This podcast, sponsored and operated by the Center for Professional Education of Teachers (or CPET) at Teachers College, aims to tackle the educational issues of the day with educational experts, inside and outside of the classroom. These weekly podcasts will provide new possibilities for your class…
We discuss current debates over integration that are emerging nation-wide through the battle for integration in New York City's District 3. We also examine the new NYC Chancellor's response to protests over integration, and discuss what it means for NYC schools, what it means about parents in the fight for integraiton, and what the future may hold as our schools become more diverse.
Both national and state governments decry the American educational system compared to others; therefore, we take a long hard look at the American educational system in an international context to understand the differences between the U.S. and the rest of the world. We focus on schooling structure, school investment, school performance, and the connection between education and the labor market.
We discuss why students have aversions to math, where they come from, and what teachers can do to break down these barriers.
We discuss what has and has not changed policywise and discursively since the Parkland shooting and March for Our Lives. After this discussion, our crew tries to unpack the way forward and what teachers can do.
We discuss what teachers can and should do over the summer. With such a draining job during the school year, sometimes teachers don't use their summer in a way that recharges them for the upcoming school year. We want to share our tried and true practices for optimizing that summer time for your health and work!
We discuss the process for end of year reflections for teachers, and how they impact the sustainability of the teaching profession. With the focus on teacher evaluations and students' academic performance, it can be difficult for teachers to find time to look inward. We probe different frameworks to make these reflections as easy as possible and to prepare teachers for continued success.
We discuss effective ways to end the school year with an emphasis on celebrating student accomplishments. We then discuss how to set up students and their families to carry those good feelings through the summer.
We discuss group work in classrooms while trying to highlight best practices that we have seen throughout the city, including heterogeneous and homogeneous groupings. The podcast contains multiple interviews with CPET coaches offering their unique takes. Each take provides a different framework for approaching group work during classwork for the most effective results.
We discuss the relationship between education and technology in the 21st century with a focus the ways technology manifests in classrooms. We then discuss possible strategies for best preparing students for the 21st century.
We discuss the prevalence of school shootings over the last two decades, the commonalities, and why schools have often been sites. We then discuss student responses to the latest shootings, policy debates over action, and how teachers can continue forward in this chaotic climate.
We discuss the difficulties in teaching for early career teachers and the limits of school-based support given the varied and challenging nature of the job. We then explore the nature of CPET's initiative the New Teacher Network, and the ways the Network supports teachers within their first three years.
We discuss the ways in which the digital world is affecting/influencing the educational lives of today's youth and contemplate the role of educators in this everchanging landscape. We also discuss some of the most recognizable changes in education due to the digital age, predict what may come, and speculate on how educators will continue to shape educational opportunities.
We discuss the changes at the Federal Department of Education with a focus on specific policy changes and the broader cultural shift that appears to be happening under the DeVos and Trump regime. We then expand our discussion to include the current national debate over whether or not teachers should be armed.
We discuss the different pressures teachers face, as well as the ways those pressures impact student learning and social-emotional development. We also discuss how teachers can counteract the specific stressors in their lives and their work, and how to make teaching a sustainable profession.
We discuss the different dynamics in education, how they affect the classroom, student identity formation, and the long-term cultural impact of our institutions as they are. From there, we explore the growing consciousness of equity and how this impacts the ways we think about gender considering changing notions of gender identity and the #MeToo movement.
We discuss different spaces of learning and non-traditional pedagogies that expand student learning and the ways students view education. We dive into Literacy Unbound and the potential for theater in the classroom as well as museums as sites for learning.
We discuss the difference between bilingual and bicultural education with an emphasis on what the different pedagogies mean for learners and teachers as well as deconstructing specific pedagogical practices that help students learn best.
We discuss the different forms of school discipline, nationwide trends, and the possible alternatives to traditional forms of discipline in school. With a deep dive into practical classroom experience and the theoretical underpinnings of discipline, our group makes recommendations for moving forward and better serving students.
We discuss how to keep your students talking at the elementary, middle, and high school levels with insight from two of CPET's most experienced coaches, Dr. Cristina Compton and Denise Daniels. Learn how to manage the classroom, support student learning, and let students own the conversation.
We discuss how teachers have long held a place in the American psyche, and how representations of teachers, schools, students, and classrooms have changed in the digital age. We interrogate these media representations and analyze the impacts they have had on schools, students, classrooms, and teachers as well as what this could mean for the profession going forward.
We discuss the changes in New York State and New York City policy following the implementation of ESSA in the state. We also review the changes in the Quality Review and PPO for the 2017-2018 school year and beyond. Though we take New York as a test site, we discuss the implication of these changes within the broader trends currently in education and what this could mean going forward.
We discuss the historical creation of segregated schools and districts. From there, we interrogate the problems segregated schools have created and the successful implementation of desegregation to frame a conversation around current policy possibilities for moving forward with integrated schools.
We discuss all the different forms of school choice, where "school choice" takes place, and how the educational landscape is shifting to a more market-based system, while placing iterations of school choice within an historical context. We further unpack the implications of school choice movements for education, including how it affects traditional public schools.
We discuss the importance of the teacher/parent relationship and ways to overcome barriers to effective parent teacher relationships. We also unpack the best ways to communicate with parents and how to carve out specific roles in the classroom for parents.
We discuss what Carol Dweck's research indicates about a growth mindset and how it can be used in the classroom. We also look critically at the concept, outlining its shortfalls and the possible problems it calls.
We discuss the different pressures teachers face, as well as the ways those pressures impact student learning and social-emotional development. We also discuss how teachers can counteract the specific stressors in their lives and their work, and how to make teaching a sustainable profession.
We discuss the different testing mandates on teachers, and the ways they affect the daily interactions with students, other teachers, and administrators. In this episode, Dr. Cristina Compton, Dr. Kang, and Brian offer tangible strategies for teaching "beyond the test" and helping students do their best.
We discuss the student publication process and what projects within the Student Press Initiative (SPI) look like. Dr. Cristina Compton and Jen DeCerff also share their personal experiences as SPI coaches in the classroom with students and teachers. Throughout our discussion, we highlight the various types of SPI projects, how to bring SPI to your school or classroom, and the challenges and joys that define this work. Featuring Matt Kautz with: Dr. Cristina Compton Jennifer DeCerff
We discuss some of the focuses of CPET's Youth Inc. initiative, including our work on Rikers Island, the school-to-prison pipeline, carceral education, and steps we can take going forward. Courtney Brown & Greg Benoit share their personal accounts of working within the school system on Rikers Island, and enumerate the challenges of education in our current carceral system. Featuring Matt Kautz with: Greg Benoit Courtney Brown
We discuss the differences between bullying and inappropriate behavior, the most prevelant forms of bullying, and effective responses from educators. Throughout the episode, we dive into the specifics of support for the student who has been bullied and the bully, including handling of cyber-bullying. Head to our website (tc.edu/cpet) for more resources on this topic, including ones we use in our own work. For those looking to develop specific plans to support students who have been bullied in your school, please use the UCLA psychology link. Featuring Matt Kautz with: Jorge Beltran G. Faith Little
We cover the changes from No Child Left Behind (NCLB) to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), including the new changes made by current Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. We spend more time discussing the process for state plans submitted to the federal government for authorization, and pay special attention to trends emerging in submitted state plans, as well as how these plans differ from when the mandates and markers of academic progress came from the federal government. This episode concludes with a discussion of how the federal government is still able to influence state-level policy through additional funding opportunities and pro-choice initiatives. Featuring Matt Kautz: Dr. Roberta Langer Kang Brian Veprek
With school, parent, teacher, and peer pressure constantly bombarding students, we are left to wonder how to teach students amidst all these pressures. To figure it out, we identify the specific ways these different pressures affect students' social and emotional health, and tangible ways for how teachers and schools can address these issues. Featuring Matt Kautz with: G. Faith Little Jacqui Stolzer Brian Veprek
We discuss the contemporary political climate, and how teachers can try to navigate it. First, we unpack how today's political issues find their way into classrooms, how they manifest, and how teachers can respond.
In this podcast, Brian interviews an NTN teacher about the early career experiences of teachers and the support of NTN. Music courtesy of http://www.bensound.com/
In this Americanah podcast, Roberta, Faith, Marcelle, and Courtney unpack the format of the novel, gender roles, and other important text to life connections. Music courtesy of http://www.bensound.com/
In this week’s podcast, Roberta, Faith, and Matt unpack the proposed educational budgets and plans of the Trump and DeVos agenda while spending some time exploring what this means for NY state’s ESSA plan. Music courtesy of http://www.bensound.com/
In this episode, Nick, Courtney, Roberta, and Matt discuss what happens to student learning over the summer and possible solutions. Music courtesy of http://www.bensound.com/
In this episode, Matt sits down with current educators to discuss their professional development experience. Together, they unpack what makes strong professional development and how we can all work together going forward to improve professional development for educators. Music courtesy of http://www.bensound.com/
In this episode, Courtney, Faith, and Brian discuss the PPR process, the PPO, and systems for school accountability and growth in the larger American educational system. Music courtesy of http://www.bensound.com/
In this episode, Roberta and Matt discuss Quality Reviews with a gaggle of NYC teachers and explore the difficulties of school reviews. NYC Quality Review Rubric Additional Resources to NYC Quality Review OECD Recommendations for School Evaluation EDWeek: A Better Way to Assess Schools Music courtesy of http://www.bensound.com/
In this week's podcast, Brian, Roberta, Cristina, and Matt delve into the Framework for Great Schools in New York City. They unpack the nuance of the framework and think about its implications for schools and teachers. Music courtesy of http://www.bensound.com/
In this podcast, the CPET book club analyzes descriptions of race in Americanah. To move this conversation, each participant brings his or her own perspective to bear and considers the significance of race presented in the novel in the current American context. Music courtesy of http://www.bensound.com/
In this week's episode, Brian, Denise, Roberta, and Matt discuss the teacher evaluation process and the intricacies of teacher evaluation policies. Music courtesy of http://www.bensound.com/
In this episode, Denise, Brian, and Matt discuss grading practices in the classroom, including the history and philosophy behind different grading systems and impact these styles can have on students. Here are some links to topics in today’s podcast: Vanderbilt Center for Teaching’s Recommendation on Grading Jay Matthews on the flaws of an A-F grading scale and why it will stay New York Times: History of College Grade Inflation History of Higher Ed Grading Washington Post: Study shows high school grades best predictor of success NEA: GPA and non-cognitive skills best predictor of success Music courtesy of http://www.bensound.com/
In this podcast, the CPET book club unpacks Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Americanah. Using targeted questioning and key passages from the first two parts of the novel, the book club explores the literal and symbolic value of hair, the difficulties of depression, and the complicated nature of race. Music courtesy of http://www.bensound.com/
In this episode, Roberta, Brian, Cristina, and Matt discuss cultivating a learning classroom culture through dynamic, ongoing assessment as well as how to manage meaningful assessment with your personal life. Music courtesy of http://www.bensound.com/
Much has been made recently of the impact of standardized tests on students, but the reality is more complex than the mainstream conversation. In this podcast, the CPET team tackles the history of standardized testing, break down the way standardized testing theoretically helps students and communities, analyze the ways it hurts students and communities, and discuss the contradictory and complex paths teachers have to navigate.
In this episode, Roberta, Brian, and Matt discuss Common Core and its impact for teachers.
In this episode, Roberta, Brian, and Matt discuss the complex web enveloping teachers in the Trump era.
In this episode, Roberta, Cristina, and Matt discuss the growing push towards disciplinary literacy, the positives and negatives, and its impact for teachers. Music courtesy of http://www.bensound.com/