Episodes
Wednesday Feb 25, 2015
Episode 47: Talking Education With Ron Walker
Wednesday Feb 25, 2015
Wednesday Feb 25, 2015
Ron has been an educator for over39 years. He has been a teacher, administrator, and consultant. He is the president of Walker Educational Consulting and is also the director/operator of the SAGE Academy in Gainesville, GA (A school that targets the needs of at risk children).
I’ll never forget the first time I met Ron…I was the new principal of a high poverty, high risk high school. He had been hired as an educational consultant. He told the faculty what they needed to hear not what they wanted to hear. He is always like that, but not just with teachers and administrators. With the political arena he pulls no punches, as well.
He has a heart for working with the most challenging kids and schools. He is a master of connecting the dots and helping teachers be successful. He pushes all to do their best and to do what is right.
Listen to him talk about what he sees as the real power of change that educators can make.
He is a wealth of information and he will make you think about why you do what you do.
His small private school, The SAGE Academy, is funded completely through his ventures.
Contact Ron on Facebook at SAGE-Academy
or
contact him through his email address
ronwalker62@aol.com
Enjoy!
Length: 48:31
Monday Feb 02, 2015
Episode 45: Laura Robb-Vocabulary is Comprehension
Monday Feb 02, 2015
Monday Feb 02, 2015
Today I am talking with Laura Robb. She is a teacher, speaker, author, and coach.
She has taught for over 43 years and continues to teach each year in middle grades classrooms.
She has published 18 books primarily focused on reading, writing, and comprehension.
You will often find her speaking across the country and working with classroom teachers to learn how to address the needs of kids in reading, writing and text comprehension.
Laura is concerned about teachers who are “stressed out” with attempts to measure classroom success by using standardized, high stakes tests. The money and time that is spent on these tests could be better spent on training teachers to use better instructional practices.
Laura says, “One of the joys of teaching is that every child is unique.”
Our talk is primarily focused on one of her most recent works, “Vocabulary is Comprehension: Getting to the Root of Text Complexity”.
This work is filled with understandable lessons on how to connect vocabulary building and development with complex text comprehension.
Any teacher could easily take this book read sections and immediately begin to use its lessons in her plans for the week.
Some instructional works are cumbersome with their own language and information. The teacher would need a translator first before even getting close to thinking about using the information…not this book! It is easy to understand and use!
Take a look at her Big 10 and then turn to any of the lessons associated with them and you will be able to start making a difference in a child’s understanding of the text and content.
I strongly encourage you to take this information to heart and to use her book to help change your lessons to help the kids “get it!”
By the way…also, check out her foundation. She and her son are focused on getting books into the hands of children with none.
Enjoy!!!
www.teacher.scholastic.com/products/classroombooks/laurarobb
www.facebook.com/laura.robb.372
Length: 1:00:19
Friday Jun 20, 2014
Episode 25: Do You Have a Teacher You Would Like to Thank?
Friday Jun 20, 2014
Friday Jun 20, 2014
This episode is quite a bit different than our others. This time you will hear many different people share their thoughts about a teacher who made a difference in their lives. You will hear recollections of good deeds, of persistence, of faith, of inspiration, and of encouragement. You will hear commonalities in most cases. You will hear sincerity and even though you can't see those telling their stories you will feel their tears and sense their smiles.
What about you? Do you have a teacher from your days in K-12, that if you could, you would say thank you? If so, what would you say?
If its not too late...why not reach out and take the time to say thank you...you made a difference in my life!
I hope that this episode ignites memories and that it entices you to go find that special teacher and say...Thank You!
Enjoy!
Friday May 09, 2014
Episode 20: Classworks with Kristie Brooks
Friday May 09, 2014
Friday May 09, 2014
Kristie is a former special education teacher who eventually became a Special Education Director for a school system. She now is a Georgia Account Executive for Classworks.
Classworks is a web-based tool for assisting students in achieving more during their education. It has tools for assessment and instruction that are used to personalize learning and to support teachers as they help students achieve academic goals.
Kristie and I explore the following questions and many more…
· How can software programs go beyond the “computer lab” to impact classroom teaching and student engagement?
· How does Classworks use student data to form individualized plans? How can a teacher use this tool to help with differentiation?
· What do you think is the greatest challenge for teachers working with kids? How can Classworks assist with these challenges?
Hope that you enjoy the conversation.
Spend some time at their website or contact Kristie if you have any questions.
For more information go to…
or contact Kristie at
KBrooks@classworks.com
Length 26:32
Wednesday Apr 09, 2014
Episode 17: The ACT with Carl Forbes
Wednesday Apr 09, 2014
Wednesday Apr 09, 2014
Carl has been working at The ACT now for the last eight years and is assigned to both secondary and post-secondary schools.
He helps secondary schools understand what their data is telling them and how to respond.
With post-secondary schools he assists them in looking at the student data with a focus on what admissions and scholarship decisions could be made from that data.
We discuss everything from understanding about the organization known as ACT, what the organization offers besides the college entrance test, what the ACT test scores mean, and what the fundamental differences are between the ACT and the SAT.
Carl states, “The ACT is focused on college and career readiness but also work preparedness.”
He explains the ACT standards and benchmarks and what they mean to an educator, parent, and a student taking the test. As Carl recalls, These components help “you understand what the scores on the ACT tell you about what you are ready to do.”
He also shared that there are ACT apps that students can use with their Smart phones and tablets.
We had an awesome conversation!
I think that you will learn so much whether a teacher, administrator, student, or parent you will want to listen again and then share this podcast with others. You will also want to take time to explore the ACT on the web.
www.act.org