Think or Thwim

Sophia Possidon is a college and K12 educator with decades of experience in the music industry prior to teaching. After such a fruitful career, she decided she wanted to shift gears and focus not on selling product to young people but rather on teaching young people about business and entrepreneurship. In this episode, Jenna and Sophia discuss the many successes that came Sophia's way because she developed the habit of saying "Yes!" to new opportunities. Her curiosity and belief in lifelong learning are habits she likes to pass along to young people-- how to stay open and open-minded because you just never know where opportunity might take you.

Steven Jones, a 7th grade history teacher, discusses the use of simulations and hands-on activities that put students in the driver's seat of their learning experiences for memorable, relatable, transferable long-term learning. Resources related to this episode can be found at www.jennakamp.com'/think-or-thwim.

Alan Smith, writing consultant at Montclair State University in New Jersey, talks us through tips and tricks he uses to help student writers develop into self-directed critical analyzers of their writing. Alan focuses on each session with a writer being a collaborative dialogue focused on the main structures and idea communication within a piece of writing.

In this episode, 5th grade teacher Jennifer Lopez discusses infusing social justice into mathematics, small group instruction, productive struggle and resilience, and how being a lifelong learner herself helps hone her teaching skills to better serve her students.

In this episode, Mike walks us through a foundational media studies lesson on news writing, detailing the many critical thinking skills it takes to effectively think through a writing task.

Middle school science teacher Pennie Perkins and her colleague, Beth Kohn, developed an interdisciplinary science-English project for middle schoolers to learn about the flow of energy, family, and the interconnectedness of life on earth. 

Nina shares her Harkness Discussion lesson, identifying ways in which students can find their voice and contribute to the intellectual rigor of class. For materials and resources related to Nina's lesson, visit www.jennakamp.com/think-or-thwim. 

Enrique, a high school social science teacher, discusses a lesson called Netflix HS, in which student groups are tasked with creating their very own high school as the foundation for a new reality TV series to be aired on Netflix. But, no, not really; it's just an exercise, making connections to US government and policy with this fun and flexible project.  

In our conversation, John talks about a rubric creation lesson he implemented with a class of high school seniors, addressing the purpose of rubrics and the value of assessment, and coming to consensus through mutual analysis and collaborative conversations with student groups about what a "fair" and "accurate" grade might be.

Spanish Teacher Lizzie Adelman discusses her lesson, Facing Darkness, in which students consider and explore the inner and outer resources they access to help them through difficult times. Lesson plan and materials available at www.jennakamp.com/think-or-thwim.

Jamie, a professional drummer and Math teacher, discusses his student-centered approach to the rules of exponents, in which he focuses on their purpose so that students can better understand their logic. Jamie grounds his lesson in respect for the scholar, dignity for the process, and love for humanity expressed through Mathematics. He understands the average student's math anxiety and presents an antidote for the fear of math. For resources connected to this episode, vist www.jennakamp.com/think-or-thwim

Costa discusses his multi-day history lesson on World War I, in which he weaves together lecture, discussion, film, and poetry to address the Essential Question: Why did the soldiers continue to fight and die a purposeless, un-winnable war? Costa grounds his lesson in  human emotions and motivations to elicit deep critical thinking by scholars as they investigate, analyze, discuss, and generate personal and plausible responses to the essential question. For resources connected to this episode, visit www.jennakamp.com/think-or-thwim

In this episode, Natalie highlights the benefits of cognitive coaching for teachers and school leaders, and discusses the organic nature of this community of practice group of life-long  learners.  

In this episode, Briana Torres walks us through a collaborative service-learning  project based on the principles of YPAR- Youth Participatory Action Research.

Jenna Kamp speaks with Kat Magill, Founder and Executive Director of Say Word!,  about authenticity, vulnerability, and the inner resources we cultivate on our paths to self-actualization in her SEL (socio-emotional learning) lesson, "Stepping Stones."