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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Oct 30, 2016 · 21 min
54: Is Your Lesson a Grecian Urn?
I've got a bit of a rant to share with you in this episode, and it has something to do with Grecian Urns. Chances are you have one or more of these in your lesson plans, and in this episode I'm going to help you find them and get rid of them.
Oct 16, 2016 · 51 min
53: How to Approach Your Teaching Like a Master Chef
If we want to make our content really relevant to students, we need to design our instruction the way a chef orchestrates a good meal. Rather than giving in to the educational equivalent of processed food, we could be putting more thought into preparing our lessons, from the appetizer all the way to dessert. In this episode, I interview John Stevens and Matt Vaudrey, authors of the book The Classroom Chef. They talk about how they evolved from teaching uninspired, by-the-book lessons to preparing learning experiences that truly engage students. If you're starting to feel like you're phoning in your lessons, you won't want to miss this one.
Oct 2, 2016 · 22 min
52: Is Your Classroom Academically Safe?
So much of learning depends on whether your students feel comfortable taking risks. In this episode, I share some suggestions for making your classroom an academic safe space.
Sep 18, 2016 · 28 min
51: CommonLit's Online Library of Free Texts
If you're always looking for short, high-quality informational and literary texts to use in your classroom, you are going to love the free online library at CommonLit. In this episode, I interview CommonLit founder Michelle Brown to talk about why she started the platform and walk through all of the wonderful features that help teachers get the most out of this growing library of texts.
Sep 4, 2016 · 44 min
50: Using Playlists to Differentiate Instruction
If you're trying to figure out an easy way to manage differentiated instruction, this episode will be a big help. Teacher Tracy Enos explains how she uses student playlists--customized, digital lists of assignments she assigns to students based on their individual needs. A playlist might contain links to videos, online articles, or interactive lessons that live somewhere online. It could also include reading assignments from actual physical books or even written exercises that come from a station or center in the classroom. Playlists could be used for any grade level and any subject area.This is definitely a system worth considering for any classroom!
Aug 21, 2016 · 1 hr 4 min
49: How Dialogue Journals Build Teacher-Student Relationships
Dialogue journals are a simple but powerful tool for building trust with your students and sustaining that relationship all year long. In this episode I talk with teacher Liz Galarza about how she uses these journals in her classroom and the research she's doing about how they shift the power dynamic in the classroom.
Aug 7, 2016 · 47 min
48: Implementing a Classroom Management Plan that Works
An interview with Michael Linsin, creator of the Smart Classroom Management website. Michael shares his insights about how to design and implement an effective classroom behavior plan.
Jul 3, 2016 · 1 hr
47: Black Girls and School: We Can Do Better
Are we meeting the needs of black girls in our schools? In this interview with author Monique Morris, we talk about her book Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools, the 2016 selection for the Cult of Pedagogy Summer Book Study. Dr. Morris explains how far too many teachers lack the cultural competence to understand and meet the needs of black girls, the damaging long-term effects of this dynamic, and what we can do to change this.
Jun 5, 2016 · 23 min
46: The Gut-Level Teacher Reflection
If you're trying to figure out exactly what you need to improve about your teaching, it helps to listen to your body. In this episode, I walk you through 5 questions about key areas of your teaching to help you uncover trouble spots, then create a plan of action to improve them.
May 26, 2016 · 27 min
45: Ten Ways to Sabotage Your Classroom Management
If you're finding that your classroom management seems to be a problem no matter what you do, there's a good chance you might be doing something to get in your own way. Here are 10 mistakes teachers make that can undermine even the best classroom management system.
May 15, 2016 · 39 min
44: Bring Podcasts Into Your Classroom with Listen Current
If you've ever thought about using podcasts as classroom texts, but didn't have time to find the right ones, you're going to be blown away by Listen Current, a website that curates the best podcasts of public radio and wraps each one with classroom-ready materials. In this episode, I talk to Listen Current founder and CEO Monica Brady-Myerov about what the site offers to teachers.
May 1, 2016 · 20 min
43: How to Make Better Use of Twitter
For educators, Twitter is part of an essential 21st century toolkit, but so many people don't know how to use it well. In this episode, I share six ways to make better use of Twitter. I'll also tell you about a new online course I have created that shows you exactly how to do those six things, plus a whole lot more.
Apr 24, 2016 · 30 min
42: Kindergarten Redshirting
Many parents opt to "redshirt" or delay their child's entrance into kindergarten. This practice is generally seen as beneficial to a child's success in school, but how does it impact their overall happiness later in life? In this episode, I interview Dr. Suzanne Jones, who studied the perceived life satisfaction of adolescent boys who were redshirted at kindergarten compared with those who could have been, but were not.
Apr 11, 2016 · 18 min
41: Student-Made E-Books
When choosing end-of-unit or end-of-year assessments, we often fall back on essays, presentations, or tests. In this episode, I'll teach you how your students can easily create PDF e-books to demonstrate their learning, and 12 different ideas for the kinds of projects they can do with these.
Apr 3, 2016 · 26 min
40: How to Stop Yelling at Your Students
Do you yell at your students (or your own children) more often than you want to? I'll share some techniques that can help you stop yelling, and the research on why you should.
Mar 20, 2016 · 18 min
39: How to Plan Outstanding Tech Training for Teachers
What are the best practices in tech training for teachers? In this episode, I interview three technology integration specialists to hear what they've learned about the most effective methods for planning and delivering ed tech training in schools. Thanks to Sarah Thomas, Rodney Turner, and Craig Badura for sharing their experiences!
Mar 6, 2016 · 51 min
38: The Library that Increased Student Use by 1,000 Percent
To adapt to changing student needs, some school libraries are reinventing themselves as makerspaces. But the principal of one Ohio middle school had something slightly different in mind. In this episode, I interview two educators who completely changed the function of their school library and saw its average daily student use grow from 10 to over 100.
Feb 20, 2016 · 28 min
37: How to Motivate Students: Five Questions for Teachers
If we know what works to motivate students, why are so many students still unmotivated? These five questions will help you determine if your practice is really in line with research.
Feb 8, 2016 · 33 min
36: How I Teach Argumentative Writing
Hundreds of thousands of teachers are required to teach students the art of argumentative or persuasive writing. As an experienced writing teacher, I want to share my own best practices in this area. In this episode, I'll take you step by step through my process for teaching argumentative essay writing.
Jan 25, 2016 · 34 min
35: Six Ed Tech Tools to Try in 2016
While working on the update of my book, The Teacher's Guide to Tech, I learned about a whole lot of tools that can make your teaching more efficient and effective. Here are six of my favorites.

The Cult of Pedagogy Podcast

54: Is Your Lesson a Grecian Urn?

53: How to Approach Your Teaching Like a Master Chef

52: Is Your Classroom Academically Safe?

51: CommonLit's Online Library of Free Texts

50: Using Playlists to Differentiate Instruction

49: How Dialogue Journals Build Teacher-Student Relationships

48: Implementing a Classroom Management Plan that Works

47: Black Girls and School: We Can Do Better

46: The Gut-Level Teacher Reflection

45: Ten Ways to Sabotage Your Classroom Management

44: Bring Podcasts Into Your Classroom with Listen Current

43: How to Make Better Use of Twitter

42: Kindergarten Redshirting

41: Student-Made E-Books

40: How to Stop Yelling at Your Students

39: How to Plan Outstanding Tech Training for Teachers

38: The Library that Increased Student Use by 1,000 Percent

37: How to Motivate Students: Five Questions for Teachers

36: How I Teach Argumentative Writing

35: Six Ed Tech Tools to Try in 2016