The Thoughtful Teacher Podcast

Send us Fan MailThe conversation continues as Steve Van Bockern and host Scott Lee discuss some examples of what happens, or should be happening in schools. Steve Van Bockern is author of Schools That Matter: Teaching the Mind and Reaching the Heart and is co-author with Larry Brendtro and Martin Brokenleg of Reclaiming Youth at Risk: Futures of Promise. Listen in this conversation that provides a positive challenge to the status quo in many schools!

Send us Fan MailSchools can create a culture where students are challenged academically while also supporting the well-being of all students. In this conversation host Scott Lee and Steve Van Bockern discuss how the needs of students can be met without sacrificing academics. Steve Van Bockern is author of Schools That Matter: Teaching the Mind and Reaching the Heart and is co-author with Larry Brendtro and Martin Brokenleg of Reclaiming Youth at Risk: Futures of Promise. Listen in this conversation that provides a positive challenge to the status quo in many schools!

Send us Fan MailIn this conversation Scott Lee and Brantley Turner discuss Brantley's experiences as an administrator in shared Sino-US school and how her work shapes her beliefs in the importance of challenging assumptions and helping students become global citizens.

Send us Fan MailHost Scott Lee thanks listeners from around the world for supporting The Thoughtful Teacher Podcast and issues a call to action about the lack of quality mental health services for children and adolescents in the United States.

Send us Fan MailTeachers are drowning in data and much of this data has little value to inform and improve instruction. Scott and Matthew Courtney discuss how to solve this problem- and do so simply and without wasting valuable time. Matthew Courtney is author of the book Exploratory Data Analysis in the Classroom and he shares how to effectively choose useful data (that teachers are probably already collecting anyway) and manipulate that data to help make real, meaningful instructional decisions. And this can be done without buying any software or taking a class in multivariate statistics: these are accessible processes that any teacher and any team can use and immediately begin developing a culture of instruction that is richly data informed.

Send us Fan MailThoughtful Teacher Podcast host Scott Lee explores the problem with the growing trend of retaining 3rd grade students for a full year using state testing scores. This commentary considers some of the problems with using state tests in this way, policy considerations and a few ideas for what could be done differently.

Send us Fan MailScott Lee has a wide ranging conversation with author and former teacher and literacy coach Jill Speering. Jill shares insights from her memoir Rubies in the Rubble: An Educator's Transformation from Pain to Prominence, from Abuse to Absolution. The discussion includes Jill's work as an elementary teacher, district-wide literacy training specialist and school board member. This insightful discussion touches on literacy, teaching for joy (instead of a test) and school board politics.

Send us Fan MailAuthor Isela Arredondo discusses her book about about an absent parent I Will Always Be There and how she works with cancer survivors using jewelry making as a healing activity. She also shares her education experiences from her perspective as a US immigrant.

Send us Fan MailThis commentary by Thoughtful Teacher Podcast host Scott Lee outlines a vision for meaningful change in how we do schools. Using a historical background we explore the current state of our education systems and what is missing as many schools do not adequately respond to the changes in society that are not reflected in our schools.

Send us Fan MailHost Scott Lee offers commentary about what should be assessed in schools.