Episodes

Mike Washburn chats with us about appreciating people, being fearless, and having "good stress." Mike shares why it's critical to have realistic expectations, the importance of learning to reflect and grow, and why we need to go after those big ideas. More at www.teachbetter.com/podcast/mikewashburn Episode Highlights 0:00 - Previews of sessions at the Teach Better Conference in November. Use "PodcastTalk" to save $50 on your 2-day registration. 3:55 - Highlighting the importance of networ...

First year teacher, Delaney Brummel, chats with us about being cool with being "the loud one" in her school, helping kids get comfortable sharing failures with each other, and focusing on keeping things student-centered. Delaney shares how she keeps a smile on every day, the power of remembering there are actual humans in our classrooms, and reminds us that you don't need to be a veteran teacher to bring value to others. More at www.teachbetter.com/podcast/delaneybrummel Episode Highlights 1...

Jason Habisch chats with us about taking care of yourself, being a part of a championship team, and recruiting your own board of advisors. Jason talks about the power of reflection, leaning into a challenge and learning from it, and explains why it's not what you know, or who you know, but both. More at www.teachbetter.com/podcast/jasonhabisch Episode Highlights 3:11 - Chatting about our favorite parts of the "Teach Better" book. 6:52 - Tweet to win a FREE signed copy of the book! Include t...

Jorge Valenzuela chats with us about how a lot of failures equate to small successes, but a lot of little successes lead to bigger successes. Jorge shares who you should look to in order to be successful, where true happiness comes from, and lays out his 5 daily routines you need to get into. More at www.teachbetter.com/podcast/jorgevalenzuela Episode Highlights 3:26 - We restart the episode because...well, because Rae. 3:52 - Talking about our network, your PLN, and the power of connecting....

This is an audio version of the blog post, "Strategies to Increase Critical Thinking Skills in Students" Written by Dr. Matthew X Joseph (@MatthewXJoseph). Read by Jeff Gargas (@jeffgargas). Read the post at www.teachbetter.com/blog/strategies-to-increase-critical-thinking-skills-in-students. In This Post: The importance of helping students increase critical thinking skills. Ways to promote the essential skills needed to analyze and evaluate. Strategies to incorporate critical thinking into ...

Instructional coach, and host of the Leader Of Learning Podcast, Dan Kreiness, chats with us about staying true to your why, rolling with the punches, and finding the positive in every failure. Dan talks about the power of getting connected, how we need to get comfortable being uncomfortable, and why you need to think of yourself as a leader. More at www.teachbetter.com/podcast/dankreiness Episode Highlights 1:27 - Rae slyly plugs our new book, "Teach Better." Get it now on Amazon! Get the F...

Fitness expert, Marine Corp Veteran, and founder of TeacherFit, Nick Man, chats with us about why personal wellness is so important for teachers, how he learned to fail forward, and how you can take small steps to be healthier every day. Nick shares how a simple mindset adjustment can change the way you think and feel about exercise, why he is on a mission to help teachers be healthier, and how a simple morning routine can set your day up for success. More at www.teachbetter.com/podcast/nickma...

Speaker, author, and consultant, Monica Burns, chats with us about empowering students as creators, giving kids opportunities to work on projects big and small, and the power of purposefully checking in with others every day. More at www.teachbetter.com/podcast/monicaburns2 Episode Highlights 2:00 - Rae interrupts Jeff to talk about her classroom...because it's all about Rae. 3:04 - Rae loves Seesaw. 6:32 - Chatting about the 2020 IDEAcon presented by the Illinois Digital Educators Alliance ...

Science teacher, writer, and owner of Spanish4Kiddos, Barbara Mascareno, chats with us about teaching content in a context that helps students retain it better, the power of flexibility, and how we can work to incorporate language in all content areas. More at www.teachbetter.com/podcast/barbaramascareno Episode Highlights 1:11 - Jeff and Rae commit to learning how to speak Spanish. 4:03 - Next steps if you want to expanding your knowledge. Attend Conferences National Association of Bilingu...

This is an audio version of the blog post, "5 Out of the Box Ways to Engage TEACHERS in Professional Development" Written by Lauren Salsinger (@diaryofa21stcenturyteacher). Read by Jeff Gargas (@jeffgargas). Read the post at www.teachbetter.com/blog/5-out-of-the-box-ways-to-engage-teachers-in-professional-development. IN THIS POST: As a Student Learning Coach, providing meaningful professional development for my teachers is so important. There are 5 out of the box ways to engage teachers in P...

Educational Duct Tape Podcast host, Jake Miller, chats with us about sharing more in order to help more teachers help more students, finding what best fits your style, and being the best teacher you've ever been. Jake chats about figuring out what the need is and then finding the right tool, properly planning and preparing for presentations, and the power of trying something new. More at www.teachbetter.com/podcast/jakemiller Episode Highlights 2:00 - Chatting about Jeff's favorite thing: Giv...

<span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span> Director of Special Education, and Director of the Leading Equity Center, Sheldon Eakins, chats with us about about learning as much as we can about our students' cultures, and how to address issues of equity. Sheldon talks about what we might be missing culturally, the power of sharing your own culture with students, and why we need to make sure we're act...

This is an audio version of the blog post, "9 Ways to Fix Your Lesson Plans - Connect your Content" Written by Rae Hughart (@raehughart). Read by Rae Hughart Read the post at www.teachbetter.com/blog/connect-your-content-to-fix-your-lesson-plans --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/teach-better-talk/message

Pam Olivieri chats with us about focusing on more than a test score, letting our students see that we're excited about the content, and the importance of not just building relationships, but also having a plan. More at www.teachbetter.com/podcast/pamolivieri Episode Highlights 1:27 - Chatting about some FREE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT going on in our private Facebook Group. Previous topics: September 6: 7 Changes That Could Save Your Teaching Career September 10: One Rule to Rule Them All - P...

Instructional Technology Coordinator, Stephanie Howell, chats with us about focusing on the "why" in education and then finding the "what" that aligns with it. Stephanie shares the challenges she's faced as a younger teacher in a leadership role, the power of connecting with others that can help you grow, and the importance of remembering what you said you were going to do when you were in the interview chair. More at www.teachbetter.com/podcast/stephaniehowell Episode Highlights 1:28 - Chatt...

This is an audio version of the blog post, "Setting the Bar – 3 Tips to Help Our Students Meet and Exceed Our Expectations" Written by Michael Jennings (@THEschmike). Read by Rae Hughart (@RaeHughart) Read the post at www.teachbetter.com/blog/setting-the-bar-3-tips-to-help-our-students-meet-exceed-our-expectations/ In This Post: Everyone is happy when those expectations are met and we LOVE it when our students exceed our expectations! If we are working daily to offer our students opportunitie...

Tim Cavey, host of the Teachers On Fire Podcast, flips the mic on Jeff and Rae for our 100th episode. Tim chats with us about the journey to 100, what we love about producing the podcast, how the show has grown, and the challenges we've faced along the way. We discuss the ups and downs so far, who has helped us get here, and what we're looking forward to in the next 100 episodes. More at www.teachbetter.com/podcast/episode100 Episode Highlights 0:36 - How does it feel to get to 100 episodes? ...

IDEA Executive Director, Amber Heffner, chats with us about learning from failures, reflecting in order to grow, and rethinking the way we facilitate education. Amber shares her journey to becoming Executive Director of IDEA, why she credits a failure for getting her there, and talks about why the passion of teachers has her excited about education right now. More at www.teachbetter.com/podcast/amberheffner Episode Highlights 0:53 - Rae tries to blame Jeff for an idea she actually had, that c...

This is the audio from Rae's keynote talk at the Hot Springs Technology Institute in June, 2019. Rae shares insight into how teachers and IT leaders can work together so that technology is used effectively and efficiently to reach more students. For more on the Hot Springs Technology Institute, visit: www.hsti.org. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/teach-better-talk/message

Meghan Deegan chats with us about the power of reflection, getting over the fear of failure, and surrounding yourself with the right people. Meghan shares how she learned to love failure, why we need to instill that same love in our students, and how we can question ourselves in the right way. More at www.teachbetter.com/podcast/meghandeegan Episode Highlights 0:46 - Previewing the episode with Meghan Deegan. 1:33 - Breaking down what The Grid Method is. 9:36 - Meghan introduces herself. 11...

Director of Learning and Innovation, and author of "The Revolution," Derek McCoy, chats with us about loving what we do and who we do it with, bringing the excitement and joy, and how magic can take place if we embrace it. Derek talks about doing better for our learners, taking care of ourselves, and how change is the only constant we have in our lives. More at www.teachbetter.com/podcast/derekmccoy Episode Highlights 1:07 - Highlighting some featured speakers at the Teach Better Conference. ...

This is an audio version of the blog post, "Integrating Technology in Education: Are You Making These Top 5 Mistakes?" Written by Tiffany Ott (@TechieTeachOtt). Read by Rae Hughart (@RaeHughart) Read the post at www.teachbetter.com/blog/top-5-mistakes-integrating-technology-in-education In This Post: Benefits of technology integration If it doesn’t actually improve the learning process, it doesn’t really belong in your classroom. There is a danger in jumping on an edtech tool bandwagon too q...

Jaime Donally chats with us about AR and VR in education, how we need to adjust technology to fit our classrooms, and why we need to let our students be partners in the experiences. Jaime shares why you don't need to be the most tech savvy person to use tech in your classroom, what the first step to implementing AR/VR is, and why it's really not about the tech tool at all. More at www.teachbetter.com/podcast/jaimedonally Episode Highlights 0:33 - Rae explains her descriptive word choice...and...

Superintendent, Nick Sutton, chats with us about getting back to good instruction, working as a team, and why you shouldn't be afraid of your evaluations. Nick shares why he thinks we're in such a cool time as educators right now, what leads to a building's success, and how administrators really just want to do what's best for kids, too. More at www.teachbetter.com/podcast/nicksutton Episode Highlights 0:34 - Shoutout to Janelly (@JanellyArc) for Rae's descriptive word. 1:16 - Going on and o...