The EduGals Podcast

In this episode, we are discussing the challenges and successes that we have experienced with  destreaming in our classrooms. Specifically, we'll chat about the new grade 9 English curriculum, continuing efforts with other destreaming program areas,  and how to best support teachers that are implementing destreaming.
 
If you like what you hear, we would love it if you could share this episode with a colleague or friend. And make sure you subscribe so that you don’t miss out on any new content! And consider supporting the show by buying us a coffee or two!

We would love to hear from you – leave a comment on our website OR check out our FLIPGRID!

Featured Content
**For detailed show notes, please visit our website at https://edugals.com/136**

• Challenges and experiences we have had with implementing destreaming in our schools, specifically in grade 9 English, science, and math
• The importance of providing support and resources for teachers during the implementation process 
• Challenges include lack of time and resources given to educators
• Need for additional support in grade 10 courses to ensure a smooth transition from destreaming to academic streams
• Additional pressures with teaching a new grade 11 curriculum (NBE course) 
• Other episodes on destreaming:
  • Getting Ready for Destreaming - E081
  • Destreaming Education: Our Two Cents - E048

Connect with EduGals:

• Twitter @EduGals
• Rachel @dr_r_johnson
• Katie @KatieAttwell
• EduGals Website
• Support the show

This week, we are talking all about how we start out using various opening routines in our mastery-based classrooms. Specifically, we will share how we set up our courses and some daily activities you can use with your students to get them ready for learning.

If you like what you hear, we would love it if you could share this episode with a colleague or friend. And make sure you subscribe so that you don’t miss out on any new content! And consider supporting the show by buying us a coffee or two!

We would love to hear from you – leave a comment on our website OR check out our FLIPGRID!

Featured Content
**For detailed show notes, please visit our website at https://edugals.com/135**

Opening Routines For The Semester/School Year:

• Unit Zero - 2 to 3 lessons long to learn about the logistics of a mastery-based classroom and learning
• Diagnostics - first 2 to 3 weeks, works well for ELL learners (oral, reading, writing skill levels)
• Focus on getting to know you activities and building classroom community as the premise to learn about the mastery-based learning model
• Use mastery-based learning terminology: lesson classifications, guided notes, etc
• Google Slides and YouTube for getting to know you activities, lessons etc
• Use of conferencing with students
• Lots of opening, whole class activities throughout the first few weeks of school
• Thinking classrooms, game-based learning (GimKit for example) are great ideas to engage students in whole class activities and build classroom community

Daily Opening Routines For The Classroom:

• Regular conferencing
• Group-based work based on STEP levels (ELL learners)
• Whole class lessons with all levels modelled (helps to set high expectations for all learners and builds motivation)
• Thinking Classrooms model (but not in a traditional sense) - use randomized groups of 3 (Flippity Random Name Picker), at the whiteboards, solving 1-2 problems related to on pace lessons, use mastery as checks for understanding
• Mix approaches up - other collaborative activities, demos, thinking classrooms, other whole group activities to set the tone, etc
• Do Now or Check-In (goal setting and/or SEL check-in) - can be done daily, weekly, more sporadic (end of unit/module)
• Weekly agenda slide deck
• Progress Tracker for informal check-in and goal-setting
• Modern Classroom Project: Guide to Opening and Closing Routines
  • Accountability groups
  • Tell me something good - students can share announcements and good news

Connect with EduGals:

• Twitter @EduGals
• Rachel @dr_r_johnson
• Katie @KatieAttwell
• EduGals Website
• Support the show

This week, we are continuing our book study with chapter 2 of Grading for Equity: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How It Can Transform Schools and Classrooms by Joe Feldman. Specifically, we will dive into the history of schools and grading and examine what's changed and what's not changed (which is a lot!).

If you like what you hear, we would love it if you could share this episode with a colleague or friend. And make sure you subscribe so that you don’t miss out on any new content! And consider supporting the show by buying us a coffee or two!

We would love to hear from you – leave a comment on our website OR check out our FLIPGRID!

Featured Content
**For detailed show notes, please visit our website at https://edugals.com/134**

• Chapter 1 - E130
• Changes in society that affected our model of school
  • Manufacturing - need for factory workers, prepare students to be good employees, critical thinking is highly valued now
  • Migration and Immigration - assimilation, movement from rural to urban, FNMI, history repeats itself
  • Intelligence Testing and Categorization - IQ tests used for streaming purposes, IQ tests not equitable, created barriers to pathways for students, de-streaming is beginning to address these inequities, college vs university pathway (college is much more career-focused which is great)
  • Progressive Educators - John Dewey was ahead of his time, he saw the inequities that existed and saw school as a way to improve position in society, other behaviourists (BF Skinner, Pavlov) - operant conditioning applied to our education system
• How did this impact schools?
  • Quiet vs noisy classrooms - humans are social, quiet is no longer as valued, mastery-based learning supports active and collaborative classrooms where all students are on task
  • Learning skills - not a lot of change, skills like following directions, punctuality are still highly valued
• History of Grading
  • Very descriptive and individualized and shifted to letter grades for efficiency reasons
  • Now we are returning to more descriptive and individualized feedback
  • Bell Curves - if grades fit within a bell curve, it means that the approach taken had no impact on student learning; instead, we want to see skews towards higher achievement to show a positive impact

Connect with EduGals:

• Twitter @EduGals
• Rachel @dr_r_johnson
• Katie @KatieAttwell
• EduGals Website
• Support the show

This week, we are chatting all about station-based learning. This instructional model is frequently used at the elementary level, so our focus for this conversation is how to implement station-based learning in the secondary classroom.

If you like what you hear, we would love it if you could share this episode with a colleague or friend. And make sure you subscribe so that you don’t miss out on any new content! And consider supporting the show by buying us a coffee or two!

We would love to hear from you – leave a comment on our website OR check out our FLIPGRID!

Featured Content
**For detailed show notes, please visit our website at https://edugals.com/102**

• There are many different ways to set up stations - by activity, by curriculum strand
• Can be done over a day, several days, or even a week
• Catlin Tucker - Blended Learning in Action book and Balance with Blended Learning book
• Station Rotation Model:
  • Teacher-led, small group work, individual practice, online learning, collaborative stations
  • Doesn't need to be physical locations in your room although this can help your students stay on task!
  • Other ideas for stations: makerspace, research, project-based learning, design & create, virtual field trips, role playing &/or performance, feedback
• Feedback station suggestions:
  • Peer review, teacher led, self assessment
  • Provide sentence starters and/or frameworks to guide peer and self assessment
• Behind the scenes:
  • Lots of upfront work with a big payoff
  • Consider approaching the topic using different modalities
  • Think about those topics that students often struggle with to target for stations
  • Help students learn the model by starting with low stakes stations (getting to know you activities for example)
  • Consider interactions: teacher-student, student-student, student-content
  • Have clear objectives, tasks, instructions
  • Works well with mastery-based learning
  • Mix up the activities you use
  • Look at UDL framework for inspiration
• Logistics in the classroom:
  • Limit the number of students per station
  • Use a timer and project it to keep students on task
  • It's ok not to finish all tasks
  • Consider lesson classifications from Modern Classrooms framework
  • Add in a fun station (curriculum-related board games, etc.)
  • Tech vs no-tech - not all stations need tech!
  • If using tech, consider all aspects - headphones, headphone splitters, chromebooks, adapters
• Expect a learning curve - try, fail, learn!

Connect with EduGals:

• Twitter @EduGals
• Rachel @dr_r_johnson
• Katie @KatieAttwell
• EduGals Website
• Support the show

• What is standards-based grading (SBG)? It's a system of grading that is closely tied to mastery of the standards in the curriculum
• Disclaimer: we don't have all of the answers!
• Rethinking Your Grading Scale - E122
• Specifications Grading - E107
• Standards-based grading vs specifications (specs) grading
• ChemEd talk on Standards-Referenced Grading in Chemistry Classrooms
• SBG - 4 levels vs 7 levels (IB)
• Mastery Scales (example 1 and example 2)
• Building up skills from basic, to simple, to target, to complex
• Putting specific expectations into a hierarchical order
• Evaluations still don't have points grades - mastery scales are dependent on demonstration of mastery of those skills within each level
• Learning is broken down into modules (smaller than units)
• Overlap of skills between modules is possible
• Still doing multiple opportunities to demonstrate mastery of skills (2-3 attempts)
• Due dates are the same as any other school year
• Consistent test day each week
• Conferencing at midterm and final reporting periods to collaborate on grades
• Feedback practices remain the same, lots of 1-1 support
• Mastery - defined as 80% or greater (can be individual for each teacher)
• A slight step away from UnGrading
• Do you show the level conversions or not?
• How will students react?
• Mastery-based learning works for content retention!

Connect with EduGals:

• Twitter @EduGals
• Rachel @dr_r_johnson
• Katie @KatieAttwell
• EduGals Website
• Support the show

This week, we are chatting about technology use with students and how parents can best support that at home. We will share a little bit of our own struggles as parents and also some ideas that we have as educators to help support families.

If you like what you hear, we would love it if you could share this episode with a colleague or friend. And make sure you subscribe so that you don’t miss out on any new content! And consider supporting the show by buying us a coffee or two!

We would love to hear from you – leave a comment on our website OR check out our FLIPGRID!

Featured Content
**For detailed show notes, please visit our website at https://edugals.com/132**

• How Technology Influences Student Thinking - E125
• This Week In Ontario EduBlogs - Stephen Hurley and Doug Peterson
• Technology use has exploded - how much should kids be using it?
• Limiting screen time (focus on educational apps, limited time/devices, TV time, require activity before screens, get outdoors)
• Getting off task while on technology (virtual or remote learning, YouTube, lack of focus)
• Canadian Paediatric Society screen time recommendations
• TV watching time as a family activity
• Too much screen time can affect mood, sleep, etc - decide how much time is right for you, your kids, and your family
• Parental controls (chromebooks, e-readers, iPads)
• Teaching digital citizenship skills (share weekly resources in your classroom newsletter)
• Balance screen time, social activities
• Cell phones - when do you start? Safety, maturity
• Smart watches for kids - Apple Watch, other brands
• Educator Tips:
  • Tech breaks (25 min focus, 5 min tech break)
  • Open lines of communication home with parents

Connect with EduGals:

• Twitter @EduGals
• Rachel @dr_r_johnson
• Katie @KatieAttwell
• EduGals Website
• Support the show

This week, we are sharing our  podcasting process. We'll get into our past and current podcasting practices, as well as the apps and tools that we use and love! Whether you are interested in podcasting for yourself or with your students, this episode is packed full of great tips and tricks to get you started.

If you like what you hear, we would love it if you could share this episode with a colleague or friend. And make sure you subscribe so that you don’t miss out on any new content! And consider supporting the show by buying us a coffee or two!

We would love to hear from you – leave a comment on our website OR check out our FLIPGRID!

Featured Content
**For detailed show notes, please visit our website at https://edugals.com/131**

• Nerves, giggles, bloopers, and more
• Started with easily accessible tools - GarageBand, Audacity
• Recording tools - GarageBand, Hindenberg  Pro ($, great for editing too with voice profiles)
• Editing tools - Hindenberg Pro, Descript ($, creates transcripts, uses AI for editing, decreases editing time, voice regeneration)
• Transcripts - Descript, can hack with Google Read and Write, etc
• Remote recording now built into Descript with SquadCast
• Other remote recording tools - Zencastr (free option), Riverside.fm, SquadCast, Zoom
• End-to-end recording - Google Meet and individual recording
• Microphones - Samson Q2U, condenser vs dynamic mic, Rode PodMic (XLR, requires interface)
• Cloud Lifter to amplify sound
• Interface - Rodecaster Pro
• Just starting out? Find royalty-free music, dynamic USB microphone
• Hosting - Buzzsprout ($, Ads, magic mastering, cohost AI), Anchor/Spotify (free)
• Posting to social media, newsletter - using Chat GPT for idea generation
• Website - Wordpress ($) for blog post "shnotes"

Connect with EduGals:

• Twitter @EduGals
• Rachel @dr_r_johnson
• Katie @KatieAttwell
• EduGals Website
• Support the show

This week, we are starting our book study with chapter 1 of Grading for Equity: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How It Can Transform Schools and Classrooms by Joe Feldman. Specifically, we will dive into what makes grading so difficult to talk about and even harder to change.

If you like what you hear, we would love it if you could share this episode with a colleague or friend. And make sure you subscribe so that you don’t miss out on any new content! And consider supporting the show by buying us a coffee or two!

We would love to hear from you – leave a comment on our website OR check out our FLIPGRID!

Featured Content
**For detailed show notes, please visit our website at https://edugals.com/130**

• Grading for Equity by Joe Feldman
• Find a buddy to talk about the ideas in this book!
• Structure of the book:
  • 14 chapters
  • 3 parts - foundations, a case for change, equitable grading practices
• Get comfortable with being uncomfortable - try to stay open-minded
• Teaching is challenging - grades are one of the only places where we still have autonomy
• Grades and grading practices are highly personal
• Changing grades by admin
• Grading is not really something that is taught in teacher education programs
• Most grading practices are based on prior experience
• We hate grading! and grade grubbing!
• Stress around grading
• Mastery grading and specs grading and other equitable grading practices reduces stress around grades and grading
• Web of belief:
  • Shapes our teaching and grading practices
  • What is your starting position?
  • When we learn new info - we either dismiss or accept it (depends on how it fits)
  • Question your reactions 
  • What barriers are we creating with our grading practices?
  • Acknowledge guilt around past grading practices and then let it go
• Discussion question: What is your why?
  • Part of our UnGrading journey - Jesse Stommel
  • Building equity lens
  • Build on learning and justify changes to grading practices (where is the evidence?)
  • Entry points for grading conversations with colleagues

Connect with EduGals:

• Twitter @EduGals
• Rachel @dr_r_johnson
• Katie @KatieAttwell
• EduGals Website
• Support the show

This week, we are chatting about providing options for comprehension in the classroom. Using the UDL (Universal Design for Learning) framework and representation pillar, we're going to share some different strategies on how we can help students make information accessible, but also how to transform that into knowledge they can use.

If you like what you hear, we would love it if you could share this episode with a colleague or friend. And make sure you subscribe so that you don’t miss out on any new content! And consider supporting the show by buying us a coffee or two!

We would love to hear from you – leave a comment on our website OR check out our FLIPGRID!

Featured Content
**For detailed show notes, please visit our website at https://edugals.com/129**

• CAST.org - Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework
• Representation pillar - Comprehension guideline
• It's all about teaching learners HOW to transform accessible information into useable knowledge
• Why Don't Student's Like School? by Daniel Willingham
• Checkpoint #1: Activate or supply background knowledge
  • Value prior knowledge
  • Get to know your learners and their background knowledge
  • Consider using visual imagery, concept anchoring and mastery, KWL chart and other organizers, concept maps (whiteboards), pre-teaching with demos/models, analogies and metaphors, cross-curricular connections
  • Learning That Transfers by Julie Stern et al. (ACT model)
• Checkpoint #2: Highlight patterns, critical features, big ideas, and relationships
  • Difference between experts and novices
  • Use explicit prompts or cues to point to important material
  • Consider using graphic organizers, examples/non-examples (Frayer model), highlight previous skills (conceptual learning can be helpful)
• Checkpoint #3: Guide information processing and visualization
  • Transform information into useable knowledge
  • Consider using explicit prompts for sequential processes, organizational methods (tables), multiple entry points, "chunk" information, progressive release (Modern Classrooms and mastery-based learning), and ditch the distractions!
• Checkpoint #4: Maximize transfer and generalization
  • Generalizing and transferring learning to new contexts
  • Students need multiple representations and differing levels of scaffolding
  • Consider using checklists, organizers, mnemonic devices (decrease cognitive load), explicit review, new ideas in familiar contexts

Connect with EduGals:

• Twitter @EduGals
• Rachel @dr_r_johnson
• Katie @KatieAttwell
• EduGals Website
• Support the show

In this episode, we are exploring asset vs deficit mindsets in education. We'll go over our observations as well as some of our ideas to shift away from a deficit mindset in our classrooms.
 
If you like what you hear, we would love it if you could share this episode with a colleague or friend. And make sure you subscribe so that you don’t miss out on any new content! And consider supporting the show by buying us a coffee or two!

We would love to hear from you – leave a comment on our website OR check out our FLIPGRID!

Featured Content
**For detailed show notes, please visit our website at https://edugals.com/80**

• Asset mindset - what are the strengths that our students bring to the classroom and how you can embrace that with high expectations
• Deficit mindset - what are students lacking and focusing on their weaknesses
• CRRP - High expectations, Cultural competence, Critical consciousness
• Grades contribute to a deficit mindset and don't give the full picture of the strengths of a student
• Ideas and Strategies:
  • Get to know students and don't look at past grades
  • Embrace first language
  • Google Sheets auto-translate words EduGIF from Jake Miller
  • Involve parents/families in school community - builds a positive school culture
  • Watch your language and avoid placing students into buckets (struggling vs striving, harmful language)
  • Destreaming is coming in Ontario for Grade 9 next year and needs asset mindset
  • Book: Going Gradeless, Grades 6-12 by Elise Burns and David Frangiosa
  • Becoming aware and speaking up against deficit language
  • Need PD on asset-based mindsets and language (peer conversations and dialogue, active learning, voluntary, accessing when ready, multiple opportunities, reflection)
  • Video: Asset vs Deficit Mindset Definitions
  • Recognize that our brains are wired for negativity to protect ourselves
  • Rachel's grading Twitter rant
  • Community and relationship building - conversations and conferencing with students, get curious about behaviours, collaborate with other staff
  • Avoid the silo and utilize the whole school team
  • Question your assessment practices, focus on personalized and descriptive feedback (tests = deficit, portfolios = asset for example), varied types, focus on skills

Connect with EduGals:

• Twitter @EduGals
• Rachel @dr_r_johnson
• Katie @KatieAttwell
• EduGals Website
• Support the show

This week, we are setting our goals for the upcoming school year. We'll chat about both our professional and our personal goals, from mastery-based learning to leadership goals and maintaining a good work-life balance this year. 

If you like what you hear, we would love it if you could share this episode with a colleague or friend. And make sure you subscribe so that you don’t miss out on any new content! And consider supporting the show by buying us a coffee or two!

We would love to hear from you – leave a comment on our website OR check out our FLIPGRID!

Featured Content
**For detailed show notes, please visit our website at https://edugals.com/128**

Professional Goals:

• Mastery-based learning - building more whole class activities
• ChemEd Conference 2023
• Conferencing with students - try roster checklists
• Data collection - what is the impact of mastery-based learning?
• Tweaks to grading practices
• New SERT role (special education)
• Other PBL projects in ESL (podcast, video, something else?)

Leadership Goals:

• Supporting implementation of de-streaming in grade 9 and new courses in grade 11
• Political landscape might cause a lot of challenges to our roles
• Avoid social media to avoid negativity
• Leading Grading for Equity and Street Data book studies with leadership team

Personal Goals:

• Try to leave the building at a reasonable time each day
• No email at night
• Complete prep at work to avoid working at home (leave work at work)
• Explore opportunities in academia (M.Ed. program, conferences, collaborations, etc)
• Continuing hobbies (violin lessons, strength training)
• Maintaining balance - being ok to say no when something doesn't align with our goals

Connect with EduGals:

• Twitter @EduGals
• Rachel @dr_r_johnson
• Katie @KatieAttwell
• EduGals Website
• Support the show

This week, we are talking all about how to build buy-in for ungrading in your school community. We'll discuss ungrading buy-in strategies for various different stakeholders such as teachers, admin, parents, and most importantly, students. Let's start talking about ungrading!

If you like what you hear, we would love it if you could share this episode with a colleague or friend. And make sure you subscribe so that you don’t miss out on any new content! And consider supporting the show by buying us a coffee or two!

We would love to hear from you – leave a comment on our website OR check out our FLIPGRID!

Featured Content
**For detailed show notes, please visit our website at https://edugals.com/97**
Teachers/Admin:

• Start with conversations about grading and grading practices
• Why aren't traditional grading practices working? 
• Leverage opportunities informally in your workroom, more formally in department meetings
• Keep in mind - slow and deliberate changes towards ungrading (it's a spectrum)
• Many ways to ungrade (mastery, standards-based, feedback, etc)
• Focus on the feedback and learning over grades
• Look at printouts of marks for students, rubrics we're using (single point vs 4-level), success criteria, moderated marking
• Try to find common ground, team dynamics matter
• Rethinking Letter Grades - Conversation Cards
• Grades are very personal - Grading for Equity by Joe Feldman
• Share your own vulnerability
• Open your classroom space, share your ungrading practices
• Honour professional judgement
• Invite colleagues and admin into your classroom
• Keep your admin in the loop - let them know what you are doing with ungrading and be prepared with a plan

Parents:

• Parents are allies - need transparency, clear communication of grading practices
• Pitch/justify your why of ungrading - send out a newsletter early in the school year
• Mastery can start a strong parent-teacher relationship
• Start an FAQ document to share with parents, teachers, admin, etc - post on website, LMS, etc

Students:

• This is the trickiest group to build buy-in!
• Consider the language you use to talk about grading, assessment, and feedback
• Expect pushback - this takes a bit of time to learn
• Involve students in the grading practices
• Start with having a conversation in general about grading
• Have them track their progress with a portfolio
• Build in reflection opportunities
• Know that emotions can be high - some students might feel anxiety and stress

Connect with EduGals:

• Twitter @EduGals
• Rachel @dr_r_johnson
• Katie @KatieAttwell
• EduGals Website
• Support the show

In this episode, we are exploring ways to set up your Learning Management System (LMS) effectively and efficiently to optimize course organization and learning for your students. We'll go over tips, strategies, and ideas for setting up your LMS, whether it is Brightspace, Canvas, Schoology, Google Classroom, or something else.

If you like what you hear, we would love it if you could share this episode with a colleague or friend. And make sure you subscribe so that you don’t miss out on any new content! And consider supporting the show by buying us a coffee or two!

We would love to hear from you – leave a comment on our website OR check out our FLIPGRID!

Featured Content
**For detailed show notes, please visit our website at https://edugals.com/56**

• Use your LMS, even if you are fully face-to-face
• Layout and Homepage:
  • This is your doorway into your virtual classroom
  • Easy navigation - minimize the links to the essentials
  • Link all of your other tools within the content area
  • Include contact info on homepage
  • Announcements 
  • Brightspace Part 1 and Brightspace Part 2 episodes
• Organization:
  • Embed third party tools (EdPuzzle, Google Slides, YouTube videos, etc) into your content area
  • Link in Google Docs when it makes sense
  • Use consistent naming & numbering systems (reduces cognitive load)
  • Folders - units, weeks, whatever works best for you
  • Use your announcements to lay out weekly expectations
  • Include student voice in planning and organization
  • Include visuals and make it look pretty - design is important (consistent fonts, icons, emojis, etc to reduce cognitive load and increase engagement)
  • It's okay to set up your LMS to meet your needs, just make sure you create an intro video to help your students navigate it - Screencastify is great!
  • Canva is a great tool for design - Canvas Banner, Canvas Button, Google Classroom Header (also a Style Your LMS category available)
• Inclusion Ideas:
  • Include important cultural celebrations 
  • Add your personality - Bitmoji or GIPHY is great and integrated into Canva
  • Have students design your classroom banners - include languages represented in your classroom too
  • Design With Canva YouTube channel
• A Scary Suggestion:
  • A little bit of basic coding (HTML and CSS) goes a long way!
  • Code Academy (look under Web Development)
  • This helps with interactive elements in your LMS - buttons, flipcards, etc.
• Final Advice:
  • Use student-friendly language to increase accessibility

Connect with EduGals:

• Twitter @EduGals
• Rachel @dr_r_johnson
• Katie @KatieAttwell
• EduGals Website
• Support the show

In this episode, we are talking all about an amazing, and easy-to-use tool called Canva. We will be diving into the how-tos, ideas for using Canva with your students, features within Canva, and the differences between the types of accounts (free, pro, and education).

If you like what you hear, we would love it if you could share this episode with a colleague or friend. And make sure you subscribe so that you don’t miss out on any new content! And consider supporting the show by buying us a coffee or two!

We would love to hear from you – leave a comment on our website OR check out our FLIPGRID!

News and Updates

• Our 10 most popular EduGals podcast episodes of 2020

Featured Content

• Canva is a great and easy-to-use graphic design tool
• Canva website
• Canva for Education account sign up - a bit intense! For K-12 teachers only
• Canva Pricing Chart - gives you some idea about features in each type of account
• Getting Started with Canva Tutorials
• Canva for Education Tutorials - setting up classes and using Canva with students
• Canva Templates
• Font Combinations Tool from Canva
• Canva Colour Palette Generator
• MOOC's (Massive Open Online Courses) - Coursera, edX and many more
• Canva Design Types - so many options available!
• SVG file types + Cricut/Silhouette - for classroom decorations, manipulatives, etc
• Canva Distance Education Resources
• Ways to use it in the classroom:
  • Design lesson plans, worksheets, etc for your classroom
  • App smash with Google Tools like Slides or Jamboard
  • Bitmoji Classroom Templates 
  • Classroom Kits Templates
  • Flashcard Templates
  • Customize your LMS - headers, navigation bar icons
  • Newsletters to communicate with home/parents
  • Resume templates
  • Social Media accounts linked to your school
  • Infographic Templates for Education

Connect with EduGals:

• Twitter @EduGals
• Rachel @dr_r_johnson
• Katie @KatieAttwell
• EduGals Website
• Support the show

This week, we are discussing the why and how of creating effective instructional videos for your classroom. We'll share some considerations for creating videos, as well as tools you might want to use and tips and tricks to help you along the way.

If you like what you hear, we would love it if you could share this episode with a colleague or friend. And make sure you subscribe so that you don’t miss out on any new content! And consider supporting the show by buying us a coffee or two!

We would love to hear from you – leave a comment on our website OR check out our FLIPGRID!

Featured Content
**For detailed show notes, please visit our website at https://edugals.com/67**

• Personal not professional!
• Why?
  • Learning in a mastery-based classroom
  • Create a clone of yourself
  • Frees up your time in the classroom to help your students
  • Access to videos anytime, anywhere
  • Helps with absences
• Considerations
  • Determine your learning goal BEFORE hitting record
  • Keep it targeted to a single learning goal
  • Use your curriculum docs to help with planning - Unit Planning Template
  • Use lots of purposeful visuals and minimize text on your slides
  • Add interactivity - questions, pause and connect -  Screencastify interactive questions in E064
  • Notes - differentiated for support levels needed (freehand, scaffolds, sentence starters, sentence frames, cloze, etc)
  • Provide guiding questions BEFORE watching the video
  • Retrieval practice for note taking
  • Make it personal, include your face and your personality
  • Keep recording time short, 6-9 minutes is ideal and less for elementary
  • Try out animations to control the flow of information
  • Include the big picture and progression
• Recording Process
  • Create your slides, docs, and plan it all out
  • Collaborate with others and create slide decks as a course team
  • Create an outline for your recording (use speaker notes in Slides)
  • Go for done, not perfect - mistakes are okay!
• EdTech Tools
  • Presentation Tools: Google Slides, Explain Everything, Prezi, Powerpoint, Keynote, Genial.ly
  • Recording Tools: Meet, Teams, Zoom, Screencastify, Screencast-o-matic, Loom, Flipgrid Shorts (use your screen as your virtual background), Explain Everything, OBS Studio, Quick Time Player
  • Learn the keyboard shortcuts!
  • iPad & Apple pencil - use an external microphone or headset with microphone
  • Above all else, use tools that meet your specific needs!

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In this episode, we are getting into the debate of which tool we think is better - Google Slides or Google Jamboard. We'll do comparisons of different features and give you our overall impressions and preferences for these two tools. So stay tuned and make sure you listen right to the end!

If you like what you hear, we would love it if you could share this episode with a colleague or friend. And make sure you subscribe so that you don’t miss out on any new content! And consider supporting the show by buying us a coffee or two!

We would love to hear from you – leave a comment on our website OR check out our FLIPGRID!

News and Updates

• Set up Google Meet breakout rooms ahead of meetings in Google Calendar
• Version history now available for Jamboard on web

Featured Content

• Google Slides: slides.google.com
• Google Jamboard: jamboard.google.com
• What features do we compare?
  • Template Gallery in Slides
  • Background Images in Slides vs Jamboard
  • Tools for interactivity - Toolbar in Jamboard - esp. Sticky Notes
  • Collaborators in Jamboard vs. Slides
  • Software vs. Hardware for Jamboard
  • Add an image into Slides vs Jamboard
  • Explore Feature in Slides
  • Different versions of Jamboard - web vs devices
  • Number of slides vs number of frames
  • The adjacent possible - Jake Miller, Educational Duct Tape
  • Version History in Slides vs Jamboard
  • Adding hyperlinks in Slides
  • Adding audio and video files in Slides
  • Simplicity of the user interface of Jamboard for littles
  • Workspace in Slides - esp when changing slide dimensions
  • Zoom tools in Slides
  • Adding items to the grey space outside of the canvas in Slides
  • Editing the Master in Google Slides
  • Comments in Slides
  • Different backgrounds in Jamboard
  • Adding diagrams via Insert > Diagram in Slides and smash it with Jamboard

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This week, we are talking about the use of digital portfolios in the classroom. We'll explore why you would want to use portfolios, how to assess or evaluate portfolios, and our best tips and suggestions to make portfolios a success in your classroom.

If you like what you hear, we would love it if you could share this episode with a colleague or friend. And make sure you subscribe so that you don’t miss out on any new content! And consider supporting the show by buying us a coffee or two!

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Featured Content
**For detailed show notes, please visit our website at https://edugals.com/74**

• Why Use Portfolios?
  • Fits well with ungrading or mastery-based grading
  • Demonstrates the learning journey by student-selected work
  • Great as a final performance task
  • Works best as a semester or year-long project
  • Focus on reflection, student voice & choice, ownership
  • Any grade, any subject
  • Rachel's blogging assignment
  • UDL - buffet of multimedia options (Katie Novak)
• Curriculum
  • Select work from each strand (ESL)
  • Explaining misconceptions (Science) or lab notebooks
  • Regardless, it develops thinking, metacognition, problem solving skills
• Useful EdTech Tools
  • Google Sites
  • Google Slides (Templates from Slides Mania)
  • Book Creator
  • Wakelet
  • LMS (Brightspace portfolio tool)
  • Notion
  • Screencasting/Curation tools (Screencastify) - see E068 for curation ideas
  • Audio tools (Mote, Vocaroo, Google Read&Write) - see E050 for other audio ideas
• Tips/Strategies for Implementation
  • Limit the number of pieces of work to highlight (adds creative constraints)
  • Include a list of possible reflection prompts
  • Include conferences/interviews at regular intervals
  • Focus on the process not on the product
  • Grade it only when needed (midterm, final)
  • Conferencing prep example - Evidence Journals from the Human Restoration Project

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This week, we are talking all about grading in a mastery-based learning classroom. We'll share our learning as well as guiding principles to keep in mind as you consider grading practices in your mastery-based structured classroom.

If you like what you hear, we would love it if you could share this episode with a colleague or friend. And make sure you subscribe so that you don’t miss out on any new content! And consider supporting the show by buying us a coffee or two!

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Featured Content
**For detailed show notes, please visit our website at https://edugals.com/66**

• There is no one right answer... flexibility and knowing your students is key!
• Modern Classrooms Project
• Grades will depend on your style, curriculum, goals, colleagues, reporting guidelines
• Progress reports - mastery can be helpful for this
• Still need pacing and structure; target dates are needed
• What are we including for grades?
  • Use soft zeroes where students have not yet mastered the skill
  • Include other evaluations in your gradebook as well, not just mastery checks
• Summative Tests
  • Set goal date, all students write on the same day
  • Set a window (3 days) and students can choose which day to write on
• What do you do with grading categories? This is tricky!
• Only grade what has been specifically taught
• Backwards design - start with the mastery check, and work backwards to create your supporting/learning materials
• Ask your students for feedback
  • Mid-unit and end of unit are good times
  • Use Google forms
• Add in metacognition - reflection questions in mastery checks
• Grading Principles:
  • Be intentional
  • Focus on growth and revision
  • Focus on feedback
• Ungrading - Jesse Stommel: @Jessifer on Twitter
• Book: Ungrading: Why Rating Students Undermines Learning and What To Do Instead by Susan D. Blum
• Tracking:
  • Google Sheets (Auto-Updating Tracker and Grid System Tracker)
  • Display in classroom for collaboration (consider using code names)
  • No grades!
• Rubrics:
  • Standards-Based Grading (4, 3, 2, 1 levels OR mastered, getting there, not yet)
  • Single Point Rubrics
  • Add to your mastery checks
  • Use "I can..." statements
  • Make sure the language is clear and easy for students to understand
  • Leverage tech - Google Docs/Slides with Mote/Screencastify

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In this episode, we are sharing our summer reading list for teachers. We'll go over what we are currently reading, recommendations for reading, as well as what we want to read ourselves this summer.

If you like what you hear, we would love it if you could share this episode with a colleague or friend. And make sure you subscribe so that you don’t miss out on any new content! And consider supporting the show by buying us a coffee or two!

We would love to hear from you – leave a comment on our website OR check out our FLIPGRID!

Featured Content
**For detailed show notes, please visit our website at https://edugals.com/54**

Currently Reading:

• Cultivating Genius: An Equity Framework for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy - Gholdy Muhammad
• Ungrading: Why Rating Students Undermines Learning (and What to Do Instead) - Edited by Susan D. Blum
  • Free Ungrading Workshop - Jesse Stommel

Recommendations:

• Unlocking English Learners' Potential: Strategies for Making Content Accessible - Diane Staehr Fenner & Sydney Snyder
• Powerful Teaching: Unleash the Science of Learning - Pooja Agarwal & Patrice Bain
• When Kids Can't Read: What Teachers Can Do: A Guide for Teachers, 6-12 - Kylene Beers
• Flip Your Classroom: Reaching Every Student in Every Class Every Day - Jonathan Bergmann & Aaron Sams
  • Modern Classrooms Project

Rachel's Summer Reading:

• The Impact Cycle - Jim Knight
• Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain - Zaretta Hammond
• Fair Isn’t Always Equal - Rick Wormeli
• The Power of Making Thinking Visible - Ron Ritchhart & Mark Church
  • Harvard's Project Zero and the Thinking Routines Toolbox
• The Design Thinking Playbook - Michael Lewrick, Patrick Link, & Larry Leifer

Katie's Summer Reading:

• This Place: 150 Years Retold - Multiple Authors/Contributors
  • Podcast by CBC
• Culturally Responsive Teaching for Multilingual Learners - Sydney Snyder & Diane Staehr Fenner
• Come On In: 15 Stories about Immigration and Finding Home - Adi Alsaid
• 21 Things You May Now Know About The Indian Act - Bob Joseph
  • Indigenous Canada Course on Coursera (by University of Alberta)

Other Recommendations - see our detailed show notes at edugals.com/54

Connect with EduGals:

• Twitter @EduGals
• Rachel @dr_r_johnson
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This week, we are helping you harness the power of cognitive principles to elevate your teaching practice. In this final instalment of our book study, we'll explore how we can leverage all of our learning from Daniel Willingham's book "Why Don't Students Like School" to help us become the best teachers that we can be.

If you like what you hear, we would love it if you could share this episode with a colleague or friend. And make sure you subscribe so that you don’t miss out on any new content! And consider supporting the show by buying us a coffee or two!

We would love to hear from you – leave a comment on our website OR check out our FLIPGRID!

Featured Content
**For detailed show notes, please visit our website at https://edugals.com/127**

• Why Don't Students Like School by Daniel Willingham
• How To Get Students Thinking - E110
• Strategies for Enhancing Memory & Critical Thinking - E113
• Learning That Transfers - E117
• Supporting Different Types of Learners - E121
• How Technology Influences Student Thinking - E125
• Chapter 10 key ideas:
  • We're taking a break for the summer and we'll be back August 15th
  • New book study coming up in the 2023-2024 school year: Grading for Equity by Joe Feldman
  • Let's apply all of the cognitive principles in this book to our teaching practices!
  • Guiding Principle: “Teaching, like any complex cognitive skill, must be practiced to be improved"
  • Teaching is very demanding of working memory
  • New teachers - learning factual knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, procedures etc and it takes time! 
  • Experienced teachers also go through growth and learning with new courses
  • Deliberate practice:
    • Pick one small skill, select a specific goal
    • Get feedback
    • Push yourself outside of your comfort zone
    • It's mentally demanding... and not fun
    • Practice indirect skills
  • Lots of great resources: Jim Knight, Google Certified Coach
  • Try a teaching sprint - based off the book Sprint by Jake Knapp
  • Make space for relaxation & down time as you go through changes
  • Getting & giving feedback:
    • Record and watch yourself teaching
    • Watch other teacher videos together
    • Watch each others videos & give feedback
    • Bring it back to the classroom
  • Improvement takes time & change needs to be done purposefully
  • Goal setting needs follow up
  • Take care of yourself as you work on teaching practices!

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• Rachel @dr_r_johnson
• Katie @KatieAttwell
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