The Cutting Ed Podcast

Sara Medalen is a TItle 1 Reading and Math Interventionist (grades k-5) at Sunnyside Elementary in Minot and has nearly 30 years of classroom experience. Sara was a finalist for the 2019 North Dakota Teacher of the Year and is widely known for her Books & Braids and Dudes and ‘Dos before and after school programs. She believes students must feel loved, respected and understood. Sara focuses on relationship building to reach the best of what's inside each child. In this podcast, she offers her thoughts on her Girl Power Project, how her students are helping other students in Haiti, and her focus on improving literacy. She also offers advice on taking risks, especially when it comes to investing time with students before and after school Resources: http://www.teddintersmith.com http://www.ndunited.org/thecuttinged Twitter: @thecuttinged @NDDPI @tdintersmith @bistom @PrairiePublicEd @smedalen @sunnyside_mps

I (along with a team of educators) am involved in innovative education! It's an outdoor learning opportunity for fifth-grade students. We would love to get our adventure in education noticed throughout the state. I would suggest interviewing us as a group. We are partnered with Fish and Wildlife and our outdoor opportunities are at Sullys Hill National Wildlife Refuge. Thursday we have conferences in the afternoon. Resources: http://www.teddintersmith.com http://www.ndunited.org/thecuttinged Twitter: @thecuttinged @NDDPI @tdintersmith @bistom @PrairiePublicEd

Dr. Andi Dulski-Bucholz is the Dean and Chair of the Division of Education at Mayville State University. In this episode, Dr. Dulski-Bucholz is joined by Dr. Kelli Odden, Professor of Early Childhood Education at Mayville State. They're teaming up to talk about how they're training our next generation of teachers, more commonly referred to as pre-service teaching training. We discuss challenges and opportunities in preparing teachers, whether it's talking about how teachers factor into a world of online learning, a shift from teaching content to teaching skills, and what's being done to prepare teachers for working with the many social and emotional issues impacting our children.Resources:http://www.teddintersmith.com http://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedTwitter: @thecuttinged @NDDPI @tdintersmith @bistom @PrairiePublicEd @kelliodden@mayvillestate

In this episode, I talk to Nikki Doll and two of her students—Teegan Henke and Shelby Meckle—about service learning.You'll hear about how service learning impacts the community and students—and how it sets a foundation for building 21st Century skills. The students find needs in the community—or world—and look to fill the voids through projects, teamwork and collaboration.Resources:http://www.teddintersmith.com http://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedhttps://www.facebook.com/CenterFfa/Twitter: @thecuttinged @NDDPI @tdintersmith @bistom @PrairiePublicEd @NikkiFideldy

In this episode, I visit with Williston High School's Director of Bands-Eric Rooke.Eric focuses on building relationships to bring the best out of his students. He says, ”Education happens at its finest when we get to know our kids and our kids get to know us as human beings.Resources:http://www.teddintersmith.com http://www.ndunited.org/thecuttinged Twitter: @thecuttinged @NDDPI @tdintersmith @bistom @PrairiePublicEd

Beatrice Hill is in her fifth year at West Fargo high school teaching English language arts. During her first year, she was approached by students who wanted to begin a literary magazine. Hill allows the students to take the lead on every aspect of the magazine, from providing content and page design to seeking out fundraising sources and including advertising. Hill says she serves as an advisor and says when the students run into problems they develop the skills to problem solve.Hill says she comes from a long line of teachers and that education has been really valued within my family. She says she not only comes from a line of exceptional teachers, but she's also had the privilege of being taught by exceptional teachers. She believes that every teacher she's had along the way has inspired her in some capacity and has influenced her to help her get where she is today.Resources:http://www.teddintersmith.com http://www.ndunited.org/thecuttinged Twitter: @thecuttinged @NDDPI @tdintersmith @bistom @PrairiePublicEd

In this episode, I talk to Rolla agriculture instructor William Fritz. Fritz uses inquiry based learning to teach 12 different semester classes throughout the school year. The classes range from agriculture business to livestock production, and everything in between. He wants the students to experience agriculture. He says a lot of students still believe agriculture education is just for farm kids. Fritz teaches agriculture processing, the sales side of agriculture, natural resources, veterinarian science, and horticulture with focus on Floriculture. He also requires all of my students to have an agri-science project and supervised agriculture experience project. In 2018, he was fortunate to become an National Agriscience Teacher Ambassador. The program only takes 20 agriculture teachers each year into the program. He spent five intense days learning how to incorporate inquiry base learning into the classrooms/labs/shops. One of his responsibilities as an ambassador is teaching others about inquiry base learning through workshops. Resources: http://www.teddintersmith.com http://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedhttps://www.facebook.com/RollaFfa/ Twitter: @thecuttinged @NDDPI @tdintersmith @bistom @PrairiePublicEd

In this episode I visit with Anne Kelsch, Ryan Zerr and Melissa Gjellstad from the University or North Dakota. We'll talk about the importance of general education and why it's critical in helping students develop 21st Century skills. The three offer advice on what current high school students—looking ahead to college—should know—including the thought that the career they study for may be much different when they enter the workforce. Resources: http://www.teddintersmith.com http://www.ndunited.org/thecuttinged Association of American Colleges & Universities: https://www.aacu.org/ UND College of Arts & Sciences: https://arts-sciences.und.edu/ A “Value of Essential Studies” which is a compilation of curated resources linked from within the page: https://und.edu/academics/essential-studies/value.html Twitter: @thecuttinged @NDDPI @tdintersmith @bistom @PrairiePublicEd

This podcast is designed for teachers, students, parents and others interested in education in North Dakota. I'm your host Tom Gerhardt. In this episode I visit with Solen Cannon Ball Supt. Justin Fryer and Title 1 Math Teacher Vanessa Peach. A switch to trimester schedules a couple of years back has lead to increased student engagement and graduation rates. Resources: http://www.teddintersmith.com http://www.ndunited.org/thecuttinged Twitter: @thecuttinged @NDDPI@tdintersmith @bistom @PrairiePublicEd

This weeks podcast is with Lynnae Liese—the Personalized Learning Coordinator at New Rockford-Sheyenne. The school recently started a Personalized Learning Academy—empowering students and giving them voice and choice in their learning. Lies says its an opt-in program where students choose three or four courses they want to study. An instructor is there one period of the day acting as a coach—allowing the students to take on their own learning choosing what they want to learn and when they want to learn. Lies says collaboration is a huge part of the learning environment.Liese will talk about how and why the program began and offer advice for other districts who may want to look into a similar program.Resources:http://www.teddintersmith.comhttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedTwitter:@thecuttinged@NDDPI@tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd

This weeks podcast is with Sara Bohrer, who started a program at Bismarck Century High School four years ago called “Peer to Peer.” She says several years ago a group of parents and administrators got together to talk about how they could get students with disabilities more involved.Resources:http://www.teddintersmith.comhttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedhttp://leslyethiery.blogspot.comTwitter:@thecuttinged@NDDPI@tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd@MrsThierysClass@leslyethiery

Leslye Thiery says growing up in small town North Dakota (Ashley) she's felt her whole life has been geared toward being a teacher.Her father was a science teacher in New Rockford and her grandmother was also a teacher. She says those influences along with compassion for others made her journey to the classroom almost preordained.Thiery says her philosophy in education has never wavered. It's always been about the whole child and helping them feel included, balanced, valued and loved.Her path to an innovative approach in the classroom came from her first job in education. After graduating from Valley City State in the 90's, Theiry says she had to wait a few years to get a job in Ashley where her husband owned a business. She says she got a job directing preschool and she says there was a lot of playing, experimenting, questioning and environment of curiosity. That stayed with her.She says when she took a job teaching second grade she was handed manuals to teach, noticed students in desks in straight rows and also a lot of disengagement—a far cry from her days in preschool—but says she went along with it because she thought that's what she was supposed to do.Since then, she's sought out ways to think outside the box, try new things, remain curious and put kids first.Resources:http://www.teddintersmith.comhttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedhttp://leslyethiery.blogspot.comTwitter:@thecuttinged@NDDPI@tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd@MrsThierysClass@leslyethiery

Growing up, Pete Stenberg enjoyed math and science and decided he wanted to become a civil engineer. After three years of engineering classes he decided he couldn't see himself in an office setting all the time, so he took an education class. As they say, the rest is history. Stenberg has been teaching and coaching in Minot for 28 years.As an educator, Stenberg has adapted with the times. He pushes 21st century skills by integrating technology into his classroom, utilized flexible seating, and engages students in hands-on experiential learning all while integrating differential instruction (IDP's, 504's) and concentrating on social-emotional learning.In this podcast, Stenberg has his class on site at Roosevelt Park Zoo in Minot for a hands-on, cross-disciplinary lesson that also gives students a chance to participate in a community project.Resources:http://www.teddintersmith.comhttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedTwitter:@thecuttinged@NDDPI@tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd@Stenny65@NDUMinot

Third grade teacher Jessica Schmidt and 7-12 teacher Wendy Bichler collaborate between grade levels in Ashley. The teachers say it's great for the students helping them to become more confident, creative and communicative. The older students help the younger ones with writing with the third graders becoming more comfortable sharing their work and the older students asking questions to flesh out details and providing feedback. Collaborating also saves the teachers time because the students edit and proofread each story. That frees up Schmidt and Bichler to move around the room to ask and answer questions and guide the learning process.The two also talk about how they've grown, changed and continue to adapt as teachers in rural North Dakota.Resources:http://www.teddintersmith.comhttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedTwitter:@thecuttinged@NDDPI@tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd

Annette Hovey of New Rockford-Sheyenne was a finalist for the 2019 North Dakota Teacher of the Year. She teaches band, jazz band, choir and more. She says her love of music stretches back to her childhood when her parents put her in piano lessons. She told me one piece of music defines her as an instructor. About 2015, she pulled out a piece called Bogoroditse Devo by Rachmaninoff. It was a piece she sung in college, and Hovey wasn't sure if her students could pull it off. She says from the first measure, her students were hooked.Hovey says she has thirty-one students in choir—about a third of New Rockford-Sheyenne High School. She says what defines her as a teacher is that she continues to challenge them—and that her students are up to each challenge.Performing Bogoroditse Devo earned her choir a spot at the North Dakota Music Educators Conference.Resources:http://www.ndplaylist.orghttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedTwitter:@thecuttinged@NDDPI@tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd@NRS_Rockets

Leah Juelke is an English Learner teacher at Fargo South, the same school she graduated from in 2001. But things have changed in terms of population and demographics in the area in the last seventeen years. Juelke says South has a much more diverse student population then when she school there and she believes its made South a better school.Juelke took an indirect path to teaching. After attending NDSU, she joined the Army National Guard and served as a medic. She hoped to become a nurse. But after training soldiers in the medical field, she realized she loved teaching. Couple with visiting around two dozen countries, she has a unique and appreciation for differing cultures.Juelke teaches immigrant and refugee students that are learning basic English all the way up to students in English 4 ready to transition to mainstream classrooms. She says her main objective is to develop skills they can use in real life. She explains why she focuses on personalized learning, projects and teamwork, and the confidence her students gain by sharing their personal stories.Resources:http://www.ndplaylist.orghttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedhttps://ellfargosouth.weebly.com/Twitter:@thecuttinged@NDDPI@tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd@ndtoy2018

Heidi Demars began her career as an occupational therapist working in schools. However, her career path changed one day when she recognized a boy who was struggling in class. Demars said she knew something had happened to him and could see he wasn't wiling to share about it. She decided to use a calming practice with him—and he opened up. She says that moment she realized teachers are at the forefront of dealing with social and emotional issues daily.Demars now works with teachers and schools across the state as part of her Mindful You, Mindful Me practice. In this episode, Heidi explains how mindfulness can positively impact social and emotional health and shares tips and resources for implementing mindfulness in the classroom.Resources:http://www.ndplaylist.orghttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedGrowing Up Mindful by Christopher WillardMindfulness for Teachers by Patricia A. JenningsCultivating Mindfulness in the Classroom by Jeanie M. IberlinTwitter:@thecuttinged@NDDPI@tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd

The Alexander Public School District made a bold decision this spring (after much investigation and consideration) to move to a 4-day school week beginning in the fall of 2018.In this episode of The Cutting Ed podcast, we'll hear about the decision through the lens of a kindergarten teacher.Deb Hankins started her teaching career as a paraprofessional in special education in Oregon. Following a stop in Utah, she and her husband moved to North Dakota where she has taught for five years beginning in Watford City and now in Alexander as a kindergarten teacher.Hankins says the idea for the 4-day school week came from students in an innovations class. They pitched the idea to Superintendent Leslie Bieber in 2017. She liked the idea enough that administrators and students visited other schools with 4-day school weeks. Next, a presentation was given to the School Board which provided consent to take the next step, which included a parent survey and public meetings. The School Board approved the application in February and NDDPI approved the application in early March.The school staff have been trained over the last two years in Project Based Learning. This is so totally my style of learning and wished back in the day when I was in school I had this. I love hands on projects that bring the real world experiences to life in the classroom. Almost everything we do is connected to more then one subject and can be connected to real experiences. I take the fantasy world Kinders come with and try to move them into real experiences.I believe that a child educations is like a triangle. The two points at the base represent the teacher and the parents supporting the top point the student. Some times a student come to us with a missing base point but that doesn't matter. The end goal is the top point the student. I will use all resources I have to build their base so they will be successful. Relationships are the key in education, I a child feel needed, loved and a safe place they can learn anything the world has to offer them.Resources:http://www.ndplaylist.orghttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttinged@thecuttinged@NDDPI@kirstenbaesler@tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd@ndunited

Tioga High Science Teacher Sarah Klug says she originally wanted to be a doctor. While attending Minot State, she says she didn't have the passion for the medical field and decided to take an intro to teaching class with a friend and ended up loving it.Klug, now in her fourth year of teaching, says it was her student teaching experience with Mary Sandbo at Des Lacs High School that introduced her to an alternative classroom setting. She said that style of teaching, using hands-on applied concepts, was exactly how she wanted to teach. She wanted kids to realize that science isn't just notes and memorization but can be applied to everyday life.In this episode, well learn how Klug integrates technology into her classroom using things like drones, 3-D printers and a forensics lesson which allows students to evaluate mock crime scenes. She has also started a wildly popular STEM club and believes there is a lot to be learned by trial and error as she works to help prepare students for the real world by giving them real world problems to solve.Resources:http://www.ndplaylist.orghttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedTioga High School on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tiogapirates/@thecuttinged@NDDPI@kirstenbaesler@tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd@ndunited

Eileen Zygarlicke says Grand Forks Community School is the best kept secret in Grand Forks. Her pride in the school and passion for teaching are evident the minute you meet her.Mrs. Z, as the students call her, has been teaching at Grand Forks Community School for around 16 years. She works with at risk students, but is quick to point out that at risk sometimes simply means the students don't fit into a traditional classroom setting.Zygarlicke teaches English and uses student choice project based learning to personalize learning for her students. She says four of the seven children in her family are English teachers, and while her plan was to become a writer (she freelanced for awhile) the classroom called her back and she's been teaching ever since.In this episode Zygarlicke explains how she teachers her students to think, and how student choice has lead to better results.We will also hear from one of her students. Austin Moen says he was active in high school but struggled with school after his brother died in an snowmobile accident. He says he decided to attend Grand Forks Community School and things have been going great since he made the switch.Resources:http://www.ndplaylist.orghttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedhttps://www.grandforksherald.com/opinion/letters/3887765-letter-teacher-thank-you-grand-forks@thecuttinged@NDDPI@kirstenbaesler@tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd@ndunited

In her four years as a grade school teacher in Bismarck, Olivia Becker says she has done a 180 in terms of her teaching philosophy.Becker says she entered the profession with a traditional approach, but soon found herself overwhelmed by curriculum, teaching to standards and student behaviors. Becker says she came to understand that she wasn't happy and that her students weren't particularly enjoying their time, either. So she decided to reinvent her teaching style which now focuses on student choice, an open concept classroom with flexible seating and practicing yoga and mindfulness.In this episode, you'll learn how she says those changes have transformed students in terms of educational and behavioral outcomes.Resources:http://www.ndplaylist.orghttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedLeaders of Their Own Learning by Ron BergerMindsets and Moves by Gravity GoldbergTeaching with Intention by Debbie MillerWho's Doing the Work by Jan Burkins and Kim YarisMindfulness:Growing Up Mindful – Christopher WillardMindUp CurriculumPodcast: Sounds True: Insights at the Edge – Goldie Hawn – Mindfulness episode Reading with Meaning by Debbie MillerFeedback – Austin's butterfly video – on youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqh1MRWZjms Podcasts: TED Radio HourPrincipal Center RadioKids Deserve ItMindful Games Activity Cards @thecuttinged@NDDPI@kirstenbaesler@tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd@ndunited

Jackson Holm is a senior at Grand Forks Red River High School. He's a National Merit Scholar finalist who enjoys computer science, theatre and takes an innovations class from teacher Eric Sanders (Sanders was featured on Episode 21).Sanders says of Holm, “He has designed video games, designed and launched a high-altitude balloon (near-space balloon) in 9th grade, and trained a neural network of artificial intelligence. He did these outside of school, in spite of school. He is also a National Merit Scholar finalist. He also nearly left school last semester to move to Portland and open a vegan buffalo wing food truck. He has views about how education needs to change to applying knowledge through projects and collaboration.”Sanders said he asked Jackson what he thought about education, and he replied, "There is almost nothing that is done alone anymore. Education is focused on single-person learning." He is hopeful that education is changing in a good way.Resources:TEDx Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFGU1MPd14A&t=1s http://www.ndplaylist.orghttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedTwitter@thecuttinged@NDDPI@kirstenbaesler@tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd@ndunited

Eric Sanders says he started thinking about innovative education during a Creating Innovators book study. He says he was amazed at the incredible work students were doing; sometimes because of school, but often times in spite of school. Sanders says that's when he began thinking about how he could create authentic learning experiences in his classroom. An early experience trying Google's Genius Hour ended in failure. Sanders says his students didn't have enough time to work on passion projects, but he says he learned from failure that students need opportunities to fail and to not be afraid of it. He finds school is all about passing and succeeding and that learning from failure is not often an option.That experience led Sanders to start an innovations class at Grand Forks Red River. Students work on concepts of things they can do for North Dakota by identifying a problem, brainstorming solutions, proposing and carrying out projects and finally reflecting upon the outcomes.He's also uses project-based learning in his junior English classes where students have done things like create a human rights museum centered around novels like Huck Finn.Sanders has also asked his students how they could positively impact the public perception of Red River. That's resulted in vetted projects, one which raised $6,000 for cancer research. Another developed a culture fair to bring a diverse student body together. Sanders says Governor Burgum's Innovation Summit was a game changer. He says he began to think about how much of school curriculum is test prep. He says he he believes a culture shift in school and at home. Instead of asking about grades, Sanders thinks we need to focus on skills like critical thinking, collaboration, creativity and communication.Finally, he says Ted Dintersmith's film Most Likely to Succeed completely changed his views on education. Ultimately, he says it all boils down to “seeing students do amazing things, things that they didn't think they could ever accomplish, then giving them the audience that their work deserves.” Resources:https://www.ndplaylist.orghttps://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedhttps://sandersspeaks.wordpress.com/ Cancer Walk video from project-based learning: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-HEEn8mFE48RHREWVhyNjJUdzQ/view?usp=sharing Sexual assault video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn1GIFmflW4Twitter:@EricSanders3@thecuttinged@NDDPI@kirstenbaesler@tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd@ndunited

Rugby High School History teacher Kevin Leier believes education is the fastest way to impact someone's life. He says it may seem cliche, but he believes in the saying, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”Leir's philosophy, which administrators at Rugby fully support, is to “give me flexibility and let me run with it.”That philosophy has helped enable Leier to create two dynamic project-based, student-centered programs. The first was built around Governor Doug Burgum's Main Street Initiative. Students in his North Dakota Studies Class learned much more than the history of downtown Rugby during the project culminating in a community forum at the end of the school year attended by Lt. Governor Brent Sanford.In this episode, we'll hear from Leier about how he developed the projects and we'll also hear from two of his students about the experiences and how they've had lasting impacts on their education and their lives.Resources:Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2jNN4kNxtYTwitter:@kevleier12@thecuttinged@NDDPI@kirstenbaesler@tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd@ndunited

Darcy Bakkegard worked as a high school English and Theatre teacher for ten years before taking a position in 2017 with Prairie Public Education Services. She's now a professional development coach for the PBS Teacher Community Program.Molly Olson spent 22 years teaching English Language Arts to 7th-12th graders and currently works as the Operations Director for the Missouri River Educational Cooperative.In this episode, Darcy and Molly are talking about professional development for teachers with a focus on EdCamp North Dakota, which takes place April 7th at sites in Mandan and Mayville.Darcy describes the event as an “unconference” where teachers set the agenda when they arrive and talk about issues important to them while at the same time collaborating, problem solving and forming new relationships to better engage students in the classroom.EdCamp is a collaboration between EduTech, Prairie Public, ND Center for Distance Ed, Missouri River Ed Coop, Mayville State and Mandan Red Trail Elementary.The event takes place April 7th.Resources:http://www.edcampnd.k12.nd.ushttp://www.ndplaylist.orghttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedhttps://www.facebook.com/mrecnd/https://www.facebook.com/prairiepubliceducationservices/?ref=br_rs@thecuttinged@NDDPI@kirstenbaesler@tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd@ndunited

Jennifer Walcott Goldstein spent her entire career in public education as a teacher, teacher coach and administrator in several different networks of schools mostly in the south. Jen grew up in a small town in Arkansas and says she saw a significant amount of opportunities that were given to certain groups of students and some that weren't given to others. She says recognizing and seeing some of those disparities play out over time in the education system really inspired her to want to be a part of it and to learn how she could support educators and leaders in their work as they continue to strive to make school a place that every student belongs. In other words, she works to help each student find their full potential.School Retool is a four day fellowship that takes place over the course of three to four months including four in-person workshops. In between those workshops, work is done to identify strategies to develop hacks to try out in particular schools.“School Retool is a professional development fellowship that helps school leaders like you redesign your school culture using small, scrappy experiments called “hacks.” Hacks may start small, but they're built on research-based practices that lead to Deeper Learning, and can create the kind of big change you aspire to—namely, preparing your students for life in the real world.”--School Retool websitehttp://www.ndplaylist.orghttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedhttp://schoolretool.org/http://shadowastudent.org/Twitter:@schoolretool@thecuttinged@NDDPI@kirstenbaesler@tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd@ndunited

Dr. Bruce Maylath joined the NDSU English Department in 2007. He says NDSU was intrigued by his background in linguistics and International Technical Communication.Dr. Maylath is the co-founder of the Trans-Atlantic & Pacific Project (TAPP), which has linked students in writing and translation courses across four continents since the 1999-2000 academic year. He continues to serve as the TAPP network's coordinator. In this episode, we'll learn more about TAPP and how the program, without funding, has helped to link NDSU students to the world and the world to NDSU.Students use critical thinking skills and collaboration to refine texts. The learning is experiential, as Maylath says new sets of problems arise with each translation.Maylath says there are currently 24 universities involved across 17 countries and four continents.Ultimately, TAPP prepares students for work in a competitive global market while connecting students by utilizing simple technology like email, Skype or WhatsApp.Resources:http://www.ndplaylist.orghttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedhttps://www.ndsu.edu/english/trans_atlantic_and_pacific_project/http://www.kzoo.edu/belight/article/k-alum-loves-babel-languages/https://www.ndsu.edu/english/faculty/bruce_maylath/Twitter:@thecuttinged@NDDPI@kirstenbaesler @tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd

This week's podcast looks at an intensive, hands-on professional development course offered for all teachers across North Dakota.We'll hear from Ann Ellefson of the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (NDDPI), who oversees the program, and Damian Kennedy, a fifth and sixth grade teacher from Kidder County-Steele Elementary, who's taken part in the training.The NMSI website says, “Our Summer Institutes are designed for teachers of math, science, and English. The Teacher Training Program is hands-on, teacher-to-teacher training. Endorsed NMSI Trainers provide in-depth training across a span of four days using success driven materials, the latest classroom technologies, laboratory experiments, and online resources. Created by master classroom teachers, the Teacher Training materials and resources can be used immediately in the classroom to add rigor to the existing curriculum.”Register by April 11th to participate. It's on a first come, first serve basis. The entire $725 registration fee is waived due to a donation from ExxonMobil and graduate credits are available for those that complete the four days of training. Use the promo code “704006” to waive the registration.The 2018 training takes place at Fargo North High School. June 11th through the 14th. Register here: https://www.nd.gov/dpi/SchoolStaff/AS/NMSI/Resources:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qKUQnJexBk. Here is a NMSI video that describes the program: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vJqP3Bm-H0http://www.ndplaylist.orghttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedTwitter:@thecuttinged@NDDPI@tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd

Dr. Nick Klemisch has been superintendent at Garrison Public Schools for 2 ½ years. Nick says he became disgusted with complacency after spending several years teaching and wanted to have more say in what happens in schools. Klemisch says his focus at Garrison has been on expanding career options for students by creating more emphasis on career and technical colleges.However, while attending Governor Burgum's Innovation Summit in the summer of 2017, he heard Ted Dintersmith speak. That led to a conversation with his team and ultimately a public viewing of Most Likely to Succeed. He said that led to more conversations, setting up an innovation committee at the school and a book study of The Innovator's Mindset by George Couros.Klemisch says it all added up to a greater focus on trying to do things to meet today's students needs through flex mod scheduling.This podcast look at how a small, rural school is looking at significant change to better serve its students by utilizing resources in state (site visits, innovative committee, community discussions) and acting upon an invitation from the film Most Likely to Succeed to consider a new way to teach and learn in a small school in a rural North Dakota community. http://www.ndplaylist.orghttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedTwitter:@thecuttinged@NDDPI@kirstenbaesler @tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd

Zak Allen is a project manager for the National Energy Center of Excellence at Bismarck State College. The NECE offers 12 different energy degree programs plus non-credit programs for industry training and apprenticeships.The NECE's roots date back to the 1970's when they recognized a need for specialized training due to the growing energy sector in the state. The Power Plant Technology program began in 1976 and through the years has expanded to include 11 other programs including Nuclear Power Technology. It's often said energy development and innovation go hand in hand, and it's the way BSC has integrated these programs that makes them cutting edge. In this podcast, Allen will describe how the NECE has applied the use of remote technology to education allowing students personalized learning opportunities from wherever they are no matter the time of day. He'll also explain how collaboration, project based learning, self-advocacy, communication and other innovative skills and ideas are put to work in the program.http://www.ndplaylist.orghttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedBSC Online Labs: https://www.bscnecelabs.net/onlinepres/Twitter:@thecuttinged@NDDPI@tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd@bscedu

Matt Williams is the Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Policy and Advocacy for Knowledge Works and has held multiple roles within the organization for over 11 years. Prior to that, he taught and ran a grant program at Baylor University. Williams has a Master's in Education focusing on curriculum and instruction.North Dakota is not alone it pursuing innovative education opportunities. Williams says it's a policy area that is emerging fast. He says in 2012, less than half of the states had any sort of policies around personalized, competency based or innovative learning. Now, he says, almost all states do including around half that have invested in an innovative program or pilot as North Dakota did with SB 2186 in the 2017 legislative session.“KnowledgeWorks is a national organization committed to providing every learner with meaningful personalized learning experiences that ensure success in college, career and civic life. With a presence in more than 30 states, we develop the capabilities of educators to implement and sustain competency-based and early college schools, partner with federal, state and district leaders to remove policy barriers that inhibit the growth of personalized learning and provide national thought leadership around the future of learning.” --Knowledge Works websiteResources:http://www.ndplaylist.orghttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedhttp://www.knowledgeworks.org/Twitter:@thecuttinged@tdintersmith@NDDPI@PrairiePublicEd@NDUnited@bistom

Nick Archuleta is on leave from the faculty at Century High School in Bismarck where he taught Spanish I and II. He was elected as President of NDEA in June 2013, and is serving as the first-ever President of North Dakota United. Archuleta also served on the NDEA Board of Directors and is former Vice Chairman of the Education Standards and Practices Board having been appointed by former Governor John Hoeven as well as by Governor Jack Dalrymple.Resources:www.ndplaylist.orgwww.ndunited.org/thecuttingedTwitter:@thecuttinged@NDUNick

In January of 2017, Oakes Public School Superintendent Kraigg Steinhoff and Principal Brandon Bata decided to travel to Legacy High School in Bismarck to see firsthand what flex mod scheduling looks like and to determine if it could work in Oakes.They thought they were wasting their time. After all, part of their school was built in 1923 and they didn't have the staff size or modern amenities that Legacy has. Staff members joined, and as they gathered on the bus to head back to Oakes following the site visit, they took a vote. Should Oakes shift to a flex mod schedule? Overwhelmingly, 18-1, staff voted in favor of the move.The firm commitment came weeks later in February. Bata worked tirelessly through the summer to develop the complex scheduling using a software program and the school made the transition to flex mod in the fall of 2018--just six months after making the decision.The conversation in this podcast outlines how Oakes made switch so quickly, highlights positives and challenges from the change and serves as a blueprint for other smaller school districts looking to make the change to flex mod scheduling.Resources:http://www.ndplaylist.orghttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedVideo: Flex-Mod Schedule Oakes Public Schoolhttps://youtu.be/FnLC0DHP2HUTwitter: @thecuttinged

Tom Schmidt is the principal at Legacy High School in Bismarck since 2013 (the current building opened for students in 2015). Before that, Schmidt served as the principal as South Central High School in Bismarck and also taught at Bismarck High School for 18 years.Schmidt helped in the design of Legacy High School and implementation of flexible modular scheduling (flex mod scheduling/personalized scheduling). The flex mod schedule reimagines how time is used in school. Instead of a traditional school schedule of eight periods lasting 50 minutes, instructional time is divided into 40, 60 or 80 minute mods. The concept observes that not all students need the same amount of time for learning and allows for more collaborative time for teachers and students.Resources:Legacy High Schoolhttps://www.bismarckschools.org/Page/281An Introduction to Flex Mod Schedulinghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YV4HWXVVJ08@dintersmith@thecuttinged @legacysabershttp://www.ndplaylist.orghttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttinged

Tom Klapp was a finalist for North Dakota Teacher of the Year and was also named Northern Cass Teacher of the Year. Originally from Canada, Klapp graduated from Valley City State University with a Chemistry degree. Klapp, who has been at Northern Cass since 2006, teaches chemistry, physics and AP chemistry. Resources:@dintersmith@thecuttinged @NorthernCassDIndplayist.orgwww.ndunited.org/thecuttinged

Ted Dintersmith says he got concerned about what he calls the collision between education and innovation a few years ago. Dintersmith says machine intelligence is advancing at an accelerating rate and schools (for the most part) are preparing kids to be good at short term memorization, replicating low level procedures and following instructions, which is exactly what machine intelligence is great at. Dintersmith thought about ways he could contribute and decided to produce a film. Most Likely to Succeed premiered in January of 2015 with Dintersmith serving as executive producer and documentarian Greg Whiteley directing. The film, which explores new ways to transform education while looking at shortcomings of our current system, has been shown at places like the Sundance Film Festival and the Tribeca Film Festival.Dintersmith is invested in finding answers to prepare our children for a dynamic world and future.Resources:www.ndplaylist.orgTwitter: @dintersmith@thecuttinged www.ndunited.org/thecuttinged

Senator Erin Oban of Bismarck (District 35) was elected to office in 2014 and serves on the Education Committee during the session and is Chair of the Education Policy Committee during the interim. She also has experience in the classroom as a former math teacher.Senator Oban was a sponsor of SB 2186, the innovative education bill, that passed during the 2017 legislative session. In this episode, Oban talks about the continued importance of teachers in innovative classrooms, what needs to happen to build upon innovation in school across North Dakota and delivers a message for both lawmakers and teachers.Resources:www.ndplaylist.orgwww.ndunited.org/thecuttingedhttp://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/64-2015/members/senate/senator-erin-obanTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/erinobanhttp://www.twitter.com/thecuttinged

Nicole Poolman is both a state senator (District 7) and a teacher at Century High School in Bismarck. Senator Poolman has been in office since 2013 and was the prime sponsor on SB 2186, the education innovation bill passed by the state legislature in the spring of 2017.Senator Poolman has been an educator for twenty years, beginning her career at Red River High School in Grand Forks, followed by four years at Mandan High School and continuing at Century where she teaches a course called American Pageant which combines history and literature. Senator Poolman has the unique perspective of one who drafts policy and is an active classroom teacher. She talks about her hope to provide more opportunities to students with special needs and how technology has fundamentally changed the way she teaches in her classroom.Resources:Ted Dintersmith's Innovation Playlist www.ndplaylist.orgwww.ndunited.org/thecuttingedhttp://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/65-2017/members/senate/senator-nicole-poolmanTwitter: @thecuttingedhttp://www.twitter.com/thecuttinged

Reimagining Education & Flexible Seating.Kayla Delzer is a third-grade teacher in Mapleton, North Dakota, whose ideas of reimagining education and flexible seating make her a prominent speaker and author on the topics in the United States and beyond.In this podcast, Delzer talks about how she began using technology in her classroom, what sparked her idea of flexible seating and classroom redesign and how she continues to challenge herself and others to reimagine education. Delzer also talks about what she believes is the foundation of every successful classroom.Kayla recently received the Global Hundred Award, honoring her as one of the top 100 innovative educators in the world. The New York Times has called her "one of the tech-savviest teachers in the United States.”Delzer grew up in Lakota, North Dakota, where both of her parents were teachers (her mother is retiring this school year after more than four decades in the classroom). Delzer says she knew from her first day of kindergarten that she wanted to be a teacher.RESOURCES:Follow Kayla: www.topdogteaching.com@topdogteaching on TwitterOther Twitter recommendations:@topdogteaching@techbradwaid@gustafsonbrad@joe_sanfelippo@burgessdave@pernilleripp@awelcome@jcasatodd@hellojenjones@gcouros@lavonnaroth@jeff_zoul@awelcome@casas_jimmy@ajjuliani@toddwhitakerTEDx Fargo Reimagining Classrooms: Teachers as Learners and Students as Leadershttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6vVXmwYvgsTED Talk/Rita Pierson Every Kid Needs A Championhttps://www.ted.com/talks/rita_pierson_every_kid_needs_a_championBooks:Education Write Now Kayla Delzer et alhttps://www.routledge.com/Education-Write-Now/MAZZA-Zoul/p/book/9781138296374The Innovator's Mindset: Empower Learning, Unleash Talent, and Lead A Culture of Creativity George Couroshttp://a.co/hTYm1N8Ted Dintersmith's Innovation Playlist http://www.mltsfilm.org/nd_playlistCulturize by Jimmy Casashttp://a.co/cxFg6ElKids Deserve It!: Pushing Boundaries and Challenging Conventional Thinking http://a.co/4AB573KFlexEd: Redesigning Spaces for Today's Learners Kayla Delzer (Summer 2018)

Northern Cass Superintendent Cory Steiner is leading his school in a bold three year plan to transition to full mass customized learning. The plan moves the school away from grade levels to an education model based on levels. The idea is every child will be placed based upon where they're at according to standards.You'll also hear about the Jaguar Academy at Northern Cass. It includes about three dozen 8th and 9th graders who opted into the program and will essentially take their courses independently.Superintendent Steiner talks about early successes, bumps in the road and also gives advice to other schools considering transitioning to an innovative education model.RESOURCES (used by Northern Cass) Marzano Research (Doug Finn III) Books:“A Handbook for Personalized Competency-Based Education”“Inevitable and Beyond Reform” Site visits/Harrisburg, SD (http://harrisburgdistrict41-2.org/). Knowledge Works (http://www.knowledgeworks.org/) works on customized learning throughout the country. & Ted Dintersmith's www.ndplaylist.org

Kirsten Baesler was elected as DPI Superintendent in 2012 after dedicating over two decades to education first as an aide, then library media specialist, vice-principal, PTA president and Mandan School Board president.Baesler says one thing she brought to the office after serving in various positions and listening to colleagues was the firm idea that something had to change. In June of 2013, she formed a working group to look at what is standing in the way of innovative education at the public school level and what could be done to change that. Eighteen months later, that group came to a realization is finally coming to fruition in the 2017 legislative session.

We continue our conversation with Governor Doug Burgum. In this episode, he talks about how he found his passion as a student and in life, the one thing he directed his children to do each day in school plus more on how he's seen North Dakotans compete with the best in the world and what will take to continue on that path into the future.He also talks about what will define success when it comes to innovative education in North Dakota.

North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum sets the stage for our conversations on innovative education in North Dakota. Hear why he's so passionate about education, his family connection to public schools and his thoughts on SB 2186.Governor Burgum also gives his viewpoints on why he thinks North Dakota is positioned to succeed moving forward and what gives him the confidence to believe North Dakota schools can be the best in the world.

If you're a teacher or a student, we've developed a podcast just for you.It's an exciting and important time in education in North Dakota. The door is wide open for innovative ideas to better equip our children for the future.What needs to done to prepare the next generation of students and teachers? And what does innovative education look like in action?Our conversations will include Governor Doug Burgum. We'll also hear from key decision makers and most importantly teachers and students from K-12 to Higher Ed.I'm Tom Gerhardt from North Dakota United is teaming up with Ted Dintersmith and the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction to explore education innovation across North Dakota and the nation.Our hope is  “The Cutting Ed” sparks conversations and ideas that contribute to helping teachers and students—no matter the size of the school or the ability level of the student—achieve greatly.Let's have the conversation together.