Teach Wonder

This episode is a conversation with faculty Wiline Pangle, PhD. She is leading a new certificate that is a combined effort of many and speaks to a movement in education that we are more than a little interested in. This certificate gives students an opportunity to integrate their skills and apply them in a way that is authentic. We discuss the difference between student driven and student centered...

Ever wondered what a year in the life of another teacher looks like? Ever wonder what a year of doing project-based, interdisciplinary learning in a makerspace looks like? Trey Smith is a K - 8 digital literacy teacher in Philadelphia. He is sharing details on his units, approach to educational design, and reflections on where to go next. You'll leave this episode with a better understanding...

We are bringing our former teacher friend and new colleague Kim June back on our podcast. We asked Kim to think about a change she's made to her practice and how she is bringing that into the fall. We were not prepared for her answer- so much so, that we brought her back for a second interview for this episode. Part I will be an interview with Julie and Part II is with Ashley. You won't...

Welcome to Season 3! We're launching this season with Amanda Cornwell. A colleague at the makerspace, Amanda runs field trips, student programming, and brings a huge amount of creativity, innovation, and joy to the makerspace. We asked her about how she's changed as an educator and how she's bringing that into fall. Music By: David Biedenbender Links: Heather Lanier  Find us on soci...

Welcome back to Season 3 of Teach Wonder. Tune in to hear some what is coming this season and find out how you can be involved. Email us: cese@cmich.edu Music: David Biedenbender Find us on social media:  Instagram: cmichcese Facebook: cmich_cese

We're ending this season with a mix of interviews from a different point of view. Julie spoke with three students at Central Michigan University who are studying to be teachers. Listen to how they're preparing, how they've grown, and what they think about building relationships with students.  Intro Music:  David Biedenbender  Find us on social media:  Instagram: cmichcese Facebook:...

 Sarah Szuminski brings a unique blend of experience as a teacher and as a parent to this important conversation about childhood, special education, and what we want for our kids. Sarah has her master's degree in early childhood special education. She has worked in professional settings with children, teachers, parents, and therapists. As a parent, she has done the same. Parents, teachers, an...

In a slight change from our usual episodes, we're bringing you a trio of audio dramas. Written, directed, and performed by a middle school group that met after school in the makerspace, we know you'll be impressed with their creativity and enthusiasm. Thanks to CMU Faculty Will Anderson for partnering in this project, Serafine Hinz for recording and post production, and to our actors wri...

This week on Teach  Wonder, we are bringing you an interview with Dawn Kahler. A middle school teacher from Kalamazoo, Michigan, Dawn brings a level head and thoughtful presence to teaching in 2022. This conversation spans student relationships, administration, and how to take care of yourself. Links: Kagan: It's All About Engagement For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood... and the Rest of Y&...

In today’s episode. We’re considering what STEM means from different perspectives. You'll hear interviews with Claire Bunker, MiSTEM Network Director, East Central Michigan Region, and Amy Hindbaugh-Marr, STEAM Teacher in Ithaca, Michigan. These two interviews share stories, experiences, and practice advise that will help you think about STEM in your community. Links: MiSTEM Pipeline and Back...

Brandis Ansley is a faculty member at Central Michigan University in the special education department. Prior to getting her PhD, Brandis worked in the mental health field and as a special education teacher. This podcast explores the ways in which stress affects, students, teachers, and the education system. Links: Schools Across the Country are Struggling to Find Staff. Here's Why Find us on...

How do we define competence inside the classroom? What are some of the nuanced differences between special and general education? How does specific language help teachers communicate more clearly? Our conversation with Dr. Paula Lancaster, Dean of the College of Education and Human Services at CMU engages with these questions and more. Dean Lancaster draws on her experience as a special education...

Join us in conversation with Hedi Baxter Lauffer. We catch up and learn how plants, science education and having teachers think of themselves as learners all play a part in Hedi’s professional background. You don’t want to miss a chance to hear from the Director of Teaching and Learning with the Wisconsin Fast Plants Program.  Links: FastPlants.org BSCS Science Curriculum Wisconsin Fast Plants Lin...

In this companion episode, we're returning to Mr. G and Mrs. Peach's classroom. This time, Julie joins the conversation to look at the ways in which Mr. G elicits student thinking. As a former secondary teacher, Julie has some fresh perspectives to share as she watches and elementary math lesson. This episode includes discussions on differentiation, Core Teaching Practices, engagement, a...

In Season 2, we're looking to share the voices of teachers and reflection on the work that they're doing. In this episode, we visit Mrs. Peach's classroom. As she teaches her her small group math lessons, we'll see what we can learn from her decisions and thought process. No matter your grade, experience level, or content area- this episode has something for you. Links: Core Te...

Our season closes with a conversation with Rick Joseph. Rick is a National Board Certified Teacher and has taught 5th and 6th grade at Covington School in suburban Detroit since 2003. He previously served as a bilingual educator (Spanish) and trainer for nine years in the Chicago Public Schools. Rick is the 2016 Michigan Teacher of the Year. In our conversation we touch on literacy, STEM, equity,...

Session 2 is coming! Listen in to hear what's coming. This season we're featuring a mix of interviews and audio captured from schools, workshops, and more! We're focusing on Core Teaching Practices that focus on building respectful relationships, working in small groups, and making content explicit for students. Tune in to learn, celebrate, and grow with and from the teachers around...

Lori Flippin is the  STEM Initiative Leader for the Great Lakes Bay Regional Alliance. In this episode, we talk about work it takes to make change and build infrastructure for programs in schools. The hard work that teachers do is supported by businesses, partners, and leaders. Lori is one of those leaders sharing the importance of partnering in education, how soft skills and business needs should...

As a Michigan Teacher of the Year, a life-long educator, and executive coach to individuals of all ages, Gary Abud Jr. is uniquely positioned to see how some of the challenges occurring in K - 12 translate beyond the classroom. Join us for a talk that may challenge your assumptions about teaching and invigorate you to question some of your practices. This conversation is a great one to share with...

Can we capture the conversations and experiences of an in-person workshop and bring it to our listeners? That's the challenge  we gave ourselves this summer. This episode is one of a series we'll be bringing you. We've threaded audio from conversations with teachers together with interviews from the team  leading this project and finally project reflections. Listen to the this episo...

This episode focuses on how stepping off the stage to learn alongside our students can be equal parts rewarding and scary. In our interview with Dr. Troy Hicks, he shares some of the thinking that goes into this style of teaching- workshopping writing, teacher as coach, teaching online. We dig into the challenges and successes that Troy's worked through and worked on over his teaching career....

Eric Carpenter is back to talk more about what a makerspace model could look like in a school. He shares some ways to think about activity planning and talked about how STEM and makerspace learning should start in a school. This episode is a deep dive, filled with specific examples and ideas for anyone who is on a makerspace journey in education. Links: Makey Makey Edison Robots Rocky Mountain Edu...

Ashley talks with Eric Carpenter, the Executive Director and Chief Education Designer at Rocky Mountain Education Design. The first in a three-part series, this episode focuses on Eric's entry into education. He shares how he started working with the makerspace model with K - 12 students. Eric discusses the importance of collaboration and brings some practical advice on how makespaces facilit...

In this Bonus Episode, we talked about the ways that COVID changed teaching. The challenges of teaching during this time are not to be minimized; nor are the challenges families and individuals have faced.   In this episode, however, we focus on the changes that Eric thinks will stay in his own work and the teachers he works with. Eric shares some specific experiences that have benefited his learn...

We met with Doug Oppliger, instructer at MTU and member of the MiSTAR team. We talked with Doug about how writing middle school curriculum transformed his thinking about content and his own teaching. We learn more about the reasons behind this curriculum and the work that went into creating it. Doug brings specific examples of how science and engineering content are interrelated and talks about wh...