Morning Duty: A Teacher Podcast

Join Maggie and Piers as they delve into practical strategies such as Choice Boards, Learning Menus, and Flexible Seating, explaining how these methods encourage autonomy and cater to individual learning preferences. They also cover the benefits of Project-Based Learning, Literature Circles, and Homework Menus, which promote deeper understanding and personal relevance in education. The episode goes further to discuss Assessment Choices, providing alternatives to traditional testing methods, and Group Choice, fostering collaboration and social learning. Each strategy is justified with its educational benefits and accompanied by key points on how to effectively implement these choices across various grade levels.

In this episode we dive into our secrets of running a great advisory. Having been advisors for ten years now, we've boiled our experiences down into the five most helpful tips we have. From what activities to have in your toolbox to the best methods of communication, we've got you covered! Whether you're a new advisor or a veteran, we recognize how hard you're working and what a vital role you play in your advisees' lives. Thanks for listening to Morning Duty!

Ever wonder where standards come from? Or when they started? Explore education standards' evolution with Morning Duty, from indigenous methods to Common Core. Uncover Horace Mann's reforms, the impact of Sputnik, and legislation like No Child Left Behind. Learn about Social Emotional Learning (SEL) standards' significance in reshaping education. A must-listen for educators interested in teaching strategies, educational reforms, and the future of learning. Enjoyed this episode? Follow Morning Duty on Apple and Spotify.

Welcome to the Season 2 trailer of the Morning Duty Podcast, where veteran teachers Piers and Maggie Blyth dive back into the world of education with renewed passion and insights. In our season opener, "A Decade in the Classroom: Reflections and Revelations," we embark on a journey through time, reflecting on our combined 20 years of experience in teaching. From the heart of the classroom, we share the practices that have stood the test of time, the ones we've lovingly let go of, and the innovative strategies we've embraced to meet the evolving needs of our students. Join us as we discuss the lessons learned, the wisdom gained, and the changes we've made in our pedagogical approach, highlighting how education continues to transform. Whether you're a seasoned educator, a new teacher, or somewhere in between, this episode is a treasure trove of insights and inspiration, promising to start the season with meaningful conversations about growth, change, and the enduring impact of teaching. Tune in to reflect on the journey of education and to spark your passion for the transformative power of teaching.

Piers and Maggie take a deep dive into their personal teaching archives, reflecting on over a decade of experiences in the classroom. They discuss what they've kept, dropped, and added to their teaching repertoire, offering a unique lens on the evolution of teaching strategies, lesson planning, and the core principles of pedagogy and best practices. Through stories and reflections, they explore the dynamic nature of education—how assessment and grading methods have transformed to better meet the needs of students, and the ways in which their lesson planning has evolved to incorporate more inclusive and effective teaching strategies. As they share the practices they've embraced and those they've left behind, the conversation also turns to the critical aspect of teacher well-being. Piers and Maggie offer candid insights into how they've managed to maintain their passion and balance in a demanding profession, emphasizing the importance of self-care and the impact it has on both teachers and students. This episode is not just a look back but a guide forward for educators at any stage of their career. It's about finding what works, letting go of what doesn't, and always moving towards a practice that is as rewarding for the teacher as it is enriching for the student. Whether you’re seeking inspiration to refine your own teaching approach or curious about the shifts in educational practices over the last decade, join us for a journey through the lessons learned and the wisdom gained from 10+ years of teaching.

In this episode we go through Doug Lemov's famous Teach Like A Champion book and play Smash or Pass with his strategies. Okay, okay... Smash or Pass isn't school appropriate. Instead we play "Stash or Pass." Thank you, Doug for letting us have fun with your book :)

Are you looking for ways to help your students perform their best on standardized tests? Join us for this episode where we explore the history and purpose of standardized testing and offer practical tips and strategies for teachers to help their students navigate these high-stakes exams. From test-taking techniques and time management skills to creating a positive testing environment and providing emotional support, we've got you covered.

We've all felt burnout...but what exactly is burnout and what causes it to happen to teachers? In this episode we discuss our own experiences with burnout and how we've learned to manage.

As teachers and former instructional coaches, we've learned a thing or two about observations along the way that we want to share. We have the tips and tricks you need to get the highest score possible. Observations can be stressful, but we're here to guide you each step of the way!

ChatGPT is an incredible new technology and we're already seeing its use in the classroom. In today's episode, we talk about how teachers can use artifical intelligence to help make prompts, exemplars, multiple choice quizzes, parent emails, and so much more. Chat GPT is here to stay and we discuss how you can use A.I. as your assistant to make your teaching life that much easier!

Welcome to Morning Duty where we talk about the tips and tricks to make you the most successful educator :)

In this episode we dive into Whole Brain Teaching and why it's an awesome way to increase active learning and engagement.

Telling isn't teaching, and teaching doesn't always equal learning. Learning happens when our students are engaged, active thinkers. This comes down to the cognitive ratio in the classroom. Cognitive ratio is the balance between how much the teacher is working, talking, and thinking, vs how much the students are working, talking, and thinking. Trust us, we all want our students to be working harder than we are once the bell rings.

In this episode, we discuss lesson planning with subobjectives. Each subobjective is scaffolded with Bloom's Taxonomy (or DOK), and has its own gradual release cycle. This method can help students progress towards mastery of the final learning target. It also feels very quick and urgent! Follow for more!

With the Nation's Report Card, NAEP, released a few weeks ago we saw how academic acheivement dropped these past few years. Pandemic learning loss has also led to changes in attention span and focus. Attention spans have been decreasing for years but HOW students pay attention has also changed. More multi-tasking, split attention, and divided focus has become normal and we may all need to learn to adapt to this new normal.

On today's episode we discuss why you should write your test before you start teaching your unit. When we're truly UbD (Understanding by Design) planners, our tests should be written before the first day of the unit...but how many of us do that? It's one of those teaching habits we know we should be doing. There's been many times when we've written our test a few days before the assessment when we know it should have been written at the beginning of the unt. We discuss why on today's Morning Duty.

On this Friday morning we discuss how excellence sheets are a high quality spiraled review page and we talk about ways to feedback to students that is both warm and honest.

Mesa Public Schools comes up with an innovative way to handle the teacher shortage...team teaching large groups of kids! Plus why Ben Franklin's refusal to finance a church bell led to summer vacation. Thank you for listening to Morning Duty.

Happy Wednesday! We're sharing some of the most interesting data we've learned about the earnings of Teachers Pay Teachers and its most successful sellers, as well as a new way to support executive functioning and student organization.

Happy Taco Tuesday! What if we had mandatory substitute duty like we do jury duty? We also chat about a new way to build anchor charts for the room. Come along with us for morning duty!