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Providing ideas and resources for K-12 teachers and school-based administrators.
Episodes
Friday Apr 17, 2015
Friday Apr 17, 2015
My guest today is Dr. Barbara Blackburn. She is an educational consultant who has made Rigor in the classroom one of her signature topics. She is the author of 15 books and numerous articles on educational topics to name just a few there is Rigor in the Classroom, Rigor is Not a Four-Letter Word, Rigor for Special Needs Students, and, our focus today, Rigor Made Easy.
She has taught early childhood, elementary, middle, high school and college students. She is a national speaker who can often be found presenting to workshops for school personnel.
Rigor is a word that sends shivers through many typically because it has been misinterpreted or introduced in a manner which connects it to thoughts of more of everything. In Rigor Made Easy, Barbara addresses Myths about rigor…such as Myth#1… Lots of Homework Is a Sign of Rigor and Myth#2…Rigor Means Doing More.
During our talk we discuss a few of the myths as well as several key elements of Rigor Made Easy. The book is divided into seven chapters, the first one is called Understanding Rigor and the other six are:
2. Raise the level of Content
3. Increase Complexity
4. Give appropriate Support and Guidance
5. Open Your Focus
6. Raise Expectations
7. Challenges and Adventures
Barbara’s writing style is easy to read and understand. You will find yourself ready to reassess your lesson plans so that you can address her thoughts about Rigor in your classroom and school, tomorrow.
This is an awesome discussion that lends itself to helping kids get to greater understanding of content and learning processes.
Check out the links below to find out more about Barbara and to connect with her:
Website- http://www.barbarablackburnonline.com/
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/BarbaraRBlackburn
Pinterest- https://www.pinterest.com/barbblackburn/
Blog- http://rigorineducation.blogspot.com/
Twitter- https://twitter.com/BarbBlackburn
YouTube- https://youtu.be/4LZ6na9V1Wc
Or simply call… (609) 474-4677
Enjoy!
Length: 60 minutes
Monday Oct 20, 2025
Monday Oct 20, 2025
Barbara R. Blackburn - Rigor and Assessment in the Classroom: Strategies and Tools. Second Edition. This is episode 794 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast.
Ranked in the Top 20 Global Gurus in Education, Barbara has dedicated her life to raising the level of rigor and motivation for professional educators and students alike. What differentiates Barbara’s over 30 books are her easily executable concrete examples based on decades of experience as a teacher, professor, and consultant. Barbara’s dedication to education was inspired in her early years by her parents, Bob and Rose. Her father’s doctorate and lifetime career as a professor taught her the importance of professional training. Her mother’s career as school secretary shaped Barbara’s appreciation of the effort all staff play in the education of every child.
Barbara has taught early childhood, elementary, middle, and high school students and has served as an educational consultant for three publishing companies. She holds a master’s degree in school administration and was certified as both a teacher and a school principal in North Carolina. She received her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Teaching from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. In 2006, she received the award for Outstanding Junior Professor at Winthrop University. She left her position at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte to write and speak full-time.
In addition to speaking at state, national, and international conferences, she also regularly presents virtual and on-site workshops for teachers and administrators in elementary, middle, and high schools. Her workshops are lively and engaging and filled with practical information. Here are a few of her most popular topics:
Rigorous Schools and Classrooms: Leading the Way
Rigorous Assessments
Rigor and Differentiation in the Classroom
Rigor for Students with Special Needs
Motivation + Engagement + Rigor = Student Success
Research-Based Engaging Instruction Leads to Higher Achievement
High Expectations and Increased Support Lead to Success
Scaffolding for Success: Helping Learners Meet Rigorous Expectations Across the Curriculum
Rigor Is Not a Four-letter Word: Strategies for Success, 4th Edition
And today we are talking about Barbara’s latest - Rigor and Assessment in the Classroom: Strategies and Tools, 2nd Edition.
Excellent book!
Incredible tools for using in your classroom!
Great conversation!
So much to learn and think about!
Thanks for listening!
Thanks for sharing!
Before you go...
You could help support this podcast by Buying Me A Coffee. Not really buying me something to drink but clicking on the link on my home page at https://stevenmiletto.com for Buy Me a Coffee or by going to this link Buy Me a Coffee.
This would allow you to donate to help the show address the costs associated with producing the podcast from upgrading gear to the fees associated with producing the show. That would be cool. Thanks for thinking about it.
Hey, I've got another favor...could you share the podcast with one of your friends, colleagues, and family members? Hmmm? What do you think? Thank you!
You are AWESOME!
Connect & Learn More:
https://www.barbarablackburnonline.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbarablackburnonline/
https://www.facebook.com/Barbarablackburneducation/
https://www.instagram.com/barbararblackburn/
https://twitter.com/BarbBlackburn
Length - 42:36
Thursday Feb 27, 2025
Thursday Feb 27, 2025
Barbara R. Blackburn - Rigor Is Not a Four-Letter Word: Strategies for Success, 4th Ed. This is episode 747 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast.
Ranked in the Top 20 Global Gurus in Education, Barbara has dedicated her life to raising the level of rigor and motivation for professional educators and students alike. What differentiates Barbara’s over 30 books are her easily executable concrete examples based on decades of experience as a teacher, professor, and consultant. Barbara’s dedication to education was inspired in her early years by her parents, Bob and Rose. Her father’s doctorate and lifetime career as a professor taught her the importance of professional training. Her mother’s career as school secretary shaped Barbara’s appreciation of the effort all staff play in the education of every child.
Barbara has taught early childhood, elementary, middle, and high school students and has served as an educational consultant for three publishing companies. She holds a master’s degree in school administration and was certified as both a teacher and a school principal in North Carolina. She received her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Teaching from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. In 2006, she received the award for Outstanding Junior Professor at Winthrop University. She left her position at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte to write and speak full-time.
In addition to speaking at state, national, and international conferences, she also regularly presents virtual and on-site workshops for teachers and administrators in elementary, middle, and high schools. Her workshops are lively and engaging and filled with practical information. Here are a few of her most popular topics:
Rigorous Schools and Classrooms: Leading the Way
Rigorous Assessments
Rigor and Differentiation in the Classroom
Rigor for Students with Special Needs
Motivation + Engagement + Rigor = Student Success
Research-Based Engaging Instruction Leads to Higher Achievement
High Expectations and Increased Support Lead to Success
Scaffolding for Success: Helping Learners Meet Rigorous Expectations Across the Curriculum
Our focus today is her most recent book - Rigor Is Not a Four-letter Word: Strategies for Success, 4th Edition.
Awesome tools for you to use!
Great discussion as always with Barbara!
So much to learn!
Please share.
Before you go...
You could help support this podcast by Buying Me A Coffee. Not really buying me something to drink but clicking on the link on my home page at https://stevenmiletto.com for Buy Me a Coffee or by going to this link Buy Me a Coffee.
This would allow you to donate to help the show address the costs associated with producing the podcast from upgrading gear to the fees associated with producing the show. That would be cool. Thanks for thinking about it.
Hey, I've got another favor...could you share the podcast with one of your friends, colleagues, and family members? Hmmm? What do you think? Thank you!
You are AWESOME!
Connect & Learn More:
https://www.barbarablackburnonline.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbarablackburnonline/
https://www.facebook.com/Barbarablackburneducation/
https://www.instagram.com/barbararblackburn/
https://twitter.com/BarbBlackburn
Length - 45:37
Friday Nov 29, 2024
Friday Nov 29, 2024
Barbara R. Blackburn - Scaffolding for Success: Helping Learners Meet Rigorous Expectations Across the Curriculum. This is episode 724 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast.
Ranked in the Top 10 Global Gurus in Education, Barbara has dedicated her life to raising the level of rigor and motivation for professional educators and students alike. What differentiates Barbara’s over 30 books are her easily executable concrete examples based on decades of experience as a teacher, professor, and consultant. Barbara’s dedication to education was inspired in her early years by her parents, Bob and Rose. Her father’s doctorate and lifetime career as a professor taught her the importance of professional training. Her mother’s career as school secretary shaped Barbara’s appreciation of the effort all staff play in the education of every child.
Barbara has taught early childhood, elementary, middle, and high school students and has served as an educational consultant for three publishing companies. She holds a master’s degree in school administration and was certified as both a teacher and a school principal in North Carolina. She received her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Teaching from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. In 2006, she received the award for Outstanding Junior Professor at Winthrop University. She left her position at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte to write and speak full-time.
In addition to speaking at state, national, and international conferences, she also regularly presents virtual and on-site workshops for teachers and administrators in elementary, middle, and high schools. Her workshops are lively and engaging and filled with practical information. Here are a few of her most popular topics:
Rigor is NOT a Four-Letter Word
Rigorous Schools and Classrooms: Leading the Way
Rigorous Assessments
Rigor and Differentiation in the Classroom
Rigor for Students with Special Needs
Motivation + Engagement + Rigor = Student Success
Research-Based Engaging Instruction Leads to Higher Achievement
High Expectations and Increased Support Lead to Success
Our focus today is her most recent book - Scaffolding for Success: Helping Learners Meet Rigorous Expectations Across the Curriculum.
Awesome conversation!
Her book is filled with information you can learn about today and use tomorrow.
Don't forget to vote for Barbara as a Top 10 Global Guru!
Here is the link: https://globalgurus.org/education/
Before you go...
You could help support this podcast by Buying Me A Coffee. Not really buying me something to drink but clicking on the link on my home page at https://stevenmiletto.com for Buy Me a Coffee or by going to this link Buy Me a Coffee.
This would allow you to donate to help the show address the costs associated with producing the podcast from upgrading gear to the fees associated with producing the show. That would be cool. Thanks for thinking about it.
Hey, I've got another favor...could you share the podcast with one of your friends, colleagues, and family members? Hmmm? What do you think? Thank you!
You are AWESOME!
Connect & Learn More:
Don't forget to vote for Barbara to be a Top 10 Global Guru:
Go to this link: https://globalgurus.org/education/
https://www.barbarablackburnonline.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbarablackburnonline/
https://www.facebook.com/Barbarablackburneducation/
https://www.instagram.com/barbararblackburn/
https://twitter.com/BarbBlackburn
Length - 35:48
Friday Dec 08, 2023
Friday Dec 08, 2023
Barbara R. Blackburn - Rigor in Your Classroom: A Toolkit for Teachers, 2nd Edition. This is episode 622 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast.
Ranked in the Top 10 Global Gurus in Education, Barbara has dedicated her life to raising the level of rigor and motivation for professional educators and students alike. What differentiates Barbara’s over 30 books are her easily executable concrete examples based on decades of experience as a teacher, professor, and consultant. Barbara’s dedication to education was inspired in her early years by her parents, Bob and Rose. Her father’s doctorate and lifetime career as a professor taught her the importance of professional training. Her mother’s career as school secretary shaped Barbara’s appreciation of the effort all staff play in the education of every child.
Barbara has taught early childhood, elementary, middle, and high school students and has served as an educational consultant for three publishing companies. She holds a master’s degree in school administration and was certified as both a teacher and a school principal in North Carolina. She received her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Teaching from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. In 2006, she received the award for Outstanding Junior Professor at Winthrop University. She left her position at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte to write and speak full-time.
In addition to speaking at state, national, and international conferences, she also regularly presents virtual and on-site workshops for teachers and administrators in elementary, middle, and high schools. Her workshops are lively and engaging and filled with practical information. Her most popular topics include:
Rigor is NOT a Four-Letter Word
Rigorous Schools and Classrooms: Leading the Way
Rigorous Assessments
Rigor and Differentiation in the Classroom
Rigor for Students with Special Needs
Motivation + Engagement + Rigor = Student Success
Research-Based Engaging Instruction Leads to Higher Achievement
High Expectations and Increased Support Lead to Success
Our focus today is her book - Rigor in Your Classroom: A Toolkit for Teachers, 2nd Ed.
So much to learn!
Excellent talk!
Before you go...
Could you do me a favor? Please go to my website at https://www.stevenmiletto.com/reviews/ or open the podcast app that you are listening to me on, and would you rate and review the podcast? That would be so cool. Thanks!
If you are listening on Apple Podcasts on your phone, go to the logo - click so that you are on the main page with a listing of the episodes for my podcast and scroll to the bottom. There you will see a place to rate and review. Could you review me? That would be so cool. Thank you!
Hey, I've got another favor...could you share the podcast with one of your friends, colleagues, and family members? Hmmm? What do you think? Thank you!
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for listening!
Connect & Learn More:
https://www.barbarablackburnonline.com/
Rigor in Your Classroom: A Toolkit for Teachers - 2nd Edition - Barbar (routledge.com)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbarablackburnonline/
https://www.facebook.com/Barbarablackburneducation/
https://www.instagram.com/barbararblackburn/
https://twitter.com/BarbBlackburn
Length - 48:00