powerED Up

A last-minute guest cancellation led to Ken and Matt pivoting on the spot with a new idea.  It turned into a part 2 of 2 episodes with each host in the hot corner.  In this show, Matt reflects on his frustrations with assessments. In This Episode: The value of assessments Involving students into the conversation Formative versus summative

A last-minute guest cancellation led to Ken and Matt pivoting on the spot with a new idea.  It turned into a part 1 of 2 episodes with each host in the hot corner.  In this show, Ken reflects on his experiences as a teacher and a new perspective as a young parent. In This Episode: Effective parent communication from the parent's perspective Strategies for maximizing contact with families...

Jackie Wynkoop is a fantastic educator. She is passionate and fired up whenever she can talk about teaching, learning, and instruction.  She is solely focused on supporting teachers to feel confident, empowered, and impactful. She is incredibly passionate about professional learning, so much so that she started her own podcast the PL Playbook. Jackie has had an amazing journey in her career t...

Don Berg brought a new perspective to the podcast, and we are so grateful for his time and this episode. We broke the script with educator guests and talked with a psychologist.  We dive deep into student motivation and how we can best foster that learning environment for students.  The harsh reality is, we cannot motivate a person.  We need to create opportunities for students to create their own...

Ken and Matt can sit down without a guest and have no preparation for the recording.  Due to a last-minute conflict with a guest, they were left to devise a recording idea.  They decided to go with a rapid-fire question format.  Each host asked a question that the other did not prepare for.  The questions included: Teaching superstition Best lesson Worst moment teaching What is...

Joe Sanfelippo is the ultimate leader. He is the current superintendent of the Fall Creek Wisconsin School District, #GoCrickets. He drives his district, administrators, teachers, and students to think outside of the box and explore what they are most passionate about.  He has created an environment where everyone can lead, and is empowered to do so. His leadership style is most evident in th...

The success of a student requires a community effort.  We need to help and best support our youngest learners, and sometimes, schools do not have all the resources they need. Reading Partners is an organization that can help support our young readers in partnership with the schools. Teach for America in middle school science for four years, and then taught in Mexico to teach English as a seco...

This show has it all and our guest Wendy Turner, 2017 Delaware Teacher of the Year, brings the fire! She is passion from the get go of the conversation up until the last minute.  She is all in on students, teachers, and social and emotional learning.  She clearly defines the how and the why of SEL in classrooms. Starting career outside of education first brings life perspective.  We...

Debbie Tannenbaum 23rd year in teaching and 5th year as a technology coach.  She brings a consistent, realistic, and authentic light into the world of instructional technology.  Her approach has a single target: improve learning experiences for students.  Technology is a tool to help us facilitate a learning environment that will encourage students to be creators, not consumers. The...

Returning from the winter break marks the unofficial half-way mark of the school year.  Ken and Matt talk about the best strategies and ideas to think about as you return from the coveted winter break. There is so much we want to accomplish with students in such a short amount of time. This episode gets a little emotional when Ken and Matt start sharing about the journey they are on with thei...

Norah is a well-rounded, experienced educator.  She has taught in special education, led buildings as an assistant and lead principal, and now services the entire district as special education and curriculum supervisor.   Norah is using her background to create systems and transform school cultures to create the most successful environments for students. When you feel burnt out in e...

Dr. Nancy Miles is a grounded, authentic, passionate educator always setting forth to do best by students.  She has a diverse experience in teaching almost every elementary grade-level and her seasoned approach is apparent in this episode.  She is all in on relationships and student-centered learning.  She showcases how we can focus on the behavioral expectations of choice and allow...

It is amazing to sit down and talk with Dr. Winston Sakurai.  He has a diverse, impressive, vast experience in education.  Through all his positions, he has always had a clear sight set on doing what is best for students.  He champions their leadership and supports teachers in every way possible. Winston had an amazing start to his career, working on the state board of education sid...

Greg Bagby is a humble, experienced, knowledgeable leader. HIs passions as a teacher have transcend his ability to support teachers as a building leader and district leader.  In our conversation we discuss the best ways to work as a reflective teacher and how that can directly impact your students' performance. Learning is a process.  Performance based doesn't mean it has to be perfect,...

As a coach, Brett has learned it is okay to fail and he brings that into the classroom.  He also loves the team atmosphere to the classroom. Patience Creating service learning projects where the entire class can band together and become a part of the team Teaching specific standards and objectives through service learning projects Reflecting on past practices and looking at how to improve our...

We recorded LIVE at the Teach Better Conference 2022 in Akron, Ohio.  This conference is affiliated with our podcast network.  Ken had an amazing experience attending the conference, meeting teachers, networking with presenters, and finding inspiration for keynote speakers.  This episode is part two of two where Ken sat down to talk with three amazing educators.

We recorded LIVE at the Teach Better Conference 2022 in Akron, Ohio.  This conference is affiliated with our podcast network.  Ken had an amazing experience attending the conference, meeting teachers, networking with presenters, and finding inspiration for keynote speakers.  This episode is part one of two where Ken sat down to talk with three amazing educators.   Featured In T...

Ramon Benavides is a dedicated father, husband, and educator.  He is committed to providing opportunities to students who normally wouldn’t see them.  Most of all, he is dedicated to showing his students, who see themselves in him, that they too can dream.  Ramon brings an approach to his biology classes that pushes the standards forward, while focusing on the experiences of student...

Matthew Tatur is an educator committed to making his students feel scene, heard, and welcomed in his middle school classroom.  His trajectory towards teaching middle school history is one that didn't start the way you would think.  His entrance into education shaped his mindset about what classrooms should be and how teachers can best serve students. In This Episode We Cover: Strategies...

Cory Henwood is an experience, well versed, passionate educator focusing on empowering learners. Cory is out there providing practical strategies, great content. He is focused on creating personalized learning experiences for students and replicating those experiences for teachers. Cory provides thoughtful ideas, systematic approaches, and goals for every educator to aspire towards. In This Episod...

Time with Anthony Swann, is time well spent.  He is incredibly knowledgeable in the field of best teaching, and leads with an open heart. He is passionate about giving up control and giving ownership to the students. It requires us to trust them whole-heartedly. Anthony unapologetically will always do what is best for students.  He teaches from the heart and trusts his students to perfor...

He's BACK! We had the opportunity to have Anthony Wiggins, Matt's student teacher, back on the show to talk about his first few weeks of experience in the classroom. Anthony is coming into his own as a teacher.  Learning through experience, wisdom of others, and making his own mistakes. Anthony is more reflective, more confident, and brings a new energy.  He also asks thought provoking q...

Mike Azzalina is a centered, calm, and inspirational leader for teachers to learn from and grow with. Mike is all in on growing the teachers in his building, empowering them as instructional leaders, and sharing the fire throughout his staff. Mike is always aligning systems to create opportunities for his teachers and his students. In This Episode We Cover Strategies to grow your own leadership an...

Ken and Matt reconnect after a long break from recording together over the summer.  The journey of Ken's new studio continues with a twist! It is a new school year and a new opportunity to set professional goals for ourselves and our classrooms.  We need to create goals, to create purpose, to create action.  This is what can create change and growth in ourselves and our classrooms....

Autumn Rivera is the Colorado 2022 Teacher of the Year and finalist for National Teacher of the Year.  She is a middle school science teacher and part-time adjunct educator.  She loves to create and engaging environment where students are hands on.  She empowers her students to see how they have the ability to make changes now and see those changes. In This Episode We Cover Creating...