Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud

Teachers looking for a strategy to increase students’ engagement in learning and instructional coaches looking to support those teachers can find ideas and encouragement from Katie Brooks. She shares her experiences that led her to say: "By making podcasting a part of my ELA curriculum, I’ve seen students finally comprehend complex materials, have a blast learning and using their creativity, and take ownership of their learning in a way that traditional assignments don’t always allow. Students who struggle with traditional tasks have become more invested in their learning when given the opportunity to express themselves through audio storytelling." Read Katie's Edutopia article and find her resources here. [https://www.edutopia.org/article/creating-podcasts-elementary-school]  Email Katie: katiejoybrooksyt@gmail.com [katiejoybrooksyt@gmail.com]            Subscribe to the Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud podcast on iTunes [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/steve-barkley-ponders-out-loud/id1254070860?mt=2] or visit BarkleyPD.com [http://barkleypd.com] to find new episodes!

Hear a principal’s firsthand experience in facilitating a staff’s implementation of standards-based grading. Explore some of the “bumps” and how they worked through them. “There were bumps everywhere. We shifted the ground between kids and families’ feet. Most of us go through school with the same grading systems our parents did. This was no different. We had to explain what, why, and how. We also had to share that we weren’t demeaning the education or grading expectations that adults had as kids. We were simply trying to evolve.” The goal - authentic mastery. Read Matt's article, "Our Grading System Was Setting Students Up to Fail—Until This Change" here. [https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-our-grading-system-was-setting-students-up-to-fail-until-this-change/2025/05] Visit Matt’s website here. [https://eberteducationalconsulting.com/]  Watch Matt's TED Talk here. [https://www.ted.com/talks/matthew_ebert_3_strategies_to_address_the_teacher_shortage_crisis]  Subscribe to the Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud podcast on iTunes [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/steve-barkley-ponders-out-loud/id1254070860?mt=2] or visit BarkleyPD.com [http://barkleypd.com/] to find new episodes!

Its that time of year when many school administrators and teacher leaders are engaged in setting school improvement goals focused on increasing student learning. But goals alone aren’t enough. Real change happens when we identify and support the behaviors that lead to those goals: the consistent learning behaviors students will need to be engaged in, the teacher actions that are most likely to generate those student learning production behaviors, and the leadership actions that will support teachers in implementing those actions. Subscribe to the Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud podcast on iTunes [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/steve-barkley-ponders-out-loud/id1254070860?mt=2] or visit BarkleyPD.com [http://barkleypd.com] to find new episodes!

Most school leaders and teachers give a rather low rating to the value of teacher observations regarding increasing teacher effectiveness and thus student learning. Many find the process actual interfering with building a trusting learning culture in a school. Craig Randall, the author of "Trust-Based Observations: Maximizing Teaching and Learning Growth," has developed a transformative model of teacher observation that focuses on strengths and building differentiated trusting relationships with each teacher; creating work environments where teachers feel safe, embrace taking risks, and experimenting with new practices. The result is a schoolwide culture of trust and care extending throughout the school to students. Craig shares the nine areas of pedagogy that are a focus for observing and strategies for generating trust in the process. Find out more at: https://trustbased.com/trust-based-observation-form/ [https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftrustbased.com%2Ftrust-based-observation-form%2F&data=05%7C02%7Cjjacobs%40678main.com%7C3bf5a7fb61944548604608dd930198ee%7C4cb0dd6c375844f98e75e86c2bbfcfe4%7C0%7C0%7C638828357236290099%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=0ucSrhSdngUrzeIpR3v7XJL4C8Qcygc18kS4kGmd0Rc%3D&reserved=0] Email Craig: craig@trustbased.com [craig@trustbased.com]     Subscribe to the Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud podcast on iTunes [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/steve-barkley-ponders-out-loud/id1254070860?mt=2] or visit BarkleyPD.com [http://barkleypd.com/] to find new episodes!

What is deeper learning and how does it meaningfully engage students, preparing them for success beyond the classroom? How can teachers incorporate deeper learning into their classrooms? Dr. David Reese, from Defined Learning, explores these topics and identifies the six critical competencies that are important to all students’ for success. These competencies are often framed within the context of future-ready skills, which also include creativity, citizenship, and character.  Find David's blog post, "Why Deeper Learning? 6 Competencies EVERY Student Needs to Succeed" here. [https://blog.definedlearning.com/why-deeper-learning] Email David: david_reese@definedlearning.com [david_reese@definedlearning.com] Subscribe to the Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud podcast on iTunes [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/steve-barkley-ponders-out-loud/id1254070860?mt=2] or visit BarkleyPD.com [http://barkleypd.com] to find new episodes!