Last year, I dipped my toe into the science of learning and recorded a handful of episodes along the way. That’s how I met Laura Stam and Brett Benson. Their enthusiasm and classroom experience made me more curious. So, I started reading their work and realized there is much more to the science of learning than I thought. They’ve now started a podcast showing how educators are putting the science of learning into practice. Love it. Congrats, Laura and Brett! This 50-second interview with Brett is a good overview of the podcast, if you’re interested in the topic. Click to listen to their most recent episode: bamradionetwork.com/track/su…

Thanks for a wonderful conversation Ashanti.

When budgets get tight, transparency becomes even more important. People can handle difficult news better when they understand what is happening and why. This episode looks at how leaders can communicate through those moments. @PrincipalGarden @PJCaposey @bamradionetwork bamradionetwork.com/track/le…

“You cannot see students being cognitively overloaded.” That may be one of the most important and unsettling ideas from our conversation. @DylanWiliam @bamradionetwork bamradionetwork.com/track/zo…

One part of the cell phone debate we do not talk about enough is social development. If every quiet moment is filled by a screen, when do students learn to talk, disagree, listen and simply be with one another? This discussion raises that question well. Give it a listen. @radiokeri @nationalparents @Rdene915 @Doug_Lemov @bamradionetwork bamradionetwork.com/track/re…

Ever wonder why students seem to understand a lesson one day and forget it the next? The latest Teach Smarter episode does a great job explaining why that happens and what teachers can do about it. Worth checking out. @SoLInTheWild @StamStam193 @Helenrey @S_Oberle @bamradionetwork bamradionetwork.com/track/th…

I can't imagine teaching without mini whiteboards and yet last year was my first year ever using them. Looking back, I realize I need to practice white board routines on day 1. I will be starting instruction on day 1. They can get to know each other and I them "while" we are working not "separate" from working. @AmberBHaven @AndrewWatsonTTB @SoLInTheWild @bamradionetwork bamradionetwork.com/track/ma…

Nearly one out of every four middle school students says they don't feel like they belong at school. For high school students, it's one out of three. That's a statistic we can't ignore. We had a thoughtful conversation about what schools can do to change that. @dalorleon @drchriscip @missytesterman @bamradionetwork bamradionetwork.com/track/de…

The techniques for improving retrieval shared during this discussion are ones I am going to come back to time and again this year. This is a weakness of mine in that I sometimes forget that just because a student can do something today and tomorrow doesn't mean that they have internalized this skill and/or content into their long term memory. I need to get better at this and this discussion not only explained how I can do this but why getting something into long term memory matters. @SoLInTheWild @StamStam193 @Helenrey @S_Oberle @bamradionetwork bamradionetwork.com/track/th…

The ability to focus isn't disappearing overnight. It's disappearing one interruption at a time. That made for an interesting discussion. @aldenejones @Doug_Lemov @DTWillingham @MattRKay @bamradionetwork bamradionetwork.com/track/st…

With August right around the corner I am beginning to think about how I want to tweak my approach to building my students' fact fluency next year. Listening to this conversation again is a great place to start. Last year I spent more time than ever on fact fluency and it was absolute game-changer. I want to improve upon that this year. Give this short discussion a listen if this is a topic that interests you. Also, drop in your suggestions or tips for building fact fluency. I'd love to hear what works in your classroom. @brian_poncy @rastokke @StamStam193 @bamradionetwork bamradionetwork.com/track/un…

During this discussion, Dr. Christina Brown talks about how the attention muscle is something that can be trained. I think this is significant when looking for ways to improve our students' reading stamina. I must admit that my attention muscle has atrophied over recent years because I haven't been working on it. There is no magic cure for improving the attention muscle. We simply need to work on improving it. And, it doesn't always need to be with text that interests students. Students need practice with text that doesn't interest them. They won't always get to choose what they read in school and in their future careers. Rant over. Thoughts? @christinalbrown @colbysharp @smorrisey @bamradionetwork bamradionetwork.com/track/bu…

Many takeaways from this discussion but my favorite might just be when Sarah discussed her coat hook analogy. Listen to hear how she explained how figuring out where and how to process new information to hanging up items on coat hooks. Trust me, she explains it much better than I just attempted to. Let us know what you think. @SoLInTheWild @StamStam193 @Helenrey @S_Oberle @bamradionetwork bamradionetwork.com/track/th…

I think reading stamina deserves more attention than it's getting. Many students can read. Fewer can stay engaged with a challenging text for an extended period of time. Most educators agree reading stamina matters. The conversation is about the best ways to build it. I recently moderated a discussion on this topic. If it interests you, I hope you'll give the episode a listen. @christinalbrown @colbysharp @smorrisey @bamradionetwork bamradionetwork.com/track/bu…

I find the science of learning fascinating because it gives us practical ways to improve instruction. That's why I was excited to listen to the first episode of Teach Smarter, which focuses on how memory works and what teachers can do to help learning stick. @SoLInTheWild @StamStam193 @Helenrey @S_Oberle @bamradionetwork bamradionetwork.com/track/th…

Very insightful discussion on the future of AI for students, teachers, parents and universities. I think my favorite comment was made by Michael when he emphasized how important it is that we "think before we ask AI a question of the AI's thinking will become our thinking." Just a little thought before asking AI questions could go a long way. @michaeljjabbour @sparvell @MicrosoftEDU @bamradionetwork bamradionetwork.com/track/ai…

So proud of how my son’s team (4th Quarter Grind) plays together like a family. And thankful that they are led by two phenomenal coaches, Rocky and Dominic Harris. I have been in education for almost 3 decades and these gentlemen rank up there with the best teachers I have ever observed. They are a prime example of direct instruction at its finest. @4thqtrgrind @Premier1Events

The lack of reading stamina among students today is becoming a major concern. This was a balanced discussion on why that is the case and what we can try to increase our students' stamina. I hope you find this discussion helpful. @christinalbrown @colbysharp @smorrisey @bamradionetwork bamradionetwork.com/track/bu…

Budget cuts are inevitable. Navigating them is difficult. One suggestion from this discussion that stood out to me was, "know your numbers." This may sound obvious but it's not. I often didn't know them well or as well as I could have. By knowing the numbers, you can sometimes see patterns and at least not be totally surprised when budget cuts happen. Also, knowing your numbers helps when having important and difficult conversations. It shows you care enough to know the details. @PrincipalGarden @PJCaposey @bamradionetwork bamradionetwork.com/track/le…