The Cult of Pedagogy Podcast

Critical thinking is something usually reserved only for advanced classes, but if we want our students to receive an equitable education, they all need regular practice in thinking critically. In this episode, Tangible Equity author Colin Seale shares three easy strategies for infusing critical thinking into any lesson. ------------------- Thanks to  CoderZ  and  Pear Deck  for sponsoring this epi...

If too many of your classroom plans go off the rails, you might need to add more norm-setting, where you clarify expectations in detail before starting an activity. It's a step some of us skip, but the time you spend on it will pay off later.  ---------- You can find full written versions of these tips at  cultofpedagogy.com/edutips . ------------------- Thanks to  Edulastic  for sponsoring this e...

Language shapes so much of who we are, but not all students feel they can bring their whole selves into the classroom. Even the most well-meaning teachers can unwittingly do more harm than good. In this episode, educator Andrea Castellano answers some common questions about students who code-switch between languages and dialects and shares research-based practices that will help multilingual stude...

We spend a LOT of time with students, and quite a bit of that time is not used for direct instruction. This "downtime" offers plenty of tiny opportunities for teaching, assessment, and relationship building—we just have to recognize them. You can find full written versions of these tips at  cultofpedagogy.com/edutips . ------------------- Thanks to  Pear Deck  for sponsoring this episode. --------...

We've covered a lot of differentiation strategies over the years, and here's one you may not have heard of: backward chaining. It allows students to start a task a few steps ahead, allowing them to experience a sense of completion that might otherwise be out of reach. My guest Melanie Meehan explains how it works.  ------------------- Thanks to  Pear Deck  and  Spinndle  for sponsoring this episod...

Adding an unexpected ingredient to a lesson makes students more likely to remember the thing they were supposed to learn. You can find full written versions of these tips at  cultofpedagogy.com/edutips . ------------------- Thanks to  Pear Deck  for sponsoring this episode. -------------------

Whether or not you're involved in athletics, all teachers will have transgender students in their classrooms, and understanding the issues that impact them will make you a better teacher for these vulnerable students. In this episode, I talk with former college athlete and sports policy scholar Katie Lever about the reasons trans athletes should be included in women's sports.  -------------------...

Teachers are leaving the classroom in larger numbers than ever, and many are breaking contracts mid-year just to get out. What can school leaders do to stop this? What makes one school lose teachers in the double digits, while others manage to hold on to almost everyone? In this episode, we'll hear the stories of four teachers who left their jobs in the past year. Then we'll hear the words of hund...

There are so many things we ask our students to do in school that they would do so much better if we just modeled it for them. While modeling is already probably a strategy you're using to teach some concepts, you probably could be using it a whole lot more, and getting more from your students as a result. You can find full written versions of these tips at  cultofpedagogy.com/edutips . ----------...

Many teachers don't know enough to effectively meet the needs of students with ADHD . In this episode, we'll take a look at 8 principles you can apply to your teaching that can help these students thrive. ------------------- Thanks to  Listenwise  and  Read&Write by Texthelp  for sponsoring this episode. -------------------

When we say something generic like "good job," it might make a student feel good, but that's about it. What has a lot more impact is specific praise given to individual people. You can find full written versions of these tips at  cultofpedagogy.com/edutips . ------------------- Thanks to  Stash101  for sponsoring this episode. -------------------

An essential first step toward becoming an anti-racist educator is uncovering your own implicit biases—attitudes and beliefs about certain groups of people you may not even realize you have. In this episode, Hedreich Nichols walks us through an 8-question exercise to help us start to do this work on ourselves. ------------------- Thanks to  Listenwise  and  Read&Write by Texthelp for sponsoring th...

True silence is almost impossible to achieve in the classroom, and extraneous noises can be distracting. Adding background music creates a sanctuary where sustained concentration is more likely to happen. You can find full written versions of these tips at  cultofpedagogy.com/edutips . ------------------- Thanks to  Stash101  for sponsoring this episode. -------------------

This activity can be plugged into any lesson when you want students to go beyond surface traits and consider deeper connecting principles. My guest Sarah Levine shows us how it works.  ------------------- Thanks to  Listenwise  and  Read&Write by Texthelp for sponsoring this episode. -------------------

When you see early signs of off-task behavior, you might think your only choices are to ignore it or address it directly. The antiseptic bounce gives you a third option. You can find full written versions of these tips at  cultofpedagogy.com/edutips . ------------------- Thanks to  Stash101  for sponsoring this episode. -------------------

Peer feedback can be an incredible tool for student growth IF students are trained in how to do it well. In this episode, English teacher Marcus Luther shares how he prepares students for gallery walks, where they give insightful, affirming feedback to each other's writing. With a heavy emphasis on modeling and seting clear norms, Luther's approach is one teachers can follow to help students give...

Even when they appear to be navigating school successfully, Arab-American students aren't thriving like they could. In this episode, I talk with Dr. Sawsan Jabar about how teachers can change that. ------------------- Thanks to  Fearless Schools and Google's Applied Digital Skills  for sponsoring this episode. -------------------

Our students can access information on any topic in seconds, so we need to build their media and news literacy. In this episode, I talk with Common Sense Education's Kelly Mendoza about their Digital Citizenship curriculum, with a special focus on the media and news literacy component, walking through three sample lessons you can try in your own classroom. ------------------- Thanks to  Fearless S...

So many things don't go our way throughout the school day, and if we can learn how to take a step back, to depersonalize these situations, we'll be able to respond rather than react. You can find full written versions of these tips at  cultofpedagogy.com/edutips . ------------------- Thanks to  Floop  for sponsoring this episode. -------------------

This year's picks include a video conferencing platform that feels more like a physical space, a database of books where the main characters are black girls, a career exploration platform, math lessons that students will actually care about, a device that combines tech with hands-on play, and a collection of art experiments.  ------------------- Learn more about the Teacher's Guide to Tech at teac...

Popcorn or "round-robin" reading has been around forever, even though it's not supported by research and can actually slow down students' reading progress. Learn more about why you should stop doing it and what strategies to put in its place. You can find full written versions of these tips at cultofpedagogy.com/edutips . ------------------- Thanks to Floop for sponsoring this episode. -----------...

Building a robust vocabulary is an essential part of any education. Students will learn new words in our classes no matter what, but if we're deliberate about giving them regular instructional opportunities to learn them, they'll learn so many more. In this episode, Dr. Angela Peery shares eight specific strategies you can use to build your students' vocabulary in any subject area and at any grade...

If you want to do more differentiation, but you feel overwhelmed by the idea of creating lots of individual lessons, try creating a tiered activity. This simple differentiation strategy gives students an appropriate level of challenge without a lot of prep on your part. You can find full written versions of these tips at cultofpedagogy.com/edutips . ------------------- Thanks to Floop for sponsori...

How is the anti-CRT movement harming and silencing teachers, what damage will it ultimately do to students, and what can be done to fight it?  For a more complete overview of this topic, be sure to check out EdTrust's podcast series   EdTrusted: The Critical Race Theory Craze That's Sweeping the Nation . ------------------- Thanks to CommonLit and Brain Power Academy for sponsoring this episode. -...

When students are working in groups, and we need to get their attention, shouting over the noise certainly gets the job done, but huddles work so much better. You can find full written versions of these tips at cultofpedagogy.com/edutips . ------------------- Thanks to Floop for sponsoring this episode. -------------------