Bill Brooks

Essential Questions for Educators (EQ4E)

Education EN ↓ 76 episodes

Become a better teacher, instructional coach, or leader in education! The questions we purposefully ask or often whisper to ourselves as educators matters. This podcast searches for essential questions in education and explores potential trailheads for discovery and personal improvement. It also gives me the space and time to expand on my blog (please visit and look around!) essentialquestionsforeducators.com. Empower Your Journey: Begin with Essential Questions, Discover Your Answers!

Author

Bill Brooks

Episodes

Special Edition! EQ4E Book Announcement and Reading 10.04.2026 17:47

EQ4E is now a book on Amazon! Listen to the introduction, chapter 1, and commentary here!

S2E19 Coteaching Collective Efficacy 01.04.2026 14:36

Two co-teachers blew me away with their collective efficacy in real time.

S2E18 Learning Between the Lines 18.03.2026 9:19

Companion podcast to blog post #80 on essentialquestionsforeducators.com

S2E17 Getting that next leadership position... 11.03.2026 14:24

Companion podcast to Blog Post #79 at essentialquestionsforeducators.com.

S2E16 Becoming the Type of Leaders People Think Better Around 04.03.2026 17:18

Companion podcast to blog post at essentialquestionsforeducators.com

S2E15 What If Professional Learning Lived Inside Classrooms Instead of Workshops? 09.02.2026 22:07

Six classes - six grade levels - and some awesome takeaways!

S2E14 Artificial Intelligence in Education and Life 02.02.2026 29:52

How I make sense of AI as a teacher, consultant, and author. How will you make sense of AI for yourself and your students?

S2E13 Two instructional models that could improve student learning immediately 26.01.2026 22:47

Learn about two instructional approaches that could improve student thinking in your classroom right away.

S2E12 Enhancing my instruction mid-year! 19.01.2026 20:13

What are micro-moves you can make to enhance your instruction - or help others enhance their instruction?

S2E11 Interview with MO State Teacher of the Year 05.01.2026 34:20

My wife, Danielle Brooks, is the Missouri Community College Association Teacher of the Year for 2025. Check out this sit down interview on what she believes is most important in her classroom.

S2E10 What are the phases of Co-Teaching? 17.11.2025 22:03

Know the phases and how to grow as a co-teaching team!

S2E9 How do we get the most out of conferences and workshops? 10.11.2025 16:08

Ways to bridge the knowing - doing gap after a conference or workshop.

S2E8 What assistant principals (kinda) wish others knew... 27.10.2025 26:43

We have so much to figure out... and quickly!

S2E7 What are ways to express gratitude (and feel awesome)? 20.10.2025 9:23

A few things at least. Some thoughts on this topic.

S2E6 Presenting with the laptop closed 13.10.2025 18:44

Sometimes you need to reach over and close the laptop and listen. It turns out the 3-Step Helping Protocol works for groups as well.

S2E5 How can anyone grow their leadership in education? 06.10.2025 21:49

Seven tips for growing your leadership no matter what role you have in education.

S2E4 EQ4E How can we enhance the co-teaching impact in schools? 29.09.2025 29:58

Listen to the intentions and outcomes of a training with co-teachers in a large district in South Carolina!

EQ4E S2E3 How can everyone can coach instruction? 22.09.2025 33:27

Everyone can coach instruction: teachers, department leads, PLC leads, grade level leads, team leaders, instructional coaches, curriculum coordinators, and principals. But how? I explore a simple yet rich technique in this episode of EQ4E.

EQ4E S2E2 Improving Instruction in Rural Missouri 15.09.2025 16:41

How can I ask better questions? How can I create the conditions to see/hear what students are thinking? Am I an active learner of what my students are thinking

EQ4E S2E1 How can layered assessments improve my teaching? 08.09.2025 20:22

What are layered assessments and how can they help my teaching - and student learning?

#56 Student Interview 20.01.2025 37:02

I sat down with Central High School Podcast Club President for an interview about education, goals, and life.

#55 What is the 5% rule in professional development? 06.01.2025 21:23

What is the 5% rule and how is it related to learning and professional development?

#54 AI Real-time conversation.... 18.12.2024 17:26

Enjoy (or be terrified) listening to a real-time, verbal conversation with AI about education!

#53 What are essential questions to reflect on the end of a semester? 16.12.2024 38:57

Twenty questions! Maybe one or more will resonate with you and lead to creative change?

#52 The Book, Instructional Coaching, and Fitness (oh my) 04.12.2024 36:40

I'm back after a break and ready to get back in the podcast studio! In this first episode back I give updates on my book, thoughts on an instructional coach technique workshop I'm developing, and a few things I've been doing to improve my fitness at the age of...gulp...55.