The Continuing Educator
A math teacher and a professional learning pro bring a blast of fresh air to educators everywhere, every week!
Here's what makes this teaching podcast different: We have big ideas about education AND we know how to put them to work in your classroom AND we'll tell you funny stories about doing it. Every episode is packed with tips from your peers working in schools right now and strategies from the pros on the professional learning team at NWEA. Plus, our co-hosts Jacob Bruno (EVP of Learning & Improvement Services at NWEA) and Kailey Rhodes (middle school math teacher in Portland) guarantee that you will laugh at least 12.8 times per episode.
If you've got a comment about an episode or a funny story you want to tell, send us a voice memo at social.media@nwea.org and we might respond on air. AND! If you enjoy the podcast so much that you want to learn more about how NWEA professional learning delivers high-quality online, onsite, virtual, and blended learning experiences to help educators bring curriculum, instruction, and assessment into alignment to improve student outcomes, go here: https://www.nwea.org/professional-learning-overview
Episodes
41 episodes
Literacy and justice for all, with Sharron Stroman
Sharron Stroman gives Jacob & Kailey a guided tour of her journey as a teacher and school leader focused on early literacy. Sharron is an education professional of nearly 3 decades who currently serves as a senior professional learning cons...
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25:45
Authentic spaces and resilient teachers, with Piper Nichols
What are the habits we know that enable teachers to be effective no matter the environment? And how do we build and sustain professional and personal practices that help us rise to every challenge? NWEA Senior Account Manager Piper Nichols stop...
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27:57
The Alaska Certified Facilitator Program, with Moon McCarley and Ashley Cruz
Today, Jacob is joined by an Alaskan and a Texan: Moon McCarley, Principal at Nondalton School and District Testing Coordinator for The Lake and Peninsula School District, located on the Alaska Peninsula; and Ashley Cruz, State Professional Lea...
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33:33
Resilient teachers, now and for the future, with Robyn & Sarah Sturgeon
Robyn & Sarah, a mother & daughter teaching duo, stop by to chat with Jacob about what each generation has learned from the other, what’s better about teaching today, and what’s more challenging. They also talk about Sarah’s alternative...
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33:55
Secrets & strategies from high-growth classrooms, with Chase Nordengren
For this episode, we're once again joined by Dr. Chase Nordengren, principal research lead for Effective Instructional Strategies at NWEA to talk about teacher-led approaches to academic recovery.Chase works closely with lea...
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20:20
Changing attitudes on assessment literacy, with Jacob Bruno
“Professional learning should be intensive, collaborative, job-embedded, and data-driven.” Jacob hops from the host’s chair to the hot seat as he sits down with Kailey to discuss his journey through the education world to become a ...
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32:57
A more welcoming science classroom, with Megan Kuehl and Kim Baker
Kailey & Jacob are joined by two educators and NWEA content specialists who have thought a lot about how to improves student experiences in science. Kim Baker has been at NWEA for 13 years, and Megan Kuehl has been here for eight. We discus...
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41:31
Middle School Madness! With Harper & Amelia
Get ready for a blast of youthful energy and insight in this one-of-a-kind episode of The Continuing Educator! Join Kailey and Jacob as they dive into an engaging discussion with two bright young minds, Harper & Amelia, who are gearing up f...
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15:56
Which back-to-school Barbie are you? With Shelby Coffin & Olivia Rocamora
Send your back-to-school tips as a voice memo to social.media@nwea.org — we’ll play them on air. Lots of great teaching stories and tips in this one! Two teachers (and longtime friends) join Kailey to ...
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44:02
Comedy and the Classroom, with Nicholas Joe
Kailey chats with actor, comedian, and NWEA professional learning lead consultant Nicholas Joe about how, why, and when teachers get laughs in their classroom. Along the way they discuss strategies like how to pivot in the classroom with a “Yes...
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35:08
LIVE in Atlanta at NWEA Fusion, with Lindsay Deacon and Marelenise Phillips-Roberts
What a great crowd for our first live show! After discussing their Georgia roots, Jacob and Kailey chat with their guests about choosing the best summer professional learning opportunities and what gets them motivated at a conference. Next, the...
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37:42
Voicemails from our listeners! Teachers share their favorite motivators, props, and student compliments
This was a fun one... because we got to talk to you, our listeners! In this episode: We see how Mr. Potato head can motivate students, one additional limb at a time. We open a big box of costumes in the middle of class. We learn about a teacher...
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27:14
Does NWEA really help teachers? Misty Hodge with some real talk on innovators listening to educators
As a teacher, Misty Hodge wondered: Who makes these assessments I give my students? Are these companies listening to the teachers who use them, or are they just throwing darts in the dark? So she came to NWEA to make sure that teachers like her...
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28:11
Push that button! Melissa Lim on what's possible with technology in the classroom
Melissa Lim is a Technology Integration Specialist at Portland Public Schools, but she sees herself first and foremost as a teacher, not an IT professional. In this episode, Melissa chats with Kailey and Jacob about showing kids and teachers wh...
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37:03
What’s next for the science of reading? John Luke Bell, Tiffany Peltier, and Lisa LeBoeuf on how we keep the momentum going
The science of reading is both a body of research and movement in literacy education. How do we keep those two things connected when they’re not always aligned? What are most common myths about literacy instruction, how do we fight them? A roun...
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25:28
We’re not octopuses! What successful differentiation looks like now, with Chase Nordengren and Tatiana Ciccarelli
The elusive practice of classroom differentiation has historically had lots of “shouldas” and “couldas” from experts, but it's always been difficult to do well at scale. Disruptions in formal schooling for all students and educators have only i...
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41:10
Fuzzy feelings and wardrobe malfunctions: Lindsay Deacon and Amanda Kamm share their best teacher stories
What’s it like in classrooms right now? The only way to know is to ask a teacher, so we sat down with a first-grade elementary teacher and a sixth-grade social studies & science teacher and listened. Topics include: Modeling respect, making...
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34:44
Ask your kids what they want! And other secrets of building a better classroom culture, with new co-host Kailey Rhodes
We're back for Season 4! Yes, *we* — on this episode, Jacob Bruno interviews our new co-host, Kailey Rhodes, about how to establish a real rapport with your students and build a classroom culture where they can trust and thrive. The first step?...
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22:58
Bonus Episode: Texas principal Martin Silverman talks family literacy
Thanks for listening! Please rate & review The Continuing Educator on your favorite podcast platform. Season 4 is coming in 2023.In this bonus episode from Season 3, we talk to a working educator about the importance of family liter...
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Season 3
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Episode 9
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26:10
Digital and Disciplinary Literacy, with Laura Hansen (Season 3, Ep. 8)
The ALA defines digital literacy as "the ability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills." We discuss the many other definitio...
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Season 3
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Episode 8
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29:33
Family Literacy, with Lauren Bardwell and Shiji Mathews (Season 3, Ep. 7)
“The essence of family literacy is that parents are supported as the first teachers of their children.” Family Literacy is the idea that long after diapers and baby steps, our children have so much to learn by watching, observing, and collabora...
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Season 3
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Episode 7
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33:18
The Science of Reading, with Lynne Kulich and Natalie Wexler (Season 3, Ep. 6)
On this episode, we explore literacy instruction, the science of reading, early childhood literacy, and the differences between skills-focused and knowledge-focused classrooms. Our two guests are passionate leaders in the field: Dr. Lynne Kulic...
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Season 3
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Episode 6
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46:56
Early literacy and early numeracy, with Cindy Jiban and Tammy Baumann (Season 3, Ep. 5)
Let’s take a trip to where it all begins, at least academically, with early literacy and numeracy. On this episode, early learning experts Dr. Cindy Jiban and Dr. Tammy Baumann join us to share classroom strategies to help young learners naviga...
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Season 3
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Episode 5
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35:21
Clark County School District's Professional Learning story, with Angela Morton and Lindsay Prendergast (Season 3, Ep. 4)
For episode 4, we head to Las Vegas and the nation’s fifth largest school district. NWEA and Clark County School District are longtime partners who recently engaged on developing a robust and holistic professional learning program that could ha...
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Season 3
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Episode 4
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35:41
Formative conversation starters, with Ted Coe and Anita Brown (Season 3, Ep. 3)
“For many, learning mathematics leads to perceiving the subject as a collection of procedures that are disconnected from any big picture. It’s much like filling a box with puzzle pieces, yet never building the puzzle.” For this episode, w...
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Season 3
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Episode 3
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25:27
