Podcast appearances and mentions of nancy frey

Send us a textDr. Doug Fisher is known for his prolific work in instructional design, curriculum development, and professional learning. Additionally, he is a teacher leader at Health Sciences High & Middle College, an award-winning, open-enrollment public school in the City Heights neighborhood of San Diego, California that he co founded in 2007. Previously, Doug was an early intervention teacher and elementary school educator. Much of his work has been published with San Diego State University colleague, Dr. Nancy Frey. Together, they offer tailored professional learning opportunities around the world. With colleagues, Doug has published over 250 books, chapters, and articles focused on school improvement including Rigor Unveiled, The Teacher Clarity Playbook, PLC+, and Welcome to Teaching. He is the recipient of an International Reading Association William S. Grey citation of merit and an Exemplary Leader award from the Conference on English Leadership of NCTE. He was named an Adolescent Literacy Thought Leader by the International Literacy Association in 2016 and elected into the Reading Hall of Fame in 2022. Doug loves being an educator and hopes to share that passion with others. Dr. Douglas Fisher  is Professor of Educational Leadership at San Diego State University. You can connect with Dr. Fisher at https://www.fisherandfrey.com/ and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) for updates @DFISHERSDSU.Resources mentioned in this episode:International Literacy Association's Literacy Glossary - https://www.literacyworldwide.org/get-resources/literacy-glossaryTo cite this episode:Persohn, L. (Host). (2025, Mar. 11). A conversation with Doug Fisher (Season 5, No. 8) [Audio podcast episode]. In Classroom Caffeine Podcast series. https://www.classroomcaffeine.com/guests. DOI: 10.5240/0A22-E8D7-3F09-096B-C056-D Connect with Classroom Caffeine at www.classroomcaffeine.com or on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

In this transformative episode of the Equipping ELLs podcast, host Beth Vaucher is joined by the incredible Valentina Gonzalez, a former English Language Learner (ELL), educational consultant, and passionate advocate for multilingual students. Together, they tackle the widespread misconception that ELL students are starting from scratch in their educational journey. Valentina shares her personal experiences, professional insights, and actionable strategies to challenge this narrative and elevate the role of linguistic and cultural assets in education.Listeners will discover why labeling ESOL as an "intervention" undermines the potential of ELL students and how educators can shift their mindsets to foster inclusive, affirming learning environments. Valentina delves into practical, low-prep, high-impact strategies for supporting language development, such as leveraging cross-linguistic connections, integrating visuals, and providing meaningful wait time. She also shares her own journey as an ELL, the challenges of navigating an education system that often prioritizes assimilation, and her fight to ensure linguistic diversity is celebrated, not erased.Whether you're an educator, administrator, or advocate, this episode is packed with inspiration and tools to create classrooms that honor the unique strengths of multilingual learners. Plus, Valentina shares exciting updates about her upcoming illustrated guide, Welcome to Teaching Multilingual Learners, co-authored with Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey. Don't miss this enriching conversation that will leave you motivated to rethink how you support ELL students in your schools.Key Highlights:The importance of seeing ESOL as an asset, not an intervention.Strategies for designing culturally inclusive classrooms.Why embracing linguistic diversity benefits all learners.How administrators can lead change to support ELL students.Valentina's inspiring personal story and her advocacy for multilingual learners.ResourcesVisit Valentina's BlogPurchase one of Valentina's BooksConnect with Valentina on Instagram⁠⁠⁠Join the Equipping ELLs Membership Shop our TpT Store

What a great conversation about the new book, The Artificial Intelligence Playbook: Time-Saving Tools for Teachers that Make Learning More Engaging! Jenn got to talk to all three of the authors: Meghan Hargrave, Douglas Fisher, and Nancy Frey and learned so much. We discussed everything from what AI is and isn't, to the reasons leaders should address teachers' emotions around AI, to whether AI is going to take over our jobs! (Spoiler alert, the authors quoted Ethan Mollick who says, "AI won't take your job, but someone who uses AI will!" ... so listen to this podcast to be the person who knows how to use AI!) There are, however, things to be careful of — like students using AI for plagiarism — so we discussed some great ideas to address this.  We also got into some concrete examples of the ways AI can help teachers with the important work they're doing: managing content fostering student engagement meeting students' instructional needs assessing student learning providing effective feedback, and  lifelong learning for educators The authors share examples of prompts you can feed into AI and some of the tips they have for making sure you get the best possible answers from AI. Since our listeners are mostly ed leaders, they also shared that on Corwin's website there's a school leader's guide to the book. There's also a study guide for teachers and a boot camp with self-paced modules on the website. The authors are all over social media. You can't miss them. If you've been shy about diving into AI, this conversation and this book are two great places to start! As always, send your comments, questions, and show ideas to mike@schoolleadershipshow.com. Consider rating the podcast in iTunes and leaving a comment.  And please pass the show along to your colleagues. Additionally, if you have other non-education books with implications for school leaders, send those suggestions our way, too. And finally, If you or someone you know would like to sponsor the show, send Mike an email at mike@schoolleadershipshow.com.

In this episode, Joe Zeccola joins Sharona and Bosley to discuss the interplay between discrete skills and more "holistic" skills, primarily in the discipline of writing. Utilizing some questions asked by Dr. Emily Pitts Donahoe in a recent blog post about Rhetorical Analysis, Joe, Sharona and Bosley explore the balance between assessing discrete individual skills and assessing more holistic processes and how that might play into the design of an alternatively graded course.LinksPlease note - any books linked here are likely Amazon Associates links. Clicking on them and purchasing through them helps support the show. Thanks for your support!Teaching Reading and Analysis with…Standards-Based Collaborative Grading? by Dr. Emily Pitts DonahoeTime for Meaning: Crafting Literate Lives in Middle & High School by Randy BomerReading/Writing Connection, The: Strategies for Teaching and Learning in the Secondary Classroom by Carol Booth OlsonThe Reading Apprenticeship frameworkPoint-Less: An English Teacher's Guide to More Meaningful GradingDeveloping Assessment-Capable Visible Learners, Grades K-12: Maximizing Skill, Will, and Thrill (Corwin Literacy) by Nancy Frey, John Hattie and Doug FisherResourcesThe Center for Grading Reform - seeking to advance education in the United States by supporting effective grading reform at all levels through conferences, educational workshops, professional development, research and scholarship, influencing public policy, and community building.The Grading Conference - an annual, online conference exploring Alternative Grading in Higher Education & K-12.Some great resources to educate yourself about Alternative Grading:The Grading for Growth BlogThe Grading ConferenceThe Intentional Academia BlogRecommended Books on Alternative Grading:Grading for Growth, by Robert Talbert and David Clark

Understanding the desired outcome of a meeting is key to teachers knowing the participatory behaviors that are most productive. Everything being called a PLC interferes with participants being able to focus on the educator learning in true PLCs that leads to increased student success. In professional learning communities, purposeful teacher learning around how to increase student achievement is the focus. Teachers are collaboratively asking, "What do the students need us to learn?" Listen to the podcast on PLCs with Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey here.  Find Chris Jensen's guest blog, "Teaming and Workflow" here.   Read the Finland Study, "PLC Characteristics" here.  Read Zachary Herrmann's article, "Cooperate or Collaborate" here. Subscribe to the Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud podcast on iTunes or visit BarkleyPD.com to find new episodes!

Get the book, The Illustrated Guide to Visible Learning: An Introduction to What Works Best In Schools About The Author Dr. John Almarode is a bestselling author and an Associate Professor of Education at James Madison University, where he holds the Sarah Miller Luck Endowed Professorship. He received an Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia in 2021. Before his academic career, John started as a mathematics and science teacher in Augusta County, Virginia. He is the author, often with John Hattie, Doug Fisher, and Nancy Frey, of more than 29 books.   This episode of Principal Center Radio is sponsored by IXL, the most widely used online learning and teaching platform for K-12. Discover the power of data-driven instruction in your school with IXL—it gives you everything you need to maximize learning, from a comprehensive curriculum to meaningful school-wide data. Visit IXL.com/center to lead your school towards data-driven excellence today.   

We're in onboarding season when new relationships are built and the tone for the coming school year is set. Join us as our seasoned veterans share their time-tested strategies for meeting the individual needs of each new hire with empathy, support, and humor. Follow on Twitter: @NancyFrey @jonHarper70bd @bamradionetwork Enrico Biscocho works as a New Teacher Induction Coordinator for the Long Beach Unified School District in Southern California. I want to make a positive impact in our profession by helping others see and experience their potential as educators. I have experienced this in the classroom and as a support person for our district. Nancy Frey, Ph.D., co-author of Your Students My Students, Our Students: Rethinking Equitable and Inclusive Classroom (ASCD). Nancy Frey is a Professor of Educational Leadership at San Diego State University. Dr. Frey is a recipient of the Christa McAuliffe Award for Excellence in Teacher Education from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. She has co-authored several books on literacy. She teaches a variety of courses in school improvement and literacy leadership. Michelle Shin, Ed.D., is a faculty member at San Diego State University and an author and consultant at Corwin, and she served as a classroom mathematics teacher, teacher leader, professional learning facilitator and coach, and site administrator in PK-12 schools. Her life-long passion is to work with school communities to ensure that all students and families have access to equitable, high-quality education.

Students today are suffering from an epidemic of disconnection. School leaders I work with see it in students' disengagement from learning and in their mental health. While there are many factors at play here, there's no doubt that belonging is something that kids (and grown-ups too) desperately need.  In this episode, Jenn and I interview Dominique Smith, who along with his co-authors Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, Vincent Pompei, and Rachael Stewart, wrote Belonging in School Creating a Place Where Kids Want to Learn and Teachers Want to Stay. Belonging in School is an actionable and illustrated playbook that will have you excited to take immediate steps and try out some new strategies today for making your school a place where everyone feels that they belong. As always, send your comments, questions, and show ideas to mike@schoolleadershipshow.com.  Consider rating the podcast in iTunes and leaving a comment.  And please pass the show along to your colleagues. Additionally, if you have other non-education books with implications for school leaders, send those suggestions our way, too. And finally, If you or someone you know would like to sponsor the show, send Mike an email at mike@schoolleadershipshow.com.

Send me text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #150How often do we stop to reflect on our teaching?  Hopefully we take the time and opportunity to do it regularly so that we are teaching our students as effectively as possible.  In this episode I'm going to talk about reflective practice and how we can use this as language teachers.  I'll also include a discussion of success criteria and how this can work into our reflective practice.  I know, this all sounds way up there in the theory world.  I promise you it's not and that it's fairly simple.Topics in this Episode:Reflection can help you to be more creative and try new things. It's very easy to get stuck in a rut and it can be helpful to think about what you are doing and why you are doing it. This can help to spark new ideas and ways of thinking.Reflection in Learning and Professional Development: Theory and Practice, Moon, J. (1999)Reflective Practice for Language Teachers:TeachAssess the effect your teaching has on learningConsider what can improve the quality of teaching and learningTry the new ideasReflect on effectivenessRepeatThe Success Criteria Playbook John T. Almarode, Douglas Fisher, Kateri Thunder, Nancy Frey (2021)Tim Eagan on Episode 60: Leading a Proficiency Focused Language DepartmentSuccess Criteria:What will be learned?Why is it going to be learned?How will I know that it has been learned?What will I do with what I learned? Connect with Joshua and the World Language Classroom Community: wlclassrom.comX (aka Twitter):  @wlclassroomThreads: @wlclassroomInstagram:  @wlclassroomFacebook:  /wlclassroomWLClassroom Facebook Group__________________________Interested in having Joshua work directly with your department, school or district?  Look at options for collaborating in person or remotely.______________________________Sign up for Talking Points to get  tips, tools and resources for your language teaching.______________________________Join Joshua as a guest on the podcast.______________________________Join Joshua for a Leveling Up Coaching Episode  on the podcast.  

Welcome to the latest episode of the Bucketlister Podcast with your host, Keith Crockford. This week, we journey into the heart of Spain as we delve into an enriching conversation about the illustrious Camino de Santiago.Joining us to unravel the mysteries and marvels of this famed pilgrimage route is our esteemed guest, Nancy Frey. An accredited author, researcher, and a bonafide Camino de Santiago expert, Nancy shares firsthand experiences and captivating anecdotes gained throughout her many walks along this spiritual route.In this illuminating episode, we examine what compels thousands of people from around the globe to undertake this long and often challenging trek each year. Nancy offers valuable insights into the preparations needed for the journey, the culture and traditions intertwined with the Camino de Santiago, and the transformative power intrinsic to this revered pilgrimage.Whether you're considering embarking on the Camino de Santiago, or simply relish hearing about incredible travel experiences, this episode is your gateway to understanding one of the world's most treasured spiritual journeys. Tune in and embark on a virtual trek with us along the path of the Camino de Santiago.———————————————We are The Bucket List Company. Welcome to our Podcast, where wanderlust and inspiration meet practical tips and information for all of the top adventure travel destinations around the world.FOLLOW US:Instagram: https://instagram.com/the_bucketlist_coFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/bucketlistcompanyOfficial Website: https://thebucketlistcompany.co.uk/———————————————#bucketlisttravel #adventuretravel #travelbucketlist #bucketlisters

What book would you consider to be essential reading for new school leaders?In this episode, Mary Howard (@DrMaryHoward), Debra Crouch (teachingdecisions.com) and I share some of our favorite books for principals, literacy specialists, and any teacher leader in a position of authority.Debra's Recommendations* Opening Minds by Peter Johnston (also Choice Words by the same author)* To Sell is Human by Daniel Pink* The Best Strangers in the World by Ari ShapiroMary's Recommendations* How Education Policy Shapes Literacy Instruction by Rachael Gabriel* The Heart-Centered Teacher by Regie Routman (also Literacy Essentials by the same author)Matt's Recommendations* Having Hard Conversations by Jennifer Abrams* Getting Things Done by David AllenIn the previous discussion thread, Ellie Olson (LinkedIn) recommended Leader Credibility: The Essential Traits of Those Who Engage, Inspire, and Transform by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, Cathy Lassiter, and Dominique Smith.Know any new school leaders? You now have a short list of recommended resources to give them a head start on their new career!Take care,MattFull subscribers have access to all resources on this site, include video archives of our exclusive monthly conversations.Give the gift of becoming a literacy leader! Get full access to Read by Example at readbyexample.substack.com/subscribe

If you did walkthrough observations of PLC sessions in your school, what would you hear and see? To what extent does the learning environment for teacher during PLCs mirror the learning environment you want for students? Are projects, peers, passion, and play evident? Listen to the podcast with Nancy Frey and Doug Fisher here.  Subscribe to the Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud podcast on iTunes or visit BarkleyPD.com to find new episodes!

Welcome to The SPS Digital Learning Hour, where I invite you to join me on a deep dive into the ever-evolving landscape of education. In this episode, we delve into Module 5 of The Distance Learning Playbook, titled "Teacher Clarity at a Distance," authored by Doug Fisher, Nancy Frey, and John Hattie. Together, we'll uncover the critical role of clarity in creating meaningful learning experiences for students, whether in a virtual or in-person setting. Throughout this episode, we'll explore the essential elements of teacher clarity and discuss practical strategies that foster student learning and success, no matter the learning environment. This podcast will be an insightful journey, where I contemplate how clarity can transform education and elevate the learning experience. So, grab your headphones, settle into a comfortable space, and join me on The SPS Digital Learning Hour to explore the power of clarity in education and unlock the potential for growth and success in any setting. Let's embark on this educational adventure together! Links: ⁠⁠https://resources.corwin.com/distancelearningplaybook/student-resources/reproducible-forms⁠⁠ The Distance Learning Playbook, Grades K-12: Teaching for Engagement and Impact in Any Setting 1st Edition You can find me at: Website: ⁠https://www.beardedtechedguy.com⁠ Instagram: ⁠@beardedteched⁠ Facebook: ⁠@beardedteched⁠ Twitter: ⁠@beardedteched⁠ Tools Available in Springfield: ⁠Office 365⁠ ⁠23 Tools for 2023 (Springfield Teachers)⁠ ⁠Nearpod⁠ ⁠Newsela⁠ ⁠Reading Progress⁠ Show Credits:  Breathing - Upbeat Corporate Music from Pixabay  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/spsdigitallearninghour/message

I'm excited to dive into module three of the highly acclaimed book, "The Distance Learning Playbook, Grades K-12: Teaching for Engagement and Impact in Any Setting" by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and John Hattie. Join me as we explore the fascinating world of distance learning and how it applies to our experiences in the classroom, both in-person and virtually.  If you haven't had a chance to grab a copy of this indispensable book, I highly recommend doing so. This podcast is all about sharing our learning out loud, and I'm thrilled to hear your thoughts and insights as we navigate through the pages of this incredible book.  In this week's episode, we're going to focus on module three, which delves into the crucial relationships between teachers and students. It's a topic that lies at the very heart of effective teaching. We'll be diving into various themes, such as the importance of setting clear learning intentions, understanding the characteristics of impactful teacher-student relationships, and recognizing the significance of judgment and will in the learning process. It's not just about knowledge and ability; there's so much more to fostering a positive and engaging classroom environment.  Throughout the episode, I'll be sharing my personal reflections and experiences as a teacher. I'll be discussing some of my own faults and moments of growth that I've encountered during my teaching journey. I'm curious to know if you've had similar experiences or if you've gained different insights from this chapter. It's a great opportunity for us to compare our takeaways and learn from one another.  Make sure to leave your thoughts and comments in the section below. I genuinely value your perspectives and can't wait to engage with you on this thought-provoking topic. So, grab your favorite beverage, find a cozy spot, and let's dive deep into the intricate dynamics between teachers and students in the context of distance learning and beyond. Together, we'll uncover valuable insights and discover new ways to make a lasting impact on our students' lives. Links: ⁠⁠https://resources.corwin.com/distancelearningplaybook/student-resources/reproducible-forms⁠⁠ You can find me at: Website: ⁠https://www.beardedtechedguy.com⁠ Instagram: ⁠@beardedteched⁠ Facebook: ⁠@beardedteched⁠ Twitter: ⁠@beardedteched⁠ Tools Available in Springfield: ⁠Office 365⁠ ⁠23 Tools for 2023 (Springfield Teachers)⁠ ⁠Nearpod⁠ ⁠Newsela⁠ ⁠Reading Progress⁠ Show Credits:  Breathing - Upbeat Corporate Music From Pixabay  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/spsdigitallearninghour/message

Welcome to this special replay episode of the SPS Digital Learning Hour podcast, originally aired in February 2021. In this episode, I dive into module two of the highly popular book, "The Distance Learning Playbook," by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and John Hattie. This time around, I revisit the episode with some fresh thoughts and reflections, providing you with new insights and perspectives. If you missed it the first time or if you're looking to reinforce your knowledge, this is the perfect opportunity to join me on this captivating learning journey. I'll be sharing my candid thoughts and takeaways from each module, giving you a renewed understanding of the valuable content within "The Distance Learning Playbook." Whether you're an educator, or future educator, this episode offers something for everyone. While this episode is a replay, the addition of new thoughts and reflections adds a layer of depth and relevance to the discussion. So, get ready to immerse yourself in the world of distance learning, as we explore routines, norms, procedures, classroom set-up, and how these concepts apply not only to remote education but also to in-person teaching. Join me on this exciting journey as we bridge the gap between theory and practice, and uncover innovative strategies for teaching and engaging students in any learning environment. Do we have some of the same takeaway? Is there something else that you got out of the chapter? Follow us on this journey. Leave your thoughts in the comments or the future blog post. Links: ⁠https://resources.corwin.com/distancelearningplaybook/student-resources/reproducible-forms⁠ You can find me at: Website: https://www.beardedtechedguy.com Instagram: @beardedteched Facebook: @beardedteched Twitter: @beardedteched Tools Available in Springfield: Office 365 23 Tools for 2023 (Springfield Teachers) Nearpod Newsela Reading Progress Show Credits:  Breathing - Upbeat Corporate Music From Pixabay  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/spsdigitallearninghour/message

Prepare yourself for an exciting new episode as I delve into the book, "The Distance Learning Playbook, Grades K-12: Teaching for Engagement and Impact in Any Setting" authored by the esteemed Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and John Hattie.  In this series of episodes, I will personally guide you through a profound exploration of each chapter, offering candid insights, personal takeaways, and reflective perspectives. This episode marks the beginning of an engaging summer series, where we will thoroughly review this exceptional book.  Looking back at the past few years, we realize the significant influence this book had on educators as they navigated the challenges of remote teaching. Now, as we find ourselves a few years removed from that experience, I believe it is the perfect time to revisit the book and reevaluate its relevance. Surprisingly, I have discovered that the wisdom it imparts applies not only to remote teaching but also holds true for in-person instruction.  So, don't miss out! Grab your copy of "The Distance Learning Playbook" and prepare to be inspired. Together, let us embark on an illuminating journey, where we unlock the transformative power of effective teaching and its profound impact in any learning environment. Join us for the first part of our series, as we focus on Module #1 and set the stage for an enriching exploration of this remarkable book.  Links: https://resources.corwin.com/distancelearningplaybook/student-resources/reproducible-forms https://winstonchurchill.org/resources/speeches/1941-1945-war-leader/give-us-the-tools/   You can find me at: Website: https://www.beardedtechedguy.com Instagram: @beardedteched Facebook: @beardedteched Twitter: @beardedteched Tools Available in Springfield: Office 365 23 Tools for 2023 (Springfield Teachers) Nearpod Newsela Reading Progress Show Credits:   Audio File: Breathing - Upbeat Corporate Music From Pixabay    Tell Me (instrumental) by RYYZN https://soundcloud.com/ryyzn Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/tell-me-instrumental Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/IsDZxG0bExY  

What does it mean to humanize pedagogy? Why is it crucial to our work as educators? And how do beginning teachers do that in the midst of other demands and expectations? That's what we are diving into in our next four episodes of 3Ps in a Pod, starting today by hearing from Dr. Dominique Smith about how the language we use shapes how we view and interact with learners and others. Dr. Smith begins the episode by sharing about his passion for education and how teaching needs to begin at the understanding that each student is a unique, individual human. He then talks with 3Ps host Josh Meibos about how the labels we use to refer to people, whether positive or negative, frames how we view and treat those people. At the beginning of the book Removing Labels, which Dr. Smith wrote with Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey, is a poem by Jiovanni Gutierrez Montano. Dr. Smith shares how Jiovanni, a student at his school, wrote and shared that poem with him out of his experiences of being labeled. (You can see a video of Jiovanni reading that poem at this link.) Dr. Smith goes on to discuss how students also bring labels and expectations to the classroom based on their past experience. Dr. Smith gives some specific suggestions on how to approach and build relationships with those who may be limited by the labels others have assigned. In future episodes, we'll be diving into engagement, social-emotional learning, and restorative practices. In this episode, Josh and Dr. Smith mention this summer's Beginning Teacher Institute, where new teachers from across Arizona will be further exploring humanizing pedagogy. Learn more and register for this three-day event at azk12.org/BTI23. Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org. -The poem in the introduction of his “Removing Labels” book is actually written by one of his students. Video of that student reading the poem: https://youtu.be/zo6ODbZVhts PDF of the poem: https://resources.corwin.com/sites/default/files/ffn21158_poem_pdf_for_removing_labels_final_rev.pdf

#77How often do we stop to reflect on our teaching?  Hopefully we take the time and opportunity to do it regularly so that we are teaching our students as effectively as possible.  In this episode I'm going to talk about reflective practice and how we can use this as language teachers.  I'll also include a discussion of success criteria and how this can work into our reflective practice.  I know, this all sounds way up there in the theory world.  I promise you it's not and that it's fairly simple. Topics in this Episode:Reflection can help you to be more creative and try new things. It's very easy to get stuck in a rut and it can be helpful to think about what you are doing and why you are doing it. This can help to spark new ideas and ways of thinking.Reflection in Learning and Professional Development: Theory and Practice, Moon, J. (1999)Reflective Practice for Language Teachers:TeachAssess the effect your teaching has on learningConsider what can improve the quality of teaching and learningTry the new ideasReflect on effectiveness RepeatThe Success Criteria Playbook John T. Almarode, Douglas Fisher, Kateri Thunder, Nancy Frey (2021)Tim Eagan on Episode 60: Leading a Proficiency Focused Language DepartmentSuccess Criteria:What will be learned?Why is it going to be learned?How will I know that it has been learned?What will I do with what I learned?______________________________Work with Joshua either in person or remotely.______________________________Sign up for Talking Points for tips, tools and resources for language teaching.______________________________Let's connect!wlclassrom.comTwitter:  @wlclassroomInstagram:  @wlclassroomFacebook:  /wlclassroomWLClassroom Facebook Group______________________________Teachers want to hear from you and what you are proud of in your classroom.Join me on the podcast.  We record conversations remotely, so you can be anywhere.

“A genius is a man who has discovered how to increase the intensity of thought to a point when he can freely communicate with sources of knowledge not available through the ordinary rate of thought.” –Napoleon Hill, author of the Best Selling Classic Book, Think and Grow Rich. In PART 3 we cover: ✔ A look at Speed Learning with 2 strategies we can all use right away to learn faster, and remember what we have learned longer. ✔ Creative Sleep, and how to use our sleep to solve problems, improve creativity and intuition in our waking hours, with 4 steps to improving your ability to use and remember your dreams. Welcome back to The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast and PART 3 of our Review of Jose Silva's Mind Control Program. I'm Andrea Samadi an author and an educator, who like many of you listening, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind ANY high-performance strategy proven to increase our results in our schools, sports, or modern workplaces. If there's something NEW that I come across that can help us in any way, I'll investigate it, connect it with the most current research, and then share what I learn with you here. If you've been following the past few episodes, you'll know that I came across Jose Silva's work with Dr. Hasan Ibne Akram, from EPISODE #260[i], who has launched 7 successful companies, and mentioned that this book completely changed his world. I had heard of this book and Silva's Program over the years, and many of the concepts that Jose Silva mentions in his book, but had not read it cover to cover, or practiced the audio training that goes along with the book, so I decided to do a complete review of the program, like we did with Napoleon Hill's book at the start of this year, and see how this book, that was popular in the 80s and 90s could connect to the interviews we've done previously on this podcast. Especially when Friederike Fabritius mentioned on EPISODE #258[ii] that our mind can be trained to produce flashes of insight, that can help us in business and our personal lives and what Jose Silva would say could reveal “some astounding things” with a trained mind. I wondered how exactly could our mind be trained... Was daily meditation not enough? If it was, how do I even know if I'm meditating the right way? What was I missing from my current practice? What can we learn from the years of research behind Jose Silva's popular program that could help all of us to refine our current meditation practice? Then I thought back to a class I took with Jon Kabat-Zinn, the father of mindfulness, who reminded us in this class that we are already perfect, (as we are) and that mindfulness is not about “attaining a certain state, (that brings us to this new level of perfection) but that we are already whole and perfect.” Whatever program we are doing now, the idea of this book review is not to say that Jose Silva's method is better, or that we might be missing something from what we are already doing, but to see if there's anything NEW that we cover here, that interests us to dive deeper into, to further enhance our current practice. Jim Kwik, the founder of Kwik Learning[iii], has said that “we've discovered more in the past 20 years about our brain than we've known in the previous 2,000 years combined” and I think it's so exciting to share new strategies to help us all, which is the purpose of this podcast. When I learn something new, something that can help me to improve in any way, this energizes me, this gets me all jazzed up, and I know I can't be the only one like this. I'm sure for those of you who tune into this podcast, can relate to what I'm saying and I'm honored that you've chosen me to study with, wherever you might be tuning into this podcast around the world. I love looking at the statistics to see where listeners are tuning in from in over 168 countries, which is a Geography lesson for me when I look at the map of the world.   For this book review, little263-INTRO did I know just how powerful Silva's program would be, when I recorded PART 1 of this series.  As I began reading each chapter that Jose Silva wrote many years ago when he was on a quest to increase learning for his own children, I began piecing together many of the strategies that we've covered on this podcast for improving learning, focus, creativity, imagination and productivity, all backed by science, right within the pages of The Silva Method. I made many connections to past episodes and research, including Dr. John Dunlosky from EPISODE #37[iv] where he spoke about using “spaced repetition” as an evidence-based method for improving recall for students, that we will cover today. This research also appears in John Almarode, Nancy Frey and Douglas Fisher's recent book, How Learning Works: Translating the Science of Learning into Strategies in Your Classroom that we covered on EPISODE #161[v]. Or even the importance of mindfulness and meditation in the classroom, for athletes or in the workplace. The connection to current research was enough for me to see that Jose Silva was on to something with the methods he wrote about, years before the research would take off exponentially in this area. Daniel Goleman wrote about this in his book Altered Traits[vi] where he showed a visual with the research on Mindfulness and Meditation going up exponentially from the year 2000, to 2020. My goal with this review of The Silva Method[vii], is to help all of us to learn something new to refine our current meditation practice whether we are working in our schools to improve learning, in our sports environments for improved results towards a specific goal, or in the corporate workplace to generate new ideas. I wouldn't have picked this book to review if it hadn't made such an impact on the world, like Napoleon Hills' book, but I had no idea the concepts I would learn each week, would be so powerful, and life-changing. After releasing the first 2 PARTS of this program, I began to receive messages from our listeners around the world who have used Silva's Program, even from those who used it years ago. Then my good friend Hans Ajay from the UK, urged me to sign up for the full program through MindValley[viii], (where the course sits today after Vishen Lakhiani (the founder) revised and improved it in this current version. Hans wrote “It'll be transformative.” I don't need anyone to twist my arm if there's going to be transformation and learning occurring, so I signed up immediately taking what I'm learning in the pages of Silva's book to a whole new level. I'll stick to covering each chapter, but have to say that the experiential exercises have brought each chapter to life in a way that I don't think it's possible for me to show with my writing. I'll connect as many exercises as I can find online with each chapter review, and encourage those of you who want to learn more to explore the entire program further through MindValley. This course is unlike anything I've ever experienced in all my years of studying and learning. To REVIEW,  In PART 1[ix] we covered: ✔ CH 1- Using More of Our Mind in Special Ways: An Introduction to the Silva Mind Control Method ✔ What this program has done for others. ✔ Ch 2- Meet Jose Silva ✔ Ch 3- How to Meditate: A review of the brain states (BETA, ALPHA, THETA, DELTA). ✔ How to quickly access the ALPHA STATE to improve creativity, and intuition. ✔ Using A Mental Screen in Your Mind for Heightened Visualization ✔ How to Help Yourself and Others Using a Mental Screen in Our Mind UNDERSTANDING HOW TO ACCESS THE ALPHA BRAIN STATE: Once we understand the different brain states, and how to access them, it makes more sense as we dive into the Alpha State, and practice visualizing on the screen of our mind in this state with the meditation exercises. Understanding the Alpha Level of Mind is the first step in Silva's Mind Control Program, and used by itself, had tremendous health capabilities. When you are daydreaming, or just going to sleep but not quite there yet, or just awakening but not yet awake, you are in Alpha Brain State that Silva calls the "inner consciousness” where he says is our mental world exists, with no time or space. With Silva's Mind Control training you can enter the Alpha level at will and still remain fully alert, which is where the exciting part of his program begins. I found 2 meditations on YouTube that I've listed below to help us to gain access to the experiential activities and take the first steps to applying Jose Silva's program into our daily life. ALPHA MEDITATION 1 How to Enter the Alpha Level of Mind,   This first video is an introduction, helping us to understand how to enter the Alpha state of mind easily. Jose Silva explains what one needs to do to reach the Alpha, or meditative, level of mind, and this video illustrates his words beautifully. ALPHA MEDITATION EXAMPLE 2: Here's a second example I found on YouTube of entering the Alpha State and practicing our Mental Screen, with the 3, 2, 1, countdown method in a (25 minutes meditation) with Sommer Leigh, who reads Silva's Alpha Meditation exactly as he would, but obviously this time, it's with a female voice and peaceful music. Sommer does address the fact that someone new to meditating should begin with counting down from 100 to 1 to reach the Alpha level, using the countdown method that Silva suggests. If you prefer a male voice for this activity, you can sign up for MindValley.com where Vishen Lakhiani goes through this same exercise, that he calls “Tapping into Alpha with a Centering Exercise” or you can hear Vishen's YouTube version of The 20 Minute Silva Centering Exercise here from MindValley's Channel. Once you reach the Alpha level, (either in the morning, or a night or any time of day that you have to spend 15 minutes) Silva explains this is where we envision a peaceful place to help us to relax our mind, and body for improved health. This is also the place where we can practice solving a problem that we will go deeper into in PART 2. This meditation ends with the 1-5 countdown method to exit the meditation, where we feel better than we did before. Jose Silva reminds us that if we did nothing other than practice going to this peaceful state of mind, it would have tremendous health and wellness benefits that research now proves to be true. In PART 2[x] of our review, on our last episode, we covered: ✔ Ch 4- Dynamic Meditation (where we actually DO something while meditating, instead of it being a passive practice). ✔ The 4 Laws that must be in place BEFORE we visualize a goal. ✔ How these 4 Laws mirror Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich book. ✔ 3 STEPS to SOLVE ANY PROBLEM Using the Silva Method on the Screen that We Build in Our Mind. ✔ Ch 5- Improving Memory ✔ Where Silva's Memory Hacks have been seen on previous episodes and in the motivational speaking industry. In PART 3 of our review, today's EPISODE #263, we will cover: ✔ Ch 6-Speed Learning ✔ Ch 7-Creative Sleep For Chapter 6: Speed Learning I couldn't begin writing about Silva's strategies, without referring to Jim Kwik[xi] first, the founder of Kwik Learning, who created his entire business around how to reader faster, work smarter and think better by accelerating your learning and your life by unlocking what he calls our “superbrain.” Jim Kwik reminds us something I'm sure we've all heard of a million times, that school teaches us WHAT to learn (History, Math, Science, Languages) but “there are ZERO classes on how to learn, listen, focus, concentrate, solve problems, read faster or remember things.” We mentioned Howard Berg, The World's Fastest Speed Reader on our last episode, who taught us on EPISODE #189[xii] many skills that school never taught us, like speed reading or memory tricks. Jose Silva was ahead of his game when he began looking for ways to teach his children, and eventually thousands of others who studied his methods, to learn faster, and be able to remember what they learned for longer periods of time. He offers two strategies in his book: STRATEGY 1: THE MENTAL SCREEN FOR LEARNING PAIRED WITH THE 3 FINGER TECHNIQUE Silva suggests using our Mental Screen for learning, to speed up and deepen what we learn. He also uses the 3 Finger Technique to help us to reach the Alpha State quicker, which can be done while reading to help with focus, concentration and retention, and he outlines a teacher from Denver who used this Three Finger Technique to teach her students spelling with a list of 20 words. To test them, she would ask them to write down the words they studied that week, recall the words using the Three Finger Technique, and see the words on the screen of their minds. She was able to teach all of her students to remember their spelling list with this method. STRATEGY 2: RECORD YOUR VOICE The second method for Speed Learning, I'm most interest in, as I had heard about this strategy in the past. Silva suggests recording your voice when you need to learn something new. When I worked in the seminar industry, we called this a “loop tape” and this strategy was for anyone who wanted to take their results to new heights. Whether they were studying for a test, and needed to learn something new, or an actor who needed to memorize their lines quickly, a loop tape was recommended.  I even remember it was suggested to me when I first moved to the US, and found life in this new country to be challenging. The first thing our offices said was “has Andrea created a loop tape of what she wants her life to look like?” Sounds a bit off the wall, but if you don't think something first, on the screen of your mind, you'll be less likely to know what you are looking for when you see it. It's crazy to look back now, because my current life looks pretty much the way I imagined it to look 20+ years ago, when I created my first loop tape, and even drew a sketch of what I envisioned the house I would live in, would look like. PUTTING THIS INTO PRACTICE: For someone who want to apply this strategy to learning something new, Silva suggests to read the chapter that you are studying out loud (or whatever it is that you want to remember) and record it while you're in the beta brain state, or wide awake and focused. Next, he says, go to the alpha brain state (by counting backwards using the 3, 2, 1 method, or with the 3 Finger Technique and listen to what you recorded while in this state, concentrating on your voice.  For added reinforcement, he suggests to let a few days pass and then do it again. Read the material in your beta state and play it back in alpha. This is also in line with Dr. John Dunlosky's research, using spaced repetition. Chapter 7 of The Silva Method on Creative Sleep. Silva took the dream world very seriously, and he was interested in using dreams to solve problems. His programs teach us to first of all remember your dreams and suggests writing them down as soon as you wake up. We've covered dreams on this podcast with EPISODE #224[xiii] with Harvard Neuroscientist Dr. Baland Jalal on “Sleep Paralysis, Lucid Dreaming and Premonitions” or EPISODE #104[xiv] with Antonio Zadra and his book “When Brains Dream” and I even took a stab at explaining “Why Our Dreams Are So Weird, Highly Emotional and Often Forgotten” on EPISODE #226[xv] as I'm personally been interested in deciphering the messages that come through in our dream state. I mentioned on our recent episode with Dr. Hasan Ibne Akram about how motivational speaker Bob Proctor would encourage all of us to write down our dreams to see what we could learn from them. I've got quite the dream log that goes back to the late 90s, and while no one other than myself would understand the significance within my scribbles, they are very clear to me. Here's an example: I was planning to move from Toronto, Canada, to Arizona, USA in January 2000. I had applied to come to the USA on the H1BI VISA for the work I was doing with teenagers, and I didn't get the paperwork I needed until April 2001. You can see a dream I recorded Dec 14th, 2000 where I wrote “Bob at office putting in new computer telling me how I should set up my Phoenix office” that to someone else might be just a bunch of jumbled words, but to me, that was a clear sign that I was going to eventually finally make it to Arizona, with some suggestions on how to set up my office when I got there. I remember this dream clearly, with Bob actually hiding the wires behind my computer under my desk.  With each log I've written, I can now go back over the dream in my head whenever I want, and the messages within each dream are obvious…at least to me.   HOW TO USE YOUR DREAMS AS GUIDANCE:   I've used this dream log to guide me in my personal and professional life and highly encourage anyone who wants to gain more self-awareness to try this activity. Silva began using dreams to solve his problems back in 1949 and said the more he studied, the more humbling it became as he realized he knew less and less as time moved forward. He was always looking to learn more to help others with his research. He writes an incredible story about how he dreamed of 3 numbers, and couldn't figure out what they were, until a string of events led him to a gas station, where someone he was with saw the numbers on a lottery ticket. He bought the ticket, and went on to win $10,000 that he used to fund his research over the years. This isn't the only story where dreams have had a significant importance. Richard Bach, the author of the book “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” an important book in the field of personal development, was almost never was written. Richard Bach explains that he couldn't figure out the ending to this story, until he saw the ending in a dream he had, helping him to finish the book. This book made the cover of Time Magazine, and Bach credits The Silva Method for the mental discipline and visualization he needed to complete this book. PUT THIS STRATEGY INTO PRACTICE: BEGIN BY  WRITING DOWN YOUR DREAMS as soon as you wake up. I used to keep a notebook next to my bed, to do this, but now, with a phone nearby, I wake up and use the notepad on my phone.  But what if you don't recall your dreams? Dreams are hard to remember, and Stephanie Gailing, the author of The Complete Book of Dreams says that “on average, within 5 minutes we forget 50% of what we dream and within 10 minutes, only 10% may remain”[xvi] and “there are certain neurotransmitters (brain chemicals)  necessary to transform short-term memories into long-term ones; some of these including norepinephrine are at a very low level while dreaming, therefore create an innate blockade to having our nighttime visions etched in our mind.”  TAKE THE DREAM WORLD SERIOUSLY: If you can be like Silva, and put value on your dreams, Gailing says “those who revere their dreams and accept them as an integral part of their life remember them more often.” I learned from Vishen Lakhiani, in the Silva Ultramind Online course that some indigenous cultures that he's come across in his studies, wake up and begin their day by discussing their dreams and what messages they can see from their dream state. I know we are far off from starting our corporate meetings this way, but if you can do this on your own, I do promise you will see things that will help you in your everyday life. MAKE SURE YOU ARE SLEEPING LONG ENOUGH: Gailing reported in her Complete Book of Dreams that “since dreams that arrive in the early morning are thought to be more vivid and complex” be sure you are sleeping long enough that you don't miss out on this last REM stage of sleep. How would you know WHEN your REM sleep is? You can use a sleep tracker to see. I put a screen shot of my REM SLEEP from last night that shows at what points in the night I was in REM. My report showed last night's REM sleep to be 21% higher than my 30 day average, but I unfortunately did not remember my dreams from last night. HAVE CONFIDENCE THAT YOU WILL REMEMBER YOUR DREAMS: The strategy of having the intention of remembering your dream works well, and also not worrying if you don't remember them every night. My dream log has weeks of gaps where I didn't remember anything at all, or it just wasn't something I thought was important to remember at the time. To bring this episode to a close, and REVIEW Chapter 6 on Speed Learning and Chapter 7 on Creative Dreams, In Chapter 6 on Speed Learning we looked at 2 Strategies that included Using the mental screen paired with the 3-finger technique if you want to learn something quickly, using the Alpha Brain State. Silva also covered recording your voice, or creating what I knew of as the “loop tape” of whatever it is that you want to remember. You would record what you want to remember in the BETA State, and then listen to it in the Alpha state (using the 3 finger technique or counting backwards). In Chapter 7 on Creative Dreams we covered 4 strategies for remembering our dreams, and taking them seriously like Jose Silva himself did. In the resource section, I've put the links to the three meditations I found online that can help you to take Silva's ideas to new heights in your own life. I hope that you take the time to go through the meditations where you will see what Hans Ajay told me. They are transformational.  I wanted to learn something new with my current meditation practice, and had no idea just how deep Jose Silva's Program would take me. Next episode we will cover: Episode #164 ✔ Ch 8-Your Words Have Power ✔ Ch 9-The Power of Imagination ✔ Ch 10-Using Your Mind to Improve Your Health Will see you next episode. RESOURCES: MEDITATION  1: How to Enter the Alpha Level of Mind, Step by Step Process, The Silva Method https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpMJWT6EsNs MEDITATION 2: Jose Silva Method Alpha Exercises by Sommer Leigh Published on YouTube June 2022 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SY0kajVITA MEDITATION 3: 20 Minute Sila Centering Exercise with Vishen Kakhiani https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_4GDXWBPCk REFERENCES: [i] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #260 with Dr. Hasan Ibne Akram on “Breaking Down the Mindset of the Million Dollar Monk” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/serial-entrepreneur-and-computer-scientist-hasan-ibne-akram-pd-d-on-breaking-down-the-mindset-of-the-million-dollar-monk/ [ii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE 3258 Neuroscientist and Wall Street Journal Best Selling Author on “The Brain-Friendly Workplace: Why Talented People Quit and How to Make Them Stay” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/neuroscientistwallstreet-journalbestselling-authorfriederike-fabritius-onhernew-bookthe-brainfriendly-workplacewhy-talented-peoplequitand-how-tomake/ [iii] https://kwiklearning.com/ [iv]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #37 with Dr. John Dunlosky on “Improving Student Success with Some Principles from Cognitive Science”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/kent-states-dr-john-dunlosky-on-improving-student-success-some-principles-from-cognitive-science/ [v]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #161 with John Almarode, Nancy Frey and Douglas Fisher on “How Learning Works: Translating the Science of Learning into Strategies for Maximum Learning in Your Classroom” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/johnalmarodedouglas-fisherand-nancyfreyon-how-learning-works-translatingthescience-oflearningintostrategiesformaximum-learning-inyourclassroom/ [vi] Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain and bod Published September 5, 2017  by Daniel Goleman  https://www.amazon.com/Altered-Traits-Science-Reveals-Meditation/dp/0399184384 [vii] The Silva Mind Control Method https://silvamethod.com/ [viii] www.mindvalley.com [ix] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #261 PART 1 “A Deep Dive into Applying the Silva Method for Improved Intuition, Creativity and Focus” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/a-deep-dive-with-andrea-samadi-into-applying-the-silva-method-for-improved-intuition-creativity-and-focus-part-1/ [x]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE#262 PART 2 “A Deep Dive into Applying the Silva Method: Dynamic Meditation and Improved Memory”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/a-deep-dive-with-andrea-samadi-into-applying-the-silva-method-for-improved-intuition-creativity-and-focus-part-2/ [xi] https://kwiklearning.com/ [xii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #145 with Howard Berg, the World's Fastest Speed Reader on “Strategies for Improving Reading Comprehension and Recall”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-worlds-fastest-reader-howard-stephen-berg-on-strategies-to-improve-reading-comprehension-and-recall-for-educators-and-the-workplace/ [xiii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #224 with Harvard Neuroscientist Dr. Baland Jalal who Explains “Sleep Paralysis, Lucid Dreaming and Premonitions: Expanding Our Awareness into the Mysteries of Our Brain During Sleep” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/harvard-neuroscientist-drbaland-jalalexplainssleepparalysislucid-dreaming-andpremonitionsexpandingour-awareness-into-the-mysteries-ofourbrainduring-sl/ [xiv] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #104 with Antonio Zadra on “When Brains Dream” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/sleep-scientist-antonio-zadra-on-when-brains-dream-exploring-the-science-and-mystery-of-sleep/ [xv]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE#226 “Using Neuroscience to Explain Why Our Dreams Are So Weird, Highly Emotional and Often Forgotten”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-using-neuroscience-to-explain-why-our-dreams-are-so-weird-highly-emotional-and-often-forgotten/ [xvi] The Complete Book of Dreams: A Guide to Unlocking the Meaning and Healing Power of Your Dreams by Stephanie Gailing Published October 20, 2020  https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Book-Dreams-Illustrated-Encyclopedia/dp/1577152131  

Danny Brassell is America's leading reading ambassador. He is helping parents and educators inspire kids to love reading and achieve more. Danny has a number of programs to support you across all age groups and he has a FREE gift for you below.Danny has taught students ranging from preschoolers to rocket scientists, and he has worked with some of the world's leading literacy experts, including: Stephen Krashen, Jim Trelease, Tim Rasinski, Lori Oczkus, Ruth Culham, Richard Gentry, Diane Lapp, Doug Fisher, Nancy Frey, Jim Flood, Alan Sitomer, MaryEllen Vogt, Steve Layne, Valerie Ellery, Kelly Gallagher, Smokey Daniels, Frank Serafini and Donalyn Miller.During his time as a classroom teacher, reading tutor, non-profit leader, professor and educational administrator, Danny has incorporated his “reading secret” philosophy to great avail, including:• Training over 10,000 parents, volunteers and community leaders in a one-on-one approach to assist struggling and reluctant readers.• Consulting with top school districts on ways to boost student achievement and community morale.• Delivering presentations to promote reading to audiences, companies and business professionals from all over the world.Today, Danny is "America's Leading Reading Ambassador" and shares his incredible 20+ years of education experiences and success model to empower leaders, teams and audiences to achieve extraordinary results. Danny's keynotes and presentations have earned a reputation for being high energy, (sometimes theatrical) enthusiastic, creative, applicable and highly motivating. A highly-sought after speaker, trainer and coach known as “Jim Carrey with a Ph.D.,” Dr. Danny Brassell has spoken to over 3,500 audiences worldwide and authored 16 books, including his latest, Leadership Begins with Motivation. He helps entrepreneurs, executives and small business owners boost their business and impact by improving their communication skills.Websitewww.dannybrassell.comSocial Media InformationYouTube.com/DannyBrasselltwitter.com/DannyBrassellFaceBook.com/DannyBrassellLinkedIn.com/in/DannyBrassellinstagram.com/realdannybrassellResources Mentionedwww.freegiftfromdanny.comShow SponsorThe National Association for Primary Education speaks for young children and all who live and work with them. Get a FREE e-copy of their professional journal at nape.org.uk/journal

How do we turn behavior into a teachable moment? That's a primary question that Dominique Smith, Doug Fisher, and Nancy Frey address in The Restorative Practices Playbook. In this episode of 3Ps in a Pod, Dr. Dominique Smith joins hosts Paula and Kathy to talk about restorative practices and how he went from being a naysayer to an advocate for this work. Dr. Dominique Smith shares about how his own experiences as a student and as a teacher influenced his journey with restorative practice and why this approach to behavior is so important at all levels. He explains how the teacher's relationship with a student is the most powerful impact on that student's behavior and learning. Creating that relationship is difficult but important. He also notes that restorative practices work is not about getting rid of discipline or consequences but about teaching about behavior through the consequences. Smith also uses concerns about students' cell phone use to illustrate how relationships and restorative practice can change the expectations and climate in a classroom environment. If you enjoyed this episode, you may also enjoy our past episodes with Dr. Dominique Smith: S7 Episode 9: Social Emotional Learning for Staff and Students with Dr. Dominique Smith S1 Episode 3: Restorative Practice You can join the waitlist for the Restorative Practices Playbook two-day event with Dr. Smith at azk12.org/RestorativePracticesPlaybook. Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.

Welcome back to The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we cover the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning (for schools) and emotional intelligence training (in the workplace) with tools, ideas and strategies that we can all use for increased results. I'm Andrea Samadi, and launched this podcast to share how important an understanding of our brain is for our everyday life and results--whether we are a teacher in the classroom, or in the modern workplace, and release content to help all of us, specifically on the topics of health, wellbeing and productivity. This weekend, I heard a message from New York Times Best Selling author of the book, High Performance Habits, Brendon Burchard[i], that got me thinking about where we are right now in the world today. He said that while there might have been times during the Pandemic where we laid low, or held back in protective mode, the pendulum has swung the other way now, and that there is a high need for us ALL to be “more productive as a nation”[ii]  as we enter this next phase of the economy, and showing up with our A-game is not just timely, but crucial. I know that listeners of this podcast are high performing, with learning new things at the top of your list, so with this in mind, for today's EPISODE #233, I wanted to go back and review our TOP 12 Most viewed YouTube Video Interviews, as chosen by you, the listener, so we can all go back to the basics, and review some of the most important lessons learned on this podcast, since we launched just over 3 years ago. I used to love listening to radio icon, Casey Kasem's American Top 40[iii] back in the 1980s on my clock radio when I was in high school, where he would leave you in suspense as he counted backwards, to the #1 song, but for this countdown, I will start with our #1 most listened to episode, with something I remember about each one, or the speaker, and a link that we can all use to revisit, and “Sharpen our Saw”[iv] as Dr. Stephen Covey would say, as we can go back and review these most listened to episodes with the 7th Habit. Since I keep an eye on the numbers of this podcast, whether it's with the audio interviews, or video, I thought it was interesting that the Top 10 list holds 8/10 people who were in our early interviews, or the 1st 100 interviews, with 2 people who came in later, and rose to the top. While I think ALL interviews hold important lessons, let's begin with our Top 12. Let the Countdown Begin… The #1 most watched interview, is our first interview with Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey, EPISODE #77 on “Developing and Delivering High Quality, Distance Learning”[v] that we can all remember came right as parents and teachers were thrown unexpectedly into the world of online learning. Watch this interview by clicking here https://youtu.be/7nLe3P50j4Q and review their tips to help all of us succeed in this every changing world. Don't miss their return to the podcast for EPISODE #161 with their new book with John Almarode, “How Learning Works”[vi] where they tie learning and the brain What I will never forget with both these interviews is the timing of them. I'm sure no one will ever forget just how disastrous it was bringing our children to at home learning, and by the time we got to revisit everyone, for EPISODE 161, we were right in the middle of the Pandemic, and I remember in the second interview, we ALL had terrible colds. None of us cancelled this interview, that we did at 6am PST but we all said prayers for family members who were struggling with COVID, and we covered the content, using all of our energy to do so. I do receive emails about 2 two specific interviews from Education Departments in different parts of the country who ask if they can use them as models for their students on best practices for interviewing as well as for the content provided, which brings me to think about the fact that regardless of how we are feeling before we have to present something, “A Pro is at their best, regardless.” (Bob Proctor).   The second most watched interview was with Howard Berg, The World's Fastest Reader, with over a 90% comprehension rate on “Simple and Easy Strategies to Improve Reading, Comprehension and Recall.” Watch this interview here https://youtu.be/Al0B6HzxtEk This was such a fun interview, as Howard is an incredible teacher who I had no idea was like me, a former swimming teacher who learned about the importance of the student “wanting to learn” to swim that he translated into learning years later. I had met Howard years before I asked him to do this interview, and followed his work, using one of his speed reading strategies with my youngest daughter to help her to stay focused with reading. (It's a common strategy of putting your finger on the page while you are reading, but Howard can show you that this practice can significantly improve reading speed and comprehension with many other important tips to improve memory and learning, that I think includes using humor to engage your students. The third most watch interview is with Suzanne Gundersen on “The Polyvagal Theory in Practice” that you can watch here https://youtu.be/WCFrygUG-UI Understanding the Polyvagal Theory, and how our body shifts between rest and digest, fight or flight and total shut down became important for educators in the classroom to understand the states of minds of their students, and why they were acting certain ways, with strategies that can be used to calm down a student who might be struggling. I'm not going to skip this bit of feedback that you can read in the comment section of this interview, because it's important that when we receive constructive criticism that we hear it. This interview on stress reduction, I do hear often “why did you choose that hyper music for a stress-reducing interview?” The answer is pretty simple, I try not to be defensive, and hear the criticism, so I can take it in to learn and improve, but I honestly had no idea what music to use when I first started out. I can see now that I should have chosen a calmer selection of music for this interview.  We are all learning together here.  The 4th most watch interview is with Dawson Church on his Bliss Brain Book and Daily Meditations. Watch the interview here https://youtu.be/bH8yVKHjFN4 While I still use Dawson Church's meditations EVERY morning, that you can access through his book, I really could have used them in the interview when my landscapers came, and my dog Nitro went cray, barking for what felt like an eternity.  Dr. Church was a pro and explained “The Neuroscience Behind Remodeling our Brain for Happiness, Resilience and Joy” without skipping a beat. When this happened, I could see his calm brain in action, and it really did show from my end, knowing there was a lot of noise that I did cut out.  The fifth most watched interview is about Dr. Anna Lembke's popular book, “Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence” where she takes us through the fact that “we are all running from something” and looking at where we are out of balance using her strategies to help tip us back to balance, towards increased energy and productivity. I had to reach out to Dr. Lembke after seeing her on Dr. Huberman's podcast, and she continues to show up on podcasts in my stream to this day, as this topic isn't losing its importance. Watch this interview here https://youtu.be/5Pu82wZRZwo What I loved about this interview was that she was all about “finding balance” and explained how it was possible to do this. She shared that we don't need to give up those things that we love, but take a break from them, and you will notice a brain reset in the process. In 6th place, we have Dr. David Sousa with his series “How the Brain Learns” that was handed to me from an educator over 8 years ago, who urged me to go in the direction of neuroscience. Dr. Sousa's series that's now in its 5th edition, is one of the books I picked up when first beginning to understand how our brain learns to read, do math, how the ELL brain learns, or the special needs brain learns—each book explains the science behind learning and the brain. Watch our first interview here for EPISODE #78 https://youtu.be/4welQLkKm5I and then review our second interview when this book went into Its 5th edition here https://youtu.be/148InRAxFts In 7th place, we have Marc Brackett with his early interview, EPISODE #22 on his book, Permission to Feel that you can watch here https://youtu.be/CeOzi8ZrFO4. I still follow Marc's inspiring work, but what I love seeing the most is when someone's work comes full circle. If you follow Marc on Instagram, you would have seen the post about his niece, Esme, who recently graduated from high school, and Marc posted a beautiful photo of the two of them, and wrote that he hopes that he is “as good an uncle to her as her grandfather (Marc's Uncle Marvin who inspired his work) was to him.” (Marc Brackett). When I think of the thousands of schools using Marc's Ruler approach, and the mark he's made on the world, I can't even begin to imagine how much he's inspired this young lady. I might just have to find her, and interview her to find out! Licensed and board certified behavior analyst (BCBA) Jessica Minahan comes in 8th with her book “The Behavior Code” that helps us to all understand and teach the most challenging students. Jessica's work was referred to me by Greg Wolcott, who we have interviewed on this podcast, twice, and Greg often sends over ideas and suggestions for speakers to feature. I wish I knew about The Behavior Code when I was a first-year teacher, facing a classroom filled with behavioral students. You can watch this interview here https://youtu.be/oQqFN110gMM  Mark Robert Waldman, comes in 9th with EPISODE #30 on “Brain-Based Experiential Learning and Living” where Mark began exploring the importance of mindfulness with creativity, and productivity that I learned first-hand in his Neurocoaching Certifcation Program, (that took me 2 years to complete). His program is the ONLY program led by University faculty who are currently doing peer- reviewed brain-scan research in the field of Network Neuroscience. If you watch this interview, you will see how Mark loves teaching everyone how to maximize our brain power for improved results, when it comes to money, happiness and success. He is now working on a new book with Andy Newberg, MD. On “Balancing Your Default Mode Network” Watch our interview here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54bmB6_gPGc  The 10th spot goes to Todd Woodcroft who at the time was an Assistant Coach with the Winnipeg Jets in the NHL. He's since moved up to a Head Coach Position with D1 Men's College Hockey, but if you follow his work, you would see that he still remains closely tied with the NHL, male and female player development as well as youth development. Our interview on “Embracing the Daily Grind in the NHL” is applicable for all of us, whether we are a teacher in the classroom, a coach, or working in the corporate world, as he makes a strong case for the daily habits that are embraced, not feared at the pro sports level. What's interesting with this interview, is that it's another case of things coming full circle, as many of the people Todd mentions in this interview (2 years ago), or who he worked with, have now moved forward in their career, using these principles, including himself, which to me shows that there is a science to success. When we “embracing the daily grind” or do things a certain way, we can attain predictable results. Watch this interview here https://youtu.be/uNFT4-Yg_kI  Kelly Roman comes in at #11 with our interview on the Fisher Wallace wearable medical device that combats insomnia, anxiety and depression. I just released EPISODE 231[vii] where I recap my personal review of this device that I didn't even know existed until interviewing Kelly Roman. You can watch our interview here https://youtu.be/jCtbngfXoYg that Kelly says is his all-time favorite interview. I think it's neat to look back to this interview, when I had no idea that a device like this even existed, to see my personal review that improved my sleep by much more the gold standard of 20 minutes each night. When I wrote this review of the device, I began getting emails about my experience, and whether I still use the device, leading me to release that recent update, sharing that I still do in fact use the Fisher Wallace device to keep my WASO scores low, and now that I know it increases serotonin, I'm sure it does help my mood to be more even keeled and worry less about life's usual stressors.  John Ratey, MD comes in 12th on our countdown with our interview #116 on “The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain.” You can watch this interview here https://youtu.be/ZTa1zwpQcxQ  for a reminder of how important moving our body is for the proper functioning of our brain.  When I reviewed Dr. Ratey's interview, I was reminded of the intense research I do on each guest. I'm not sure where I read that Dr. Ratey spent some time as a Zen Monk, but I think it was something he hadn't thought about for some time. I often refer back to Dr. Ratey's interview where I first began to make the connection with the importance of exercise for learning and retention.  I could keep counting down and reviewing the Top 40, like Kasey Casem's Show, but I would be here writing all night.  To close out today's EPISODE #233, I wanted to go back to what I heard Brendon Burchard mention over the weekend, with the importance of ramping up our learning, and that we must become more productive as a nation. It's not the time to shrink back, and be protective, but lean forward, review our goals, notice what's working, and what isn't, “Sharpen Our Saw” and then move forward with everything that we've got. I hope that reviewing our TOP 12 most watched interviews gives you some ideas to gain more clarity and perspective with whatever it is that you are working on, raising your ambition to do just a bit more, and show up, with you're A game for a strong last half of 2022. I'll see you in a few days. :)   REFERENCES: [i] www.Brendon.com [ii] Brendon Burchard on “What to focus on as we enter this next phase of the economy.” https://www.growthday.com/iphone2 [iii] https://www.iheart.com/live/classic-american-top-40-6545/ [iv]The 7th Habit https://www.franklincovey.com/habit-7/#:~:text=Sharpen%20the%20Saw%20means%20preserving,emotional%2C%20mental%2C%20and%20spiritual. [v] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #77 Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey, EPISODE #77 on “Developing and Delivering High Quality, Distance Learning.” https://youtu.be/7nLe3P50j4Q [vi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #171 Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey and John Almarode on Their New Playbook "How Learning Works"https://youtu.be/1Zw3E1OZnl4 [vii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #231 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/update-one-year-later-on-my-personal-review-of-the-fisher-wallace-wearable-sleep-device-for-anxiety-depression-and-sleep-management/    

When we see a great leader in action, it can seem like magic. But thankfully it's not. In fact, there is a science behind the people we trust and want to follow. It is the science of credibility. In this session you will hear about the five essential traits of leaders who inspire and influence others. You can begin to reflect on your own practice and discover intentional moves that transform schools into vibrant spaces of learning and innovation. 

How do we accelerate learning? The US Department of Education Roadmap for Reopening Safely says that "accelerated learning provides opportunities for students to learn at grade level rather than through tracking or remediation….”  Simply put, acceleration “builds on what students know as a way to access new learning.” (Roadmap p 18) Sponsor: Advancement Courses Thank you Advancement Courses for sponsoring today's show. This month, Advancement Courses is kicking off their annual Tournament of Teachers bracket challenge where educators can win up to $2,000 in prizes. This year's “Mischief-Makers Edition'' features some of the most incorrigible students from literature and film, including Draco Malfoy, Veruca Salt, Bart Simpson, and Ferris Bueller. From now until March 20, choose which mischief-maker you'd rather teach and submit your bracket in order to play. Then from March 21-30, you'll have a chance to come back and vote for your favorites to advance. Enter now and you could win prizes like a $1,000 Amazon gift card and more. Visit www.coolcatteacher.com/tournament/  to learn more and submit your brackets! This report also says that the pandemic negatively impacted math and widened achievement gaps. There is little doubt that many amazing kids are struggling to reengage with their learning progress. We cannot be content to let a generation of kids fall by the wayside. This is our watch and our duty and we have to work to do what is best. So, while some advocate acceleration for gifted kids, we need acceleration for all kids. It isn't about “catching up” right now education is about reaching every child's potential. We would love to see this generation transcend and rise above the many challenges of our world. To get there, we must reengage. Acceleration research says it is a way to do that. Dr. Nancy Frey has researched Acceleration Research along with Douglas Fisher and shared their results in Rebound: A Playbook for Rebuilding Agency, Accelerating Learning Recovery, and Rethinking Schools. This episode is a companion to podcast episode 768 with Douglas Fisher about schools that rebound. This episode focuses specifically on acceleration research. See the transcript and full show notes at https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e770 

“Learn continually—there's always one more thing to learn” Steve Jobs Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning podcast, for episode #201 on “The Lessons Learned from our Top 10 All-Time Episodes” as we reflect on the episodes that YOU chose to be the most impactful since we launched back in June 2019. For those returning, welcome back, and for those new, I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of you listening, have been fascinated with learning and understanding and applying the most current research that we can ALL use to improve our productivity in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments.  I launched this podcast as a solution to bring these ideas directly to you.  As we are now well into our 7th season, with a focus on brain health and well-being this year, it hit me while recording our 200th episode, that it would be helpful to take a look back and review the top lessons learned since launching this podcast over three years ago. There's so much content that's been covered, and while I can't mention every episode, you can always go back and scroll through the website[i] and pick episodes that stand out to you when looking for something new to learn. I still listen to these older episodes, and always pick something of value from each one. Like we said as we recapped our 200th episode, we picked high quality guests intentionally, and the content reflects these high caliber speakers. What I Wish I Knew When We First Launched This Podcast: While preparing for this episode, I glanced at the top 10 all-time episode list (that I have included in the show notes) and a few things came to my mind that I thought would be helpful to share with this review. Before I get to the lessons learned from our top episodes, I wanted to share some lessons learned from the production side of things. Many people reach out to me asking questions about “how do you launch a podcast” or “what would you have done differently if you were to do everything over again?” There's definitely ONE THING I would have done differently. If you scroll all the way down on our Podbean website to our first 6 months,[ii] you might see the downloads next to each episode are lower than you might expect up until December 2019. This is not just because we were starting out, (earlier episodes averaged around 300 downloads in the beginning, compared to 1,000 per episode now, but I'll tell you one of the biggest errors I made launching this podcast, that impacted our numbers right from the beginning. If you look, next to each episode, you can see the number of downloads for that episode, and in the beginning, (episodes created in 2019) I saved the audio files in the M4A format which is the format that Camtasia (where I do my editing) defaults to, after saving an audio file. For those listening who don't deal with audio files, think about it as one of those errors that you want to prevent others from EVER doing in the future. Who knew that Spotify, our third largest source of traffic, (with Apple Podcasts as our first, and Podbean, our host as second) only accepts MP3 audio files, so when setting up this podcast, I realized 6 months into it, that I had an error message on the connection to Spotify and zero downloads from this source?  It took 6 months to notice this error because there's a lot with launching a podcast, but a mistake like this had to be fixed sooner than later. To do this, we had to reformat all audio files from M4A format to MP3 for our podcast to appear on Spotify, and that meant that any episode created in 2019, was reset to zero. This was a huge lesson to learn, (when downloads are important for the spread of your podcast) but I'm glad we fixed it early on. If you are thinking of launching a podcast, be sure to record ALL audio files in the MP3 format. I wish I knew this in the beginning. There weren't any other big AHA moments from the production side of things that stick out, other than the fact that there was this annoying crackling sound with the audio in our earlier episodes. I still have no idea what was interfering with the audio in the earlier days, and the new Rodecaster Pro Sound Board that we implemented in 2021 eliminated that problem, but I don't think I would have changed the way we launched. I wanted to see if this idea would gain traction BEFORE we purchased all the high-tech equipment that we use now, and will continue to improve as we move forward. Now, on to our episode lessons According to you, the listener, the #1 all-time favorite was EPISODE #120[iii] with my personal review of the Fisher Wallace wearable medical device for anxiety, depression, and sleep management with over 5100 downloads. I mentioned on our previous episode that I receive the most feedback from this one, as I think that people really wanted to know there is a real person behind the review, who really did try the device. LESSON #1 from EPISODE #120: The Fisher Wallace Wearable Medical Device Improved My Sleep by More Than the 20 Minute Gold Standard. If you listen to this episode, you'll see that I was looking to improve my sleep, which it did, much more than the gold standard of 20 minutes improvement each night, and it was a non-evasive, drug-free way to do this. I can't tell you how many people I talk to who say they “barely sleep at all” and with sleep being one of the top 5 health staples that we covered on a BONUS EPISODE[iv] where we reviewed Seasons 1-4 at the end of 2020, and the fact that in my brain scan evaluation from Amen Clinics on EPISODE #94[v], Dr. Creado told me that my brain looked sleep deprived, I knew it was important to take a closer look at new ways to improve our sleep. Remember that I am just providing my experience of testing out this device, and everyone is different, but I do highly recommend trying it if sleep is something you are looking to improve. They do offer a 30-day trial and I saw the benefits well before the 30-day mark. I mentioned that in addition to being able to sleep longer, I noticed having more patience, was less high strung or anxious and calmer with my day-to-day activities. The improvements were significant enough that I continue to use the device every morning, since this review, while meditating and I seriously thought I would just be using it only for the month that I was conducting this review. The 2nd most popular episode of all-time was EPISODE #162[vi] with Dr. Anna Lembke, the Medical Director of Addictive Medicine at Stanford University on her new book Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence. When I saw Dr. Lembke on Dr. Andrew Huberman's podcast and received a newspaper article written by Dr. Lembke on my car while I was hiking, (from a good friend who I was talking to about how addictive technology can be) I knew I had to reach out to Dr. Lembke for this interview. It wasn't until after I had read her book, that I figured out she was in the Netflix Documentary, The Social Dilemma[vii] where she discusses the addictive nature of social media, explaining that it taps into “our basic biological imperative to connect with other people—that directly affects the release of dopamine and the reward pathway” (32:35 The Social Dilemma) and she warns us that “there's no doubt that a vehicle like social media which optimizes this connection between people is going to have the potential for addiction.” LESSON #2 FROM EPISODE #162: A Dopamine Fast Can Reset Your Brain. There are many important lessons in this interview, but the one that stood out the most to me, and even surprised me during the interview, was that Dr. Lembke said that technology, or video games, or whatever it is that we are doing that we enjoy (too much) floods our brain with dopamine, and “if we can take a month off from our drug of choice” this will allow our brain to reset it's dopamine balance, and that after the month off, you can test it out and see if you are able to go back to whatever it is that you were over-indulging with, in a more controlled manner. If we can figure out how to reset our dopamine balance and keep our use of whatever it is that we enjoy to a level that it doesn't flood our brain, we will happier, balanced and don't have to give up entirely the things that we enjoy. Our next episode, The Neuroscience of Personal Change with “Stephen R. Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” from episode #68[viii] came in at the third most downloaded episode, and this one sat at the #1 spot until that review of the Fisher Wallace device took over.  What's funny to me about this episode, is that I remember sitting in the lobby at a local resort in Arizona, with my laptop open, as I was writing this script, and knew that I was missing something. The episode seemed boring, and it couldn't even hold my attention, so I did what I usually do when bored, and scrolled through my social media accounts to see if I could learn something new that would give me a new perspective and add something of value to this episode.  I'm always reading, watching, listening and learning from those around me, and add these ideas into the podcast. Then I saw it. I read a social media post from my mentor, Greg Link[ix], who I've mentioned in past episodes. He was the mentor who I drove 3 hours each way to thank for the ideas that he gave me over the years with this work. As co-founder of the Covey Leadership Center, Greg was the one who orchestrated the strategy that led Dr. Stephen R. Covey's book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change, (1989) to become one of the best-selling business books of the 20th century according to CEO Magazine, selling over 20 million copies in 38 languages. He created the marketing momentum that helped propel the Covey Leadership Center from a start-up company to a $110-plus million-dollar enterprise with offices in 40 countries. When he writes something, I always pay attention and what he has to say is always insightful and profound. This time, what he wrote was full of his own personal insight on what was happening in the world today, (it was June 2020)[x]  and his post was a very personal reflection that mentioned the 7 Habits book, and Habit #5 “Seek First to Understand, then to be Understood.” It's been a couple of years since I read his post, but it stopped me in my tracks and made me think about how it's typical that when communicating, we often want to say our point first, without practicing what Stephen Covey called empathetic listening. I knew at that moment that I wanted to think about ALL of the Habits (including the 8th one that is covered in a whole new book) and see how neuroscience could be connected to this best-selling book. It was this episode that Chris Gargano, the Vice President and Executive Producer of the New York Jets,[xi] would find our podcast as he was looking for content for his Leadership Course that he teaches at NYU and mentioned it was “ambitious” to make these correlations, and looking back at this episode, it was a lot of work to dive this deep into each of the habits, with this new angle. The biggest lesson for me thinking about this episode is that the first three habits are all about managing ourselves, habits 4-6 are about leading others, and habits 7 and 8 are about unleashing potential. Habit #8 that Stephen Covey wrote a whole book on, is about “Finding Your Voice and Inspiring Others to Find Theirs” and it gave me some insight into why Greg Link might have sent me ideas over the years. It was the 8th Habit and he was living it. LESSON #3 FROM EPISODE 68: The 8th HABIT: Find Your Voice and Inspire Others to Find Theirs. I met Greg Link, through Bob Proctor, around the time that Doug Wead came in to speak at the seminars (2002) and my passion for working with young people with these leadership concepts was just emerging. If you see Greg's background, he was a busy guy, and when I met him, at a seminar in CA, we were in the lobby of the Ritz Carlton, (now The Langham Huntington in Pasadena) where he introduced me to Stedman Graham, (who is known as the long-term partner of Oprah).  Stedman was there with a Basketball Team and had just published the Teens Can Make it Happen Book.[xii]  It wasn't just me that Greg Link was giving ideas to, but he gave others (like Steadman) ideas for how to make a book successful because that's the 8th HABIT “Find Your Voice and Inspire Others to Find Theirs.” Photo: Andrea at The Ritz Carlton, Southern CA (2002) This hotel is now The Langham Huntington, Pasadena.[xiii] What's Your Vision? REMEMBER: We all have the ability to impact the world by taking our mental energy and creating a vision, channeling our physical energy with discipline, unleashing this energy towards what we are passionate about and tapping into our spiritual side to further develop our talents and abilities. We can all do this, and once we've got to where we are going, we can role model the way for others to do the same, just like Greg Link showed me. The 4th most listened to episode was #168[xiv] with Dr. Bruce Perry and Steve Graner on the book Dr. Perry wrote with Oprah, What Happened to You that brings together all the work Dr. Perry has done over the years at The Neurosequential Network.[xv] I put the link to Dr. Perry's resources in the show notes because this is where I first started to get to know his work as I followed the trainings that he did when the Pandemic first began. Dr. Perry's work explains how traumatic events impact the brain, and I did find Oprah's parts of the book to be difficult to read as they were highly emotional, but Dr. Perry's intentional use of offsetting the difficult parts of the book with neuroscience, made for a balanced learning experience. LESSON #4 FROM EPISODE #168: Came from Steve Graner, who I found out in the interview is a childhood friend of Dr. Perry who now works with him as a Project Director, implementing the Neurosequential Model for Sport[xvi] when he said “as a teacher and a coach, why don't I know this?” He went on to explain that he understood Dr. Perry's model much better as a coach than as a teacher, and applied his model to his coaching first, and then eventually to his teaching.” Even though he was Dr. Perry's childhood friend, he didn't know everything he was teaching, and when he looked at the model, everything made sense in a way he had never seen it before. This lesson made me see exactly WHY we must keep learning about the brain, and applying what we learn to our work and lives. Moving on to our 5th most downloaded episode, where this journey with social and emotional learning began, with my mentor, Bob Proctor, from EPISODE #66.[xvii]  I list ten important lessons learned at the start of our interview together, and dove much deeper into more lesson learned from working with him for 6 years on EPISODE 67[xviii] but when the news hit that my dear mentor had passed on at the beginning of February, it took me a week or so, but I eventually watched our interview on YouTube[xix] to see if I could learn something new while reflecting back on everything. I did pick up a few lessons, but one wasn't immediate. It took me some time to step back and look at something he said to me from a different angle to find the answer I was looking for. Have you ever done that? Looked at something from a different perspective to learn something new? This is how it happened. Lesson #5 from EPISODE #66 with Bob Proctor: Leave Everyone You Come in Contact With, With the Impression of Increase. During Bob's memorial service, everyone was sharing their stories of how Bob impacted them, and their lives, and it was his son Brian who said something that connected the dots for me. He said that Bob was always leaving people with “The Impression of Increase”[xx] and explained that he would always leave people in a place of abundance rather than lack and limitation. Brian shared this story of how Bob would put him to bed and whisper “success secrets” in his ear at night, and when my girls were little, I did the same to them, so that they would begin to infuse this mindset into their non-conscious minds while sleeping. Brian's story made me recall something Bob asked me when I was moving from Toronto, Canada, to Arizona, USA in early 2001. He said, “Are you going to fly first class?” And I'm not kidding, times were lean in those days, I didn't even know how I was going to afford a sandwich when I arrived, but I remember laughing at the thought, trying to hide how scared I was of the unknown and just shook my head “no” and wondered why he would ask me that. It hit me AFTER his memorial service, all these years later, while revisiting our interview, at the very end, he said “there's only one corner of the Universe I can change, and that's me. Andrea can only change Andrea. It's very important that we understand that. The only thing that Bob can change is Bob. You can't change anyone else. You might inspire others to change, or cause them to look at things differently, but the ONLY corner of the Universe I can be certain of improving is my own self” and he went on to say, “when we understand that, we will stop letting outside conditions define us, control us, and dictate where we are going to go and what we are going to do.” This took me right back to that day when he said “Are you going to fly first class?” and my bank account didn't have enough money in it for a first class ticket, so I said no. He was giving me the Impression of Increase, trying to stretch my mind to think beyond what I could see. There was coach, and there was first class. I don't think he expected me to be reckless and spend money I didn't have, but he wanted to show me there was another option. 20 years later, when traveling with the family,  we do always check to see if we can fly first class (depending on points and availability) but in those lean years, I didn't even consider this option. Bob couldn't do this for me, but he could say something to give me the “Impression of Increase” that maybe there was another way to move to a new country. He could motivate me by his example, but the work had to be done by me, over my lifetime. And the same for you, listening.  Keep learning, growing and applying everything that we learn.   This lesson took another turn while writing this episode and I was trying to find the Ritz Carlton in Pasadena where I had that photo taken the day I had met Greg Link and Stedman Graham in the lobby, (2002) BEFORE I had published my book for teens, and was just creating the vision for my future. My husband looked at the photo, and said, “I know I stayed there in 2019) remembering a sports team that he saw there, and he found a photograph he took of that exact spot, 17 years later. Who knew, when I stood there in 2002, that my future husband would stand there years later on a business trip. The Impression of Increase has new meaning now, and I'm grateful to have learned this lesson, showing me that we can ALL create the vision that we want, and create a truly beautiful life. Why wouldn't we choose this option, over lack and limitation? Photo of the Langham Huntington, Pasadena, CA (formerly the Ritz) in 2019 The 6th most downloaded episode was Dr. Michael Gaskell's EPISODE #172 on “Leading Schools Through Trauma”[xxi] which is the title of his second book. Dr. Gaskell has a unique story, because his books and strategies stem not only from his experience working in schools, and offering trauma-informed solutions from what he has seen working in his day to day world, but he takes it a step deeper, BEING a former student who was labelled himself as “anxious, low-performing, hostile and other terms that pointed to the characteristics of trauma.” (xi, Leading Schools Through Trauma).  I know that this being trauma-informed is an important topic, from Dr. Bruce Perry's work, as well as Dr. Lori Desautels[xxii] work and this interview provides hope that the work being done in our classrooms today can have a profound impact on our students of the future, who may show these signs of struggle for a reason.   LESSON #6 from Dr. Gaskell on EPISODE #172 is to look deeper into why a student might be misbehaving or struggling and invest the time to get to know this student. He says this is a “critical investment” and that he was one of these struggling students, and no one ever gave up on him. Michael Gaskell's book and interview helped me to understand how to recognize trauma, and offers tools, and resources for being trauma-informed in today's classrooms.  The 7th most downloaded episode was #174[xxiii] with Dr. Francis Lee Stevens on “Affective Neuroscience in Psychotherapy” where he explained what he thought was missing from psychotherapy and how his new book on affective neuroscience fills this missing link. With the rise in mental health issues that we can clearly see have emerged since the global Pandemic, and the fact that on EPISODE #188[xxiv] we uncovered that “one-quarter of Americans intend to improve their mental health in 2022”[xxv]    LESSON #7 from Dr. Francis Lee Stevens from EPISODE #174 we learned of the importance of addressing our “feelings” to make an impact on our mental and physical health, and that changing our thinking can help us cope with our emotions, but we need to address our emotions to have long-term change in our health. In his book “Affective Neuroscience in Psychotherapy” his goal is to “change the feelings” we have that we don't like, not just manage the symptoms. Our 8th most downloaded EPISODE #161[xxvi] came from our second interview with Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey and John Almarode on their new book with Corwin Press How Learning Works. Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey were returning guests from EPISODE #77[xxvii] on “Developing and Delivering High Quality Distance Learning for Students” that still is our #1 most watched YouTube interview with over 6,000 views.[xxviii] On this episode, it being an early one, as times were really busy, I remember having the worst cold, and for some reason, my internet kept dropping and disconnecting the interview. I'm sure no one listening noticed this, as editing does wonders, but this is what I remember from this episode, looking back. This book was written, as John Almarode explains “to build a bridge between the research and classroom practice” and in PART 2 of their book, they talk about how to Adapt promising principles and practices to meet the specific needs of your students—particularly regarding motivation, attention, encoding, retrieval and practice, cognitive load and memory, productive struggle, and feedback. Douglas Fisher describes the Promising Principle of Attention and explains that life in the classroom would be much easier if we had our student's undivided attention for the whole day, but this is just not reality. He breaks this principle down by showing us What attention in the classroom means? What goes into paying attention. What are the practices that we can enact as teachers to improve and address the need for our students to pay attention? What does the research say about the need for attention in the classroom? What can we do right now? LESSON #8 from EPISODE #161 on How Learning Works to me proves that there is a bridge between the science of learning, and classroom practices and this book provides the steps needed for us to cross this bridge and put theory into practice. What stuck out the most to me in this interview, aside from all of the resources and tools, was that Douglas Fisher explains in the beginning of the interview how he became interested in studying the connection between the brain and learning back in 2007 when he realized everyone was talking about the brain, and he knew nothing about how the brain was connected to learning, so he signed up for a Neuroanatomy Seminar with doctoral students, and went every Thursday night, from 7-9:40 pm to figure out how the brain learns, and how a teacher can use this. There are two Brain Fact Friday episodes that came in at spot 9 with the Neuroscience of Belief[xxix] and spot 10 with Overcoming Digital Addictions[xxx] that I'll let you go back and review, mostly because it's Thursday afternoon, and I'm still writing this episode, and think it's time to wrap this one up, and go for a run before the Arizona sun gets too hot! To bring this episode in for a close, let's Review the Top Lessons Learned from the episodes YOU chose to listen to the most since we launched this podcast over 3 years ago.  LESSON #1: The Fisher Wallace Wearable Medical Device Improved My Sleep by More Than the 20 Minute Gold Standard.  If you are one of those people who know that your sleep needs some help, I would begin with measuring your sleep using free apps that you can find on your phone. You don't need to start with all of the fancy tools but begin to get an idea of how long you are sleeping, how much REM sleep you are getting, and become familiar with what a sleep cycle looks like. If you want to hear the episode with Kelly Roman[xxxi], the CEO of Fisher Wallace Labs and their wearable medical devices to help improve sleep, while also treating anxiety and depression, go back and listen to episode #108. I really did think that after the month trial and my review, that I would stop using the device, because I really didn't think it was going to make that much of a difference for me. I'm grateful that I found this device, that's cleared by the FDA for the treatment of depression, anxiety and insomnia,[xxxii] and will always share what I think can help us to improve the quality of our life, especially around the Top 5 Health Staples. LESSON #2: A Dopamine Fast Can Reset Your Brain. I had heard of dopamine fasting before I came across Dr. Lembke's Dopamine Nation book but didn't understand just how easy it was to flood our brain with dopamine, causing us to feel off balance. I almost didn't believe her when she said in our interview that many of her patients can go back to whatever it was they enjoyed doing, with some modifications, after a month off, once their brain had reset, until I tried it myself. If there is something that you are doing, that's causing you to feel off balance, you should be able to kick whatever it is on your own, or with an accountability partner to help you and Dr. Lembke's interview explained exactly how to do this. LESSON #3: The 8th HABIT: Find Your Voice and Inspire Others to Find Theirs. This lesson begins with you and looking back, I can't forget those early days when I wasn't sure of myself and didn't have a clear vision of what I wanted and was still searching for my own voice. When I met Stedman Graham, and saw he had written a book for teens, I remember thinking “That book will do well, he's got Oprah to help him to promote it” and I almost shrank back from writing my own book for teens until I saw that even the long-time partner of Oprah took advice from those around him like Greg Link, who was role-modelling the way. Find Your Voice First and Then Inspire Others to Find Theirs. You won't be able to do it for them, but you can role-model the way for everyone you'll be watching you. LESSON #4 came from Steve Graner, who works with Dr. Perry at the Neurosequential Network when he said “As a teacher and a coach, why don't I know this?” This is exactly why we launched this podcast as we search for new ideas that can accelerate the teaching and learning process with the understanding of neuroscience made simple. If I had Dr. Perry's upside down triangle when I was teaching those behavioral kids as a first year teacher in Toronto, it would have explained everything to me, like it did for Steve. I wouldn't have operated by trial and error, (like I did when telling my students to run around the school building when they were misbehaving) since that was the only way they would listen. AHA Moment, they listened because they were regulated after the exercise, leading me to conclude, like Steve did at the very beginning of this episode, “Why didn't I know this?” Lesson #5 from Bob Proctor: Leave Everyone You Come in Contact With, With the Impression of Increase. This concept came from Chapter 14 of the book The Science of Getting Rich[xxxiii] by Wallace D. Wattles, written in 1903, and the concept still holds today, almost 120 years later. Wattles wrote “when dealing with other people, whether directly, by telephone, or by letter, (this book was clearly written over 100 years ago) the key thought should be to convey of increase” (CH 14, SGR, Wattles) since we all desire increase. We ALL want to be, do and have more in our life and are always seeking fuller expression. So how do we do this? Always look for the good in people and point it out to them. Tell them what you see. Don't hold back. There's so much good in EVERY person and when you look for it, you'll see it. Make this a habit and a way of life. Always “leave everyone you come in contact with, with the impression of increase.” LESSON #6 from Dr. Gaskell on EPISODE #172 was to never give up on a struggling student, since he was one of these students, who didn't fall through the cracks, and went on to attain high levels of achievement with his career, helping others to do the same. I think this is the beginning for Dr. Gaskell's work, as he continues to write more books and present on this topic around the country. This lesson reminds me to the quote by Theodore Roosevelt, that “Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.” I don't like the idea of giving up on anything, but this takes it to a new level when you think of the unlimited potential locked up inside ALL of our students, and not knowing what each student is capable of doing or creating in their lifetime. LESSON #7 from Dr. Francis Lee Stevens from EPISODE #174 we learned of the importance of looking beyond the thoughts we have that are bothering us, to the “feelings” behind the thought to make long term change possible. For example, if something is bothering you, it might take some time to figure this out, but you can go deeper and see if you can make connections to your past to when you first felt this way, and how this experience made you feel (like I'm not good enough) or something like that. When you can begin to make sense of why you feel a certain way, you can begin to heal the past, that brings healing to your present day. I did see the connection with Dr. Stevens' work, and Dr. Carolyn Leaf's work from a BONUS EPISODE that we released this time last year on her book “Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess”[xxxiv] that covers a 5-step process to reduce anxiety and toxic thinking. LESSON #8 from EPISODE #161 on How Learning Works to me proves that there is a bridge between the science of learning, and the classroom, and Douglas Fisher admitted he knew nothing about how the brain learns back in 2007. He mentioned he felt “incompetent and behind” without this understanding and that's what drove him to sit in a Neuroanatomy class with doctoral students to make this connection.  Listening to Douglas Fisher's introduction to neuroscience took me back to why we launched this podcast in the first place—to make neuroscience simple as I remember being awarded grant money to put my programs in Arizona schools, and an educator told me that I needed to understand the science behind learning, and write a new book for my program, and I began to question whether or not I was capable of doing this. 7 years later, I'm so glad I didn't give up on the idea of making neuroscience simple and easy for all of us to understand. I hope you've enjoyed reviewing these TOP EPISODES as much as I have and know that each time I listen to them again, I still do learn something new. I'll see you next week, and hope that wherever you are listening to this episode, that you and your families are safe. Until next time… REFERENCES: [i] Podcast website to see all past episodes https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/ [ii] Podcast website to see all past episodes https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/ [iii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning EPISODE #120 with My Personal Review of the Fisher Wallace Wearable Medical Device for Anxiety, Depression and Sleep Management. https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/personal-review-of-the-fisher-wallace-wearable-medical-device-for-anxiety-depression-and-sleepstress-management/?customizing=1 [iv]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning BONUS EPIOSDE and REVIEW of Seasons 1-4  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/bonus-episode-a-deep-dive-into-the-top-5-health-staples-and-review-of-seasons-1-4/ [v]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning EPISODE #94 on PART 3 of our Brain Scan Series: Andrea's Scan Results https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/how-a-spect-scan-can-change-your-life-part-3-with-andrea-samadi/ [vi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning EPISODE #162 with “Dr. Anna Lembke on Her Book Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/medical-director-of-addictive-medicine-at-stanford-university-dr-anna-lembke-on-dopamine-nation-finding-balance-in-the-age-of-indulgence/ [vii] The Social Dilemma Full Feature Netflix Movie Published on YouTube August 17, 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mqR_e2seeM [viii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning EPISODE #68 “The Neuroscience of Personal Change”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-neuroscience-of-personal-change/ [ix] Greg Link Speaker's Bio https://premierespeakers.com/greg-link/bio [x] Pandemic, Recession, Unrest: 2020 and the Confluence of Crises by Susan Milligan June 2, 2020 https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2020-06-02/pandemic-recession-unrest-2020-and-the-confluence-of-crises?context=amp [xi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning EPISODE #166 with Chris Gargano on “Accelerating Leadership” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/vice-president-executive-producer-of-the-new-york-jets-chris-gargano-on-accelerating-leadership-for-maximum-impact-and-results/ [xii]Teens Can Make it Happen by Steadman Graham, December 2001 https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Teens-Can-Make-It-Happen/Stedman-Graham/9780684870823 [xiii] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Langham_Huntington,_Pasadena [xiv] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning EPISODE #168 with Dr. Bruce Perry and Steve Graner on “What Happened to You” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/dr-bruce-perry-and-steve-graner-from-the-neurosequential-network-on-what-we-should-all-know-about-what-happened-to-you/ [xv] COVID 19 Stress, Distress and Trauma Series https://www.neurosequential.com/covid-19-resources [xvi] Neurosequential Model in Sport https://www.neurosequential.com/nm-sport [xvii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #66 with The Legendary Bob Proctor on “Where it All Started”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-legendary-bob-proctor-on/ [xviii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #67 on “Expanding Your Awareness with the Top Lessons Learned from Bob Proctor's Most Powerful Seminars” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/expanding-your-awareness-with-a-deep-dive-into-bob-proctors-most-powerful-seminars/ [xix] The Legendary Bob Proctor on The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast YouTube Interview Published June 4, 2020  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHWMCzfODU4 [xx] The Impression of Increase by Bob Proctor Published on YouTube October 8, 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGoYzsugZ_0 [xxi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #172 with Dr. Michael Gaskell on “Leading Schools Through Trauma” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/dr-michael-gaskell-on-leading-schools-through-trauma-a-data-driven-approach-to-helping-children-heal/ [xxii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #16 with Dr. Lori Desautels and Michael McKnight on “The Future of Educational Neuroscience in our Schools and Communities”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/lori-desautels-and-michael-mcknight-on-the-future-of-educational-neuroscience-in-our-schools-and-communities/ [xxiii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #174 with Dr. Francis Lee Stevens on his new book “Affective Neuroscience”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/psychologist-dr-francis-lee-stevens-on-his-new-book-affective-neuroscience-in-psychotherapy-science-based-interventions-for-our-emotions/ [xxiv]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #188 Brain Fact Friday on “Putting our Mental and Physical Health First”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-on-putting-our-mental-and-physical-health-first/ [xxv] One-quarter of Americans Intend to Improve Mental Health in 2022 December 20, 2021 https://www.healio.com/news/psychiatry/20211220/onequarter-of-americans-intend-to-improve-mental-health-in-2022 [xxvi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #161 with John Almarode, Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey on “How Learning Works” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/johnalmarodedouglas-fisherand-nancyfreyon-how-learning-works-translatingthescience-oflearningintostrategiesformaximum-learning-inyourclassroom/ [xxvii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #77 with University Professors Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey on “Developing and Delivering High Quality Distance Learning”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/university-professors-and-authors-doug-fisher-and-nancy-frey-on-developing-and-delivering-high-quality-distance-learning-for-students/ [xxviii] Our #1 Most Watched YouTube Interview with Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nLe3P50j4Q&list=PLb5Z3cA_mnKhiYc5glhacO9k9WTrSgjzW&index=56 [xxix] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #173 on The Neuroscience of Belief https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-on-the-neuroscience-of-belief/ [xxx]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #157 on Overcoming Digital Addictions with Neuroscience  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-overcoming-digital-addiction-using-neuroscience/ [xxxi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning EPISODE #108 with Kelly Roman on “Wearable Medical Devices for Anxiety, Depression and Sleep/Stress Management” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/ceo-of-fisher-wallace-laboratories-on-wearable-medical-devices-for-anxiety-depression-and-sleepstress-management/ [xxxii] Fisher Wallace Clinical Trial Evidence https://www.fisherwallace.com/pages/published-research [xxxiii] The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles 1903 https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Wallace-D-Wattles-Collection/dp/1519738692/ref=pd_lpo_3?pd_rd_i=1519738692&psc=1 [xxxiv] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast BONUS EPISODE with Dr. Carolyn Leaf on “Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/worldrenownedneuroscientistdr-caroline-leaf-oncleaningup-your-mentalmess5-simplescientifically-proven-stepsto-reduceanxiety-and-toxic-thinking/

Dr. Nancy Frey  knows that teacher clarity is one of the most important factors when teaching lessons to your students. It goes beyond just looking for a fun activity your students can complete. So what does it mean to have teacher clarity? Let's dive in. NANCY'S BOOK: https://amzn.to/3G95Esm BECOME A PATRON, FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL, AND MORE: https://create-abilities.com/afterthebell/  

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast for Brain Fact Friday and EPISODE #167 on “The Neuroscience of Learning” that was inspired with an upcoming interview with cognitive neuroscience researcher John Harmon, who will take us through how learning happens in the brain as well as understanding what happens when performing a task (like throwing a football) while under stress. In Today's Brain Fact Friday, You Will Learn: ✔︎ The two most important ingredients required for learning and how they relate to your brain. ✔︎ Why being a know-it-all will get you nowhere when it comes to teaching and learning. ✔︎ How to use self-reflection to become more self-aware of your own learning process. I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of our listeners, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind high performance strategies in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments with ideas that we can all use, understand and implement immediately. This week, while preparing for our upcoming interviews, I had the opportunity to stop and think before writing this week's Brain Fact Friday. Sometimes life is so busy, that we miss this opportunity to reflect on where we began, and where we are going, and just peddle forward without this reflection, missing some powerful moments of learning. Whatever it is that you are working on, take a minute to look back to where you started. It will help you to see how far you have come, and give you boost that I'm sure you could use at this moment. This will create momentum to help propel you forward, while increasing your own self-confidence with this self-reflection. This is actually a question in Brendon Burchard's High Performance Planner[i] that was written based on the world's largest study of high performers and how they increase productivity and win. When looking at where we started with this podcast, June 2019, I thought back to some of the earlier episodes and remember before I was 100% comfortable with this topic, I would spend a lot of time preparing for interviews, reading EVERY book the person had written and carefully crafting their questions. Looking back now, I know it was because I wanted to be prepared, but I also didn't want to appear like I didn't know what I was talking about. Listening to these old episodes is another story, and not easy to do because we can easily pick up many areas that needed to be improved, (content as well as technical) but we must all start somewhere, and progress happens when we do. We can all benefit from looking back to day 1 of whatever we are working on- what can you LEARN from this? Once you have looked at where you began, look at where you are now, so I fast-forwarded to episode #144 that was recorded this past summer with Tom Beakbane,[ii] on “How to Understand Everything” and episode #146 with expert in psychology, cognitive neuroscience and neurotechnology, Dr. Howard Rankin, Ph.D.[iii] on “How Not to Think” I started to realize that it was ok that I didn't understand everything and saying so was freeing. I stopped reading every single book written by the person to be interviewed and stuck to their most recent and relevant book. While being prepared is important to me, I still practice interview questions, but stopped overdoing it, and think that this new awareness made me more relaxed with this whole process.  Self-awareness goes a long way and anything we can learn to help us to improve is something we should take note of.  I wonder if anything stuck out for you when looking back at where you first began to where you are now? With this new awareness, I was finally comfortable enough to invite someone on the podcast whose work in this new field of neuroscience still puzzles me. It's not like I could even explain what he does with his work, without reading his BIO but John Harmon said it best himself while preparing for his interview, when he mentioned to me that “understanding a subject and explaining it are two different things.” This lit up a whole bunch of lights for me. I remember recently talking about this same concept with Chey and Pav[iv] on their podcast[v] this summer about teaching, learning and leadership when they were talking about how a math teacher can practice problems they know how to solve over and over again with students, and get caught up in forgetting how to “teach” a new concept because they are using rote memory.  This math teacher began trying to solve problems with the class that they had not yet practiced. This is effortful, with some risk involved, especially if we fail. We risk “not knowing the answer” or “looking less than intelligent in front of others.” So with these learning lessons in mind, for this week's Brain Fact Friday, I want to focus on how we learn. We did cover a whole episode #161[vi] with John Almarode, Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey on their new book How Learning Works[vii] that unpacks the science of how students learn and translates that knowledge into promising principles or practices that can be implemented in the classroom or utilized by students on their own learning journey that I do recommend this episode and their book. But for this Week's Brain Fact Friday—Did You Know That “Learning Changes the Brain?” and that “Moderate Stress is Beneficial for Learning?”[viii] So when I was reflecting back on the podcast, with what we have learned over the past couple of years, it was actually changing my brain. When I asked you to think about what you have learned since day 1 of whatever it is you are working on, it created a new neural pathway in your brain, and changed it as well. Learning Changes the Brain: From the point of view of neurobiology, learning involves changing the brain. We have mentioned on previous episodes that neuroplasticity, or how the brain “changes in response to a stimuli”[ix] happens when we are able to create an environment for learning that is free of distractions, allowing for breaks where we can have those Aha! Moments where we know and understand what we are learning and this actually produces new neurons which is called neurogenesis. Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, from episode #100[x] who covered “The Neuroscience of Social and Emotional Learning” reminds us that “Learning is a very active process—not one of investigating and retaining like a squirrel ingests nuts or a file drawer stores information.”  Immordino-Yang, a professor of education, psychology and neuroscience at the University of Southern California's Rossier School of Education explains that “life exposes a brain to a limitless ocean of information. Even if a person manages to memorize a portion of it—to squirrel it away—it does them little good unless they can access it at the right moment and apply it to real-world contexts. Which is what I did when I realized that saying I didn't understand everything really made an impact on how I'm preparing for future interviews, and whatever you uncovered should have an impact on what you do moving forward. That's learning in action. The task of learning is to transform some of that information into knowledge that can be used and acted upon”[xi]  and this is what creates new neural pathways in the brain, that causes the brain to change with each new experience or pathway built. Moderate Stress is Beneficial for Learning: We also must understand that moderate stress is beneficial for learning, while mild and extreme stress are detrimental to learning. When I first began presenting on the impacts of stress on learning and the brain, all too often we would talk about stress reduction techniques, since it's true that too much stress can cause brain shrinkage, but the right amount of stress can promote learning. Since we are all different, what could be considered to be moderate stress for one person, could be severe for another, so each person needs to find their own balance of stress that in turn motivates them. You can see the infographic in the show notes with 12 ways to combat stress that came from my presentation with educators on Stress, Learning and the Brain[xii] but this week's Brain Fact Friday made me think about how it's important to find the right level of challenge or stress to motivate each person towards improved performance. If we know that learning changes the brain, and that moderate stress is beneficial for learning, what else can we do to facilitate learning? Two Key Ingredients for Learning: While researching, I found two key ingredients for learning: motivation or a willingness to learn, and the importance of a cognitively stimulating environment. Motivation or Willingness to Learn[xiii] is the starting point to learning anything new. “One way to motivate the brain is to expose it to anything new and unfamiliar.” (Page 13, The Science of Learning, How We Learn). When I think about some of the articles I read on the topic of neuroscience that go over my head, there is something inside me that causes me to stop and figure out the meaning one step at a time. When you have a clear “why” behind what you are learning, it's easier to put in the time and effort needed. “The ability to learn new things, whether that's calculus, or hitting a fast ball, or studying neuroscience, requires stretching the brain past the point of what's familiar or comfortable.” (Page 12, The Science of Learning, The Ways We Learn).  I remember students always asking me “why do I need to know this? How does this apply to the real world” and while the real-world application is important, I think that understanding how we are learning is the key to future success. Once we know how we learn best as individuals, we can learn anything and the opportunities we can create for ourselves are limitless. Raising Our Next Generation in a Cognitively Stimulating Environment[xiv] is another key ingredient for learning where we ask our children/students challenging questions that make them think instead of just sitting them down in front of the television, video games or computers. “Children who grow up in cognitively stimulating and linguistically rich environments tend to be more sophisticated in their knowledge of the world and their ability to grasp things.”[xv] As a parent, this one always catches me off guard, as there are many times that my children make a mess of the house creating forts to play in, and I have to remember to let them create these stimulating environments (for them) and suspend my need order in the home. When I sit back, watch and ask questions about their forts, there is always a story behind them, that goes much deeper than what I could ever imagine. It's also those times when we don't have access to WIFI that this type of creativity flows. When we spend more time in nature, walking together, laughing, and playing, we learn so much about each other away from our usual school or work environments. It's just being aware of how to create these stimulating environments to be sure that we are always encouraging learning to take place. Immordino-Yang reminds us that “education is not about hammering facts, procedures, and information into a person's memory; it's about building mental skills and dispositions that will help people learn and succeed throughout life.”[xvi] While practicing math skills certainly has its place, so does walking through a forest and letting the imagination and creativity flow. Immordino-Yang's work with students in Montessori schools also revealed many differences versus traditional schools, specifically that “Montessori students were more effective at directing their own learning” and that “they seemed more comfortable with not knowing things--which are characteristics that seem to correlate with improved learning at any age.”[xvii] Which brings this week's brain fact Friday into a close.  It's ok to not know all of the answers but when presented with something new and unfamiliar, we now have 2 new strategies to increase our own motivation (as well as for our students/children) and hold our attention, stretch our brain past the point of what's familiar, to the unfamiliar—which is how learning takes place. It is not easy, it takes time and effort, but we all have the ability to use an understanding of our brain, to improve our ability to learn. See you next week! FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI:  YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi   Website https://www.achieveit360.com/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/  Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com   Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697   Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/    REFERENCES: [i] Brendon Burchard's High Performance Planner November 2, 2018 https://www.amazon.com/High-Performance-Planner-Yellow/dp/1401957331/ref=asc_df_1401957331/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312674808447&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12785229814380293351&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9030091&hvtargid=pla-570847548926&psc=1 [ii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #144 with Tom Beakbane on “How to Understand Everything” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/author-and-marketer-tom-beakbane-on-how-to-understand-everything-consilience-a-new-way-to-look-at-the-world/ [iii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #146 with Dr. Howard Rankin on “How Not to Think” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/expert-in-psychology-cognitive-neuroscience-and-neurotechnology-howard-rankin-phd-on-how-not-to-think/ [iv] https://www.cheyandpav.com/ [v] Chey and Pav Summer Series with Andrea Samadi https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-summer-series-with-andrea-samadi/id1479094332?i=1000530611931 [vi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #161 with John Almarode, Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey “How Learning Works” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/johnalmarodedouglas-fisherand-nancyfreyon-how-learning-works-translatingthescience-oflearningintostrategiesformaximum-learning-inyourclassroom/ [vii] How Learning Works: A Playbook by John Almarode, (James Madison University, Douglas Fisher (San Diego State University) and Nancy Frey (San Diego State University). https://us.corwin.com/en-us/nam/how-learning-works/book279410#description [viii] Neuroscience and How Students Learn article based on a talk by Daniela Kaufer Berkeley  https://gsi.berkeley.edu/gsi-guide-contents/learning-theory-research/neuroscience/ [ix] IBID [x] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #100 on “The Neuroscience of Social and Emotional Learning” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/professor-mary-helen-immordino-yang-on-the-neuroscience-of-social-and-emotional-learning/ [xi] Time Magazine Special Edition The Science of Learning Page 12 [xii] https://www.achieveit360.com/level-up-for-educators-neuroscience-meets-sel/ [xiii] Time Magazine Special Edition The Science of Learning Page 13 [xiv] Time Magazine Special Edition The Science of Learning Page 14 [xv] IBID [xvi] IBID [xvii] IBID

Vince Bustamante, an author and educator who currently works for Edmonton Catholic Schools, joins hosts Angelia and Kathleen for today's episode of 3Ps in a Pod. Bustamante wrote Great Teaching by Design: From Intention to Implementation in the Visible Learning Classroom with John Hattie, John Almarode, Douglas Fisher, and Nancy Frey.  Bustamante mentions that many resources provide great strategies to improve teaching and learning but that he wanted Great Teaching by Design to look at figuring out the best strategies. Rather than trial and error, Great Teaching by Design asks teachers to continually focus on their two non-negotiables, the students they have and the standards they need to address, and to systematically determine what interventions to use with what student when.  Learn more about Great Teaching by Design at corwin.com. Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #161 with 2 returning guests, Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey from EPISODE #77[i] from last August 2020 on “Developing and Delivering High Quality Distance Learning for Students” that became our most watched YouTube interview and we also have the co-author of their new book that we are diving into today, How Learning Works, John Almarode. Watch this video on YouTube. To Learn More About How Learning Works https://us.corwin.com/en-us/nam/how-learning-works/book279410#description To Learn More About Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey https://fisherandfrey.com/ To See Past Episodes of The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast https://www.achieveit360.com/episodes/   I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of our listeners, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind high performance strategies in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments so this podcast was created to share ideas that we can all use, understand and implement immediately. My vision is to bring the experts to you, share their books, resources, and ideas to help you to implement their proven strategies, whether you are a teacher working in the classroom or online, a student, or parent working in the corporate space. Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, John Almarode Background and Short Bio: Just to view our speakers for today, our returning guests Doug and Nancy are also both teacher leaders at Health Sciences High & Middle College[ii], an award-winning open-enrollment public school in the City Heights neighborhood of San Diego that they co-founded in 2007. For over 2 decades, they have dedicated their work to the knowledge and skills teachers and school leaders need to help students attain their goals. Their shared interests include instructional design, curriculum development, and professional learning. Doug and Nancy have co-authored numerous articles and books on literacy, and leadership that I've included links to in the show notes, including: This is Balanced Literacy,[iii] The Teacher Clarity Playbook, PLC+,[iv] All Learning is Social & Emotional,[v] The Teacher Credibility and Collective Efficacy Playbook,[vi] and most recently The Distance Learning Playbook[vii] with co-author John Hattie[viii]. Dr. John Almarode has worked with schools, classrooms, and teachers all over the world.  John began his career teaching mathematics and science in Augusta County to a wide range of students.  Since then, he has presented locally, nationally, and internationally on the application of the science of learning to the classroom, school, and home environments.  He has worked with hundreds of school districts and thousands of teachers.  In addition to his time in PreK – 12 schools and classrooms, he is an Associate Professor and Executive Director of Teaching and Learning in the College of Education at James Madison University.  When you view some of the teacher resources and videos on the Companion Website, you will meet John in the Intro and Purpose Behind this new Playbook. I'm excited to welcome back University Professors Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey, with John Almarode, to dive deeper into their new book, How Learning Works: A Playbook[ix] that unpacks the science of how students learn and translates that knowledge into promising principles or practices that can be implemented in the classroom or utilized by students on their own learning journey. Designed to help educators create learning experiences that better align with how learning works, each module in this playbook is grounded in research and features prompts, tools, practice exercises, and discussion strategies that help teachers to Describe what is meant by learning in the local context of your classroom, including identifying any barriers to learning. Adapt promising principles and practices to meet the specific needs of your students—particularly regarding motivation, attention, encoding, retrieval and practice, cognitive load and memory, productive struggle, and feedback. Translate research on learning into learning strategies that accelerate learning and build students' capacity to take ownership of their own learning—such as summarizing, spaced practice, interleaved practice, elaborate interrogation, and transfer strategies. Generate and gather evidence of impact by engaging students in reciprocal teaching and effective feedback on learning. Rich with resources that support the process of parlaying scientific findings into classroom practice, this playbook offers all the moves teachers need to design learning experiences that work for all students! Let's meet Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey and John Almarode and uncover the science behind How Learning Works. Welcome back Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey and welcome John Almarode to the podcast! It's so good to see you again after such a successful launch of your BESTSELLING Distance Learning Playbook[x] last year. How have you been and wonderful to meet you John!   Q1: I was excited to see your new book How Learning Works for so many reasons, but to start off with, something you say about your playbook is the reason why I tied Neuroscience, or an understanding to the brain to this podcast. You say that this playbook is about “how learning works—not by chance, but by design.” (Introduction) Can you explain what you had in mind when writing this book, that unpacks the science of how we learn so that educators can design a learning experience in their classroom based on the research and principles you have found to be effective? Q2: I love how the book has an interactive component where you can click through each of the 4 sections, watch videos for further exploration, and access the many resources, research articles and downloads available for each of the 4 parts of the book. Can you give an overview for the reader to be sure they don't miss anything that's important as they navigate through the online resources and what we should learn in each section? Q3: This book is full of the science and most current research behind learning and features so many valuable resources that point educators back to the research. Of course, I enjoy seeing well-known researchers who I have met along this podcast journey, one of them being Kent State's Dr. John Dunlosky, from EPISODE #37[xi] who covered with us “Improving Student Success with Principles from Cognitive Neuroscience” whose research I saw included in your resource section under resources related to learning.[xii]  I also saw a video series from Samford University on “Cognitive Principles of Effective Teaching” that we should all know as educators, and I can't miss my all-time favorite interview (besides you three of course) #42[xiii] with Dr. John Medina, whose research you've referenced from his Brain Rules series under your section of elaborate encoding in Part II under the Motivation Chapter. How did you choose the resources to back up the science behind How Learning Works and are there others that are important to you who I haven't mentioned? Q4: I think we have a good idea about what we can learn from How Learning Works: THE INTRODUCTION: covers the purpose of the playbook PART 1: covers what learning looks like in your classroom and different ways to think about learning. PART 2: Looks at barriers to learning with Promising Principles (Motivation, Attention, Elaborate Encoding, Retrieval and Practice, Cognitive Load, Productive Struggle and Feedback). Can you pick one of the promising principles (Motivation? Or one you want to talk about) and dive a bit deeper into mastering these principles? Q5:PART 3: I think this section is exactly what educators are looking for as it explicitly teaches skills to students to help them to self-regulate, and how to master these skills long after they have left the classroom (using explicit strategy instruction, goal setting, integrating prior knowledge, summarizing, mapping, self-testing, and elaborative interrogation). Can you pick one topic to expand on? Q6: For this final part of the Playbook, generating and gathering evidence, can you explain the goal so that this Playbook uncovers what worked well, what needs more work and what are the best next steps to follow? Q7: Final thoughts or anything we have missed that's important for us to all understand about How Learning Works? Doug, Nancy and John, thank you very much for coming on the podcast to share this new Playbook, that you can see I find immense value with. Thank you for your time speaking with me today, and for the work you have put into this resource to help educators to uncover How Learning Works, and create a plan for continued improvement in their schools, classrooms and Districts. To access the book  https://us.corwin.com/en-us/nam/how-learning-works/book279410#description There is also a 20% discount code POD20 that can be used for ALL books on Corwin.com To contact Nancy Frey or Doug Fisher https://www.fisherandfrey.com/ and they can find you both on twitter Nancy is https://twitter.com/NancyFrey and Douglas is https://twitter.com/DFISHERSDSU  To connect with John Almarode:  https://twitter.com/jtalmarode on Twitter and www.johnalmarode.com Thank you and have an incredible Friday! FREE WEBINAR To Learn More: John and Nancy are presenting a free webinar on Sept 13 at 3:30pm PT A Look at How Learning Works  FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI:  YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi   Website https://www.achieveit360.com/   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/  Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com   Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697   Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/    RESOURCES:   Companion resources for the How Learning Works Playbook https://resources.corwin.com/howlearningworks John Hattie's Visible Learning https://visible-learning.org/ REFERENCES: [i]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #77 with University Professors Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey on “Developing and Delivering High Quality Distance Learning”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/university-professors-and-authors-doug-fisher-and-nancy-frey-on-developing-and-delivering-high-quality-distance-learning-for-students/ [ii] https://www.facebook.com/hshmc.inc/ give [iii] https://us.corwin.com/en-us/nam/this-is-balanced-literacy-grades-k-6/book266872 [iv] https://us.corwin.com/en-us/nam/plc/book266974 [v] http://www.ascd.org/Publications/Books/Overview/All-Learning-Is-Social-and-Emotional.aspx [vi] https://us.corwin.com/en-us/nam/the-teacher-credibility-and-collective-efficacy-playbook-grades-k-12/book271561 [vii] https://us.corwin.com/en-us/nam/thedistancelearningplaybook [viii] John Hattie https://visible-learning.org/ [ix] How Learning Works: A Playbook by John Almarode, (James Madison University, Douglas Fisher (San Diego State University) and Nancy Frey (San Diego State University). https://us.corwin.com/en-us/nam/how-learning-works/book279410#description [x] Distance Learning Playbook by Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey https://us.corwin.com/en-us/nam/the-distance-learning-playbook-grades-k-12/book275865 [xi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #37 on “Improving Student Success with Principles from Cognitive Neuroscience”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/kent-states-dr-john-dunlosky-on-improving-student-success-some-principles-from-cognitive-science/ [xii] https://pcl.sitehost.iu.edu/rgoldsto/courses/dunloskyimprovinglearning.pdf  

Welcome back, to a BONUS Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning episode that I want to dedicate to YOU, the listener. It took this podcast a bit over 2 years to hit the 100k download milestone, and like any goal we have (whether a sales goal or something you want to do, it might seem so far off, you wonder how you'll ever get there). If you are reading these notes on iTunes, click here to see all images. In February of this year, when we hit the 50k mark, it wasn't hard to project the download numbers and guess when we would hit this milestone, but it still seemed like a moonshot goal, difficult to imagine, and August (when we projected, we would hit this goal) seemed so far away. Do you know what I mean? Do you have something you are working on where the gap from you are now and where you are going seems like an impossible goal? Even when you have the belief?  Even when the evidence is there? I could hear how the episodes were helping people around the world thanks to the messages you sent me, but a part of me had just an ounce of disbelief, and I thought “is this really happening?” wondering if the momentum would continue to build. But the numbers never lie. They kept going up, and each month, we would surpass our monthly goal target. This weekend, while away with the family in Long Beach, CA, I look out of the window and can see the Legendary Queen Mary Ship[i] in the port as I watch our statistics graph project upwards (see image in the show notes) as we break records with our monthly downloads since launching, and surpass the 100k download mark, with the next milestone on our list to hit 1 million downloads which seems much more difficult but yet not impossible as we break this down into smaller targets. The Queen Mary ship is a symbolic metaphor to look at this weekend as “This iconic ship is now a floating museum, and tourist attraction.”[ii]  Sadly, the hotel is currently closed but my husband had an opportunity to stay on the ship on one of his work trips, and he took me on a tour on FaceTime, where I asked him to show me all of the rooms that had mystery and intrigue surrounding them. If you are like me, and love a good ghost story, look up the history of The Queen Mary that was named one of the “Top 10 most haunted places on earth”[iii] and look up the story of Stateroom 340B. The scariest thing we noticed was that there was no room 340B. Where it should have been, it was boarded up and no longer accessible for the public, unless things have changed, but we might not ever know this, as we mentioned this spooky hotel is currently closed to the public due to COVID-19. The Queen Mary's Stateroom 340B was boarded up.  The Queen Mary Hotel Rooms, just no 340B Stateroom.  Andrea Samadi standing in front of the Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA.  This retired British ocean liner sailed on the North Atlantic Ocean from 1936 to 1967 from Southampton, a port city on England's south coast, just 2 hours from where I lived in England before my parents immigrated to Canada.  On the Queen Mary Ship's website, I saw a quote written by King George V that made me think about anything new that goes out into the world. When you're create something out of nothing, like The Queen Mary before it was named, was known only as “Hull #534”[iv] which was the yard number where it was being built. Whatever it is that you are creating, the hope is that it makes an impact within your local community, rippling that impact throughout your state, country, nation, and eventually throughout the world. Listen to this quote and think about whatever it is that you are creating and I hope it energizes you, like it did for me. "Today we come to the happy task of sending on her way the stateliest ship now in being. It has been the nation's will that she should be completed, and today we can send her forth no longer a number on the books, but a ship with a name in the world, alive with beauty, energy and strength! May her life among great waters spread friendship among the nations!"[v] – King George V on the Queen Mary launch The Queen Mary Heritage Foundation is now developing a museum and educational facility to preserve and enhance the ship's remarkable story” and is an incredible reminder for all of us building our own Queen Mary Vision. This weekend, as I was walking around Long Beach, where we were staying for our daughter's gymnastics training, I was speaking with Julianne, another gymnastics Mom, who shared with me that Winston Churchill was on board the Queen Mary, 3 times, and along with this new knowledge that I just love learning, I also thought about how the Queen Mary spread “friendships” across the nations, and as I walked with my new friend in Long Beach,  thought about how new ideas really do bring people together, and make the world a smaller place. Winston Churchill on the Queen Mary Reference: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/420453315192219227/  My vision for this podcast has always been to make some sort of lasting shift with education (with the implementation of simple neuroscience connected to social and emotional learning) and the history of The Queen Mary Ship reminds me that nothing happens overnight, without hard work and dedication. Looking out of the window at the ship was nothing compared to standing right next to it. I'll post the images in the show notes but had to include this metaphor to show you that whatever you are working on can have a global impact, and it just takes one person (like you) to begin and create something.  As long as the numbers continue to trend upwards on this podcast,  I'll keep putting in the effort behind each episode and really am grateful for the opportunity to host this show and share everything I'm learning in this new field of educational neuroscience with you.  So, this 100,000th download episode is dedicated to you, the listener. I want to thank you for tuning in and sharing with me how you are using this understanding of simple neuroscience in your schools, workplaces, and personal lives. It does help when you send me messages on social media or tag me when an episode is useful. Also, a sincere thank you to all the incredible guests who gave up their time to share their knowledge, ideas, and strategies with us, giving back in such a generous manner.  Sleep scientist Antonio Zadra from episode #104[vi] said it best as he mentioned “of course it's the listeners who decide such things” when we hit the 90k mark, and that's when I realized that the key to long-term success in anything is to “find a need and fill it” as Norman Vincent Peale quoted and I think of the entrepreneurs I've met over the years who have used this motto to guide them.  Here's The Top 4 Lessons Learned from Launching This Podcast to See if These Ideas Can Help You With Your Goals “Where There is No Vision, The People Will Perish”[vii] (Proverbs 29:18) Even if your vision is shaky in the beginning, keep going! When we launched the podcast in June 2019, with a need in mind, I wasn't sure if this idea would take off. With any goal, being able to see where you are going is important and following the tips of those who've already achieved what you want to do is important. On our 50k milestone episode[viii] I talk about Lewis Howes from the School of Greatness Podcast[ix] who said ‘I built up my podcast through consistently providing quality valuable content and constantly being open to my own growth without being attached to the end result.” So we use this model of providing quality valuable content, keeping an eye on the downloads, remembering to not be “attached to the end result” but to just keep moving forward and applying what we are learning. There Will Be Problems and Challenges  I remind myself with other great stories, not to forget that with any worthwhile goal, there will be challenges. Presidential historian Doug Wead[x] said it often. “When you get up and do something, there will be problems” and this comes with the territory of taking action with big goals. The history of the Queen Mary reinforced this idea as although the Queen Mary attracted elite passengers, it was the government that kept her afloat.  “With the onset of the worldwide Great Depression, construction on the Queen Mary came to an abrupt halt. Eager to spur on the sluggish economy, the British government agreed to give a loan that would allow construction on ship #534 to continue, but only if Cunard and White Star would merge. (Like Cunard, White Star—famous as the owner of the ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic—had fallen on hard times.) In 1934, the new Cunard-White Star Line was born, and construction on the ship immediately resumed.”[xi] Nothing worthwhile comes without problems. Anticipate problems and challenges. I remember my first interview for the podcast with Ron Hall[xii] from Valley Day school where for some reason we couldn't figure out why we couldn't hear each other. After trying every possible setting on his end, we found the problem on my end, and thank goodness we didn't give up on that interview. It was a powerful one connecting me to many other speakers in the future. Problems will be unexpected, and they will keep coming---I think to see how dedicated you are to your vision. Will you give up at the slightest challenge, or find a way forward? Be Consistent and Relevant to Your Listeners.  I've mentioned that as long as the interest in these episodes continues, I'll continue to research, learn new ideas in this field, and produce content, with the hopes that it can help you to sharpen your saw with the understanding of how our brain impacts our learning, results and productivity, with this understanding of neuroscience made simple. I watch the numbers for each episode and know what parts of the world are listening. Thank you for keeping me in the top 100 iTunes Charts in the US, Great Britain, Canada, Finland, Australia, Russia, Spain, Mexico, Ireland and many others where we come in and out of the charts.   Being Transparent with My Own Learning  This year, I noticed that as I'm diving deeper into this content, that the more I'm learning, the more I realize just how little I know. But with each interview, each strategy can be gleaned and applied for an improved life. I know that the topic of neuroscience could seem intimidating especially when most of us have not studied this at school, but I hope that by being open with places it overwhelmed me, helps you to be patient with your own learning. Rome wasn't built in a day, and some ideas and concepts might take a few listens to sink in. I still go back and listen to some episodes on topics I'm struggling with and learn something new, and I hope this transparency reassures you that we can all learn anything, I really believe that, if we take the time to learn and apply it. Life really is about pushing ourselves to grow and learn from the lessons we experience along the way. If you look in the show notes, I have a METACOGNITION graphic that I created (adapted Dr. Andrew Newberg and Mark Waldman's Spectrum of Human Consciousness Model) that shows how learning takes place in the brain, and we will dive deeper into How Learning Works[xiii] this week with Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey and John Almarode's new book but understanding how our brain adapts to learning something new, until we hit those Aha! Moments is important. When we learn something new, we go through different stages on the way to metacognition, where we are aware and in control of our knowledge. It begins with Instinctive Learning, where we study and learn with curiosity and desire. We experience positive emotions when we attain success. Next, we move to Habitual Learning, where we form study habits. It is very important we develop proper study habits or else we will only get by until the work becomes challenging. Intentional Learning is where we will spend most of our logic, reason, and attention when solving mental problems. The challenge here is that we are working with our short-term working memory, which contains limited information. It is easy to get distracted at this level of awareness. Worries, fears, and doubts also operate at this level and can interfere with decision-making strategies. We must learn strategies to move forward in spite of fear and focus on the positive side of situations, taking a proactive approach to learning, instead of giving up at the first signs of a challenge. Finally, we arrive at Creative Learning, where all of the magic happens for decision making and goal setting. This process is strenuous on the brain and requires frequent brain breaks to reset our neurochemistry. We must have strategies for practice, study, and learning and be able to find a way to relax their brain and body. During these resting states, remarkable activity takes place, allowing the brain to creatively solve problems. When creativity is integrated with logic and reason, research shows we can solve conflicts and improve academic success. Metacognition occurs when we are aware and in control of the knowledge we are learning. When we reach this level, we begin to have “Aha!” experiences, where we gain insight what we are learning. This is the true magic of the learning process and proves that with the right strategy in place, but eliminating all distractions, we can all learn anything. Thank you again and stay tuned for our new episodes this week. We have Chrissy Barth on High Performance Fuel for Athletes and as I mentioned, 2 returning guests, Nancy Frey and Douglas Fisher, with John Almarode on their new book How Learning Works, that explains the science behind how we learn. Next month we are looking forward to diving deeper with American psychologist and Chief of Stanford's Addiction and Medicine Clinic, Dr. Anna Lembke on her new book Dopamine Nation, and the following month, will finally get to speak with Dr. Bruce Perry on his new book with Oprah, What Happened to You that discusses conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing. Stay tuned and thank you for helping us to achieve this milestone!  FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI:  YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi   Website https://www.achieveit360.com/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/  Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com   Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697   Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/  RESOURCES: See past episodes here https://www.achieveit360.com/episodes/  11 Facts About the RMS Queen Mary by Kim O'Connell June 8, 2018  https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/544591/facts-about-rms-queen-mary REFERENCES: [i] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Queen_Mary [ii] https://www.queenmary.com/history/ [iii] https://www.queenmary.com/hotel/rooms/b340/ [iv] "Four-Leaf Clover Propeller to Drive Giant Liner 534". [v] https://www.queenmary.com/history/ [vi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #104 with Sleep Scientist Antonio Zadra on “When Brains Dream: Exploring the Science and Mystery of Sleep” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/sleep-scientist-antonio-zadra-on-when-brains-dream-exploring-the-science-and-mystery-of-sleep/ [vii] The Bible King James Version https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs%2029%3A18&version=KJV [viii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #109 “Achieving Quantum Leap Results Using Price Pritchett's You Squared Book” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/achieving-quantum-leap-results-using-price-pritchetts-you-squared-principles/ [ix] https://lewishowes.com/sogpodcast/ [x] www.dougwead.com [xi] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Queen_Mary [xii] https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/interview-with-ron-hall-valley-day-school-on-launching-your-neuroeducational-program/ [xiii] How Learning Works: A Playbook by John Almarode, (James Madison University, Douglas Fisher (San Diego State University) and Nancy Frey (San Diego State University). https://us.corwin.com/en-us/nam/how-learning-works/book279410#description  

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast for Brain Fact Friday and episode #157 on a topic that I think we should be aware of: Digital Addictions: Do You Know What's Happening to Your Brain When You are Using Certain Apps on Your Smartphone, or Using Your Smartphone at All? EXCITING UPDATE: Stay tuned (early September) for an exclusive interview with Dr. Anna Lembke, Professor and Medical Director of Addiction Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine who inspired this episode. I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of our listeners, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind high performance strategies in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments with ideas that we can all use, understand and implement immediately. This week's Brain Fact Friday kind of snuck its way into my schedule, as I wasn't planning on writing this topic and think there are many other podcasts that cover the subject of addiction[i] more thoroughly than I ever could, but it all started last Friday night when I was out at dinner with my husband and our two friends that we met on the hiking trails, Scott and Ruth. Scott, a business consultant who travels for his work, was home for a change, so we met up at a local restaurant and chatted about life, and what was on our minds that day. The conversation took a turn towards our phones, that we never have out at the table, and social media, and how addictive some of the apps are for the human brain. Scott mentioned he rarely uses social media, and I think I said something along the lines of “That's really smart” remembering the Netflix Documentary Social Dilemma[ii] that scared the living daylights out of me. I wrote this down (on my phone) while watching the movie that “Magicians were like the first neuroscientists” What do magicians and neuroscientists have in common? Both are concerned with how the brain works. In magic, people try to fool the brain and in neuroscience, they are trying to understand the brain and this documentary will show you how the creators of technology apps have designed their software to trick or fool the human brain, just like magic, into addiction. When we can use an understanding of neuroscience, or how our brains work in these situations, we can take a powerful stance towards being in control, instead of being controlled by these apps. I was blown away when I heard one of the app developers in this movie, say that he had to develop a code to break his addiction to Reddit. I don't use Reddit, but completely understood what he was saying. The next morning, we hit the hiking trails as usual, and we ran into Scott and Ruth along the way. Scott told me that he saw an article in the newspaper that might interest me about our conversation last night, and he had put it on the windshield of my car. “Sounds good” I said, forgetting what we were even talking about the night before, and then at the end of the hike, sure enough, he had pinned The Wall Street Journal on my windshield with an article called “Digital Addictions Are Drowning Us in Dopamine[iii]” by Dr. Anna Lembke (who also appeared in the Netflix Documentary Social Dilemma) with a headline that would catch anyone's attention these days “Rising rates of depression and anxiety in wealthy countries like the US may be the results of our brains getting hooked on the neurotransmitter associated with pleasure.” I read the article written by Dr. Lembke, a psychiatrist and professor at Stanford University and saw that this article was an essay from her forthcoming book (coming out next week-August 24th) called Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence[iv] that was about a young patient of hers who came to her with debilitating anxiety and depression and what was interesting is that instead of prescribing him antidepressants like she would have done 20 years ago, she uncovered that he was playing videogames every day, and prescribed him with a 30 day dopamine fast. She explains that the problems she is seeing in the world today is because of “too much dopamine in the brain, a neurotransmitter associated with the feelings of pleasure and reward” (Lembke) and that “when we do something that we enjoy—like playing video games,—the brain releases a little bit of dopamine, and we feel good. But one of the most important discoveries in the field of neuroscience in the past 75 years is that pleasure and pain are processed in the same parts of the brain and the that the brain tries to keep them in balance. Whenever it tips in one direction, it will try hard to restore the balance, which neuroscience calls homeostasis, by tipping in the other.” (Lembke) This is the part that caught my attention because I know we've all heard of the fact that dopamine is the pleasure neurotransmitter, and too much of it is not good for the brain, but for this week's Brain Fact Friday, did you know that “as soon as dopamine is released, the brain adapts to it by reducing or downregulating the number of dopamine receptors that are stimulated. This causes the brain to level out by tipping to the side of pain, which is why pleasure is followed by a feeling of hangover of comedown” Lembke explains. “If we can wait long enough, that feeling passes and neutrality is restored. But there's a natural tendency to counteract it by going back to the source of pleasure for another dose.” (Lembke) When it comes to addiction, I have always wondered, why on the earth would someone do something that they know is not good for them? I finally understood addiction, with brain science in mind. When you do something over and over again (whatever it is—video games, drugs, alcohol, or a certain behavior) dopamine is released until you keep the pattern going and “The brain's setpoint for pleasure changes” (Lembke) and you have to keep doing the thing that once brought you pleasure, just to feel normal.  The minute you stop whatever it is you are doing, you feel the withdrawal symptoms that make you crave for that addictive thing. Dr. Amen has a graphic that explains the “Cycle of Addiction[v]” to help us to recognize the process and feelings at each stage. IMAGE REFERENCE:The Cycle of Addiction Graphic by Dr. Daniel Amen https://mk0amenclinicsg0ovs5.kinstacdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/FBF-The-Cycle-of-Addiction-A.jpg Just try to take away someone's smartphone and watch what happens to them. “The smartphone is the equivalent of the hypodermic needle for a wired generation.” (Lembke) In some of the past episodes, I have spoken about ways to break bad habits you don't like by replacing the bad habit with a new, healthier habit, but this crosses a line that is much deeper than just wanting to replace a cup of coffee with some lemon water, like I suggest in EPISODE #35 (Jan. 2020) How to Use Your Brain to Break Bad Habits.[vi] Dr. Lembke explains that “it's hard to see cause and effect when we are chasing dopamine. It's only after we have taken a break from our drug of choice that we are able to see the true impact of our consumption on our daily lives.” Dr. Lembke suggests taking a break from whatever it is that you think is taking up too much of your mental real estate. Self-awareness is important here. I couldn't tell you what this might be in your life, but I surely can see it in my own. Dr. Lembke's 30 day detox idea “gives enough time to allow the brain to reset its dopamine balance” and she is seeing people feel better than they have in years with this reset. She even suggests that after the 30-day reset, that you can go back to whatever it was like you enjoyed (videogames being an example) if you are able to limit the time and be sure that it's not interfering with your day-to-day life. “Not everyone plays video games, but just about all of us have a digital drug of choice, and it probably involves using a smartphone-(Like we've mentioned before) the equivalent of the hypodermic needle for a wired generation.” (Lembke). To Review This Week's Brain Fact Friday Remember that whatever your digital drug of choice is, that the minute you use it, that  you will become “drowned in dopamine” like Lembke explained in her article, “causing the brain to level out by tipping towards the side of pain—which is followed by a feeling of hangover or comedown” and if we want to avoid this feeling, the most effective way is to reset the brain with a 30 day digital detox “to reset the brain's dopamine balance.” (Lembke). What makes this week's episode more interesting, is that after I had started writing this episode, I looked at some of the podcasts I follow at the start of the week, and I was just referred to Dr. Andrew Huberman's Podcast by Greg Wolcott, and his Monday's episode was surprisingly with Dr. Anna Lembke on “Understanding and Treating Addiction”[vii] that I highly recommend. This episode takes a deeper dive into addiction, how to beat it, resetting dopamine, and many other fascinating associated topics. If you have never taken a good look at areas of your life you could improve with this dopamine fast, I highly suggest trying it, as it builds mental strength, autonomy and like Dr. Lembke mentioned, her patients were never happier after this type of detox. Dr. Huberman says it really well on his podcast, “Be prepared, because the first 10 days will suck”[viii] and I couldn't have said it better myself, until you are able to reach the end of the detox and look back and learn some valuable lessons that you could never have seen while your brain was flooded with dopamine. To close out this week's Brain Fact Friday, I want to encourage anyone who wants to learn more on this topic to visit Dr. Andrew Huberman's podcast with Dr. Anna Lembke and to take a look at her book coming out next week, Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence. I'll end with two thought-provoking Quotes from the Social Dilemma Movie[ix] Think about this: ”If you're not paying for the product, then you're the product.” (thinking about the data collected from you while using an online product and how little attention we pay to the keystrokes we make on our computers). ”There are only two industries that call their customers ‘users': illegal drugs and software.” This one has new meaning to me after seeing the close correlation with drug and tech addictions. See you next week where we have more interviews than I was ready for, but let's see how many we will be able to release to help us to all sharpen the saw with our thinking, nutrition, and teaching, all with a deeper understanding of how our brain works. UPCOMING INTERVIEWS: Howard Rankin and Grant Renier on their new book Intuitive Rationality[x] where we will look into an Intuitive General Intelligence system that predicts near and future events, while taking into account the fundamentals of human behavior. Michael Rousell on his new book “The Power of Surprise: How Your Brain Secretly Changes Your Beliefs[xi]” with the powerful effects that surprise has on the human brain. Chrissy Barth, the Brainy Dietician on High Performance Fuel for Athletes. Returning guests (from our successful interview on High Quality Distance Learning[xii] Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey and John Almarode on their NEW book How Learning Works[xiii] that unpacks the science of how students learn and translates this knowledge into principles and practices for the classroom. See you next week! FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI:  YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi   Website https://www.achieveit360.com/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/  Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com   Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697   Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/  RESOURCES: Dopamine, Smartphones and You: A Battle for Your Time May 1, 2018 by Trevor Haynes https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2018/dopamine-smartphones-battle-time/?web=1&wdLOR=c8834920B-429F-774A-AAFC-C88B7456E3C5   Social Dilemma Netflix Documentary featuring Dr. Anna Lembke https://www.netflix.com/title/81254224   REFERENCES: [i] 15 Best Addiction Podcasts for 2021 https://www.choosingtherapy.com/addiction-podcasts/ [ii] Why The Social Dilemma is a Must Watch by Harleen Kalsi Sept. 15, 2020 https://www.lifestyleasia.com/ind/culture/entertainment/netflix-documentary-movie-the-social-dilemma-quotes-cast-direction/ [iii] Digital Addictions are Drowning Us in Dopamine by Dr. Anna Lembke. (Saturday August 14/Sunday August 15, 2021) https://www.wsj.com/articles/digital-addictions-are-drowning-us-in-dopamine-11628861572 [iv] Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence by Dr. Anna Lembke August 24, 2021 https://www.amazon.com/Dopamine-Nation-Finding-Balance-Indulgence-ebook/dp/B08KPKHVXQ [v] The Cycle of Addiction Graphic by Dr. Daniel Amen https://mk0amenclinicsg0ovs5.kinstacdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/FBF-The-Cycle-of-Addiction-A.jpg [vi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #35 “How to Use Your Brain to Break Bad Habits”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/how-to-use-your-brain-to-break-bad-habits-in-2020/ [vii] Dr. Andrew Huberman's Huberman Lab Podcast https://hubermanlab.com/dr-anna-lembke-understanding-and-treating-addiction/ [viii] IBID [ix] https://www.lifestyleasia.com/ind/culture/entertainment/netflix-documentary-movie-the-social-dilemma-quotes-cast-direction/ [x] Intuitive Rationality by Grant Renier and Howard Rankin PhD https://intualityai.com/the-book/ [xi] The Power of Surprise: How Your Brain Secretly Changes Your Beliefs by Michael Rousell  Sept. 15, 2021 https://www.amazon.com/Power-Surprise-Secretly-Changes-Beliefs/dp/153815241X [xii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #77 with University Professors Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey on “Developing and Delivering High Quality Distance Learning”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/university-professors-and-authors-doug-fisher-and-nancy-frey-on-developing-and-delivering-high-quality-distance-learning-for-students/ [xiii] How Learning Works: A Playbook by John Almarode, (James Madison University, Douglas Fisher (San Diego State University) and Nancy Frey (San Diego State University). https://us.corwin.com/en-us/nam/how-learning-works/book279410#description

How do you use success criteria in your classroom, and how could understanding success criteria advance your students' learning? That's what we're discussing in this episode of 3Ps in a Pod with Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey, two of the authors of The Success Criteria Playbook. 3Ps in a Pod hosts Angelia and Marlys welcome Fisher and Frey back to the podcast and talk about what has changed for them personally and professionally the past two years. Fisher and Frey then talk about what led to their writing The Success Criteria Playbook, one of Corwin's newest publications. Fisher and Frey discuss what shifts teachers can make to embrace success criteria in their classrooms and the more equitable practices that can come from using success criteria. They also share with Angelia and Marlys about the overall power of success criteria, especially when co-created with students. Reflect on how you use success criteria on your own or with a learning community using the reflection guide linked here. You can also advance how you use success criteria in your classroom by attending The Success Criteria Playbook Workshop with Doug Fisher on February 1. Register at azk12.org/SuccessCriteria22. Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.

In this episode, I interview Doug Fisher and Dominique Smith who, along with Nancy Frey and John Hattie, co-authored the book Leading the Rebound: 20+ Must-Dos to Restart Teaching and Learning. This was a great conversation about what school leaders and all educators need to be thinking about as they plan for a post-pandemic school year. Jenn David Lang has done a Main Idea summary of the book, and If you would like a copy, you can email her at Jenn@TheMainIdea.net.  Send your comments, questions, and show ideas to mike@schoolleadershipshow.com.  Consider rating the podcast in iTunes and leaving a comment.  And please pass the show along to your colleagues.  If you or someone you know would like to sponsor the show, send me an email at mike@schoolleadershipshow.com.

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, EPISODE #138 with Dr. Daniel Ansari[i], a professor and Canada Research Chair[ii] in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning in the Department of Psychology and the Brain in Mind Institute[iii] at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario where he heads the Numerical Cognition Laboratory.[iv] His name is well-known in the field of educational neuroscience with a focus on numeracy and math which I know our listeners will find fascinating as we make connections with how children acquire math and numeracy, with brain science in mind. You can watch the interview on YouTube here.  I'm Andrea Samadi, an educator who has been fascinated with understanding the science behind high performance strategies in schools, sports, and the workplace for the past 20 years. If you have been listening to our podcast, you will know that we've uncovered that if we want to improve our social and emotional skills, and experience success in our work and personal lives, it all begins with an understanding of our brain. Our goal with this podcast is to bring the most current neuroscience research to you and make it applicable in your life whether you are a teacher in the classroom or using these ideas to improve productivity and results in your workplace. As I am researching and learning new ideas, I'm also implementing them myself, and making connections to past speakers, so that we can all benefit from the research that is emerging in this new field of educational neuroscience. Which brings me to our next guest, who I came across a few months ago while researching neuroscientists who specialize in the field of education. Dr. Daniel Ansari's name came up as a speaker at the Dropping Out, What Neuroscience Can Teach Us[v] International Symposium on the long-held paradigms of dropout prevention with his session on “The Best Way for Children to Learn Math” and my attention was caught. When I worked at Pearson Education, (2004-2010) I was on a sales team that had a focus on one product, for dropout prevention at the high school level (NovaNET)[vi] and I spent years promoting this program with the hopes of saving students who were at risk of dropping out. This conference was happening just as I had begun to study the brain and learning in 2015, and I only wish I had found it sooner. I wrote down Dr. Ansari's name on my desk, with the idea that I would look him up, and see if he would come on the podcast as a guest. Then went back to work on researching in the field of educational neuroscience and the researcher I am working with, Mark Waldman, sent me an article that he thought would be of interest to me with a project I am working on. I opened the article called “Annual Research Review: Educational neuroscience: progress and prospects”[vii] by Michael S.C Thomas, Daniel Ansari, and Victoria C.P. Knowland and immediately contacted Daniel Ansari. I don't believe in accidents and when someone's name continues to come to my attention as someone I need to learn from, I don't waste any time. Without further ado, let's meet Professor and Canada Research Chair in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Dr. Daniel Ansari. Welcome Daniel! I was so happy when you wrote back after I contacted you after reading your research abstract on educational neuroscience, thank you so much for being here. Daniel, you let me know when I first contacted you that you were in lockdown in London, Ontario, Canada, that your son was doing his schooling in your office and as I am writing these questions, I saw that schools in Ontario (where I grew up, got my teaching degree, and was a teacher) have according to Professor Prachi Srivastava, a professor at Western University “the longest school closures in Canada. As of today (June 3rd), 23 weeks since March 2020).” What is going on with the schools in Ontario, and how do you think this is impacting student learning?   Q1: Dr. Ansari, when I first began to research this field of educational neuroscience, it was in 2014 when an educator urged me to go in this direction with the leadership/SEL program[viii] I created for middle and high schools, and there wasn't a lot of resources to follow. There were books to read on learning and the brain and I have interviewed many of these leaders on the podcast (David Sousa, How the Brain Learns Series[ix], John Medina's Brain Rules[x]) but I certainly had no idea there were undergraduate programs in this field. ((The term educational neuroscience came to me a few years later as I began to learn from Dr. Lori Desautels[xi], who runs the educational neuroscience graduate program at Butler University, but aside from her program, or taking a certification course like I am doing now from a leading researcher, I didn't know of any pathway that an educator could take to learn more about the brain and how it impacts learning.)) Can you share how you came on this path, that took you from your work in England, to Dartmouth College's first undergraduate program in neuroscience and perhaps your vision for where this field is going?[xii] Q2: I'd love to dive into the work you are doing at Western University's Numerical Cognition Lab where you are studying how children develop numerical skills. I'm sure that you hear this often, and it was the first thing that came across my mind when I began researching your work. Why did you put your focus on numeracy and math? What are the scientific and societal implications that you've uncovered to build a case for everyone to look mathematical skills with a new lens? Q3: Now that you've built the case for the importance of numeracy and math for our students/children, and many students have been homeschooled for the past year, so this is information is important for parents, not just for those teaching in the classroom. What are some of the foundational numerical skills that our children/students should be proficient with by 3rd grade (since 3rd grade is such an important marker for literacy) and how can we be sure to not put our fear of math (if we have it) onto our students or children? Q4: I watched the video on your website[xiii] that gives an overview of the work you are doing in your lab, and it caught my attention with the brain imaging you are doing to see how the brain's structure and function impact our mathematical abilities. The only research I have come across so far on the brain and mathematics is David Sousa's “How the Brain Learns Mathematics”[xiv] and in this book he says that with brain imaging they came across an interesting finding that he wasn't sure was coincidental. They found “that the region of the brain that controls finger movement is the same region associated with counting”[xv]  and he thought it was interesting that finger movement and counting are closely associated in the brain. Do you have any interesting findings like this (linking brain functions) that would be interesting and helpful for teachers learning to integrate brain science into their lessons, or parents homeschooling? What are you seeing with your brain scans? Q5: We just released a podcast on a fascinating story of a child who had a developmental reading disorder, who failed 1st grade in 1994, yet went on to graduate with his Ph.D. from Oxford in 2018 with brain-based learning strategies. Can you explain a brief overview of Developmental Dyscalculia, how we can recognize it with our children/students and some strategies we could all use to help those who show the signs of this brain-based disorder, so it doesn't dictate their future? Q6: What is your vision for the future of education, and how educational neuroscience can advance our understanding of best practices to accelerate learning, social/emotional and academic?   Thank you for your time, research and strategies linking neuroscience to the future of learning. If people want to learn more about your work, I will put your website in the show notes numericalcognition.org and social media links Twitter @NumCog. Is there anything else we should know about that I have missed or any final thoughts?   Thank you, Dr. Ansari. Dr. Daniel Ansari Website http://www.numericalcognition.org/ Twitter https://twitter.com/NumCog RESOURCES: Dartmouth College Educational Neuroscience Undergraduate Program https://pbs.dartmouth.edu/undergraduate/neuroscience Donna Coch Faculty of Education https://educ.dartmouth.edu/ Bridges over troubled waters: education and cognitive neuroscience by Daniel Ansari, Donna Coch March 10, 2006 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16530462/ Casel's SEL State Initiative https://casel.org/collaborative-state-initiative/ Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #77 with University Professors and Authors Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey on “Developing and Delivering High Quality Distance Learning for Students” Published on YouTube August 4, 2020 H https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nLe3P50j4Q The British Psychological Society https://www.bps.org.uk/ What is Number Sense? https://www.understood.org/en/learning-thinking-differences/child-learning-disabilities/math-issues/number-sense-what-you-need-to-know How number-spaced relationships are assessed by Katarzyna Patro, Hans-Christopher Nuerk, Ulrike Cress, and Maciej Haman May 14, 2014. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4030170/ David Sousa's “How the Brain Learns Mathematics” Sept. 19, 2007 https://www.amazon.com/Brain-Learns-Mathematics-David-Sousa/dp/1412953065 The Number Sense: How the Mind Creates Mathematics by Stanislas Dehaene April 29, 2011  https://www.amazon.com/Number-Sense-Creates-Mathematics-Revised/dp/0199753873/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=the+number+sense&qid=1623114414&s=books&sr=1-3 What explains the relationship between spatial and mathematical skills? A review of evidence from brain and behavior by Zachary Hawes and Daniel Ansari January 2020 https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/s13423-019-01694-7 Hand 2 Mind Math Tool Kits https://www.amazon.com/hand2mind-Manipulative-Toolkit-Grade-Hands/dp/B07S259K8N https://www.college-de-france.fr/site/en-stanislas-dehaene/presentation.htm The relationship between finger gnosis and mathematical ability by Marcie Penner-Wilger and Michael Anderson December 5, 2013 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3851991/ The role of fingers in number processing in young children by Anne LaFay, Catherine Thevenot, Caroline Castel, and Michael Fayol July 30, 2013  https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00488/full Assisting Students Struggling with Mathematics: Intervention in the Elementary Grades March 2021 Institute of Education Sciences with Lynn S. Fuchs https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Docs/PracticeGuide/WWC2021006-Math-PG.pdf https://www.understood.org/en/learning-thinking-differences/child-learning-disabilities/dyscalculia/what-is-dyscalculia REFERENCES:   [i] Daniel Ansari  https://www.edu.uwo.ca/faculty-profiles/daniel-ansari.html [ii] https://www.psychology.uwo.ca/about_us/achievements.html [iii] Brain in Mind Institute https://www.uwo.ca/bmi/ [iv] http://www.numericalcognition.org/ [v] Dropping Out, What Neuroscience Can Teach Us International Symposium, Quebec, Canada, 2015. https://www.edcan.ca/event/dropping-out-what-neuroscience-can-teach-us/ [vi] Pearson's NovaNET https://www.pearson.com/content/dam/one-dot-com/one-dot-com/ped-blogs/wp-content/pdfs/dc1-pearsondigitallearning-novanet-research-based.pdf [vii] Annual Research Review: Educational neuroscience: progress and prospects by Michael S.C. Thomas, Daniel Ansari and Victoria C.P. Knowland (April 2019)  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6487963/ [viii] Andrea Samadi's Level Up Program, Books and Tools for the Classroom https://www.achieveit360.com/courses/ [ix] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #78 with David Sousa on “How the Brain Learns” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/award-winning-author-david-a-sousa-on-how-the-brain-learns/ [x] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #42 with Dr. John Medina on “Implementing Brain Rules in our Schools and Workplaces of the Future” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/dr-john-medina-on-implementing-brain-rules-in-the-schools-and-workplaces-of-the-future/ [xi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #56 with Dr. Lori Desautels “Connections Over Compliance: Rewiring Our Perceptions of Discipline” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/educational-neuroscience-pioneer-dr-lori-desautels-on-her-new-book-about-connections-over-compliance-rewiring-our-perceptions-of-discipline/ [xii] https://pbs.dartmouth.edu/undergraduate/neuroscience [xiii] http://www.numericalcognition.org/ [xiv] How the Brain Learns Mathematics by David A Sousa Sept. 19, 2007 https://www.amazon.com/Brain-Learns-Mathematics-David-Sousa/dp/1412953065 [xv] How the Brain Learns Mathematics by David A Sousa Sept. 19, 2007 https://www.amazon.com/Brain-Learns-Mathematics-David-Sousa/dp/1412953065 Page 15

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, for Brain Fact Friday and episode #129. If you are listening on iTunes, click here to see the images. In this episode, you will learn how to lessen the impact that COVID-19 has had on our mental health, well-being and learning by understanding: ✔︎ What brain research can teach us about new ways to position learning for our students. ✔︎ Tips to re-build our student’s brains after the impact of the Global Pandemic. ✔︎ The importance of motivation, learning and the brain. ✔︎ Why neuroplasticity is the most important change in the understanding of our brain in the past 400 years. (Norman Doidge, MD). Welcome back, I'm Andrea Samadi, a former educator who has been fascinated with understanding the science behind high performance strategies in schools, sports, and the workplace for the past 20 years. If you have been listening to our podcast, you will know that we’ve uncovered that if we want to improve our social and emotional skills, and experience success in our work and personal lives, it all begins with an understanding of our brain. We also know that “mental health is brain health”[i] and that research demonstrates that “students who receive social, emotional and mental health support achieve better academically. School climate, classroom behavior, on-task learning, and students' sense of connectedness and well-being all improve as well”[ii]    As May is Mental Health Awareness Month, it’s clear that mental health disorders are a worldwide concern, magnified with the effects of the Global Pandemic. Here in the United States, 4 in 10 adults have reported symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder…up from 1 in 10 adults who reported these symptoms from January-June 2019”[iii] before the Pandemic, and we know that “young adults are already at risk for poor mental health”[iv] but these statistics, along with some comments from some of the educators I speak with often got me wondering “What will be the long-term impacts of COVID-19 on the mental health of our students in our classrooms, let alone the havoc it’s created in the workforce.” Since leaving the corporate world in 2012, I have been focused on creating content to help students and educators implement social and emotional skills, character education, practical neuroscience and leadership,[v] with a focus on well-being, but the recent changes in our world have got me thinking: What are the long-term impacts of COVID-19 on our students’ well-being? How has wearing a mask every day impacted their self-image, their self-esteem, and confidence levels? What will happen to those students who struggle (or are still struggling) with Distance Learning? What are some solutions to these questions that we can implement to bridge the gap that was created with this Global Pandemic? I don’t think I’ll be able to solve everything here in this episode but it’s a starting point. What are your thoughts? I’d love to hear from you with what issues you are facing in your schools and workplaces in different parts of the world, a year after the global pandemic. These questions bring us to this week’s brain fact Friday, and a reminder from our last episode where we reviewed Dr. Daniel Amen’s book, The End of Mental Illness, that we are not stuck with the brain we have. We can change our brain and change our results. Whatever impact the Global Pandemic has had on our student’s social, emotional and cognitive thinking in our schools, or on those in the workplace, I strongly believe that this impact will not last forever, especially with the application of brain science to guide us through this time. For this week’s Brain Fact Friday DID YOU KNOW THAT: “Nature has given us a brain that survives in a changing world by changing itself?” –Dr. Norman Doidge, a Canadian distinguished scientist, medical doctor, a psychiatrist on the faculty of the University of Toronto and Columbia University in New York, and the author of The Brain That Changes Itself[vi] (that has sold over 1 million copies) and The Brain’s Way of Healing[vii] said that. Dr. Norman Doidge is one of the researchers who put Neuroplasticity on the map (meaning that neurons, the building blocks of the brain) are changeable (plastic) which means that our brains “can change their structure and function through mental experience alone” and he believes this to be “the most important change in the understanding of our brain in 400 years.”[viii] How Can this Idea of Neuroplasticity Help Us in Today’s Classrooms? Norman Doidge’s book, The Brain That Changes Itself is full of case studies of people who have experienced chronic pain, Parkinson’s disease, TBI, autism, ADHD, and even Blindness, train new parts of their brain with focused thought and movement alone.  If our neural pathways can be re-wired and strengthened in these case studies in this book, as well as in The Brain’s Way of Healing, (his most recent book) how can we use this information in today’s classrooms to help with our student’s well-being? Understanding how our brain’s works is a crucial next step for accelerating learning in our post-pandemic classrooms, with a goal of lessening the learning loss that may have occurred in the past year. 3 TIPS TO ACCELERATE LEARNING IN TODAY’S CLASSROOMS: Think of New Ways to Position Learning: With the Brain in Mind Chapter 2 of The Brain That Changes Itself features a fascinating story about a woman named Barbara Arrowsmith who was born with learning challenges. Tests to her brain revealed that she had extremely strong areas with her audio and visual centers, but her spatial reasoning was weak.  Barbara was determined to find ways to improve her learning and found a study by Mark Rosenzweig[ix] using rats that helped her to understand the neuroplastic nature of her own brain. This study showed that rats in a stimulating environment had “an increase in neurotransmitters, a heavier brain, and more blood flow to the brain”[x]  Once Barbara saw that the rats could change their brain, she began a series of mental exercises to help her to strengthen the areas of her own brain that were weak and with time, she brought her deficiencies back up to a normal level. There’s more to the story, but I found it fascinating that Barbara Arrowsmith was able to overcome her learning challenges using mental exercises and strengthened the parts of her brain that were weak. She later opened the Arrowsmith School in Toronto[xi], where she used many of the techniques, she used on herself, with her students. With this case study in mind, can you think of ways could you use Barbara’s story to help students in your classroom? IMPLEMENTING THIS IDEA IN THE CLASSROOM: Whatever challenges your students have faced the past year, remember that our student’s brains are resilient and with practice, repetition, and a stimulating environment, they will continue to learn and make academic gains like Barbara did. I’ll learn more from Barbara and the school she has built, but it’s clear that many students would benefit from knowing what areas of their brain need more work to identify these weak links. This is exactly why looking at your brain is so powerful instead with instruction that just repeats the same thing over again, missing an opportunity to target learning and instruction. Strengthening Neural Pathways in the Brain: Priming the Brain to Learn We know that Mark Rosenzweig’s rat experiments inspired Barbara to improve her learning, but they also taught her that “animals raised in enriched environments—surrounded by other animals, objects to explore, toys to roll, ladders to climb, and running wheels—learn better than genetically identical animals that have been reared in impoverished environments.”[xii] Our learning environment matters our brains will grow in the right environment. Doidge mentioned in postmortem examinations, “it was shown that education increases the number of branches among neurons. An increased number of branches drives the neurons further apart, leading to an increase in the volume and thickness of the brain.”[xiii] Which brings us to the question, “Is a bigger brain better?” and a Stanford neuroscientist would say that “some studies claim the answer is yes” to this question.[xiv] IMPLEMENTING THIS IDEA IN THE CLASSROOM: This has been a challenging one this year, with many students still using distance learning[xv], and it’s not easy to have control over your students’ learning environments, when many students are doing the best that they can, with their individual circumstances. Take a look at what the dendrites in the brain look like without stimulation vs stimulation, and most teachers I know get excited about this concept. Our students brains have been impacted in the classroom, and when they leave, they will continue to grow and expand from the lesson that you have taught them. Their brains will expand, and yes, you helped to build a stronger, smarter brain. The Importance of Motivation: We did cover the importance of motivation in the workplace on episode #127 “How Our Emotions Impact Learning, Memory and the Brain”[xvi] with a reminder that the motivation network of the brain is driven by your instinct and curiosity which is one of Jaak Panksepp’s Core Emotions (Panksepp was an Estonian neuroscientist who mapped out 7 emotional circuits in the mammalian brain (the hindbrain) with play being one of them. Panksepp identified another emotion called SEEKING that keeps us moving forward, engaged in new and interesting activities and work throughout our lifetime. If you think your students have lost motivation for their work, it’s time to look or like Panksepp would say, SEEK something that their brain will find new, and interesting, that will bring them JOY. This will engage them at the brain level. Doidge found that “when animals were motivated to learn, the brain responds plastically” and stimulating the brain makes it grow in almost every conceivable way. IMPLEMENTING THIS IDEA IN THE CLASSROOM: Keeping the focus on the joy of learning in difficult times will allow our students’ brains to do what they do naturally—learn and grow. Making sure our students and children at home are motivated to learn is the first step in engaging them at the brain level. Reviewing our brain fact for the week “Nature has given us a brain that survives in a changing world by changing itself” makes me think of the possibility that exists within each of us. I know this past year has revealed many changes for all of us, all over the world, but the science clearly says that our brain has the ability to survive in an ever-changing world. Next week I will be speaking with a TBI survivor who has rebuilt her brain to create an incredible life, helping others to do the same. See you next week, and I hope this brain fact has given you some new ideas to look at our students, colleagues or families, and see the power behind neuroplasticity, and the ability for our brain to adapt and change on its own…which I would agree with Doidge to be the most important change in the understanding of our brain in 400 years. See you next week! Contact Andrea Samadi andrea@achieveit360.com or via Twitter https://twitter.com/andreasamadi or LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ REFERENCES: [i] The End of Mental Illness: How Neuroscience is Transforming Psychiatry and Helping Prevent or Reverse Mood and Anxiety Disorders, ADHD, Addictions, PTSD, Psychosis, Personality Disorders and More by Dr. Daniel Amen  March 3, 2020 https://www.amazon.com/End-Mental-Illness-Neuroscience-Transforming/dp/1496438159 [ii] School-Based Mental Health Services: Improving Student Learning and Well-Being  https://www.nasponline.org/ [iii] The implications of COVID-19 for Mental Health and Substance Use Published by Nirmita Panchal, Rabah Kamal, Cynthia Cox, and Rachel Garfield Feb. 10, 2021 https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/the-implications-of-covid-19-for-mental-health-and-substance-use/ [iv] IBID [v] Andrea Samadi’s Programs and Services https://www.achieveit360.com/ [vi] The Brain That Changes Itself by Dr. Norman Doidge Dec. 18, 2007 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2c5aTlq3nYI [vii] Dr. Norman Doidge The Brain’s Way of Healing Jan. 26, 2016 https://www.amazon.com/Brains-Way-Healing-Discoveries-Neuroplasticity/dp/014312837X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+brain%27s+way+of+healing&qid=1620322327&s=books&sr=1-1 [viii] Dr. Norman Doidge | The Power of Thought Published on YouTube Feb. 15, 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2c5aTlq3nYI [ix] Animal research on neuroplasticity (Rosenzweig and Bennett, 1961) https://www.themantic-education.com/ibpsych/2018/12/10/key-study-animal-research-on-neuroplasticity-rosenzweig-and-bennett-1961/ [x] The Brain That Changes Itself Part 1 Published on YouTube Jan. 5, 2012 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gI1BT7E58WU [xi] https://arrowsmithschool.org/toronto/ [xii] he Brain That Changes Itself by Dr. Norman Doidge Dec. 18, 2007 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2c5aTlq3nYI location 873 [xiii] The Brain That Changes Itself by Dr. Norman Doidge Dec. 18, 2007 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2c5aTlq3nYI location 888 [xiv] Ask a Neuroscientist: Does a bigger brain make you smarter? May 24, 2014 by Kendra Lechtenberg https://neuroscience.stanford.edu/news/ask-neuroscientist-does-bigger-brain-make-you-smarter [xv] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #77 with University Professors and Authors Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey on “Delivering High Quality Distance Learning” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/university-professors-and-authors-doug-fisher-and-nancy-frey-on-developing-and-delivering-high-quality-distance-learning-for-students/ [xvi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #127 “How Our Emotions Impact Learning, Memory and the Brain” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-how-emotions-impact-learning-memory-and-the-brain/

In this episode of The Battle Born Digital Learning Podcast, hosts Maggie Cox and Kyle Anderson have a conversation with Heidi Carr about her book study that she is conducting with the Nevada Digital Learning Collaborative on The Distance Learning Playbook by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey & John Hattie, the importance of self care and relationship building, and the possibility of future book studies. These resources and more can be found at www.nvdigitallearning.org. Check out the shownotes for this episode at https://bit.ly/BBDLepisode019. The Nevada Department of Education is providing this podcast as a public service and it is provided for informational purposes only. It is not a statement of official state policy nor should it be construed as legal advice on any subject matter, it is neither a legal interpretation nor a statement of state policy. Reference to any specific product, process, service or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by the Nevada Department of Education. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Views and opinions expressed by employees of the Nevada Department of Education or Nevada educators are those of the individual and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Nevada Department of Education or the view of the State of Nevada.

COVID-19 was the disruption none of us wanted or expected - but it happened. Now school leaders have a choice: Will you contribute to the negative narratives surrounding it, or rebound better than before? In this informative and practical episode, Peter talks with Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey about shifting the narrative from "learning loss" to "learning leaps." There are several ways to accelerate learning as we rebound: teacher clarity collective student efficacy reciprocal teaching paying attention to feedback from kids and so much moreIt's time to celebrate all that we've learned and how far we've come as a community.

With this week's episode we jump into module three of the very popular book, The Distance Learning Playbook, Grades K-12: Teaching for Engagement and Impact in Any Setting by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, John Hattie. With the SPS Digital Learning Hour podcast, we are talking our learning out loud. If you do not own this book, get it now and join us on the journey of discovery. You will also hear my thoughts and takeaways from each module. This week's module was all about the relationships between Teachers and Students. We discuss each of the sections in this part of the book including Learning Intentions, Characteristics of Teacher–Student Relationships, Judgment and Will, Not Just Knowledge and Ability, Peer-to-Peer Relationships Are Influenced, Too, A “Chilly” Classroom, A View From the Early Years, Reaching the Hard to Teach, and Increase Your Touchpoints With All Students. Check out all my thoughts and admitted faults I felt I had in reflecting on my time teaching. Do we have some of the same takeaway? Is there something else that you got out of the chapter? Follow us on this journey. Leave your thoughts in the comments below or the future blog post. Links: https://resources.corwin.com/distancelearningplaybook/student-resources/reproducible-forms Show Credits: Tell Me (instrumental) by RYYZN https://soundcloud.com/ryyzn Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/tell-me-instrumental Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/IsDZxG0bExY

With this week's episode we jump into module two of the very popular book, The Distance Learning Playbook, Grades K-12: Teaching for Engagement and Impact in Any Setting by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, John Hattie. With the SPS Digital Learning Hour podcast, we are talking our learning out loud. If you do not own this book, get it now and join us on the journey of discovery. You will also hear my thoughts and takeaways from each module. This week's module was all about the start of the new school year. We discuss Routines, Norms, Procedures, Classroom Set-Up (Digitally of Course) and more on this episode. Join us on this journey of learning.Do we have some of the same takeaway? Is there something else that you got out of the chapter? Follow us on this journey. Leave your thoughts in the comments or the future blog post.Links:https://resources.corwin.com/distancelearningplaybook/student-resources/reproducible-formshttps://winstonchurchill.org/resources/speeches/1941-1945-war-leader/give-us-the-tools/Show Credits:Tell Me (instrumental) by RYYZN https://soundcloud.com/ryyznCreative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/tell-me-instrumentalMusic promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/IsDZxG0bExY

Part 2 of 2. Jenn David-Lang of The Main Idea and I talk about her summary of The Distance Learning Playbook, Grades K-12: Teaching for Engagement and Impact in Any Setting by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and John Hattie. If you would like a copy of this summary, you can email Jenn at J.David-Lang@TheMainIdea.net. Send your comments, questions, and show ideas to mike@schoolleadershipshow.com.  Consider rating the podcast in iTunes and leaving a comment.  And please pass the show along to your colleagues.  If you or someone you know would like to sponsor the show, send me an email at mike@schoolleadershipshow.com.

A few weeks ago I attended an online conference about visible learning and other teaching strategies.   I particularly enjoyed a presentation by American based Educator Douglas Fisher. Along with Nancy Frey, Douglas has done research about many aspects of teaching, but what caught my attention was this idea of Collective teacher efficacy & credibility among colleagues & students. On this scale,  there are 4 types of teachers There's the teacher we'll call the ‘amplifier', who has high levels of teacher efficacy, and very high credibility with students. This is the teacher that we all should strive to be. We'll dig deep into that one last. So that's the ‘amplifier'. At the other end of the spectrum we have a teacher with low collective teacher efficacy  and low credibility with students and. I've nicknamed this teacher the ‘burning out' teacher.    In the middle there's the ‘talker'. Now the ‘talker' has very high levels of collective teacher efficacy, but actually has quite a low level of credibility with students.  Then there's the independent contractor. This teacher is fantastic in the classroom, has very high levels of credibility with students. Buuuuut, they don't really engage with their colleagues, have a negative view of the school, and keep their resources to themselves.   The amplifier is the teacher that we should all aspire to be.  This teacher has a high level of collective teacher efficacy and very high credibility with students. This teacher is Perceived as competent, trustworthy, dynamic, caring and accessible by colleagues & students. They are Professionally generous with colleagues & Seek to learn from them.  The amplifier also teacher Has an optimistic view of students, colleagues & the school.   So you wouldn't find the amplifier complaining about management, or whinging about this student and that students in the staff room. They would radiate positivity with all the encounter in the school. And deal with grievances or concerns in a professional way.   And the part from Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey's work that I love the most, is how they note that when it comes to a teacher who is an amplifier, Students & colleagues reach their potential because of this person.   Students & colleagues reach their potential because of this person.  So the question for all of us is: Are my students, and my colleagues, reaching their potential because of my presence in our learning community.  Am I bringing out the best in my students?  And am I actively working to contribute positively to the work of my colleagues, and am I allowing them to reach their full potential.  More videos about this topic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSINhoh5b4c This episode of The Teacher's Guide Podcast is perfect for beginner teachers, aspiring teachers, prac teachers, uni students, experienced teachers, primary teachers, high school teachers and more!Today's sponsor: WillProUse the code teacherpodcast for a 15% off discount! https://willpro.com.au/https://theteachersguide.com.au/https://www.facebook.com/theteachersguidepodcast https://www.instagram.com/theteachersguidepodcast/ 

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning podcast, episode #101, where we will review highlights from the past 100 episodes, that began in June 2019, with a behind the scenes lens, where we will take a look at the results created from this podcast, with the goal to inspire listeners to not just implement the ideas offered in each episode, but to think about what Horacio Sanchez from EPISODE #74 reminded me this week, of “the impact possible when you have an idea, nurture it, and watch it grow.” (Horacio Sanchez, EPISODE #74[i]).My name is Andrea Samadi, and if you haven’t met me yet, I’m a former educator who created this podcast to bring the most current neuroscience research, along with high performing experts who have risen to the top of their field, with specific strategies or ideas that you can implement immediately, whether you are an educator, or working in the corporate space, to take your results to the next level. Before we get to the episode, and the highlights learned from our guests, I want to share some of the unexpected results that have come as a byproduct of this podcast to perhaps light a spark under anyone who might be thinking of new ways to create brand awareness, or market their business in 2021. If you have been thinking of ways that you can extend your voice, message and reach, I highly recommend this mode of delivery. I also want to thank everyone who has supported us with this mission, come on as a guest, or downloaded an episode. We wouldn’t exist without the guests who offer their time, expertise, and strategies designed to help our listeners (in over 132 countries) who tune in on a regular basis and take the ideas offered to make an impact locally in their schools, communities, businesses and workplaces. I appreciate the feedback and messages received via social media and email and look forward to the next 100 episodes. As long as there is still growth, I will continue to produce new episodes.So Here are 3 Lessons Learned Looking Back at the 100 Episodes.LESSON 1: WHEN THERE’S A NEED, CAN YOU PUT A SPIN ON IT?I saw a serious need in the area of social and emotional learning that was being implemented in schools around the country and the world, and many educators didn’t know the best way to begin their implementation.  I thought it would be a good place to gather “best practices” from experts around the world to offer their ideas that we could all learn from and apply to our own lives.But I knew I needed a bigger idea than just a podcast about social emotional learning in our schools, or emotional intelligence training in our workplaces. Too many people were already doing this. But not that many people were teaching the basics of practical neuroscience as it relates to this topic. The idea to combine neuroscience and social/emotional learning came with the thought that “success in life, and in college and career specifically, relies on student’s cognitive, (the core skills your brain uses to think, read, remember, and pay attention) social and interpersonal skills, (including the ability to navigate through social situations, resolve conflicts, show respect towards others, self-advocate and learn how to work on a team with others) and emotional development (including the ability to recognize and manage one’s emotions, demonstrate empathy for others and cope with stress).” In the corporate world, these skills aren’t new, but they are “newly important” and of high urgency to develop in our future generations. I’ve mentioned this quote before but think it’s important enough to repeat. A recent survey showed that 58 percent of employers say college graduates aren’t adequately prepared for today’s workforce, and those employers noted a particular gap in social and emotional skills. This is where our goal with this podcast began—to close this gap by exploring six social and emotional learning competencies as a springboard for discussion and tie in how an understanding of our brain can facilitate these strategies. AHA! MOMENT with LESSON 1That’s really how I took the need, put a spin on it, and came up with the title Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning in 2016 (3 years before launching the podcast) when I first began presenting on this topic. This title drew the session on the introduction to practical neuroscience to fill up with standing room only, at the YRDSB Quest Conference, in Toronto, Canada. This was my first presentation on the topic, and I knew at that moment that there was a serious interest in this topic.Back then, I was working one on one with one of the leading neuroscience researchers in the country, Mark Robert Waldman, and he had just finished writing his book Neurowisdom: The New Brain Science of Money, Happiness and Success[ii], When he shared his research with me, I saw how practical neuroscience could help people to gain a deeper understanding of how to create change from the brain level and impact their social and emotional thinking and began to write the outline for the vision I saw. I also found Dr. Lori Desautels this year, who is now a good friend and supporter of our work.This was how we took a need and put a spin on it. The rest is history.LESSON 2: THINK IMPACT vs INCOME: GIVER’S GAINAfter the first few months of releasing episodes, I heard from so many people who wanted to know “how did you launch this idea,” and asked about some best practices as they began thinking of ways to replicate the results that inevitably come when you put in consistent daily effort that turns into weekly and then monthly effort until it’s no longer effort, but what you do every day, habitually. If you want to know if launching a podcast would work for you, message me and I can send you some ideas on how to get started, but my first tip would be that you should pick a topic that you love, something that you won’t mind putting in the time and effort to learn more about, as this is what you will be immersed in on a daily basis.I heard a few times “How do you make money with a podcast?” and that’s a great question and why I wanted the second lesson to focus on the impact you will have, not the income. When you have enough listeners, you can earn money from sponsorships and ads, but the key is to use the podcast as a tool to drive people to your programs and services. Doors will start to open for you in ways that you never imagined. I heard Max Lugavere (an American television personality and health and wellness writer) talking about these incredible types of results at about the 2-year mark of his podcast on Dhru Purohit’s Broken Brain Podcast[iii]. The income will come once you put your focus on service and helping others to achieve their goals.This is exactly the same concept as writing a book. Most people who dream of writing a book, think that it will take off like the Harry Potter Series, and they will be set, riding off into the sunset as a millionaire. The truth is that most authors never sell more than a few hundred copies of their books, and for it to become a best seller, it should reach 10,000 copies sold in a week. This is easier to do when selling larger volumes (like to schools or organizations that want your book) but not easy at all to do when selling books one at a time, relying on Amazon as your distribution service. Authors know that books, like a podcast, are just a tool to get your message out there. Since I have released content both ways, I can say from experience that putting your best content out into the world, for FREE, with the idea of helping people, will yield better results than thinking of selling your ideas before anyone even knows who you are.AHA! MOMENT with LESSON 2This podcast was actually originally going to be an educational course, written for a publisher, but a turn of events had me decide to release this content in the form of a podcast for FREE, to be used by anyone who needed these resources. What was interesting is that when I put a focus on the IMPACT I wanted to create, rather than the INCOME it would give me back in return, something magical happened. Max Lugavere mentioned it happened for him at the 2-year mark, and I would have to say it happened for me around the 100th episode mark after just a year and seven months. The opportunities came disguised as consistent, daily, effort and work.LESSON 3: MASTER PROLIFIC QUALITY OUTPUT (PQO).I heard this statement for years, until this experience made me finally understand it. Brendon Burchard, the author of the book High Performance Habits talks about how “High performers have mastered the art of prolific quality output (PQO). They produce more high-quality output than their peers over the long term, and that is how they become more effective, better known, more remembered. They aim their attention and consistent efforts toward PQO and minimize any distractions (including opportunities) that would steal them away from their craft” (Burchard, 2017[iv]).  Over the years, I never really understood what PQO meant. I listened to Brendon explain it a few times, and he would give the example of “Beyonce, who puts out hit after hit, or Ralph Lauren who creates luxury and designer product after product, or even Seth Godin who creates blog post after blog post.” There’s also the WakeUpIt’sDayOne Blog who explains PQO as it relates to athletes as “the type of things you typically don’t see an immediate reward with or have to repeat on a daily basis. Think about Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Lebron James, Tom Brady – the greatest athletes of all time. When you research them and understand how they became who they are today, all you ever read is that they focused on the fundamental things that improved their overall physical and mental skills[v]” their PQO—and I would add consistently, on a daily basis.AHA! MOMENT with LESSON 3Then I thought, what is my PQO? What is my output? What am I creating day in and day out? I’ve always been creating content, but it hit me after I had been producing episodes consistently for a year, that my PQO was the podcast episodes. I had created a certain standard with each episode that included the fact that each one had to be my best effort. If I wasn’t ready to interview someone, or had not researched enough, I would not produce the episode until it hit that standard.I also saw the importance of creating a video interview where I could edit in images and text to explain what the person I was interviewing was talking about. Many times, the concepts discussed are difficult to understand with words alone, so this became another standard. The final standard was that each interview had to be produced and released either that same day, or no longer than 2 days after. Waiting too long in production destroys the momentum created by the interview, so this meant many times that editing went into the night and researching early morning and weekends. Many content producers outsource their video or audio editing and production, but to date, each of the episodes have been produced and edited by yours truly. We will see what happens with this over the next 100 episodes.If you want to make an impact that goes beyond what your mind can imagine, a global impact, you need to have mastered Prolific Quality Output. Do YOU know what YOUR PQO is?Now that we have looked at some of the results created from this podcast, that really were unexpected, this episode will take a closer look at some lessons learned from the speakers along the way, as they relate to the 6 social and emotional competencies and how we tied in a connection to practical neuroscience for improved productivity and results.After each interview, I brainstormed the most important points learned with my husband, since he is also in the field of education. He always asks “what did you learn from this speaker” and there’s always 2-5 AHA points that definitely surprised me. I love making connections between the speakers and mapping out what each one says to other episodes. We really are connected, and what one person says, connects to what someone else will say in a later episode.  I’m always looking for ways to take knowledge and make it applicable for anyone who is willing to apply it and use it.Just a note: Even though I had a written outline for the podcast, it did take a turn towards health and wellness close to the end of 2020, which I think was important and necessary. I will pull out examples used from our speakers in the following areas:EXPERTS WHO:Demonstrate Practical Neuroscience to Improve ResultsDemonstrate the Social and Emotional Learning Competencies (Mindset, Self-Regulation, Self-Awareness, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, and Decision-Making).Explain SEL in the EDUCATIONAL SETTINGAre Involved with PHYSICAL HEALTH, WELLNESS AND NUTRITIONLESSONS LEARNED FROM PRACTICAL NEUROSCIENCETHE POWER IN LEARNING ABOUT HOW OUR AMAZING BRAINS WORK: This area is where I spent the most time on the podcast, making sure we had a variety of experts, many who are well known with their books and research, to make a case for the importance of learning the basics of neuroscience to improve our productivity and results.Whether it was tips from 15-year-old Chloe Amen on how you can “Change Your Brain and Change Your Grades,” neuroscientist Friederike Fabritius on ways to “Achieve Peak Performance,” Dr. John Medina on his “Brain Rules” or Dr. Lori Desautels on the power of implementing neuroscience in today’s schools, the one person who tied everything together was Dr. Mary Helen Immordino-Yang with her research that shows “The Brain Basis for Integrated Social, Emotional, and Academic Development.” Her work shows how emotions and social relationships drive learning, bringing the entire podcast full circle as Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning. I saw the importance of these 2 topics, and Mary Helen can prove why they are so important, with her work at the University of SCA in her Center for Affective Neuroscience, Development, Learning and Education (CANDLE LAB).  We will continue to bring more lessons that tie practical neuroscience to social, emotional and academic development in our future episodes as this really is the future of education. What was interesting to note in this area was that EPISODE #68: Neuroscience of Personal Change with Stephen R Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” was the #1 most downloaded EPISODE with over 1100 downloads, showing me that people want to make this connection linking neuroscience to success and of the POWER IN LEARNING ABOUT HOW OUR AMAZING BRAINS WORK.LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE 6 SEL COMPETENCIES SEL COMPETENCY: MINDSET“A great attitude does more than turn on the lights in our worlds, it seems to magically connect us to all sorts of serendipitous opportunities that were somehow absent before the change.” Earl Nightingale, author of Think and Grow Rich Frank Shankwitz, from EPISODE #40 has modeled what happens when you keep a good mental mindset, for the course of his life. So much so, that they made a movie about his life, called Wish Man, that is based on Frank’s life story (he was a motorcycle cop in Arizona who was haunted by the traumatic separation from his father when he was a boy. After surviving a near-fatal accident, he finds hope with a terminally ill boy, who reunites him with his father. To honor this boy, Frank creates the Make a Wish Foundation, and continues to live a life of honor every day. Nothing can tear this man down. Follow him on social media and you will see for yourself of the importance of a “great mental attitude.” SEL COMPETENCY: SELF-REGULATION with PERSISTENCE and PERSEVERANCE“Success has to do with deliberate practice. Practice must be focused, determined, and in the environment where there’s feedback.” Malcolm GladwellDr. John Dunlosky from EPISODE #37 started this topic off with his years of research that showed that “deliberate practice” was one of the most effective learning strategies, vs cramming for a test. We’ve all heard this and know that knowledge will be retained and recalled more efficiently when it’s learned over a period of time.  Todd Woodcroft, the former assistant coach to the Winnipeg Jets, current Head Coach to the University of Vermont Catamounts[vi], from EPISODE #38 puts John Dunlosky’s theory into practice as he explained that the “daily grind in the NHL” begins with “hard work” being a baseline of what is expected of each player, and that to rise above this baseline, players must embrace certain daily habits, without complaining of the work, knowing that “things don’t get easier as you get better, they get harder” with the repetition of these important skills.Dalip Shekhawat further reinforced Dunlosky’s research with his interview detailing the preparation involved in climbing Mount Everest, and neuroscientist Stephanie Faye from EPISODE #39 shares why this spaced repetition is so important at the brain level when she explains how the neural pathways are formed with this daily, consistent practicing of skill. SEL COMPETENCY: SELF-AWARENESS with MENTAL HEALTH and WELL-BEING“When I discover who I am, I’ll be free.” Ralph EllisonMoving into the 3rd SEL competency, self-awareness, this was the area that received the most downloads. The second most downloaded episode was my interview with my mentor, Bob Proctor, that shares where this idea began over 20 years ago. The third most downloaded episode was my solo lesson with a deep dive into everything I learned working directly with Bob, in the seminar industry for 6 years.Many of the speakers interviewed in this area came from the connections made from these speakers that I met in the late 1990s. It was here that I first saw the power of these social and emotional learning skills with 12 young teens, who would inspire me to keep moving forward with this work.This section is full of speakers, leaders, entrepreneurs of all ages who have a vision, like I do, for change with our educational system.EPISODE #66 Bob Proctor #2 MOST DOWNLOADED EPISODE on “Social and Emotional Learning: Where it all Started for Andrea Samadi”EPISODE #67 “Expanding Your Awareness with a Deep Dive into the Most Important Concepts Learned from Bob Proctor Seminars” (Solo Lesson by Andrea Samadi)EPISODE #68 The Neuroscience of Personal Change with Stephen R. Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People” (Solo Lesson with Andrea Samadi)#1 MOST DOWNLOADED EPISODE with over 1100 downloads SOCIAL AWARENESS/RELATIONSHIPS/DECISION-MAKINGThese 3 SEL competencies are important with solo lessons for each topic. Greg Wolcott, the author of the book www.significant72.com was dominant in this area. I will mention an aha moment with his work in the next section.LESSONS LEARNED FROM EXPERTS IN SEL/EDUCATION TAKE ACTION, EVEN WHEN YOU AREN’T READY. My first guest speaker was my husband, Majid Samadi, who always is there to offer ideas, suggestions and support with all of my projects, so of course when I needed to interview someone to launch this idea, I asked him to be my first guest. If you go back to EPISODE #1 that covers “The Why Behind Launching an SEL or Emotional Intelligence Program in Your School or Workplace” you will hear me interview him on his thoughts, from the point of view of someone who spends most of his time, working in schools across the country, as the Regional Vice President of Sales for an Educational Publishing Company. This interview happened 5 minutes after he walked in the door after getting off a flight, I think from LA, and he put his suit jacket on my desk, and I handed him a sheet of questions and said “Answer these and talk into the mic.” I’m sure he had been working since early that morning, and it was well into the evening when we recorded this, but he did it, without rehearsing his answers, or spending time preparing. We launched the podcast when we weren’t 100% ready because if we didn’t, I’m sure I would still be spending my days planning. Take action, even when you aren’t ready.PAY ATTENTION TO EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE: SMALL DETAILS CAN LEAD TO BIG DISCOVERIES AND RELATIONSHIPS THAT LAST My second interview was with educator, Ron Hall, from Valley Day School (who I found from an article I saw through Linkedin, and reached out to him hoping he would say yes to being a guest on the show). He agreed, and we have remained in contact ever since. Something funny to mention is that I had just started using Zoom for these interviews, a year before everyone would be using Zoom, and I hadn’t mastered the audio yet. There was a setting on my end that I needed to fix, and finally figured it out, but I’ll never forget the stress of not being able to hear my first guest for a good 30 minutes (could have been longer) as he tried everything on his end to fix the audio, that we finally figured out was on my end. Once we figured it all out, Ron spoke about how he launched neuroscience into his school with one of his major influencers being an author and speaker named Horacio Sanchez. When I created the video for Ron’s interview, I added an image of Horacio as he explained his story. This became important a year later, when I was introduced to Horacio Sanchez from Corwin Press Publishers for Episode #74. With each person you meet, whether in your life, or work, it’s important to pay attention to small details that can lead to something important to you later on. Always develop and maintain relationships as you never know how that person could be of assistance to you, or you to them, at some point in the future.  I’m forever grateful for Ron Hall being my first guest, for staying in touch with me, and for the introduction to Horacio Sanchez, who I’m working with now on another project. GRATEFUL FOR BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS THAT LAST.KEEP LEARNING AND DON’T GET IN YOUR OWN WAY: One of my early interviews was with Greg Wolcott, and assistant superintendent from Chicago, and the author the book Significant 72[vii]. I had been following Greg’s work since I heard him on an SEL webinar in 2016, where he explained how he was building relationships in schools across the country. Greg quickly became an incredible supporter of the podcast after our interview and referred me to many other guests. We became friends, and kept in touch as each episode was released, he would let me know how useful the information was for the educators he was working with, as he brainstormed the ways that the episodes were helping him. This gave me belief in the content, as I saw it being applied, and made me realize that it was crazy that I was nervous interviewing Greg, who would become an incredible support, leading me to step out of my own way, and into a path of greater opportunity down the line. Reminding me to KEEP LEARNING AND DON’T GET IN YOUR OWN WAY!LESSONS LEARNED FROM HEALTH/NUTRITIONWhen I launched this podcast, I had no idea I was going to even go in the direction of health, wellbeing and nutrition. It just happened. Health is my #1 value, and something I put an incredible amount of time towards, so it wasn’t a surprise to me that when the Pandemic hit our world, I saw the importance of interviewing people who were putting a focus on their physical health as well as their mental health and well-being.I’ve always stayed close to my trainer, Kelly Schmidt, from episode #51, but when I watched a documentary on the health staples that were shown to prevent Alzheimer’s Disease, I decided that I needed to expand what I knew in this area. I took the 5 health staples and began looking for people I could contact who were experts in each of these areas. I met Luke DePron on Linkedin, who connected me to Dr. Stickler, and Momo Vuyisich. I reached out to Shane Creado from Dr. Daniel Amen’s Clinics, leading us to get our brain scans, learn more about the importance of sleep and finally, reached out to Jason Wittrock on Instagram, after his videos had inspired me to make changes with my diet a few years back.This set of interviews led me to moderate Podbean’s Wellness Week with Dr. Carolyn Leaf and John Kim, who you bet I am working on getting on the podcast for 2021.I hope you have enjoyed this review of our first 100 EPISODES. There is a lot of information to review, and many lessons that I plan on revisiting over the holidays as a review. I’ll definitely be reviewing EPISODE #66 The Neuroscience of Personal Change (our #1 episode) and will be planning Season 5. Please do send me a message via social media, or email andrea@achieveit360.com and let me know what episodes you have liked, so I can be sure that I am producing the best content I can for you.See you next year.Health Staple 1: Daily Exercise  (Luke DePron)Health Staple 2: Getting Good Quality Sleep (Dr. Shane Creado)Health Staple 3: Eating a Healthy Diet (Dr. Daniel Stickler).Health Staple 4: Optimizing our Microbiome (Momo Vuyisich)Health Staple 5: Intermittent Fasting (Jason Wittrock) EXPERTS WHO DEMONSTRATE PRACTICAL NEUROSCIENCE TO IMPROVE RESULTS:EPISODE #11: 15-year-old Chloe Amen on how to “Change Your Brain, Change Your Grades”EPISODE #17: Harvard Researcher Jenny Woo on “The Latest Research, Brain Facts, Myths, Growth Mindset, Memory and Cognitive Biases”EPISODE #26: Simple Strategies for Overcoming the Pitfalls of Your Brain(Solo Lesson by Andrea Samadi)  to Prepare for EPISODE #27EPISODE #27: Friederike Fabritius on “Achieving Peak Performance”EPISODE #28: Dr. Daniel Siegel on “Mindsight: The Basis of Social and Emotional Intelligence”EPISODE #30: Mark Robert Waldman on “12 Brain-Based Experiential Learning and Living Principles”EPISODE #35: How to Use Your Brain to Break Bad Habits (Solo Lesson by Andrea Samadi)EPISODE #42 Dr. John Medina on “Implementing Brain Rules in the Schools and Workplaces of the Future”EPISODE #43 Deep Dive into Dr. John Medina’s Brain Rules(Solo Lesson by Andrea Samadi)EPISODE #44 Andrea Samadi’s “12 Mind-Boggling Discoveries About the Brain”(Solo Lesson by Andrea Samadi)EPISODE #46: As Close to Mind Reading as Brain Science Gets “Developing and Using Theory of Mind in Your Daily Life”EPISODE #48: Brain Network Theory : Using Neuroscience to Stay Productive During Times of Change and Chaos  (Solo Lesson by Andrea Samadi)EPISODE #56: Dr. Lori Desautels on her new book “Connections Over Compliance: Rewiring Our Perceptions of DisciplineEPISODE #57: Taking Initiative: Your Brain and Change and Your Mentors(Solo Lesson by Andrea Samadi)EPISODE #58: James MacDiardmid and Natasha Davis on "The Wise Emotional Fitness Program" (Virtual Reality).EPISODE #59: Suzanne Gundersen on “Putting the Polyvagal Theory into Practice”EPISODE #60: The Science and Benefits of Dan Siegel’s “Wheel of Awareness Meditation” (Solo Lesson by Andrea Samadi)EPISODE #68: Neuroscience of Personal Change with Stephen R Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” (#1 EPISODE with over 1100 downloads)EPISODE #69: Ben Ampil on “Using Your Brain to Manage Your Behavior and Results”EPISODE #73: Chris Manning on "Using Neurowisdom to Improve Your Learning and Success in Life."EPISODE #78: David A Sousa on “How the Brain Learns”EPISODE #81 Critical Thinking and The Brain (Solo Lesson by Andrea Samadi)EPISODE #82 Doug Sutton “How a Brain Scan Changed My Life” PART 1EPISODE #83 What Exactly is a Brain Scan and Can it Change Your Life PART 2 (Solo Lesson with Andrea Samadi) EPISODE #84 Brain Scan Results PART 3 (Solo Lesson by Andrea Samadi)EPISODE #85: Dr. Sarah McKay on “High Performing Brain Health Strategies That We Should All Know and Implement”EPISODE #88: Dr. Andrew Newberg on “Neurotheology, Spect Scans and Strategies for the Aging Brain”EPISODE #97: Kirun Goy and Samuel Holston on “The Neuroscience Behind Our Habits, Addictions, Love and Fears.”EPISODE #98 Dr. Dawson Church on “The Science Behind Meditation: Rewiring Your Brain for Happiness”EPISODE #100: Mary Helen Immordino-Yang on “The Neuroscience of Social and Emotional Learning” EXPERTS WHO DEMONSTRATE THE 6 SEL COMPETENCIES: MINDSETEPISODE #20: Coaching a Growth Mindset: Strategies for Overcoming Obstacles and Cognitive Bias (Solo Lesson by Andrea Samadi)EPISODE #40 Frank Shankwitz on “Lessons from the Wishman Movie”EPISODE #49: Dr. Jeffrey Magee on “Managing Fear, Focus and Strategy During Challenging Times”EPISODE #52: “Igniting Your Personal Leadership to Build Resiliency”(Solo Lesson by Andrea Samadi—Inspired by Dr. Bruce Perry).  EPISODE #55: Torsten Nicolini on “Working Smart: How to Improve Productivity and Efficiency at Work”EPISODE #61 Maria Natapov on “Building Autonomy, Self-Confidence, Connection and Resiliency Within our Children”EPISODE #73 Chris Manning Ph. D on “Using Neurowisdom to Improve Your Learning and Success in Life”EPISODE #74 Horacio Sanchez who Addresses Race, Culture and How to Apply Brain Science to Improve Instruction and School Climate”EPISODE #86 University of Phoenix President Peter Cohen on “A Positive Vision for K-12 and Higher Ed Campuses”EPISODE #99 Irene Lyon on “The Science Behind Trauma and a Healthy Immune System” SELF-REGULATION with PERSISTENCE and PERSEVERANCEEPISODE #14: Self-Regulation: The Foundational Learning Skill for Future Success(Solo Lesson by Andrea Samadi)EPISODE #37: Dr. John Dunlosky on “Improving Student Success: Some Principles from Cognitive Science”EPISODE #38:  Former Assistant Coach to the Winnipeg Jets Todd Woodcroft on “The Daily Grind in the NHL”EPISODE #39 Stephanie Faye on “Using Neuroscience to Improve our Mindset, Self-Regulation and Self-Awareness”EPISODE #45: Dalip Shekhawit on “Life Lessons Learned from Summiting Mount Everest”EPISODE #53: Self-Regulation and Your Brain: How to Bounce Back Towards Resiliency (Solo Lesson by Andrea Samadi)EPISODE #70 Self-Regulation and Behavior Change-Andrea Samadi solo lesson on David R Hawkins’ “Power vs Force” (4th MOST DOWNLOADED EPISODE)CASE STUDIESEPISODE #13: Teen Artist Sam Roberts on “Winning a 4-Year Prestigious Leadership Scholarship at the University of AR Fort Smith.”EPISODE #68: Donte Dre Winrow on “Breaking into a Challenging Career Path”EPISODE #50: Shark Tank Season 1 Success Story Tiffany Krumins on “Life After Shark Tank”SELF-AWARENESS with MENTAL HEALTH and WELL-BEING EPISODE #6: Helen Maffini from the Mindful Peace Summits on “Launching Mindfulness and Meditation in Our Schools”EPISODE #8: 14- year-old Adam Avin on “Improving Well-Being and Mental Health in Our Schools”EPISODE #21: Spencer Taylor on his Educational Documentary “The Death of Recess”EPISODE #23: Understanding the Difference Between Your Mind and Your Brain(Solo Lesson by Andrea Samadi)EPISODE #25: Mindfulness and Meditation Expert Mick Neustadt on “How Meditation and Mindfulness Changes Your Life”EPISODE #29: How to Re-Wire Your Brain for Happiness and Well-BeingEPISODE #31: Nik Halik on “Overcoming Adversity to Create an Epic Life”EPISODE #32: John Assaraf on “Brain Training, The Power of Repetition, Resourcefulness and the Future”EPISODE #33: Kent Healy on “Managing Time, Our Greatest Asset”EPISODE #34: Chris Farrell on “Actionable Strategies for High Achievers to Improve Daily Results”EPISODE #65 Dr. Barbara Schwarck on “Using Energy Psychology and Emotional Intelligence to Improve Leadership in the Workplace”EPISODE #66 Bob Proctor on “Social and Emotional Learning: Where it all Started for Andrea Samadi” #2 MOST DOWNLOADED EPISODEEPISODE #67 “Expanding Your Awareness with a Deep Dive into the Most Important Concepts Learned from Bob Proctor Seminars” (Solo Lesson by Andrea Samadi)EPISODE #68 The Neuroscience of Personal Change with Stephen R. Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People” (Solo Lesson with Andrea Samadi) #1 MOST DOWNLOADED EPISODE with over 1100 downloadsEPISODE #80 Samantha Wettje on “Mitigating the Negative Effects of ACES with Her 16 Strong Project”EPISODE #92 Sarah Peyton on “Brain Network Theory, Default Mode Network, Anxiety and Emotion Regulation.”EPISODE #95 Dr. Sandy Gluckman on “Reversing Children’s Behavior and Mood Problems” SOCIAL AWARENESSEPISODE #5: Social Awareness: How to Change Your Social Brain (Solo Lesson with Andrea Samadi)RELATIONSHIP SKILLSEPISODE #7: Greg Wolcott on “Building Relationships in Today’s Schools”EPISODE #9: Using Your Brain to Build and Sustain Effective Relationships (Solo Lesson with Andrea Samadi)DECISION-MAKINGEPISODE #9: Using Your Brain to Build and Sustain Effective Relationships (Solo Lesson with Andrea Samadi)EXPERTS IN SEL AND EDUCATIONEPISODE #1: Majid and Andrea Samadi on “The Why Behind Implementing an SEL or Emotional Intelligence Training Program in Our Schools and Workplaces”EPISODE #2: Self-Awareness: Know Thyself (Solo Lesson with Andrea Samadi)EPISODE #3: Ron Hall from Valley Day School on “Launching Your Neuro-educational Program”EPISODE #4: Jennifer Miller on “Building Connections with Parents and Educators”EPISODE #12: Clark McKown on “SEL Assessments Made Simple”EPISODE #16: Dr. Lori Desautels and Michael McKnight on “The Future of Educational Neuroscience in Our Schools and Communities”EPISODE #18: Kenneth Kohutek, PhD on his new book “Chloe and Josh Learn Grit”EPISODE #19: Bob Jerus on “Emotional Intelligence Training and Suicide Prevention”EPISODE #22: Marc Brackett on his new book “Permission to Feel”EPISODE #24: Dr. Jeff Rose on “Leadership, Innovation and the Future”EPISODE #36: James Nottingham on “The Importance of Challenge with Learning”EPISODE #40: Erik Francis on “How to Use Questions to Promote Cognitive Rigor, Thinking and Learning”EPISODE #47: Erik Francis on “Transitioning Teaching and Learning in the Classroom to Home”EPISODE #54: David Adams on “ A New Vision for Education: Living Up to the Values We Want for Our Next Generation.”EPISODE #62: CEO of CASEL Karen Niemi on “Tools and Strategies to Enhance and Expand SEL in our Schools and Communities”EPISODE #63: Hans Appel on “Building an Award Winning Culture in Your School or Organization”EPISODE #64: Greg Wolcott on “Making Connections Between Neuroscience and SEL”EPISODE #75 Maurice J Elias on “Boosting Emotional Intelligence Through Sports, Academics and Character”EPISODE #76 Michael B Horn on “Using a Positive Lens to Explore Change and the Future of Education”EPISODE #77 Doug Fisher/Nancy Frey on “Developing and Delivering High Quality Distance Learning for Students”EPISODE #79 Eric Jensen on “Strategies for Reversing the Impact of Poverty and Stress on Student Learning:”EPISODE #91 Drs. Jessica and John Hannigan on “SEL From a Distance: Tools and Processes for Anytime, Anywhere.” EXPERTS IN PHYSICAL HEALTH, WELLNESS and NUTRITIONEPISODE #51: Kelly Schmidt on “Easy to Implement Fitness and Nutrition Tips”Jason Wittrock on “Nutrition, Intermittent Fasting and the Ketogenic Diet”EPISODE #71 Self-Regulation and Sleep with Dr. Shane Creado’s “ Peak Sleep Performance for Athletes” (Solo Lesson by Andrea Samadi)EPISODE #72 Dr. Shane Creado on “Sleep Strategies That Will Guarantee a Competitive Advantage”EPISODE #87 The Top 5 Brain Health and Alzheimer’s Prevention Strategies (Solo Lesson with Andrea Samadi)EPISODE #89 Dr. Erik Won on “Groundbreaking Technology That is Changing the Future of Mental Health”EPISODE #90 Luke DePron on “Neuroscience, Health, Fitness and Growth”EPISODE #93 Momo Viyisich on “Improving the Microbiome, Preventing and Reversing Chronic Disease”EPISODE #94 Jason Wittrock on “Nutrition, Intermittent Fasting and the Ketogenic Diet”EPISODE #96 Dr. Daniel Stickler on “Expanding Awareness for Limitless Peak Performance, Health, Longevity and Intelligence.”BONUS EPISODE: Top 5 Health Staples and Review of Season 1-4(Solo Episode by Andrea Samadi)EPISODE #82 "How a Brain Scan Changed My Life" With Doug Sutton PART 1EPISODE # 83 "What is a SPECT Scan and How Can it Change Your Life?" PART 2 (with Andrea Samadi)EPISODE #84  "Brain Scan Results" with Andrea Samadi PART 3 Each Season at a Glance:Season 1: Consists of 33 episodes that begin with introducing six the social and emotional competencies (building a growth mindset, making responsible decisions, becoming self-aware, increasing social-awareness, managing emotions and behavior and developing relationships) along with an introduction to cognitive skills that I call Neuroscience 101 where we introduce some of the most important cognitive strategies, or the core skills your brain uses to think, remember and pay attention. CONTENT: In this season, you will learn about understanding your mind vs your brain, mindfulness and meditation, the 3 parts of your brain, achieving peak performance, and improving awareness, mindsight, rewiring your brain for happiness, and experiential learning. We interviewed Ron Hall from Valley Day School who talked about how he launched his neuroeducation program into his school, Jennifer Miller on “Building Connections with Parents and Educators,” Helen Maffini on her Mindful Peace Summit and “Launching Mindfulness and Meditation in our Schools,” Greg Wolcott on “Building Relationships in Today’s Classrooms,” 14 year old Adam Avin on “Improving Our Mental Health in Our Schools,” Clark McKown from xSEL Labs on “SEL Assessments” and how we can actually measure these skills, Sam Roberts on her experience of “Winning a 4 Year Prestigious Scholarship” using these skills, Donte Winrow on “Breaking into a Challenging Career Path” with the application of these skills immediately after graduating from high school, Dr. Lori Desautels and Michael McKnight on “The Future of Educational Neuroscience in Today’s Schools,” Harvard researcher Jenny Woo on “The Latest Research, Brain Facts and Myths, Growth Mindset, Memory and Cognitive Biases,” Psychologist Dr. Kenneth Kohutek on his new book “Chloe and Josh Learn Grit,” Psychologist Bob Jerus on “Suicide Prevention and Emotional Intelligence Training,” Spencer Taylor on his “Death of Recess Educational Documentary” featuring Carol Dweck and Sir Ken Robinson, Marc Brackett on his powerful book “Permission to Feel,” former Superintendent Dr. Jeff Rose on “Leadership, Innovation and the Future,” Mick Neustadt on “How Meditation and Mindfulness Can Change Your Life,” Friederike Fabritius from Germany on “Achieving Peak Performance with the Brain in Mind,” Dr. Daniel Siegel on “Mindsight: The Basis for Social and Emotional Intelligence,” my mentor and neuroscience researcher Mark Robert Waldman on “12 Brain-Based Experiential Learning and Living Principles,” Nik Halik on “Overcoming Adversity to Create an Epic Life,” and John Assaraf on “Brain Training, the Power of Repetition, Resourcefulness and the Future.” Season 2: These 33 episodes build on the strategies from Season 1, with high level guests who tie in social, emotional, interpersonal and cognitive strategies to increase results in schools, sports and the workplace. You will learn about the power of repetition, challenge, creativity, using your brain to break bad habits, how the brain ties into mindset, self-regulation, and self-awareness, cognitive rigor, thinking, learning, brain rules for schools and the workplace, the theory of mind, brain network theory, personal leadership, taking initiative, resiliency, the science behind mindfulness/meditation and your values. CONTENT: You will hear from Chris Farrell on “Strategies for High Achievers,” James Nottingham on “The Importance of Challenge with Learning,” Dr. John Dunlosky on “Improving Student Success,” Todd Woodcroft on “The Daily Grind in the NHL,” Stefanie Faye on “Using Neuroscience to Improve our Mindset, Self-Regulation, and Self-Awareness,” the Co-Founder of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Frank Shankwitz on “Lessons from the Wish Man Movie,” Erik Francis on “How to Use Questions to Promote Cognitive Rigor, Thinking and Learning,” Dr. John Medina on “Implementing Brain Rules in the Schools and Workplaces of the Future,” Dalip Shekhawat on “Life Lessons Learned from Summiting Mount Everest,” Dr. Jeff Magee on “Managing Fear, Focus and Strategy During Challenging Times,” Tiffany Krumins on “Life After Shark Tank,” Kelly Schmidt on Easy to Implement Fitness and Nutrition Tips,” David Adams on “A New Vision for Education,” Torsten Nicolini on “Working Smart,” Dr. Lori Desautels on her book “Connections Over Compliance,” The Wise Emotional Fitness Program delivered via virtual reality with James MacDiarmid and Natasha Davis all the way from Australia, Suzanne Gunderson on “Putting the Polyvagal Theory into Practice,” Maria Natapov on “Building Autonomy, Self-Confidence, Connection and Resiliency Within Our Children,” Casel President Karen Niemi on “Tools and Strategies to Enhance and Expand SEL in our Schools and Communities,” Hans Appel on “Building an Award Winning Culture in Your School or Organization,” Greg Wolcott on “Making Connections with Neuroscience and SEL,” Dr. Barbara Schwarck on “Using Energy Psychology and Emotional Intelligence to Improve Leadership in the Workplace,” and an Introduction to my first mentor, speaker, Bob Proctor on “Social and Emotional Learning: Where it All Started,” where I share how I began working with these skills over 20 years ago,  along with a deep dive into some of the lessons learned from Bob Proctor’s Seminars.Season 3: These 14 episodes tie in some of the top authors in the world who connect their work to these social, emotional and cognitive skills, with clear examples for improved results, well-being and achievement within each episode.CONTENT: You will learn about the neuroscience of personal change with a deep dive into Dr. Stephen Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” (that’s currently the most downloaded episode) Self-Regulation and Behavior Change with David R Hawkins’ “Power vs Force,” Self-Regulation and Sleep with Dr. Shane Creado’s “Peak Sleep Performance for Athletes,” Chris Manning on using “Neurowisdom” to Improve Learning and Success in Life, Horatio Sanchez on “Resilience,” Maurice J Elias on “Social and Emotional and Character Development,” Michael B Horn on “Disrupting Education” and the future of education, Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey on “High Quality Distance Learning.” David A Sousa on “How the Brain Learns,” Eric Jensen on “Reversing the Impact of Poverty and Stress on Student Learning” and Samantha Wettje from Harvard on “Mitigating the Negative Effect of ACES.” I conclude this season with a solo lesson from me, on critical thinking and the brain, after being asked to create an episode on this topic for the corporate space. Season 4:  These 18 episodes (82-100) that begin to tie in health, and mental health into the understanding of our brain, productivity and results. The shift to health on this podcast became apparent when we started to see how important our brain health is for our overall results. CONTENT: Everything that we do starts at the brain level, and we dive deep into this with our 3-part episodes on “How a Brain Scan Changed My Life” with a look at what we can learn from looking at our brain using a SPECT image brain scan. The interviews of this season mix in the power of education with an understanding of health and wellness. Dr. Sarah McKay agreed with Dr. Shane Creado (from Season 3) that sleep is one of the most important health strategies we can implement. It became apparent that there were 5 health staples that emerged as so powerful they were showing an impact on Alzheimer’s Prevention, so this season became a deep dive into these top 5 health staples (daily exercise, getting good quality and quantity sleep, eating a healthy diet, optimizing our microbiome and intermittent fasting). You will also hear from Dr. Andrew Newberg and his episode on Neurotheology, Dr. Erik Won and his ground -breaking technology that’s changing the future of mental health, Luke DePron, who is stretching the limits with neuroscience, health, fitness and growth, Sarah Peyton on “Brain Network Theory, Default Mode Network, Anxiety and Emotion Regulation,” Momo Vuyisich on “Preventing and Reversing Chronic Disease by Improving the Health of Your Microbiome,” Jason Wittrock on the Ketogentic Diet and Intermittent Fasting, and Dr. Sandy Gluckman on “Reversing Children’s Behavior and Mood Problems.” We also hear from behavior experts Drs. Jessica and John Hannigan on their new book “SEL From a Distance” that offers simple strategies for parents and educators who are working on implementing these SEL skills into their home or classroom, during the pandemic.When Season 4 took the direction of health, mental-health, and wellness, I began looking for guests to dive deeper into the Top 5 health staples that seemed to continue to emerge with each guest. Dr. Daniel Stickler came on with the topic of “Expanding Awareness for Limitless Peak Performance, Health, Longevity and Intelligence, Kirun Goy and Samuel Holston from the BrainTools Podcast on “The Neuroscience Behind our Habits, Addictions, Love/Fears,” Dr. Dawson Church on “The Science Behind Meditation: Rewiring Your Brain for Happiness,” Irene Lyon on “The Science Behind Trauma and a Healthy Immune System” and Dr. Mary Helen Immordino-Yang on “The Neuroscience of Social and Emotional Learning.” REFERENCES:[i] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning EPISODE #74 with Horacio Sanchez https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/leading-brain-science-and-resiliency-expert-horatio-sanchez-on-how-to-apply-brain-science-to-improve-instruction-and-school-climate/[ii] Mark Robert Waldman and Chris Manning, Ph.D. Published Jan.31, 2017  https://www.amazon.com/NeuroWisdom-Brain-Science-Happiness-Success/dp/1682303055[iii] Drhu Purohit’s Broken Brain Podcast with Max Lugavere on “Building a Personal Brand” https://shows.acast.com/broken-brain/episodes/behind-the-scenes-max-lugavere-on-building-a-personal-brand[iv] High Performance Habits by Brendon Burchard Published Sept.19, 2017  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072N6MQ5V/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1[v] WakeUpIt’sDayOne Blog https://wakeupitsdayone.com/2018/07/16/increase-productivity-habit-4-of-high-performers/[vi] Interview with Todd Woodcroft on Hockey Minds Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/hockey-minds-podcast/id1517330567#episodeGuid=https%3A%2F%2Fpinecast.com%2Fguid%2F7dcaf914-d44a-42e6-a9c5-bca89a40aff6[vii] Greg Wolcott www.significant72.com

Dr. Doug Fisher and his colleagues have been at the forefront of the latest educational research including working with Nancy Frey and John Hattie on books about teacher clarity and assessment-capable learners in all subject areas. Most recently, he and his colleagues have turned to distance learning and how we can take what we know about pedagogy into the distance learning setting. He discusses what he has learned about teaching from afar and what the legacy of distance education might be. littlethings1st.com https://www.fisherandfrey.com https://www.youtube.com/user/FisherandFrey --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/tracyandjim/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/tracyandjim/support

With this week's episode we jump into a hot new book, The Distance Learning Playbook, Grades K-12: Teaching for Engagement and Impact in Any Setting by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, John Hattie. With the SPS Digital Learning Hour podcast, we are talking our learning out loud. If you don't own this book, get it now and join us on the journey of discovery. You'll also hear my thoughts and takeaways from each chapter. Do we have some of the same takeaway? Is there something else that you got out of the chapter? Follow us on this journey. Leave your thoughts in the comments or the future blog post.Links:https://resources.corwin.com/distancelearningplaybook/student-resources/reproducible-formshttps://winstonchurchill.org/resources/speeches/1941-1945-war-leader/give-us-the-tools/Show Credits:Tell Me (instrumental) by RYYZN https://soundcloud.com/ryyznCreative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/tell-me-instrumentalMusic promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/IsDZxG0bExY

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning podcast, with a special episode, recorded for Podbean’s Wellness Week.When I first launched this podcast, in June 2019, using Podbean as my host, of course, it was a bit by chance, as I had just purchased a new template for my website that had a podcast theme, and the developer who helped me to build the site said “you can delete the podcast section if you don’t want to host a podcast” and I thought about it for a minute, and was already conducting interviews for the programs and services I was offering in my membership area, so I told him, “let’s just keep it” and I went over to Google and searched for “what is an RSS feed” and “how to launch a podcast.” I had no idea at that moment just how powerful that one decision would be, leading me to launch something that would connect me to leaders around the world, be downloaded in over 100 countries, become my biggest learning opportunity I’ve ever had,  and open up many doors, all from just one decision.I also started this podcast because I saw a serious need in the area of social and emotional learning that was being implemented in schools around the country and the world, but many educators didn’t know the best way to begin their implementation.  We all know that “success in life, and in college and career specifically, relies on student’s cognitive, (the core skills your brain uses to think, read, remember, and pay attention) social and interpersonal skills, (including the ability to navigate through social situations, resolve conflicts, show respect towards others, self-advocate and learn how to work on a team with others) and emotional development (including the ability to recognize and manage one’s emotions, demonstrate empathy for others and cope with stress)” but what are these skills, and what exactly is the best way to implement them?[i]In the corporate world, these skills aren’t new, but they are “newly important” and of high urgency to develop in our future generations. A recent survey showed that 58 percent of employers say college graduates aren’t adequately prepared for today’s workforce, and those employers noted a particular gap in social and emotional skills. This is where our goal with this podcast began—to close this gap by exploring six social and emotional learning competencies as a springboard for discussion and tie in how an understanding of our brain can facilitate these strategies. Hence the title of the podcast, Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning. If we want to improve our social, emotional and cognitive abilities, it all starts with an understanding of our brain. Season 1: Consists of 33 episodes that begin with introducing six the social and emotional competencies (building a growth mindset, making responsible decisions, becoming self-aware, increasing social-awareness, managing emotions and behavior and developing relationships) along with an introduction to cognitive skills that I call Neuroscience 101 where we introduce some of the most important cognitive strategies, or the core skills your brain uses to think, remember and pay attention.CONTENT: In this season, you will learn about understanding your mind vs your brain, mindfulness and meditation, the 3 parts of your brain, achieving peak performance, and improving awareness, mindsight, rewiring your brain for happiness, and experiential learning. We interviewed Ron Hall from Valley Day School who talked about how he launched his neuroeducation program into his school, Jennifer Miller on “Building Connections with Parents and Educators,” Helen Maffini on her Mindful Peace Summit and “Launching Mindfulness and Meditation in our Schools,” Greg Wolcott on “Building Relationships in Today’s Classrooms,” 14 year old Adam Avin on “Improving Our Mental Health in Our Schools,” Clark McKown from xSEL Labs on “SEL Assessments” and how we can actually measure these skills, Sam Roberts on her experience of “Winning a 4 Year Prestigious Scholarship” using these skills, Donte Winrow on “Breaking into a Challenging Career Path” with the application of these skills immediately after graduating from high school, Dr. Lori Desautels and Michael McKnight on “The Future of Educational Neuroscience in Today’s Schools,” Harvard researcher Jenny Woo on “The Latest Research, Brain Facts and Myths, Growth Mindset, Memory and Cognitive Biases,” Psychologist Dr. Kenneth Kohutek on his new book “Chloe and Josh Learn Grit,” Psychologist Bob Jerus on “Suicide Prevention and Emotional Intelligence Training,” Spencer Taylor on his “Death of Recess Educational Documentary” featuring Carol Dweck and Sir Ken Robinson, Marc Brackett on his powerful book “Permission to Feel,” former Superintendent Dr. Jeff Rose on “Leadership, Innovation and the Future,” Mick Neustadt on “How Meditation and Mindfulness Can Change Your Life,” Friederike Fabritius from Germany on “Achieving Peak Performance with the Brain in Mind,” Dr. Daniel Siegel on “Mindsight: The Basis for Social and Emotional Intelligence,” my mentor and neuroscience researcher Mark Robert Waldman on “12 Brain-Based Experiential Learning and Living Principles,” Nik Halik on “Overcoming Adversity to Create an Epic Life,” and John Assaraf on “Brain Training, the Power of Repetition, Resourcefulness and the Future.”Season 2: These 33 episodes build on the strategies from Season 1, with high level guests who tie in social, emotional, interpersonal and cognitive strategies to increase results in schools, sports and the workplace. You will learn about the power of repetition, challenge, creativity, using your brain to break bad habits, how the brain ties into mindset, self-regulation, and self-awareness, cognitive rigor, thinking, learning, brain rules for schools and the workplace, the theory of mind, brain network theory, personal leadership, taking initiative, resiliency, the science behind mindfulness/meditation and your values.CONTENT: You will hear from Chris Farrell on “Strategies for High Achievers,” James Nottingham on “The Importance of Challenge with Learning,” Dr. John Dunlosky on “Improving Student Success,” Todd Woodcroft on “The Daily Grind in the NHL,” Stefanie Faye on “Using Neuroscience to Improve our Mindset, Self-Regulation, and Self-Awareness,” the Co-Founder of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Frank Shankwitz on “Lessons from the Wish Man Movie,” Erik Francis on “How to Use Questions to Promote Cognitive Rigor, Thinking and Learning,” Dr. John Medina on “Implementing Brain Rules in the Schools and Workplaces of the Future,” Dalip Shekhawat on “Life Lessons Learned from Summiting Mount Everest,” Dr. Jeff Magee on “Managing Fear, Focus and Strategy During Challenging Times,” Tiffany Krumins on “Life After Shark Tank,” Kelly Schmidt on Easy to Implement Fitness and Nutrition Tips,” David Adams on “A New Vision for Education,” Torsten Nicolini on “Working Smart,” Dr. Lori Desautels on her book “Connections Over Compliance,” The Wise Emotional Fitness Program delivered via virtual reality with James MacDiarmid and Natasha Davis all the way from Australia, Suzanne Gunderson on “Putting the Polyvagal Theory into Practice,” Maria Natapov on “Building Autonomy, Self-Confidence, Connection and Resiliency Within Our Children,” Casel President Karen Niemi on “Tools and Strategies to Enhance and Expand SEL in our Schools and Communities,” Hans Appel on “Building an Award Winning Culture in Your School or Organization,” Greg Wolcott on “Making Connections with Neuroscience and SEL,” Dr. Barbara Schwarck on “Using Energy Psychology and Emotional Intelligence to Improve Leadership in the Workplace,” and an Introduction to my first mentor, speaker, Bob Proctor on “Social and Emotional Learning: Where it All Started,” where I share how I began working with these skills over 20 years ago,  along with a deep dive into some of the lessons learned from Bob Proctor’s Seminars.Season 3: These 14 episodes tie in some of the top authors in the world who connect their work to these social, emotional and cognitive skills, with clear examples for improved results, well-being and achievement within each episode.CONTENT: You will learn about the neuroscience of personal change with a deep dive into Dr. Stephen Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” (that’s currently the most downloaded episode) Self-Regulation and Behavior Change with David R Hawkins’ “Power vs Force,” Self-Regulation and Sleep with Dr. Shane Creado’s “Peak Sleep Performance for Athletes,” Chris Manning on using “Neurowisdom” to Improve Learning and Success in Life, Horatio Sanchez on “Resilience,” Maurice J Elias on “Social and Emotional and Character Development,” Michael B Horn on “Disrupting Education” and the future of education, Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey on “High Quality Distance Learning.” David A Sousa on “How the Brain Learns,” Eric Jensen on “Reversing the Impact of Poverty and Stress on Student Learning” and Samantha Wettje from Harvard on “Mitigating the Negative Effect of ACES.” I conclude this season with a solo lesson from me, on critical thinking and the brain, after being asked to create an episode on this topic for the corporate space. Season 4:  These 14 episodes (82-96) that begin to tie in health, and mental health into the understanding of our brain, productivity and results. The shift to health on this podcast became apparent when we started to see how important our brain health is for our overall results.CONTENT: Everything that we do starts at the brain level, and we dive deep into this with our 3-part episodes on “How a Brain Scan Changed My Life” with a look at what we can learn from looking at our brain using a SPECT image brain scan. The interviews of this season mix in the power of education with an understanding of health and wellness. Dr. Sarah McKay agreed with Dr. Shane Creado (from Season 3) that sleep is one of the most important health strategies we can implement. It became apparent that there were 5 health staples that emerged as so powerful they were showing an impact on Alzheimer’s Prevention, so this season became a deep dive into these top 5 health staples (daily exercise, getting good quality and quantity sleep, eating a healthy diet, optimizing our microbiome and intermittent fasting). You will also hear from Dr. Andrew Newberg and his episode on Neurotheology, Dr. Erik Won and his ground -breaking technology that’s changing the future of mental health, Luke DePron, who is stretching the limits with neuroscience, health, fitness and growth, Sarah Peyton on “Brain Network Theory, Default Mode Network, Anxiety and Emotion Regulation,” Momo Vuyisich on “Preventing and Reversing Chronic Disease by Improving the Health of Your Microbiome,” Jason Wittrock on the Ketogentic Diet and Intermittent Fasting, and Dr. Sandy Gluckman on “Reversing Children’s Behavior and Mood Problems.” We also hear from behavior experts Drs. Jessica and John Hannigan on their new book “SEL From a Distance” that offers simple strategies for parents and educators who are working on implementing these SEL skills into their home or classroom, during the pandemic.When Season 4 took the direction of health, mental-health, and wellness, I began looking for guests to dive deeper into the Top 5 health staples that seemed to continue to emerge with each guest.Health Staple 1: Daily Exercise  (Luke DePron)Health Staple 2: Getting Good Quality Sleep (Dr. Shane Creado)Health Staple 3: Eating a Healthy Diet (Dr. Daniel Stickler).Health Staple 4: Optimizing our Microbiome (Momo Vuyisich)Health Staple 5: Intermittent Fasting (Jason Wittrock)On this episode, that we are releasing for Podbean’s Wellness Week, I’ll take the Top 5 Health Staples from EPISODE #87 and offer additional tips, strategies, and ideas based our most recent interviews, that you can implement immediately for improved health and well-being. You can see EPISODE #87[ii] on the “Top 5 Brain Health and Alzheimer’s Prevention Strategies” that I wrote after watching Dr. David Perlmutter’s Documentary: Alzheimer’s the Science of Prevention[iii], that inspired the change in direction for the podcast towards health and wellness in addition to social, emotional and cognitive strategies for improved results.The case is clear that in order to move the needle the most with our health, there are some important areas that we can come to a consensus that are crucial to pay attention to. We know that Alzheimer’s disease now affects “more than 5 million Americans and is the most common form of dementia, a term that describes a variety of diseases and conditions that develop when nerve cells in the brain die or no longer function normally.”[iv]I was interested in learning more on this topic, since it was one of the reasons, we did scan our brain in the first place. The pattern of Alzheimer’s can be seen in the brain years before signs and symptoms show up, so when I saw Dr. Perlmutter’s Alzheimer’s Prevention series, I watched every episode to learn what brain experts across the country are saying about the top ways to prevent this disease, that currently has no know or meaningful treatment but I was given some hope when I learned that “you can change the direction of your cognitive destiny” (From Max Lugavere,[v] a Health and Science Journalist and NYT Bestselling Author, Genius Foods). Here is how we can take control of our health and future, with the TOP 5 health staples that I think we should all know, how they play a role in Alzheimer’s prevention, with added TIPS from our most recent health interviews.Health Staple 1: Daily Exercise: This seems to be the solution for every single brain problem, so I think that this is the most important strategy, and the reason why I block out exercise time on my schedule as non-negotiable. If we can incorporate 30 minutes of brisk walking every day, we will be miles ahead with our brain health. It wasn’t until I started to measure my activity, that I started to see that 30 minutes of walking really did make a difference. I didn’t need to be running or working really hard (like I used to think I had to do) to notice a difference, but I did need to put in some effort to move the needle.  The benefits  of daily, consistent exercise “come directly from its ability to reduce insulin resistance, reduce inflammation, and stimulate the release of growth factors—chemicals in the brain that affect the health of brain cells, the growth of new blood vessels in the brain, and even the abundance and survival of new brain cells.”[vi]  If for some reason, this whole idea of exercising still doesn’t sound the least bit interesting to you, you might be surprised like I was, that household activities like vacuuming, or raking leaves, or anything that gets your heart rate up, like shoveling snow (something I haven’t done in years since I moved from Toronto)—but these activities can also fall into the category of moderate exercise. The idea is whatever you choose, that it remains consistent, so it eventually becomes something you do habitually.ALZHEIMER’S PREVENTION THOUGHT FOR DAILY EXERCISE:If exercise reduces insulin resistance and inflammation, it would make sense that it also reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s. Studies show that “people who are physically active, have a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, and possibly have improved thinking.”[vii]DEEPER DIVE with LUKE DEPRON:On episode #90, I interviewed Luke DePron on “Neuroscience, Fitness and Growth” Luke is a Men’s Health & Performance Coach[viii], and graduate of Exercise Science, Kinesiology. Luke has done everything from personal training with 100s of clients, to working alongside Drs of Chiropractic as a corrective exercise specialist, training Olympic level athletes, to performance work with world champion mixed martial arts fighters. Currently Luke works as a Men’s Online Health and Performance Coach—learn more at http://www.livegreatlifestyle.com/ where he helps men step into a lifestyle approach of exercise and nutrition to transform their physique, energy, and confidence. He’s also the Host of the Live Great Lifestyle Podcast[ix] where he’s interviewed former Navy Seals, Mixed Martial Arts world champions, New York Times best-selling authors, personal development speakers, and many more….LESSON LEARNED FROM LUKE ON DAILY EXERCISE: I learned from Luke that “most people start a fitness or nutrition journey with a physique goal in mind, but it’s how you feel at the end of it.” What’s inspiring Luke says “is to see someone who might not be in that great health to begin with, create daily and weekly habits or standards that they follow, that creates energy and confidence that comes along with these habits.” That’s what the journey is all about.Health Staple 2: Getting Good Quality Sleep: Making sure we are getting at least 7- 8 hours each night. I think that we have seen the importance of sleep with our interview with sleep expert Dr. Shane Creado, on episode #72[x] and with Dr. Sarah McKay on episode #85.[xi] It is clear that sleep deprivation causes poor health and performance because it’s not allowing enough time for the brain to wash and clean itself. With less than 7 hours of sleep each night, the “trash”[xii] builds up in our brain, that leads us farther away from health.  I learned from health expert Darin Olien from the Darin Olien Show[xiii] --he’s the one who did the Netflix Docuseries with Zac Efron called “Down to Earth with Zac Efron[xiv]” that studies show that “almost all neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, are created when protein waste accumulates in the brain, which in turn slowly suffocates and kills the brain’s neurons.”[xv]  We also know that the brain shows lower functioning to important areas when it’s sleep deprived.ALZHEIMER’S PREVENTION THOUGHT FOR THE IMPORTANCE OF SLEEP:Dr. David Perlmutter, on his Alzheimer’s Science of Prevention Series, made a clear case for the fact that “sleep deprivation is directly linked to developing Alzheimer’s disease” and that “sleep plays an important role…impacting our risk for developing this condition.” He went on to remind us that “from a medical perspective, we cannot afford a bad night’s sleep” and that “sleep is essential if we want to retain optimal function of our body and our brains.”[xvi]DEEPER DIVE WITH DR. SHANE CREADOOn episode #72 with sleep medicine physician, sports psychiatrist and author of the NEW book “Peak Sleep Performance for Athletes: The Cutting-Edge Sleep Science That Will Guarantee a Competitive Advantage”[xvii] Dr. Shane CreadoShane Creado[xviii] is a double board-certified sleep medicine doctor and psychiatrist. He practices functional sleep medicine, integrative psychiatry, and sports psychiatry, putting all those skills together to uncover underlying factors that sabotage the patients, comprehensively treat them, and help them achieve their goals.LESSON LEARNED FROM DR. CREADO ON SLEEP:Dr. Creado mentions that “Sleep is a key pillar of brain health and it’s modifiable, which is what’s beautiful about it. We can’t really change our DNA, well, we could talk about epigenetics and how the environment influences our DNA but sleep is something that it modifiable and we can correct it.” When working with a patient, Dr. Creado looks at the brain using SPECT image brain scans and based on what he sees, he determines the treatment plan. When Dr. Creado looked at my brain, he suggested that a change in my sleep pattern of adding just an additional half and hour to make 7 hours of sleep, would improve my results. He also reminded me that a 20 minute nap in the afternoon would boost my productivity and is not lazy, to incorporate this habit into my daily routine, and that Google and many high level corporate environments offer sleep pods to help their employees to gain the rest needed in the afternoon to boost productivity.Health Staple 3: Eating a Healthy Diet: Eliminating sugar and processed foods. We hear this all the time and know intuitively what feels good when we eat it, and what makes our body feel tired, lethargic and just plain bad. The goal is to eliminate “the brain robbers that steal our energy and do what helps it, not hurts it.”[xix]  There are two specific moments that I remember were life-changing when it came to my diet.The first was around 2005 when I was seeing a foot doctor, Dr. Richard Jacoby, for foot numbness after exercise, and he asked me to eliminate sugar completely from my diet.  I was looking for solutions to why I couldn’t feel the top of my foot during exercise, and I didn’t show any signs of diabetes, but this doctor was writing a book, that is now released called Sugar Crush: How to Reduce Inflammation, Reverse Nerve Damage and Reclaim Good Health[xx]  and he was convinced that sugar intake was at the root of most health problems. He suggested that I take fish oil, and learn to avoid higher glycemic foods, and the results that occurred were so impactful, that I wished I had done this sooner. The benefits of cutting out sugar from my diet only snowballed my health for the better down the road. When I was ready to have children, I was a bit worried that I would have some challenges here, as I was diagnosed with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) in my late 20s and told that I might need to take fertility drugs to conceive,  but surprisingly, after some tests, my doctor told me that I no longer had this condition, that it appears to have reversed, and she asked me what I had done. The only thing I did was exercise, take fish oil and cut out sugar.The second life-changing Aha Moment around diet was focused around intermittent fasting, that I talk about in point #5, but it was also eye opening when I started to follow Dave Asprey, the author of the NYT bestseller The Bulletproof Diet: Lose Up to a Pound a Day, Reclaim Focus, Upgrade Your Life[xxi] and creator of Bulletproof Coffee[xxii].  Who would ever have thought that putting butter, coconut oil or MCT oil in your coffee would help you to increase your energy and stay lean? I heard this idea first from bodybuilder and fitness expert Jason Wittrock[xxiii] from watching his YouTube channel where he explains exactly what goes into a keto coffee, and why it’s good for your energy levels. He explains the science behind the keto diet and was a great resource for me when I was learning that eating fats, won’t make me fat. Thomas DeLauer[xxiv] is also a great resource for anyone looking to learn more about intermittent fasting, or the ketogenic diet.ALZHEIMER’S PREVENTION THOUGHT FOR EATING A HEALTY DIET:Did you know that sugar in the brain “looks like Alzheimer’s” in the brain,  and that “60% of cognitive decline is related to how you handle blood sugar?”[xxv] There was a study that followed “5,189 people over 10 years and found that people with high blood sugar had a faster rate of cognitive decline than those with normal blood sugar—whether or not their blood-sugar level technically made them diabetic. In other words, the higher the blood sugar, the faster the cognitive decline.”[xxvi]Did you know that with Type 2 Diabetes, you have almost double the risk for Alzheimer’s Disease, that has no known treatment? If you have type 2 diabetes, your goal would be to do everything that you can to manage your blood sugar, by eating good carbs[xxvii] (complex carbs with fiber),  eat lower glycemic foods[xxviii] that balance your blood sugar levels, instead of throwing them off balance with high levels of sugar.Above is an image of a healthy brain, from Dr. Amen’s Clinics, showing even, symmetrical and smooth blood flow to all areas in the healthy brain, and the Alzheimer’s brain shows a drop of blood flow to the important parts of the brain.DEEPER DIVE WITH DR. DANIEL STICKLEROn episode #96 with Dr. Daniel Stickler, MD, a former vascular surgeon who concluded that traditional medicine is not the best route for ideal health. He is now the Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of The Apeiron Center for Human Potential (Apeiron meaning Limitless) and is the visionary pioneer behind systems-based precision lifestyle medicine, which is a new paradigm that redefines medicine from the old symptoms-based disease model to one of limitless peak performance. A few minutes of looking at Dr. Stickler’s work and your level of awareness will expand.LESSON LEARNED FROM DR. STICKLER ON NUTRITION:Dr. Stickler talks about a skill called interoception or the ability to listen to the signals within the body that we have spoken about in a few episodes on this podcast (whether it was with Dr. Dan Siegel and his Wheel of Awareness meditation[xxix] that strengthens this awareness) or personal trainer Jason Wittrock who talked about the importance of listening to your hunger cues to gain control over your eating habits.Dr. Stickler mentioned interoception as a skill used by pro athletes to achieve results with their athletic career, or with those in the special forces who must learn this skill since they are often faced with life vs death situations. If we can learn to listen to the cues our body tells us, whether it’s with the food we are eating, or when we are eating, we will be miles ahead with our well-being.Health Staple 4: Optimizing our Microbiome: Did you know that your gut is made up of trillions of bacteria, fungi and other microbes. This microbiome plays an important role in your health by helping to control digestion and benefitting your immune system. Taking a probiotic daily, remaining active, eating a healthy diet and avoiding foods that disrupt our microbiome[xxx] (processed fried foods, sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, and artificial sweeteners, are important for our gut/brain health.ALZHEIMER’S PREVENTION THOUGHT FOR OPTIMIZING YOUR MICROBIOME:There does appear to be a hidden relationship between Alzheimer’s disease and the microbiome in our gut and that “an imbalanced gut microbiome (dysbiosis) could lead to Alzheimer’s disease and wider neuroinflammation through the gut-brain-axis. Promoting ‘good bacteria’ relative to ‘bad bacteria’ in the gut may be important in maintaining good digestive, immune and neurological health.”[xxxi] This is still a developing field but taking prebiotics and probiotics[xxxii] are the best way to promote a healthy gut/brain balance.DEEPER DIVE WITH DR. VUYISICH Our recent episode #93 with Dr. Momo Vuyisich, the co-founder and chief science officer of Viome[xxxiii], a healthcare disruptor that’s using IA to analyze your gut microbiome to make personalized nutritional recommendations, we learn about the importance of the gut/brain connection and how we can take control of our own life and health by optimizing our gut microbiome with personalized nutritional recommendations using Viome testing. Dr. Vuyisich’s research focused on applying modern genomics to the areas of gut microbiomes, host-pathogen and microbial inter-species interactions, pathogen detection, cancer biology, toxicology, infectious diseases, and antibiotic resistance.LESSON LEARNED FROM DR. VUYISICHDr. Vuyisich believes that “Today we have 100% of the science and technology needed to cure every chronic disease and every cancer.” He urges everyone to learn more about ways to optimize their gut health by understanding what damages our gut health, and what is good for it. Since each person’s microbiome is different, his company offers microbiome testing, and the result is that people learn what foods they should avoid, minimize, enjoy and those that are superfoods for them. This has opened up a whole new world for him, and it begins with each person taking charge of their own health by understanding our gut/brain connection.Health Staple 5: Intermittent Fasting: Has many health benefits[xxxiv] that you might have heard of, like the fact it reduces belly fat. I started intermittent fasting around 3 years ago when I was looking to take my health to the next level, and was following some of the well-known body builders, to see what they were doing for their health and fitness. I started the 16-8 program where you fast for 16 hours, and only eat foods in an 8-hour window. I just picked 4 days a week (Sunday to Wednesday) to do this, to see what happened, and the results were obvious. I was able to quickly get down to my goal weight, where I was stuck, and not able to move the needle with exercise alone.ALZHEIMER’S PREVENTION THOUGHT FOR INTERMITTENT FASTING : Intermittent fasting has so many other health benefits tied to this practice, like the fact it “fights insulin resistance, lowering your risk of type-2 diabetes, reduces inflammation in the body, is beneficial for heart health, and may prevent cancer.”[xxxv] If it is fighting insulin resistance, then it is also fighting your risk of Alzheimer’s.DEEPER DIVE WITH FITNESS TRAINER AND MODEL JASON WITTROCKOn episode #94 with personal trainer and fitness model, Jason Wittrock we learn more about intermittent fasting and the ketogenic diet that go hand in hand.I first found Jason Wittrock late 2016/ 2017 when I was searching for answers with my diet. I was at a crossroads with my health, and knew I needed to do some things differently, I just didn’t know exactly what to do, and I had heard some friends in some of my online groups talking about how they were drinking keto coffee, and experiencing health benefits, like increased energy and weight loss.  So I went to YouTube, and typed in “how to make keto coffee” and Jason Wittrock’s video came up called “Keto Coffee”[xxxvi] and my journey began here, taking my health to a whole new level, and have never looked back. I’m sure there are thousands of stories just like mine.LESSON LEARNED FROM JASON WITTROCKJason says it just like it is. He talks about the fact that eating fats, won’t make you fat, which is a whole new paradigm for anyone who is used to counting calories.  He says “You can’t get mad at the butter for what the bread did” and is one of the leaders in the fitness industry who has built a career on helping people implement the ketogenic diet. Many people on this diet notice that they stay full for much longer, and intermittent fasting becomes easier to implement.REVIEW AND ACTION STEPS:Wherever you are with your current health, there is always a way to take your results to the next level. You also don’t need to get bogged down with implementing these ideas in a rush and stressing yourself out in the process.To get started, pick one area that you want to improve, and work on that one area for the next 90 days.Remember what Luke De Pron suggested, the end results should be how you “feel” not what you look like. How you feel will spill over to your confidence levels, helping to improve your daily productivity and results.WHERE TO BEGIN WITH DAILY EXERCISE:If you want to improve your daily exercise, but have no idea where to begin, I would start with walking.Beginners: I remember after a surgery I had that I could barely walk to the bottom of my driveway and remember thinking how frustrating that was. Listen to your body and start with short distances.  I would wake up early, at 4am (since I didn’t want the whole world watching me struggle to walk short distances) and I could walk from the bottom of my driveway to the end of the street. I did that every day for a week and then added a longer distance that lasted 15 minutes. After a few weeks, I was walking longer distances and longer amounts of time, showing me that progress is possible, with regular, consistent activity.Moderate to Advanced: If you have plateaued with your current exercise routine, have you tried working with a trainer? Many are available for zoom/video calls during this time if your gym is still closed, or if you don’t have one. The key is to do something that you have not done before, to get new and different results.WHERE TO BEGIN WITH GETTING A GOOD QUALITY SLEEPWatch the interview with sleep expert Dr. Shane Creado, on episode #72[xxxvii] and with Dr. Sarah McKay on episode #85?[xxxviii]If you are waking up and feel tired, or not rested, have you considered getting a sleep study to test the quality and quantity of your sleep?Take inventory of your sleep. Are you getting at least 7-8.5 hours/each night? Remember that Dr. Creado said that the beauty about sleep is that it is modifiable. How can you adjust your sleep to make improvements? Even just by adding an additional half an hour each night, along with an afternoon nap, can yield noticeable results.Have you ever used an app to measure your sleep? Dr. Stickler in episode #96 measures all of his clients sleep using a Garmin device, and he has noted that someone doing all the right things EXCEPT for sleeping enough, were able to lose weight only once they improved their sleep.WHERE TO BEGIN WITH EATING A HEALTHY DIETDo you avoid processed foods?Have you ever thought about cutting out sugar?Do you choose healthy carbs and fats?Do you choose whole foods vs processed foods?WHERE TO BEGIN WITH OPTIMIZING YOUR MICROBIOMEDo you take a probiotic? A prebiotic?Do you know what foods help/hurt or damage your microbiome?Have you considered microbiome testing like Dr. Vuyicish’s company offers so you can pinpoint the foods that you should avoid, minimize, maximize, or foods that are superfoods?WHERE TO BEGIN WITH INTERMITTENT FASTINGIf fasting for 16 hours with an 8 hour eating window seems too much, try 12 hours fasting and 12 hours eating to begin. Try it for a few days a week, and just see if you feel better fasting than when you eat like you normally would. If you feel better, you can always experiment with different fasting methods, and see where you feel best.Remember Jason Wittrock explaining that when you are eating a diet that is higher in fat, that you will not get hungry the same way you do eating a high carb diet.I hope you have found this episode helpful, and I that you did learn something new. Please do send me a message on social media and let me know what you think.  I really do believe that if we want to improve our social, emotional and cognitive abilities, it all starts with an understanding of our brain, and these TOP 5 strategies seem to move the needle the most, especially when it comes to preventing Alzheimer’s and other diseases that I know we all want to avoid.  I hope you have found the additional interviews helpful, and begin to make small changes in one area at a time. It’s these small, daily habits, that when repeated over and over again, yield outstanding results.See you next episode!REFERENCES:[i] (Integrating Social, Emotional and Academic Development: An Action Guide for School Leadership Teams) page 4[ii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning EPISODE #87 on the “Top 5 Brain Health and Alzheimer’s Prevention Strategies”[iii] Dr. David Perlmutter’s “Alzheimer’s: The Science of Prevention” https://scienceofprevention.com/[iv] 10 Early Alzheimer’s Symptoms That You Should Know https://www.amenclinics.com/blog/10-early-alzheimers-symptoms-that-you-should-know/[v] Max Lugavere, Health and Science Journalist and NYT Bestselling Author, Genius Foods. https://www.maxlugavere.com/[vi] Regular exercise changes the brain to improve memory, thinking skills by Heidi Goodman, April 2014  https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/regular-exercise-changes-brain-improve-memory-thinking-skills-201404097110[vii] Alzheimer’s Disease: Can Exercise Prevent Memory Loss April 2019  https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alzheimers-disease/expert-answers/alzheimers-disease/faq-20057881[viii] http://www.livegreatlifestyle.com/[ix] Live Great Lifestyle Podcast with Luke DePron http://www.livegreatlifestyle.com/podcast/[x] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast Episode #72 with Shane Creado on “Peak Sleep Performance for Athletes” https://www.achieveit360.com/self-regulation-and-sleep-with-a-deep-dive-into-dr-shane-creados-peak-sleep-performance-for-athletes/[xi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast Episode #85 with Neuroscientist Dr. Sarah McKay on “High Performing Brain Health Strategies That We Should All Know About.”[xii] Darin Olien “The Sleep Position to Detoxify Your Brain”  https://darinolien.com/detoxify-your-brain/[xiii] The Darin Olien Show https://darinolien.com/podcasts/[xiv] Down to Earth with Zac Efron (co-host Darin Olien)  https://www.netflix.com/title/80230601[xv] Darin Olien “The Sleep Position to Detoxify Your Brain”  https://darinolien.com/detoxify-your-brain/[xvi] Dr. David Perlmutter’s “Alzheimer’s: The Science of Prevention” EPISODE 10 on Sleep  https://scienceofprevention.com/[xvii] Dr. Shane Creado’s Peak Sleep Performance for Athletes: The Cutting-Edge Sleep Science That Will Guarantee a Competitive Advantage (March 15, 2020) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085YFP9YW/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1[xviii] www.shanecreado.com[xix] Dr. Daniel Amen “7 Simple Brain-Promoting Nutritonal Tips” https://www.creativityatwork.com/2011/01/10/dr-amen-seven-simple-brain-promoting-nutrition-tips/[xx] Sugar Crush: How to Reduce Inflammation, Reverse Nerve Damage and Reclaim Good Health by Dr. Richard Jacoby (April 2014)  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KPVB4OA/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1[xxi] Dave Asprey The Bulletproof Diet https://www.amazon.com/Bulletproof-Diet-Reclaim-Energy-Upgrade-ebook/dp/B00K8DSTWU/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3EQ3XAEBNVQKS&dchild=1&keywords=dave+asprey&qid=1600893573&s=digital-text&sprefix=dave+asprey+the+%2Cdigital-text%2C210&sr=1-2[xxii] Bulletproof Coffee https://www.bulletproof.com/recipes/bulletproof-diet-recipes/bulletproof-coffee-recipe/[xxiii] Fitness expert Jason Wittrock on “What goes into Keto Coffee”   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzLwqBDMgGc[xxiv] Fitness and Health Expert Thomas DeLauer https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC70SrI3VkT1MXALRtf0pcHg[xxv] Dr. David Perlmutter’s “Alzheimer’s: The Science of Prevention” EPISODE 5  https://scienceofprevention.com/[xxvi] The Startling Link Between Sugar and Alzheimer’s by Olga Khazan Jan. 26, 2018 https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2018/01/the-startling-link-between-sugar-and-alzheimers/551528/[xxvii] Good Carbs vs Bad Carbs https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/good-carbs-bad-carbs[xxviii] Lower Glycemic Foods https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/low-glycemic-diet[xxix] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning EPSIODE #60 “The Science Behind a Meditation Practice with a Deep Dive into Dr. Daniel Siegel’s Wheel of Awareness Meditation”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-science-behind-a-meditation-practice-with-a-deep-dive-into-dr-dan-siegel-s-wheel-of-awareness/[xxx] 11 Ways Your Life Can Disrupt the Gut Microbiome https://atlasbiomed.com/blog/11-ways-your-life-can-disrupt-the-gut-microbiome/[xxxi] Alzheimer’s Disease and the Microbiome by Oman Shabir  https://www.news-medical.net/health/Alzheimers-Disease-and-the-Microbiome.aspx[xxxii] What is the Difference Between a Prebiotic and a Probiotic https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323490[xxxiii] https://www.viome.com/[xxxiv] 11 Health Benefits of Intermittent Fasting  https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-health-benefits-of-intermittent-fasting#TOC_TITLE_HDR_2[xxxv] 11 Health Benefits of Intermittent Fasting  https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-health-benefits-of-intermittent-fasting#TOC_TITLE_HDR_2[xxxvi] Keto Coffee with Jason Wittrock Published August 2017 on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzLwqBDMgGc[xxxvii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast Episode #72 with Shane Creado on “Peak Sleep Performance for Athletes” https://www.achieveit360.com/self-regulation-and-sleep-with-a-deep-dive-into-dr-shane-creados-peak-sleep-performance-for-athletes/[xxxviii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast Episode #85 with Neuroscientist Dr. Sarah McKay on “High Performing Brain Health Strategies That We Should All Know About.” https://www.achieveit360.com/neuroscientist-dr-sarah-mckay-on-high-performing-brain-health-strategies-that-we-should-all-know-about-and-implement/ 

It's been so long and we are excited to be back for another season/school year. We know teaching is tough right now, but there is hope. Check out this interview with Brittany Blake-Franklin and learn how you can grow and teach well during this time!Tools Discussed:Episode 27Class DojoUnified ClassroomZoomThe Distance Learning Playbook, Grades K-12: Teaching for Engagement and Impact in Any Setting by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, John HattieTell Me (instrumental) by RYYZN https://soundcloud.com/ryyznCreative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/tell-me-instrumentalMusic promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/IsDZxG0bExY

Today we sit down with Kate Scott, a public school educator, a future principal, and now a homeschooling mom to discuss her journey into homeschooling, how her work in the classroom informs her approach to homeschool, how homeschooling will in turn inform her future work in the public school system, and how we can become better educators for our children at home. She provides a wealth of knowledge and information so don't miss this episode! Show Notes Words their way - https://www.savvas.com/ Handwriting without tears - https://www.lwtears.com/ Jump math - https://jumpmath.org/ Dreambox - https://www.dreambox.com/ Homer (App) - https://learnwithhomer.com/ Osmo Starter Kit - https://amzn.to/3jBB0Mo Snohomish County Parent Partnership - https://www.sno.wednet.edu/Domain/22 How to be better educators John Hattie Visible Learning - https://visible-learning.org/ Nancy Frey, John Hattie, Douglas Fisher The Distance Learning Playbook for Parents - https://amzn.to/3pfotCm Jigsaw Teaching Method - https://youtu.be/euhtXUgBEts Total Participation Techniques - https://amzn.to/3jG63GP Bloom's Taxonomy - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloom'staxonomy Lower Order vs. Higher Order Questions - https://www.redhookcentralschools.org/cms/lib/NY01000233/Centricity/Domain/3/Bloom.pdf Restarting and Reinventing School in the times of Covid - https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/product-files/RestartReinventSchoolsCOVID_REPORT.pdf Social Emotional Learning Standards, Benchmarks, and Indicators https://www.k12.wa.us/sites/default/files/public/studentsupport/sel/pubdocs/Appendix%20D%20Standards%2C%20Benchmarks%20Indicators.pdf Connect with us Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/homeschooltogetherpodcast/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/homeschooltogetherpodcast Website: https://homeschooltogether.fireside.fm/ Email: homeschooltogetherpodcast@gmail.com

Brad Cohen chats with us about his story of becoming an educator with Tourette syndrome and how he fights to inspire educators to be who they need to be. More at www.teachbetter.com/podcast/bradcohen Brad's Recommendations EdTech Tool: Goose Chase (App) Book: All Learning Is Social and Emotion, Helping Students Develop Social Skills for the Classroom and Beyond by Nancy Frey, Douglas Fisher and Dominque Smith Who to Follow on Social Media: Think Inclusive Emily Paschall Carson King Daily/Weekly/Monthly Routine: Get active on social media and start sharing your story. Best piece of advice you've ever received: Invest in getting to know your students more than your curriculum, relationships matter most. Links to Connect With Brad Twitter: @FrontoftheClass Website: http://www.classperformance.com/ http://bradcohentourettefoundation.com/ Book: Front of the Class: How Tourette Syndrome Made Me The Teacher I Never Had --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/teach-better-talk/message

Today’s episode features several outstanding educators, including Dr. Doug Fisher and the five finalists for 2021 Arizona Teacher of the Year. You likely know Dr. Doug Fisher from the dozens of books and resources he’s helped create or from attending events like those through the Arizona K12 Center. Today, you’ll hear Dr. Fisher talk with 3Ps hosts Mary and Angelia about the creation of The Distance Learning Playbook, which he wrote with Nancy Frey and John Hattie. He also shares some of what they learned about best practices in distance learning, especially ways to create relationships with students across the distance. You can receive a copy of The Distance Learning Playbook and spend time learning more from Dr. Doug Fisher by registering for the November 14 Distance Learning PlaybookVirtual Workshop with Doug Fisher through this link. If you have already attended a Distance Learning Playbook training with the Arizona K12 Center or Corwin or plan to attend that upcoming workshop, you are welcome to register for our December 5 Going Deeper into The Distance Learning Playbook with Doug Fisher to further explore the book and distance learning practices. Learn more for that event and register at this link. In this episode, you’ll also hear a bit from this year’s five 2021 Arizona Ambassadors of Excellence, the five finalists for Arizona Education Foundation’s Arizona Teacher of the Year. Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.

Part 1 of 2. Jenn David-Lang of The Main Idea and I talk about her summary of The Distance Learning Playbook, Grades K-12: Teaching for Engagement and Impact in Any Setting by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and John Hattie. If you would like a copy of this summary, you can email Jenn at J.David-Lang@TheMainIdea.net. Send your comments, questions, and show ideas to mike@schoolleadershipshow.com.  Consider rating the podcast in iTunes and leaving a comment.  And please pass the show along to your colleagues.  If you or someone you know would like to sponsor the show, send me an email at mike@schoolleadershipshow.com.

Nancy Frey is a professor at San Diego State University in Educational Leadership where she focuses on policies and practices in literacy and school leadership. Nancy is also a teacher leader at Health Sciences High & Middle College, an award-winning open-enrollment public school in the City Heights neighborhood of San Diego that she co-founded in 2007. For nearly 3 decades, Nancy has dedicated her work to the knowledge and skills teachers and school leaders need to help students attain their goals and aspirations. Nancy just released The Distance Learning Playbook with co-authors Doug Fisher and John Hattie.     Show Highlights Win the school year by using these plays from Nancy’s playbook How to pivot in a pandemic or any other crisis Tips to build, maintain and foster relationships when we're at a distance The loss of learning in times of crisis is counterintuitive Why national test scores increase during times of crisis This isn't crisis teaching. Create cohesion and consistency with these scheduling strategies Future proofing students “What I want a Ruckus Maker to remember is that our job is to be a Ruckus Maker. As educators, I think that we sort of have a self concept that we maintain the status quo. Now more than ever, we need to disrupt. We need to innovate. Schooling has needed to be innovated for a long time. This is our chance.”  -Nancy Frey Full Transcript Nancy Frey Transcript   Nancy Frey’s Resources & Contact Info: The Distance Learning Playbook Twitter Facebook LinkedIn   Looking for more? Read The Better Leaders Better Schools Roadmap Join “The Mastermind” Read the latest on the blog   Show Sponsors ORGANIZED BINDER Organized Binder is an evidence-based RTI2 Tier 1 universal level solution Focuses on improving executive functioning and noncognitive skills Is in direct alignment with the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework Is an integral component for ensuring Least Restrictive Environments (LRE) You can learn more and improve your student’s success at https://organizedbinder.com/   TEACHFX School leaders know that productive student talk drives student learning, but the average teacher talks 75% of class time! TeachFX is changing that with a "Fitbit for teachers" that automatically measures student engagement and gives teachers feedback about what they could do differently.  Learn more about the TeachFX app and get a special 20% discount for your school or district by visiting teachfx.com/blbs. Copyright © 2020 Twelve Practices LLC

You may be worried that the youngest kids can't learn at a distance, but Dr. Nancy Frey, co-author of the Distance Learning Playbook comes alongside us to help us understand how it can be done. From successful online meetings to screentime and essential things to include, Nancy encourages us to do what seems impossible. She also gives us some mistakes to avoid. We can reach the youngest students at a distance and support families. Thanks, Nancy for helping us learn how. www.coolcatteacher.com/e690  Sponsor: This show is sponsored by Advancement Courses. Advancement Courses is a leader in online professional development, with over 280 courses in 20 different subjects, including topics like online instruction, social-emotional learning, and diversity, equity and inclusion. This back to school season, they’re partnering with DonorsChoose and donating 10% of all sales to help fund projects every day until September 25. Visit advancementcourses.com/give to learn more and submit your project for a chance to get funded.When you purchase your PD from Advancement Courses use the code COOL20 to receive 20% off your course. Nancy Frey with Doug Fisher - Bio as Submitted We are professors at San Diego State University in Educational Leadership and focus on policies and practices in literacy and school leadership. For over two decades, our work has been dedicated to the knowledge and skills of caring teachers and school leaders needed to help students attain their goals and aspirations. Our shared interests include instructional design, curriculum development, and professional learning. We are co-authors of articles and books on literacy and leadership, including This is Balanced Literacy, The Teacher Clarity Playbook, PLC+: Better Decision and Greater Impact by Design, Comprehension: The Thrill, Will and Skill, The Teacher Credibility and Collective Efficacy Playbook, and most recently The Distance Learning Playbook. In 2007, with our colleague and friend Ian Pumpian, we founded Health Sciences High and Middle College, an award-winning open-enrollment public school in the City Heights neighborhood of San Diego. There we learn from students, teachers, and families every day. We strive to have an impact in everything we do! Disclosure of Material Connection: This episode includes some affiliate links. This means that if you choose to buy I will be paid a commission on the affiliate program. However, this is at no additional cost to you.  Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” This company has no impact on the editorial content of the show.  

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning podcast, episode #79 with Eric Jensen, a leading authority on the science and applications of brain research in education for more than 20 years. Watch the interview on YouTube here.  For those who are new here, my name is Andrea Samadi,  I’m a former educator who created this podcast to bring the most current neuroscience and educational research, matched with social and emotional skills, with interviews from experts who have risen to the top of their field with specific strategies or ideas that you can implement immediately, to take your results to the next level.Thank you so much Eric, for coming on this podcast today.  Where have I reached you?Just to give some background of Eric Jensen and his work:Dr. Eric Jensen is a former teacher and Top 30 Global Guru. He co-founded an academic enrichment program, held in 16 countries with over 85,000 graduates. Jensen has authored over 30 books[i] including 3 bestsellers with his 2 most recent being Brain-Based Learning (in its 3rd edition)[ii] and Poor Students Rich Teaching[iii]. He is also member of the invitation-only Society for Neuroscience.[iv]Eric, I know that your background has been focused around students and poverty, and how poverty impacts the brain and learning, specifically as it relates to trauma and stress. While our stress levels seem to keep jumping up to new levels each month as new stressors arise, we’ve got it handled here, as we have both parents working together with our children. I can’t help but think of those families who don’t have the resources or support that they need and would like to hear your thoughts of solutions that teachers and families could be looking at to better support students at this critical time in our world.Q1: Can we start off with a brief overview of what stress does to the brain, specifically when we are trying to learn (if we are a student) or complete our work (if we are in the corporate space) as well as to think about the dangers of emotion contagion. What can we do these days to prevent stress from wreaking havoc on our lives, and improve our resiliency with a mind/body integration?Q2: Right now, it’s such an odd time in the world with this global pandemic, but this podcast audience reaches into over 110 countries, and I know that the tips you have for us in the US, will be relevant to those around the world. Can we talk about the topic that I know you focused on with your doctoral dissertation, the fact that 1/5 children grow up in poverty? How does poverty impact a child’s brain?Q3: I mentioned in the beginning, that many children are preparing to go back to school (at least virtually in my State) this week, and I did just interview authors Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey on their book about Distance Learning which provided some great suggestions for transitioning to 100% online learning. I still can’t help thinking of low-income families, and how they are coping. Our stress levels are high here as we are adapting to our new schedules, creating new workspaces, (suddenly we realized I need to buy 2 new desks with chairs) new routines, and expectations. What support or words of encouragement would you have for teachers serving low income students who might not have everything they need and their parents as we transition back to school virtually?Q4: How does exposure to stressors in the home (that we’ve heard of from children with ACES—Adverse Childhood Experiences) influence a child’s working memory? What strategies do you have to teach students with poverty in mind to help students with impulse regulation, visual/spatial skills, language skills, cognitive skills, social and emotional skills and conflict resolution?Q5: I heard you say that “our DNA is not our destiny” and I just loved hearing this because we don’t choose our parents.  Next week I’m speaking with the Founder of the 16 Strong Project, created out of Harvard’s Grad School of Education to show other young people that ACES can be mitigated. In your 20 years of working with schools, and students, with a focus on low income students, what success stories have you seen where students were able to change their brains for the better? How do you think they did this?Q6: What are your final thoughts, or advice to teachers who are looking for new strategies to engage students in effective teaching this fall and upcoming year?Thank you so much Eric, for taking the time to speak with me. If anyone wants to learn more about your books, and programs/workshops for schools, they can go to https://www.jensenlearning.com/ or find you @EricJensenBrain on Twitter. Thanks so much.RESOURCES:Eric’s BooksHis books include, Teaching with Poverty in Mind[v], Tools for Engagement,[vi] Engaging Students with Poverty in Mind[vii], Turnaround Tools for the Teenage Brain[viii], Poor Students, Rich Teaching[ix] and Different Brains, Different Learners.[x]REFERENCES:Kaiser Permanente ACE Study https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/acestudy/about.htmlDr. Lionel Allen, Urban Prep Academy in Chicago, IL https://www.sesp.northwestern.edu/news-center/inquiry/2011-fall/where-are-they-now.htmlDr. Terrence Sejnowski https://www.salk.edu/scientist/terrence-sejnowski/Learning How to Learn by Barbara Oakley, Terrence Sejnowski and Alistair McConville (August 2018) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077CRLW9Q/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 [i] https://www.jensenlearning.com/about-eric-jensen/[ii] Brain-Based Learning by Eric Jensen https://www.jensenlearning.com/what-is-brain-based-research/[iii] Poor Students, Rich Teaching by Eric Jensen https://www.amazon.com/Poor-Students-Rich-Teaching-Mindsets-ebook/dp/B01BGAK7ZK[iv] Society for Neuroscience https://www.sfn.org/[v] Teaching with Poverty in Mind by Eric Jensen http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/109074.aspx[vi] Tools for Engagement by Eric Jensen http://www.toolsforengagement.com/[vii] Engaging Students with Poverty in Mind http://www.ascd.org/Publications/Books/Overview/Engaging-Students-with-Poverty-in-Mind.aspx[viii] Turnaround Tools for the Teenage Brain by Eric Jensen https://www.jensenlearning.com/turnaround-tools-for-the-teenage-brain/[ix] Poor Students, Rich Teaching by Eric Jensen https://www.amazon.com/Poor-Students-Rich-Teaching-Mindsets-ebook/dp/B01BGAK7ZK[x] Different Brains, Different Learners by Eric Jensen https://us.corwin.com/en-us/nam/different-brains-different-learners/book232340 

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning podcast, episode #77 with Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey, who are both professors at San Diego State University in Educational Leadership where they focus on policies and practices in literacy and school leadership. Watch the interview on YouTube here. For those who are new here, my name is Andrea Samadi,  I’m a former educator who created this podcast to bring the most current neuroscience and educational research, matched with social and emotional skills, with interviews from experts who have risen to the top of their field with specific strategies or ideas that you can implement immediately, to take your results to the next level. My vision is to bring the experts to you, share their books, resources and ideas to help you to implement their proven strategies, whether you are a teacher working in the classroom or online, a student, or parent working in the corporate space. Welcome Doug and Nancy, it’s wonderful to meet you after enjoying your books for the past few days. Doug and Nancy are also both teacher leaders at Health Sciences High & Middle College, an award-winning open-enrollment public school in the City Heights neighborhood of San Diego that they co-founded in 2007. For over 2 decades, they have dedicated their work to the knowledge and skills teachers and school leaders need to help students attain their goals. Their shared interests include instructional design, curriculum development, and professional learning. Doug and Nancy have co-authored numerous articles and books on literacy, and leadership that I’ve included links to in the show notes, including: This is Balanced Literacy,[i] The Teacher Clarity Playbook, PLC+,[ii] All Learning is Social & Emotional[iii], The Teacher Credibility and Collective Efficacy Playbook,[iv] and most recently The Distance Learning Playbook[v] with co-author John Hattie[vi]. I couldn’t start this podcast, without acknowledging John Hattie’s Visible Learning Research[vii] and the fact that he is the co-author of your Distance Learning Playbook. I 100% agree with the write-up I saw in your book that says “The pandemic teaching of mid 2020 was not distance learning but rather crisis teaching.” But starting now, teachers have the opportunity to prepare for distance learning with purpose and intent.”[viii] I’d love to learn how the idea of The Distance Learning Playbook came about and why it was important for you to include John Hattie as your co-author. (Discuss the playbook style of PD book and about John’s Visible Learning research).My next question for you ties into our last podcast, episode #76 with Michael Horn on “Using a Positive Lens to Explore Change and the Future of Education”[ix] where he spoke about the importance of embracing technology as an important component of our future, and the article you wrote for SmartBrief.com on “4 Steps for Powerful Distance Learning Experiences”[x]  ties right into this topic. This morning I had both my girls go “back to school” online and I was grateful that I felt a bit more prepared for this after getting ready for this interview and reading that article. Could you outline these 4 steps as many schools and families are like me, in the beginning stages of going back to school, with distance learning being the platform to launch the school year, before students transition to in person learning?Because this podcast focuses on social emotional learning, I’d love to dig a little deeper into the concept of the all-important teacher-student relationship. I know that building relationships is one of John Hattie’s teaching effects from one of our earlier episodes, #7 with Assistant Superintendent Greg Wolcott, who wrote his book Significant 72 based on the importance of student-teacher relationships.[xi]  What type of impact do those relationships have on student learning and how do teachers build those relationships from a distance?Tying in closely with the teacher-student relationship is a concept you call Teacher Credibility. In fact, one of your other playbooks is titled Teacher Credibility and Collective Efficacy.[xii] However, in the distance learning playbook, you focus on how to build that credibility at a distance. Can teachers really do that when they’re not in the same room with their students?I noticed Module 1 of your Distance Learning book is titled “Take Care of Yourself” referring to teachers/educators taking care of themselves first. I really appreciate that you put this as Module 1. Can you tell me about why self-care is at the front and center in your playbook and tie in the fact that All Learning is Social and Emotional and that as parents, and educators, the need to take care of ourselves before we reach out and help our children or students?[xiii]I know you’re both big proponents of Teacher Clarity and how that clarity has the potential to accelerate student learning.  You’ve identified 3 questions that contribute to teacher clarity. Can you briefly cover those and how they apply to distance learning?Lastly, and tying back to social emotional learning, in your playbook you discuss the socioemotional links to feedback. Tell us about the importance of a classroom climate (be it physical or virtual) where errors are celebrated and expected and how that plays into feedback.What are your final thoughts to tie everything in together on the future of education? Thank you so much for taking the time to share your work and powerful vision for education. If someone wants to learn more about you, is the best way  https://www.fisherandfrey.com/ and they can find you both on twitter Nancy is @NancyFrey and Douglas is @DFisherSDSU Also, Corwin Press is also offering a 30% discount plus free shipping through the end of August on all books and I will have the link for your Distance Learning Playbook[xiv] in the show notes. REFERENCES:[i] https://us.corwin.com/en-us/nam/this-is-balanced-literacy-grades-k-6/book266872 [ii] https://us.corwin.com/en-us/nam/plc/book266974 [iii] All Learning is Social and Emotional http://www.ascd.org/Publications/Books/Overview/All-Learning-Is-Social-and-Emotional.aspx [iv] https://us.corwin.com/en-us/nam/the-teacher-credibility-and-collective-efficacy-playbook-grades-k-12/book271561 [v] 30% off all books at Corwin Press though the month of August 2020 https://us.corwin.com/en-us/nam/thedistancelearningplaybook [vi] John Hattie https://visible-learning.org/ [vii] John Hattie https://visible-learning.org/ [viii] The Distance Learning Playbook https://us.corwin.com/en-us/nam/thedistancelearningplaybook [ix]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast Episode #76 with Michael Horn on “Using a Positive Lens to Explore Change and the Future of Education” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/speaker-and-writer-michael-b-horn-on-using-a-positive-lens-to-explore-change-and-the-future-of-education/ [x] “4 Steps for Powerful Distance Learning Experiences.” For Smartbrief by Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey, July 16, 2020. https://smartbrief.com/original/2020/07/4-steps-powerful-distance-learning-experiences  [xi] Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast EPISODE #7 with Greg Wolcott https://www.achieveit360.com/assistant-superintendent-greg-wolcott-on-building-relationships-in-todays-classrooms/ [xii]Teacher Credibility and Collective Efficacy  https://us.corwin.com/en-us/nam/the-teacher-credibility-and-collective-efficacy-playbook-grades-k-12/book271561 [xiii] All Learning is Social and Emotional http://www.ascd.org/Publications/Books/Overview/All-Learning-Is-Social-and-Emotional.aspx [xiv] 30% off all books at Corwin Press though the month of August 2020 https://us.corwin.com/en-us/nam/thedistancelearningplaybook

A visit in early March 2020 following day 1 of Layne's two-day visit with educators in Lethbridge as we discuss supporting students, teachers, classmates and families on the very long and wide path of the Autism Spectrum. Layne offers a couple of book to check out - "Better Than Carrots or Sticks: Restorative Practices for Positive Classroom Management by Dominique Smith, Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey. Albertan Jody Carrington's "Kids These Days" and Nathan Maynard's Hacking School Discipline: 9 Ways to Create a Culture of Empathy and Responsibility Using Restorative Justice We also recommend listeners check out the Alberta Family Wellness Website https://www.albertafamilywellness.org/ and the free online Brain Course offered on the site. (Great resource for teachers, parents, education assistants) Layne Pethick is a Behavior and Autism Spectrum Disorders Consultant for Region 10 ESC. He is holds a PhD in Leadership and has a Master's degree in Special Education with concentration in Human Behavior, Emotional/Behavioral Disorders, and Autism Spectrum Disorder, along with degrees in Elementary Education, Early Childhood Education, and Reading. Layne has experience as a general and special education teacher, school administrator, district trainer, program director, and in higher education as a professor of special education, assessment, early childhood and teacher education. He has had several articles published and presents at local, state, national, and international conferences. He has, and continues to work with various countries in the areas of education and special education to include Mexico (2009-2011), Hong Kong (2011), Canada (currently), Vietnam (currently), and across the United States (currently). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

 Visit the Fisher and Frey WebsiteFollow Douglas on Twitter @dfishersdsuFollow Nancy on Twitter @NancyFreyAbout The AuthorsDouglas Fisher & Nancy Frey are professors at San Diego State University and co-founders of Health Sciences High & Middle College.

Alex Valencic chats with us about the shifting role of teachers in the classroom, finding your people, and changing the way we're helping students learn the skills they need. More at www.teachbetter.com/podcast/alexvalencic Episode Highlights 1:36 - We may or not have release some very secret information early for you... 7:04 - Previewing the episode with Alex Valencic. 10:13 - Alex introduces himself. 12:09 - Alex's failure: Homework catastrophe. 16:21 - Alex's success: After School Tabletop Club. 18:57 - What's keeping Alex excited about education right now: Inquiry-driven instruction. 20:45 - Alex's advice for teachers: Find the people who are going to help you become a better teacher by supporting you. 23:19 - 6 questions answered in 15 seconds or less. 26:11 - How to connect with Alex. Alex's Recommendations EdTech Tool: Pencil and paper. Book: "Instructional Rounds in Education" by Elizabeth A. City. "Inquiry Mindset" by Trevor MacKenzie. "Hacking School Discipline" by Nathan Maynard and Brad Weinstein. "Better Learning Through Structured Teaching" by "The Internal Coherence Framework" by Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey. "Alexander Hamilton" "Schulz and Peanuts" by David Michaelis. "Talking to Strangers" by Malcolm Gladwell. Who to Follow on Social Media: Dennis Dill (@DennisDill) Dr. Teresa Lance (@teresa_lance) Matt Weimann (@MrWeimann) YouTube/Podcast/Website/Blog: Facing His --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/teach-better-talk/message

In this podcast episode, Deedee and Adam talk about a new approach to teaching sight words in elementary classrooms. Based on the research, they discuss how sight words can actually be part of your explicit phonics instruction! Book Recommendations: A Fresh Look at Phonics by Wiley Blevins (Judy will you link to: https://amzn.to/2UA1VPV This is Balanced Literacy by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and Nancy Akhavan Judy will you (link to: https://amzn.to/2utb9mg --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theclassroomcollaborative/support

Dr. DOUGLAS FISHER is a Professor of Educational Leadership at San Diego State University and a teacher leader at Health Sciences High & Middle College. He is a member of the California Reading Hall of Fame and is the recipient of an International Reading Association Celebrate Literacy Award, the Farmer award for excellence in writing from the National Council of Teachers of English, and the Christa McAuliffe award for excellence in teacher education. He has published numerous articles on improving student achievement as well as books, such as Text-Complexity: Raising Rigor in Reading (with Nancy Frey and Diane Lapp), Checking for Understanding (with Nancy Frey) and Common Core English Language Arts in a PLC at Work (with Nancy Frey). He is a board member of the International Reading Association and a past board member of the Literacy Research Association. In our conversation, Dr. Fisher recalls a time in his teaching career when he genuinely struggled to connect with his learners. He talks about his latest work in the area of balanced literacy, and explains how educators will be pushed to think about literacy in his workshop. He explains why he’s been giving the matter of teacher credibility more attention, and discusses the personal passions and productivity strategies that make him tick. As we close, he also shares some of the voices and resources that continue to shape his thinking and inspire his professional practice today. You can connect with Dr. Douglas Fisher ... On Twitter @DFisherSDSU On his website at https://www.fisherandfrey.com/ Visit https://teachersonfire.net/ for all the show notes and links from this episode! Connect with the Teachers on Fire podcast on social media: On Twitter: https://twitter.com/TeachersOnFire On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teachersonfire/ On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/ On LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/TimWCavey On The Teachers on Fire Magazine: https://medium.com/teachers-on-fire On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFDPjkAn7lZb-rahyVDttKA Song Track Credits Intro: Easy (by Mike Cosmo -- license purchased at https://taketones.com/) Outtro: Bluntedsesh4 (by Tha Silent Partner, courtesy of FreeMusicArchive.org) --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/teachersonfire/support

In this episode Jenn David-Lang of The Main Idea and I talk about student engagement.  Our conversation is based on the book Engagement by Design: Creating Learning Environments Where Students Thrive by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, Russell Quaglia, Dominique Smith, and Lisa Lande, which Jenn has recently summarized in The Main Idea. Send your comments, questions, and show ideas to mike@schoolleadershipshow.com.  Consider rating the podcast in iTunes and leaving a comment.  And please pass the show along to your colleagues. If you or someone you know would like to sponsor the show, send me an email at mike@schoolleadershipshow.com.

In this episode, our guests guide us through the steps to rethinking inclusion. Join us as we explore strategies to move toward a process where the needs of every child are inherently met within the general curriculum, instruction, and services.  Follow on Twitter: @ASCD @Eklundteaches @bamradionetwork @NancyFrey Nancy Frey, Ph.D. and Doug Fisher are co-authors of Your Students My Students, Our Students: Rethinking Equitable and Inclusive Classroom (ASCD). Nancy Frey is a Professor of Educational Leadership at San Diego State University. Dr. Frey is a recipient of the Christa McAuliffe award for excellence in teacher education from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. She has co-authored several books on literacy. She teaches a variety of courses in school improvement and literacy leadership. Douglas Fisher, Ph.D., is Professor of Educational Leadership at San Diego State University and a teacher leader at Health Sciences High & Middle College. He is a member of the California Reading Hall of Fame and is the recipient of an International Reading Association Celebrate Literacy Award, the Farmer award for excellence in writing from the National Council of Teachers of English, as well as a Christa McAuliffe award for excellence in teacher education. He has published numerous articles and books on improving student achievement. Abbie Eklund, Principal of Lincoln Elementary School, 2016 ASCD Emerging Leader.

Visit the Fisher and Frey WebsiteFollow Douglas on Twitter @dfishersdsuFollow Nancy on Twitter @NancyFreyGet the books, PLC+ and The PLC+ PlaybookLearn more about PLC+About The AuthorsDouglas Fisher & Nancy Frey are professors at San Diego State University and co-founders of Health Sciences High & Middle College, where their co-author Dominique Smith is Chief of Educational Services and Teacher Support.

NANCY FREY is a Professor of Educational Leadership and Literacy at San Diego State University and an instructor at Health Sciences High and Middle College. She has also authored or co-authored a number of books, including PLC+: Better Decisions and Greater Impact by Design. Nancy’s areas of expertise include common core implementation, the role of coaching in instructional improvement, text-dependent questions, close reading, writing from sources, and discipline-specific literacies. In our conversation, Nancy described how a massive Florida hurricane shaped her first year of teaching. She describes the mission and vision of her latest book, PLC+: Better Decisions and Greater Impact by Design, and explains how a careful consideration of impact must examine the issue of equity for all learners. She shares some of her most recent thoughts on literacy, and explores the roles of technology in the learning process. Finally, Nancy shares some of the voices and resources that are shaping her thinking and inspiring her practice today. You can connect with Nancy ... On Twitter @NancyFrey: https://twitter.com/NancyFrey On her website at https://www.fisherandfrey.com/ Visit https://teachersonfire.net/ for all the show notes and links from this episode! Connect with the Teachers on Fire podcast on social media: On Twitter: https://twitter.com/TeachersOnFire On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teachersonfire/ On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/ On LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/TimWCavey On The Teachers on Fire Magazine: https://medium.com/teachers-on-fire On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFDPjkAn7lZb-rahyVDttKA Song Track Credits Intro: Easy (by Mike Cosmo -- license purchased at https://taketones.com/) Outtro: Bluntedsesh4 (by Tha Silent Partner, courtesy of FreeMusicArchive.org) --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/teachersonfire/support

In this week's episode of the Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud podcast, Steve is joined by Professors of Educational Leadership at San Diego State University, Nancy Frey & Doug Fisher to discuss their experiences and work with PLCs.   Read Nancy & Doug’s book “Better Decisions and Greater Impact by Design” here.  Subscribe to the Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud podcast on iTunes or visit BarkleyPD.com to find new episodes. Thanks for listening!

Episode 041: PLC Plus with Nancy Frey & Doug Fisher Join us for this discussion with the potent pair Doug Fisher & Nancy Frey! We learn about their new book, PLC+ and the five questions that get to the heart of what collaboration time should look like in schools. Stay tuned until the end for a special promo code for our listeners for the PLC+ Institutes the authors will be hosting in Colorado in October! Connect with Fisher & Frey Website: www.fisherandfrey.com/ | Twitter: @DFisherSDSU; @NancyFrey | Newest Book: PLC Plus, Corwin Press Connect with Vrain Waves Website: vrainwaves.com | Twitter: @VrainWaves | Becky Twitter: @BeckyEPeters | Ben Twitter: @mrkalb Links & Show Notes Out of Our Heads & Into the Classroom: (01:30) American Express: Simple Guide to Lean Meetings Robyn Jackson on weekly team meetings Have an agenda / protocol Techless meetings Pre-mortem from Daniel Pink Collaborative notes & DRIs Toby - Chrome Extension Introduction to Fisher & Frey & PLC Plus (08:12) Their School: Health Sciences High & Middle College in San Diego Questions: Where are we now? & the importance of pre-assessments Side note: common questions for PLC work come from DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, & Many, 2010 as a PLC foundation: Learning by Doing: A Handbook for Professional Learning Communities at Work; we acknowledge this foundational work when discussing PLCs : What do we want students to learn? (essential standards) How will we know if they have learned? (team-developed common assessments) What will we do if they don’t learn? (systematic interventions) What will we do if they already know it? (extended learning) Collective Efficacy Graham Nuthall, Hidden Lives of Learners Students already know between 40-50 percent of what the teacher is teaching (Nuthall, 2007) Equity: Removal of Barriers vs. intervention as responses to student data Activator: Someone to guide the group What are PLCs getting wrong? (13:21) Emphasis on the structural conditions can overwhelm the focus and mission of the group PLC must continually reinvest in itself Lack of attention to instruction - “How do we move learning forward?” Literacy example (16:49) Curriculum / Instruction / Assessment Recent research that ~20% of in-class tasks are on grade level TNTP’s The Opportunity Myth - and an article from EdWeek PLC+ Protocol - Assignment analysis (from The Education Trust) (19:34) Equity in Motion work from The Education Trust Trust and the importance of Relational Conditions (21:18) Activator helps keep the conversation moving Protocols provide consistency PLC+ / PD (22:57) Roughly a 1 to 3 ratio - Full staff Professional learning to PLC+ Time Credibility & Efficacy (24:33) Teacher Credibility: Trust, Competence, Dynamism, Immediacy Self-Efficacy and Collective Efficacy (27:17) Albert Bandura’s research on self-efficacy - From Leading Impact Teams, by Bloomberg & Pitchford (& based on Bandura’s research, as well as Goddard, Hoy, & Hoy): Efficacy = Mastery Moments, Vicarious Experience, Feedback, and Trust “Where are we going?” and “Where are we now?” (31:08) 5 Questions in PLC+: Where are we going? Where are we now? How do we move learning forward? What did we learn today? Who benefited and who did not benefit? Bringing data to the PLC+ (33:22) Student feedback Equity / Cognitive Bias / The Decisions we choose to make: (35:52) Quote from PLC+: “Underlying every decision about what we choose to gather data on is an unspoken decision about what we won’t look at.” Data should be aligned to team’s common challenge; then did we impact learning or not? Invite students to PLC+ times for feedback Protocols for learning walks Microteaching protocols What did we learn today? Every single day we should be formatively assessing Scheduling logistics (44:56) Two PLC+s - Grade level & Content level Vertical & Horizontal conversations are necessary Grading at their school (48:19) Competency-Based / Mastery of Standards Formative homework & classwork All Learning is Social Emotional (50:41) Social Emotional Academic Learning Removing institutional barriers vs. Intervention (54:27) Support each learner individually - help them find a way to mastery Special offer for Vrain Waves Listeners!! (58:50) Promo Code: VRAINWAVES Go to corwin.com/PLCColorado to register; Oct 3 & 4 in Denver at the Curtis Hotel

   Dr. John Almarode shares key ideas from his book Clarity for Learning: Five Essential Practices That Empower Students and Teachers. This is episode 255 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast for educators. Dr. John Almarode, a bestselling author, has worked with schools, classrooms, and teachers all over the world. He has presented locally, nationally, and internationally on the application of the science of learning to the classroom, school, and home environments.  He has worked with hundreds of school districts and thousands of teachers in the US, Australia, Canada, England, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, South Korea, and Thailand. In addition to devoting his time to PreK – 12 schools and classrooms, he is an Associate Professor in the Department of Early, Elementary, and Reading Education, Co-Director of James Madison University’s Center for STEM Education and Outreach, and Director of the Content Teaching Academy. The work of John and his colleagues have been presented to the United States Congress, Virginia Senate, at the United States Department of Education as well as the Office of Science and Technology Policy at The White House. John began his career in Augusta County, Virginia, teaching mathematics and science to a wide range of students. Since then, John has authored multiple articles, reports, book chapters, and nine books including: Captivate, Activate, and Invigorate the Student Brain in Science and Math, Grades 6 - 12 (Corwin Press, 2013), with Ann Miller, From Snorkelers to Scuba Divers (Corwin Press, 2018) with Ann Miller, Visible Learning for Science, with Doug Fisher, Nancy Frey, and John Hattie (Corwin Press, 2018), Teaching Mathematics in the Visible Learning Classroom, Grades 6 - 8, with Doug Fisher, Joseph Assof, Sara Moore, Nancy Frey, and John Hattie (Corwin, 2019), Teaching Mathematics in the Visible Learning Classroom, Grades 9 - 12 with Doug Fisher, Joseph Assof, Sara Moore, Nancy Frey, and John Hattie (Corwin, 2019), Teaching Mathematics in the Visible Learning Classroom, Grades K - 2, and  Teaching Mathematics in the Visible Learning Classroom, Grades 3 - 5 with Doug Fisher, Joseph Assof, Sara Moore, Nancy Frey, and John Hattie (Corwin, 2019) plus Kateri Thunder. Most recently, John and his colleagues have developed a new framework for developing, implementing, and sustaining professional learning communities: PLC+. John lives in Waynesboro, Virginia with his wife, a fellow educator, their two children, and three Labrador retrievers, Angel, Forest, and Bella.   Connect with John and Learn More: almarojt@jmu.edu https://johnalmarode.com/ https://twitter.com/jtalmarode http://us.corwin.com/en-us/nam/clarity-for-learning/book257635 https://www.amazon.com/Clarity-Learning-Essential-Practices-Essentials-ebook/dp/B07JQC7CFC https://us.corwin.com/en-us/nam/clarity-for-learning/book257635     Length - 56:04  

Megan Forbes is a Middle School teacher in Southern California who runs an online brand called Too Cool for Middle School. You can find Too Cool for Middle School on Instagram, YouTube, Teachers Pay Teachers, and Wordpress. Across these various platforms Megan shares teaching advice, educational strategies, words of encouragement, and her side passions: social justice and ethical fashion. We publish two versions of each podcast. To hear longer introductions, more thoughts from our guest, and Ryan’s thoughts on each episode, check out the longform version of the conversation. To hear a shorter podcast with an emphasis on the practical takeaways, listen to the “shortcuts” version. Too Cool for Middle School Links • Blog: https://toocoolformiddleschool.wordpress.com • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUC_22Y1A_uHZ9kEXSRPCKA • Teachers Pay Teachers: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Too-Cool-For-Middle-School • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toocoolformiddleschool/ Episode Links • The Basque Country Wikipedia Search: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basque_Country_(greater_region) • iCivics: https://www.icivics.org • Better Than Carrots or Sticks: Restorative Practices for Positive Classroom Management by Dominique Smith, Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey https://www.amazon.com/Better-Than-Carrots-Sticks-Restorative/dp/1416620621 • Meyers-Briggs Personality Test: https://www.16personalities.com • Enneagram Personality Test: https://www.enneagraminstitute.com Find more episodes on our SoundCloud page: @schoolofthoughtpodcast-275578674 Subscribe to our Podcast on the iTunes Store: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/school-of-thought-podcast/id1325922902?mt=2 Subscribe to our Newsletter at: www.schoolofthoughtproductions.com/contact/ We would love to connect with you! Please email us at schoolofthoughtpodcast@gmail.com to tell us who you are, what you think about the show, and who we should talk to next. Connect with us and the rest of our tribe by searching for School of Thought Podcast on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Megan Forbes is a Middle School teacher in Southern California who runs an online brand called Too Cool for Middle School. You can find Too Cool for Middle School on Instagram, YouTube, Teachers Pay Teachers, and Wordpress. Across these various platforms Megan shares teaching advice, educational strategies, words of encouragement, and her side passions: social justice and ethical fashion. We publish two versions of each podcast. To hear longer introductions, more thoughts from our guest, and Ryan’s thoughts on each episode, check out the longform version of the conversation. To hear a shorter podcast with an emphasis on the practical takeaways, listen to the “shortcuts” version. Too Cool for Middle School Links • Blog: https://toocoolformiddleschool.wordpress.com • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUC_22Y1A_uHZ9kEXSRPCKA • Teachers Pay Teachers: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Too-Cool-For-Middle-School • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toocoolformiddleschool/ Episode Links • The Basque Country Wikipedia Search: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basque_Country_(greater_region) • iCivics: https://www.icivics.org • Better Than Carrots or Sticks: Restorative Practices for Positive Classroom Management by Dominique Smith, Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey https://www.amazon.com/Better-Than-Carrots-Sticks-Restorative/dp/1416620621 • Meyers-Briggs Personality Test: https://www.16personalities.com • Enneagram Personality Test: https://www.enneagraminstitute.com Find more episodes on our SoundCloud page: @schoolofthoughtpodcast-275578674 Subscribe to our Podcast on the iTunes Store: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/school-of-thought-podcast/id1325922902?mt=2 Subscribe to our Newsletter at: www.schoolofthoughtproductions.com/contact/ We would love to connect with you! Please email us at schoolofthoughtpodcast@gmail.com to tell us who you are, what you think about the show, and who we should talk to next. Connect with us and the rest of our tribe by searching for School of Thought Podcast on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

This is the podcast you want to listen to if you're a beginner or a long-time listener. Who is St James? How did his remains end up in Spain? Why do pilgrims wear a shell?Nancy Frey has lived and breathed the Camino for the last 25 years . This, I think, is as good as it gets. Enjoy, Dan.

You’ve been there, right? You’re sitting, fully engaged, in an extraordinary professional learning opportunity. You feel the teacher high and are linking concepts to your current classroom practices. The synapses in your brain are connecting at lightning speed and you feel ready to hit the ground running. Next thing you know, you’re sitting behind your desk without any notion of how to put what you’ve learned into action. Today’s hosts, Angelia and Mary, debrief a recent learning experience with Drs. Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey. Both relish in the masterful modeling of best practices that took place and are curious to see how the newly acquired knowledge is unfolding in the field. Kathleen Paulsen, an instructional coach from the Balsz School District, shares ways she and her colleagues are using the framework, intentional, and targeted practices shared by Fisher and Frey. And before we dismiss for a brief brain break, we’d like to thank you for joining us for season two. We’ll be back later this month for richer and riveting learning — season three will be one for the books (or should we say iPads or tablets).

Do you feel like staying up-to-date on policy in the profession is similar to drinking from a fire hose? Today’s hosts, Angelia and Danielle, admit that while life is so much about the hustle, it’s important to find the time to be informed educators. Fortunately, Chris Kotterman is back with an update on Arizona’s current legislative session. The Arizona School Boards Association’s Director of Governmental Affairs not only informs us about current events, but also gives us tips and tricks to better understand and swim in the political waters. Tune in next week for our final episode of the season when we chat with Kathleen Paulsen about the impact of a recent professional learning opportunity with education greats, Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey.  

Join us for a practical discussion about equity in our schools, why equity is important ,and how to move the equity discussion from concept to reality. Follow: @AdamBrownEDU @donsmithrp @NancyFrey @ASCD @bamradionetwork Nancy Frey is a professor of educational leadership at San Diego State University. Frey also teaches classes at Health Sciences High and Middle College in San Diego. Dominique Smith is the director of student services at Health Sciences High & Middle College, where he also serves as a culture builder and student advocate. Adam J. Brown Ed.D., an ASCD Emerging Leader, is a principal Re-ED/TRAEP- Virginia Beach SECEP at Renaissance Academy.

We talk to Nancy Frey about Academic Redshirting. Is it a good idea to hold your child back from starting kindergarten until next year?