Cultivating Connection with KG Education

In this episode, you’ll learn from women’s health coach Sarah Seifert.  Sarah shares about how you can prioritize your health and nutrition, even as a busy mom juggling a career and kids.  She’s expecting boy #4 and still finding ways to prioritize her health!  Tune in if you’re ready for tips and inspiration from an inspiring Mom who has helped many women build strong bodies, confident mindsets,...

Casie Jericho is a lifestyle coach and mom of 3 who has worked as a high school teacher for over a decade.  She is also the founder of Moms Investing in Lifting & Fuel.  Casie helps busy women cut through the BS, build muscle, lose fat, and still enjoy their lives.  Tune in to this episode to hear Casie’sthoughts on building a healthier lifestyle. Find Casie on Instagram @casiejericho Learn mo...

In this special episode of  Cultivating Connection , Dr. Devon Caldwell highlights a collaborative project created with her Nipissing University students in the Indigenous Teacher Education Program. This fully online course on technology-enriched teaching and learning invited future educators to explore the power of podcasting as a tool for authentic student voice. To experience the creative proce...

Devon is a PhD Candidate at the University of Victoria. In this episode, she shares her journey as a PhD student. Hear about the challenges she has overcome and the skills she has developed as she tackles each step of her program. If you’re a teacher taking a graduate studies program, check out The Strategic Scholar workshop for tips, strategies and tech tools for succeeding in your program. kgedu...

Need some inspiration for your classroom activities or coaching practice? In this episode, Leah shares some of her favourite learning activities to engage learners. These classroom activities work for different grade levels and subject areas. They are fun to teach and are usually a hit with students! Be sure to check out the show notes at kgeducation.ca/episode27 for links to resources and templat...

With the substitute teacher shortage and lack of funding in education, leaving your school and travelling to a conference can be difficult. That's why we're bringing the conference to you! In this episode, we share our top takeaways from one of our favourite ed tech conferences--Riding the Wave in Gimli, Manitoba. From the dynamic keynote to informative sessions, you’ll hear about the big...

We are heading into the final months of the school year here in Manitoba. If you’re also winding down your school year, we want to cheer you on as you finish strong!  We’ve definitely had school years where it felt like we were dragging ourselves to the finish line on the brink of burnout, feeling disorganized and overwhelmed.  We’ve also had really fun final stretches, with loads of rich, meaning...

While driving to a conference, Devon and Leah spend some time talking about one of their favourite topics--books. In this episode, they share some of their favourite books across a variety of genres and why they think you'd like them too. Tune in, open your Goodreads app, and add these titles to your "to read" shelf--there are some great recommendations in this fast and fun episode!...

James Allen is currently the Statewide School Library Lead and a Digital Learning Coach for the Kentucky Department of Education. He was a public K-12 school librarian for sixteen years. In this episode, James shares tips and ideas for working with your school librarian. Connect with James @TLJamesA on Twitter and www.tljamesa.com Show notes are on our blog at https://kgeducation.ca/23jamesallen

The BYTE (Build Your Teaching Experience) Conference is an annual, all-day event that features multiple break-out sessions following a keynote speaker. Held on February 17, 2023, in Portage La Prairie, Manitoba, the conference has a strong educational technology focus and attracts K-12 educators from around the province. Devon and Leah have attended and presented for many years, and love the great...

Emily Thomas is a Technology Integrator and Trainer for Northeast Metro Intermediate School District 916 in Minnesota. Her most recent project is an accessible STEAM Mobile Makerspace that provides differentiated activities for students from pre-K through post-high school. Tune in to this episode to find out how Emily is bringing accessible makerspace activities to the learners in her school distr...

Dear Teacher, you’re wonderful just the way you are. But we’ve come up with three creative ways to help you be an even better teacher in 2023….and they might not be the kind of things that immediately come to mind. We’re not talking about boosting literacy scores or strengthening your classroom management, but we are confident that these three suggestions will make the new year a great one. Free 7...

"Programs don't teach kids. Teachers teach kids." Dr. Joe Stouffer is a literacy researcher, consultant, and assistant professor at Brandon University's Faculty of Education, and he has a thing or two to say about teaching children to read. In this jam-packed episode, Dr. Stouffer discusses balanced literacy programs, the Science of Reading movement, and assessment. He shares the most important th...

Join us for the 2022 Holly Jolly Holiday Connection  – a simple and free online project we created to connect you with other students and teachers while generating some holiday spirit. This will be the third year we’ve hosted this project and we are excited to see the greetings start rolling in from different places! Find out more at kgeducation.ca/hollyjolly   Interested in our Kin...

In this episode, Leah shares 3 things you need to know about coding and computational thinking.  What is coding?  What is computational thinking?  Why might you want to integrate them in your classroom?  Leah will address these questions and share her experiences with teaching coding and computational thinking.   Access the resources mentioned at: https://hourofcode.com/ca

In this episode, we share why classroom connections are important and the simple and accessible tools you can use to connect your classroom. We also discuss some of our favourite projects to provide you with inspiration and ideas for connecting with other classrooms, organizations, and experts for powerful and authentic learning.  Find out more at Kindergarten Diva or KG Education .  Reg...

Welcome to the third season of Cultivating Connection! There are many benefits to integrating yoga into your early years classroom. It’s the perfect movement break, it’s non-competitive, and can be practiced without any equipment. Research has demonstrated that yoga enhances children’s ability to self-regulate and sustain attention, and it can be useful for managing anxiety. Wondering how to get s...

As we wrap up the current school year, our thoughts turn to summer holidays and a very well-deserved break. However, a small (or big) part of our mind is already thinking about the upcoming school year and what we can do to make it better or different. This podcast episode is for all the educators teaching early years next year who are wondering how to start off next fall in the best possible way....

Katie and Megan are teachers and best friends from Edmonton, Alberta. They're also planner designers and business owners who have developed an amazing line of planners and accessories based on their own experiences of what busy teachers and moms need to stay organized. In this episode of Cultivating Connection, Katie and Megan tell us all about how their business got started and how they got their...

In this episode of the Cultivating Connection podcast, you’ll hear from educator Jana Gerard. Jana works as the coordinator of the EDvolution Center at Southeast Missouri State University. In this role, she supports pre-service teachers and faculty with developing digital competencies.  She's passionate about the intentional and purposeful use of technology in education.  Listen to this...

Are you thinking about pursuing a graduate degree? Does the huge amount of information about different programs seem overwhelming and confusing? Not sure if graduate studies are for you? Tune in to a new episode of Cultivating Connection as Leah and Devon share their experiences with different graduate programs at the M.Ed. and PhD levels. You'll learn more about: -important considerations before...

Jeff Bradbury is an ISTE Award Winning (2021) and globally-recognized educator, educational broadcaster, public speaker, and entrepreneur whose powerful message has inspired thousands of educators through the TeacherCast Educational Network. Jeff works as a Technology Integration Specialist for Norwalk Norwalk Public Schools in Connecticut.  In this episode, he shares how he builds connection...

Teacher professional learning experiences run the gamut of amazing and inspiring to boring and irrelevant. So many factors contribute to a great day of professional development, and in this new episode of Cultivating Connection, we’re excited to share some of our favourite experiences and PD must-haves with you. What makes a professional learning experience one to remember? Keep listening to find...

Leslie Dent Scarcello is a teacher-librarian and elementary educator in Manitoba. Leslie shares her perspective on building connections with students and staff.  She provides ideas for incorporating technology, play and inquiry in learning activities and gives some tips for fostering a love of literacy. Tune in for ideas and inspiration on teaching, learning and connecting! Connect with Leslie on...

Virtual and in-person museum visits can really enhance teaching and learning in a variety of subject areas. Museum hacking is a pedagogical approach that goes beyond passive viewing to actively engaging with museum exhibits to question, critique, and disrupt. Learn more about the museum hack in the latest episode of KG Education’s Cultivating Connection podcast. Blog post with more information ava...