03 Apr 2020
A Better Way To Teach Math

A Better Way To Teach Math

This episode was recorded and edited before the coronavirus & distance learning was front of mind for educators. Valuable takeaways though regardless if you're virtual or in person One of challenges of teaching math is being able to satisfying answer the question 'why'? Before we can even answer the question for students, we have to answer the question for ourselves. Why does the math work this way? It's much easier to teach a student how to do a problem. It's a bit harder to explain to them why it works the way it does. It's even more challenging to help…
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19 Mar 2020
UPDATE: New Baby, COVID-19, and Life at Home

UPDATE: New Baby, COVID-19, and Life at Home

https://youtu.be/BpSlAy2nPd0 We had a baby amidst all this coronavirus stuff. I wanted to share an update on how things have been and my plans during my time at home on paternity leave / quarantine . TIMESTAMPS 0:00 - Life with a newborn6:11 - Daily schedule during quarantine10:03 - Future podcasts12:28 - Distance learning in the country15:38 - New content for teachers (livestreams, courses)18:42 - My distance learning plan so far20:24 - Tips for making the most of self-quarantine time CONNECT W/ ME ON HOW THINGS ARE GOING Email | thom@thomgibson.comTwitter | @gibsoneduYouTube | /gibsoneduInstagram | @gibsoneducation SUPPORT THE PODCAST Enroll…
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21 Feb 2020
No Planning Time, Low Test Scores, & Correcting Students | Q&A Show

No Planning Time, Low Test Scores, & Correcting Students | Q&A Show

What do you do if you don't have a planning period? How do you help students master a skill after they've failed a test? How do you correct students when they're wrong? Any advice for a first time long-term sub? We explore these questions into today's Q&A show. EPISODE NOTES In this Q&A show, we discuss: How do you support students & help them master content after they've scored low on a test?How do you find time to prep, grade, plan without using all of your free time outside of school if you don't have a prep period?How do you…
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14 Feb 2020
Skype | Classroom Uses You Haven’t Thought Of

Skype | Classroom Uses You Haven’t Thought Of

Sometimes we don't utilize simple tools that could have a powerful impact in our classroom. Skype has always been one of those tools for me. It has the power to bring the world into my classroom but I've rarely utilized it. I think it's not until we hear stories of how others are using it that it begins to spark ideas for what it could look like in our classroom. EPISODE NOTES Today I chat with two educators who are all about Skype in the classroom. Jeni Long & Salleé Clark (who go by the dynamic duo name of Jenallee)…
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09 Feb 2020
How to Keep Your Sub Days From Being a Total Wash

How to Keep Your Sub Days From Being a Total Wash

My first day in the classroom was as a sub. I went in with ambitions to change young peoples lives; to see the student who isn't seen, to hear the student who isn't heard. The sub plan read as follows: "have the students work on odd problems on page 114 in the workbook." There were about 4 different workbooks amidst the pile of papers on her desk and I don't know which one she was referring to. Needless to say amidst my complete lack of classroom management skills and lack of direction, the day was a total wash and one…
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31 Jan 2020
How to Celebrate Multiculturalism in Your Class…Even If All of Your Students Are White

How to Celebrate Multiculturalism in Your Class…Even If All of Your Students Are White

A multicultural classroom is a celebration of the ethnic and racial groups in your classroom, particularly those that have been historically under represented. How do you do that in a meaningful way, whether you have a variety of cultures in your classroom or you teach in a predominately white school? My guest today is Roberto Germán, director of middle school and creator of the educational consulting group 'The Multicultural Classroom.' EPISODE NOTES In today's episode we explore: the differences between multiculturalism, a multicultural classroom, and social justiceRoberto's journey from an extremely poor and under-performing school in Lawrence, MA to one…
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24 Jan 2020
Have Students Make Your Coffee…And Other Class Job Ideas

Have Students Make Your Coffee…And Other Class Job Ideas

Stop doing things in your classroom that your students can do. In this episode I share all of my classroom jobs and what you need to think through as you develop jobs in your own classroom. Class jobs in and of themselves have tremendous value in creating a positive classroom culture, building responsibility in students, and saving YOU time as the teacher. My classroom jobs are part of a larger classroom economy system. If you want to dive into how I do that, check out the course I created for teachers linked below: 'How to Teach Kids About Money' course…
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17 Jan 2020
10 Grading Time Hacks

10 Grading Time Hacks

It's good to be doing the podcast again after some time off over the holidays! When I got back to school, I led a PD session for my colleagues on how to save time grading and thought it'd make for a valuable podcast. TIMESTAMPS 0:00 - Intro3:47 - Update on the podcast6:17 - Why grading takes so long7:28 - Hack 1 | Grade fewer things10:23 - Hack 2 | Have shorter assessments11:52 - Hack 3 | Skip written feedback14:55 - Hack 4 | Batch your grading16:58 - Hack 6 | Take assessment yourself (by hand)19:05 - Hack 7 | Use…
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28 Mar 2019
How to Use Storytelling in the Classroom

How to Use Storytelling in the Classroom

A few months ago I didn't know that storytelling competitions were a thing. Then I heard Matthew Dicks on a podcast and he shared what makes for good storytelling. I thought it was interesting but it wasn't until he told a short 5-minute story that I was convinced of his mastery of the craft and I wanted to learn more. (more…)
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