Podcast appearances and mentions of Matthew R Kay

English teacher and author Matthew R. Kay shares how to build the classroom ecosystem for having meaningful conversations in the classroom, especially conversations about race in America. In this conversation he shares several interventions he uses and discusses how to craft great questions that lead to quality conversations in the classroom.

A deep dive into the decline of reading among students, examining the factors contributing to this trend, including busy lifestyles, technology, and curriculum constraints. The discussion highlights the importance of fostering a love for reading through engaging teaching methods, social interactions, and empowering educators to have a say in curriculum decisions. Experts share insights on how to make reading a more enjoyable and communal experience for students, emphasizing the need for sustained attention and cognitive engagement with texts. Follow on Twitter: @aldenejones @Doug_Lemov @DTWillingham @LisaPas220 @MattRKay @jonHarper70bd @bamradionetwork Alden Jones is a professor at Emerson College and the author, most recently, of The Wanting Was a Wilderness. She is the editor of the forthcoming Edge of the World: An Anthology of Queer Travel Writing (May 2025). She is on the Fulbright Specialist roster as an expert in creative writing pedagogy. Lisa Leaheey has taught English at North Providence High School for the entirety of her 23-year career. A lifelong voracious reader and movie buff, she spends every day sharing her passion for stories with her students, and she continuously seeks out new ways to elevate her students' individual strengths and to support their individual needs. Lisa was recently named the 2023 Rhode Island Teacher of the Year, Matthew R. Kay is a proud product of Philadelphia's public schools and a founding teacher at Science Leadership Academy (SLA). He graduated from West Chester University and holds a Master's in Educational Leadership with a Principal's certificate from the California University of Pennsylvania. At SLA, he teaches an innovative, inquiry-driven, project-based curriculum. He is also the Founder and Executive Director of Philly Slam League (PSL). Daniel Willingham is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia, where he has taught since 1992. Until about 2000, his research focused solely on the brain's basis of learning and memory. Today, all of his research concerns the application of cognitive psychology to K-16 education. He is the author of several books, including the best-selling Why Don't Students Like School?, and Outsmart Your Brain. His writing on education has appeared in twenty-three languages. In 2017 he was appointed by President Obama to serve as a Member of the National Board for Education Sciences. Doug Lemov is the author of Teach Like a Champion (now in its 2.0 version) Reading Reconsidered and Practice Perfect—studies of top teachers, top teaching and the PD tools that can make more of those things. He works at Uncommon Schools and lives in upstate NY.

Preparing for class discussions when students are not prepared can be a challenge for teachers. It can lead to tough choices on how to spend class time and can have repercussions for students academically and socially. However, there are strategies teachers can use to address this issue, such as providing alternative ways for students to participate in discussions and creating a supportive and inclusive classroom environment. It is important for teachers to show that they value students' participation and effort and to help students understand the importance of being prepared for class. Follow our PLN on Twitter:  @LisaPas220 @MattRKay @jonHarper70bd @bamradionetwork Lisa Leaheey has taught English at North Providence High School for the entirety of her 23-year career. A lifelong voracious reader and movie buff, she spends every day sharing her passion for stories with her students, and she continuously seeks out new ways to elevate her students' individual strengths and to support their individual needs.  Lisa was recently named the 2023 Rhode Island Teacher of the Year, Matthew R. Kay is a proud product of Philadelphia's public schools and a founding teacher at Science Leadership Academy (SLA). He graduated from West Chester University and holds a Master's in Educational Leadership with a Principal's certificate from the California University of Pennsylvania. At SLA, he teaches an innovative, inquiry-driven, project-based curriculum. He is also the Founder and Executive Director of Philly Slam League (PSL).

In today's episode with special guests Matthew R. Kay and Jennifer Orr, Lindsay discusses how educational leaders and teachers can lead meaningful race conversations across K-12 in schools.    Liked this episode? Rate, review, and share!   Get In Touch With Matthew R. Kay:  Not Light, But Fire (book): https://www.notlight.com/    Get In Touch With Jennifer Orr:  Website: http://jenorr.com/    Get Your Episode Freebie & More Resources On My Website: https://www.lindsaybethlyons.com/blog/162   Lindsay's Links: LinkedIn: @lindsaybethlyons  Instagram: @lindsaybethlyons Facebook Group: Time for Teachership

Matthew R. Kay and Jennifer Orr discuss how they turn simple conversations about students' names into opportunities for connection and self-discovery. 

Click for full show notes, exercises, and parenting scripts from this episodeYou know you have to discuss race....but you're not sure where to start. With everything going on in the news and centuries of history to cover, there's quite a bit to talk about. You might feel like you're unauthorized or just woefully unprepared. What if you say the wrong thing, or your teen asks a question you don't know the answer to? With all the uncertainty, it can be tempting to just skip the topic of race altogether.But if we don't encourage kids to think critically about racism, they may grow up ignorant to prejudice in their community. They might not be able to identify microaggressions, or might not think about a certain language before they use it. Plus, with all the information floating around on social media these days, kids might just learn about race from unreliable sources when they could be having a productive conversation about it with a trusted parent!To help us crack the code to race conversations with teens, we're sitting down with Matthew R. Kay, author of Not Light But Fire: How to Lead Meaningful Race Conversations in the Classroom. Matthew's one of the founding English teachers at the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia, as well as the founder of a Philly slam poetry league! As a teacher, he's had countless conversations about race in his classroom–leading him to learn what works and what doesn't.Matthew and I are discussing how you can create a safe space for kids to open up about intense issues like race. Plus, we're talking about how you can keep the conversation in check so it doesn't go off the rails, even when you and your teen have some differences of opinion.Click for full show notes, exercises, and parenting scripts from this episode

Discussions about race and injustice will be coming to schools this year whether we are ready for them or not. Students are seeing what’s transpiring in the nation, and they are talking with each other. In this episode, we aim to determine the age at which it’s appropriate to discuss issues of race and injustice in our classrooms. @MattRKay @PrincipalKafele @TirrellCorbin@jonHarper70bd @froehlichm @bamradionetwork Matthew R. Kay is a proud product of Philadelphia’s public schools and a founding teacher at Science Leadership Academy (SLA). He is a graduate of West Chester University and holds a Masters in Educational Leadership with a Principals’ Certificate from the California University of Pennsylvania. At SLA, he teaches an innovative inquiry-driven, project-based curriculum. He is also the Founder and Executive Director of Philly Slam League (PSL). Award-winning educator Baruti Kafele is a leading keynote speaker and best-selling author. His books include Is My School Better a Better School BECAUSE I Lead It?, The Principal 50: Critical Leadership Questions for Inspiring Schoolwide Excellence, and The Teacher 50: Critical Questions for Inspiring Classroom Excellence. Christy Tirrell-Corbin, PhD, is the Executive Director of the Center for Early Childhood Education and Intervention and the Director of the Early Childhood/Early Childhood Special Education program at the University of Maryland. She has worked extensively with Title I schools to increase family engagement and raise awareness of teacher beliefs and practices relative to race, culture and socioeconomic status. She has also taught courses on culture and community, as well as studied teacher candidates’ beliefs and practices around race and culturally responsive and respectful pedagogy.

In our last episode, we discussed whether we should teach young children about race, and if so, at what age do we start? In this segment, we look at how to begin to teach young students about race in our classrooms. @MattRKay @PrincipalKafele @TirrellCorbin @jonHarper70bd @froehlichm @bamradionetwork Matthew R. Kay is a proud product of Philadelphia’s public schools and a founding teacher at Science Leadership Academy (SLA). He is a graduate of West Chester University and holds a Masters in Educational Leadership with a Principals’ Certificate from the California University of Pennsylvania. At SLA, he teaches an innovative inquiry-driven, project-based curriculum. He is also the Founder and Executive Director of Philly Slam League (PSL). Award-winning educator Baruti Kafele is a leading keynote speaker and best-selling author. His books include Is My School Better a Better School BECAUSE I Lead It?, The Principal 50: Critical Leadership Questions for Inspiring Schoolwide Excellence, and The Teacher 50: Critical Questions for Inspiring Classroom Excellence. Christy Tirrell-Corbin, PhD, is the Executive Director of the Center for Early Childhood Education and Intervention and the Director of the Early Childhood/Early Childhood Special Education program at the University of Maryland. Dr. Tirrell-Corbin has worked extensively with Title I schools to increase family engagement and raise awareness of teacher beliefs and practices relative to race, culture and socioeconomic status. She has also taught courses on culture and community, as well as studied teacher candidates’ beliefs and practices around race and culturally responsive and respectful pedagogy.

Danyelle and Ricardo spoke with Dr. Salena Brody, a psychology professor of instruction at UT Dallas, about whether people can unlearn prejudice. Find our podcasts at http://www.utdallas.edu/cometcast (Clip from ABC News) --NOTES-- Dr. Salena Brody https://bbs.utdallas.edu/faculty/detail.php5?i=2020 UT Dallas School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences https://bbs.utdallas.edu/ Book: “The Nature of Prejudice,” by Gordon Allport https://utdallas.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=alma998051301421&context=L&vid=01UT_DALLAS:UTDALMA&lang=en&search_scope=MyInst_and_CI&adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&tab=Everything&query=any,contains,%22the%20nature%20of%20prejudice%22 Movie: “The Red Violin” https://utdallas.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=alma9925919400001421&context=L&vid=01UT_DALLAS:UTDALMA&lang=en&search_scope=MyInst_and_CI&adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&tab=Everything&query=any,contains,%22the%20red%20violin%22&offset=0 Unsung Psychology Pioneers: A Content Analysis of Who Makes History (and Who Doesn't) https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5406/amerjpsyc.133.2.0241?seq=1 Ozawa vs. United States https://immigrationhistory.org/item/takao-ozawa-v-united-states-1922/ Thind vs. United States https://immigrationhistory.org/item/thind-v-united-states%E2%80%8B/ Immigration Act of 1924 https://immigrationhistory.org/item/1924-immigration-act-johnson-reed-act/ Smithsonian Magazine: How a Psychologist’s Work on Race Identity Helped Overturn School Segregation in 1950s America https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/psychologist-work-racial-identity-helped-overturn-school-segregation-180966934/ National Association for the Education of Young Children: The Life and Work of Dr. Mamie Phipps Clark (1917–1983) https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/jul2020/our-proud-heritage Science: Study identifies a key reason black scientists are less likely to receive NIH funding https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/10/study-identifies-key-reason-black-scientists-are-less-likely-receive-nih-funding School of Arts& Humanities Virtual Events Calendar https://www.utdallas.edu/ah/events/virtual-events.html “Not Light, but Fire: How to Lead Meaningful Race Conversations in the Classroom,” by Matthew R. Kay https://utdallas.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=alma9927931313801421&context=L&vid=01UT_DALLAS:UTDALMA&lang=en&search_scope=MyInst_and_CI&adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&tab=Everything&query=any,contains,Not%20Light%20%20but%20Fire:%20How%20to%20Lead%20Meaningful%20Race%20Conversations%20in%20the%20Classroom%20%E2%80%9D%20by%20Matthew%20R.%20Kay Other Podcasts Dr. Brody recommends: “Throughline” from NPR https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510333/throughline “CodeSwitch” from NPR https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/ “Nice White Parents” from This American Life https://www.thisamericanlife.org/712/nice-white-parents “1619 Project” from The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/23/podcasts/1619-slavery-anniversary.html “More Perfect” from WNYC Studios https://www.npr.org/podcasts/481105292/more-perfect

Discussions about race and injustice will be coming to schools this year whether we are ready for them or not. Students are seeing what’s transpiring in the nation, and they are talking with each other. In this episode, we aim to determine the age at which it’s appropriate to discuss issues of race and injustice in our classrooms. @MattRKay @PrincipalKafele @TirrellCorbin@jonHarper70bd @froehlichm @bamradionetwork Matthew R. Kay is a proud product of Philadelphia’s public schools and a founding teacher at Science Leadership Academy (SLA). He is a graduate of West Chester University and holds a Masters in Educational Leadership with a Principals’ Certificate from the California University of Pennsylvania. At SLA, he teaches an innovative inquiry-driven, project-based curriculum. He is also the Founder and Executive Director of Philly Slam League (PSL). Award-winning educator Baruti Kafele is a leading keynote speaker and best-selling author. His books include Is My School Better a Better School BECAUSE I Lead It?, The Principal 50: Critical Leadership Questions for Inspiring Schoolwide Excellence, and The Teacher 50: Critical Questions for Inspiring Classroom Excellence. Christy Tirrell-Corbin, PhD, is the Executive Director of the Center for Early Childhood Education and Intervention and the Director of the Early Childhood/Early Childhood Special Education program at the University of Maryland. She has worked extensively with Title I schools to increase family engagement and raise awareness of teacher beliefs and practices relative to race, culture and socioeconomic status. She has also taught courses on culture and community, as well as studied teacher candidates’ beliefs and practices around race and culturally responsive and respectful pedagogy.

In our last episode, we discussed whether we should teach young children about race, and if so, at what age do we start? In this segment, we look at how to begin to teach young students about race in our classrooms. @MattRKay @PrincipalKafele @TirrellCorbin @jonHarper70bd @froehlichm @bamradionetwork Matthew R. Kay is a proud product of Philadelphia’s public schools and a founding teacher at Science Leadership Academy (SLA). He is a graduate of West Chester University and holds a Masters in Educational Leadership with a Principals’ Certificate from the California University of Pennsylvania. At SLA, he teaches an innovative inquiry-driven, project-based curriculum. He is also the Founder and Executive Director of Philly Slam League (PSL). Award-winning educator Baruti Kafele is a leading keynote speaker and best-selling author. His books include Is My School Better a Better School BECAUSE I Lead It?, The Principal 50: Critical Leadership Questions for Inspiring Schoolwide Excellence, and The Teacher 50: Critical Questions for Inspiring Classroom Excellence. Christy Tirrell-Corbin, PhD, is the Executive Director of the Center for Early Childhood Education and Intervention and the Director of the Early Childhood/Early Childhood Special Education program at the University of Maryland. Dr. Tirrell-Corbin has worked extensively with Title I schools to increase family engagement and raise awareness of teacher beliefs and practices relative to race, culture and socioeconomic status. She has also taught courses on culture and community, as well as studied teacher candidates’ beliefs and practices around race and culturally responsive and respectful pedagogy.

Learning to teach better with Shimikqua Ellis as we discuss the featured book, Not Light, But Fire: How to Lead Meaningful Race Conversations in the Classroom by Matthew R. Kay.

Do you feel prepared to initiate and facilitate meaningful, productive dialogues about race in your classroom? Are you looking for practical strategies to engage with your students? Matthew Kay has spent his career learning how to lead students through the most difficult race conversations. Kay not only makes the case that high school classrooms are one of the best places to have those conversations, but he also offers a method for getting them right. 

Kathy Zaleski shares how she uses Connection Circles to build community in her classroom, which she learned from the Longmont Community Justice Center.  She discusses how restorative practices are alternatives to traditional discipline, and shares the following resources for others looking to learn more about this powerful instructional practice: The little books:https://emu.edu/cjp/resources/little-books  Little Books of Justice and Peacebuilding: Restorative Discipline for Schools The Little Book of Race and Restorative Justice The Little Book of Circle Processes, Return to the Teachings: Exploring Aboriginal Justice, Not Light but Fire by Matthew R. Kay    The Little Book of Restorative Teaching Tools https://www.amazon.com/Little-Book-Restorative-Teaching-Tools/dp/168099588X  Circle Forward - http://www.livingjusticepress.org/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC=%7B33EC0E83-CD69-4255-BCD5-298AD3846FF6%7D

Let's say you are an educator who knows classroom conversations about race are essential. How can you lead those conversations effectively? Matthew R. Kay wrote the book on this topic: Not Light, But Fire: How to Lead Meaningful Race Conversations in the Classroom. Join host Tony Neal and co-host Deborah Bohlmann as they discuss with Matthew his practical how-to book for educators committed to the task of open conversation on social justice. Episode produced and directed by Deborah Bohlmann. Engineering, music, and creative support by Alvin Zamudio.

In this episode of the TeacherCast Podcast, we speak with authors Matthew R Kay and Shawna Coppola about race relations in today's classrooms and how school districts, teachers, and students can sit down and have positive and constructive conversations on the topic. https://www.teachercast.net/product/1625310986/US/teach00-20/?cart=y ()In this episode, we discuss: How to recognize the difference between meaningful and inconsequential race conversations.  How to build conversational “safe spaces,” not merely declare them.  How to infuse race conversations with urgency and purpose.  How to thrive in the face of unexpected challenges.  How administrators might equip teachers to thoughtfully engage in these conversations. Follow our PodcastThe TeacherCast Educational Broadcasting Network | http://www.twitter.com/teachercast (@TeacherCast) Follow our HostJeff Bradbury | http://www.twitter.com/jeffbradbury (@JeffBradbury) About our Guesthttps://www.stenhouse.com/authors/shawna-coppola (Shawna Coppola)https://www.teachercast.net/product/1625311044/US/teach00-20/?cart=y () has taught in public schools for over sixteen years. She currently works as a K-6 literacy specialist in Rollinsford, New Hampshire, and teaches courses and seminars through the New Hampshire Literacy Institutes as well as the University of New Hampshire's Professional Development & Training program. She is a firm believer in the power and wisdom of children of all ages and is grateful for the lessons they teach her on a daily basis. Twitter: http://twitter.com/ShawnaCoppola (@ShawnaCoppola) https://www.stenhouse.com/authors/matthew-r-kay (Matthew R. Kay)Matthew R. Kay is a proud product of Philadelphia's public schools and a founding teacher at Science Leadership Academy (SLA). He is a graduate of West Chester University and holds a Masters in Educational Leadership with a Principals' Certificate from California University of Pennsylvania. He deeply believes in the importance of earnest and mindful classroom conversations about race. Furthermore, he believes that any teacher who is willing to put in the hard work of reflection can, through the practice of discrete skills, become a better discussion leader. Driven by these convictions, he is passionate about designing professional development that teachers find valuable. Twitter: http://twitter.com/mattrkay (@MattRKay) Join our PLNAre you enjoying the TeacherCast Network, please share your thoughts with the world by https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/educational-podcasting-today/id972444781?mt=2 (commenting on iTunes) today? I enjoy reading and sharing your comments on the podcast each week. Let's Work TogetherHost: Jeff Bradbury http://www.twitter.com/teachercast (@TeacherCast) | http://twitter.com/jeffbradbury (@JeffBradbury) Email: info@teachercast.net Voice Mail: http://www.teachercast.net/voicemail (http://www.TeacherCast.net/voicemail) YouTube: http://www.teachercast.net/YouTube (http://www.TeacherCast.net/YouTube) iTunes: http://www.teachercast.net/iTunes (http://www.TeacherCast.net/iTunes) Check Out More TeacherCast ProgrammingTeacherCast Podcast (http://www.teachercast.net/tcp (http://www.teachercast.net/tcp)) Educational Podcasting Today (http://www.educationalpodcasting.today/ (http://www.educationalpodcasting.today)) The https://www.teachercast.net/tep (TechEducator Podcast) (http://www.techeducatorpodcast.com/ (http://www.techeducatorpodcast.com)) Ask The Tech Coach (http://www.askthetechcoach.com/ (http://www.AskTheTechCoach.com)) View LIVE Professional Development from TeacherCastJoin us LIVE every Tuesday at [8:00] PM EST: http://www.teachercast.tv/ (http://www.TeacherCast.tv) Need a Presenter?Jeff Bradbury http://www.teachercast.net/twitter ((@TeacherCast)) is available as a http://jeffreybradbury.com/ (Keynote Speaker, Presenter), or to Broadcast your conference LIVE!

Hello everyone! Today I have on Matthew Kay, the author of the AMAZING book, Not Light, But Fire, and we are continuing our discussion about how and why we should all step up and lead meaningful race conversations in our classrooms. It matters, now more than ever, especially if you're an educator in America. Teach Me, Teacher has never shied away from controversial or hard topics. This is a fact I'm extremely proud of in the work of the show. We took on Betsy DeVos all the way back in season 1. We discussed the lack of diversity in our curriculum. We examined the role of social justice in our classrooms. And now, we are discussing how we can have powerful and meaningful race conversations in our schools. I'm in love with Matthew's book. He writes with clarity, passion, and backs up everything he says with experiences or history that hits you right in the chest. As an educator in the world today, we owe it to our students to listen to what Matthew Kay has to say.   About Matthew Kay: Matthew R. Kay is a proud product of Philadelphia’s public schools and a founding teacher at Science Leadership Academy (SLA). He is a graduate of West Chester University and holds a Masters in Educational Leadership with a Principals’ Certificate from California University of Pennsylvania. He is also the Founder and Executive Director of Philly Slam League (PSL), a non-profit organization that shows young people the power of their voices through weekly spoken word competitions. The PSL is the only season-long, school-based slam poetry league in the United States. Special thank you to Stenhouse Publishers for sponsoring this episode of Teach Me, Teacher, and supporting the constant professional development of educators around the world.   

Hello everyone! Today I have on Matthew Kay, the author of the AMAZING book, Not Light, But Fire, and we are discussing how we can all step up and lead meaningful race conversations in our classrooms.  Teach Me, Teacher has never shied away from controversial or hard topics. This is a fact I'm extremely proud of in the work of the show. We took on Betsy DeVos all the way back in season 1. We discussed the lack of diversity in our curriculum. We examined the role of social justice in our classrooms. And now, we are discussing how we can have powerful and meaningful race conversations in our schools. I'm in love with Matthew's book. He writes with clarity, passion, and backs up everything he says with experiences or history that hits you right in the chest. As an educator in the world today, we owe it to our students to listen to what Matthew Kay has to say.   About Matthew Kay: Matthew R. Kay is a proud product of Philadelphia’s public schools and a founding teacher at Science Leadership Academy (SLA). He is a graduate of West Chester University and holds a Masters in Educational Leadership with a Principals’ Certificate from California University of Pennsylvania. He is also the Founder and Executive Director of Philly Slam League (PSL), a non-profit organization that shows young people the power of their voices through weekly spoken word competitions. The PSL is the only season-long, school-based slam poetry league in the United States. Special thank you to Stenhouse Publishers for sponsoring this episode of Teach Me, Teacher, and supporting the constant professional development of educators around the world.   

In our premiere episode, Terry Thompson, Paula Bourque, Brett Eberly, and Matthew R. Kay discuss how they prepare their classrooms for success at the start of the school year.