The Making Schools Work Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Ever had a student ace all the assignments, but then struggle on a final essay or a state assessment? In this episode, Ashley and special guest co-host Jason Adair sit down with instructional coach Christi Edwards to tackle a key challenge in education: helping students transfer their learning beyond the classroom . Christi shares the first two of her four key strategies for ensur...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Ashley and Dan sit down with Juliana Coleman , an experienced science educator and instructional coach, to discuss how to effectively teach to a standard while ensuring students develop deeper understanding rather than just memorizing facts.  Juliana breaks down common misconceptions about rigor , explains how to analyze standards to scaffold learning, and shares...

Send us Fan Mail In this special end-of-semester wrap-up, Ashley and Dan reflect on the four major themes explored in this semester's podcast episodes: Planning , Creating Authentic Work Experiences , Collaborating , and Building Connections with Students . They share key insights from their conversations with instructional coaches, highlight strategies that resonated, and discuss practical a...

Send us Fan Mail Rodriquez "Rod" Leonard , a coach with extensive experience in K-12 education, shares valuable insights on building a positive and productive classroom culture . He emphasizes the importance of getting to know students as individuals , using those insights to inform instruction, and fostering student achievement.  He encourages teachers to try one of his tips , starting...

Send us Fan Mail Unlock the keys to fostering gratitude and encouragement in your classroom as we celebrate Thanksgiving with a special guest, instructional coach Shelly Gibson. This episode promises to equip you with practical strategies for showing appreciation to your students through listening, meaningful connections, and purposeful actions. Together with co-host Daniel Rock, we'll share...

Send us Fan Mail Unlock the secrets of effective note-taking in our latest episode, promising to transform how students and educators grasp and retain information. Our engaging conversation with Donn Kirkwood, a senior leadership coach with a specialty in literacy, provides a treasure trove of practical strategies designed to boost understanding and retention in classroom settings. We explore the...

Send us Fan Mail Discover how to transform silence into vibrant conversations in your classroom with insights from our latest discussion. Join me, Ashley Shaw, alongside Dan Rock, as we unravel the secrets of fostering engaging student discourse with the help of Keisha King, a distinguished math instructional coach. Learn how to create a safe environment for students to express their thoughts and...

Send us Fan Mail Unlock the secrets to transforming your classroom into a dynamic workplace simulation with insights from our extraordinary guest, Marty Sugerik. With a wealth of experience drawn from both military and educational realms, Marty delivers invaluable strategies to enhance students' communication and collaboration skills. Discover how we can extend the classic "think-pair-sh...

Send us Fan Mail Unlock the secrets to effective school leadership with insights from George McFarland, an SREB leadership coach and seasoned educator with over thirty years of experience. Discover how establishing a clear purpose and fostering collaboration among stakeholders can transform school environments, even amidst the challenges of frequent leadership turnover. George shares his wisdom on...

Send us Fan Mail Unlock the secrets to crafting impactful lesson plans and aligning assessments with the guidance of expert guest Debbie Robertson. Discover how Ashley seeks to refine her organizational skills with insights from senior leadership coach Debbie. Together, they unravel the art of starting with the end in mind, diving into the crucial process of revisiting educational standards. This...

Send us Fan Mail Where will I use this in the "real-world"? If you've ever had a student ask you this, then you might be on the lookout for ways to create more authentic learning experiences in your classroom. To help, SREB's Leslie Eaves came by to give Ashley some ways to build authenticity into her assignments. We created a handout to go with the lesson.  The Southern Region...

Send us Fan Mail It's every teacher's biggest challenge: How can we get these students to engage with the material? In this week's episode, SREB Coach Erin Anderson-Williams stops by the studio to teach Ashley how to better engage her students by considering their cognitive, behavioral and emotional needs. Download our handout to get an overview of the lesson.  The Southern Regional...

Send us Fan Mail In this week's episode, SREB's Jason Adair comes in to coach Ashley in how to ask better questions in class. Feel free to follow along with our handout or download it later.  The Southern Regional Education Board is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works with states and schools to improve education at every level, from early childhood through doctoral education...

Send us Fan Mail In our National Literacy Month lesson, we talk about three ways teachers of any subject can help students better understand and utilize the vocabulary words in the class. No more having students memorize a word for a test before forgetting it forever! SREB Coach Deb Cullen sits down to give us all her proven techniques for helping students build connections between words, create c...

Send us Fan Mail Provide feedback on this episode before July 19, 2024, and be entered into a drawing for a $50 Amazon gift card.  In our first ever episode, SREB Instructional Coach Daniel Rock comes into the studio to talk about how writing SPICE-y AI prompts can help teachers take advantage of the free teaching assistant they may not have known they had. Here are the resources we used in this e...