How We Teach This

"When I started learning more about the impact of trauma...that's when my life took more of a swing towards to the positive," said Dustin Springer, Principal of Gray Hawk Elementary, USD 458 Basehor-Linwood. Learn about his progression in social emotional learning in the next episode of How We Teach This.

Meet these first-year teachers who began teaching during the pandemic: Jenna Pennington (BSE 19) and Dylan Schneider (BSE 20). They share their experiences offering advice from what they have learned.  Dylan shares, "An escalated adult cannot de-escalate  a child," and Jenna shares, "My motto for the year has been, do what is best for kids." You can find more information about How We Tea...

“As a student, I struggled at times going to the bookstore at the start of the semester and plopping down hundreds and hundreds of dollars for books - at the end, I sell back at one-tenth the price. As a teacher, that concerns me,” said Dr. Stewart Gardner. In this episode, Dr. Joelle Spotswood interviews Dr. Gardner from the Department of Biological Sciences at Emporia State University. He shares...

Meet these first-year teachers who began teaching during the pandemic (both alumni of Emporia State University): Jenna Pennington (BSE 19) and Dylan Schneider (BSE 20). 

"If you don't have the SEL piece in place, the instructional component isn't going to be as effective," said this week's guest, John Allison , recently retired superintendent of Olathe USD 233. We've got to try to address both if we want to actually achieve the results and the have the opportunity for growth in not only the intellectual side, but the emotional and character side of developing stud...

Dr. Jasmine Linabary from Emporia State University's Department of Communication and Theatre discusses her motivation for adding an Open Education Resource textbook into her course and how that has inspired her and her department to look at creating an OER for their public speaking course. You can find more information about How We Teach This on our website, www.emporia.edu/HWTT plus watch videos...

"If you don't have the SEL piece in place, the instructional component isn't going to be as effective," said guest, John Allison , recently retired superintendent of Olathe USD 233. Learn more from him in the upcoming podcast where education majors interview him.

Our guest this week is James Moffett Jr., Principal of Faris Elementary in USD 308 Hutchinson. He tells the story of how he began to realize behavior in children often is not a choice, but the result of feelings caused by their environments. You can find more information about How We Teach This on our website, www.emporia.edu/HWTT plus watch videos of the presenters, access resources they mention,...

College textbooks and course materials costs have increased over 800% in the last 3 decades, far outpacing inflation, housing, and medical costs, to become the most inflated consumer product. High-cost texts create significant barriers to learning and student success. Open Educational Resources (OER) are "teaching, learning, and research resources that reside in the public domain or have been rele...

James Moffett Jr. explains why it is important to see education holistically instead of concentrating only on academics. He tells the story of how he began to realize behavior in children often is not a choice, but the result of feelings caused by their environments on the next episode of How We Teach This.

Dr. Cory Gibson, the Superintendent of Valley Center School District shares about the strategies and areas of emphasis in his school district that have been successful in creating an atmosphere of caring for students. You can find more information about How We Teach This on our website, www.emporia.edu/HWTT plus watch videos of the presenters, access resources they mention, and find links to other...

Tracie Chauvin , Coordinator for Social-Emotional Learning for Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools, shares the value of understanding how trauma impacts students and by understanding social-emotional learning we can be better educators. You can find more information about How We Teach This on our website, www.emporia.edu/HWTT plus watch videos of the presenters, access resources they mention, and f...

Our next episode features Dr. Cory Gibson, Superintendent of USD 262 Valley Center, as we explore Social Emotional Learning in K-12 settings. 

Dr. Jennifer Moss, assistant professor of educational psychology at Emporia State University shares the importance of understanding motivation and self-determination in teaching and learning. She explains how spending a little time planning for meeting the "nutriment" needs of our students greatly impacts their ability to be successful in our classroom. Is there more than sticker rewards to motiva...

Jordan Billings , teacher of 7th grade Social Studies including Kansas history and geography at Indian Trail Middle School in Olathe Public Schools USD 233, is our guest on this episode.  Billings added gamification to his classroom with ClassCraft then adapted several different themes over the years. Currently, he incorporates a Marvel theme layer to his classes and finds that students are e...

Shari Rooks, principal at Cottonwood Elementary in the USD 385 Andover Public Schools has created a family with the staff, students and their families that makes those who are a part of the building feel like they belong over her 20 years at the school.  She shares how her staff has made amazing adaptations during the pandemic to allow for outstanding learning as well as the importance of con...

Erica Huggard, biology instructor at Emporia High School and 2020 Kansas Master Teacher, shares how she uses modeling instruction as a format for teaching and learning with her students in a way that makes active learning visible in the classroom.  Huggard describes how she uses this teaching strategy to benefit her students who need to memorize many biology concepts to retain the knowledge,...

Erica Huggard, 2020 Kansas Master Teacher and a biology instructor at Emporia High School, shares how she uses modeling instruction as a format for teaching and learning with her students in a way that makes active learning visible in the classroom. Listen in on the next episode of How We Teach This.

Practicing teachers Joshua & Jenica Stock share their experiences while teaching during the pandemic. They offer some advice and inspiring words of wisdom including how to relax and connect with family and friends yet maintaining social distancing.  They describe how the pandemic has pushed them to be better teachers and find ways to continue to teach with effective strategies. You can fi...

Dr. Jim Persinger, Professor of Psychology at Emporia State University, explains the difference between what most people think is self-care and pampering. The research shows there are specific strategies that you can use to feel more energy, avoid burnout and enjoy working in education. You can find more information about How We Teach This on our website, www.emporia.edu/HWTT plus watch videos of...

Joshua and Jenica Stock, both educators, share their experience dealing with the changes brought about by the COVID pandemic including some positives they hope will continue even after the pandemic is over. Next time, on How We Teach This.

How We Teach This is continuing to provide interesting and helpful stories you will find keep you inspired and energized to make your next school year even better.  You can find more information about How We Teach This on our website, www.emporia.edu/HWTT plus watch videos of the presenters, access resources they mention, and find links to other websites related to the episode. If you'd like...

Dr. Jim Persinger, professor of psychology at Emporia State University, gives low-cost suggestions for ways that administrations can identify and prevent burnout in their teachers.  You can find more information about How We Teach This on our website, www.emporia.edu/HWTT plus watch videos of the presenters, access resources they mention, and find links to other websites related to the episod...

Dr. Jim Persinger, Professor of Psychology at Emporia State University, explains the difference between what most people think is self-care and pampering. The research shows there are specific strategies that you can use to feel more energy, avoid burnout and enjoy working in education. You can find more information about How We Teach This on our website, www.emporia.edu/HWTT plus watch videos of...

Dr. Jim Persinger, professor of psychology at Emporia State University, gives low-cost suggestions for ways that administrations can identify and prevent burnout in their teachers in the next episode of How We Teach This.