10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher

Sherry St. Clair gives us principles for effective instructional coaching. Targeted to both administrators, instructional coaches, and technology coaches - Sherry has five practical ideas to get us started. Sherry is the author of Coaching Redefined: A Guide to Leading Meaningful Instructional Growth. www.coolcatteacher.com/e540 Today's Challenge Today I challenge you follow Sherry's advice and build relationships. If you want some ideas, many people have shared their ideas on this tweet I asked about what schools do for fun. (You don't need Twitter to read it.) How do you bring laughter and fun to your school - specifically with your colleagues? Looking and listening for ideas! — Vicki Davis (@coolcatteacher) August 6, 2019 Sherry St. Clair - Bio As Submitted Sherry St. Clair is the founder of Reflective Learning LLC, an educational consulting agency based in Kentucky. Her organization works with schools around the world, creating specialized training and coaching services for school administrators and educators. Additionally, Sherry serves as a Senior Consultant for the International Center for Leadership in Education and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. She holds a master's degree in Instructional Leadership, as well as a Rank I in Instructional Supervision. As an international consultant, Sherry draws from her rich experience at various levels of public education–teaching elementary school, being an administrator in a high school of 1,300 students, working as a state consultant, and creating and facilitating virtual courses. Sherry is a highly regarded national speaker and consultant, providing educational agencies with expertise in the areas of instructional leadership, effective classroom practices, classroom walkthroughs, effective use of data and guidance on how to create structures for successful classroom coaching. Coaching schools to best meet the needs of all students is Sherry's passion. Sherry is a contributing author to Effective Instructional Strategies Volume 2 published by the International Center for Leadership in Education. She has published numerous professional learning activity guides and facilitated webinar series focused on leadership and effective instructional practices. Additionally, Sherry developed virtual instructional workshops for the CTE Technical Assistance Center of New York. In partnership with the Successful Practices Network, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and AASA—The School Superintendent Association, Sherry has recently been a part of bringing innovative practices to scale. Her latest publication, Coaching Redefined: A Guide to Leading Meaningful Instructional Growth., was released in June of 2019. Disclosure of Material Connection: This episode includes some affiliate links. This means that if you choose to buy I will be paid a commission on the affiliate program. However, this is at no additional cost to you. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising." This company has no impact on the editorial content of the show.

Today, you'll get advice for creating grouping strategies for your classroom from an expert teacher and author on the subject. Barry Hoonan, author of What Are You Grouping For? (Grades 3-8 - how to Guide Small Groups Based on Readers, Not the Book)helps us understand how to start our school year with a plan for grouping students in reading groups that works. www.coolcatteacher.com/e539 Your challenge today is to plan several ways you can make groups 1 – Try thought partners 2 – If you have a student survey for reading, call them over to your desk and discuss but use Barry's technique of "and what else" For your bonus material today, I've shared my quick way of making groups using cardstock, a marker, and laminator. Check out "A Quick Way to Make Groups" at coolcatteacher.com/groups. Barry Hoonan - Bio As Submitted Barry Hoonan has received NCTE's Middle School Teacher of Excellence award and he is a three-time Fulbright scholar. He teaches 5th & 6th grade at Odyssey, a multi-age program with the Bainbridge Island School District.

BreakoutEDU is a box with locks that also can be a great educational experience. In today's show, Lucy Manley shares how breakout boxes are becoming an exciting part of her college's educational experiences including Freshmen orientation. www.coolcatteacher.com/e538 Today, your Podcast PD challenge is to create a breakout EDU experience with your students. I've written a post to give you 5 ideas for bringing breakout EDU into your classroom along with free links to free Breakout edu digital games and more. Today's challenge is to create one breakout edu experience for your students and to share what you did with at least one colleague. Go to coolcatteacher.com/breakout for 5 Ideas to bring Breakout EDU to your classroom. And as always, tweet or message me on social media to let me know what you did! Lucy Manley - Bio As Submitted Lucy Manley serves as the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at Garrett College. In addition to her administrative responsibilities, Lucy teaches first-year writing.

Today, you'll listen to a young man who became an entrepreneur as a result of his school's genius hour. Listen with a purpose and prepare to get your daily challenge at the end and a link to the blog post I've written inspired by this show "7 Ideas for Student Genius Hour and Passion Projects" www.coolcatteacher.com/e537 Bonus Material: I've linked to Tyler's app at coolcatteacher.com/dna - Your challenge today is to plan one genius hour experience for your students this year. Put it on your calendar today. I've given you ideas in a blog post I've written called 7 Ideas for Student Genius Hour and Passion Projects – go to coolcatteacher.com/genius to access this post. Tyler Haggerty - Bio As Submitted Tyler Haggerty is a 7th-grade student in Connecticut, the founder of Squirrel Army Games, and loves rock climbing. He's on a mission to bring actual fun gameplay to previously boring educational games.

Today, let's make our profession better by focusing on how we can encourage new teachers and each other. Edwin Thomas Minguela reflects upon his first two years of teaching. As you listen to what he has learned and his encouragement for teachers, reflect upon your early years of teaching and how you can help new teachers in the profession. www.coolcatteacher.com/e536 Along with this episode I've released a new blog post "8 Ways to Help New Teachers Thrive" – check the show notes and stay tuned at the end of the show for these research-based ideas. I've also included a PDF of this post as bonus material for this episode. Today's challenge – adopt a colleague. But it has to be someone who is not already in your inner circle. If you've been teaching longer than three years, I challenge you to adopt someone who is a new teacher either at your school or to teaching altogether. If you're new to teaching, reach out to someone who has been teaching longer. Edwin Thomas Minguela - Bio As Submitted I am an upcoming third-year teacher in Philadelphia. All my 3 of years have been in 3rd grade. I love to bring joy for learning to all of my students. Being an urban student once myself and had spent the majority of my Prek-12 school years in Philadelphia, I know many of the hardships my students may come to my classroom. I want to them to know that our classroom is a safe place and that I will always care for them. During my educational career, I have had multiple rewarding opportunities to conduct research and present at a conference on different topics. A goal of mine is to not become an educator, but a researcher as well. One particular opportunity was conducting research on a Native American reservation for about 12 days. The research I conducted was an autoethnography dealing with my experiences as a Latino going into another minority's culture. I was able to present my research a year later at an undergraduate research conference held at Millersville University. I have also had a lesson publication and professional development session related to STEM education.

Change has a human component. In fact, without helping people change - there isn't any change. Today, Julie Wilson, author of The Human Side of Changing Education shares how we can supercharge change by helping people become part of it. www.coolcatteacher.com/e535 Prepare for your classroom for the fall with one of two free webinars from Linda Kardamis, select a free class on classroom management or one on Respectful, Responsible and Engaged Students in this series targeted to Christian educators who teach in any school setting. Julie Wilson - Bio as Submitted Julie is a coach and advisor to school leaders, educational institutions, and foundations whose mission is to shape the future of K-12 education. She has over fifteen years' experience building effective learning environments that unlock human potential and enable organizational culture to adapt and grow during times of change. She graduated from Harvard's Graduate School of Education with a master's degree in technology, innovation, and education, and a bachelor's of arts in business administration and French from Queens University in Belfast, Northern Ireland. She's the author of The Human Side of Changing Education: How to Lead Change with Clarity, Conviction, and Courage. Julie loves to learn and is also a mom to Theodore (aka Teddy Bear) - her biggest teacher yet.

One in four teens will experience teen dating abuse. Teen dating abuse is on the rise and is being compounded by the pressure on teens to portray a "perfect relationship" on social media. So, when a teen admits what is happening, sometimes people don't believe her or him. Today Ashley Bendiksen talks about teen dating abuse including the surprising signs and what teachers and administrators should know. Check out the challenges and notes at www.coolcatteacher.com/e534 Sponsor: Prepare for your classroom for the fall with one of two free webinars from Linda Kardamis, select a free class on classroom management or one on Respectful, Responsible and Engaged Students in this series targeted to Christian educators who teach in any school setting. Ashley Bendiksen - Bio As Submitted Ashley Bendiksen is a nationally acclaimed motivational speaker, award-winning activist, and prevention educator for youth and schools. She combines heartfelt personal storytelling, with education and practical strategies students and schools can implement. Ashley's programs are especially critical for today's teens, addressing the high prevalence of unhealthy dating relationships and social pressures, and their impact on student well-being, mental health, academic focus, and future success. Ashley's work is derived from her personal experience as a survivor of dating violence, sexual assault, and severe peer bullying as a teen. This resulted in damaging personal struggles and secondary consequences and even forced her to become homeless and a college drop out. Defying all odds, Ashley returned to school and graduated as Valedictorian of Salve Regina University with a B.A. in Administration of Justice. She became an activist, community leader, and nonprofit founder, and built an accomplished career in both the criminal justice and communications fields. Today, Ashley has been widely recognized for her work pioneering change in the areas of domestic violence and sexual assault prevention, youth leadership, and women's empowerment. As an activist, she has held positions of leadership within major nonprofits, in addition to founding her own social change initiatives. This includes her present work as Founder of the Blue Hearts Project, a storytelling platform for survivors run in part by student advisors and the SouthCoast Women's Network. She is also a speaker with the international organization, Difference Makers #10Strong, is a Certified Life Empowerment Coach mentoring survivors, and will debut her true life podcast, Brave, in August 2019. Access Ashley's free e-book for educators, plus added resources at www.ashleybendiksen.com/teachers To book Ashley to speak at your school, or to learn more visit www.ashleybendiksen.com To anonymously share your survivor story with others who may feel alone, visit www.blueheartsproject.com Connect with Ashley online at @ashleybendiksen or by searching "Ashley Bendiksen" on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Math teacher Lauren Harris had a problem. Students weren't remembering important concepts from the previous year that she knew she had taught. How could she help students remember? Her answer is that she includes meaningful projects in her curriculum. In today's show, Lauren gives us a quick overview, how-to, and ideas for planning your own projects that will help students learn and remember. www.coolcatteacher.com/e533 Sponsor: This post is sponsored by Times 10 publications, publisher of Sanée Bell's new book, Be Excellent On Purpose, Intentional Strategies for Impactful Leadership. All editorial content is my own. Download a free ebook with the Lead Forward authors and get inspired. Lauren Harris - Bio As Submitted Lauren is in her tenth year of teaching at the high school and collegiate level and is also currently an eleventh-grade dean and mathematics teacher at University Liggett School, in Grosse Pointe Woods, MI. She previously was and currently is a lead speaker at the Michigan Council of Teachers of Mathematics annual conference where she shares her passion about mathematics electives and her History of Mathematics course. Twitter: @harrishousemath

Innovate and try some new apps. Today, Richard Byrne, author of Free Technology for Teachers, talks about eight edtech apps that you should try. (He also shares a bonus fitness opportunity for educators.) Listen to the show and learn how it is used and follow the links in the show notes below. www.coolcatteacher.com/e532 Sponsor: This episode is sponsored by Times 10 publications, publisher of Sanée Bell's new book, Be Excellent On Purpose, Intentional Strategies for Impactful Leadership. All editorial content is my own. Download a free ebook with the Lead Forward authors and get inspired. Richard Byrne - Bio as Submitted Richard is best known for his award-winning blog, Free Technology for Teachers. He was a high school social studies teacher before becoming a full-time technology integration specialist. In addition to his work in schools, Richard has been a consultant to some of the largest companies in the educational technology industry. Blog: http://freetech4teachers.com Twitter: @rmbyrne

Back to school is here! We're starting up the year with principal Dr. Sanée Bell, author of the new book, Be Excellent On Purpose, Intentional Strategies for Impactful Leadership. Today, Sanée shares her eleven principles from the book and gets us motivated for an epic school year. (We've also included the transcript.) Sponsor: This episode is sponsored by Sanée's publisher, Times 10 Education publisher of the Hack Learning series and the new Lead Forward Series of which Sanée's book is the first. See the full transcript at: www.coolcatteacher.com/e531 Dr. Sanée Bell - Bio as Submitted Dr. Sanée Bell is the principal of Morton Ranch Junior High in Katy, Texas. She has also served as an elementary principal, assistant principal, teacher, and coach. In 2015, Sanée was recognized as the Katy ISD Elementary Principal of the Year. She earned her doctorate degree in Educational Leadership with an emphasis in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Houston Clear Lake. Sanée is passionate about authentic, purposeful learning for students and teachers, and she also has a strong passion for leadership and its impact on teacher engagement, student learning, and school culture. Sanée recognizes her impact as a leader and uses her role to inspire, motivate, and empower others. Sanée has presented at state, national and international conferences, and has contributed to several publications, including Brené Brown's Dare to Lead. She has also been a guest on several podcasts focused on leaders hip and its impact on students and teachers. Sanée is co-author and co-editor of the Education Write Now Series, and is the author of Be Excellent on Purpose: Intentional Strategies for Impactful Leadership. Sanée shares her thoughts on leadership on her blog saneebell.com.