The Balance, by Dr. Catlin Tucker

On episode 23 of The Balance, Dr. Catlin Tucker invites A.J. Juliani, bestselling author, experienced educator, and current faculty for the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, to discuss enhancing adaptability in education to improve student engagement.  

On mini-episode 5 of The Balance, Dr. Catlin Tucker discusses how she was able to reevaluate her approach to grading by asking one straightforward question: what is the purpose of this work? Grading Flowchart 

On this episode of The Balance, Dr. Catlin Tucker invites Scott McLeod, J.D., Ph. D, Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Colorado, Denver, to discuss cultivating leaders as builders, working on mindsets, and supporting self-care for educators.  Leadership for Deeper Learning Print out and fill out your Personal Life Wheel   See also the Professional Life Wheel These resources...

On episode 22 of The Balance, Dr. Catlin Tucker invites Ken Shelton, Apple Distinguished Educator, Google Certified Innovator, keynote speaker and consultant, to discuss dismantling stereotypes, cultural intelligence, and challenges facing educational institutions.

On episode 21 of The Balance, Dr. Catlin Tucker invites Matt Miller, blogger, author, speaker, and educator to discuss rethinking the approach to instruction, assessment, and creating a work-life balance to retain great teachers.

On episode 20 of The Balance, Dr. Catlin Tucker invites Paul France  to share ideas from his book, Reclaiming Personalized Learning. They discuss personalized learning as a pedagogy for restoring equity and promoting humanity in the classroom. Listen now.

What do we mean when we say Universal Design for Learning (UDL)? How can UDL support an antiracist learning environment? In this episode of Dr. Catlin Tucker’s podcast, The Balance, she invites Andratesha Fritzgerald, an inclusive practices implementation consultant and life-long educator, to offer clarity around these themes and questions. Listen now.

What is innovation? How can we empower teachers to drive their own innovation? Dr. Catlin Tucker and her guest, George Couros , an Innovative Teaching, Learning, and Leadership Consultant, tackle these questions with laughs and insights along the way. Listen now.

What steps can you take to minimize stress and manage your workload to avoid burnout? What do we mean when we say human-centered teaching?  On this episode of Dr. Catlin Tucker’s podcast, The Balance, she invites Angela Watson , a productivity and mindset specialist with 11 years of classroom experience, to offer clarity around these themes and questions. Listen now.

How do we understand and engage with the overwhelming emotions we experience as educators—as humans? “I saw an incredible number of beautiful, passionate, committed teachers burn out and leave the profession,” says Elena Aguilar . So, she wrote a guidebook for teachers called Onward to help them build resilience. In this episode, she shares her own resilience journey as an educator with Dr. Catlin...

How can you create inclusive classrooms, design for learner variability, and remove barriers to learning? Dr. Catlin Tucker talks with Dr. Katie Novak, author and professor at the University of Pennsylvania, about Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as a solution to the wide variety of student needs in a class. They discuss the belief system behind UDL, why it works well with blended learning, and...

Educators are often overwhelmed by the pressure to “cover it all” when it comes to content and curriculum. In this episode, Dr. Catlin Tucker talks with Jay McTighe about designing learning experiences for transfer—focusing on how students will apply their learning instead. By reframing and choosing specific long-term goals, teachers can let go of “covering it all” and make time for exploration of...

How can we reimagine project-based learning (PBL) for this moment in time? In this episode of The Balance, Dr. Catlin Tucker talks with PBL international expert and founder of CraftED Curriculum , Dr. Jennifer Pieratt about how project-based learning can increase student agency and engagement in online and hybrid classrooms. Dr. Pieratt dives into what is essential about PBL and what tweaks can be...

The pandemic is changing education. How will teacher preparation programs need to shift in response? How can administrators lead their communities at this time? Why doesn't society value the important work educators do? Dr. Ivy Ewell-Eldridge, current school site administrator in Southern California and Supervisor of Teacher Education and lecturer for UC Riverside's Graduate School of Education, t...

The global pandemic and reckoning around racial justice are creating immediate and sometimes overwhelming changes to the education system. As a result, the daily lives of teachers and educators across the nation look drastically different today than they did last year. Dr. Catlin Tucker invited Linwood Paul, expert executive coach and facilitator with over thirty years of rich and varied experienc...

As educators prepare for an uncertain back-to-school, Dr. Catlin Tucker encourages teachers to take control of what they CAN: the design of their courses. The teacher’s role as a designer of an online or blended learning course is a critical part of the teaching presence in an online or blended community. “We get to create a clear, more manageable roadmap,” says Catlin, “figure out what those most...

In episode 12 of The Balance, Dr. Catlin Tucker talks with Jon Corippo , Chief Learning Officer at CUE (Computer Using Educators), where he directs CUE’s onsite, online, social media, and conference planning. Jon and Catlin discuss reprioritizing students and putting them at the center of learning. “We are doing the same thing we’ve always done,” says Jon, “and we’re expecting it to work better. A...

Teachers are often asked to incorporate social and emotional learning into their instruction, but what about their own well-being? In episode 11 of The Balance, Catlin Tucker talks with Dr. Maria Hersey, founder and CEO of Global Education Advisors, about how educators can prioritize their own self-care and, in turn, better support student social and emotional learning (SEL). Dr. Hersey’s backgrou...

What a whirl-wind the last few months have been for educators. Teachers and students can finally see the light at the end of an emotionally exhausting year. “So many kids,” says Catlin Tucker, “aren’t getting that closure… that celebratory ending that they really crave at the end of the school year.” With summer close, Catlin suggests a few ideas for teachers in the home stretch, including a creat...

In this episode, Catlin Tucker talks with Rachelle Dene Poth, an emerging technology presenter, Spanish/STEAM teacher, author, and lawyer, about the power of relationships in education. They discuss solutions designed to help teachers build stronger connections with students, maximize their time when implementing new technology, and remember their “why” in terms of what they are teaching or asking...

We all have so many questions in our heads—How can I teach effectively given this new situation? How can I build relationships with all of my students via online conferencing platforms? How will distance learning and screen-time impact my students in the long run?  In this mini-episode, Catlin Tucker shares ways to build community online and engage students. She reminds us that, just like in the c...

How do you balance the needs of family members, working from a new space, and still teach the way you want to teach? Recognizing that most of us are feeling totally off-balance, Catlin acknowledges that navigating this shift from teaching face-to-face to teaching entirely online is a new challenge that leaves us wondering if balance is even possible right now. In this mini-episode of The Balance,...

Catlin talks with Dr. Shaun Woodly about his personal experience teaching in urban schools with culturally diverse students. Catlin and Shaun discuss the need to consider, “What learning really looks like?” and whether teachers are creating spaces to foster authentic learning experiences for kids. Listen to Shaun and Catlin as they discuss the four elements of urban education-–awareness, achieveme...

Catlin Tucker talks with Jason Green, a School Transformation Expert and Co-founder of LINC (Learning Innovation Catalyst), about leading innovative change that is scalable, building culture on school campuses, and shifting from performing to being present in the classroom.  When looking at a school culture, Jason cautions that school leaders may get sucked into the urgency of what is happening at...

Catlin Tucker talks with Travis Lape (@travislape) an Innovative Programs Director entering his 7th year with the Harrisburg School District in Pennsylvania. Travis is passionate about creating learning environments that leverage the best instructional practices that get the largest effect on learning. Catlin talks with Travis Lape about school and classroom design, and student agency, with a remi...