Ed Soul

Preparing our students with 22nd-century skills that connect student abilities and interests to in-demand careers is largely tied to a solid career and technical education planning model.  Troy Haugen and Tami Martin share the importance of this model, acknowledge common misconceptions and barriers, and leave us with solid advice and strategies to get your district on the CTE path! Ed Soul Podcast...

Kids are at the forefront of demographic change in our state. In this episode, hear from Senior Demographer Megan Dayton on how population changes are impacting our communities and schools in central Minnesota. Get ideas on what you can do to advocate for the supports and tools you need to equitably educate students as classrooms become increasingly diverse. Ed Soul Podcast Credit | Sourcewell Fin...

March is Women’s History Month, and this episode focuses on how education can build confidence, provide mirrors, and demystify pathways for our young girls and women to follow their dreams and take a seat at the table. Teresa Kittridge, founder of 100 Rural Women, shares personal stories, advice, and supports for each of us to lean into as we work to remove barriers and illuminate possibilities th...

Educator Connection As Educators, it is important that we continually expand our knowledge and understanding around multiple ways of being.  This episode helps us build that muscle!  Whether you teach in an area that has a high Ojibwe or other Indigenous population, or not, today’s episode will help build your own culturally responsive toolbox. Who is The Cultural Toolbox written for? Ojibwe peopl...

February Celebrations: Black History Month & I Love to Read Month Author studies focused on authors of color A variety of texts, graphic novels, author websites or virtual author visits Martin’s Big Words No More Culturally Irrelevant Teaching What’s happening at the state policy level? New ELA standards will be fully implemented fall of 2023 and assessed in ‘25-26 MCA IV criteria and decision...

February Celebrations: Black History Month & I Love to Read Month  •  Flood the classroom library with texts from various cultures and backgrounds • Be mindful of “windows and mirrors” •  Read authors from a variety of racial backgrounds   What’s “hot” in literacy?  •  Early literacy skills or foundational skills •  Effective instructional strategies for struggling readers •  Equity, access to...

Each of us may have a different idea about what student engagement looks like or how we increase it in our classrooms. In this episode Sourcewell consultants, Julie and Maggie, share their expertise around learning targets and scales and technology to help your students feel connected to their learning.  How do you know when students are engaged? •  Engagement looks and sounds different for everyo...

Curriculum Revitalization through an equity lens with Marceline DuBose      Ways to revitalize and diversify curriculum  • Apply a good filter; watch for what explicit and implicit messaging in the content •  Include a broad array of perspectives •  Don’t sugar-coat hard things •  Make sure students can students see themselves in the curriculum •  Teach larger concepts of justice, democracy, human...

December is a busy month and let’s face it, being an educator can be tough year-round!  I want to share 5 things to try when stuff gets tough in this bonus mini episode.  These are strategies that have been helpful for me, and I hope you find something helpful here as well.  If you have a strategy you’d like to share, email us at education@sourcewell-mn.gov and we will share out your ideas in our...

Whether you are a coach and you are engaged in sharing feedback with other colleagues, you are an administrator that evaluates, a teacher that delivers feedback to students, parents, or caregivers or a human being; we are all tasked with engaging in difficult conversations from time to time. Jacki shares about how having the hard conversations, that ultimately impact students, is our responsibilit...

Why a Student-Centered Approach?   Children are respected, rather than seen as problems to fix  Too many students are still disproportionately marginalized, misunderstood, misrepresented, and micromanaged through punitive forms of discipline  Shame based (public and private) approaches do not change behaviors and are harmful  Flip from compliance to connection  What makes this difficult?   Educati...

Many U.S. states, including Minnesota (via proclamation), focus on Indigenous Peoples Day on the second Monday of October in place of what was historically Columbus Day. I sat down with Charles Black Lance, an educator and community leader in Brainerd, Minn., for some insights on this holiday.   Why the change?   Not necessarily anti-Columbus, but we need to enhance the whole conversation by honor...

Common school practices   Beginning of the year prompts. Instead of: “What happened this summer?” Try : “What goals or dreams are you looking forward to this year?”  Discounted Yearbooks at the beginning of the year   Thanksgiving is a day of mourning for some   Speaking up   It doesn’t have to be political, it is humanistic   Lean into tough conversations about race  Work to recognize the ways st...

A key factor known to help young people build resiliency is “…mobilizing sources of faith, hope, and cultural traditions.” Without promoting a singular faith or culture, we can recognize and make space for students to lean into these key parts of their lives. For data on engaging caretakers, see the Flamboyan Foundation’s Family Engagement Matters handout in our references. Barriers Culture of sch...

Support is accountability. The goal of SEL is developing young people into adults who are thriving intellectually, socially, emotionally, and professionally. Unpacking the story   Rachel shares a story that begins with a student sleeping in class and ends with them in handcuffs. Why? What’s going on that they are falling asleep in the middle of the day? When woken, the student is likely to feel so...

Engagement can include behavioral, emotional, and cognitive.  The brain is soothed by sameness and engaged by novelty; we need to engage students in a way that is socially and emotionally healthy. For example, classroom games: Competition and individualistic activities drive some, but shuts others down Timed games can cause anxiousness Losing can cause dysregulation Binary grouping methods that mi...

What else can schools be doing about behavior?   Multi-tiered systems of supports (MTSS) to prevent escalation.  There are tier 1 supports that should happen in all classrooms. For example:  Routines  Proximity   We also need additional levels of support, allowing teachers do tier 1 well. For example:  Small groups to support needs like friendship and anger, led by social workers or school counsel...

In this two-part episode, we discuss strategies to regain and retain regulation - improving conditions for learning and teaching What is social and emotional learning? Students and adults acquiring and applying skills Being aware of yourself (feelings, tendencies) Managing that (behavior) Being aware of others and using that to build relationships & interact Making decisions SEL boils down to...

In the pilot episode of Ed Soul, we explore belonging – what it looks and feels like and how you can create belonging with students and colleagues. Discussion Highlights: What makes a space, including a school environment, feel safe physically, emotionally, and psychologically? What does it mean to belong in a space? Physical safety : Locked doors, security systems, protocols and plans, free of bu...

Ed Soul premieres Friday, May 27, 2022! Meet Rachel Logan and her guest for series 1, Lisa Worden. Get a preview of our first series topic: Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). Follow us now on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to be the first to tune in.  Ed Soul Podcast Credit | Sourcewell Find more educational resources by topic at https://www.mn.sourcewell.org/education/podcast Learn more about upcomi...