BONUS: What Happens When You Let Go of CONTROL in the Classroom?
Schoolutions: Curious Educators. Evidence-Based Strategies. Classrooms Where Every Child Thrives.
02/21/25
•12m
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✨ In this S4 E24 bonus episode, discover how student-centered learning and innovative teaching can create meaningful classroom success through collaborative agreements. By focusing on personalized learning and active learning strategies, educators can build stronger connections with their students. This episode explores how cooperative learning transforms traditional classroom dynamics into spaces where every student thrives. 🌱
I explore insights from Kwame Sarfo-Mensah's book Learning to Relearn: Supporting Identity in a Culturally Affirming Classroom. Discover how to shift from traditional classroom control to collaborative agreements empowering students and teachers. Learn practical strategies for letting students take the lead, including student-led teaching opportunities and peer tutoring.
Whether you're an educator struggling with classroom dynamics or a school leader looking to strengthen communities, this episode offers concrete tools for creating spaces where all voices are heard and valued. It also explores how repairing harm through education can strengthen classroom relationships and why vulnerability in teaching matters.
Listen in to understand how you can transform your classroom into a space where both students and teachers thrive through mutual respect, shared responsibility, and authentic community building. Want to learn more about nurturing culturally affirming learning communities? Check out my full interview with Kwame (https://youtu.be/tNg3icwk-bs).
When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired, and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.
New episodes are released every Monday, with a bonus solo episode on Fridays featuring research-backed coaching and teaching strategies you can apply right away to better serve the children in your care.
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When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.
Previous Episode
How Teachers Can Create Identity-Affirming Classrooms with Kwame Sarfo-Mensah
February 17, 2025
•36m
You will learn practical strategies and frameworks to create inclusive, identity-affirming spaces throughout this S4E24 conversation with Kwame Sarfo-Mensah. This episode highlights Kwame’s book, Learning to Relearn: Supporting Identity in a Culturally-Affirming Classroom. Kwame brings seventeen years of education experience, including nine years as a middle school math teacher in Philadelphia and Boston. He is the founder of Identity Talk Consulting and host of the Identity Talk 4 Educators podcast. As a former middle school math teacher, Kwame discusses the journey from classroom teaching to global education advocacy.
Key Topics:
➡️The three P's of intersectional awareness: Privilege, Power, and Positionality
➡️Strategies for being an authentically active community-engaged educator
➡️The importance of origin stories in teaching
➡️Counter-storytelling and celebrating marginalized communities
➡️Creating culturally affirming classroom environments
Highlighted Frameworks:
💫Origin Story Components (STORI):
💫Racial Literacy Development Framework:
Practical Strategies:
✨The "Me Bag" activity for celebrating student identities
✨Reflective questions for educator development
✨Community engagement at multiple levels
✨Ways to incorporate counter-storytelling
Tune in to explore how educators can use intentional, inclusive practices to strengthen student engagement, emotional wellness, and academic success, creating classrooms that are not just places of learning but spaces of healing, growth, and transformation.
#IdentityTalk4Educators #IdentityAffirmingEducation #CulturallyResponsiveTeaching #TeacherDevelopment #EducationalEquity #TeacherLife #TeacherPD #EducationalLeadership #InstructionalCoaching #TeacherCommunity #ProfessionalLearning #StudentIdentity #CounterStorytelling #IntersectionalAwareness #CulturalCompetency #SchoolTransformation #EdChat #SchoolCommunity #StudentVoices #ClassroomCommunity #TeacherGrowth #TeacherReflection #EducationMatters #K12Education #SchoolCulture
When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.
Next Episode
What New Teachers Need to Succeed with Dr. Towanda Harris
February 24, 2025
•38m
In this powerful episode of Schoolutions, I sit down with Dr. Towanda Harris of the Harris Innovation Consulting Group, an influential educator with over 20 years of experience who's impacted more than 10,000 educators nationwide. Dr. Harris shares her journey from third-grade teacher to university professor, offering invaluable insights about preparing the next generation of teachers. Learn why questioning the status quo should be celebrated, how to redefine success in education beyond traditional metrics, and why developing a teaching philosophy must start with personal reflection. Whether you're a new teacher, veteran educator, or educational leader, this conversation offers fresh perspectives on creating more responsive, student-centered classrooms.
Key Topics Discussed:
➡️Dr. Harris's journey from classroom teacher to university professor
➡️The importance of questioning and unlearning in education
➡️Redefining success beyond traditional metrics
➡️Developing meaningful teaching philosophies
➡️Creating inclusive classroom environments
Research & Resources Mentioned:
💫Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop's work on mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors
💫Dr. Gholnescsar (Gholdy) Muhammad's work on transactional learning
💫Zaretta Hammond's Ready 4 Rigor Framework
💫Dr. Carla España and Dr. Luz Yadira Herrera's work on translanguaging
💫Arlène Elizabeth Casimir's Holding Space Protocol
Dr. Harris’s Recommended Resources:
📚A Love Letter to Teachers by Patrick Harris II
📚3 Ways to Take Charge of Your Personal Growth As an Educator by Dr. Towanda Harris
📚Meaningful Learning Experiences: Teaching the Student and not the Content CCRIA blog by Dr. Towanda Harris
📚Student Agency: Strategies to Build a Strengths-Based Classroom by Dr. Towanda Harris
📚The Right Tools: A Guide to Selecting, Evaluating, and Implementing Classroom Resources and Practices by Dr. Towanda Harris
Timestamps:
- [00:00:00] Episode Introduction
- [00:02:00] Dr. Harris's Educational Journey
- [00:09:00] Changes in Teacher Candidates
- [00:15:00] Redefining Success in Education
- [00:24:00] Developing Teaching Philosophies
- [00:34:00] Inclusive Teaching Practices
- [00:37:00] Closing Thoughts
#DrTowandaHarris #TheRightTools #EdChat #TeacherEducation
When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.
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