e782   Sponsor: Advancement Courses Last summer I took my professional development with Advancement Courses and I am so glad that I did! On my blog, I recently shared 10 Ways to Rejuvenate and Learn This Summer . All of the course ideas come from the advancement courses catalog to go to https://www.coolcatteacher.com/top10    Learn about some courses you might want to take and some things that you need to do this summer. Your current needs should impact your pro...

School leadership is more challenging than ever. Assistant superintendent Chris Chappotin shares ideas for making yourself available, the importance of taking things off teachers' plates (and not adding to them), and questions you can ask when encouraging leaders. Practical, encouraging ideas are shared throughout this show for principals, administrators, and anyone working to encourage school leaders. Transcript and Resources: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e781 Sponsor: Readlee is an amazing literacy tool that enables teachers to go from collecting reading data a couple times a year to getting data each week (or day!) in just 5-10 minutes. Developed in collaboration with researchers at the Harvard School of Education, students read aloud and the tool collects data on fluency and accountability (think words correct per minute and total time read, among others) and a recording and transcript of their reading . You can provide feedback to your students on any text (print or di...

Did you know you can use a live translator app in PTA meetings, parent teacher conferences, and presentations -- that actually works? Did you know there is a tool that will translate your parent newsletters? How about one that parents can use to translate homework so they can help their children? Well, all of these exist! You'll learn about these and more on a special extended episode of the podcast with Teresa Magpayo Castro and Ricardo Recinos. You'll learn to empathize with students who struggle with English as a second language as Teresa and Ricardo tell their own stories. If you have students in your school who do not have English as their primary language, this is a must-listen-to episode. (Or read the transcript at the end of this post.) Help every student become included in learning and become empowered. We can do this! Transcript and Show Notes: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e780 Sponsor: Readlee is an amazing literacy tool that enables teachers to go from collect...

Years ago when I discussed strategy with a Disney Cruise leader, they told me that people tend to remember how an experience starts and how it ends. Therefore, they designed events with intentionality, particularly on the first day and the last night. So, I adopted this approach in my own classroom and so has today's guest fourth-grade teacher, Alana Stanton. Over the last seventeen years, Alana has created some traditions in her classroom and today she shares them. Get ready to end the school year in a memorable and fun way for your students (and you!) Transcript and Show Notes: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e779   Advancement Courses - Show Sponsor Advancement Courses is who I chose for my professional development. I love their courses because they are flexible with up to 6 months to complete and you can receive graduate credit through CAEP and regionally accredited university partners or continuing education units that meet your state requirements. I recently shared ...

Do you realize just how important you are as a teacher? Sometimes people say, “Thank you for all you do” but do they really understand just what I do? I heard this story several years a go from someone dear to me that completely transformed my life and understanding about how remarkable we teachers truly are. My name is Vicki Davis . I am best known for blogging at the Cool Cat Teacher Blog and for my sharing on Twitter where I have 136,741 Twitter as of the day I released this show. I previously hosted the show Every Classroom Matters. In this first episode of the 10 Minute Teacher Show , I’m sharing a story that gets to the heart of who we teachers are. I’ll also share my vision for this show and what you can expect to find every day. This story is a precious one to me. Show notes and transcript: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/sue-and-mrs-scruggs/   Check out this episode!

Nicole Biscotti had children, and she was a teacher. She thought she understood everything about children. That was until her fourth son, Jason, was born. As Jason grew, Nicole knew he was different. Nicole shares how eventually she discovered Jason had ADHD and how she changed her high school classroom to reach all of the children. Kids with ADHD are different and need accommodations, but it can be challenging for already stressed teachers to figure out how to reach every child. Nicole shares her solution and some surprising things she learned as she has helped Jason grow and succeed in the classroom and at home. This show is a must-listen episode for parents of kids with ADHD and the teachers working to reach these precious children. Show Transcript : https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e778 Advancement Courses:  Show sponsor Advancement Courses is who I chose for my professional development. I love their courses because they are flexible with up to 6 months to complete and you ca...