Strategy Spotlight: The Podcast

In this episode of  Strategy Spotlight , we take learning off the page and onto the walls with the  Gallery Walk  — a powerful strategy that blends movement, dialogue, and peer feedback. Students circulate around posted work, analyze, discuss, and reflect — turning your classroom into an interactive exhibit of thinking. You’ll hear how to structure it for clarity and purpose, from setup to debrief...

Cyber Sandwich combines  reciprocal teaching  and  peer synthesis  to turn reading into a truly collaborative process. In this episode, we unpack how to structure partner reading, notetaking, and synthesis conversations that deepen comprehension and accountability. You’ll hear practical variations for science, social studies, and ELA — all while maintaining student engagement and ownership of lear...

Jigsaw transforms group work into true cooperative learning. Students split into expert teams, master a piece of content, and then teach it back to their peers — building accountability, interdependence, and deeper understanding along the way. In this episode, we explore: How to set up and run Jigsaw step-by-step in grades 9–12. Why research shows it improves both achievement and classroom communi...

"Think-Pair-Share is a classic routine that never goes out of style — and for good reason. By structuring time to think individually, talk with a peer, and then share with the class, this strategy ensures every student has a voice and every idea gets refined. In this episode, we explore: How to run Think-Pair-Share effectively in secondary classrooms. Why it increases equity of participation...

Fishbowl Discussion is one of the most effective ways to teach students how to think, talk, and listen with purpose. In this episode, we explore how the fishbowl structure channels dialogue through an inner circle of speakers and an outer circle of observers. You’ll learn how to set it up, establish norms, and guide students toward deeper questioning, analysis, and reflection. We’ll highlight why...

Exit Tickets are one of the simplest, most powerful routines you can add to your teaching. In this episode, we explore how a single 3–5 minute check-in at the end of class can transform tomorrow’s lesson. Learn how to design effective prompts, adapt them for in-person or virtual settings, and make student thinking visible across all content areas.

Reciprocal Teaching sits at #2 on our High-Impact Protocols list with an effect size of  0.74  — making it one of the most powerful ways to boost comprehension. This episode explores how the four roles —  predict, question, clarify, and summarize  — turn passive reading into active meaning-making. You’ll learn: How to model each of the four roles and launch the routine in one class period. Ways to...

Socratic Seminar earns the #1 spot on our High-Impact Protocols list for a reason: it gets every student thinking critically, speaking with evidence, and listening actively. In this episode, we explore why Socratic Seminar is so powerful — backed by Hattie’s research — and how to run one that works for your students, whether in person or online. You’ll learn: How to set clear purposes and norms th...

Welcome to the first episode of  Strategy Spotlight: The Podcast . In this launch conversation, Marcus James and I unpack why this show exists: to highlight high-impact teaching protocols rooted in John Hattie’s research. We explore what Hattie’s  Visible Learning  studies reveal about what really works in education, why protocols matter, and how teachers can make every minute count in the classro...