The 1st Years Teaching Podcast

This episode is what The 1st Year(s) Teaching Blog/Podcast is all about! In this episode we have Madeline and Katherine Whitaker who are both classroom teachers in their early years.  They are coauthors with their father Dr. Todd Whitaker of the new book called Your First Year: How to Survive and Thrive as a New Teacher.  This episode covers the most important things new teachers need know before coming into the profession.  They specifically focus on problems such as classroom management, building relationships, lesson planning and work/life balance.  If you are starting or early in your career you NEED this episode. I had such a blast discussing what is really important to new teachers.  This is why Debi and I started this website.  Madeline and Katherine do such a great job of giving highly practical advice that I think every new teacher should hear.  It is amazing the small details that are truly critical that many NEVER hear about in their teaching programs in college.  This episode is a little longer, but that is because it has a lot of great discussion.  Please share this episode with new teachers In This Episode You’ll Learn: How to set up classroom procedures and expectations The THREE critical factors in good classroom management  How to “Reset” your classroom when needed Rules to balance work and life Building better relationships with your coworkers and administration Links and Resources Mentioned in this Episode  Your First Year: How to Survive and Thrive as a New Teacher Study guide for Your First Year Episode 8 Worksheet (complete for PGP points) Certificate of Completion The 1st Year(s) Teaching Guide to Mastering Your First Years in Education Follow Madeline and Katherine on Twitter @mwhitaker_ed and @misswhitaker294 We hope you enjoyed this episode make sure to leave a review on itunes! Categories Getting Started Podcast Recent Posts Episode 8: Your First Year with Madeline and Katherine Whitaker Episode 7: Working For Students With Disabilities With Jules Csillag Episode 6: The Standardized Testing Obsession with Anya Kamenetz Episode 5: Grading for Impact with Dave Nagel Episode 4: The Ultimate Skill of Teaching Episode 3: How the Brain Works, Mindfulness and Meditation Pt. 2 Episode 2: How the Brain Works, Mindfulness and Meditation Pt. 1 Episode 1: Introductions

If you struggle with your students reading abilities or want to learn more about how to work effectively with students with disabilities such as dyslexia this episode is for you!  Jules Csillag, an educator and speech and language pathologist shares her insight into working with students that have disabilities.  We discuss misconceptions, most important skills, strategies and tools to use in working with these students! I had a great time discussing what is actually a pretty daunting topic for me. Admittedly I sometimes struggle with differentiation in the classroom and how to best address the needs of students that struggle with basic skills such as reading at the high school level.  However this episode applies to both elementary and high school levels and I was able to take away some important information that I did not know before from Jules. In This Episode You’ll Learn: The most common misconceptions of students with disabilities The critical areas to address when working with these students Strategies and specific tools you can implement TOMORROW Links and Resources Mentioned in this Episode Differentiated Reading Instruction: Strategies and Technology Tools to Help All Students Improve (Jules Book!) Episode 7 Worksheet (complete for PGP points) Certificate of Completion Understood.org (site for parents and educators with tools for supporting diverse learners) dyslexicadvantage.org (information about benefits of LD’s) eyetoeyenational.org (a mentoring organizatio) University of Michigan Success Stories  Follow Jules on Twitter @Julesteaches We hope you enjoyed this episode make sure to leave a review on itunes! Categories Getting Started Podcast Recent Posts Episode 8: Your First Year with Madeline and Katherine Whitaker Episode 7: Working For Students With Disabilities With Jules Csillag Episode 6: The Standardized Testing Obsession with Anya Kamenetz Episode 5: Grading for Impact with Dave Nagel Episode 4: The Ultimate Skill of Teaching Episode 3: How the Brain Works, Mindfulness and Meditation Pt. 2 Episode 2: How the Brain Works, Mindfulness and Meditation Pt. 1 Episode 1: Introductions

We all know standardized testing is the elephant in the classroom, for many of us it is a daily challenge of balancing true education with “teaching the test”. So I thought who better to talk with than Anya Kamenetz who is the leading educational blogger for NPR and also just released her book The Test: Why Schools are Obsessed with Standardized Testing but you don’t have to be.  Her insight on the history of standardized testing is valuable and she even shares a little wisdom about dealing with testing in the classroom.  This is a must listen! This episode is short and sweet but hits some interesting topics… In This Episode You’ll Learn: A short history of the rise of modern standardized testing The Top 3 arguments against standardized testing as currently practiced Basic Strategies to help students perform well on tests Links and Resources Mentioned in this Episode The Test: Why Our Schools Are Obsessed with Standardized Testing?But You Don’t Have to Be Anya’s Website Anya’s Newsletter NPR Education Blog Follow Anya on Twitter @Anya1Anya Hope you enjoyed this episode make sure to leave a review on itunes! Categories Getting Started Podcast Recent Posts Episode 8: Your First Year with Madeline and Katherine Whitaker Episode 7: Working For Students With Disabilities With Jules Csillag Episode 6: The Standardized Testing Obsession with Anya Kamenetz Episode 5: Grading for Impact with Dave Nagel Episode 4: The Ultimate Skill of Teaching Episode 3: How the Brain Works, Mindfulness and Meditation Pt. 2 Episode 2: How the Brain Works, Mindfulness and Meditation Pt. 1 Episode 1: Introductions

Ever had questions about your grading practices?  How should tests be weighted and how about homework? How and if to use the “0” in the gradebook? Are you grading “compliance” rather than evidence of knowledge?  What about missing or late assignments?  I discuss these things and a lot more with author, educator and consultant Dave Nagel. This episode is a big one…Dave and I got to talk at length on the topic of grading and honestly I still feel like it just scratched the surface, however it literally changed the language I used with my kids in class and the perspective I took on grading the very next day I entered the classroom. While Dave backs up almost everything he says with research he is also very adept at using analogies to help us understand the points he is trying to make.  I highly recommend picking up his book (link below) to gain further knowledge on the topic because as I said…we just get to scratch the surface. In This Episode You’ll Learn: The fundamental principles that are the foundation of good grading practices Why ensuring that your lessons and assessments have a clear success criteria is important Why practice always trumps policies How we often inflate grades that shouldn’t be inflated Links and Resources Mentioned in this Episode Effective Grading Practices for Secondary Teachers: Practical Strategies to Prevent Failure, Recover Credits, and Increase Standards-Based/Referenced Grading  (Dave’s Book) Dave’s Website- Grading for Impact Episode 5 Worksheet (complete for PGP points) Certificate of Completion Thanks for Listening! Thanks so much for joining us this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Also, please leave a review for the 1st Years Teaching Podcast on Itunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them. If you have questions for us find us on Twitter or Facebook @Years1st Categories Getting Started Podcast Recent Posts Episode 8: Your First Year with Madeline and Katherine Whitaker Episode 7: Working For Students With Disabilities With Jules Csillag Episode 6: The Standardized Testing Obsession with Anya Kamenetz Episode 5: Grading for Impact with Dave Nagel Episode 4: The Ultimate Skill of Teaching Episode 3: How the Brain Works, Mindfulness and Meditation Pt. 2 Episode 2: How the Brain Works, Mindfulness and Meditation Pt. 1 Episode 1: Introductions

In this episode I discuss the importance of the practice of self-reflection and why it the ultimate skill of teachers.  This episode may contain my most important pieces of advice for new teachers! Upon listening to this episode and completing the associated questions (download below) I am asking you to dive deep into what insights and realizations you have gained from your first year (or more) of teaching. For me it has been a truly life altering experience and has drastically altered the way I perceive the world and the people in it. Share your big realizations in the comments In This Episode You’ll Learn: How to integrate journaling into your lesson writing How your assumptions of students may be wrong The fundamental principles that guide my teaching and how I learned those principles Links and Resources Mentioned in this Episode Episode 4 Worksheet (complete for PGP points) Certificate of Completion Much of this information is covered in this post! Thanks for Listening! Thanks so much for joining us this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Also, please leave a review for the 1st Years Teaching Podcast on Itunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them. If you have questions for us find us on Twitter or Facebook @Years1st Categories Getting Started Podcast Recent Posts Episode 8: Your First Year with Madeline and Katherine Whitaker Episode 7: Working For Students With Disabilities With Jules Csillag Episode 6: The Standardized Testing Obsession with Anya Kamenetz Episode 5: Grading for Impact with Dave Nagel Episode 4: The Ultimate Skill of Teaching Episode 3: How the Brain Works, Mindfulness and Meditation Pt. 2 Episode 2: How the Brain Works, Mindfulness and Meditation Pt. 1 Episode 1: Introductions

In this episode we discuss How the Brain Works in regards to educational neuroscience with Dr. Lori Desautels of Marian University.  If you want to better understand the reasons behind student behavior and motivation while learning how to start training student’s brains to focus this episode is for you. In this episode we discuss How the Brain Works in regards to educational neuroscience with Dr. Lori Desautels of Marian University.  If you want to better understand the reasons behind student behavior and motivation while learning how to start training student’s brains to focus this episode is for you. Reach out to Dr. Desautels on Twitter @Desautels_Phd In This Episode You’ll Learn: What a Brain Break is and why you should use them How to validate emotional responses with students How our role as educators has changed in the 21st century Links and Resources Mentioned in this Episode Episode 3 Worksheet (complete for PGP points) Certificate of Completion (download for administrator to sign) Dr. Desautels articles on Edutopia (examples of brain brakes included) Ashley’s Amygdala Unwritten, The Story of a Living System: A Pathway to Enlivening and Transforming Education   Thanks for Listening! Thanks so much for joining us this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Also, please leave a review for the 1st Years Teaching Podcast on Itunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them. If you have questions for us find us on Twitter or Facebook @Years1st   Categories Getting Started Podcast Recent Posts Episode 8: Your First Year with Madeline and Katherine Whitaker Episode 7: Working For Students With Disabilities With Jules Csillag Episode 6: The Standardized Testing Obsession with Anya Kamenetz Episode 5: Grading for Impact with Dave Nagel Episode 4: The Ultimate Skill of Teaching Episode 3: How the Brain Works, Mindfulness and Meditation Pt. 2 Episode 2: How the Brain Works, Mindfulness and Meditation Pt. 1 Episode 1: Introductions

In this episode we discuss How the Brain Works in regards to educational neuroscience with Dr. Lori Desautels of Marian University.  If you want to better understand the reasons behind student behavior and motivation while learning how to start training student’s brains to focus this episode is for you. In this episode we discuss How the Brain Works in regards to educational neuroscience with Dr. Lori Desautels of Marian University.  If you want to better understand the reasons behind student behavior and motivation while learning how to start training student’s brains to focus this episode is for you. Reach out to Dr. Desautels on Twitter @Desautels_Phd In This Episode You’ll Learn: The effects of chronic stress on students brains How parts of the brain cause and regulate emotional reactions What is the source of most negative behavior How to overcome students negative brain bias survival mechanism The three step process of bringing mindfulness brain training into the classroom   Links and Resources Mentioned in this Episode Unwritten, The Story of a Living System: A Pathway to Enlivening and Transforming Education (Dr. Desautels Book) Episode 2 Worksheet (complete for PGP points)Certificate of Completion (download for admin to sign) Dr. Desautels articles on Edutopia Dr. Desautels Curriculum and Questions for Pixar’s film “Inside Out” The Sentis Brain Animation Series Thanks for Listening! Thanks so much for joining us this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Also, please leave a review for the 1st Years Teaching Podcast on Itunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them. If you have questions for us find us on Twitter or Facebook @Years1st Come back for Part 2 with Dr. Desautels Categories Getting Started Podcast Recent Posts Episode 8: Your First Year with Madeline and Katherine Whitaker Episode 7: Working For Students With Disabilities With Jules Csillag Episode 6: The Standardized Testing Obsession with Anya Kamenetz Episode 5: Grading for Impact with Dave Nagel Episode 4: The Ultimate Skill of Teaching Episode 3: How the Brain Works, Mindfulness and Meditation Pt. 2 Episode 2: How the Brain Works, Mindfulness and Meditation Pt. 1 Episode 1: Introductions

1ST Years Teaching Episode 1 Introduction Welcome to the first episode of the first years teaching podcast This episode is going to be a bit different from all of our other episodes because it’s the first one and I want to introduce myself, the purpose of this podcast, how we can benefit from it and some goals for the future. If you don’t know me I am Justin Seymour I run the first years teaching blog at 1styearsteaching.com along with my partner Debi Brim. I am only in my second year of teaching, I teach high school U.S. history and government and AP government. Aside from being an educator I’m also a musician, and an audio engineer I work with musicians doing recording, mixing and mastering so it just made sense for me to start a podcast to spread our message because I already had all the equipment. Background We are two educators from central Indiana that are still in our first years of teaching.  We became friends and colleagues through our education program during college and continued to share tips, tricks and strategies through our first year to make each others lives easier.  After our first year in education came to a close we naturally decided to get together and discuss how the year went.  What we discovered was that we had learned A LOT about teaching in our first year and that we had developed some techniques that could be helpful to others first getting into education. Ever since that sit down dinner discussion we are making it our mission to make the lives of first year teachers easier though sharing experience, tips and stories that you likely weren’t taught during your time at university. Purpose With our blog and this podcast we want to create as much value for student teachers, first year teachers or really any teacher still below the “5 years of service” mark.  We want to give you ideas that you can take to the classroom every day and think “this is going to make MY life better”.  Teaching is a rewarding profession, however there are so many things about it that are stressful and difficult to deal with especially in your first years.  That’s where we come in, let our successes and failures help you with your goals as a teacher.  We will make every effort to be as transparent as possible about everything on this blog, we consider this blog THE place to go to become a better teacher, and to make our teaching lives as enjoyable as they should be! Teaching is a lifelong discipline and the habits practices and knowledge we gain in our first few years of educating sets us on a path to our future. Please keep in mind we do not consider ourselves to be the preeminent experts on teaching, pedagogy, or anything for that matter. What we are teaching on this blog are not secrets and in fact can be easily found by speaking with teachers or firsthand experience. We are here to help you, to inspire you and to be a resource that you can use to make YOUR life better. This is our way of paying forward the things we have learned that we think will help you too. There will be no fluff on this blog, just real examples and stories based on ours and others experiences. Some examples of the types of episodes we will have will include how neuroscience can help us in the classroom, how to create a highly engaged class, classroom management, the philosophy behind grading practices, formative assessments, tools of the trade, how to balance work and your personal life and much much more. one way we want to benefit you is by providing you a way to get professional development on your own time. At least in the state of Indiana, the IDOE has stated that school administrators can approve any form of professional development and give PGP points which can be used for license renewal. Each episode we will consider a training session and in the show notes on our website you will be able to download a document after listening that has some questions related to the episode. By answering those questions and taking them to your administrator for signature approval you should be able to use the document as evidence of completing professional development. I recommend first approaching your administrator and confirming that they will approve this podcast as a form of professional development. You can come to an agreement on what the PGP points will be worth, but for most episodes we will shoot for about an hour in length. Usually 1 contact hour of PD is worth 1 PGP point therefore theoretically each episode you can potentially gain 1 PGP point towards recertification. For those listening outside of the state of Indiana please reference you state department of education website and ask your administrators directly about this procedure. Your Homework Every blog post and episode we end with homework. This is something we want you to take action on. This is all about DOING things to get better not just for kids but for ourselves as well. Please hit subscribe to this podcast and go to our website 1styearsteaching.com on the homepage if you wait about 5 seconds a box will pop up for you to subscribe to our newsletter or click on any article and scroll to the bottom you will see a box to sign up. Keep in mind we will not bombard you with useless emails as teachers we realize how many emails we get in a day. It is almost a full time job just reading and responding to email so we only email when we think something is going to be highly valuable to you like a new podcast episode, or a highly useful blog post. If you do subscribe to our email list you will get a section from our upcoming eBook for FREE on how to set up important rituals and how to plan a lesson in an hour or less! Outro So we covered my background, the purpose of this podcast, and how you can benefit from it. Thank you for taking a few minutes to listen to me and I hope to hear from you on our blog first years teaching.com where we believe teachers come first. I’ll see you next time.. try not to be tardy. Categories Getting Started Podcast Recent Posts Episode 8: Your First Year with Madeline and Katherine Whitaker Episode 7: Working For Students With Disabilities With Jules Csillag Episode 6: The Standardized Testing Obsession with Anya Kamenetz Episode 5: Grading for Impact with Dave Nagel Episode 4: The Ultimate Skill of Teaching Episode 3: How the Brain Works, Mindfulness and Meditation Pt. 2 Episode 2: How the Brain Works, Mindfulness and Meditation Pt. 1 Episode 1: Introductions