28 Oct 2019
Screaming at Kids, Comparing Students, and Creating a Self-Sustaining Classroom | Q&A Show

Screaming at Kids, Comparing Students, and Creating a Self-Sustaining Classroom | Q&A Show

How do you handle the noise level in your classroom and get your students attention without screaming? What do you do about students who just refuse to study for tests? How do you create a self-sustaining classroom? We answer these and more in this first Q&A show! EPISODE NOTES In this Q&A show, we discuss (timestamps included): 0:51 - What are the top three books that guide you in building a self-sustaining classroom culture?8:37 - As a first year robotics teacher, do you compare one class with another as a way to motivate students? In Brazil, if one class is falling behind another, it's common to…
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28 Sep 2019
How Do You Teach Creativity?

How Do You Teach Creativity?

EPISODE SUMMARY Working with students on creative projects is challenging. What exactly is creativity and how do you teach it? What role does structure and deadlines play in the creative process? How do we guide students in collaborating together on creative work? What's the importance of self-assessment and peer assessments? How subjective or objective should our assessment as teachers be? EPISODE NOTES A conversation on Facebook with my friend Jake led me to ponder the nature of teaching kids how to do creative work. Jake Ritter is a broadcast journalism teacher and John Mulvany is an artist and art teacher…
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29 Aug 2019
Should You Start Your Own Teacher Podcast?

Should You Start Your Own Teacher Podcast?

EPISODE SUMMARY Podcasting has served as an amazing avenue for reflection on my own educational practice, both from using classroom audio and sharing it as well as getting the opportunity to sit with master educators to talk with them about their craft. Teacher blogging started to boom about 10 years ago and it's been said that podcasting is the now the new blogging. So should you start your own teacher podcast? And if so, how do you do it? EPISODE NOTES Chris Nesi and Jeff Bradbury are two of the biggest names in educational podcasting. Chris is the creator of…
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01 Oct 2018
What Would Make A Great 1st Day of School?

What Would Make A Great 1st Day of School?

With the start of the school year upon us, I've been thinking a lot about the first day of school. Is it the most important day? How do you balance the need for rules & procedures with getting kids stoked about being in your class? How do you ensure students have a voice and feel seen & heard on the first day? How do you not only begin to develop a positive relationship with students but also help them begin to develop positive relationships with each other and with the content you're teaching? What do students think makes a great…
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28 Feb 2018
5 Class Greetings To Improve School Culture | The Thom Gibson Podcast Ep 3

5 Class Greetings To Improve School Culture | The Thom Gibson Podcast Ep 3

Can High-5's really make that much of a difference in school culture? In this episode, I explore the various ways I've begun to greet students at the door right at the beginning of class and how they've helped build a positive culture in my classroom and school. I also have another teacher, Justin Aion sound off of why he started High-5 Fridays at his school and the effects it had on his own school culture. Music by Podington Bear Connect with Justin Aion - www.twitter.com/justinaion   
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