Think Differently and Deeply Podcast

As we approach the first major projects and exams of the school year, there's one research-informed success strategy that students and teachers alike tend to downplay - getting a full night's sleep. In the latest episode of the Think Differently and Deeply Podcast, we get some insight on the importance of sleep from a recent high school graduate, Sarah Schwartz, who wrote about the impact of sleep on her own life from a research-informed perspective for Volume 4 of Think Differently and Deeply.

The Think Differently and Deeply Podcast returns with a conversation with Dr. Rodney Glasgow, former Head of Middle School and Chief Diversity Officer at St. Andrew's Episcopal School, and now Head of School at Sandy Spring Friends School, on how schools can support their teachers and students as they navigate the current movement to fight systemic injustices. This interview was recorded via Zoom in July 2020.

English and math may seem like polar opposite disciplines, but Mind, Brain, and Education Science strategies like metacognition help students excel at both. St. Andrew's teachers and CTTL staff members Julia Dean and Molly Magner chat with Glenn about collaborating on their Think Differently and Deeply article as English and math teachers, and discuss how teachers can help students develop metacognitive skills by demonstrating them in their own classroom practice. (Note: this episode was recorded in spring 2019, before Julia departed St. Andrew's and the CTTL to begin her Master's degree in social work. Thank you again, Julia, for your enthusiasm and dedication to countless teachers and students.)

As a St. Andrew's student, alumna Joy Reeves '18 contributed to the CTTL as a research fellow and a resident illustrator, having designed the covers of two workbooks for the Science of Teaching and School Leadership Academy. She returns to St. Andrew's after her first semester at Duke University to chat with Glenn about her experience bringing Mind, Brain, and Education Science strategies to her college course load.

Why do we teach serious novels and tragic dramas, rather than "happy" books, in high school English? Andrew Seidman, St. Andrew's English teacher, shares how reading "unhappy" books helps students put themselves in someone else's shoes, an exercise in theory of the mind that builds social cognition and empathy.

Have you ever passed out a final exam review packet, only to hear students ask, "Did we ever learn about this?" Karen Kaufman, St. Andrew's Math Department Head, speaks with Glenn about how she introduced the Mind, Brain, and Education Science strategy of spaced repetition to keep her math students from slipping down the "forgetting curve."

What are the benefits of mindfulness for preschool and elementary-age children, and how can mindfulness practices be integrated into the classroom and at home? Jordan Love, St. Andrew's Head of Lower School, shares how introducing yoga, movement, breathing and other mindfulness practices have transformed the classroom experience for students and teachers alike. Listen to the end for a guided mindful moment with Jordan and Glenn.

Dr. Rodney Glasgow, a co-founder of the Student Diversity Leadership Conference and founder of the National Diversity Practitioners Institute, is an in-demand speaker, facilitator, trainer and activist in the areas of diversity, equity and social justice. He's also St. Andrew's Head of Middle School, and sat down with Glenn earlier this year to talk about the social mindset in middle school and how diversity in schools encourages learning through cognitive dissonance.

Dr. Daniel Willingham is a leader in translating university research on Mind, Brain, and Education Science for a K-12 teacher audience. The author of several books, including "Why Students Don't Like School," "The Reading Mind," and "Raising Kids Who Read," Dr. Willingham also wrote the forward to Volume 3 of "Thinking Differently and Deeply." He sat down with Glenn during the Science of Teaching and School Leadership Academy in July to share his experience and insights.

What can teachers do to prepare students for new academic challenges and ensure they don't hit "the wall" when they reach third grade? Christine Lewis, Intermediate School teacher and Responsive Classroom facilitator, shares how her emphasis on reflection exercises made a difference for her third graders.

Does a rigorous final exam need to be done with pen and paper? St. Andrew's Episcopal School science teachers Kim O'Shaughnessy and Phyllis Robinson proposed an alternative exam to their students and offered them a choice. In the third episode of our podcast, Kim and Phyllis share how choice sparked intrinsic motivation and inspired success among their biology students.

Active learning happens when children ask questions - just ask first grade "knowledge makers" at St. Andrew's Episcopal School. First-Grade Teacher Sung Hee Kim shares how she introduced elementary school students to metacognition with help from a stone.

What does a research-informed school day look like? The first episode of the Think Differently and Deeply Podcast features Dr. Ian Kelleher, Director of Research for the CTTL, and Head of Intermediate School Judy Kee, who discuss the creation of the school’s new 2018-2019 schedule.