Cool Cat Teacher Blog is at coolcatteacher.com

As a teacher, it is healthy to evaluate where we are in our career. Is what I'm doing now still a good fit? Are there changes I need to make? And more.  Rob Donatelli has invented the Q.U.E.S.T. method of evaluating where.you are as a teacher and to help you determine how you should move into the future. We dive into this method in today's show to help all of us answer the ever-important question "Is teaching still a good fit for me?" Rob's book A Teacher's Q.U.E.S.T.: An Educator's Journey of Discovery and Rejuvenation includes this framework. Show Sponsor:  Modern Classrooms Project helps teachers bring engaging, exciting teaching to their classrooms. They have a free online course and community that you should join, but right now scholarships are open for fully funded enrollment in their virtual mentorship program and more benefits. Look at their open scholarships for ELL educators, special education, and scholarships for schools and districts acros...

Self-paced mastery-based learning has many misconceptions and misunderstandings about how it is being implemented. Today's guest, Joe Manfre, a math teacher from Hawaii, has been using this teaching method and has seen a positive improvement in his classroom in terms of student learning and empowerment. Joe clearly shares how self-paced learning is not about replacing the teacher with videos, but using instructional videos as a baseline of knowledge that can be accesssed both inside and outside the classroom. Joe also talks about formative instructional approaches in the classroom and the importance of balancing self-paced and collaborative structures in the classroom. Whether you're using this approach or just parts of it, you'll find benefits in listening to this episode. Show notes and full transcript: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e848   Show Sponsor: Modern Classrooms Project helps teachers bring engaging, exciting teaching to their classrooms. They have a free onl...

Felienne Hermans is a middle school teacher one day a week, and college professor four days a week. She created a natural language programming tool in Dutch and English. After she released Hedy as open source, it became popular in many places and now has been translated into 50 languages and is spreading throughout the world. Hedy is a fantastic way to teach computational thinking and programming in an easy text-based way as students create flowers, music, and their own programs with the tool. Named after Hedy Lamar, both a movie star and electrical engineer who created a method used in today's wifi routers, let's talk about how every school can teach programming to kids in their native language and how teachers -- even those with no coding experience -- can get started! Show notes and full transcript: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e847 Show Sponsor:  MAD-Learn  is a free, easy tool for students to use to build apps of their own in a private space for just you and your stud...

Students can build apps and collaboration skills at the same time. Today's episode features my friend Alefiya Master, the CEO of MAD-Learn, and the sponsor of today's show. We discuss the transformative role of app-building, collaborative learning, design thinking, and the importance of authentic learning experiences. Alefiya shares how app building can enhance STEM education and how it also teaches essential skills like teamwork, problem-solving, and passion-based learning. If you're doing collaborative projects and design in your classroom, you'll get practical ideas for how you can modify your projects to encourage collaboration and real-world learning. Show notes, transcript, and author bio: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e846   Show Sponsor:  MAD-Learn  is a free, easy tool for students to use to build apps of their own in a private space for just you and your students. You can publish it and share it with a limited audience, or design something bigger. When peop...

In this episode, I had the pleasure of talking with Brian Page, a former Milken National Educator of the Year with 15 years of experience in the education field. Brian is the creator of the Homework Hacks Course, designed to equip students aged 13 to 20 with research-backed homework hacks and independent learning strategies. In this show, we dive into the essential homework hacks that every parent and student should know, focusing on developing lifelong learning skills, enhancing organizational abilities, and promoting a growth mindset. We can help our children learn! This show is a great one to share with parents!   Show Notes, Guest Bio, and Transcript: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e845     Show Sponsor: MAD-Learn is a free, easy tool for students to use to build apps of their own in a private space for just you and your students. You can publish it and share it with a limited audience, or design something bigger. When people ask me my favorite App-building tool,...

Every school has a vibe, a culture, a feeling. Sometimes the same school can have a different vibe at different times during the year. Today, Dr. Jim Van Allan shares powerful strategies to create a vibrant school environment that supports students, teachers, and the community alike. From inviting everyone on board to enjoying the journey, this episode will help us educators who want to help our school improve in a massive way that impacts everybody. Show notes, transcript, guest bio: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e844   Check out this episode!

I hope today's show will provoke thought and thinking about what it means to relate to our students. Relationships may not be easily measurable but have a significant impact on student achievement. Today, for Though Leader Thursday, we are talking to Tom Hierck, 41-year educator, and author of 25 books. Tom shares how a sense of belonging is crucial for students' success and self-actualization. He gives suggestions for schools that help them frame school behavior and understand students' dreams, needs and abilities in a way we can put into our classroom practice. Tom also emphasizes the need to recognize and support the many and various backgrounds of our students and the need to build trust over time. We can view every student as a success story and move from relying totally on consequences. He emphasizes respectful behavior and helping all of our students become valuable members of our communities. Show Notes, Bio, and Transcript: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e84...

How are you doing, educators? Are you stressed? While that can be typical, we also want to consider the habits that will help us teach long-term with a high quality of life. Today will be a refreshing encouragement for educators everywhere. Learn how to set boundaries, embrace self-care, and manage your mindset to transform stress into strength. This is a great show for teachers to see balance and encouragement so they can be their best in the classroom. Today, I interviewed Barb Flowers, an elementary school principal and host of the Teacher Burnout Podcast and the Less Stressed Principal Podcast. Listen to today's show to take care of yourselves, educators, and learn the mindsets to help you enjoy teaching even when it is stressful. Show notes, guest bio, and full transcript: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e842   Check out this episode!

In today's Tech Tuesday, I record my screen as I make a custom GPT to evaluate my student websites. This is being released as a podcast and as a YouTube video. First, I make the custom GPT and talk through how that happens. Then, I load it onto my phone and have students take pictures of their web pages and receive feedback on them. This is much faster than you think and is so very useful. When you listen, you'll see how AI can provide a valuable feedback mechanism for student projects, even those with many visual elements and in this case, graphic design needs. Show Notes and Link to YouTube Video: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e841 (link will be live at 7 am EST or you can go to www.coolcatteacher.com prior to that time and it will be on the homepage.) Check out this episode!

Today, I interview Alex Kajitani, the 2009 California Teacher of the Year, and a Top-4 Finalist for National Teacher of the Year and author of the book "You're a Teacher Now, What's Next?" In this podcast, we offer encouragement for new teachers and old alike with an emphasis on those in their first year of teaching and how it feels to be at this point in the school year. Alex emphasizes the importance of finding hope and perspective in teaching and shares how any teacher can start fresh at any point in the year to improve their practice. This podcast is full of fresh from the classroom teacher wisdom. If you need some encouragement, you'll enjoy this episode. Show notes, guest bio, and full transcript: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e840   Check out this episode!

In today's episode, we're celebrating World Compliment Day; I find myself reflecting on the profound impact that giving compliments can have—not just on the recipients but on us as givers. It's a journey of noticing the beauty in everyday interactions, whether the strength we see in others, like the resilience Johnny Cash found through June Carter's encouragement or the wisdom in Martin Luther King Jr.'s words about the power of love and strength. Giving a compliment isn't about grand gestures but the simple, genuine moments of connection—acknowledging someone's effort, as Ludwig van Beethoven did through his music or the encouragement Sugar Ray Robinson offered to a young Flojo, igniting a dream. As we dive into the art of giving compliments, remember that this is about sharing small pieces of kindness that can brighten someone's day and when you do, you might just notice a big smile on your own face. Let's do this! Show notes and full transcript:...