APLC Change Maker Conversations in Education

Susan shares some of the lessons and strategies she's used over her time career as a Jr High Art Teacher, Comedian and Author. We discuss her books, writing process and some of the lessons she picked up and shared along the way as well as a couple of other books, The Science of Making Friends and the Gap and the Gain over the course of our conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As always we start out with sharing some of our recent books read or currently reading followed by Myron taking us through his lived experience as a teacher and evolution to speaking, presenting and writing about assessment in the classroom and how we might improve our practice in support of learning in our classroom. The author of Giving Students a Say, and Grading Smarter not Harder shares his ideas, and introduces option for improved practice while exploring how we can provide greater assurance to parents and the community that our students are, in fact, learning. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Change Maker Conversations in Education Hosts visit with Katie Garner, the founder of Secret Stories: Cracking the Reading Code with the Brain in mind. Katie shares stories, resources and thoughts on how everyone working with little ones learning how to read for the first time, supporting those who are re-learning how to read following injury or illness, and those learning English as an additional learner can learn the secrets of the alphabet and the sounds and songs they make. Links and book title information included on the APLC website blog post. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we visit with Julie Stern, author of Tools for Teaching: Designing Lessons and Assessments for Deep Learning (Elementary and Secondary editions) and Learning that Transfers: Designing Curriculum for a Changing World. Julie also has a website well worth visiting for resources and examples. It is at https://www.edtochangetheworld.com. Julie discusses teaching for conceptual understanding, sharing examples from classroom visits and examples referring to various books that can be applied to all subjects and all grades. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our last podcast episode of the 2023-2024 school year features Matthew (Matt) Johnson a Michigan area English teacher who has taught grade 6 - 12. Matt has written several books and his most recent book comes out during the summer of 2024 entitled: Good Grammar, Grades 6-12: Joyful and Affirming Language Lessons That Work for More Students Don't fall over; it's not a mistake. Joyful and Grammar in the same sentence. Matt shares several ways by which teachers can better approach grammar in speaking and writing. Matt mentions the ‘Da Art of Storytelling essay by Kiese Laymon as another resource to consider. Matt's own websitecontains a section with summaries of his books and links to his submissions to several journals and other resources. Matt also invites us to look at the choices that others make in their social media post, pulling texts and (X)/Twitter posts into the writing and into the writing structure. Little Nas X to Taylor Swift. Every English teacher can benefit from this podcast as Matt discusses assessment practices and the mechanics of helping students enhance their understanding and application of the mechanics of English. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

​​Rebekah O'Dell believes in the power of choice, authenticity, and students' voices in the reading and writing classroom. Travelling the country to work with teachers and students provides constant inspiration as she helps educators do the hard and transformative work of teaching real writing. In public and independent schools, she taught middle and high school students at all levels -from inclusion to AP and IB classes. In addition to being a real-time classroom teacher, Rebekah co-founded Moving Writers - movingwriters.org and is the author of Writing With Mentors (Heinemann 2015) and Beyond Literary Analysis (Heinemann, January 2018). Rebekah shares several insights into working with students to develop stronger writers and readers, resources for teachers to support that work and their development as mentor readers and writers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Charlie Kraig and Rick Gilson visit with a long-time friend and colleague, Joanne Pitman, who was recently appointed as Chief Superintendent of the Calgary Board of Education or CBE. Jo (as she prefers to be called) shares some thoughts on her most recent read - and re-read, "What We Owe the Future" by William MacAskill and how it has influenced her thinking and work as a system leader and human sharing planet Earth. The episode draws to a close with Jo sharing one of many great poems from the book, "Leading from Within: Poetry that sustains the courage to lead." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

ARPDC Podcast Series hosts, Charlie Kraig and Rick Gilson roll up their sleeves and share excerpts and thoughts on approximately 15 books for the classroom, professional and personal reading libraries. Along the way, we talk about where and how they might be used, what we have taken away from them for personal and professional growth and offer a couple of online resources to check out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Charlie Kraig and Rick Gilson are joined by Trevor Aleo, author, teacher, podcaster, and doctoral candidate, as we discuss and take a deep dive at times in the conversation, the many ways and means by which students of all grades can develop and demonstrate their literacy. Trevor shares several titles, research points and resources that can support your professional learning and practice in the classroom to benefit your students. A classroom teacher primarily working with students in grades 9-12 Trevor is currently working on completing his doctorate working with Dr. Mary Kalantzis and Dr. Bill Cope at the University of Illinois Urbana-Chgampagne. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of our podcast series, we visit with Irene Heffel, a long-time literacy coach, instructional lead, current Designer of Professional Learning with our ARPDC team and an instructor at Concordia College in the faculty of Education in Edmonton. Irene has over 35 years of experience at all levels of education and has worked in and with elementary and secondary teachers to implement best practices in curriculum, assessment and backward design with a primary focus on reading and writing instruction across the curriculum. Our conversation brought up the importance of conversation and dialogue around what you are reading, what you are thinking as a result, and how your thinking has changed due to your reading. We found ourselves discussing motivation, making thinking visible and working to develop our own professional practice as curious learning readers in addition to developing those same attributes in our students and classrooms. The work of mindfully supporting our students in thinking about what they are reading, what they are hearing from others as they discuss or share what they are reading, and our ability as teachers to be attuned to the processes of reading, viewing, listening, as they impact our understanding and thinking is the focus of this podcast episode. Irene emphasizes the importance of preparing the students, priming them to be mindful of their thoughts, and drawing upon their background knowledge before reading an article, an excerpt, or a book. With that excellent preparation, you are enhancing expectations and curiosity. Following the reading, you get into the conversation and questioning that helps draw out what you still think, what you now think and how that has evolved, been affirmed or changed in the process. Resources and links shared in the website link. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Having recently completed a significant update to the Alberta Regional Professional Development Consortium’s English as an Additional Language Website, we sit down in this podcast episode to engage in a conversation with Stephanie Dodyk, whose post-graduate work focuses on the support of English as an additional language (EAL) learners of all ages. Stephanie shares the personal experiences that, in part, motivate her passion for this work, resources, stories and, of course, books and the website with listeners. The EAL website is part of the growing collection accessed at the ARPDC website under the General PD Resources tab. We encourage you to check out the site and specifically the EAL website and linked resources found therein. Stephanie shared a number of books for personal and professional reading as well as books teachers might consider adding to their classroom libraries. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Karen Filewych, one-time newspaper journalist, turned to teaching, all the while remaining passionate about writing – both her own and all those she teaches. In this episode of the Change Maker Conversations in Education, we continue our Literacy Across the Curriculum conversation with this author, educator, leader and all-around awesome soul. Karen shares several books and thoughts, inviting us to consider the importance of doing everything we can to help people of all ages to enjoy and thrive as readers, writers, and full participants in the conversations and practices of a literate society. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Angela Stockman can help us all with our reading skills K-12; however, it is in writing, expressing your thoughts, and ideas, and telling stories across a myriad of modalities that Angela has really lived, breathed and worked with teachers and students for most of her life. Angela believes we all have stories, our stories are important, and there are a myriad of ways we can tell our stories. Her Writer's Workshops, books, and sessions provide all educators (and parents) with inspiration and procedures (including assessments) that create an environment where even the most reluctant can see a path to sharing their stories and improving their writing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices