EduTip 30: Do something after formative assessments.
If I give my students an exit slip to check their grasp of a particular skill, and a third of them don’t do well, just moving forward with my original teaching plan is a missed opportunity. Ideally, my next steps should involve some kind of targeted response. Let's talk about what that looks like. ------------------- Thanks to Studyo for sponsoring this tip. You can find written and video versions of these at cultofpedagogy.com/edutips.
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251: Holding Students Accountable in the Age of AI
Since ChatGPT's arrival in late 2022, the top concern I’ve heard from teachers is that students will stop doing their own writing and rely entirely on AI. While that worry is real, more teachers are recognizing that AI is here to stay and are looking for ways to work with it rather than against it. My guest today, Tony Frontier, offers one of the most insightful takes I’ve seen on this issue. In his new book AI With Intention and in our conversation, he shares clear, practical strategies for helping students use AI responsibly and maintain academic integrity. Thanks to ExploreLearning and Listenwise for sponsoring this episode. To read a full transcript of this episode and find links to more retrieval practice resources, visit cultofpedagogy.com/ai-integrity.
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EduTip 29: Build relationships with a spreadsheet.
Lots of teachers give students some kind of questionnaire at the beginning of a school year to get to know them, but what do you do with that information after you get it? By putting responses into a spreadsheet, you'll have a relationship-building tool you can use all year. ------------------- Thanks to Studyo for sponsoring this tip. You can find written and video versions of these at cultofpedagogy.com/edutips.
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250: Nine Easy Ways to Add Retrieval to Your Lessons
Retrieval practice is the act of trying to recall something you learned from memory by doing things like taking a test or using flashcards instead of just looking at, rereading, or reviewing the information. When we study with retrieval, we learn and remember things much better than we do by other review methods. So how do we add more to our classrooms? In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Pooja Agarwal, editor of the book Smart Teaching Stronger Learning, and two of the book's authors, Dr. Janell Blunt and Dr. Michelle Rivers, to learn nine simple, easy, and fun retrieval strategies that can be added to any lesson. Thanks to Zearn and EVERFI for sponsoring this episode. To read a full transcript of this episode and find links to more retrieval practice resources, visit cultofpedagogy.com/retrieval-in-action.
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249: A Close Look at Competency-Based Learning
We talk a lot about differentiating instruction, measuring growth, and preparing students for the real world, but how do you actually do that in a system still driven by grades? Maybe you need a new model altogether. In this episode, we're exploring an approach to school called competency-based learning. I’m joined by three educators — Susie Bell, Heather Messer, and Beth Blankenship — who show us what this model actually looks like in classrooms. They share real teaching examples, how they assess growth over time, and how the Mastery Transcript Consortium supports this work. Thanks to Zearn and EVERFI for sponsoring this episode. To read a full transcript of this episode and get more resources on competency-based learning, visit cultofpedagogy.com/competency-based-learning.
Teaching strategies, classroom management, education reform, educational technology -- if it has something to do with teaching, we're talking about it. Jennifer Gonzalez interviews educators, students, administrators and parents about the psychological and social dynamics of school, trade secrets, and other juicy things you'll never learn in a textbook. For more fantastic resources for teachers, visit http://www.cultofpedagogy.com.