Our mission is to interview educators around the world and share their teaching tactics, education research or helpful tools (edtech). Amazing ideas for you to experiment in the classroom.
In this episode, it is all about amplifying your students’ voices. We are really happy to have Katelynn Giordano joining us and sharing her teaching strategies of years.
Katelynn Giordano is a Middle Level Language Arts Educator, a blogger at Curriculum Coffee, a writer for the Teachers on Fire magazine, and a Director of Curriculum & Instruction for the Teach Better Team. She is a dynamic educator who is passionate about student voices, promoting equity, and valuing teachers as professionals.
[01:30] Not only Katelynn is a 6th grade teacher but also an instructor in Northwestern University Center for Talent Development and working for the Teach Better Team. Except for being a 6th grade teacher, how did Katelynn decide if she wanted to take on these roles and thus actualize her beliefs in education ?
“I just want them to grow in their confidence and I want them to know that being uncomfortable doesn’t mean something impossible. I want them to know the power of their voices and how special their thoughts are. I want them to be good listeners and compassionate with their spoken words” — Kerry Graham
In this episode, it is all about Socratic Seminars. Socratic Seminars is a teaching strategy to guide student-led discussion. This time, we are excited to have Kerry Graham joining us and sharing her experience in this strategy.
Kerry is not only a teacher but also a writer. She lives and kayaks in Baltimore, MD, USA, after graduating from Johns Hopkins University School of Education,. Kerry prioritizes laughter, compassion, and self-expression in her English classroom. She’s grateful for and humbled by her ten years as a public school teacher.
[05:35] In the high school Kerry is teaching is very diverse. 50% percent from Baltimore while the other 50 from the globe. Other than Baltimore, what are the countries the students came from? Do most schools in Baltimore have diverse population?
[07:56] How did Kerry change her teaching approaches for diverse students?
[10:18] What is Socratic Seminar?
[11:21] Step by step how Kerry used Socratic Seminar in her own classroom.
[15:50] How does Kerry assign students into groups?
[16:40] The seating setup in Socratic Seminar.
[18:40] Outer circle student’s tasks when observing inner circle discussion.
[19:35] Example of the Socratic Seminar topics and the questions students came up with.
[39:00] If Kerry has one superwoman power to change the education system in the US, what would it be?
[41:26] Parting thoughts
Transcript
Please go here
Reflections
What is your teaching goals personally for any student led discussion in your class?
What can you do tomorrow
When there is a topic you want your students to discuss in class, try to ask them coming up their own questions before the class. In class discussion, give your students a safe space to speak without intervening too much.
This episode is all about cultivating our young readers. I’m really happy to have Elisa Guerra joining me who is a well-known expert in early childhood development.
Elisa Guerra is the founder and teacher at Colegio Valle de Filadelfia . It is a school for (PreK -9th), helping students achieve their fullest potential. Her school model has been replicated in 11 campuses and 5 Latin American countries. She was one of the TOP50 finalists for the GLOBAL TEACHER PRIZE in both 2015 and 2016. This award has been called the “Nobel Prize” for Teaching.
Elisa has authored many great books for teaching. For example, “Learning to read at 3: Doman Method applied in the Preschool Classroom” . This book has been, consistently, first placed in sales in Amazon Mexico. The most recent book of hers is Hope where are you? is the story of six children around the world who are experiencing school closures because of the pandemic. The book is free and has more than 30 languages.
When Barbie just got out of school, she worked on marketing for few years but it didn’t feel right for her. So she decided to try teaching given her innate love for kids. After some observation hours on campus, she immediately knew it is the home for her. Today in our conversation, we are gonna talk about how teachers can do to understand their kids more and what cross curricula teaching looks like.
[01:22] What is your core value or competency that you want to nurture in your students through literature?
[02:41] When looking into your experience, one thing really stood out for me is how much you care about students wellbeing. You taught kids yoga and you’re certified in mental health first aid. Is there any tools you use for social emotional learning ?
[07:56] Could you tell us what is cross curricula teaching and with some examples would be great?
[14:03] If a group of teacher wants to try out cross curricular. And do you have any tips that you can offer so that they can collaborate with each other without too many conflicts? Because like different subject teachers working together, I believe they all have their own perspective
[18:05]. When you were a baby teacher or what is the worst advice you were given
[20:27]. Parting thoughts.
您在這集中有哪個最喜歡的點子嗎？歡迎在以下留言與我分享！ What is your favorite idea from this episode? Please let me know if the comment section!
Nicole Plante had been a middle school (English + Social Studies) teacher for almost 8 years though now she pivoted her career as an amazing designer.
Her first stop as a teacher is in New York City Department of Education. She Instructed suspended students or at-risk youth from diverse schools and socio-economic backgrounds. This unique experience laid out the foundation for building humanity and resilience in her teachings.
After NYC, Nicole moved to bay area and taught in Corpus Christi school which is hugely different from her pervious one. It is a Catholic school that nurtures students not only academic but also spiritual growth.
01:28 : What are the responsibilities as a homeroom teacher in Corpus Christi 04:52 : How to prepare subjects that are out of our expertise 06:29 : How do you usually structure your course throughout a semester 08:52 : Examples of using thematic instructions 12:17 : Other interesting and useful teaching methods. 17:05 : Advice for teacher who wants to be a teacher in the US
您在這集中有哪個最喜歡的點子嗎？歡迎在以下留言與我分享！ What is your favorite idea from this episode? Please let me know in the comment section!
Compass Teachers 