Think Aloud with Dr. G.

This is Ep. 22 about SELS2022, so it only seemed right to release it on 7/22/22! This special episode is all about advocacy in special education! It’s a review of the Special Education Legislative Summit (SELS2022) with Marlena Walley, the President of MO-CASE. We discuss the big issues and ways for people to get involved today! Resources for you: SELS2022 Information Briefs Council for Exceptiona...

“Don’t ever think it’s too late to try.” Dr. Cathy Thomas is an Associate Professor at Texas State University. Cathy’s is a wonderful educational journey with unexpected twists and turns, yet a constant thread of advocating for education and opportunities for those who are marginalized. Every one of us can connect to aspects of her story. Resources from this episode: Cathy’s Faculty page The Teach...

Kim Nuetzmann is the Director of Field Experiences at the University of Missouri and the Co-Director of the Missouri Education Partnership for Renewal (MPER). She shares such wisdom around passion for teaching (not just in a classroom), the influence of your support system, and the importance of partnership. Resources from this episode: Kim’s Mizzou page: https://education.missouri.edu/person/kimb...

As educators are wrapping up the spring semester at the college level and the school year at the PreK-12 level, enjoy this inspiring conversation with Dr. Chad Rose. Chad is an Associate Professor in Special Education at the University of Missouri and the Director of the Mizzou Ed Bully Prevention Lab.  Chad’s story will surprise and motivate you. It’s a good one. In fact, after you listen to it n...

If you are a teacher, want to be a teacher, and/or care about someone who is a teacher, you are going to LOVE this conversation with Dr. Maria Peterson-Ahmad! Maria is an Associate Professor of Special Education at Texas Woman’s University. This episode is so special, I don't want to spoil it with more words. Listen now! Then check out the resources below: Resources from this episode: Maria’s...

Today, we are thinking aloud with my friend, Dr. Sarah Conoyer. Sarah is an Assistant Professor in School Psychology at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE). Sarah is a nationally certified School Psychologist as well as a licensed Clinical Psychologist. One of the things Sarah and I share is our work in what we call the “messy middle” - working in overlapping and interconnected fields...

Dr. Mary Rose Sallese is in her first year as an Assistant Professor in the School of Education at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Full disclosure: I take credit for Mary Rose moving into a PhD program, but her amazing journey is absolutely because of her passion, intelligence, and purpose. Listen in as she shares how her experiences came at just the right time and what actually makes a g...

Dr. Sarah Watt is an Associate Professor at Miami University of Ohio, and, prior to that, Sarah was a K-12 teacher for over a decade. In Episode 15, Sarah and I think aloud together about her educational journey, including how her experiences living in South Africa influenced her perspectives. We discuss our shared love for working with middle schoolers, and our appreciation for the work teachers...

Dr. Chris Lemons is an Associate Professor of Special Education in the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University. His research focuses on improving academic outcomes for children and adolescents with intellectual, developmental, and learning disabilities. You should know about his work, so please visit his faculty page linked below. In this episode, Chris and I think aloud together about...

Dr. David F. Bateman is a leading expert in special education law, assessment, and facilitating inclusion. He is a professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Special Education at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania. David has served as a due process hearing officer for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, has authored and co-authored multiple books, is a frequent keynote presenter,...

Dr. Jessica Rodrigues is an assistant professor in Special Education at MU. She has over six years of experience conducting research in local schools and teaching evidence-based mathematics interventions to diverse learners at risk for mathematics difficulties. Dr. Rodrigues leads the Mathematics Potential Lab, a research team with undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty that seeks...

Tyson Hunt is a founder of Logboat Brewing Company in Columbia, MO. He is an educator, a husband and father, an entrepreneur, a mentor, an avid reader of Cosmos, and a proponent of chasing your dreams. Join us as we think aloud about the importance of education in every aspect of life, living authentically, and how teachers make the best entrepreneurs. Check out Logboat: www.logboatbrewing.com Fol...

Do you find that you are busy all day, but get nothing done? Are you overwhelmed with how busy you are but feel like you aren’t productive? This is a common conversation in our “Culture of Busy,” but does not have to be your normal. Listen in as I talk with Dr. David Bateman about time management strategies that work.  Resources we mentioned in this conversation: TED-CEC: https://tedcec.org  Atomi...

Dr. Erica Lembke is a Professor of Special Education and the Interim Dean of the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Missouri. Early experiences shaped who she is as a person, from her sense of adventure to her resilience to her passion for special education. Erica shares how these experiences and the influence of her parents led her to her current career. She describes...

Jen Butel is the Executive Director of Pupil Services for the Platte County R-3 School District in the Kansas City area of Missouri. Jen’s educational journey involves the allure of the “special doors” at the end of the hall, the value of curating your own plus-minus file, and the power of letting go of guilt when you move into a new part of your education journey. This conversation is full of so...

Dr. Manuel Ferrer (“Manny from Miami”) shares his educational journey, from growing up in Little Havana to becoming the Rookie Teacher of the Year, to his current work supporting special educators as the Regional Manager for TeachTown. Manny and I think-aloud together, drawing from his family experiences, about the impact teachers have, the importance of being an advocate and self-advocate, as wel...

Welcome back! I’m so glad you’re here for this think aloud session. We jump back into our conversation with Lynn Mahaffey, a special educator who works with students in grades 6-8 in a RISE classroom - as a quick reminder, RISE stands for Reaching Independence through Structured Education. She shares a secret about what can be the hardest thing about teaching - and it is something that wasn’t taug...

Today’s conversation is with someone who is truly sunshine personified! Lynn Mahaffey is a special educator I am honored to know as a professional and a friend who works in the Columbia Public Schools in Columbia, Missouri, in a RISE classroom - Reaching Independence through Structured Education. We talk through her education journey, including some twists and turns you might not have seen coming....

This episode is part 2 of my conversation with Michael Faggella-Luby. In the first half of the conversation, we discussed lessons learned in his educational journey, and paused on an extremely critical point: teachers do the very best they can and it’s important to remember we work within a system of supports. The second half of our conversation highlights the value of community for teachers and s...

Today, I am excited to share part 1 of my conversation with Michael Faggella-Luby. Dr. Faggella-Luby is a Professor of Special Education and Director of the Alice Neely Special Education Research and Service (ANSERS) Institute at Texas Christian University. I asked him to tell us about his educational journey and how he came to the field of Special Education. As we explore the teaching and learnin...

Today, we think aloud about the five take-away themes future teachers identified from a four-week summer course about teaching exceptional learners. We know  the best way to learn/teach something is to connect it – make it meaningful. We will discuss the five big ideas they learned (or unlearned): (1) debunking “learning styles,” (2) person-first language, (3) General Education teachers teach ALL...

Welcome to Think Aloud with Dr. G! You probably have questions, like…. "What’s a think aloud?" And, "Who is Dr. G?" Here's a 3-minute mini-episode to answer those questions.