The Cult of Pedagogy Podcast

Jennifer Gonzalez

Teaching strategies, classroom management, education reform, educational technology -- if it has something to do with teaching, we're talking about it. Jennifer Gonzalez interviews educators, students, administrators and parents about the psychological and social dynamics of school, trade secrets, and other juicy things you'll never learn in a textbook. For more fantastic resources for teachers, visit http://www.cultofpedagogy.com.

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314 episodes
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Episodes314

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Today · 52 min
276: A Classroom Ritual for Peer Affirmations
Character education often gets lip service in schools — we say it matters, but rarely build a real system to make it happen. What if students could regularly practice noticing and naming character strengths like self-efficacy, depth, and generosity in each other through anonymous nominations? On the podcast this week, high school English teacher Marcus Luther returns to share a system he created that does exactly that. ___________________________ Thanks to Alpaca and Notability for sponsoring the episode. To read a written version of this podcast, visit cultofpedagogy.com/peer-affirmations. To learn more about my upcoming course, Mastering the Lesson Plan, visit cultofpedagogy.com/teaching101.
June 21 · 53 min
275: Three Fresh Ideas for Structuring Professional Development
What often sets the best PD experiences apart are a few intentional choices in how that learning is designed. In this episode, I talk with Jenn White and Josh Kurzweil of Berkeley LTC about three simple but powerful practices they use when designing professional learning for adults: Pre-During-Post, Curated Q&A, and Poster Sessions. All of these strategies create more opportunities for participants to discuss, reflect on, and apply what they're learning, and they can make your next PD a lot better. ___________________________ Thanks to Alpaca and Notability for sponsoring the episode. To read a written version of this podcast, visit cultofpedagogy.com/3-fresh-pd-structures. To learn more about my upcoming course, Mastering the Lesson Plan, visit cultofpedagogy.com/teaching101.
June 7 · 1 hr 51 min
274: Why School in Denmark is Better, and What We Can Learn from Them
When Pernille Ripp moved from the U.S., where she had taught for over a decade, to her native country of Denmark, she was immediately struck by how different school was. In this episode, we'll explore why Danish schools are so good for teachers and students, and which practices we might be able to adopt in the U.S. ___________________________ Thanks to Alpaca and iCivics for sponsoring the episode. To read a written version of this podcast, visit cultofpedagogy.com/danish-school.
April 27 · 26 min
273: The Art of Classroom Timing: 10 Ways to Fit it All In
It can ruin even the most carefully designed lessons: An activity you had planned takes way longer than you thought it would. Or worse, it takes way less time. And sometimes it can be both, with some students finishing a task in five minutes while others need half an hour. Getting classroom pacing just right is an art that takes practice and technique. In this episode, I'll share 10 habits you can build into your classroom routine that can prevent many of these problems from happening, or help you deal with them much more effectively when they do. ___________________________ Thanks to Renaissance and Erikson Institute for sponsoring the episode. To read a written version of this podcast, visit cultofpedagogy.com/classroom-timing. To learn more about my upcoming course, Mastering the Lesson Plan, visit cultofpedagogy.com/teaching101.
April 12 · 33 min
272: The Replacement Skills Approach: Teaching Behavior Instead of Managing It
When a student behaves in a way that disrupts their own learning or someone else's, our response is often limited to a reprimand or a punishment. While this usually stops the undesirable behavior for a while, it doesn't often solve the problem long-term. What has longer-lasting impact is viewing the misbehavior as a sign that a student is missing an important skill, and if they are taught that skill, the behavior should naturally improve. In this episode, we learn more about what this approach looks like in practice from Nathan Maynard, educator and author of the new book, The Science of Discipline. ___________________________ Thanks to Listenwise and Erikson Institute for sponsoring the episode. To read Maynard's article about replacement skills, visit cultofpedagogy.com/replacement-skills. To find Nathan Maynard online, visit HighFive.school. To learn more about The Teacher's Guide to Tech, visit teachersguidetotech.com.
April 5 · 29 min
271: Meet Ellis: Your On-Demand Classroom Companion
Students are coming to school with more needs than ever, and a lot of those needs aren't strictly academic: anxiety, withdrawal, behavior issues, and learning differences that don't always have quick or obvious solutions. These are problems that often send us to the internet in search of answers, but the nuances of each individual situation can make it hard to find exactly what we need. Ideally, we'd have a colleague with a lot of knowledge and experience who would listen carefully to our problem, ask us questions to make sure they understood it, and offer solutions. Now there's a new platform called Ellis that may be the next best thing. This free, chat-based tool created by the Children's Health Council is designed to give educators practical guidance in those moments when something isn't working and you're not sure what to try next. In this episode, I talk to Cindy Lopez from the CHC about how Ellis works. All educators are invited to give Ellis a try now at askellis.org and see how it works for you! ___________________________ This episode was sponsored by Ellis. To read a full transcript of this interview or watch a video of how Ellis works, visit cultofpedagogy.com/ellis.
March 30 · 52 min
270: Eight Ways to Squeeze Writing Instruction Into a Few Minutes
There's been no shortage of conversation about the science of reading over the past several years. But writing barely comes up, even though the two are deeply connected. That's what drew Melanie Meehan and Maggie Roberts to write their new book, Foundational Skills for Writing. The book breaks the larger task of writing into smaller skill categories, including transcription skills, oral language, and executive functioning. In this episode, they share eight of the strategies from the book. Each is from a collection they call "minute moves," quick lessons and exercises that can be done in just a few minutes to build different kinds of writing muscles. They're fun and engaging and if you're someone who teaches writing, I think you're going to love them. ___________________________ Thanks to Renaissance and Erikson Institute for sponsoring the episode. To read a full transcript or find links to Meehan and Roberts' book, visit cultofpedagogy.com/quick-writing-lessons. To learn more about Grammar Gap Fillers, visit cultofpedagogy.com/grammar.
March 15 · 37 min
269: Bringing the Power of Debate to Math Class
Have you ever watched students sit completely silent in math class, only to come alive the moment they're asked to share an opinion? That's what inspired my guest Chris Luzniak to start bringing debate into his math teaching — and the results have been remarkable. In this episode, Chris walks us through how he turns ordinary math questions into debatable ones, how he gets students making and defending arguments, and why he thinks this approach matters now more than ever. It's a conversation that will make you rethink what math class can look like. ___________________________ Thanks to Listenwise and Erikson Institute for sponsoring the episode. To read Luzniak's article about math debates, visit cultofpedagogy.com/debate-math. To find Chris online, visit DebateMath.com. To learn more about The Teacher's Guide to Tech, visit teachersguidetotech.com.
March 1 · 54 min
268: What is a Warm Demander?
When our students face challenges in the classroom, some teachers double down on control and rigor: tighter rules, firmer consequences, higher demands. Others lean toward grace and flexibility: easing up, giving extensions, and softening expectations because they know our students are carrying a lot. But what if the answer isn't either/or? Warm Demander pedagogy is an approach that pairs genuine care and deep relationship-building with unwavering high expectations. It's the belief that students need to feel seen, respected, and valued — and that we honor them most by refusing to lower the bar. In today's episode, I'm joined by educators Marcee Harris and Dr. Wendy Amato. They explain what Warm Demander pedagogy looks like in action, how it supports student agency and productive struggle, and why it's especially relevant for teachers right now. ___________________________ Thanks to Renaissance and SchoolAI for sponsoring the episode. To read Amato and Harris' article about Warm Demander pedagogy, visit cultofpedagogy.com/warm-demanders. To learn more about The Teacher's Guide to Tech, visit teachersguidetotech.com.
February 1 · 44 min
267: How Inquiry-Based Freewriting Can Deepen Student Writing
Teaching students to write well has always been challenging, and newer developments have made it even more difficult: The internet offers unlimited text to plagiarize, standardized testing has pushed us to teach more formulaic writing, and AI constantly offers to do our writing for us. Frustrated with her students' lack of confidence and the robotic style of their writing, language arts teacher Nashwa Elkoshairi tried adding freewriting before and after her inquiry-based units. The results, she says, were dramatic: Students became more confident as writers and their writing developed far more depth and complexity than she'd ever seen before. In this episode, she joins me to talk about how she weaves freewriting into her classroom practice. ___________________________ Thanks to Renaissance and SchoolAI for sponsoring the episode. To read Dr. Elkoshairi's article about how she uses inquiry-based freewriting, visit cultofpedagogy.com/inquiry-based-freewriting. To learn more about Grammar Gap Fillers, visit cultofpedagogy.com/grammar.
January 4 · 1 hr 7 min
266: Six Ed Tech Tools to Try in 2026
We're kicking off the year like we always do, with a round-up of six educational tech tools we think are worth a look. On the list this year: a site that offers fantastic STEM interactives, an AI-powered collaborative writing platform, a free, web-based sound editor, a tool that can turn any text into an infographic, a library of beautifully produced documentaries on current events, and an incredible project that connects makers with people who need assistive devices. My lead technology specialist, Marnie Diem, joins me to talk about them. ___________________________ Thanks to foundry10 and SchoolAI for sponsoring the episode. For links to all six tools and videos showing each one in action, visit cultofpedagogy.com/6-ed-tech-tools-2026. ___________________________ To learn more about The Teacher's Guide to Tech, visit teachersguidetotech.com.
Dec 7, 2025 · 1 hr 10 min
265: Growth Discourse: A Framework for Discussing Hard Topics with Students
We're living in a time when having a difference of opinion is a potential minefield of hurt feelings, emotional outbursts, and severed relationships. If this has caused you to avoid certain topics in your classroom, the growth discourse framework used by the School of Ethics and Global Leadership (SEGL) may offer a way to re-engage in these conversations. In this episode, I talk with SEGL founder Noah Bopp about how the growth discourse model works and how teachers can get started using it. ___________________________ Thanks to foundry10 and SchoolAI for sponsoring the episode. To read a full transcript of this conversation and find links to the growth discourse guidelines and the sample lesson plan we talked about in the episode, visit cultofpedagogy.com/growth-discourse. To learn more about Grammar Gap Fillers, visit cultofpedagogy.com/grammar.
Nov 23, 2025 · 1 hr 20 min
264: How Schools Can Support Neurodivergent Teachers
Neurodivergent educators, like those with ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and other forms of cognitive diversity, are essential voices in our schools. They bring innovation, empathy, and authenticity. Yet they often work within systems that weren't built with them in mind, and this can make the job of teaching especially challenging. In this episode, we'll learn about the strengths neurodivergent teachers bring to the classroom and strategies that help them thrive from Emily Kircher-Morris, who is a mental health professional, neurodiversity advocate, and host of The Neurodiversity Podcast. ___________________________ Thanks to foundry10 and SchoolAI for sponsoring the episode. To read Kircher-Morris's article and a full transcript of our conversation, visit cultofpedagogy.com/neurodivergent-teachers. ___________________________ To learn more about The Teacher's Guide to Tech, visit teachersguidetotech.com.
Nov 9, 2025 · 42 min
263: Five Skills that Get Students to Take Ownership of Their Learning
If we're doing our jobs right as educators, students will gradually become independent, self-directed learners capable of monitoring, directing, and actively participating in building their own learning. But what if that's not happening? What if students continue to lean heavily on their teachers for step-by-step instructions on every task, never really taking the learning process into their own hands, and as a result, limiting their growth to only what their teachers happen to spoon feed them? In this episode, author Zaretta Hammond offers five "learn-to-learn" strategies we can coach in our students, moves that build their learning power and boost their cognitive capacity. ___________________________ Thanks to foundry10 and SchoolAI for sponsoring the episode. To read Hammond's article and get links to the book Rebuilding Students' Learning Power, visit cultofpedagogy.com/learn-to-learn. To learn more about The Teacher's Guide to Tech, visit teachersguidetotech.com.
Oct 26, 2025 · 44 min
262: Three Fresh Strategies That Get Students Engaged With Texts
If your teaching requires students to read or work with texts, and things have gotten a little stale in the engagement department, this episode will give you some great new strategies to try. High school English teachers Susan Barber and Brian Sztabnik once felt the same way, so they curated tons of fun, interactive, interesting text-based activities in their new book, 100% Engagement: 33 Lessons to Promote Participation, Beat Boredom, and Deepen Learning in the ELA Classroom. In this episode, they'll share three of their favorites. ______________________________________________________________ Thanks to Solution Tree and Listenwise for sponsoring the episode. For links to the book 100% Engagement and a full transcript of our conversation, visit cultofpedagogy.com/text-engagement-strategies. To learn more about Grammar Gap Fillers, visit cultofpedagogy.com/grammar.
Oct 12, 2025 · 51 min
261: How and Why to Use Concept Maps
Concept maps are graphic organizers or visual representations of knowledge. They're simple, they're low-tech, and they're incredibly powerful tools for learning. In this episode, cognitive scientist Dr. Kripa Sundar explains why concept maps are so impactful, then shares a handful of specific practices that will help you make the best use of them. Also joining us is Dr. Pooja Agarwal, editor of the book Smart Teaching Stronger Learning, which includes a chapter on concept mapping along with nine other high-impact teaching strategies. ______________________________________________________________ Thanks to Solution Tree and Listenwise for sponsoring this episode. For links to the book and a full transcript of this episode, visit cultofpedagogy.com/concept-maps. To learn more about the Teacher's Guide to Tech, visit teachersguidetotech.com.
Sep 29, 2025 · 1 hr 1 min
260: Seven Teaching Practices that Nurture Student Voice
At a time when test-driven reform has quieted student voices and marginalized perspectives are being pushed aside, we need student voice and agency more than ever. In this episode, I'm joined by Shane Safir, Marlo Bagsik, Sawsan Jaber, and Crystal Watson, authors of the new book, Pedagogies of Voice: Street Data and the Path to Student Agency. The book offers a "seed store" of small, replicable classroom practices that help students reflect, speak, and act with purpose. Each of the four authors shares one or two of their favorite practices that teachers can use right away to help students grow into thoughtful, empowered participants in their learning. ______________________________________________________________ Thanks to Solution Tree and Listenwise for sponsoring this episode. For links to the book and a full transcript of this episode, visit cultofpedagogy.com/pod and choose episode 260.
Sep 14, 2025 · 1 hr
259: Making Project-Based Learning Accessible for Everyone
Project-based learning can be a powerful instructional framework, but it is often structured in ways that exclude students who need a different approach. Too often, PBL becomes a space where accommodations and differentiation fall by the wayside. The good news is that we don't have to abandon PBL or dramatically overhaul it to make it work for diverse learners. In this episode, author and educator John Spencer shares five small but thoughtful structural changes we can make that will allow every student to thrive in a project-based environment. ______________________________________________________________ Thanks to EVERFI and Listenwise for sponsoring this episode. To read John's post, visit cultofpedagogy.com/accessible-pbl. To learn more about the PBL Master Course bundle, click HERE and use the code pedagogy at checkout to take an extra $20 off!
Sep 7, 2025 · 6 min
EduTip 33: Answer more questions with questions.
Answering student questions is faster in the moment, but redirecting is better in the long run. The next time a student asks you a question, pause before answering and see if you can point them toward finding the answer themselves. ------------------- Thanks to Brisk Teaching for sponsoring this tip. You can find written and video versions of these at cultofpedagogy.com/edutips.
Aug 31, 2025 · 46 min
258: The Power of Centering Student Exemplars
Sometimes the best instructional materials are sitting right in our classrooms. At a time when AI threatens to make human writing obsolete, using students' own work as a teaching tool offers a wonderfully authentic alternative. In this episode, educator Marcus Luther joins me to share four ways he uses student exemplars to teach craft lessons, build student confidence, practice giving feedback, and foster a much-needed sense of belonging. ______________________________________________________________ Thanks to Solution Tree and The School Me Podcast for sponsoring this episode. To read Marcus's post and see photos of these practices in his classroom, visit cultofpedagogy.com/student-exemplars.

The Cult of Pedagogy Podcast

276: A Classroom Ritual for Peer Affirmations

275: Three Fresh Ideas for Structuring Professional Development

274: Why School in Denmark is Better, and What We Can Learn from Them

273: The Art of Classroom Timing: 10 Ways to Fit it All In

272: The Replacement Skills Approach: Teaching Behavior Instead of Managing It

271: Meet Ellis: Your On-Demand Classroom Companion

270: Eight Ways to Squeeze Writing Instruction Into a Few Minutes

269: Bringing the Power of Debate to Math Class

268: What is a Warm Demander?

267: How Inquiry-Based Freewriting Can Deepen Student Writing

266: Six Ed Tech Tools to Try in 2026

265: Growth Discourse: A Framework for Discussing Hard Topics with Students

264: How Schools Can Support Neurodivergent Teachers

263: Five Skills that Get Students to Take Ownership of Their Learning

262: Three Fresh Strategies That Get Students Engaged With Texts

261: How and Why to Use Concept Maps

260: Seven Teaching Practices that Nurture Student Voice

259: Making Project-Based Learning Accessible for Everyone

EduTip 33: Answer more questions with questions.

258: The Power of Centering Student Exemplars