SparkChasers: Teaching through the Creative Mindset

Art supplies can be broken down into two categories: Consumable and non-consumable. Non-consumable art supplies are things like scissors, paper punches, staplers, etc. Consumable art supplies or materials are items such as crayons, markers, pencils, etc. In today's episode, we're walking through our favorite consumable essential arts integration supplies, as well as how you can gather and organize them without a lot of upfront cost. Find all the show notes, links to recommended supplies, and more at artsintegration.com/sparkchasers 

Creative Boundaries may seem like an oxymoron, but they actually serve in a symbiotic relationship. When we think of creativity, we might picture a person somewhat frazzled - their hair is askew, their clothes covered in paint, or they haven't slept in days because they are so caught up in their craft. But the reality is that some of the world's most creative people have very structured boundaries for their work.  In today's episode, we're going to dive into ways that boundaries can actually help your creative spirit thrive. Get all the show notes at artsintegration.com/sparkchasers/

When Danielle Coke's illustrations on Instagram took off, she wasn't quite sure what happened. Within one week in 2019, she increased her following by 300,000 people. Turns out, her art was also sharing a message. In today's episode, Danielle shares how she uses her gift for illustration and infographics as a means for encouraging dialogue around social justice. Her artivism is helping bridge divides and connect hundreds of thousands of people. And she says you can do it, too. Get all the show notes for today's episode at artsintegration.com/sparkchasers/

Not all children learn the same. And Dr. Shaun Woodly is on a mission to help teachers build connections and support all of their students reach their greatest potential. Tune into this episode where we'll chat about his Teach, Hustle, Inspire movement and how it's having a positive impact in culturally diverse classrooms everywhere. Get all the show notes and extra details at artsintegration.com/sparkchasers/

Be honest: when you think about math, do you have the urge to suddenly shrink and move to the back of the room? Well, art educator Ruth Byrne wants to change that. In today's episode, you'll hear Ruth explain how her passion project for Froebel's Gifts has truly made the biggest impact on her teaching this year.  This is also a great preview of her upcoming 2021 Summer Arts Integration and STEAM conference session. Trust me, you're going to love it. 

If you've been curious about how to use movement and dance with your students, but are nervous about the process, Shelly Hutchinson has a message for you. In today's episode, you'll hear Shelly's best ideas for successfully incorporating dance into the classroom. Get all the show notes and details at artsintegration.com/sparkchasers

Is there an event in your life you need to forgive? After the year we've had, many educators are left feeling drained, bitter, and even angry. Yet, no one is sharing how teachers can deal with these feelings. In this episode, we'll be talking about a strategy called Collect, Connect, and Correct the Dots that may give us all the ability to process what has happened and move to a better emotional place. Get all the show notes at artsintegration.com/sparkchasers

If you’re looking for a new job, today’s episode is going to be so helpful. We’re diving into my best interview tips for landing your dream job. Having interviewed for more positions than I can count - including teaching, administration, and business positions - and being the one doing the hiring, these suggestions are the ones I’ve found to be most successful in getting that job. Get all the show notes at artsintegration.com/sparkchasers/

Want to use STEAM in your classroom, but feel overwhelmed? Start by setting up these STEAM structures and organization tips from experts in the field. Visit artsintegration.com/sparkchasers for the full list of resources from this episode.

Schoolhouse Rock. Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood. Sesame Street? What do these all have in common? They are a great example of what’s now coined Edutainment. And while this isn’t new, Edutainment has taken on a whole new evolution as access to learning has become more open in the past 3 decades. Everything from TED Talks to CreativeLive to rock concerts for teacher PD has emerged as a way to make learning more fun. But are we on a dangerous slope? In this episode, we’re diving into this controversial topic and getting curious about what edutainment means for students in 21st-century classrooms. Get all the show notes and research at artsintegration.com/sparkchasers

What’s the one thing most teachers dread more than anything else? The words “new initiative”. More often than not, there’s rolled eyes and inward groans. Not because teachers are afraid of change. But because teachers know that those two words typically mean we’re building the plane while flying it. There’s not a sequential plan of action that also takes into account what is already happening in the school.    This is a common barrier for arts integration and STEAM as well. And the very best way I’ve found to jump that hurdle is through the CBAM model. In this episode, we'll chat about what CBAM is and how you can use it in your school to guide change. Get all the show notes at artsintegration.com/sparkchasers

Have you ever received leadership coaching? If not, there's a simple model that has the potential to transform educational leadership: The Be, Do, Have model. If you feel like you’re a bit stuck - like you know what you want but you just can’t seem to get there - Be, Do, Have may help you unlock that door. Find all the resources and show notes at artsintegration.com/sparkchasers

April is National Poetry Month and if you're looking for fresh ideas for exploring poetry in your classroom, this episode is for you. We're sharing 6 ways to teach poetry through arts integration. Get all the show notes, links, and details at artsintegration.com/sparkchasers/

It's that time of year again in education - testing season. Regardless of how you feel about the topic, it's clear that testing is tough on students and teachers alike. In this episode, Susan walks you through 3 arts strategies to help make the testing process a little less anxious for all. View all the links, resources, and show notes at artsintegration.com/sparkchasers

Curious about who's coming to the 2021 Summer Arts Integration and STEAM Online Conference? Tune in as Conference Coordinator Holly Valentine and Susan Riley chat about this year's keynotes, hands-on session, and the all-new teacher swag for participants! Get all the details at artsintegrationconference.com 

If there's one thing 2020 taught us all, it was that education reform is a "must-have" item. But if you're nervous about the ramifications of advocacy, it can be hard to start speaking up. In this episode, educator and activist Nicholas Ferroni shares how we can all be a part of re-forming education change efforts no matter what size our platform. Find the full episode show notes at artsintegration.com/sparkchasers/

Ever wonder what your students REALLY think about learning during a pandemic? Tune in as Susan interviews her middle-school daughter for an unfiltered and honest student point of view. Get all the shownotes and questions (so you can ask your own students) at artsintegration.com/sparkchasers 

Michelle Emerson from Pocketful of Primary is on a mission to help teachers move from feeling overwhelmed to feeling empowered. In today's episode, she's sharing her number one productivity tip and game-changing mindset shifts to help you become the best educator possible. For the full list of show notes and resources, head over to artsintegration.com/sparkchasers/

This week, learn a simple 3-step framework that will save time in your curriculum and increases success with arts integration and STEAM. And great news - you can earn a 1 hour PD certificate just for listening! Head over to artsintegration.com/sparkchasers for all the show notes and details.

Curious about becoming an arts integration specialist? In this episode, Susan shares the inside scoop on what the role is like, what you can do with a certification in this field, and even bust some misconceptions along the way. Get all the show notes at artsintegration.com/sparkchasers/

Ready to supercharge your arts integration efforts? Today, we're chatting about 5 BIG mistakes teachers typically make with arts integration and specific action steps you can take to sidestep these obstacles. Go to artsintegration.com/sparkchasers for all the show notes and resources from this episode.

Arts Integration Certification enrollment is now open for a limited time. Are you wondering if this is the right next step for you? Tune in as Dr. Typhani Harris and Susan Riley chat about this program and how it's impacted hundreds of alumni. For more information, visit ArtsIntegration.com/certification

Want to create a high-energy, action-packed learning experience in 2 weeks or less? Try a Pop-Up Lesson! In this week's show, you'll learn how you can use the ideas from Pop-Up Restaurants and Groups to build a purposeful learning experience for your students. Visit artsintegration.com/sparkchasers for the show notes and links to more resources.

If you've ever wondered how to have success with an online teacher business - whether it's a TpT side hustle or a full-fledged education business - this episode is for you. Today, we're getting real about becoming an empowered CEO teacher with Kayse Morris. Kayse Morris is the founder of the CEO Teacher, an online space dedicated to helping educators change their lives by learning how to market their online teacher businesses. She does an incredible job of breaking down the process of creating and selling teacher resources online, and then helping teachers build their mindset and their marketing muscles to create the life of their dreams. She’s a mama of 4, wife to a high school principal and just a wonderful down-to-earth woman. Ready to learn how you can take what you know and build a business that impacts teachers and students all over the world? Let’s dive in.

Wouldn't it be nice if our students could be as hooked into our classrooms as they are on their favorite social media platforms? They can, if we use a few core ideas from those platforms. In this episode, learn how to create your own "stickiness formula" to engage your students through media arts. View the shownotes and the free download from this episode at https://artsintegration.com/sparkchasers/

Do you ever have a voice in your head that sounds angry, anxious, or disgusted? That's the Madwoman in the Attic talking and there's a way to make it take a back seat. In today's episode, we're chatting about the importance of making our mental health as educators a priority. Tune in for this vulnerable conversation.

Today we're dipping into the mailbag! Over the last few weeks, we've received so many emails asking a wide variety of questions from listeners. Today, we'll be answering: What’s it like to work at IAS? (Marcie from Indiana) How do you teach STEAM virtually and in-person? (Cara from Washington) I love your graphics! How do you make them? (Janelle from Texas) How do you decide what are free trainings and what are paid? (Matthew from California) I’m nervous that arts integration will replace arts education. So many art positions have already been cut. Is that what you’re suggesting? (Kirsten from California) What do you do when people steal your work? I’ve seen some of your stuff on other people’s powerpoints during conferences. Just curious how you handle that. (Heidi from Florida) I want to make my classes more engaging with new media and podcasts. Do you have any suggestions? (Edna from Wisconsin) For show notes and to ask your own questions, please head over to artsintegration.com/sparkchasers 

Interested in a new job for the new year? In today’s episode, we’re going to explore the idea of flexing your job skills and how you can use that to pivot into any position you want. View all show notes at artsintegration.com/sparkchasers Your Job Skills are Elastic Think of yourself like a rubber band - each new skill helps to stretch out the band Elastic Skills have two components: information and communication Don’t pigeon hole your dreams. Vision Casting Brainstorm your vision by answering questions like “What life would I like to create for my family? What kind of marriage and family relationships do I want? What do I want to create financially? What would I like to create in order to influence the finances of other people in a positive way? How do I wish to be remembered? What will my legacy be?”  Consider if it’s possible. Can you make your vision happen with your current job, skills, or activities? Or do you need alternative skills, mindsets, or coaching to help you reach your vision? Commit to a direction. Once you know what you want and if it’s possible, determine the course of action you need to take in order to get to your goal. Creating Your Future Once you recognize what you want and have a plan for how to get there, then it’s time to take action. Now it’s time to create the future you’ve been dreaming about. Start by checking off the items on your action list one at a time. Each time you check something off, you’re making progress and building momentum.  Never underestimate the power of momentum Know which skills you already have, which you want to expand, and which you want to add. Consider the ROI of your investment. How much are you going to get out of what you’re putting in?

How can we honor introversion in the classroom? Here's a few tips for supporting our introverted students without trying to convert them to conform. View full show notes at artsintegration.com/sparkchasers

If you're looking for a culturally responsive way to honor all of the holidays and traditions of your students, try this Celebration Discovery Lab activity from educator Barb Sandstrom. View all the show notes at artsintegration.com/sparkchasers  

Are you a serial multitasker? If so, you might be getting LESS done and losing MORE time. In today's episode, we dive into the science of context switching and how you can avoid it in your day. View the full shownotes and links to resources at artsintegration.com/sparkchasers   What is Context Switching? So in computing, a context switch is when an operating system stores where you’re at so you can go back later. It essentially allows you to multitask. Now, multitasking can be great at certain times - like when your computer is trying to do multiple things for you at once. But it’s terrible for us as humans.  Multitasking never allows you to fully focus on one thing. Your attention is pulled in so many different directions that you’re not able to do any one of them well. So here’s where this becomes important to us. Context switching in humans is when we’re jumping back and forth between tasks all day, every day. And according to research, it actually eats up almost 80% of your time. Here’s what that might look like: Working on 3-4 different projects on the same day Moving between tasks and never finishing any of them Writing an email, then working on curriculum, then grading a student assignment How Context Switching Holds You Back Now context switching might sound like a normal day for you. I know it did for me. But here’s where the research gets really interesting. When we context switch during our day, we lose momentum and focus. So everytime we start a new task, it takes our brains time to let go of what we were working on and switch over. That causes us to lose time. Which is why when we’re working on so many things during a day, it can sometimes feel like we haven’t accomplished anything at all. In fact, according to psychologist Gerald Weinberg, context switching can cost us anywhere from 40-80% of productivity time. Here’s how this breaks down in real life: Focusing on one task at a time = 100% of your productive time available Juggling two tasks at a time = 40% of your productive time for each and 20% lost to context switching Juggling three tasks at a time = 20% of your productive time for each and 40% lost to context switching How to Realign Your Work So what do you do instead? Todd Herman suggests something called the Block and Tackle method. Dan Tricarico talks about this on his blog, The Zen Teacher as well. In the Block and Tackle method, you’re going to block off sections of your day to work on a single task. Nothing else is able to happen during that time block - you’re just going to tackle that one task. You’ll work on it with total focus during that time and when the time is up, you’re able to move to the next block.

Find all the show notes and links to download resources at https://artsintegration.com/sparkchasers This is typically a time when students and teachers alike begin to get antsy. It’s increasingly difficult to keep our attention and particularly now, getting students to continue to be invested is hard. One of the things that has worked for me many times is tapping into the excitement of the season with a tangible project students can take home or use in some way. Many times, this involves the Design Thinking Process - but not necessarily in a traditional format. Today, I’m sharing with you my top 3 ways to rethink using Design Thinking Strategies for student engagement.   Get the Creative Juices Flowing Before anything else, we need to practice getting the creative juices flowing. Sometimes, we can get stuck. Creative thinking and creative mindsets are two sides of the same coin. Creative thinking encompasses skills and processes that lead students toward a creative mindset. A creative mindset is a practice of leveraging creativity to continually grow and evolve.  Think of a creative mindset as a muscle and creative thinking as the strategies needed to build that creative muscle. There’s lots of ways to do this, of course. But for our purposes of getting students into this mindset, I have 2 strategies that work particularly well and some applications you might like to try: 1x5 Creative Thinking Strategy SpaceWalk Strategy Create Your Own Game Once you’ve gotten students into a creative mindset, now it’s time to ramp it up and get them using that for a real-world application. One idea could be for students to create their own game. This is great around the holidays because it could be used for a gift, or it could be used as a way for students to consider other items they’d like to create. Once they have the process down, they can use it for anything.  One of our authors at IAS, Rich Stachon, outlines this in a Design Thinking Game Challenge which I think is just great. Here’s how it works:   Key Steps: Day 1: Empathize Day 2: Define Day 3: Ideate Day 4: Prototype Day 5: Test Using Story Structure for Creation Finally, design thinking strategies aren’t limited to science, tech, engineering, or math content areas. You can use this same thinking muscle for the humanities. One example of that is with the Structure Your Story strategy. According to Shonda Rhimes, most stories fall within a specific structure. You can use this framework to develop narrative and informational writing, as well as work through ideas, presentations and more. Here’s how this framework is organized: Key Ideas: Based in 5 Acts, each with a specific prompt for response Used by scriptwriters and playwrights to keep the audience engaged Hopefully, the ideas shared in this episode give you a jumping off point for your own hands-on project. I know it’s hard to feel like you have time for this kind of thing. But I promise you, your students will get excited and you can hit your curricular milestones at the same time. You can weave them into the project design so students are learning, creating, experimenting, and connecting all at the same time.    

For full episode shownotes, visit artsintegration.com/sparkchasers I’ll let you in on a little secret. Today (the day this is being released) is the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and I’m not in my office. I’m actually at home, preparing my kitchen for the invasion of my team members - both in person and virtually. Today is our 2nd company playday and I couldn’t be more excited.  I learned about this idea of a Playday from the incomparable Brene Brown who shares research that taking a true break is incredibly important us in both our work and our personal lives. Today, I want to walk you through how we have chosen to set up our Playdays as a team, why we believe in this so much, and how you can build your own. Let’s dig in!   Playday Overview This whole playday experiment started because of a podcast I listened to from Brene Brown. She shared some incredible research on the power of play. Not just for kids, but for us as adults, too. This research shares that play helps our brains process, recuperate, and create in new ways. For me as a business owner, that’s powerful stuff. The research also shares that play helps us personally to reduce stress, find joy in our lives, and to build connective relationships.  Key Ideas: What is a Playday? How do you structure a Playday? The difference between work and home Playdays Using playdays in school   Why and How We Built Our Playdays Once I learned about the importance of play, I knew I wanted to begin implementing this with our staff. I had already started using this practice at home with my family and I loved it. We were more connected and joyful together. And after this past summer, I knew this was something my team needed as well. Key Ideas on how we built our Playdays: Outlining the purpose and scheduling the days for our whole group with the Leadership Team Asking our team members what they love to do, or what they do that makes time disappear. Creating playdays around common items everyone loved. Selecting one day each month for a Playday   Behind-the-Scenes of our First Playday   Our first playday was the Thursday before Halloween. We had selected two items (since it was Halloween): dress up as your favorite Golden Girl character and playing board games. We were going to Facetime in Holly in New York so she could participate virtually and the rest of us would come into the office for a day of games and fun. But it turned out a little differently - and we learned a lot of lessons.   Here’s some key things we learned: Make sure everyone knows how the day will go and the ground rules Don’t schedule a playday during a time when there’s a deadline looming for something critical When you select items for your playday, be clear on the specifics of what you enjoy Letting go of stressors is hard in a work environment. If you’re not going “off campus”, build in time to transition out of work mode.   How to Craft Your Own Playday   So how do you take this idea of a playday and make it your own? After all, if you’re in schools, it’s mighty difficult to take a whole day to play either as a staff or as a class. And unless you’re an administrator, you probably don’t have the ability to call a playday as a staff.   But there are definitely some ways to work this in. You just have to think about it a little differently. First, try bringing this idea to the social committee. You might not be able to have a full playday, but you might be able to have a play staff meeting. Or a play hour or half-hour.    You might also think about how to do a playday or even a play warmup in your class. And you get in on the action! Don’t just facilitate the play - actually play.    Key ideas: Remember that it’s not about the amount of time playing. It’s about the play itself. Think small: how can you build in play during your lessons? Is it just a matter of switching up roles so you are able to play with your students? Or, how can you build in play with other staff members? Maybe you want to do this at home, instead. Ask everyone what they love to do, come up with a list that includes things everyone enjoys, and then pick a day and time to start doing this together. Whenever possible, try to weave these in during times that are a little low-key to start. Once you’ve built in the practice, then you can start building them in during times of high-stress as well. So...are you ready to work in more play? I hope you’ll give this idea a try...and this upcoming holiday season is the best chance to give it a whirl. There are so many fun activities you can do - see if you can weave them in a little more purposefully this year. 

View all the show notes and links to resources at the Sparkchasers podcast page. On this episode of Sparkchasers, I'm thrilled to welcome veteran educator Betsy Potash. Betsy spent almost a decade teaching every level of High School English and now shares her creative thinking strategies for the classroom with others on her site, Spark Creativity. During our time together, Betsy's love for reimagining the possibilities for the classroom was obvious, but it was her dedication to authentic teaching that made me lean in.  In this episode, Betsy shares how she was shamed by other teachers for embracing creative methods, as well as how she overcame those naysayers to build a creative community of over 16,000 other creative educators. Here's some key lessons from our talk: Be True to Yourself as an Educator Betsy tried the traditional English teacher route for about 5 minutes, but it just didn't feel right to her. Once she embraced the idea of using creative thinking and project based learning to engage her students, her teaching felt more natural and organic.  Know Your Intent When other teachers in her building shared they heard her class was "easy", Betsy didn't let it phase her. She knew that her intent was to get students to love reading and writing, not to make it a difficult process. By knowing what her end goal was for students, she was able to craft curriculum that both built critical and creative thinking while meeting her curricular standards. Creativity is Like Color This might have been my favorite part of our chat. Betsy explained that to her, creativity is like color. Without it, you can still accomplish your tasks, you can still check things off your list. But it's just not going to be as beautiful. When you have all the colors to work from, you can create something so stunning. This visual is so helpful when we're looking for our own "why" for bringing creative approaches into our classrooms. The One-Pager Strategy For all of you out there looking for a simple way to bring creative thinking into your own content, Betsy recommends the One-Pager strategy. She has a variety of templates you can download for free on her site. These one-pagers provide students with a way to predict, connect, and synthesize their learning on a single page. We also talked about how these one-pagers could be used in combination with Artful Thinking strategies to make thinking more visible. Resources from this Episode Here's a list of resources we shared during our conversation: Betsy's site Spark Creativity The One-Pager Templates 13 Strategies to Make Thinking Visible The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast The Creative High School English Facebook Group

Visit ArtsIntegration.com/Sparkchasers for the full episode, show notes, and resources. As a teacher, I always found the holiday season to be both joyous and stressful in schools. Students have a long winter ahead of them with a lot of intense work. And we’ve just turned the corner of 1st quarter and getting settled in for the ride. Now, we throw in the holiday season and virtual/hybrid teaching and our students need an outlet more than ever before. They’re getting antsy and classroom management becomes a challenge. And we have all of the regular stressors of school, plus making sure we order our gifts so they arrive on time. We don’t have the energy to try and make something engaging. If that sounds familiar, then you’re going to love these 3 frames I’m going to share today. Think of these as a handy set of options that you can pull out of your bag of teaching tricks and immediately get students focused in a new way.    3 Frames Overview Now I’m going to let you in on a little secret: these frames don’t come from the world of education. They are actually sales and persuasion frames that marketers use to sell us products. BUT, what I’ve discovered is that they work really well to encourage divergent and creative thinking in the classroom.    Also, these frames are simple - I don’t want you to overcomplicate things here. They are each built on one single question. The elegance is in the simplicity. Remember: these are frames. They aren’t hard and fast rules. Imagine that what I share today are the boundaries that you set, but the students have a lot of freedom to make the picture inside the frame anything they want.   List of Frames Discussed: The Contrast Frame The Less is More Frame The Empty Chair Frame   As we go over these frames, think about how you might be able to use each in your class individually as well as possibly layering them together. I think you’ll find so much flexibility with these and have fun being creative in how you use them.   NEW! Lesson Pack Pre-Order Did you hear? The 2nd Edition of our K-5 IntegratED Lesson Packs is now available for pre-order here. You'll receive access to over 120 lessons, assessments, student materials, and student websites to make teaching with creativity as easy as possible. And right now, it's available for $49 PLUS 30-days of free access to our Accelerator membership.    I’d love to hear your thoughts and questions about this topic.  Remember, you can use the ask me anything button on the podcast page to share with me your ideas and what’s bubbling to the surface for you. Just head over to artsintegration.com/sparkchasers and you’ll find today’s show notes, contact area, and links for more resources.  And if you are enjoying the show and know someone who could benefit from our discussions, please share the podcast with them. Together, we can chase the spark of our ideas and make a brighter future for everyone. I’ll see you soon.   Additional Resources: Dan Pink’s book To Sell Is Human Using the Pixar Formula in Arts Integration Ep. 07: Using the Throughline Strategy Message Framing and Framing Theory

Since 2014, I’ve been working either completely from home or have had the flexibility to work from home whenever I’d like. And in 2020, lots of you are now in the same boat. There’s this idealized “must be nice” kind of thinking about people who get to work from home. But now that we’ve all been forced into that scenario, it’s becoming so clear that there are some real downsides. Today, I’m hoping we can dig into the truth behind the challenges of working from home, as well as some specific tools I’ve learned that have helped me make this more joyful. My hope is that this conversation helps you know you’re not alone if you’re not happy about working and living in the same space, and that you leave our chat with some specific strategies to make it a little better. Let’s dig in. Lack of Boundaries Perhaps the biggest challenge I’ve faced working from home is a lack of boundaries. Every other challenge actually comes from this one. Because when you’re working and living in a single space, there’s no definitive start and end time. Your office becomes your living room which becomes your laundry folding station. Here are some aha’s I’ve gotten about this over the years: Key Ideas: Working more hours (not less) is common Continuously being “on” makes taking breaks difficult Make it hard to access your stuff - social media, email, and even your office space Limit what you want to accomplish for work each day Set a schedule and stick to it Health Takes a Backseat Here’s a hard truth for me: in the first two years of working from home, I gained 50 pounds. And I’ve watched many others who have made the same switch struggle with their health as well. It’s not just weight gain that threatens our health. It’s the mental drain, the constant staring at a screen, and the limited movement that are chipping away at our best selves. Here’s some tools for bringing health upfront again: Key Ideas: Stretch and movement breaks are critical. Make a meal plan and stick with it Make drinking at least 60 oz. of water each day easy Find a hobby you love and make it a priority to do at least once per week Maintaining Relationships This one hurts to admit, but working from home for me meant watching a lot of relationships fade. This includes relationships with my family, which was tough. About 3 years in, I had a realization that I didn’t like where this was going and made some very specific changes which have made a real difference: Key ideas: Set aside at least one block of time each week for the people who are most important to you Create a 15 minute “Connection Time” in each day for letter writing, sending emails, or calling those special people in your life Don’t forget the relationship with yourself. How do you practice self-care? So...think back on the year so far. How are YOU doing with boundaries, health, and relationships? If any of these areas need a little TLC, you are not alone my friend. Hopefully, something from today’s show has sparked an idea for making one of these areas a bit brighter. Because if there’s one thing I am certain about, it’s that each of these areas will help us get through our new reality with just a bit more hope and support. I’d love to hear your thoughts and questions about this topic.  Remember, you can use the ask me anything button on the podcast page to share with me your ideas and what’s bubbling to the surface for you. Just head over to artsintegration.com/sparkchasers and you’ll find today’s show notes, contact area, and links for more resources.  And if you are enjoying the show and know someone who could benefit from our discussions, please share the podcast with them. Together, we can chase the spark of our ideas and make a brighter future for everyone. I’ll see you soon.

For the full episode and resource list, visit https://artsintegration.com/sparkchasers/ Today’s our first reader question segment and it comes from Sharron who writes: “I love the resources you share every week, but why isn’t more of your stuff free? Your audience is teachers and we don’t have a lot of money. I feel like I’m missing out on so many of your resources in the membership because I can’t afford the yearly fee.” So...does that question make you feel a little uncomfortable? Or maybe it’s a question you’ve been dying to ask, too. Either way, I’m SO happy Sharron sent this in because it’s something I’m really passionate about. So let’s get started, friends.   Free vs. Paid Content   So many people are nervous to talk about money, but I think it’s important because it’s one of the ways our world operates.  At the core of this conversation are a few key beliefs: the philosophy of sharing ideas, the mindset of teacher pay, and the uncomfortable idea that businesses are profiting off of underpaid individuals. We’re going to dig into all 3 of these today. But I want to start out with a simple phrase from the documentary “The Social Dilemma”: if you’re not paying for the product, you ARE the product.   Key Ideas Discussed: Data privacy online 80% of what we offer is free. The rest helps to pay for our staff, platform access, etc. Paying for content that someone produced is okay. It doesn’t make you or them a bad person. Nothing is ever totally free - people have to get paid. So that could be with grant money, for-profit pay structures, or venture capital.   Business Models   One thing I’ve learned over the past 10 years is that you can never know someone’s backend business by what you see on the front end. Here’s some realities we need to remember: Key Ideas Discussed: Non-profit vs. For-Profit. What do these two mean and how do they differ in the way they make money? Grant-Funded Model Crowd-sourced Model: Donations included For-Profit Model Why we chose a for-profit model How to look at a business or organization holistically.    Teacher Pay Mindset   Finally, we need to take a look at our own mindsets about teacher pay and the value of what we choose to buy. Nobody goes into teaching to become a millionaire. But that doesn’t mean we need to keep up the mindset that we are “poor”, either. We have the ability to choose how and what we spend our money on. This is directly tied to our values.   Key ideas Discussed: Values to explore: Do we value our time over money? Do we value supporting other educators? Do we value our family over our jobs?   Some people believe that everything should be open-source and teachers should all share freely. However, would you expect to teach for free?  We can also leverage the power of dialogue with our administration. If there is something you need to make you more effective at your job, advocate for it with your administrators and community. It’s important to stand up for the tools that you need to do your job well.

Visit Artsintegration.com/Sparkchasers for the full episode show notes, resources, and conversation. There’s a secret that writers use to instantly make their writing more engaging for the viewer or the reader. It’s called a Throughline. Essentially, a throughline is a connecting theme, plot, or characteristic. Today, I want to show you how to use Throughlines in your teaching to make it pop and help students deepen their learning. Key Ideas: A Throughline is a theme, plot, or characteristic that connects stories together.  Authors use Throughlines for stories that have a lot of elements going on. Example: Outlander, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, TED Talks. These are for EPIC content. Throughlines help the viewer or reader do a few things: understand the theme/character better over time, layer experiences, make predictions, and become invested in the story. Throughlines help the author do a few things, too: chunk out a story so as to not overwhelm the viewer/reader, get deeper with a theme/character, make their content super engaging. Throughlines are directly connected to open loops. Open loops allow you to hook a viewer/reader and gives you a reason to circle back. How to Use Throughlines in Your Classroom For lesson planning, use your yearly scope and sequence to find when you’re circling back to specific topics to add or expand on them throughout the year. This is the point of a spiral curriculum model. Once you know when each of these topics/themes/ideas occurs, you can design a throughline concept. For example, if you know you’ll be looking at place value multiple times throughout the year, explore the idea of a digit value throughline because Place value refers to the value of each digit in a number. Try to create a place value story that you can add onto throughout the year.  For Pulling in Various Artforms: Look for overarching themes in your curriculum and use them as artistic throughlines. For example, try looking at elements like form, rhythm, or color. These cross artform boundaries, and also connect with other content areas very easily.  When you have a specific throughline, it provides a homebase you can keep coming back to throughout the year. Expanding Student Autonomy with Throughlines Student autonomy instantly provides more ownership in the learning process. When students own their learning, they are more willing to engage and stay focused. Ask students to create their own Throughlines they’d like to explore this year. See how those Throughlines already weave into the curriculum you have to cover and then add them in as you can. Select a few Throughlines on a specific unit you’re working on and have students get into small groups to select one of the Throughlines available. Students can then learn the content of the unit through the lens of their specific Throughline.

If you're feeling the effects of teacher burnout, you're not alone. In this episode, we chat about how to tell if you're experiencing burnout or surge depletion, how to use a 3-pronged approach to deal with it, and how to use burnout as a way to move forward.

In this episode, we're diving into the beliefs surrounding creativity: whether it's optional or essential, how to measure it, and exercises you can do to cultivate your creative habit.

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In this interview with educator and author John Spencer, we chat about how to encourage hands-on learning, even in the time of remote learning. John shares strategies for continuing to foster creative thinking, as well as why we need the arts if we truly value social-emotional learning. 

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In this episode, we have a surprise announcement (a few, in fact), along with the introduction of some brand new features at EdCloset.  Tune in to find out what we're cleaning out from our closet this spring, and how to know when it's time to move on.

While I've been noticing the STEAM trend rise, I'm also noticing some folks who are getting more and more vocal in their dislike for the STEAM resources being shared.  They are claiming that what's out there isn't "real" STEAM or that it's doing a "disservice" to what STEAM is and who it serves.So that leads me to ask...is there a right and a wrong way to STEAM?  Can you mess this up?  And if so, how do you know if you are doing it "right" or "wrong". In today's SparkChasers podcast episode, we're going to explore this topic and what I share might surprise you.

Teachers - there is a big fat lie that has been floating around schools for the past several decades and it's time that we bring it to light.  In today's episode, we're diving deep into the biggest lie that schools tell teachers and how we can fight it in our words and actions every day.

Looking for some fresh tech tools for your classroom without feeling overwhelmed?  In today's episode, Susan shares 6 tech tools she's excited about right now and some ideas for how you can put them into place in your classroom for both yourself and your students.

We can all get stuck in the muck when it comes to making changes.  Using arts integration, STEAM and the Creative Mindset all cause us to make a change in our teaching practice - and sometimes, we run into some pretty tough barriers.  In today's episode, we're diving into the reasons that change is hard and what steps we can take to make it all a little easier.

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