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Angela Watson's Truth for Teachers

The podcast designed to speak encouragement and truth into the minds and hearts of educators, and get you informed and energized for the week ahead.
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Angela Watson's Truth for Teachers
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Now displaying: 2024
Oct 27, 2024

Many teachers are already seeing incredible results when their students use artificial intelligence to brainstorm creative project ideas, get instant feedback on their writing, and even generate unique artwork.

The potential is there for a lot of good…but also, a lot of bad. As educators in this particular moment in time, we have a unique opportunity to guide students in harnessing AI’s potential while teaching them to think critically about its limitations and impacts.

In this episode, I’ll explain exactly what to say and do to help students to be thoughtful, tech-savvy learners in an AI-driven world. This kind of instruction could begin as soon as kids are using devices–after all, even an elementary-aged child who’s watching videos on YouTube or playing games from the app store is already being impacted by AI-driven algorithms, images, and text.

Obviously, you don’t need to go into a ton of detail with kids who aren’t using AI, but we’re seeing kids as young as fourth graders discovering ChatGPT and using it for assignments, so I think that an awareness of AI is important for teachers of any age group. And of course, we need to understand it for ourselves as adults, so we’re prepared to be thoughtful and intentional about how we use AI ourselves in our personal lives, and how we allow it to shift the way schools operate.

Listen in for a detailed guide to introducing AI in the classroom, breaking down complex concepts in a way that’s engaging and accessible for students:
Step 1: De-mystify the technology.
Step 2: Set a purpose: why should we care?
Step 3: Spark curiosity and explore possibilities. 
Step 4: Build awareness of limitations and potential problems.
Step 5: Generate guidelines for responsible AI use.
Step 6: Communicate clearly about when it is and isn’t okay to use AI for assignments in your class.

By giving kids an in-depth understanding of AI, you’re going to really increase their buy-in. You’re not just saying “AI is cheating; don’t use it” and trying to police violations and punish students. You’re helping them understand and use it responsibly.
This episode offers a clear roadmap for empowering your students to use AI thoughtfully and responsibly.

Access the written step-by-step guide on the blog.
Get a done-for-you mini unit on introducing students to ethical AI use: https://shop.truthforteachers.com/products/ethical-student-ai-use-guidelines-teach-students-to-use-artificial-intelligence

Oct 13, 2024

When students give up on assignments or get overwhelmed, it’s tough to find ways to help them re-engage.

So, I’ve invited Dr. John Spencer (https://spencereducation.com/) of The Creative Classroom podcast (https://spencereducation.com/podcast/) to help us uncover 5 brain-based ways to help kids who shut down in class. John is a former middle school teacher and current college professor on a quest to transform schools into bastions of creativity and wonder.

Listen in as John and I explore how to:

1. Intentionally cultivate self-empowerment (the ability to self-regulate and self-direct.)

2. Introduce creative constraints when kids are overwhelmed.

3. Use the gradual release model to slowly acclimate students to more self-directed work.

4. Think diagnostically, looking for root causes beyond those related to behavior.

5. Call impromptu workshops when you notice a significant number of students struggling.

Get the shareable article/transcript for this episode here.

 

 

Sep 29, 2024

Starting the school day doesn’t have to be chaotic or rushed. In this episode, I’ll explore how soft starts are transforming classrooms by offering a calm, low-pressure beginning that allows students to ease into their day.


Soft starts accomplish more than just setting a calm tone—they’re a powerful tool for promoting social-emotional learning and giving kids the autonomy they need to feel in control of their learning, fostering self-regulation, self-direction, and self-management.


I’ll break down why this approach is beneficial (and super simple to implement!) for all age groups, from elementary to secondary students, and share practical ways to implement it in your classroom.


Soft starts don’t require a monumental shift in your daily routine, but provide a powerful opportunity to create a foundation of calm, focus, and connection that will ripple through every lesson. 


If you want your students to learn how to gauge their own needs and choose activities at the beginning of class that help meet those needs so they’re prepared to learn, soft starts might be the perfect option.

Get the shareable article/transcript for this episode here.

 

Sep 15, 2024

Ever feel like you're spinning your wheels trying to improve your teaching, but not seeing the results you want?


In this episode, we delve into the transformative power of sequential lesson design with Gretchen Bridgers of Always a Lesson.

Gretchen is a teacher coach and trainer who has spent more than 2 decades mentoring and coaching educators, and leading professional development. has a fantastic podcast called Always a Lesson's Empowering Educators podcast which I often recommend to Truth for Teachers listeners, as there's a lot of overlap between Gretchen's mindset and areas of interest and my own. Her advice is really practical and spot-on. And, she recently published her third book, called, Always a Lesson: Teacher Essentials for Classroom and Career Success.

In our conversation you'll hear today, Gretchen breaks down some key ideas from that book. She counters the common narrative that classroom management is the first and most important thing to nail down, and reveals why lesson design is actually the secret sauce to transforming your classroom. 

Join us as we explore:

The pitfalls of improving instructional skills in isolation
The "Teacher Success Pathway" and its four foundational bricks: lesson design, classroom management, student engagement, and student choice
Why a well-thought-out lesson plan can prevent classroom disruptions before they start
The importance of creating strong habits to free up cognitive load for both teachers and students

Learn how to identify and fill gaps in your current instructional strategies, avoid common pitfalls that even veteran teachers fall into, and use simple ideas like video self-reflection to revolutionize your teaching. Gretchen's fresh take on reusing what works (instead of constantly reinventing the wheel) is a total game-changer for busy teachers.

Get the shareable article/transcript for this episode here.

Sep 1, 2024

Even young students can learn how to understand and combat misinformation, and it's a key information literacy skill in 2024.


In this episode, I'm talking to Melanie Trecek-King of Thinking is Power, because I love how her approach to the topic of misinformation is characterized by compassion and empathy. 


Melanie emphasizes that everyone is susceptible to misinformation, and falling for it doesn't indicate a lack of intelligence. This perspective humanizes those who believe in conspiracy theories or disinformation, so we can view them as people who--like ourselves--have unknowingly accepted false information.

Melanie and I discuss 3 primary reasons we fall for misinformation:

Confirmation Bias: Our tendency to interpret information in ways that confirm our existing beliefs. Once we believe something, we see evidence for it everywhere, reinforcing that belief. Skepticism is crucial for protecting oneself from misinformation, but it's most challenging when information confirms our biases.

Appeals to Emotion: Emotions, particularly anger, outrage, and fear, can trigger the part of our brain that hinders critical thinking. Many forms of misinformation specifically appeal to our emotions to convince us without evidence. When we feel emotionally triggered, it's a good time to slow down and practice emotional skepticism.

Reiteration Effect: Also known as the illusory truth effect, the reiteration effect means that the more we hear something repeated, the more likely we are to think it's true, even if it isn't. Our brain equates ease of processing with truth, so repeated exposure to false information can lead us to believe it.

We also discuss the problem with "doing your own research," and why Melanie sees 2024 as a the post-trust era, not the post-truth era, and how we can respond.

The remainder of our conversation is centered on how to teach information literacy to students. Melanie provides actionable tips and ready-to-use resources to help you:
1. Demonstrate to students that they can be fooled (e.g., through personality reading exercises).
2. Discuss how beliefs are formed using non-triggering examples (e.g., historical witch trials).
3. Include misinformation in lessons to help students recognize its characteristics.
4. Use tools like the FLOATER toolkit to help students evaluate claims systematically.
5. Have students create misinformation to understand its techniques better.

While these concepts are typically taught at the college level, they can be introduced as early as middle school. Even elementary students can begin to understand concepts like author's purpose and recognizing persuasive techniques.

Understanding misinformation is crucial in our daily lives, yet it's often absent from educational standards. Check out Melanie's site for lots of free resources to teach about misinformation using humor and non-triggering approaches to help students recognize it in the real world.

Get the shareable article/transcript for this episode here.

Aug 18, 2024

Yes, we’re talking about accommodations FOR TEACHERS…

I recently asked educators on social media if neurodivergent staff were being offered any support, and folks had a LOT to say! In this episode I’ll share:

  • What we mean when we talk about neurodivergence
  • Why neurodivergence isn’t a deficiency, just a difference
  • What teachers say about accommodations that are (and aren’t) happening in their schools
  • The legal rights that U.S. teachers have under the Americans with Disabilities Act
  • The types of supports you can request and the logistics of making them happen

From there, I’ll share the commonalities and patterns in the response from educators about what’s been helpful and what’s needed.

I’ll talk about the 5 ways schools can offer support to neurodivergent educators and what these recommendations look like in practice:

#1: Allow for flexibility and autonomy, especially within breaks
#2) Designate quiet areas and mitigate the effects of overstimulating environments
#3) Communicate proactively about scheduling and changes
#4: Give clear directives, so the invisible expectations become visible
#5) Differentiate PD and offer topics related to executive function and organization 
Additionally, I’ll make the case for universal design: that’s what good for neurodivergent educators also benefits neurotypical educators, and that these practices can (and should) be implemented school-wide. 


Listen in to hear more about what’s helping neurodivergent teachers thrive, and how to advocate for the support YOU need in your school.

Aug 4, 2024

"Transformative change means feeling different, having different experiences every day, not just little changes that feel like a band-aid."

These are the words of today’s guest, Elena Aguilar, an instructional coach whose latest book is called Arise: The Art of Transformation Coaching. (https://amzn.to/3Srseot) Through her book and our conversation today, you’re invited to teach in a “human-centered, compassionate, wildly optimistic way.”

Listen in as we discuss:

  • What “transformation” looks like and how it applies to the work of classroom teachers
  • Why transformation results from addressing the Three Bs: beliefs, ways of being, and behavior…
  • and why that order matters Which conditions allow for beliefs to change and how we can implement them in our classrooms
  • How our “ways of being” as teachers tie to transformation

As we look toward the start of a new school year, I hope that Elena’s thoughts will help you reimagine what’s possible in your classroom, and create conditions for both student transformations and your own.

Get the shareable article/transcript for this episode here.

 

Jul 21, 2024

Here’s an innovative way to get student buy-in for your cell phone policy, reduce distractions, and maximize class time.

Today you’re going to hear from Ashly Hilst, a secondary teacher at North Clackamas Christian School in Oregon City, Oregon. Ashly has taught high school English for 7 years in both public and private schools. 

For the 2024 Summit for the 40 Hour Teacher Workweek, Ashly unveiled her innovative approach to managing cell phone use in the classroom, and it was so impactful I wanted to make sure more teachers had a chance to hear about it.

Her method focuses on conveying the message that "phones don't make good moments, people do," drawing from personal experiences to connect with students. 

In this episode, you’ll learn from Ashly how to establish clear expectations and consequences for phone use while allowing flexibility and gentle reminders. 

Discover for yourself how Ashly's approach reduces stress levels and enhances the teaching experience by promoting responsible phone habits in the classroom.

Get the transcript + free copy of Ashly’s slideshow here:  https://truthforteachers.com/truth-for-teachers-podcast/how-to-get-true-student-buy-in-for-your-no-cellphone-policy/

Jul 7, 2024

It seems like every tech tool we use has now integrated generative artificial intelligence. Open a Google Doc, you’re prompted to use Gemini to help you write. Read a post on Facebook, Meta prompts you to “ask anything” via their AI. It’s powering our phones and our email, and the customer support chatbots on nearly every website when shopping online and even with utility companies.

AI is everywhere, and it’s designed to help save everyone time. So, why not let it help you in your role as a teacher, too?

I talked at length in episode 304 about the pros, cons, and drawbacks of AI, so if you’re worried about AI, please make sure you listen to that episode for the context. 

In this episode, though, I want to show you possibilities. That’s my job. Your job is to decide what’s right for you and your classroom.

So let’s talk about possibilities. 

Listen in for 5 easy ways I see currently for AI as a tool to automate teachers’ workloads:

  • Differentiation
  • Assessment
  • Writing
  • Tedious tasks
  • Creative expression

And if you’d like to stay up-to-date on all the latest with artificial intelligence, check out the new 40 Hour AI membership.

Get the shareable article/transcript for this episode here.

Jun 23, 2024

We know there’s potential…but let’s talk about the larger implications for the profession.

In this episode, I’m sharing how AI has already transformed the way many teachers work, and exploring the ethics, best practices, and future trends for AI in schools.

Listen in to hear:

  • What surprised me in a survey about schools' AI policies
  • 3 principles that guide my approach to AI
  • Why educators MUST shape the direction of AI (and not leave this to tech companies)
  • My favorite ways to use AI to streamline teaching tasks, including differentiation and assessment
  • When you might want to use ChatGPT in place of a search engine
  • My recommendations for the best free AI tools for teachers
  • 3 crucial mindsets to develop as you plan how to incorporate AI in your work

Let's explore the big picture overview of AI’s impact, its strengths and weaknesses as a tool for teachers, and specific ways fellow educators have used it to reduce their workload responsibly.

Get the shareable article/transcript for this episode here.

Learn about 40 Hour AI here.

Jun 9, 2024

As an educator who's lived and taught in both the US and Denmark, Pernille’s story is a revealing look into two vastly different education systems. Let's unpack her journey and what it tells us about work-life balance, societal values, and teaching philosophies.

You’ll hear:

  • Why Pernille’s family moved to Wisconsin from Denmark when she was a teenager, how she became a teacher in the U.S., and why she and her American husband made the decision in 2022 to move with their four children to Denmark
  • The cultural differences Pernille has noticed living in Denmark, particularly in relation to families, children, work, and school
  • How the Danish school system is set up, including how students are not formally taught to read until the equivalent of 2nd grade in the U.S, and how high school (as Americans understand it) ends around age 15 so students can focus on career training
  • What the school day looks like for Pernille, who is looping with her students through multiple grade levels, including how much instructional vs planning time she has and why Danish teachers are not permitted to work more than 40 hours a week
  • The aspects of the Danish approach to work/life balance that U.S. educators might replicate to make teaching more effective, efficient, and enjoyable

She shares, "In Denmark, being a teacher is about nurturing well-being first—both for students and educators. It's about giving your best within working hours and then fully embracing life at home."

“And, education here isn’t just academics; it’s learning through play, community building, and practical skills that prepare children for real-world challenges from an early age."

I’m always curious about what it’s like to teach in different countries, and if you feel the same, I think you’ll find this informal conversation is a fascinating deep dive into values, priorities, and what it means for kids and teachers to co-thrive.

Click here to read the transcript and participate in the discussion.

May 26, 2024

As the school year comes to a close, we’re taking a step back from practical strategies, and looking at the big picture of K-12 education. Until summer, there’s not a lot of time or mental bandwidth to consider questions like, “What are the larger factors impacting our work? How are other schools handling these challenges? How do we proactively prepare for what’s next and create a vision for where we’re heading, instead of just trying to put out fires all the time?”

In an era of student disengagement and teacher disillusionment, it’s crucial for us to envision a better way of doing school and collectively work to make that vision a reality.

So, in this episode, I’m sharing the statistics around teacher vacancies, student enrollment declines, and budget forecasts, along with the implications for schools.

I’ll then analyze the trends and focuses that we’ll be seeing more of in education in the coming years. Topics covered include:

  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Student safety and mental health
  • Rationalizing and consolidating curriculum
  • Hybrid learning and multi-classroom models
  • The 4-day school week
  • Vocational-technical training and non-college prep
  • Microschools and “schools within a school”

You’ll be invited to reflect on what else might be possible for schools and use your expertise as a teacher to help shape the future of education. Together, we can change the narrative around the profession and find the overlap between what’s best for teachers and what’s best for kids.

Read the blog post for this article here.

May 12, 2024

Bored with your curriculum or instructional routines? I’m talking with Betsy Potash of the Spark Creativity Podcast about easy ways to make things feel fresh and interesting again.

Often we switch things up in our teaching to keep ourselves from getting bored. But, too much change can create unnecessary work for us. It can also waste class time for students as they spend more energy on figuring out how to complete an assignment than on practicing the skills we want them to learn. 

So, Betsy’s identified 5 open-ended activities that you can add to your rotation of go-to strategies, and incorporate them in unique ways throughout the year. We’re talking about how to use the following in gr. 2-12 classrooms:

• podcasts
• stations
• hexagonal thinking
• escape room design
• one-pager

Betsy will definitely spark your creativity as you listen to these easy-to-understand activities which you can plug into the lessons you’re least excited to teach. These ideas will get students actively engaged in learning and boost your energy and enthusiasm as a teacher. 

Click here to read the transcript, see photos of the lesson ideas, and get links to Betsy's templates.

Resources mentioned:

Apr 28, 2024

Click here to read the transcript and participate in the discussion.

Apr 14, 2024

Do you refuse to throw anything out because you MIGHT need it one day, or find yourself holding on to worthless stuff “just in case” you need it?

In this episode, I’ll share 10 things you can get rid of in your classroom this spring to make space for what you actually need and use.

And, I’ll help you establish a mindset of abundance rather than scarcity, so you can approach spring cleaning with a perspective that will help you feel good rather than apprehensive about getting rid of the things you worked so hard to accumulate:

  • I like to streamline and simplify how my classroom runs.
  • I don’t keep things I don’t really need.
  • I could still teach well with a fraction of the materials I’ve accumulated.
  • If there is something that I need later and don’t have, I trust that I will be able to find it again, or borrow it, or be able to do without it just fine.
  • The foundation of my classroom is my energy, enthusiasm, and know-how, not my stuff.
  • I feel good about clearing away the things that drain my energy and enthusiasm by creating a cluttered, disorganized work space.
  • I can let go of things I don’t need in order to make space for things I do.

Click here to read the transcript and participate in the discussion.

Mar 31, 2024

This episode features a sneak peek from one of the upcoming 40 Hour Teacher Workweek Online Summit sessions. You’ll hear from a teacher named June Link, whose session is called, “Clock out confidently: 5 tips to get out the door at contract time.”

In this episode, June shares some helpful principles and mindset shifts, along with the exact process she used to carve out time for a new demand in her workload. June and her colleagues were supposed to implement a new socio-emotional learning curriculum, but needed to find time to explore it, write lesson plans, and figure out how to integrate the new materials into everything else they were doing.

June shares how she estimated how much preparation time she’d realistically need in order to implement this new curriculum, which was 10 hours. Then she explains how she made time for that work during her contractual hours, instead of taking the new curriculum home to figure out on the evenings or weekends.

Listen in to learn about that experiment and more.

Then, save your spot for the 40 Hour Teacher Workweek Online Summit:

✅ 30+ presentations

✅ Opening and closing keynotes by 40 Hour founder Angela Watson

✅ All presenters are current K-12 classroom teachers

✅ No fluff, filler, or pitches: each session is just 15-20 minutes long

✅ Chat with other teachers during the live sessions and get personalized advice

Sign up for the free live Elementary Summit April 5th-6th

Sign up for the free live Secondary Summit April 12th-13th

If you can’t attend live or the event has already passed by the time you see this, you can purchase forever-access to all the sessions (both elementary and secondary), plus get time-stamped transcripts, note-taking guides, and all the presentation links and templates in one document so that you can reference them easily. Forever-access is just $19, and helps cover the cost of running this event and compensating the teachers who share their ideas.

Thank you for your support, and for spreading the word about this event!

Mar 24, 2024

It's the only event focused entirely on saving teachers TIME! Learn from current K-12 teachers as they share their best tips for working more effectively, efficiently, and enjoyably.

The 40 Hour Teacher Workweek program is an online course I first created in 2015 (with a total update in 2020), and we’ve now had tens of thousands of teachers complete the course.

With so many different personality types and teaching contexts, the amount of new ideas to spring out of the course was inevitable. I’ve always been impressed by the tweaks, offshoots, extensions, and transformations teachers have done as they’d made my ideas their own. The Summit is an opportunity for you to learn more about them and their phenomenal work!

The 40 Hour Teacher Workweek Online Summit this April features:

  • Opening and closing keynotes by 40 Hour founder Angela Watson (that's me)
  • 30+ presentations by current K-12 classroom teachers
  • No fluff, filler, icebreakers, or sales pitches
  • Each session is just 15-20 minutes long
  • The ability to chat with other teachers during the live sessions to get personalized advice

This event is entirely online, completely FREE, and beneficial for all K-12 teachers!

Some presenters will take you on a video tour of their classrooms to share organizational tips and classroom routines. Others will screen share their way through tutorials of how they organize digital files, manage assessment, or plan lessons. Still others will give a fast rundown of all their best timesaving tips for grading, differentiation, email, and more.

You can join us LIVE for FREE in April:

Sign up for the free live Elementary Summit April 5th-6th  

Sign up for the free live Secondary Summit April 12th-13th

If you can’t attend a session or want to watch and rewatch at your convenience, the Forever Access Pass will get you all the recordings, plus a notetaking guide, summary of key ideas for each session, full time-stamped transcripts, and special bonuses. It’s just $19 right now (the price will increase once the event begins).

 Your purchase of the Forever-Access Pass helps me recover some of the costs of running this as a free event and paying our presenters. Thank you for your support!

Questions? Check out the FAQ here.

Please share this free event widely with teacher friends and colleagues! Just send folks to join.40htw.com/summit.

Mar 17, 2024

Teachers spend so much time giving feedback to students, but often kids don’t internalize it. They tune out the carefully-crafted written comments on their work, briefly register the grade they earned, and move on.

So how can we help students care about improving their skills and take time to reflect deeply on their learning?

In this episode, you’ll hear how two different teachers have reimagined their instruction to make that possible.

It’s a sneak peek at two sessions from the upcoming 40 Hour Teacher Workweek Online Summit, a FREE event that is focused entirely on saving teachers time, and helping you do your job more effectively and efficiently.

First up, you’ll hear from Andrea Clark. She’s presenting for the elementary Summit in a session called, “Feedback first: Shifting from traditional grading to reflection sessions.” As you’ll hear from Andrea’s description of her fifth graders’ reflection sessions, this is one of the most worthwhile ways she spends her time as a teacher because her students learn so much from it.

Then, you’ll hear from Tanya Jo Woodward. She’s presenting for the secondary Summit in a session called, “7 time savers for IB and AP teachers.” She talks first about how she grades and gives feedback in her high school English classroom while students are working independently on a task or assessment. She also offers tips for helping students self-correct by providing editing stations or peer editing guided sheets.

Like so much of the Summit content, I think you’ll find value in hearing both of these teachers’ experiences, regardless of which grades or content areas you might teach.

Listen in now to hear Andrea and Tanya Jo share the exact processes they’ve used to transform the way their students think about feedback vs. grades.

Then, save your spot for the 40 Hour Teacher Workweek Online Summit.

All sessions are just 15-20 minutes long with no filler, fluff, icebreakers, or pitches. And, all the sessions are presented by current K-12 teachers, with bonus keynotes from me (Angela Watson).

Sign up for the free live Elementary Summit April 5th-6th

Sign up for the free live Secondary Summit April 12th-13th

If you can’t attend live or the event has already passed by the time you see this, you can purchase forever-access to all the sessions (both elementary and secondary), plus get time-stamped transcripts, note-taking guides, and all the presentation links and templates in one document so that you can reference them easily. Forever-access is just $19, and helps cover the cost of running this event and compensating the teachers who share their ideas.

Thank you for your support, and for spreading the word about this event!

Mar 3, 2024

Have you ever noticed how breakthroughs often come when you're not actively trying to find a solution? That's diffuse thinking at work: a relaxed state in which creativity flourishes.

On today’s episode of Truth for Teachers, I’ll share how stepping back can lead us forward. It turns out that intense concentration isn't always the best approach to problem solving, and we can instead let our minds wander through the meandering paths of diffuse thinking.

Focused thinking is a bit like a flashlight—intense & concentrated. Diffuse thinking is like ambient room lighting—gentle & expansive. When you (or students) can’t concentrate, you can harness the power of diffuse thinking. This shift in mindset from focused to diffuse can spark innovation and creativity.

Listen in to discover how to use diffuse thinking when you've pushed your limits in focused thinking, and harness the power of diffuse thinking overnight during sleep. (Your dreams can be a powerful tool for problem-solving, too!)

You’ll also hear how you can teach your students to tap into the power of diffuse thinking. I’ll share how to incorporate "thinking walks" into your instruction, try skygazing with students as a productive mental break, prime students for their next lesson with a question that requires diffuse thinking.

Click here to read the transcript and participate in the discussion.

 ——

If you teach at the secondary level, check out my 10 lesson unit on Focused Attention. It includes a lesson on harnessing the power of diffuse thinking which takes just 15-20 minutes to implement. The resource has slides you show to your class which explain everything for you and guides you through the activities, including a student journal page that helps kids reflect on the topic. In this unit, students will also learn that it’s okay to struggle with focusing their attention, and learn how to:

  • Take productive breaks from concentration
  • Create healthy phone habits and manage distractions
  • Use movement to do better focused work
  • Build concentration stamina
  • Tolerate and push through boredom and procrastination

Download the PDF brochure about Finding Flow Solutions to share with your administrators and get school funding for the curriculum.

 

Feb 18, 2024

There has been a significant increase in mental health issues among young people in America since 2012, including anxiety, depression, self-harm, suicide attempts, and suicide. Contrary to popular belief, these trends started before the pandemic, with rates of major depression among teens doubling between 2011 and 2019. Girls and young women are more likely to experience these issues, and the gender gap has been widening.

The introduction of smartphones and social media around 2012 is believed to be a major factor in the decline of mental wellbeing, as it has led to less face-to-face interaction, increased sleep deprivation, and constant exposure to social media.

Dr. Jean Twenge has conducted extensive research in this area. She’s a renowned psychologist and scholar who specializes in generational differences and technology based on a dataset of 39 million people, and has published more than 180 articles and books.

In our conversation, Jean emphasizes the need for conversations about healthy phone and screen habits, as well as the importance of setting clear rules and boundaries for phone use.

We talk extensively about getting student and parent buy-in around Jean’s recommendation that cell phones be banned in school from bell-to-bell, including during lunch time and breaks. Jean asserts that the research supports this policy, and emphasizes that it should be school-wide and not left to individual teachers to enforce. 

Despite the challenges, we discuss our hopes for Gen Z and what makes Jean optimistic about the future. She encourages educators to take the mental health crisis seriously and understand that it is not just our perception or feeling that something is wrong.

Her challenge is for educators to help students understand the love-hate relationship they have with their phones, and provide structure and clear rules to help them navigate technology in a healthy way.

Click here to read the transcript and participate in the discussion.

Feb 4, 2024

“Making a conscious and intentional effort to tap into your own personal power and being courageous” is the way today’s guest defines “teaching like yourself.”

I’m talking with Dr. Gravity Goldberg, whom you might remember from a 2019 interview I did, which ended up being one of the most downloaded Truth for Teachers episodes ever. It’s Episode 171, called “Teach like yourself: Why YOU are the person your students need most.”

Gravity has over 20 years of teaching experience, including positions as a science teacher, reading specialist, third grade teacher, special educator, literacy coach, staff developer, assistant professor, educational consultant, and yoga teacher. Gravity holds a B.A. and M.Ed. from Boston College and a doctorate from Teachers College. As the founding director of Gravity Goldberg, LLC she leads a team that offers side-by-side coaching and workshops that focus on teachers as decision-makers and student-led instruction. 

Since our last conversation, Gravity — who has authored 9 books on teaching — has released a new title called Active Learning: 40 Teaching Methods to Engage Students in Every Class and Every Subject, which she co-wrote with the late Barry Gilmore. 

We touch a bit on that book and what Gravity’s working on now, but I thought of this conversation as a “Teach Like Yourself, Revisited”. I wanted to know how her thinking has changed around this topic, and the role authentic teaching plays now. Listen in as we discuss:

  • How “teaching like yourself” (making a conscious and intentional effort to tap into your own personal power and being courageous) is more important now than ever
  • What Gravity has learned about authentic teaching and learning since publishing her book on that topic Has she changed her mind on anything? What would she add?
  • How teachers can integrate engagement strategies in a way that feels authentic and meaningful, rather than just tossing something into their instructional day because they think (or are told) they should
  • The impact of authenticity on students, and specific, practical ways we can make sure students are able to be their true, authentic selves in the classroom

Click here to read the transcript and participate in the discussion.

Jan 21, 2024

Do you feel like self-advocacy among students is a pervasive problem? As in, if students don’t know what to do, they won’t ask questions or seek out more information … they’ll just sit there and do nothing. If something is challenging, they don’t seem to be interested in improving their skills, or learning for the sake of learning. They just give up. 

In response to this, many teachers feel like they have to work harder than their students are working. They have to keep going the extra mile to make lessons personalized and engaging and put all these additional supports and interventions in place to help students be successful, all while many of their students are doing the bare minimum.

I’ve spent a lot of time over the past few years exploring this phenomenon, and why it’s becoming more and more common. The more that I learn about student disengagement, the more I am convinced that the solution is NOT to put the onus on teachers to make their lessons more engaging and personalized. An amazing lesson isn’t going to get through to a kid who’s not willing to engage in any mental effort.

Is it possible to teach kids how to take initiative and persevere through difficult tasks?

Absolutely. I’ll share what I’ve learned in this podcast episode.

I’m also sharing 2 free resources for implementing the practices in this episode with your students:

  1. Attend a free online training with me!
    • I’m conducting two in February, one for middle school teachers and one for high school teachers. Both are designed to help you reimagine student engagement in your classroom, and rethink what might be possible for your students. A replay link will be sent to everyone who registers, so if you miss it or don’t see this podcast until it’s over, catch the replay by signing up at FindingFlowSolutions.com.
  2. Download a free 5 lesson unit and try it out with your students

Click here to read the transcript and participate in the discussion.

Jan 7, 2024

I’m back from my sabbatical and excited to share how I used my time off and what I’m planning for 2024! I’m sharing more about my personal daily art practice in December (which I plan to continue) and time with family over the holidays.

I also discuss my approach for the new year, which is flexible intentionality. I want to be deliberate about where I invest my time while holding plans loosely and staying open to necessary adjustments.

Additionally, you’ll hear what I’m working on for 2024, including:

  •  Why I moved the 40 Hour Teacher Workweek Online Summit to spring instead of summer and how the event is changing this year
  • My vision for free online trainings throughout the year on Finding Flow Solutions (my curriculum line to help students manage their focused attention, time, and energy). The first workshops are happening in February for middle and high school teachers!
  • The new 40 Hour AI course that will kick off this summer to help you feel confident about streamlining your work via artificial intelligence. Each month throughout the 2024-2025 school year, you’ll spend 30 minutes learning best practices live with me online and 30 minutes afterward experimenting, asking questions, and sharing ideas. Since I’ll have curated the best tools and prompts for you, just this one hour a month of training + experimentation will equip you to trim hours off your workload in a thoughtful, responsible, and ethical way.
  • The new option I’m offering for the Truth for Teachers Daily Encouragement podcast. If you want daily audio messages of encouragement from me, you can pay $3.99/month through Spotify OR you can now make a one-time payment of $19.99. Either way, you’ll get access to the entire podcast feed (going back to September) AND new daily episodes from now until that podcast ends on June 7th, 2024.

I’ve got some awesome guests and topics lined up for you here on the bi-weekly Truth for Teachers podcast for 2024, as well. Listen in to hear more about what I’m focusing on. Happy New Year!

Click here to read the transcript and participate in the discussion.

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