The Grounded Learners Guild

Think back to the last time you heard someone talking about Jon Snow, Danerys Targaryen, or Tyrion Lannister? Binge-watching the final season with your eyebrows permanently raised and wondering if you missed a PD session on plot twists? Maybe you were dodging spoilers like arrows at the Battle of the Bastards, or rewatching the Red Wedding to confirm that, yes, it was that traumatic. Or maybe you...

This rerun I’m bending the knee to one of our most iconic episodes: "Pop Culture Playground: Game of Thrones”, which originally aired June 17, 2021. Four winters (and summers) have come and gone, and this one still rules the realm. It’s my chosen favorite to revisit and share with my fellow Guildmates and listeners. Whether you're a seasoned dragon rider or a “sweet summer child”, give it a listen...

We are now reflecting on one of our favorite offbeat mashups: that time we explored What We Do in the Shadows, the mockumentary about New Zealand or Staten Island’s most lovable vampire roommates. The movie and later developed TV show actually sucked us into some pretty powerful reflections on teaching and learning. From Colin Robinson’s energy vampire tendencies—to Laszlo’s chaotic charm and Nand...

We have covered some pretty intense shows in our pop culture playground series - including the global phenomenons game of thrones and tiger king. But I think some of our most interesting and insightful educational connections have come from a vampire movie AND its companion series in spite of its bloody violence, crude sexual content, and language. Thankfully, it’s bloody hilarious too. Our What W...

Where were you the last time you heard the names Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin? Binge watching the surprise mega hit “The Tiger King” during the pandemic? Maybe catching the sequel a few years after or Carole dancing to Eye of the Tiger on Dancing with the Stars ? Or maybe listening to a few first-year education podcasters having a little fun connecting with listeners during summer break? Whatever...

We’re shifting gears in our reflection series and about to throw the spotlight on our mini episodes. Back in the summer of 2021, we were still wondering how we’d emotionally, mentally or physically recover from the chaos of that first year of “pandemic teaching”. Almost as much as we were wondering at the time if a one, Carole Baskin, actually fed her husband to a tiger. To get right into it - and...

In the 2008 pop anthem “Circus”, Britney sings “There's only two types of people in the world The ones that entertain, and the ones that observe”; however, in this season 1 throwback episode, we asserted that those in the observe camp likely are caught in the Apathy Zone. In this episode, we considered research about zones of optimal learning and also more Toxic zones that keep people’s heads slip...

The episode slash dance party you are about to hear was released on May 27, 2021, and the Guild had just as much fun preparing for it as we did recording it. With solid evidence on anxiety and apathy from Harvard Business school and how this entangles with all things Britney Spears, we had hours of pop lyrics to study in order to flex our metaphorical moves. I knew we had to revisit this one, if f...

Even if navigating change sometimes feels like trying to herd cats, it's important to remember as Leslie Knope says ,"every obstacle is an opportunity to prove how awesome you are.” Feeling part of a community, as we know, is so vital for student and educator success - and given the stresses, trials, and victories that come with being in the field of education and leadership, change is going to ha...

It’s fitting that we are returning back to our February 3rd, 2022 episode in this second set of our featured episodes on belonging and leadership. In this episode, entitled Network Connectivity issues, we shared with our listeners how we as a guild maintained our connection and commitment to creating as we went through the first of several major shifts.  Because unlike Ron Swanson, we are always i...

Real talk: there are times when the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 feels like it might have just been yesterday, especially since many school systems are still dealing with its after effects. In other moments, those days of lockdowns, remote teaching, and having to PIVOT constantly feel like a fever dream. But some things have endured that trying time - including a silly little game we invented (or...

In this next set of episodes, we are revisiting and reflecting on another one of our favorite topics: leadership and belonging.  In this episode we return back to our freshmen season. The episode, Love in the Time of Corona, originally aired on April 15, 2021. We welcomed our first guest, and we played a game in ”three parts”  with our own original, “beverage themed” twist.  So grab...

The Kumbaya-love-fest the GLG had on this past rerun of the Make it Work Mindset displays how the powers of a guild provide support and recognition during times of stress when performing at max capacity is a must– a common reality for all those in this education space. As we work our way towards our own “Auf wiedersehen” for our favorite education episodes, it’s a chance to revisit and reflect upo...

This episode you’re about to listen to is one that I, Jenni, remember so fondly yet listen back to and lovingly cringe. It originally aired on February 4, 2021, in the heart of the pandemic, when all teachers were unvaccinated, masked up and hybrid teaching to sets of eyeballs and ceiling fans. If we hadn’t yet learned how to make it work, then, we’ve surely earned our designer stripes by now. Hop...

Early literacy development can seem alien to us secondary teachers, but we can’t “leave students’ literacy fates up to chance.” That's where explicit vocabulary instruction comes in. Before this episode aired, we heard from an early literacy expert and writer Dr. Amy Stewart on what the “Science of Reading” movement was, and the responsibilities it brings to all teachers, but especially secondary...

Hey everyone - Casey here! Since watching and falling in love with the original Star Wars trilogy as a child, I knew we’d eventually “jedi-mind trick” a way to discuss the Star Wars Universe as GLG.  At the time of our recording, the teaching world had been rocked by the release of another podcast series on how that brain actually learns to read, and how schools and curriculum publishers for...

As we heard in our re-run of our episode, Data: A Twisted Love Story, data and numbers have a story to tell - but as with most stories, the devil’s in the details.  In this upcoming episode, we’ll reminisce about our favorite moments from “Data A Twisted Love Story” and see what (if anything) has changed. If you haven’t listened back yet, we replayed it in our previous episode for your recoll...

The episode you’re going to listen to in a few short moments is one that I, Emily, truly treasure. It was released on April Fools’ Day of 2021. Listening back, we were lovers of a solid metaphor from day one,  but “data” really let it fly. In this episode, Casey gets us running with not one, not two, but THREE metaphors for the ways data can be used: as a Greek Tragedy, a Hero’s Journey, and a Lov...

As educators, we are all very used to the fact that the work we pour our hearts into most is ultimately fleeting. After all, our elementary school students are only with us for 6-7 years; our middle school students top out at 3, and our high school students, of course, are typically out the door and on the way to their futures in a mere four years. Looking at this podcast through that lens, going...

Bonjour, GLG listeners! It might seem “rather odd” to compare math to Disney’s iconic take on “Beauty and the Beast” but bear with us here - A bookish protagonist finds herself torn between two worlds - between the love she has grown into and those who have yet to see the value and beauty under what seems dark, confusing, and . . . requires attention to precision? Now you can see where we’re going...

One thing that’s pretty clear about the GLG, especially if you’ve listened to our “Pop Culture Playground” mini episodes, is that we typically skew, as a guild, towards pop music. Much in the same way, in our journey as a podcast to capture what it’s like to teach, learn, team, and lead in school systems during the early-mid 2020s, we realize our discussions have been tuned closely into the “Unite...

One thing that’s pretty clear about the GLG, especially if you’ve listened to our “Pop Culture Playground” mini episodes, is that we typically skew, as a guild, towards pop music. Much in the same way, in our journey as a podcast to capture what it’s like to teach, learn, team, and lead in school systems during the early-mid 2020s, we realize our discussions have been tuned closely into the “Unite...

It’s not uncommon these days to see teachers clamoring for a hack that will change how student discussion plays out in the classroom. Our students still have a tremendous desire for interaction with each other, but it can feel like the second that topic of conversation aligns to a learning objective, the struggle for engagement is REAL. When the odds are against us like this, it seems as if we nee...

On a scale of 1 - 10, how would you rate your ability to use AI in your classroom? Considering all we discussed in our last episode, it’s understandable if that number isn’t very high.  But there’s another side to AI, where it may not be out to defeat or even replace educators…but to be our companion in brainstorming, solution seeking, and creation for our students. Welcome to the GLG “nerd lab” w...

“Come with us if you want to live.” Okay, it’s not THAT drastic, but at this moment in time, we are in dire need of quite a few conversations about the many facets of Artificial Intelligence when it comes to learning and teaching. Some educators see a post-apocalyptic world bearing down on us, while others just see a tool that can be incredibly useful, even …fun. Wherever your own personal program...