Veteran teachers discuss their work in the classroom in order to collaborate, respond to important ideas in education, and share in a community of educators who understand their classroom practice through a lens of social justice & change.
Recently, Adrian Neibauer wrote a reflective piece about his experience with standardized testing that began with these words: I'm a hypocrite.In today's episode of The Broken Copier, he shares more about the conversation with his own children that resulted in these words—along with the myriad, contradictory feelings he has about testing in this current moment. Also: how do you feel as a teacher when it comes to standardized testing? Feel free to answer in the Substack comments or, if you're inspired, to leave an audio message via Fanlist that we may respond to on a future episode.Finally, thanks, as always, to: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for writing and recording original intro music; Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro.Email us here: thebrokencopier@substack.com.Thanks for listening (and tell your friends)! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
After opening with a note of gratitude for our listeners and readers, today's Kicking The Copier shares a simple, powerful strategy you can use at any time as a teacher: a classroom pulse check. Five minutes of classroom space, way more than five minutes of impact. As always, thanks to: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for contributing their music to The Broken Copier podcast—and also Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.* Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.* Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro.* Email thoughts and feedback to thebrokencopier@substack.com, and if you want you can record your own thoughts at our Fanlist that might show up on a future episode! (Feel free to also just toss your response in the comments.)Thanks for listening! Share or leave a review if you're willing, and take care of yourselves as educators—now more than ever.Subscribe for free to join this community of teachers talking teaching! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
In January 2021, Nick Covington was a social studies teacher in Iowa fully-immersed in his classroom and students. Successful, purposeful, and thriving. A year later, after being swept up into the culture war against educators and facing targeting and harassment for doing his job, he handed in his resignation later in February 2022.Once he finished out that school year, Nick moved into his position as a leader of the non-profit he cofounded, The Human Restoration Project—an organization doing the increasingly-important work of moving towards an education system that centers the humanity of all-involved, but most especially students.In today's conversation, Nick shares about his experience in the classroom, his exit from it, and why he is more resolute than ever about the importance of and hope within the work he is doing now. (Seriously: if this is your first time hearing about it, go check it out!)Links to check out from the conversation:* HumanRestorationProject.org* Third Coast Learning Collaborative* “Current Events Do Not Belong in History Class” (the original Medium post detailing Nick's experience leaving the classroom)Also: how do you feel as a teacher right now in this current moment? Feel free to answer in the comments or, if you're inspired, to leave an audio message via Fanlist that we may respond to on a future episode?Finally, thanks, as always, to: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for writing and recording original intro music; Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro.Email us here: thebrokencopier@substack.com.Thanks for listening (and tell your friends)! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
The little solutions in the classroom can often create big impacts for the classroom—and today's Kicking The Copier is very much one of those examples: a simple question you can begin occasionally including as a teacher to better support students in the way they deserve to be supported.As always, thanks to: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for contributing their music to The Broken Copier podcast—and also Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.* Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.* Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro.* Email thoughts and feedback to thebrokencopier@substack.com, too!Thanks for listening, and take care of yourselves as educators. Especially right now. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
The idea of “100% engagement” is a loaded one in education, particularly when it comes to the expectations and implications for the classroom. Adrian Neibauer tackled this idea with conviction but more importantly humility in a recent post on his Substack called “The Scary Teacher”—and he was generous enough to hop back on The Broken Copier to expand on this reflection and discuss his views on the idea of “100% engagement” more broadly, particularly when it comes to how teachers should move in their classrooms.For more of Adrian's writing, check out Adrian's Newsletter. Plus, a few other resources from the conversation:* “The 100% Participation Myth” by Trevor Muir* Teach Like a Champion blog on 100% by Doug Lemov* Teach Like a Champion video on 100%What do you think about 100%? Feel free to answer in the comments or, if you're inspired, to leave an audio message via Fanlist that we may respond to on a future episode? (note: Adrian is one a multiple guests now who first jumped into The Broken Copier via that Fanlist link!)Finally, thanks, as always, to:Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for writing and recording original intro music; Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro.Email us here: thebrokencopier@substack.com.Thanks for listening (and tell your friends)! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
Today's conversation is with Courtney Eddleman and Don Sturm, two educators who have been an integral part of an ongoing, district-wide partnership with MagicSchool AI. Rather than asking teachers to navigate this potential paradigm shift with AI on their own, Courtney and Don share a much-different experience that is taking place right now in their school district—including the feedback they have received from teachers and students alike. If you're curious about learning more beyond this conversation, Courtney and Don went into further detail in a series for their podcast Through the Educational Looking Glass—so that's a great place to explore further if you're intrigued! You can also reach out to Don here and can find both Courtney and Don on BlueSky.(Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments as well!)Thanks, as always, to:Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for writing and recording original intro music; Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro.Email us here with feedback or any other questions as well: thebrokencopier@substack.com.Thanks for listening (and tell your friends)! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
Today's conversation features John Warner, author of the new book More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI—a book that explores how ChatGPT and other large language models force us to reconsider what writing means in education and, more broadly, in society overall. (Also: this conversation ends with one of our favorite ever shout-out's to a former teacher since starting this podcast—so make sure not to miss it!)You can follow more of John's writing at either of his Substack newsletters, Engaged Education or The Biblioracle Recommends; additionally, if you're looking to learn more his ideas about how to improve writing in the classroom, you definitely should check out his two previous books, too: Why They Can't Write and The Writer's Practice.Thanks, as always, to:Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for writing and recording original intro music; Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro.Email us here with feedback or any other questions as well: thebrokencopier@substack.com. Thanks for listening (and tell your friends)! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
Sometimes our Kicking The Copier episodes are more teacher-centered in terms of habits and strategies—but today is very much the opposite: a specific, student-centered strategy that you can use tomorrow in the classroom, if you want!(Seriously: Marcus uses this pretty much every day in some sort of way, no matter the class. Try it out!)As always, thanks to: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for contributing their music to The Broken Copier podcast—and also Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.* Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.* Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro.* Email thoughts and feedback to thebrokencopier@substack.com, too!Thanks for listening, and take care of yourselves as we move into this second half of the school year! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
For our 16th Kicking The Copier episode—our continuing series focused on specific mindsets and strategies that can be helpful for teachers and educators—Marcus shared about a ritual that he has come to find considerable value in each year as a teacher—and why he believes finding and leaning into rituals as a teacher can be incredibly affirming and restorative especially within the grind of a school year. As is noted in the episode, please don't hesitate to reply in the comments to share your own ritual, too, and what it means to you—or to record a reflection at fanlist.com/brokencopier, if you feel inspired. (Maybe it'll end up in a future show!)As always, thanks to: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for contributing their music to The Broken Copier podcast—and also Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.* Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.* Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro.* Email thoughts and feedback to thebrokencopier@substack.com, too!Thanks for listening, and take care of yourselves as we move into this second half of the school year! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
After their months-long, slow-read journey through Becoming an Everyday Changemaker, Adrian Neibauer joined Marcus in this episode to talk with the author, Alex Shevrin Venet, about this transformative book she has written for educators. In this conversation, Alex shares her intentions behind the book and responds to both Adrian and Marcus's questions at end of their respective reading journeys through it. To learn more about Alex's work, you're encouraged to check out her website www.unconditionallearning.org—and if you're interested in this book we've spent so much time with, here's a link of where you can get your own copy!Also, two resources from the conversation we promised to include in the notes:* On Trauma-Gatekeeping: “If Everything Is Trauma…”* “Banishing “Siberia” and Student Seclusion: Leading Trauma-Informed Systems Change in a Rural School”Finally, remember that you can follow Adrian's work at his Substack, too!Thanks, as always, to:Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for writing and recording original intro music; Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro.Email us here with feedback or any other questions as well: thebrokencopier@substack.com.Thanks for listening (and tell your friends)! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
For the last Broken Copier episode of 2024, Marcus was able to speak with Jireh Keys, an early-career elementary school teacher in Fordyce, Arkansas—who also just happens to have been a freshman back in the first English class Marcus ever taught back in 2012. In this conversation, Jireh shares about her path into the classroom, the experience of returning to teach in the community that raised her, and all the meaning she has found in her new identity as a teacher. (And yes, you can imagine Marcus smiling wide this entire conversation as he listened to his former student talk about absolutely thriving in the classroom as a teacher herself!)Thanks, as always, to:Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for writing and recording original intro music; Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro.Email us here with feedback or any other questions as well: thebrokencopier@substack.com.Thanks for listening (and tell your friends)! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
Marcus and Jim sit down to talk (again) about AI, since it looks like it's not going away. Jim shares what he's doing with AI in his planning and feedback process as a teacher. Marcus shares his hesitations and frustrations around AI in education more broadly. Some agreement, some disagreement—and a conversation that both felt was worth having.Two writers referenced in the conversation:* Marc Watkins: Rhetorica Substack* John Warner: The Biblioracle Recommends SubstackAs always we'd love to hear your thoughts! You can leave us an audio message for the next episode:fanlist.com/brokencopierWant to be a guest on the podcast? Click here to sign up. We may be delayed in our responses, but we definitely want to start inviting more teachers to come on & share their stories.Finally, thanks, as always, to:Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for writing and recording original intro music; Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro.Email us here: thebrokencopier@substack.com.Thanks for listening (and tell your friends)! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
This 15th Kicking The Copier episode is a simple one: a single daily habit—one that takes less than a minute before you head home for the day—that, at least for Marcus, has shifted the way he looks at his classroom in a considerable way.Our gratitude, too, for those who continue to listen and response and share, as the community at The Broken Copier keeps finding new ways to grow (especially now with Bluesky)! Also, please don't hesitate to reply in the comments with any or your own habits or strategies that you have found meaningful this year, too—or to record a reflection you can go to fanlist.com/brokencopier. (You never know, it might end up on a future episode!)As always, thanks to: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for contributing their music to The Broken Copier podcast—and also Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.* Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.* Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro.* Email thoughts and feedback to thebrokencopier@substack.com, too!Thanks for listening, and take care of yourselves! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
Pretty simple summary here: like many teachers and educators out there, we have a lot of thoughts about the election and what it means for our classrooms and students—so we decided to take some time to talk about what we're thinking two weeks later.Not our normal type of episode, but we'd rather be authentic about what's on our mind in this moment. (Note: we recognize and respect this might not be the episode for you right now, but it was the conversation we both wanted to have as friends and teachers.)The articles and posts mentioned in the episode are linked here:* a link to the video Jim references regarding President Trump's threat of “severe consequences” for teachers and school officials * the NY Times interview with Sen. Bernie Sanders mentioned by Jim with the Sanders's takeaway from the election * the article detailing the Ohio principal being placed on leave for assuring staff that they would continue to value and celebrate diversity* the Inside Higher Ed piece by John Warner emphasizing the need to prioritize “the work” over the job in this momentAs always, we are always open hearing your thoughts! Along with commenting or emailing us, you even also leave us an audio message to be featured on a future episode: fanlist.com/brokencopierThanks, as always, to: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for writing and recording original intro music; Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro. Email us here: thebrokencopier@substack.com.Thanks for listening (and tell your friends)! As This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
Marcus and Jim are back to talk about reading—more specifically, the broader discourse in education that students aren't reading nearly as much as they used to. In this conversation, Marcus and Jim begin by reflecting on their own reading identities (06:05) before discussing the article “The Elite College Students Who Can't Read Books” (16:52) and their initial reactions to it, how severe they think the problem actually is (23:07) and what it means in their classrooms now and going forward. Heads up: there are a few audio glitches early on before it smoothes out, so just be patient—and also keep in mind that this is a bit more of an authentic, classic Marcus-and-Jim conversation where they go back and forth quite a bit (amicably, of course) in trying to figure out where they want to land on this, respectfully.Feel free to rate and review wherever you listen, and also to hop in the comments on the Substack to give your take on this topic!Thanks, as always, to: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for writing and recording original intro music; Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro. Email us here with feedback or any other questions as well: thebrokencopier@substack.com.Thanks for listening (and tell your friends)! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
In our 14th Kicking The Copier episode, Marcus reflects on what he is keeping in mind as a teacher over this final stretch of election season, sharing three priorities that he finds helpful to center as an educator. This isn't an episode suggesting any specifics of what educators should say or do—that would be the most foolish of enterprises!—but rather to transparently share what one teacher is trying to center in this moment and why.As always, thanks to: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for contributing their music to The Broken Copier podcast—and also Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.* Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.* Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro. * Email thoughts to thebrokencopier@substack.com or leave feedback at fanlist.com/brokencopier.Thanks for listening, and take care of yourselves! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
The hot seat is back for today's episode, but this time Jim is the one asking Marcus for his immediate thoughts on a handful of education “buzzwords”—with the conversation jumping from Standards-Based Grading to Social-Emotional Learning to Critical Thinking (with some other topics in between).If you want to play along, during the episode you can pause and think about what your thoughts are on these topics before Marcus and Jim dive into quick exchanges on each—and then, if you want, leave a comment with your thoughts or disagreements with their answers.Thinking about what we think as educators is a worthwhile enterprise, right?Also, as promised in the episode, three SEL resources that are far more in-depth than anything Marcus and Jim talk about in this conversation: * “How to Help Students Without Being a Savior” from Cult of Pedagogy* “A Pathway to Better Social and Emotional Learning” from Edutopia* “Systemic Social and Emotional Learning” from Human Restoration ProjectThanks, as always, to: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for writing and recording original intro music; Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro. Email us here: thebrokencopier@substack.com.Thanks for listening (and tell your friends)! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
After a great conversation at the beginning of summer about what the 5th grade classroom is like, Adrian Neibauer was generous enough to return to the podcast to share about the mindset he is taking into this school year and the incredible community that is already building in his classroom.In this conversation, Marcus asks him about the choices he made in preparing over the summer and especially in the opening weeks of his school year—and then they dive into some deeper questions about the idea of “loving teaching” more broadly. Two pieces by Adrian that are referenced in this conversation (also, you can find everything he shares here on his Substack, which we highly recommend!):* “Turn the Lights Back On” (Aug 12)* “Adrian's Top Five” (Sept 2)Additionally, Marcus mentions a recent Cult of Pedagogy podcast featuring Elena Aguilar, which you can check out here.And as always, we love to hear your thoughts! Along with emailing or commenting, you can leave us an audio message for the next episode: fanlist.com/brokencopierFinally, thanks as always to: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for writing and recording original intro music; Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro. Have feedback? email us here: thebrokencopier@substack.com. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
Big news: Jim's back! In this episode, Jim catches up with Marcus and fills him in on how the first few weeks have gone—which, in turn, gives Marcus a chance to reflect on his upcoming school year. A big focus for both Marcus and Jim this year, they realized: making this work in the classroom sustainable going forward, and that is where this conversation ultimately goes. Links to what we mentioned in the conversation:* “We Need to Reclaim Slowness” by Marc Watkins* “Damn Good Conversations” by Joe FerraroThanks, as always, to: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for writing and recording original intro music; Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro. Email us here: thebrokencopier@substack.com.Thanks for listening (and tell your friends)! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
In the 13th Kicking The Copier episode, Marcus shares how the umbrella works as a perfect analogy for him in thinking about the “bigger picture” of feedback in his classroom—and how, at the end of the day, feedback is really about the trust students have in us as teachers and the purpose they see in what they are learning.Tall orders, yes, but ones worth aspiring toward. Umbrella in hand.As always, thanks to: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for contributing their music to The Broken Copier podcast—and also Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.* Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.* Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro. * Email thoughts to thebrokencopier@substack.com or leave feedback at fanlist.com/brokencopier.Thanks for listening, and take care of yourselves! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
Most of us educators have thought a lot about school cell phone policies in recent years, but very few of us have experienced them in different contexts. Education journalist Paige Tutt, however, has done exactly that: she visited numerous school communities that had implemented cell phone bans and interviewed myriad building leaders, teachers, students and families in her research for what became a must-read article for Edutopia: “3 Schools, 3 Principals, 3 Cell Phone Bans.”In this conversation, Paige shares what she observed from across her research, the differences as well as the similarities she noticed across the various schools, and overall what she thinks can be helpful for all of us when thinking about the impact of policies around cell phones in school communities. For those looking to explore more of Paige's work, you can check out her profile page at Edutopia—and she also recommends subscribing to their new technology newsletter for educators, The Wired Classroom. (One of the pieces mentioned in our conversation comes from this newsletter, too: “Why I'm Banning Student AI Use This Year.”)Finally, thanks as always to: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for writing and recording original intro music; Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.* Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.* Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro. Have feedback? email us here: thebrokencopier@substack.com. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
Given that summer is coming to a close for many teachers out there—or, for a handful, already has!—we decided to focus on that “thing” that we all go through as educators this time of year and that we all have our own opinions about: professional development for teachers.In this episode we're joined by Trevor Aleo, a full-time teacher and doctoral candidate who spends a lot of time thinking about, designing, and delivering professional development. The conversation focuses on what keeps “Teacher PD” from being a positive experience far too often as well as what “better” can and should look like. (Including what teachers need to bring to the table, too.)For those looking to explore more of Trevor's work, the best place to access it is at his website www.trevoraleo.com. We also recommend checking out his podcast Conceptually Speaking and the book he co-authored, Learning That Transfers: Designing Curriculum for a Changing World.Finally, thanks as always to: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for writing and recording original intro music; Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.* Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.* Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro. Have feedback? email us here: thebrokencopier@substack.com. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
Another guest interview today on The Broken Copier: Marc Watkins, professor at the University of Mississippi, Director of the Mississippi AI Institute, and author of the blog Rhetorica—a go-to resource for thinking about artificial intelligence through the lens of education, particularly as classroom instructors. (Seriously: go check it out!)In this conversation, Marc shares his thinking and strategies around AI through a teaching lens: the challenges that educators are encountering, the advice and practices he shares in his work right now, and the mindset he believes is best for education going forward.For those looking to read more of Marc's writing on this topic, we highly recommend his recent series Beyond ChatGPT—with the first piece focusing on the missed conversation around AI's impact on reading.And as always, we love to hear your thoughts! Along with emailing or commenting, you can leave us an audio message for the next episode: fanlist.com/brokencopierFinally, thanks as always to: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for writing and recording original intro music; Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro. Have feedback? email us here: thebrokencopier@substack.com. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
We're excited to continue our shift on The Broken Copier with more conversations with more listeners today, as Dr. Julie Arnold joins the podcast to talk about her work around assessment and the ways we can do better in our classrooms to make assessment part of the learning experience—as well as the barriers we encounter in that work. (Dr. Arnold also is gracious enough to offer her Australian perspective on what the “American classroom” must be like based on the different television shows she has seen!)If you are interested in learning more about Dr. Arnold's work around assessment as a learning experience, check out this link! And as always, we love to hear your thoughts! Along with emailing or commenting, you can leave us an audio message for the next episode: fanlist.com/brokencopierAlso, do you have interesting in being a guest on the podcast? Click here to sign up. We may be delayed in our responses, but we definitely want to start inviting more teachers to come on & share their stories. Thanks, as always, to: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for writing and recording original intro music; Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro. Email us here: thebrokencopier@substack.com. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
It's summer and a time for rest and restoration for teachers, so Marcus figured, why not talk about something that riles pretty much every teacher up the moment you mention it?That's right: differentiation. In this twelfth installment of our Kicking The Copier series of individual reflections, Marcus shares about what he believes made the difference in a more-successful experience with differentiation in his classroom this past year—and also why he is at least somewhat concerned about what that means for the education landscape going forward.As always, thanks to: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for contributing their music to The Broken Copier podcast—and also Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.* Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.* Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro. * Email thoughts to thebrokencopier@substack.com or leave feedback at fanlist.com/brokencopier.Thanks for listening, and take care of yourselves! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
Marcus finally gets a chance to talk with Adrian Neibauer, a 5th grade teacher who just finished his 21st year of teaching and also happens to be the author of Adrian's Newsletter—probably Marcus's favorite weekly read on teaching out there.In this conversation, Adrian reflects on his path into the elementary classroom; what it was like to leave the classroom for a different role and then return with a new perspective; and what his classroom looks and feels like at this point in his career. Towards the end, Marcus also asks him about some points from two of his recent newsletter articles:* “Have I Become Richard Vernon?” (May 13)* “I'm not an Entertainer” (May 20) We definitely recommend you checking out Adrian's writing and subscribing to his content. If you like the reflections here on The Broken Copier, it definitely could be for you!And as always, we love to hear your thoughts! Along with emailing or commenting, you can leave us an audio message for the next episode (Adrian was the first one to take us up on this several months back, by the way): fanlist.com/brokencopierAlso, do you have interesting in being a guest on the podcast? Click here to sign up. We may be delayed in our responses, but we definitely want to start inviting more teachers to come on & share their stories. Thanks, as always, to: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for writing and recording original intro music; Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro. Email us here: thebrokencopier@substack.com.Thanks for listening (and tell your friends)! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
It's been awhile, but our series of “Kicking the Copier” episodes is back—and this one is about a strategy, literally but also figuratively, that might help you center your “wins” of the school year more intentionally. (Especially before summer arrives!)Another note: congratulations to those getting near (or even across) the finish line of your school year. I think it is fair to say to pretty much anyone that it has indeed been a year. Also, if you want a link to FutureMe.org for those future emails to yourself mentioned in the email, here you go!As always, thanks to: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for contributing their music to The Broken Copier podcast and also Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.* Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.* Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro. * Email thoughts to thebrokencopier@substack.com or leave feedback at fanlist.com/brokencopier.Thanks for listening, and take care of yourselves! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
Jim sits down with Cyndi Mahne, a veteran teacher and instructional coach from St. Louis. They talk about her experiences moving around different schools, running a student TV station for ten years, and especially her insights on trust and relationships as an instructional coach supporting teachers.We'd love to hear your thoughts! You can leave us an audio message for the next episode:fanlist.com/brokencopierWant to be a guest on the podcast? Click here to sign up. We may be delayed in our responses, but we definitely want to start inviting more teachers to come on & share their stories. Thanks, as always, to: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for writing and recording original intro music; Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro. Email us here: thebrokencopier@substack.com.Thanks for listening (and tell your friends)! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
Recent reporting from the New York Times details how school absences have “exploded” in just about every school district. On this episode, Marcus and Jim talk about how difficult this can make things for both students and teachers, and dig into the many challenges that arise in and outside the classroom as teachers try to navigate this new, disturbing trend in school absences.We'd love to hear your thoughts! You can leave us an audio message for the next episode:fanlist.com/brokencopierWant to be a guest on the podcast? Click here to sign up. We may be delayed in our responses, but we definitely want to start inviting more teachers to come on & share their stories. Thanks, as always, to: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for writing and recording original intro music; Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro. Email us here: thebrokencopier@substack.com.Thanks for listening (and tell your friends)! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
The tenth episode of “Kicking the Copier” is all about how we as teachers tend to respond to “bad vibes” in our classroom (this time of year especially) in a way that sometimes makes those “bad vibes” even worse.In Marcus's experience: by retreating from classroom community rather than leaning into classroom community.Today's reflection, then, is about a realization he had in his own classroom around this tendency; how he shifted in response; and what he wants to take from this learning going forward.As always, thanks to: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for contributing their music to The Broken Copier podcast and also Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.* Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.* Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro. * Email thoughts to thebrokencopier@substack.com or leave feedback at fanlist.com/brokencopier.Thanks for listening, and take care of yourselves! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
Lots of schools are trying out different approaches to grading, often met with mixed emotions from teachers. Mastery-based and minimum grading policies are popular, and this week Marcus and Jim were able to discuss how they see some of these ideas playing out. Grades are very important–to both high school students and teachers–as important vehicles for feedback, motivation, and recognition. As a result, striking the right balance with your gradebook can sometimes be a real challenge, especially when people have different ideas about how to do it best. We'd love to hear your thoughts! You can leave us an audio message for the next episode:fanlist.com/brokencopierThanks, as always, to: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for writing and recording original intro music; Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro. Email us here: thebrokencopier@substack.com.Thanks for listening (and tell your friends)! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
The ninth episode of “Kicking the Copier”—and the first of 2024!—is centered around the value of reflecting on our own past “mistakes” as teachers: practices and mindsets that existed in previous versions of our teaching that we no longer believe are the best for our students.This isn't about being hard on ourselves—growth is a part of this work! Rather, Marcus makes the argument in this episode that reflecting on how we have previously changed as teachers can allow us to remain humble in the present moment and also open-minded towards different perspectives and future growth.The work of teaching is always ongoing, after all—never about a fixed destination. And thinking about past versions of ourselves as teachers and how we've changed since then is important to not lose sight of where we need to go moving forward.As always, thanks to: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for contributing their music to The Broken Copier podcast and also Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.* Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.* Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro. * Email thoughts to thebrokencopier@substack.com or leave feedback at fanlist.com/brokencopier. Thanks for listening, and take care of yourselves! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
Welcome to 2024! As many of us are in a moment of reflection & adjustment, we were finally able to sit down & reconnect for this latest episode. We continue to be grateful for your support, especially since our recording schedule has become a little sparse in 2023–but we assume our audience of educators can understand a busy schedule, so thanks for sticking with us! Thanks to Adrian Neibauer Colorado for sending in a great audio clip from Colorado! Adrian helps us reconnect to the college conversation we had in October. We spend most of the episode responding to Adrian, as well as thinking a bit about what we're hoping to see as the new semester begins.We'd love to hear your thoughts, and no idea is too small! You can leave us an audio message for the next episode:fanlist.com/brokencopierThanks, as always, to: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for writing and recording original intro music; Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro. Email us here: thebrokencopier@substack.com.Thanks for listening (and tell your friends)! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
The eighth episode of “Kicking the Copier” begins with a question: as a teacher, do you understand how your students see themselves as learners in the classroom? If not, the first step is asking them—and this episode briefly dives into the why before moving through three different quick ways to begin this shift in your own classroom.As always, thanks to: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for contributing their music to The Broken Copier podcast and also Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro. Email thoughts to thebrokencopier@substack.com.Thanks for listening! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
This seventh episode of “Kicking the Copier” is very simple: a reflection and reminder about the value of a good classroom—how it can feel too often like it doesn't matter in the broader scheme of things when it very much does matter. That's all this episode is, really: a brief message about why the classroom matters and a thank you to all those who are doing what they can to make it a good place.As always, thanks to: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for contributing their music to The Broken Copier podcast and also Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro. Email thoughts to thebrokencopier@substack.com.Thanks for listening! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
This sixth episode of “Kicking the Copier” is a reflection on how teachers so often are asked to do things beyond the basic responsibilities of their classroom—and how “saying no” to these above-and-beyond requests can be really challenging. Still, being intentional and confident in when and why to say “no”? That can be an underrated, important factor in a sustainable, positive teaching career. In this episode, Marcus offers his thoughts on why. As always, thanks to: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for writing and recording original intro music; Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro. Email thoughts to thebrokencopier@substack.com.Thanks for listening! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
It's time to write recommendation letters again, which any teacher of seniors will tell you is the spookiest part of the entire season. As our students have an eye on all these college applications, we've seen a lot of different stories floating around about the value of college. Some of the more disingenuous politicians take pleasure in attacking the mere idea of college for political gain, throwing wrenches into an already complicated system that they don't understand. On the other hand, there is some very compelling reporting about the changing attitudes we (Americans) have about college. We think these attitudes and assumptions are at the very foundation of our work, and are worth digging into during a time when education seems to be changing so quickly.We'd love to hear your thoughts & ideas that help you make grading efficient, fair, and do its most essential job–provide meaningful, actionable feedback for students to improve. You can leave us an audio message for the next episode:podinbox.com/brokencopierThanks to: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for writing and recording original intro music; Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro. Email thoughts to thebrokencopier@substack.com.Thanks for listening! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
In this fifth episode of “Kicking the Copier,” Marcus responds to one of our own reader's questions about how to build a culture of accountability in the classroom without relying on late penalties. Marcus begins with a brief explainer on why he's against late penalties and then shares two separate strategies for still maintaining a culture of accountability without relying on late penalties at all. This is something we'd love to do more of, too: responding directly to our readers and listeners and giving our own thoughts on situations and challenges facing teachers in this current moment—so feel free to keep sending in thoughts and questions!As always, too, thanks to: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for writing and recording original intro music; Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro. Email thoughts to thebrokencopier@substack.com.Thanks for listening! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
In this fourth episode of “Kicking the Copier,” our series of shorter solo episodes, Marcus reflects on how he has reacted in the past when a student walks in having a tough day—and how he tries to do better nowadays with a simple strategy: writing that student a note. Thanks to: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for writing and recording original intro music; Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro. Email thoughts to thebrokencopier@substack.com.Thanks for listening! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
Jim already had his first day of school, and Marcus is about to start. Whether you've got your Q1 seating charts locked in, or are just starting to dust off the work laptop, we're all getting ready for another exciting year in the classroom. In this episode, Marcus asks Jim about his thoughts on what makes for a strong start to the year, and Jim talks about a new exit ticket strategy that's already working wonders.We've also hit a few milestones with our little teacher pod over here. First, it's been a full year for Marcus & Jim podcasting together on TBC, so happy anniversary to us! And, better yet, we've officially crossed 5k podcast downloads. Pretty small compared to the pros, but not bad for a few teacher hobbyists. Thank you to everyone who has participated in this community, and who keeps doing the good work in schools. Thoughts or advice? You can leave us an audio message for the next episode:podinbox.com/brokencopierThanks to: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for writing and recording original intro music; Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro. Email thoughts to thebrokencopier@substack.com.Thanks for listening! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
In this third episode of “Kicking the Copier,” our series of shorter solo episodes, Marcus reflects on how shifting the way teachers return our feedback to students can make a substantive impact on the culture of growth in our classrooms—and he offers three different steps to make for what he believes is a better feedback-return system.Here's the link to one of the slide decks I used for this type of feedback!As always, thanks to the following: Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.Email thoughts to thebrokencopier@substack.com.Thanks for listening! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
This is the second episode “Kicking the Copier”: a series of shorter solo episodes where we offer not a solution necessarily but rather an idea for teachers, akin to a copier kick, based on our own experience and thinking. These won't be long, under 10 minutes, but we hope they can be valuable in offering ideas and also potentially beginning conversations around topics worth having conversations about. Because sometimes kicking the broken copier works, right? Today's topic: a reflection by Marcus on two questions he intends to ask himself daily going into the new school year—questions that he believes can help cut through all the responsibilities and distractions a teacher has to navigate within the classroom. And two questions that, if answered, make the classroom much better for students.As always, thanks to the following: Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.Email thoughts to thebrokencopier@substack.com.Thanks for listening! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
This past week a report from the Center for Reinventing Public Education received a lot of coverage—including as fuel for a WSJ editorial—and then subsequent reaction for its targeted blame towards…you guessed it: teachers. Needless to say, Jim and Marcus weren't happy about this at all—especially after digging into the rather-barebones report and seeing how disconnected the framing and coverage of it was from the actual “data” it was built upon. In this episode, Jim and Marcus discuss not only the contents of the report but also the way it has been covered and, more broadly, the implications of how quickly and haphazardly narratives can be formed in the current moment. Spoiler: buckle up for two not-happy-at-all teachers.Links to referenced report and coverage articles:* Full CRPE report link* Education Week article covering report* Wall Street Journal editorial based on reportThanks to: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for writing and recording original intro music; Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro. Email thoughts to thebrokencopier@substack.com.Thanks for listening! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
This is the first episode “Kicking the Copier”: a series of shorter solo episodes where we offer not a solution necessarily but rather an idea for teachers, akin to a copier kick, based on our own experience and thinking. These won't be long, under 10 minutes, but we hope they can be valuable in offering ideas and also potentially beginning conversations around topics worth having conversations about. Because sometimes kicking the broken copier works, right? Today's topic: a reflection by Marcus on why being overly concerned with trying to catch students cheating—particularly with the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence tools in education—might not be the best mindset for teachers to hold. As always, thanks to the following: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for writing and recording original intro music; Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro. Email thoughts to thebrokencopier@substack.com.Thanks for listening! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
The dog days are in full swing, and we wish all the teachers out there a wonderful, restful, well-earned July. In this episode, Marcus and Jim connect to talk about how they solicit and respond to student feedback, especially as they look forward to the fall. Using Marcus's recent Edutopia article, they discuss how this type of feedback process looks in their classrooms, and the importance of bringing students into curricular decisions in meaningful ways.SPOILER ALERT: Around 33 minutes, they also talk about season 2 of FX's The Bear, since they're both big fans of the show, and thought there are tons of interesting ways the different characters, conflicts, and themes in the show intersect with teaching.We'd love to hear your thoughts & ideas that help you make grading efficient, fair, and do its most essential job–provide meaningful, actionable feedback for students to improve. You can leave us an audio message for the next episode:podinbox.com/brokencopierThanks to: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for writing and recording original intro music; Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro. Email thoughts to thebrokencopier@substack.com.Thanks for listening! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
In this episode, Brett Vogelsinger joins the podcast to talk about his new book, Poetry Pauses: Teaching with Poems to Elevate Student Writing in All Genres. Brett shares about the background of his book as well as the numerous benefits he has found in “pausing for a poem” in the classroom—especially as a way to improve student thinking and writing in a much broader sense. This isn't just an episode for English teachers, either. Brett and Marcus talk about what it means to bring something “new” into any classroom, and how leaning into a new, innovative system can open myriad doors for students and teachers alike. Interested in getting the book yourself? You can find it at the publisher's website, https://us.corwin.com/books/poetry-pauses-282912Thanks to: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for writing and recording original intro music; Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro. As always, you can email thoughts and feedback to thebrokencopier@substack.com.Thanks for listening! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
A conversation between Jim and Marcus about how their classrooms came to a close to finish the school year as well as some “teacher takeaways” from the year overall as they look forward. Though at times it dips into the weeds of HS English pedagogy and particulars, this episode tries to dive into the thinking and reflection of two different teachers about how to best “end” a classroom community—and then moves into a broader reflection on wins from the year that they will try to carry into the next school year. (After a much-needed summer break, of course.)Thanks to: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for writing and recording original intro music; Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro. As always, you can email thoughts and feedback to thebrokencopier@substack.com.Thanks for listening! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
Jim welcomes back Elizabeth Jorgensen with Dr. Lucy Park for a conversation about teaching Sijo–a traditional Korean poetry form. Similar to Haiku, Sijo offers students an accessible poetry structure to learn, play with, and develop their own creative voices and identities as writers. Liz and Lucy have recently published an award-winning book, Sijo: Kore's Poetry Form, that offers teachers background of the form, beautiful collections of famous Sijo, award-winning student samples, and lesson plans."SIJO: Korean Poetry” (Edited by Lucy Park and Elizabeth Jorgensen) is sold on Amazon. Also, complimentary copies of this book are available for educators who teach SIJO in classes in the USA. Send an email to sejongculturalsociety@gmail.com.Online Sijo course for teachers: https://www.sejongculturalsociety.org/events/sijo/online.php Sijo poems are going to the moon in The Polaris Trilogy. Learn more in this YouTube interview.We'd love to hear your thoughts & ideas that help you make grading efficient, fair, and do its most essential job–provide meaningful, actionable feedback for students to improve. You can leave us an audio message for the next episode:podinbox.com/brokencopierThanks to: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for writing and recording original intro music; Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro. Email thoughts to thebrokencopier@substack.com.Thanks for listening! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
We've finally made time in between walking the dogs, cooking, parenting, attempting to work out every once in a while, and our wildly easy teaching jobs with tons of flexible time built in. Seriously though, folks, there's more to say about grading. In this episode, we took a deeper dive into some of our thinking around grading policies like late work, extra credit, and the no-zero discourse, and have returned to a familiar place: sometimes, it's just not that simple. We'd love to hear your thoughts & ideas that help you make grading efficient, fair, and do its most essential job–provide meaningful, actionable feedback for students to improve. You can leave us an audio message for the next episode:podinbox.com/brokencopierThanks to: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for writing and recording original intro music; Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro. Email thoughts to thebrokencopier@substack.com.Thanks for listening! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
What's the best way to grade student work? This is one of those questions that seems like it should have an obvious answer, but once you do a little digging, it turns out the answer is far from easy. Not only are schools entirely misaligned when it comes to grading practices and norms, but the more we ask why, the more it seems like nothing really makes sense at all. Marcus & Jim are starting a longer conversation on the podcast about grading, and all of the complications that follow: what to grade, whether to accept late work, if grades are even useful for learning at all, and more. Article: “The End of Grading,” by KC Cole. Wired, February 9, 2023. https://www.wired.com/story/the-end-of-grading/ Want to be featured on the next episode? You can leave us an audio message:podinbox.com/brokencopierThanks to: Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for writing and recording original intro music; Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden; and Courtney Milavec for graphic design.Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro. Email thoughts to thebrokencopier@substack.com.Thanks for listening! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
We're getting into the swing of things now, as most of us have started a new semester. Marcus and Jim check back with each other about writing instruction in general, and continue the conversation around what AI might start to mean for classrooms. They talk about culture through content, and what authentic learning might start to look like in the next era of the internet. How are schools responding, and how should they respond? If ChatGPT represents a new era of learning tools, how do we go adjust in order to keep things fair, and most importantly focused on learning and curiosity?Want to be featured on the next episode? You can leave us an audio message:podinbox.com/brokencopierThanks to Alberto Lugo, one of Jim's former students, for writing and recording original intro music. Thanks to Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band's recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden. Thanks to Courtney Milavec for graphic design.Find Tom's work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.Find Alberto's work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro. Email thoughts to thebrokencopier@substack.com.Thanks for listening! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com
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