Hack Learning: Recent Episodes
Mark Barnes
Learn quick and easy ways to improve education, leadership, and parenting: How to replace traditional homework; how to improve leadership; how to integrate new technology; how to assess for learning; how to eliminate useless meetings; how to engage even the most reluctant learners; how to inspire a lifelong love of reading; how to combine writing with the maker space; how to take learning mobile; how to improve social media strategies. Teacher/author/global influencer Mark Barnes, creator of the Bestselling Hack Learning Book Series, explains precisely what's wrong with education and what you can do about it, tomorrow; because you don't need a 5-year plan. Learn more at http://10publications.com.
We're in an education crisis, and many teachers fear they won't make it through this year. Some are begging for help; some are preaching self-care. Others are quitting--just walking out of their classrooms and schools and moving on to something else.
In this episode of the Hack Learning Podcast, Mark Barnes is asking you to help solve this crisis. He shares a disheartening Twitter chat, in which educators from across the country share the issues:
teachers being told to "stick it out," no matter what
a massive substitute teacher shortage is pulling teachers from their classes and moving them into others, during their plan times and lunches
teachers feel obligated to work, even ignoring doctor's orders to stay home
some fear a return to distance learning, while others hope for it
feeling of helplessness and overwhelming stress are pushing educators to the brink
You can find the Twitter conversation Mark references here: https://twitter.com/imacoolibrarian/status/1450146195779690497?s=20
Comment there and mention @markbarnes19 and add #HackLearning. Mark asks for your feedback, and your Hacks. What can we do now to solve this problem in the short term? How can we end this crisis?
Find more episodes at https://www.10publications.com/
Episode Photo by Olya Kobruseva from Pexels
Angry, litigious, anti-mask parents are suing schools in Ohio, and Mark Barnes has Hacks you can share to stop this madness and solve one of education's biggest problems.
1 -- Don't sue schools over mask mandates
2 -- Don't attend school boards in an angered state of mind
3 -- Create conversations with school leaders and with kids about safety
4 -- Get vaccinated
Do these hacks look simple here? They are just as simple when you put them into action.
For more education hacks and practical solutions for busy educators, visit https://www.10publications.com/
For more from this show, visit hacklearningpodcast.com
Sometimes teacher burnout is due to shame and blame and avoiding the problems. Mark shares some quick hacks from Hacking Teacher Burnout author Amber Harper. Learn how to seek help and to seek "help seekers." More episodes are available at hacklearningpodcast.com
Mark is joined by two national distinguished principals, Tony Sinanis, an administrator in New York and co-author of Hacking Leadership, and Jessica Cabeen, a principal in Minnesota and author of Lead With Grace and Hacking Early Learning. In this excerpt of a Times 10 Roundtable webinar, the three educators discuss the problems teachers and leaders are facing during the global pandemic and how to prepare for the huge changes we're facing in education, in what is sure to be some kind of blended learning environment now and in the future.
Learn more at 10Publications.com/webinars
Listen to more episodes at HackLearningPodcast.com
In this brief excerpt from the Times 10 Roundtable, Mark Barnes talks with anxiety experts Christine Ravesi-Weinstein and Connie Hamilton about anxious students' triggers, while providing powerful tips and tools for helping our kids cope with anxiety, in a pandemic society and beyond.
To view the entire hour-long, free webinar, visit https://www.10publications.com/webinars
For more from the pod, visit http://hacklearningpodcast.com
Mark Barnes shares an excerpt of the Times 10 Roundtable Webinar--Hacking Distance Learning: How to Deliver Impactful Instruction When Teaching from Home.
Times 10 teachers, school leaders, and authors unpack the problems educators face with distance learning, in a climate of uncertainty, and they provide sound, practical strategies and tools that will make you successful at any level and in any subject.
To see the entire hour-long discussion or other Roundtables, visit 10Publications.com/webinars
For more podcast episodes, visit HackLearningPodcast.com
A school district in Texas is bringing back the paddle, because some parents okayed teachers hitting their children. Mark Barnes compares this to 1950s style discipline and shares the thoughts of Nathan Maynard, co-author of Hacking School Discipline, on the subject. There are better ways to handle behavior issues in class and hitting is never okay, Maynard says. In the end, Barnes says, "Spare the rod, save the child!" What do you say.
For more from Times 10 and the Hack Learning Podcast, visit us at 10Publications.com
The focus and goal of mentoring is not to point out weak performance, but rather to shape a career and develop potential. Before you can be a mentor, you have to LEARN what it means to be a Modern Mentor. Mark Barnes shares the LEARN model from Modern Mentor and how you can apply it in your space, no matter what role you play.
Find additional notes for this episode at http://10publications.com/learn-how-to-be-a-mentor
James had what appeared to be some major problems. How did his teacher connect with this introverted student? You'll be amazed at how simple it was.
For more on connecting with introverted students, look inside Quiet Kids Count: Unleashing the True Potential of Introverts, on Amazon
Visit the Hack Learning Podcast archive at http://hacklearningpodcast.com
Teacher, author, keynote speaker Chrissy Romano Arrabito was the student who always raised her hand first, always had the answer, was eager to share, was well-behaved, and made good grades. She was, from any teacher's perspective, a well-adjusted child. Little did most, if any, of her teachers realize, Chrissy was a quiet kid--an introvert. She struggled with her emotions constantly. How did her teachers miss this? Are you misunderstanding your own quiet kids? Learn more about introverts and one easy strategy for helping them cope, in this episode of the Hack Learning Podcast.
Read the introduction to Quiet Kids Count at http://hacklearning.org/quietkids
Learn about Chrissy's new book, Quiet Kids Count, at http://weleadforward.com
Listen to more Hack Learning episodes at http://hacklearningpodcast.com
Encourage, evolve, empower. Mentor, move, motivate. Create, innovate, elevate. Always be listening. Always be learning.
These are the qualities of someone who leads forward. They’re not just my words or those of the educators who write leadership books. The words belong to teachers, principals, parents, superintendents, and other education shareholders. Perhaps they are your words, too.
Listen to the rest of this Foreword from the new Lead Forward Series, by Hack Learning Pod host Mark Barnes.
Read the the rest at http://hacklearning.org/LFmission
Browse our shelves at http://times10library.com
Why is impactful leadership like riding a backwards bicycle? It's actually quite simple, says award-winning school principal, presenter, and author of Be Excellent on Purpose, Sanée Bell. EduHacker Mark Barnes shares an excerpt from a conversation with Sanée about ownership over buy-in, empowering shareholders to reflect and create plans for success and other strategies for re-learning how to ride your bike and how to Be Excellent on Purpose.
For details about the Lead Forward Series and how to Be Excellent on Purpose, visit http://weleadforward.com.
Read all of the Hack Learning Series and other books from Times 10 Publications at http://times10library.com
Want amazing, even mind-blowing, conversation in your classroom? Throw out your ping pong questions, and become a pinball wizard. Mark shares--and SINGS--this powerful strategy from Hacking Questions, by Connie Hamilton. Listen now and learn the wizardry that can turn your students into discussion gurus.
For more from Hacking Qs, visit http://times10library.com
For more from the Pod, visit http://hacklearningpodcast.com
Disruptive students are criminals who must be put out of your classroom. So says one educator, who Mark Barnes is taking to task, in this uncut episode that comes with this disclaimer: Beware, Mark is angry, and one misguided teacher is going to hear about it. Of course, if you listen past the rant, you'll learn how to keep your "criminals" in class and teach them empathy and the kind of behavior choices that will make them successful in school and in life.
Learn more about the hacks in this episode in Hacking School Discipline, at http://times10library.com
Subscribe and listen to more at http://hacklearningpodcast.com
In this excerpt from Hacking Questions, we learn how to set ourselves up to kick the IDK bucket by identifying the root cause for the “I don’t know” response. You see, we cannot assume that IDK means the student really does not know something.
Read this Hack from Hack Learning Book 23 at http://hacklearning.org/IDKbucket
Browse books at http://times10library.com
Listen to more at http://hacklearningpodcast.com
People said they don't have time to teach empathy, compassion, and self-awareness. Mark Barnes responds, and you may be surprised at what he says. At first, you might say, "That's not Hack Learning." But if you listen till the end, you might agree that this attitude is what Hack Learning is founded on.
Hack Learning host Mark Barnes lost his temper recently. If only he had taken his own advice, which he shares in this episode, things might have been different.
What's this earth-shattering advice? Three words: Take a breath!
Sounds easy, right? It's not so simple, and in order to make it work, you have to be intentional about that purposeful pause. Take a few minutes, listen, and learn how to PLAN your breaths, change your own behavior, be a better professional and person, and model empathy for colleagues and for kids.
This might be the hackiest Hack ever, and it might change your life.
Learn more in Hacking School Discipline and other books that include mindfulness strategies at http://times10library.com
Subscribe to the pod at http://hacklearningpodcast.com
Are you teaching Generation Alpha with Baby Boomer content? Educators are faced with new challenges from the generation that may live into the 22nd century. How can teachers cope? Mark shares what Michael Fisher and Elizabeth Fisher, authors of Hacking Instructional Design, say about planning for the future, so we can better meet the needs of Gen Alpha.
Read this excerpt from the book at http://hacklearning.org/alpha
Browse all books at http://hacklearningbooks.com
Visit the podcast archive at http://hacklearningpodcast.com
Mark shares a story from Hacking School Discipline, about Amarra, a troublemaker that many teachers might have given up on. Instead of quitting on her, though, her teachers instilled a growth mindset in Amarra, and a once troubled young lady became a school leader and student mentor.
Learn more about Amarra and creating a growth mindset in Hack Learning book number 22, Hacking School Discipline. It's on Amazon now.
Subscribe to the podcast at http://hacklearningpodcast.com
Browse the library at http://hacklearningbooks.com
Handing out office referrals like candy to students who misbehave is like sending kids away from learning for a brief holiday, and Mark Barnes says, "It's time to throw out your office referral." Mark shares a powerful, simple hack from Hacking School Discipline, that will help teachers and school leaders change behavior, while keeping kids in class as valuable members of the learning community.
Read an excerpt and learn one of 9 ways to create a culture of empathy and responsibility using restorative justice: http://hacklearning.org/circleup
For more episodes, visit http://hacklearningpodcast.com
Running a marathon seems crazy to Mark Barnes. Teaching is often crazier. But being both marathon runner and teacher is unfathomable. Still, these unique individuals are littered across race courses and classrooms worldwide. And, what Mark has learned, from teacher and marathon runner Mike Roberts, is that these seemingly crazy people will never stop Chasing Greatness.
Listen to an excerpt from Roberts' new book, Chasing Greatness: 26.2 Ways Teaching Is Like Running a Marathon.
Look inside the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Chasing-Greatness-Teaching-Running-Marathon/dp/1948212129/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=chasing+greatness&qid=1551291347&s=gateway&sr=8-3
Visit us at http://hacklearningpodcast.com
Show notes for this episode are at http://hacklearning.org/greatness
Florida is considering bonus pay for the "best and brightest teachers," but who are they? According to one plan, they are the teachers whose students perform well on standardized tests. This is a flawed system, for many reasons. Is there a better way to identify the "best and brightest?" Mark Barnes went to the Hack Learning audience for answers. If you think bonus pay for educators is a good idea, forget test scores, and consider this hacky plan instead.
Subscribe and rate the show at http://hacklearningpodcast.com
Visit our library at http://hacklearningbooks.com
Mark Barnes is Uncut again, and he's wondering if teachers and parents hurt kids by NOT teaching them about perception, when it comes to social media. He recalls a Washington DC protest video going viral, and the perceptions people had about the kids in the video. Mark shares excerpts from Hacking Digital Learning Strategies, by Shelly Terrell, that explain how to help kids identify and understand fake news and the perceptions it creates. He shares some simple hacks adults can use to teach kids about perception and help them avoid damaging their futures.
Look inside Hacking Digital Learning Strategies at http://hacklearningbooks.com
Subscribe to the show at http://hacklearningpodcast.com
When someone asks how your day was, do you say, “It was very satisfying?” Do you exit a roller coaster and exclaim, “That was a very satisfying ride?” When you last dined at a 5-star restaurant, did you tell the server that you just couldn’t wait for a satisfactory meal?
Hopefully, you answered no to all of these questions. Hopefully, your day, your roller coaster ride, and your fine dining where much more. Mark explains the danger of "satisfying" experiences, especially when they dominate school.
He says, you need the F Word.
For show notes, visit http://hacklearning.org/fword
Browse our library at http://hacklearningbooks.com
Mark Barnes shares a story about a school district that makes students wear color-coded badges that label them as potential failures. We need better leadership in 2019, Barnes says, and we need to hack these policies that harm our students. Mark shares a hack from Hacking Leadership that supplies some what-you-can-do-tomorrow strategies for creating a school culture that embraces the opinions of all shareholders, helping leaders avoid mistakes like this badge fiasco.
All episodes can be found at http://hacklearningpodcast.com
Find Hacking Leadership at http://hacklearningbooks.com
Mark Barnes shares some tough questions that, he says, all teachers should ask themselves. Are you ready to answer them?
Browse the Hack Learning library at http://hacklearningbooks.com
Subscribe to the show at http://hacklearningpodcast.com
Mark Barnes shares Hack 7 from the new Hacking Instructional Design, in which the authors explain how to use mental velcro--must one of 33 extraordinary ways to create a contemporary curriculum.
Grab the authors' 61-page free resource at http://hacklearning.org/design
Listen to more Hack Learning episodes at http://HackLearningPodcast.com
Teachers and school leaders want compassion in their classrooms and schools. Mark Barnes explains how Experiential Learning inspires compassion in students, with plenty of help from Hacking School Culture: Designing Compassionate Classrooms, by Angela Stockman and Ellen Feig Gray.
Find Hacking School Culture and the entire Hack Learning Series at http://hacklearningbooks.com
For more podcast episodes, visit http://hacklearningpodcast.com
A concerned educator and parent writes: "My kids tell me that [their classes are] basically -- take notes, do worksheets, take tests. They don't really DO anything with the stuff they're learning. No discussions or projects or anything really hands-on. Just information in, information out." This sparked some remarkable conversation and evidence that many kids across the country are exposed to old-school practices that make them hate school. Mark Barnes shares the conversation and is asking you to help Hack this problem.
Share this episode and comment on Twitter at #HackLearning and tag @markbarnes19
Join the conversation on the Hack Learning Ambassadors Facebook site: https://www.facebook.com/groups/HLAmbassadors/
Improve your practice by browsing our library at http://hacklearningbooks.com
Start your own conversation and ask for solutions.
Popular author and speaker James Clear says, "Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement." That is, the effects of your habits multiply, when repeated, much like your money multiplies, as it sits in an interest-bearing account.
Clear is the author of the new Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones, and he has a simple formula for making your habits Atomic, which he shares with Mark Barnes in this episode.
Learn more about Clear and Atomic Habits at http://hacklearning.org/habits
Browse our library at http://hacklearningbooks.com
Check out the new uNseries at http://unseries.com
Veteran teacher, author, and presenter Chuck Poole believes that one of the keys to becoming an unforgettable teacher is to find your balance. In his book, uNforgettable: Your Roadmap to Being the Teacher They Never Forget, Poole says that balance "frees us from unnecessary responsibilities." But how can busy teachers find balance? Poole explains in an excerpt from the book, shared in this episode by your host, Mark Barnes.
Read more at http://hacklearning.org/balance
Check out uNforgettable here: https://www.amazon.com/uNforgettable-Roadmap-Teacher-Forget-uNseries/dp/1948212099/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
A tennis match was interrupted by, of all things, coaching and, possibly, a little gender bias, and Mark Barnes has some simple hacks to put a stop to this insanity. In a departure from his usual education hacks, Mark discusses the women's US Open tennis championship and an outburst from star Serena Williams that may have overshadowed a young player's victory but shed light on a big problem in sports and society.
Share you thoughts on Twitter at #HackLearning
Visit our episode library at http://hacklearningpodcast.com
Brows books at http://hacklearningbooks.com
phot by: y.caradec http://www.flickr.com/photos/10288162@N07/8883127266"
Instead of de-funding school libraries, it's time to transform them into the revolutionary space that can inspire all education shareholders to view the library as a learning community--not just an archive of books.
Learn more at http://hacklearning.org/libraries
Browse all episodes at http://hacklearningpodcast.com
Is it time to reconsider parents' role in teaching and learning in your space? Parent and family involvement in education can now be so much more than a phone call, open house, or parent-teacher conference. In her new book, Hacking Early Learning, Principal of the Year Jessica Cabeen shares some practical strategies for engaging parents in daily teaching and learning, using 21-century technology. Mark Barnes shares an excerpt from Jessica's book, explaining how you can bring parents along for the entire journey in every school year.
Read more at http://hacklearning.org/parents
Browse our shelves at http://hacklearningbooks.com
When celebrities stand by and protect bullies, without punishment, how can adults teach kids to stand up? Mark uses a high-profile example of a celebrity covering for an abuser, wondering if the person goes unpunished how it will impact our ability to teach kids to do what's right.
Continue the conversation on Twitter at #HackLearning
View all episodes at http://hacklearningpodcast.com
Browse the library at http://hacklearningbooks.com
In another uncut edition of the show, Mark Barnes challenges you to take a chance and ask students to rate your in-class presentations or lessons. Channeling Hacking Engagement author and podcaster James Sturtevant, Mark shares Hack 35 from Sturtevant's 50 Tips & Tools to Engage Teachers and Learners Daily, along with one nifty tech tool to easily empower your student focus groups. Listen now and learn how to leverage student opinion to be the best teacher you can be.
Check out Hacking Engagement and the entire Hack Learning Series at http://hacklearningbooks.com.
Listen to more podcast episodes at http://hacklearningpodcast.com.
Mark shares a story from author/consultant Angela Stockman about a student who asked for feedback from her teacher, only to be given judgement and criticism. You'll be surprised at what Angela instructed the student to do next.
Read the story, excerpted from Stockman's Hacking the Writing Workshop at http://hacklearning.org/feedback
Visit our episode archive at http://hacklearningpodcast.com
What if educators knew their students so well, they could predict exactly when kids would quit? Imagine how easily you could propel learners forward, if you had this incredible power.
Longtime classroom teachers Adam Chamberlin and Sveti Matejic say that understanding Quit Point is the key to unlocking the full potential of teaching and learning.
Learn more at http://hacklearning.org/quitpoint
Browse our shelves at http://hacklearningbooks.com
And educator commented on a tweet, which ignited what someone called a "mob mentality." This Twitter conversation inspired Mark Barnes to share a scenario he envisioned, during what he says looked like teachers bashing teachers on social media.
For more detail, read the show notes at http://hacklearning.org/bashingteachers
For more episodes, visit http://hacklearningpodcast.com
Shame permeates our schools and classrooms. Kids shame their peers and, sometimes, unwittingly, teachers shame their students.
Compassionate classrooms, detailed in Hacking Classroom Culture by Angela Stockman and Ellen Feig Gray, extinguish shame. Mark shares an excerpt from Hack 5 of this new book, helping you find out how to eliminate shame in your space and design your own compassionate classroom.
Check out the resources from this episode and an excerpt from Hacking School Culture at http://hacklearning.org/shame
Learn more about designing compassionate classrooms here: https://www.amazon.com/Hacking-School-Culture-Compassionate-Classrooms/dp/1948212048/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1525794044&sr=8-1
Mark Barnes says he used to penalize kids for insignificant things like using a pencil or putting their names in the wrong spot (a bad practice he now admits). But failing a kid for not printing a Google Doc? Mark argues that this is the stupidest school policy ever. He explains why and how this needs to be hacked ... immediately, while providing a few hacks from numerous Hack Learning experts.
Check out the books referenced in this episode at http://hacklearningbooks.com
Browse the podcast archive at http://hacklearningpodcast.com
Mark shares the worst thing he did to his students and how you may be doing the same thing right now. Then, he provides one simple hack to avoid doing it again.
View the archive at http://hacklearningpodcast.com
Browse books at http://hacklearningbooks.com
EduHacker Mark Barnes admits that math has always eluded him, until he stumbled upon the Unanswerable Questions hack in Hacking Mathematics, by Denis Sheeran. Mark shares Sheeran's reasoning behind Unanswerable Questions and the power they hold over not just math students, but all teachers and learners.
Read the excerpt at http://hacklearning.org/UQ
Browse the library at http://hacklearningbooks.com
Mark Barnes is angry and Uncut, as he unabashedly says No to the president's plan to arm teachers, in an attempt to stop school shootings. Not only does Mark say educators must say no to guns, he provides a few more ways to stop school shootings. Listen and comment on Twitter at #HackLearning.
More from Mark Barnes and Hack Learning at http://hacklearningpodcast.com
Mark shared this on social channels, and something amazing happened:
"A model student his whole life, my son, a freshman, suddenly hates school. He says the teachers are boring and most of the subject matter he will never use in real life. This is heartbreaking. He has three and a half years left, and I don't know what to do."
Listen to how people reacted and how Mark disseminates their reactions into some powerful, What-You-Can-Do-Tomorrow strategies to make school an engaging, fun place for all kids.
Learn more at http://hacklearning.org/kidhatesschool
Browse the library at http://hacklearningbooks.com
More episodes at http://hacklearningpodcast.com
The Mississippi State legislature wants to mandate nightly homework, including spelling, across the state. Mark Barnes explains why any homework mandate undermines teachers, learners, and parents. He also declares that politicians must stay out of education policymaking, unless they enlist the help of progressive-minded educators.
Learn more at http://hackinghomework.com
Listen to more episodes at http://hacklearningpodcast.com
A reader pushed back hard against Mark Barnes' article about going gradeless in Education Week's 10 Big Ideas Special Report. As you may have expected, Mark pushes back against the pushback in this episode, sharing excerpts from the EdWeek article and the comments. Along the way, Mark explains why grading and evaluating are not the same as effectively assessing learning in the no-grades classroom.
Check out an excerpt from the article, No, Students Don't Need Grades, on our show notes page here: http://hacklearning.org/10bigideas
Learn about going gradeless and other progressive education ideas at http://hacklearningbooks.com.
Tell the world what you think of the podcast with an iTunes rating and review.
Mark discusses changing the narrative about school leaders. With a little help from principals Dan McCabe and Tracy R. Taylor, Mark says, it’s time to stop making the principal the bad guy.
Visit the Show’s archive at http://hacklearningpodcast.com
Browse the library at http://hacklearningbooks.com
Check out http://spreaker.com for fast and hacky podcasting
Mark interviews Utah English Teacher of the Year Mike Roberts, author of Hacking Classroom Management: 10 Ideas To Help You Become the Type of Teacher They Make Movies About.
Learn more about Roberts and the Movie Teacher approach at http://hacklearning.org/movieteacher
Check out all Hack Learning Series books at http://hacklearningbooks.com
Mark cites a Psychology Today Blog post, in which the author references an interview with a Google executive who says the search engine giant does not use GPAs and SAT scores to assess potential new hires. Mark Barnes despises grades and tests, and he wonders why schools continue to use them when one of the most successful companies on the planet disdains them.
Read the article at https://medium.com/the-mission/inverse-relationship-between-gpa-and-innovative-orientation-57e604e7112
Listen to more episodes at http://hacklearningpodcast.com
Browse the library at http://hacklearningbooks.com
Mark posted this on social channels: "No, I won’t lecture, assign homework, punish, or grade my students, just because that’s the way we’ve always done it." And people reacted. He talks about it in classic Hack Learning Uncut style.
Want more episodes? http://hacklearningpodcast.com
Need a solution to a big problem? http://hacklearningbooks.com
For parents and teachers, the old, "Back-in-my-day" mentality no longer works, because, as Kimberley Moran writes in Hacking Parenthood, The World Really Is Different. In this special Friday edition of Hack Learning Uncut, Mark shares Mantra 9 from the new book, Hacking Parenthood: 10 Mantras You Can Use Daily to Reduce the Stress of Parenting, along with some what-you-can-do-tomorrow strategies for reducing screentime at home in and the classroom. Mark explains how Moran uses the Parent Resource Notebook (PRN) as a powerful tool for pausing and reflecting--critical for both parents and teachers.
Look inside Hacking Parenthood at http://parentmantras.com
Access your free copy of the PRN at http://hackingparenthood.org
Check out the Hack Learning library at http://hacklearningbooks.com
Love him or hate him President Donald Trump isn't the best example for kids, when it comes to debating issues on social media. In this non-political episode, Mark Barnes shares an excerpt from Shelly Terrell's book, Hacking Digital Learning Strategies, which tackles the issue of online debate and disrespect head on. Learn how to teach kids to debate issues appropriately on social media, with some right-now strategies you can use today to engage kids in a meaningful discussion about online debate.
Read the chapter on Teaching Debate at http://hacklearning.org/debate
Check out all Hack Learning books at http://hacklearningbooks.com
Listen to more episodes at http://hacklearningpodcast.com
EduHacker Mark Barnes explains the problem with rewards, gestures, and asking kids to give you the finger, when attempting to effectively "manage" students. Of course, he's got a hack for that.
Mark talks about the power of mission-minded learning with NAPW Woman of the Year, renowned EdTech presenter, and author of Hacking Digital Learning Strategies Shelly Sanchez Terrell.
Learn more about EdTEch Missions at http://hackingDLS.com
For more episodes, visit http://hacklearningpodcast.com
A recent #HackLearning chat sparked some hot debate about appropriate teacher dress and engaging with students outside of class. Mark has opinions, and he's sharing in another Uncut episode.
See the Twitter chat archive at http://hacklearning.org/dresscode
Check out all episodes at http://hacklearningpodcast.com
Visit the library at http://hacklearningbooks.com
In Episode 100, Mark reflects on century's worth of podcasts, asking Why he produces the show. Find out the "Why" and ask yourself why you do what you do.
Share your thoughts at #HackLearning on Twitter and on the Hack Learning Facebook page.
Check out all episodes at http://hacklearningpodcast.com.
Look inside a book at http://hacklearningbooks.com
Hacking Parenthood author Kimberley Moran explains how mantras were created thousands of years ago by people in ancient India who understood that sound is a pathway to reaching enlightenment and they became sound formulas to calm the self. With this in mind, Moran shares several Parent Mantras and explains how you can apply these mantras to your own parenting strategies and reduce the daily stress of parenting.
Moran also explains how teachers can share mantras with parents to help them inspire independent learning at home.
Learn more about Parent Mantras at http://hacklearning.org/stressofparenting, where you can get a free downloadable PDF of Moran's 10 Parent Mantras.
Listen to all episodes at http://hacklearningpodcast.com.
With so much tragedy in the world, we need inspirational stories to ease the stress. Mark shares his favorite inspirational teaching story and puts a Hack Learning spin on it, providing some right-now solutions for teachers and parents of reluctant readers.
Learn more at http://hacklearning.org/story
For more solutions for teachers and learners, visit http://hacklearningbooks.com
A blog post suggesting that teachers should work less draws Mark's ire, and he sounds off in another Uncut version of the podcast. Mark says teachers can't be effective in less than 40 hours a week, but the whole 40-hour thing might just be semantics.
Find more episodes at http://hacklearningpodcast.com
Look inside any or all books at http://hacklearningbooks.com
Tell us what you think on Twitter at #HackLearning
What happened in Charlottesville, Virginia should not be politicized, says Hack Learning creator Mark Barnes. Many people have made this despicable event about the president and what he said in the aftermath of violent protests of the removal of a statue.
Teachers, parents, and school leaders are better served with a discussion about how the events in Charlottesville can lead to lessons about tolerance. But is teaching tolerance really a teacher's job? Mark says, Yes, and shares some What-You-Can-Do-Tomorrow strategies for teaching tolerance without politics.
Learn more at http://hacklearning.org/tolerance
Look inside every Hack Learning Book at http://hacklearningbooks.com
@markbarnes19 is Uncut again, and swearing, literally, that students need to like their teachers in order to learn from them. Mark references a blog post at Teachthought.com that covers students liking their teachers. Most students, Mark says, won't learn from you, if they don't like and trust you and believe you like them back.
Find out why students must like you as a teacher and learn Mark's keys to making this happen this school year.
Subscribe to the show at http://hacklearningpodcast.com
Learn to engage all learners with the new Hacking Engagement Again. Find it at http://hackingengagementagain.com
Engagement guru James Alan Sturtevant joins Mark to discuss better presenting for teachers and students and his latest book, Hacking Engagement Again: 50 Teacher Tools That Will Make Students Love Your Class.
Sturtevant, host of the Hacking Engagement Podcast, shares some of his best engagement tools and strategies for being the Sage on the Stage (yes, it's okay when done right), but not boring students, and for eliminating those awful student-presentation days that most teachers (and students) hate.
Sturtevant shares EdPuzzle and other cool EdTech tools and a couple of tricks for engagement that don't require any technology.
You'll love Sturtevant's style. As he says, Buckle up ... you're going to love this episode.
Bonus: For a free preview of Hacking Engagement Again, visit http://hacklearningpodcast.com and click the Episode 94 link.
Or buy the book now at http://HackingEngagementAgain.com.
Mark Barnes is unedited and Uncut again, discussing how he used to be the most thin-skinned SOB you'd ever meet. Mark provides 3 simple hacks that he learned help thicken even the thinnest skin. Mark shares several personal stories about the dangers of having thin skin, from an epic blog post you can find on the blog at http://hacklearning.org.
Listen to more episodes at http://hacklearningpodcast.com.
Grab some free hacks for innovative teaching and leading at http://hacklearningfree.com
We teach behind walls, and it's time to leverage todays technology to create transparency in education. In episode 92, Mark shares some right-now solutions for building a Glass Classroom -- an environment that empowers teachers and learners to show off what they're doing in class to all shareholders.
Mark also wishes Happy Birthday to Book 1 in the Hack Learning Series -- Hacking Education: 10 Quick Fixes for Every School -- which turns 2 this month.
Learn how to build a Glass Classroom tomorrow, while celebrating Hacking Education. Read all of Hack 8 -- The Glass Classroom -- on the show notes page: Episode 92 at http://hacklearningpodcast.com.
Find Hacking Education at http://hacklearningbooks.com.
In this edition of Uncut, Mark riffs on teachers using technology, just to say that they are integrating technology in their classrooms. Telling kids to type an essay in a Google Doc just so they can say they're teaching with tech, only to have the students print the essay, is not creative technology integration.
It's time to eliminate old-school EdTech, Mark says, in addition to sharing a cool new intro and outro of Hack Learning Uncut.
To join the conversation, visit http://hacklearningambassadors.com
Subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode (only subscribers automatically receive Uncut episodes). Visit http://hacklearningpodcast.com to subscribe and listen to archived episodes.
Download the app at http://hacklearningapp.com.
In Episode 90 of the Hack Learning Podcast, Mark shares Toni's Template for engaging reluctant learners, taken from the forthcoming Hacking Engagement Again: 50 Teacher Tools That Will Make Students Love Your Class (Times 10 Publications August 2017) by James Alan Sturtevant.
Toni taught some of Cleveland's most reluctant learners and developed a simple, hacky template for engaging even the most reluctant, and sometimes beligerant, students.
Mark shares this amazing template, while providing a sneak peek into another Hack Learning Series book.
See Toni's Template at http://hacklearning.org/reluctantlearners
Help us Hack Learning by joining thousands of educators in this growing movement. Commit today at http://hacklearningambassadors.com.
As summer break begins, Mark gives a homework assignment to all teachers: Break up with nightly homework this coming school year. Learn how to change your homework mindset and eliminate the useless traditional homework assignments that often make students and parents hate school.
Mark shares a story about lying constantly as a middle school student, in order to avoid punishment for not completing homework. He also provides an anecdote from school principal Bethany Hill, who has changed the homework mindset of faculty, students, and parents at her school.
Learn how to break up with nightly homework this summer and reimagine teaching and learning next school year.
For more education innovation, visit http://hacklearningfree.com.
To see a list of all episodes, visit http://hacklearningpodcast.com.
Are you tired of alerts? Fed up with one bell or buzz after another on your Smartphone or tablet? Now, you can sift through all the Internet noise with a much quieter, much more effective kind of alert -- Google alerts in your email inbox. In this episode, Mark shares three of 99 Ways to Leverage Google Tools in Classrooms, Schools, and Districts, from Hack Learning Book 11 -- Hacking Google for Education. All three strategies center on Google Alerts and how to use them to teach kids new ways to research, digital citizenship, and effective monitoring of distric news. Learn how to use Google Alerts at the classroom, school, and District levels.
For more information about leveraging the power of Google Alerts and other tools, check out Hacking Google For Education.
Look inside Hack Learning Book 11 at http://hackingGFE.com
For more Hack Learning episodes, subscribe on iTunes or in the Play store or check out http://hacklearningpodcast.com.
With sports fans abuzz over the NFL draft, Mark Barnes got to thinking, What if educators held their own draft? What positions would they fill.
Mark selects his Top 3 in three key education categories. See how they stack up to your picks and share your favorites on Twitter at #DraftEDU
Learn more at http://hacklearning.org/draftEDU
Download Hack Learning Anthology for free at http://hacklearningfree.com
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 42 percent of students who are bullied report that it happens in school hallways and stairwells.
Thirty-four percent say they're bullied in the classroom, right under their teachers' noses, yet the bullying problem continues in both public and private schools.
In this episode, Mark shares three easy hacks to stop bullying at your school.
Check out the show notes at http://hacklearning.org/bullying.
Download a free Hack Learning book at http://hacklearningfree.com
After an intense debate on Facebook, which led to some heated comments, Mark explains how to both model and teach kids best practices on social media.
Read his 5 tips for teaching kids to police themselves on social media at http://hacklearning.org/police.
Grab the free Hack Learning Anthology and other Innovation Tips at http://hacklearningfree.com
Asked by a book translator if people would consider the word "Hacking" negative, Hack Learning creator and your host Mark Barnes explained that "hackers" can actually be heroic. Mark shares the story of how a fictional character from the famous movie Jurassic Park taught him why hackers and hacking are perfect for education.
Download the free Hack Learning Anthology at http://hacklearningfree.com
Check out all podcast episodes at http://hacklearningpodcast.com
Worksheets and workbooks do not provide real-world learning opportunities. The best real-world teaching and learning comes from, where else, the real world. Mark Barnes explains how buying and selling a house gives his kids better real-world learning than they get at school and how teachers can carry their own real-word experiences back to their classrooms.
For more episodes visit http://hacklearningpodcast.com.
Download the free Hack Learning Anthology: Innovative Solutions for Teachers and Leaders today at http://hacklearningfree.com
Hacking Literacy author Gerard Dawson wonders, Why are required texts often so inaccessible? These texts are often not modern. They may take place in a different historical, geographical or cultural setting than the setting of your classroom. They are often written at a reading level that may far exceed that of your students, and the experiences of the characters may not immediately appear to be relevant to your students’ lives.
With all that working against us, we still can make required texts work for our students. But, it takes a hack -- the 80/20 analysis.
Learn how to employ this cool strategy to engage even your most reluctant readers.
Also, learn 5 Ways to Turn Any Classroom Into a Culture of Readers at http://hackingliteracy.com.
Check out all our episodes at http://hacklearningpodcast.com
In Episode 81 of the Hack Learning Podcast, Mark Barnes shares a heartfelt story from author James Sturtevant about being the best teacher you can be, taken from the conclusion of the new book, Hack Learning Anthology: Innovative Solutions for Teachers and Leaders. Read Sturtevant's story and learn more about being your best on the show notes page at http://hacklearning.org/bestteacher.
For all the Hack Learning episodes, visit us at http://hacklearningpodcast.com.
Look for the new Hack Learning Anthology on Amazon.
Meryl Streep, the three-time Oscar-winning actress, condemned the actions of a man she chose not to name and who shall remain nameless here on the Hack Learning Podcast.
During her acceptance of the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement award at the Golden Globes, Streep stood as tall as ever, as she set her sights on the most powerful man in the world and fired back like no on has since the 2016 presidential election.
Hack Learning Podcast host Mark Barnes discusses Streep's viral speech and supports her plea for people to speak up and fight back against leaders who abuse their power by bullying people who are powerless to fight back.
Mark shares a 3-pronged approach to standing up and speaking out, while teaching kids that bullying is wrong, no matter how powerful the bully may be -- even a bully who resides at the White House.
See Streep's entire speech at http://hacklearning.org/streep
Check out all 80 Hack Learning Podcast episodes at http://hacklearningpodcast.com
Connie Hamilton wrote a book. What's the big deal? Like most would-be writers, Connie wondered if she could do it. In Episode 79 of the Hack Learning Podcast, educator/presenter and popular Twitter influencer Connie Hamilton explains how she went from self-doubting, wannabe writer to a published author whose book hit Number 1 on Amazon in its first week. Best of all, she gives you a success plan with some hacks you probably didn't know.
Learn more about Connie's journey at http://hacklearning.org/write.
Listen to all episodes and subscribe to the Hack Learning Podcast at http://hacklearningpodcast.com
Starr Sackstein believes in change, and sometimes change in education means cutting out archaic practices like traditional homework and grades.
Author of Hacking Assessment and Hacking Homework, Starr explains how to change out-of-class work so that the onus of learning and how that learning is assessed falls squarely on our most important stakeholder — the student.
Read an excerpt of Starr's latest book, Hacking Homework, at http://hacklearning.org/hwgrades
Check out all Hack Learning podcast episodes and show notes links at http://hacklearningpodcast.com
PBL paralysis. That's a scary phrase that makes many teachers run as far as possible away from project-based learning.
Hacking Project Based Learning authors and PBL and inquiry learning experts Ross Cooper and Erin Murphy explain how to overcome the paralysis and dive into project-based learning today.
In this episode, the authors identify several problems with project-based learning and share several simple ways teachers can begin creating an efficient PBL environment immediately.
Learn more and read an excerpt from Hacking Project Based Learning on the show notes page at http://hacklearning.org/pblparalysis
Look inside the book at http://hackingpbl.com
It's your turn. Let's hack your professional growth. You tell us what you need, and we'll give it to you.
Visit http://hacklearning.org/survey. Answer three questions (it takes about 30 seconds). Ask and you shall receive.
More episodes at http://hacklearning.org
Read us at http://hacklearningbooks.com
Justin Birckbichler is 25 years old. He teaches fourth graders in Virginia, and he recently learned that he has cancer.
What is he doing about this horrendous news?
He's not screaming, "Why me?" and "Life's not fair!" He's not crying. He's not feeling sorry for himself or blaming anyone. And he is definitely not hiding his illness from anyone.
Justin Birckbichler is taking action. He's talking about his cancer. He's telling his family, friends, and thousands of people who follow him on Twitter. And, get this, he's even telling his students.
In Episode 75, Justin explains how he told his students and other education stakeholders about his cancer and how he's chronicling his journey to being cancer free for the world.
Learn more at http://hacklearning.org/cancerstory
Follow the journey at http://aballsysenseoftumor.com
It's time to bring a little passion into school and into professional growth, according to school leaders and Hack Learning authors Joe Sanfelippo and Tony Sinanis.
Based on the strategies in Hacking Leadership, Mark Barnes explains how school leaders can implement Passion Projects with teachers, so they'll be more enthusiastic about their own professional development.
Passion Projects were inspired by Genius Hour for students. Learn more about Genius Hour in the free webinar at http://GHmastercourse.com.
Subscribe to the show at http://hacklearningpodcast.com.
Download the app at http://hacklearningapp.com.
Whole child education is often missing from our classrooms. Schools and teachers work in isolation, sometimes overlooking the impact other stakeholders can have on improving learning environments and pedagogy.
Educator/innovator Valerie Lewis explains how to nurture your whole child movement with a School Advocacy & Advisory Council (SAAC) -- partnerships with multiple stakeholders outside the school, so we can better meet the needs of all learners.
Learn how to begin your own SAAC today.
Check out more episodes at http://hacklearningpodcast.com
Well-known connected educator Connie Hamilton says the most critical component of kids becoming independent learners is to be clear about what they should be learning and how it’s connected to a broader purpose.
In another edgy, unabridged, unedited edition of Hack Learning Uncut, Hamilton, co-author of Hacking Homework: 10 Strategies That Inspire Learning Outside the Classroom, discusses a much-needed shift in education away from kids learning at home “because my teacher said I need to.” to students choosing to work outside of school because the activities “help me solidify my learning.”
In this brief Uncut interview, Hamilton makes clear connections between in-class lessons and real-world learning at home that students will always choose to do—not because they’re told to but because they want to learn more.
Look inside Connie Hamilton’s new book at http://hackinghomework.com
Search for Hacking Homework on Facebook and join he conversation there.
Share the love: tell friends to check us out at http://hacklearningpodcast.com
Many districts/schools are implementing technology programs that offer opportunities for 24/7 learning, but teachers need more support and ideas when it comes to implementing the technology in a way that redefines and transforms teaching and learning.
Mark discusses using the SAMR model and the 4 Cs with Stephanie Smith Budhai and Laura McLaughlin Taddei, authors of Teaching the 4Cs with Technology: How do I use 21st century tools to teach 21st century skills?
Learn more on the show notes page at http://hacklearningpodcast.com/4c
Don't miss Hacking Homework: 10 Strategies That Inspire Learning Outside the Classroom at http://hackinghomework.com
Hack Learning Podcast host Mark Barnes is uncut, as he vilifies traditional homework and the idea that it has any real value to learners. Hack Learning Uncut is a special weekly episode, dedicated to subscribers. There are no formal show notes, although you can locate all episodes at http://hacklearningpodcast.com.
To learn more about throwing out traditional homework and inspiring independent learning outside the classroom, look inside the book Hacking Homework at http://hackinghomework.com
Join the discussion on our Facebook Page and on Twitter at #HackingHomework.
A Teacher Disposition Assessment (TDA) measures bias. Student experts, who consume your presentations daily, generate critical information. The TDA is a set of teacher-created prompts based on potentially controversial subjects that may surface in the course content.
Hacking Engagement author James Sturtevant created the TDA, so he could learn more about his own biases and how they impact teaching and learning in his class.
In Episode 69, Mark Barnes explains Sturtevant's TDA and shares some What You Can Do Tomorrow steps to uncover your own biases.
Learn more at http://hacklearning.org/bias
Visit our sponsor Kiddom and grab the free Kiddom app at http://kiddom.co/hacklearning.
Check out more at http://hacklearningpodcast.com
In this episode of Hack Learning "Uncut"--the unedited, unbridled, under-eight-minute edition of the Hack Learning Podcast--Mark Barnes explains how to do projects right.
Using a model of an uninspiring old-school project, Mark shares some right-now solutions for bad projects and emphasizes how to do projects and project-based learning (PBL) right.
Want to build a fascinating, engaging project-based learning event? This brief, Uncut podcast episode is the perfect starting point. Then, read the book at http://hackingPBL.com.
Learn more at http://hacklearningpodcast.com and share your thoughts on the Hack Learning Facebook page and on Twitter at #HackLearning.
Subscribe to the Hack Learning Podcast now and never miss an episode of Uncut.
When Kansas middle school teacher Casey Ewy realized that kids will become independent, enthusiastic learners if they are part of a non-threatening community, she threw out everything that most teachers consider to be classroom management and replaced those strategies with an emphasis on Classroom Core Values. Ewy and Mark discuss how to engage all students in a conversation about values and how to inspire students to create their own core values. Check out Ewy's 5 simple ways to integrate core values in Hack Learning Episode 67 and at http://hacklearningpodcast.com/corevalues.
Check out our sponsor Kiddom and learn to give your students a voice with the free app at http://kiddom.co/hacklearning.
In this episode of Hack Learning "Uncut"--the unedited, occasionally-interrupted, under-eight-minute edition of the Hack Learning Podcast, Mark Barnes riffs on the word "rigor" and its use in education.
Referencing a discussion on the Teachers Throwing Out Grades Facebook group page, Mark shares a few members' thoughts on the pros and cons of rigorous instruction.
One member asks: Does anyone else shudder when they hear an admin use the word "rigor"?
Some say the word is misunderstood, while others contend it's something all kids need.
Learn more in this edition of Hack Learning Uncut.
Learn more at http://hacklearningpodcast.com and http://nogradesclassroom.com
During a presidential debate, a citizen asked Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump if they are appropriate for kids. In this episode, Mark Barnes expands on the question while explaining how to discuss politics and other sensitive issues in school and in your classroom.
Mark suggests that teachers stop telling kids that their views on politics are personal. Rather, he says to tell students what you really think, which helps educators hack the problem of seeming too distant and unreal to kids.
Learn two simple things you can do tomorrow, in order to discuss politics and other sensitive issues in school, without igniting an argument or even chaos.
It's time to open up with students.
Learn more at http://hacklearningpodcast.com.
Visit our sponsor Kiddom at http://kiddom.co/hacklearning.
Please rate and review Hack Learning on iTunes.
James Alan Sturtevant calls student engagement the "whole ballgame", and who would know this better than the 32-year veteran teacher, rapidly becoming known around the education world as the student engagement guru.
While most teachers are racing for the door when they've been in education for 30 years, Sturtevant, whom Hack Learning nicknamed Jamstur (learn why in the podcast episode above), calls teaching a privilege and continues to raise the bar for all education stakeholders when it comes to engaging students and making teaching and learning fun.
Sturtevant explains the 3 keys to student engagement, which underpin all 50 of his tips and tools in his new book, Hacking Engagement. http://hackingengagement.com
Learn more on Episode 64 at http://hacklearningpodcast.com.
Mark Barnes explains how one Baltimore school repurposed and rebranded its detention room, turning it into a Mindful Moment Room, dramatically impacting schoolwide student behavior and almost magically making suspensions disappear. In Episode 63 of the Hack Learning Podcast, Mark explains how meditation, specifically mindfulness, calms students and helps them focus less on chaos and more on learning.
In the What You Can Do Tomorrow segment, Mark explains how to learn practical meditation techniques, recommends powerful resources, and shares his own experience with meditation, which reduced anxiety and helped this veteran educator better cope with his own student behavior issues.
For more about mindfulness and meditation resources, visit Episode 63 at http://hacklearningpodcast.com.
This is Hacking School Discipline.
Check out our sponsor, Kiddom, and learn how to empower your students for free. Visit http://kiddom.co/hacklearning
Renowned author, presenter, and memory expert Brad Zupp rarely forgets things. Since 2009, Zupp has been dedicated to testing the limits of his own memory while helping others learn the benefits that come from memory improvement.
Zupp shows both adults and children how to supercharge their memories to improve grades, relationships, productivity, and peace of mind while remembering more of what they see, hear and read. You might even call Brad Zupp a memory athlete; he's a two-time American record-setter at the World Memory Championships.
In this episode of the Hack Learning Podcast, Zupp, author of Unlock Your Amazing Memory, shares 3 surprisingly easy ways to remember things and provides right-now solutions for improving memory at home and in school.
Learn more at http://hacklearningpodcast.com, Episode 62.
Jon Harper admits that in more than a decade in education, he's made plenty of mistakes. Some might call Harper a mistakes guru. He interviews experienced education stakeholders about their mistakes on his popular Bam Radio podcast, My Bad.
In Episode 61 of the Hack Learning Podcast, Harper shares his journey to becoming a mistakes expert and provides steps for leveraging the power of mistakes, so we can become better teachers and learners.
Learn more about Harper, the My Bad podcast, and how to turn mistakes into life lessons on Episode 61 at http://hacklearningpodcast.com.
When Hack Learning creator Mark Barnes realized his daughter's school backpack weighed in at a portly 20.2 pounds, he decided to tell the world that it's time to reimagine traditional homework. In this episode, Mark tells the story of weighing his daughter's backpack and finding tons--okay, pounds--of workbooks, textbooks, notebooks, and many other unnecessary items that make up her nightly homework. Mark asks the questions that many educators and parents won't ask, and supplies easy right-now solutions for reimaginging homework, improving teaching and learning, and lightening the load for kids.
New York Times bestselling author Jessica Lahey explains the struggles that parents and teachers have with allowing kids to fail. Author of The Gift of Failure, Lahey had an amazing epiphany a few years ago: She had to allow her son to fail, so he could ultimately succeed. Lahey also shares 3 right now strategies to help you embrace failure and learn how to help kids channel it into success. Learn more about Jessica Lahey and her runaway hit, The Gift of Failure, by clicking into Episode 59 at hacklearningpodcast.com.
Why do students love some classes and hate others? What makes a certain teacher every kid's favorite? How do master teachers become so great? The answer is simple: Master teachers have daily habits that make them great teachers and learners. In Hack Learning Podcast Episode 58, Mark Barnes shares 3 powerful and simple things great teachers do. These 3 habits are part of the 10 Habits of Master Teachers presentation. Learn more at http://masterteacherhabits.com.
When learning is relevant, students become enthusiastic and engaged. Denis Sheeran, math teacher and author of Instant Relevance, explains how he uses real life experiences to bring relevance to not only math but to any subject or grade. Want to use a snow day, a slice of pizza, or a drive to the store to make learning relevant? Sheeran tells you how in Hack Learning Podcast Episode 57 -- Hacking Relevance. Learn more about Sheeran and his book on the show notes page at http://hacklearningpodcast.com.
Missouri school principal Naomi Austin shares her journey as a school leader, just completing her first year. Austin explains a new leader mistake she made and how she turned that apparent loss into a victory with her staff. Plus, she provides excellent advice for new and veteran leaders in classic Hack Learning style--with What You Can Do Tomorrow tips to build rapport with your stakeholders and to maintain momentum throughout the school year. Austin even explains what to do when leaders need a "kick in the pants". This is the Journey of a First-Year Leader. Learn more on our show notes page at http://hacklearningpodcast.com.
These three quick teaching and learning hacks, based on the runaway bestselling book, Hacking Leadership, are awesome for improving education at any school. Better still, they make people smile, and that’s a beautiful thing. Learn three simple leadership hacks you can implement tomorrow at school, home or in the workplace that will make your stakeholders smile and improve overall attitude and production. This is Hacking Positivity. Learn more at http://hacklearningpodcast.com.
Gerald Aungst, author of 5 Principles of the Modern Mathematics Classroom: Creating a Culture of Innovative Thinking, knows how to turn math haters into math lovers. In Episode 53 of the Hack Learning Podcast Aungst explains how he learned to inspire inquiry and conjecture in kids by creating unique situations where "something doesn't make sense or is not immediately obvious."
Math teachers inspire curiosity in students by immersing them in a problem, Aungst says. Rather than handing them the correct formula and a worksheet, the teacher's job is to ask questions the lead to collaboration and conjecture. Questions like: "What can you figure out? What can you notice here?"
When this strategy is employed, students often solve the problem with little or no teacher intervention, according to the author, and then even math haters begin to love math. Learn how to make kids love math from author/expert Gerald Aungst.
For details and a link to Aungst' book, visit the show notes at http://hacklearningpodcast.com.
Learn how Dawn Casey-Rowe, author of Don't Sniff the Glue, navigates the rough waters of standardization in her classroom. In Episode 52 of the Hack Learning Series podcast, Dawn explains how she engages students by merging her business experience with learning outcomes, in order to capture the attention of even the most reluctant learners. Dawn shares several what-you-can-do-tomorrow strategies for teachers who want to create an innovative classroom, including using social media platforms like Snapchat (yes, you read right), even in a standardized society. Listen and learn how Dawn Casey-Rowe is De-standardizing her classroom, and learn more about Dawn on the show notes page at http://hacklearningpodcast.com.
In Episode 51, Hack Learning creator Mark Barnes recruits guru Don Wettrick to Hack Innovation. Wettrick is a high school teacher in Indiana, popular education presenter and author of Pure Genius: Building a Culture of Innovation and Taking 20% Time to the Next Level. His Innovation Class has grown into an amazing place, rife with students who are creating new programs that have caught the eye of the private sector. Don shares several fascinating stories about Innovation Class, focusing on students who have, among other things, worked on reservations bringing innovation to native Americans and have created theater groups for shy kids and students with disabilities. One of the humblest teachers you'll ever meet, Don also explains a revelation about Innovation Class that a student provided, right after she told him one of his ideas was "about the dumbest thing" she'd ever heard. Instead of being angry, Don said, "Why's that?" Then, he had an epiphany about his Innovation Class. This is Hacking Innovation; learn more at http://hacklearningpodcast.com.
Today's technology empowers teachers and learners to break down the walls of school and business. In Hack Learning Episode 50, Mark Barnes explains how you can easily share teaching and learning with all stakeholders with the power of live streaming video. Learn how Facebook, Periscope, and other platforms help you reveal your best practices and engage a global audience with live video. And learn how to begin immediately. See http://hacklearningpodcast.com for further details and resources.
Publishing giant Amazon developed a tool for publishers and bloggers to market books, but in the process it may have empowered teachers to turn non-readers into lifelong readers. Kindle Instant Preview is helping educators bring books to life for students, and Instant Preview just might inspire even the most reluctant readers to dive into a book, once they peruse it from their tablet or mobile device. In this episode, Mark Barnes shares the Secret Sauce inside Kindle Instant Preview, which gives website and blog administrators the ability to embed any book on a web page or blog, so a preview of the book will appear there, making instant reading a one-click experience. But how does this rescue reluctant readers? Listen now to unveil this powerful secret that, according to Barnes, even Amazon doesn't completely understand. Learn more about Kindle Instant Preview at http://hacklearningpodcast.com.
Mark Barnes shares the evolution of the Hack Learning model and says it's time to reframe your thinking and to change your attitude about problem-solving in education and in life. It's time for right now solutions. Here are three examples of solve-today-implement-tomorrow strategies that are sure to improve teaching and learning in your class, at your school, and at home. Learn more at http://hacklearningpodcast.com. Tweet your thoughts to #HackLearning on Twitter.
Renowned educators Joe Sanfelippo and Tony Sinanis are not your traditional school leaders. In fact, they prefer to lead from the middle, which is quite unorthodox, when you consider the typical top-down leadership model. In a recent conversation with Hack Learning creator and Times 10 Publisher Mark Barnes, Sanfelippo and Sinanis, co-authors of the new Hacking Leadership: 10 Ways Great Leaders Inspire Learning That Teachers, Students, and Parents Love, explain how to create a positive school culture, how to empower teachers, and how to facilitate a collaborative community in schools. Learn more at http://hacklearningpodcast.com and share your thoughts at #HackLearning on Twitter.
If you want to build an engaged, vibrant learning community at your school and in your school district, you need to connect with teachers, parents, and community leaders on social media. School principal, connected educator and author of the popular Learning and Leading education blog, Bethany Hill, joins Mark Barnes in Episode 46 to discuss community building in and around schools, using the power of social networks, blogs, online courses and other social sharing tools. Building a successful learning community, according to Bethany Hill, is about transparency and sharing. Grab this episode and learn how to make education transparent and exactly what to share and how. Learn about Bethany Hill on the show notes page at http://hacklearningpodcast.com.
Apple Distinguished Educator Peter Cameron dramatically changed his teaching methods. He created a new kind of homework, which he calls "home share". After reading Cameron's blog post on this alternative to traditional homework and discussing it with him, Mark Barnes explains Cameron's home share strategies and expounds upon the value of Cameron's unique out-of-school assignments, in yet another assault on traditional homework. This is Hacking Homework . . . Again. Learn more at http://hacklearningpodcast.com and follow Mark Barnes on Twitter @markbarnes19.
Flipped learning has become wildly popular in education. Unlike a traditional course setup, where content is delivered in class and students apply and practice their learning through homework, the flipped classroom turns that arrangement on its head: The initial content delivery happens at home, and then students and teachers re-converge in class to apply and practice their learning. In this episode, Mark Barnes identifies the biggest problem with the trendy flipped classroom and provides some simple strategies teachers can use to flip learning back to the classroom, with the in-class flip. This is Flipping Flipped Learning. See step-by-step details on the strategy at http://hacklearningpodcast.com. Talk about on Twitter at #HackLearning.
What if you could build a small group of experts or like-minded people who answer your questions or respond to your rants 24/7. Mark Barnes explains how he "Voxes" his way to success with his own expert groups with one simple, free web and mobile application. Learn how to build your tribes and start communicating with them immediately for improved personal and professional growth, in another brief edition of Hack Learning 101.
Jennifer Hogan tells Hack Learning creator Mark Barnes about her initial experience with the backchannel, which it turns out she may have unwittingly created decades ago. Hogan, an Alabama principal, #USedchat co-founder and global education consultant, conducted an online chat with her students, using, get this, an old AOL chat room, where she discovered some amazing things about teaching and learning in the digital world. In this episode, Hogan explains how that AOL chat turned a shy kid into a classroom star, and she shares two examples of using modern backchannels in today's classroom. Not sure how to use a backchannel for teaching and learning? Hogan reveals this too--all in under 10 minutes. This is Hacking the Backchannel.
Some of Twitter's most experienced live chat creators and moderators join Mark Barnes to discuss the influence of Twitter on teaching and learning, during live Twitter hashtag chats. Sharing their insights are Tom Whitby, co-creator of Twitter's oldest live discussion, #Edchat, Brad Currie, co-moderator of #Satchat, Connie Hamilton, moderator of #TMchat and Starr Sackstein, co-founder of #Sunchat. These Twitter facilitators reach millions of people weekly during their live chats, which feature hundreds of educators tweeting and retweeting ideas, opinions, and resources. This is Hacking Live Twitter Chats.
In an under two minute hack, Mark Barnes is joined by Missouri principal and globally connected educator Naomi Austin, who shares her story of change. After some serious reflection and self-evaluation, Austin decided that her assessments were not not efficiently assessing her students. This epiphany led Austin and a colleague to drastically change their practice and Austin's mindset about traditional grades. Learn how Self-Evaluation Changes Practice in about 101 seconds.
Teacher and student engagement expert Jim Sturtevant joins Mark Barnes in a discussion about the concept of the avatar -- no, not the movie. Sturtevant, author of You've Gotta Connect and Hacking Engagement, explains the power of the avatar for engaging kids and helping teachers and parents learn all they can about their most important target audience. Sturtevant details how he gets kids to open up about themselves with a simple online survey and then uses this information to discover the student avatar and help kids expand this metacognitive process outside of the classroom, into the real world. This is How to Find Your Avatar.
World renowned teacher/rapper and Youtube phenom Jason Levine, aka Fluency MC, shares three hacks for English Language Learning, including a surprising tip about using social media. Levine travels the world, demonstrating how to engage English Language Learners in ways most teachers and learners have never seen. An international Youtube star, whose unique ELL rap videos have been viewed millions of times, Fluency MC stops rapping just long enough to share some practical, yet powerful, tips for making language learning easy and fun. This is Hacking English Language Learning.
Hack Learning creator Mark Barnes, one of education's top social media and digital learning experts, explains the power of Periscope. Mark provides four simple steps to help you get started with the live streaming video tool in 101 seconds or less. Listen to this brief episode and start sharing your message with the world, using Periscope today. This is Hack Learning 101: The Power of Periscope.
Experienced educator and Hack Learning creator Mark Barnes explains three easy ways to create your own TQZ, or Teacher Quiet Zone, and escape the chaos of your hectic work day. Based on a concept from the bestselling book, Hacking Education: 10 Quick Fixes for Every School, Mark details what a TQZ is, where to find it, and how to start using it immediately. The Teacher Quiet Zone can be used by non-educators too and is a marvelous way to reduce stress and decompress from the craziness of your work day. This is Hacking Chaos with a TQZ.
In the new Hack Learning Series book,Hacking Leadership: 10 Ways Great Leaders Inspire Learning That Teachers, Students, and Parents Love, Joe Sanfelippo and Tony Sinanis discuss how important it is for leaders to be present and engaged with all stakeholders. Hack Learning host Mark Barnes shares the authors' 5 strategies for moving beyond traditional leadership and engaging with all stakeholders daily. This is 5 Quick Tips for Becoming a Lead Learner.
In another brief Hack Learning 101, Mark Barnes provides a quick tip for looking inside the lives of educators and schools, using Periscope live streaming video. Mark also explains how to break down the walls of teaching and learning with monthly PassTheScopeEDU events--live streaming videos from more than a dozen educators, opening the doors to their classrooms and homes, in order to reveal exactly how they teach and learn. This is Hack Learning 101.
School district superintendent Joe Sanfelippo and professor emeritus John Bennett explain how old-school mandates that stifle teacher autonomy can destroy school and work place culture. Hack Learning creator Mark Barnes rants about outdated leadership practices and challenges leaders to trust the people they hire to do the job the best way they know how. This is Hacking School Culture.
Nashville teacher Mike Stein shares the power of Genius Hour with Hack Learning host Mark Barnes, who passes along some quick tips for starting your own Genius Hour. Learn how to inspire students to pursue their passions and, more important, how to intrigue kids to believe those passions are valuable parts of independent learning. This is 101: Genius Hour for Passion Projects.
Mark Barnes shares 10 teaching strategies for amazing leanring in May -- a time when many teachers and learners shut down for the summer. Mark highlights some of the best ways to engage learners until the end of the school year and beyond, featuring 10 tweets from a live #HackLearning Twitter chat, facilitated by Jennifer Hogan, a co-moderator of the #LastBell movement. See all 10 strategies at HackLearning.org. This is Hacking the End of the School Year.
As long as report cards exist, teachers must supply a number or letter grade at the end of a grading period. For teachers who operate no-grades classrooms, based on conversation about learning and ongoing narrative feedback, report card time can be a struggle. If we're not assigning grades throughout the year, how do we suddenly assign a grade for a report card? Hack Learning creator and no-grades classroom advocate Mark Barnes provides 5 strategies for successful student self-grading at report card time. This is Hacking Report Cards.
In this 101 session, Mark Barnes explains the power of Twitter hashtags for creating your own tribe of like-minded teachers and learners. Mark, whose tweets reach more than 3 million newsfeeds monthly, explains how you can create any hashtag you like on any subject of interest and find people who will tweet their thoughts and resources about the topic daily. Soon, you'll have your own expert tribe that you can learn from 24/7. Hack Learning 101 appears in your Hack Learning Podcast feed every Thursday, teaching you one amazing resource or skill in about 101 seconds.
Education hacker, Mark Barnes, never envisioned himself as a podcaster, believing that producing a podcast would be far too time-consuming and very difficult. After producing twenty-eight episodes for the Hack Learning podcast, in just over two months, attracting more than 7,000 listeners, Barnes explains how he records, uploads, and publishes Hack Learning episodes in just minutes a day. This is Hacking the Podcast.
With so many websites and mobile applications available and more cropping up daily, teachers sometimes struggle to find the right tool to engage learners. Longtime educator, author and Cult of Pedagogy publisher, Jennifer Gonzalez, shares simple strategies for finding the best EdTech for your students, as she discusses her new Teachers Guide to Tech -- an interactive library of hundreds of powerful tools and ways to use them in any classroom. Gonzalez reveals one shockingly simple hack for better integration of digital learning tools. This is Hacking EdTech.
Hack Learning creator Mark Barnes shared the hashtag #TeachOneLesson on Twitter, and something amazing happened. If you had the power to reach every child in the world with one brief, simple lesson what would it be? Share it on Twitter and Facebook at #TeachOneLesson.
One classroom sign, shared on social media, shocked many teachers and parents, while inspiring others to cheer. The sign's message? "You cannot do extra credit to bring up your grade." This sign and the uproar it sparked on Facebook and Twitter encouraged author/speaker/educator Mark Barnes to continue the conversation with his own network and in this Hack Learning Podcast episode. This is Hacking the Message.
When you shout out of anger, not only does it impede problem solving, shouting, especially at children, can erode trust and lead to even more battles. Quoting the advice of psychologist Karen Young and expert teacher and author Jennifer Gonzalez, Mark Barnes shares several quick fixes for your yelling problem. This is Hacking the Shout.
Educator, author and instructional design expert, Ross Cooper, explores inquiry based learning with Hack Learning creator Mark Barnes. Cooper explains what inquiry in the K12 classroom looks like and what teachers need to do to create an environment that encourages students to look beyond the surface and participate in a productive struggle that leads to deeper understanding of concepts. This is Hacking Inquiry Based Learning.
Inspired by a Washington Post article comparing the college admission process to the Hunger Games, Mark Barnes offers three hacks that can revolutionize this process. This is Hacking College Admissions.
Teacher, digital learning specialist, and mom, Kerry Gallagher, explains how a label after an in-class assessment gave her 7-year-old daughter a stomach ache. Then, Gallager and Hack Learning creator Mark Barnes suggest some simple ways that both teachers and parents can eliminate labels and inspire children to think about learning, without the hindrance of a grade. This is Hacking Assessment.
What if every single student in your class participated in your next discussion? Yes, even the most reluctant learners, the shy kids, and English language learners. Imagine the power of 100 percent participation. Teacher, bestselling author, and Hack Learning creator, Mark Barnes, shares 5 ways you can engage all learners tomorrow. This is Hacking Class Participation.
Mark Barnes shares 5 classroom management tips that he says will work at any school. Learn more about hacking classroom management at www.hacklearning.org.
Hack Learning creator Mark Barnes enlists the help of seven experienced educators, who share various ways teachers can engage students in learning, without using traditional worksheets. These education hackers teach all levels in various subjects, demonstrating that the old worksheet is obsolete in any classroom. This is Hacking the Worksheet.
With more than 120 million illiterate children, it's time to put books in kids' hands. In this episode, Mark Barnes shares how one school built a Book Nook, filled with thousands of books, which the school gave to its students. Unlike the school library, the Book Nook is a place where students can simply take books and keep them. In one of the easiest, yet most powerful education hacks ever created, you learn simple steps for launching your own Book Nook as early as tomorrow. Then, you can build an amazing culture of readers at your school. This is Hacking Literacy.
Two popular connected educators discuss the problem of the unconnected educator and share some Right-Now strategies for helping them plug in to incredible professional development on Twitter. This is Hacking Connected Education with Mark Barnes.
In Hacking the Test (Part 1), Mark Barnes explains how a test is NOT assessment and how teachers can shift the conversation about learning away from the test. In Part 2, Mark shares a story about how a second-grade teacher and his 7 year olds discover that a one-time test says nothing about learning, and they provide a better alternative to the traditional test. This is Hacking the Test (Part 2).
A simple tweeted picture ignited an ongoing conversation about education technology and its place in schools. Should we ban mobile devices in classrooms? Should we strengthen network filters? Or should we teach kids boundaries? Hack Learning creator and author of Teaching the iStudent Mark Barnes provides two simple steps for improvement. This is Hacking Digital Citizenship.
Mark Barnes explains how author/expert Mike Fisher reimagines teaching the Common Core, with his one-letter hack. Fisher replaces the "r" in "rigor", to completely change the climate of today's classrooms, even in a standardized world. Barnes wonders if it's possible to change other areas of teaching and learning by shifting the language in other trendy education words. He suggests that major change is possible if teachers work together to come up with other one-letter or one-word hacks. Share yours at #HackLearning on Twitter and at http://hacklearning.org.
It's time to stop punishing students for turning in their work late. Author/educator Mark Barnes explains why late policies cripple learning and discourage students. Barnes provides simple steps for encouraging students to budget their time and one step for Hacking the Late Policy. Wait till you hear how Mark Barnes suggests that you Hack your own late work policy. Learn more at http://hacklearning.org.
Learn 3 quick tips for improving your professional growth today. Bestselling author, educator, and creator of the Hack Learning Series, Mark Barnes, explains how you can access a limitless supply of powerful information from like-minded people, and put it in the palm of your hands, using tools you likely know but may not be using to their full potential. Learn more at http://hacklearning.org.
Would teaching and learning change if teachers treated all students like they were your own children? Author/educator and Hack Learning Series book publisher Mark Barnes shares one of his worst moments as a teacher--when he humiliated a student--and how that moment forever changed his teaching style. This is hacking rapport building.
Sometimes leaders need to make decisions on their own. Author/educator Mark Barnes explains how one poor school principal decision can inhibit learning, damage relationships, and cost a district a lot of money. Barnes then shares one simple fix for this big problem. This is Hacking School Leadership.
What if you had more time at work? Imagine an extra 2-5 hours on the job that are self-directed. Mark Barnes explains how every educator and private sector employee can have this extra time. All you have to do is move the workplace meeting to the cloud. Learn how a digital backchannel and bin can replace almost all meetings, building up to 20 more hours per month into your work days. We're hacking the meeting.
Mark Barnes identifies 6 reasons that teachers assign traditional homework and explains how to circumvent each reason and eliminate outdated traditional homework. In this brief episode, Mark Barnes explains how to throw out homework, while inspiring independent learning. Join Mark in Hacking Homework.
Teacher/author/disruptor Mark Barnes explains why traditional testing and assessment are not the same. Barnes shares excerpts from Hacking Assessment: 10 Ways to Go Gradeless in a Traditional Grades School, by Starr Sackstein, focusing on anecdotes from classroom teachers who assess learning through observation, feedback, reflection, and metacognition. Barnes challenges educators to find new paths to assessment. The conversation about assessment continues on Twitter at #HackLearning.
Learn how to easily record an audio, even on the go with mobile devices, and easily add it to a collection or show on Spreaker. You can be podcasting in minutes, as we are Hacking the Share.
5 ways to reimagine teaching and learning, so you can create a vibrant, student-centered learning environment.
How to embrace the symbolic power of the pineapple and create Pineapple Charts that will revolutionize professional development at your school or in your work place. Let's Hack PD.
The simplicity of education podcasting, using the Hack Learning model, with @markbarnes19
One person said we need to help students achieve mastery learning. A hot debate ensued, and now it seems we may be completely off base about mastery. Let's hack Mastery Learning.