Teaching with Madly Learning®: Recent Episodes
Madly Learning
This is a podcast for teachers who are interested in learning more about inquiry based learning and how to implement this teaching strategy into their classrooms.
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In this episode, Patti from Madly Learning helps you take the overwhelm out of differentiation. You’ll learn how to design one strong core lesson that meets diverse student needs — without doubling your workload. Patti shares real classroom examples, practical tips, and mindset shifts that make differentiation both manageable and meaningful.
Tuck these in your teacher pocket:
- Differentiation is not about 30 separate lessons — it’s one lesson with multiple access points.
- Focus on flexibility, not perfection.
- Use assessment (formal and informal) to guide your adjustments.
- Scaffold for support and extend for enrichment — all anchored in the same big idea.
Start small with one new strategy and build confidence over time!
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To find our highly effective, time-saving resources
Check out the Ignited Teaching Membership that gives you access to hundreds of downloadable lessons on demand! https://madlylearning.com/sp/ignitedteaching/
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In this episode, PattI dives into the “efficiency mindset” — a powerful approach to simplify split-grade teaching. Instead of planning two separate lessons, learn how to teach one lesson with differentiated outputs that meet both grades’ expectations.
Key Takeaways:
- The mindset shift: one lesson, different outputs
- How to find overlapping skills in your curriculum
- Examples across math, language, science, and social studies
- Why this approach saves time and strengthens learning
- How unified lessons build a stronger classroom community
Tuck these in your teacher pocket:Compare curriculum expectations for both grades, highlight shared skills (verbs like analyze, describe, explain), and design one shared teaching point with two scaled outputs.
Remember to Subscribe for more insights on how to navigate the complexities of teaching with efficiency and impact. Share your experiences and strategies in the comments to join the conversation with fellow educators.
To find our highly effective, time-saving resources
Check out the Ignited Teaching Membership that gives you access to hundreds of downloadable lessons on demand! https://madlylearning.com/sp/ignitedteaching/
Checkout our Madly Learning Store at www.madlylearning.com/store Checkout our Teachers Pay Teachers store
Join our FREE Facebook community for teachers here: https://bit.ly/IYT-FB
Send us Fan Mail
Think teaching a split grade means double the prep and double the stress? Think again! In this episode, Patti dives into the most common myths about teaching combined grades and reveals the truth about what actually makes them work.
Tuck these in your teacher pocket:
- Plan one unified lesson for both grades (without doubling your workload)
- See the curriculum as a continuum instead of two separate checklists
- Simplify planning by focusing on skills, not just expectations
- Strengthen classroom management and student independence
- Ditch the guilt and find balance in your split grade classroom
Remember to Subscribe for more insights on how to navigate the complexities of teaching with efficiency and impact. Share your experiences and strategies in the comments to join the conversation with fellow educators.
To find our highly effective, time-saving resources
Check out the Ignited Teaching Membership that gives you access to hundreds of downloadable lessons on demand! https://madlylearning.com/sp/ignitedteaching/
Checkout our Madly Learning Store at www.madlylearning.com/store Checkout our Teachers Pay Teachers store
Join our FREE Facebook community for teachers here: https://bit.ly/IYT-FB
Send us Fan Mail
In this episode, I discuss how teachers can improve their teaching effectiveness and reduce burnout by doing less. We talk about how teachers often take on too much, leading to stress and decreased impact on student learning. By simplifying routines, reducing unnecessary tasks, and fostering student independence, you can create a more efficient and effective learning environment. I also share my own personal experiences and offer practical tips for letting go of non-essential tasks. In today’s new episode you’ll also be encouraged to focus on what truly matters in education and given key insights into creating sustainable teaching practices.
Remember to Subscribe for more insights on how to navigate the complexities of teaching with efficiency and impact. Share your experiences and strategies in the comments to join the conversation with fellow educators.
To find our highly effective, time-saving resources
Check out the Ignited Teaching Membership that gives you access to hundreds of downloadable lessons on demand! https://madlylearning.com/sp/ignitedteaching/
Checkout our Madly Learning Store at www.madlylearning.com/store Checkout our Teachers Pay Teachers store
Join our FREE Facebook community for teachers here: https://bit.ly/IYT-FB
Send us a text
Unlock the secret to transforming your classroom with our latest episode, where we reveal the magic of math centers in junior education. Imagine a world where students are not only engaged but also empowered to become independent thinkers and problem solvers. Join us as we explore how math centers can simplify teaching, facilitate guided math, and foster essential social skills through collaboration. With personalized learning at the forefront, we discuss how these dynamic hubs cater to diverse needs, offering activities that range in difficulty and promote differentiated instruction. Whether you're a fan of structured group rotations or prefer a more flexible, student-choice approach, we’ve got tips to help you integrate math centers seamlessly into your teaching routine.
Assessment can often feel like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. Dive into an array of effective strategies for evaluating student progress without the burden of excessive marking. Discover how quick check-ins and self-assessment tools can offer valuable insights into learning, while math journals provide a comprehensive platform for students to reflect on their experiences. We’ll also explore the role of these journals as a single, effective assessment tool, capturing the essence of student learning and development. Get ready to enhance both teaching and learning, as we share practical tips and innovative approaches to making math centers a staple in your educational toolkit.
Remember to Subscribe for more insights on how to navigate the complexities of teaching with efficiency and impact. Share your experiences and strategies in the comments to join the conversation with fellow educators.
To find our highly effective, time-saving resources
Check out the Ignited Teaching Membership that gives you access to hundreds of downloadable lessons on demand! https://madlylearning.com/sp/ignitedteaching/
Checkout our Madly Learning Store at www.madlylearning.com/store Checkout our Teachers Pay Teachers store
Join our FREE Facebook community for teachers here: https://bit.ly/IYT-FB
Send us a text
Unlock the secrets to a more effective language arts classroom by mastering the use of diagnostic assessments. This episode promises to transform your approach to teaching by helping you understand your students' current writing and reading abilities without overwhelming yourself. Discover how to make writing enjoyable for students while collecting valuable samples that reveal their storytelling and paragraph writing skills. On the reading front, find out how a simple spelling diagnostic can bridge the gap between writing and reading, using tools like Ignited Literacy or Words Their Way. We also highlight the importance of assessments like the Mays and oral reading fluency tools such as ORF or DRA in evaluating reading capabilities and forming guided reading groups.
Explore strategies for advocating for students who require additional support, particularly those with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). We underscore the power of diagnostic assessments in the first 20 days of instruction to set a strong foundation for the academic year. Learn about the significance of collaborating with reading support teachers and leveraging school resources to address learning gaps. Additionally, we stress the importance of establishing a community of learners by getting to know students both personally and academically. Implementing consistent classroom routines ensures that every student can access the curriculum and succeed in their literacy journey.
Remember to Subscribe for more insights on how to navigate the complexities of teaching with efficiency and impact. Share your experiences and strategies in the comments to join the conversation with fellow educators.
To find our highly effective, time-saving resources
Checkout our Madly Learning Store at www.madlylearning.com/store Checkout our Teachers Pay Teachers store Join our FREE Facebook community for teachers here: https://bit.ly/IYT-FB
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In this video, we dive into the essential steps to establish strong relationships with students during the beginning of the school year. Building trust and respect sets the foundation for a positive classroom environment, especially when teaching language arts, where students often share personal thoughts in their writing.
We'll explore strategies for creating a classroom based on mutual respect, emphasizing the importance of showing genuine interest in each student. Discover how activities like heart maps help students express their interests, making it easier for teachers to connect on a personal level. You'll also learn the benefits of a diagnostic approach in writing, encouraging students to explore freely without fear of immediate grading, which helps identify areas for growth.
This video highlights practical ways to foster a safe space where students feel valued and supported, setting them up for a year of creativity, curiosity, and confidence in their literacy journey. Watch to learn how to create a classroom where every student knows they belong and is motivated to take risks in their learning!
Remember to Subscribe for more insights on how to navigate the complexities of teaching with efficiency and impact. Share your experiences and strategies in the comments to join the conversation with fellow educators.
To find our highly effective, time-saving resources
Checkout our Madly Learning Store at www.madlylearning.com/store Checkout our Teachers Pay Teachers store Join our FREE Facebook community for teachers here: https://bit.ly/IYT-FB
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In this video, we kick off a series on creating a structured, efficient routine for your literacy block. As many teachers struggle to fit all elements of language arts into their schedules, this video offers practical tips for establishing a consistent and adaptable framework that builds student confidence and helps teachers stay organized.
We’ll walk through setting up a weekly schedule, dividing time between spelling, vocabulary, grammar, reading comprehension, and writing. The goal is to create a structure that allows teachers to “plug and play” lessons without feeling overwhelmed. By focusing on relationship-building and diagnostic assessments early in the year, you’ll gather insights that will guide your instruction while helping students feel more comfortable and engaged.
With flexible approaches for both 100-minute and 80-minute blocks, this video provides strategies that suit different classroom needs, helping you build a language arts routine that’s repeatable, manageable, and supports meaningful learning.
Remember to Subscribe for more insights on how to navigate the complexities of teaching with efficiency and impact. Share your experiences and strategies in the comments to join the conversation with fellow educators.
To find our highly effective, time-saving resources
Checkout our Madly Learning Store at www.madlylearning.com/store Checkout our Teachers Pay Teachers store Join our FREE Facebook community for teachers here: https://bit.ly/IYT-FB
Send us a text
In this episode, we sit down with Erin Panda, a researcher from Brock University, to discuss her recent study on the Empower Reading Program. Collaborating with the Hospital for Sick Children and the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board, Erin shares insights into the impact of Empower, an evidence-based reading intervention program that helps struggling readers develop decoding, spelling, and comprehension skills.
As a classroom teacher and parent, I’ve witnessed Empower's transformative effects firsthand. In our conversation, Erin explains the neuroscience behind reading, why some students need more structured literacy programs, and how Empower's research-backed strategies help students build confidence. We also discuss how teachers and parents can advocate for this essential program to make reading accessible to all students.
Tune in to learn more about the Empower program’s design, the importance of early intervention, and how strong support for literacy can positively impact student learning and classroom dynamics.
Check out Ignited Math and Ignited Literacy and learn how you can get your math and literacy lessons planned for the whole year to save yourself hours and hours of doing it all yourself at www.ignitedteaching.ca
Remember to Subscribe for more insights on how to navigate the complexities of teaching with efficiency and impact. Share your experiences and strategies in the comments to join the conversation with fellow educators.
To find our highly effective, time-saving resources
Checkout our Madly Learning Store at www.madlylearning.com/store Checkout our Teachers Pay Teachers store Join our FREE Facebook community for teachers here: https://bit.ly/IYT-FB
Transform your teaching toolkit with the wisdom of Dr. Lori Friesen, the beacon for educators navigating today's classroom challenges. Unearth the secrets to lesson planning and assessment mastery, and let us guide you through shaping a classroom environment that's as organized as it is enriching. By the end of our discussion, the teacher planning binder and student data binders will become your new best friends, dramatically reducing your workload while amplifying the effectiveness of your teaching practice.
Classroom culture is an ever-changing tapestry, and this episode weaves together the threads of connection, social and emotional learning, and the delicate balance of work-life integration. With Dr. Lori's insights, discover how to bridge the social skill gaps in students and tailor your approaches to combat the evolving landscape of education. From creating a community with interest inventories to secret compliment envelopes, we delve into strategies that foster a sense of belonging and help raise the bar for student relationships and classroom standards.
Effective communication with parents can be the linchpin of educational success, and our episode pinpoints the tactics that make engagement effortless. Embrace the power of home communication notebooks, classroom apps, and timely newsletters to keep parents in the loop. Plus, with our special segment on Dr. Lori's TikTok debut, you'll have access to an ever-expanding fountain of educational resources at your fingertips. Join us and light up your teaching journey with the insights from this must-hear episode.
Check out Ignited Math and Ignited Literacy and learn how you can get your math and literacy lessons planned for the whole year to save yourself hours and hours of doing it all yourself at www.ignitedteaching.ca
Remember to Subscribe for more insights on how to navigate the complexities of teaching with efficiency and impact. Share your experiences and strategies in the comments to join the conversation with fellow educators.
To find our highly effective, time-saving resources
Checkout our Madly Learning Store at www.madlylearning.com/store Checkout our Teachers Pay Teachers store Join our FREE Facebook community for teachers here: https://bit.ly/IYT-FB
We’re excited to have Dr. Lori, the author of "Dear New Teacher: Here's Exactly What To Do," join us for an insightful discussion on preparing for your first teaching job. This episode is filled with essential tips for new teachers, from classroom setup to managing classroom dynamics. Dr. Lori’s expert advice will help you start the school year strong.
Discover the best practices for creating a welcoming and efficient classroom, establishing routines, and maintaining a positive learning environment. Dr. Lori’s extensive background in elementary education and teacher training provides a solid foundation for her practical advice.
Click subscribe for more educational tips and support for new teachers!
Show Notes: www.madlylearning.com/269
Key Concepts:
Preparing your classroom for success
Effective classroom management techniques
Establishing consistent routines
Building a positive classroom culture
Preventing teacher burnout
More About LoriBook: Dear New Teacher Here's Exactly What To DoWebsite: https://www.drlorifriesen.com/Podcast: Beginning Teacher TalkMembership: Classroom Management Club Madly Learning Resources MentionedKudos Club: A Classroom Management Program That Builds CommunityLong Range Plans: Grades 3-6Classroom Routine Planner
Check out Ignited Math and Ignited Literacy and learn how you can get your math and literacy lessons planned for the whole year to save yourself hours and hours of doing it all yourself at www.ignitedteaching.ca
Remember to Subscribe for more insights on how to navigate the complexities of teaching with efficiency and impact. Share your experiences and strategies in the comments to join the conversation with fellow educators.
To find our highly effective, time-saving resources
Checkout our Madly Learning Store at www.madlylearning.com/store Checkout our Teachers Pay Teachers store Join our FREE Facebook community for teachers here: https://bit.ly/IYT-FB
In this podcast episode, I introduce Simply Graded, a game-changer for teachers during report card season. Discover how this powerful tool simplifies and automates the report card comment process, saving you countless hours. Learn how Simply Graded uses advanced formulas in Google Sheets to streamline the workflow, making it easy to generate personalized, comprehensive comments for your students.
Watch the video: https://youtu.be/4yItIZzjFqQ
Key concepts covered include:
report card inefficiencies
automating comment generation
creating personalized comments
Using Graded effectively
Don't forget to subscribe for more tips on making teaching more efficient!
Remember to Subscribe for more insights on how to navigate the complexities of teaching with efficiency and impact. Share your experiences and strategies in the comments to join the conversation with fellow educators.
To find our highly effective, time-saving resources
Checkout our Madly Learning Store at www.madlylearning.com/store Checkout our Teachers Pay Teachers store Join our FREE Facebook community for teachers here: https://bit.ly/IYT-FB
Imagine stepping into your teaching interview with the calm confidence of a seasoned educator, knowing you've got the inside scoop on everything from the school's ethos to the principal's pet projects. That's exactly what we're equipping you for in today's insightful session, as we dissect the preparation process, ensuring you're not just another face in the applicant crowd. With my own experiences of being both the interviewer and the interviewee, I'll guide you through the nuances of making a lasting impression that resonates with the core values and mission of your potential school.
Turn the nerves of an upcoming interview into excitement as we explore the strategic integration of educational jargon and the crafting of a philosophy that's uniquely yours, yet universally impressive. We've harnessed the power of AI, with tools like ChatGPT, to help you crystallize your thoughts and present a persona that's both polished and passionate. By the end of our chat, you'll have a glossary of terms that will make you sound like an insider and a tailored approach that showcases your commitment to education. This is your masterclass in transforming interview prep from daunting tasks to displaying your finest professional qualities.
Remember to Subscribe for more insights on how to navigate the complexities of teaching with efficiency and impact. Share your experiences and strategies in the comments to join the conversation with fellow educators.
To find our highly effective, time-saving resources
Checkout our Madly Learning Store at www.madlylearning.com/store Checkout our Teachers Pay Teachers store Join our FREE Facebook community for teachers here: https://bit.ly/IYT-FB
Navigating the annual staffing shuffle can feel like a high-stakes chess game for educators, and we're here to coach you through it. Get ready to gain valuable insights into the decision-making process that can determine your next move in the world of teaching. Whether you've received an unexpected grade-level change or you're contemplating a transfer within a unionized system, this episode peels back the layers of complexity involved. We share stories from the trenches about the pivotal role of prep coverage, teaching partners, and classroom dynamics, along with the often-overlooked personal factors that can make or break an educator's experience.
The question of whether to stay rooted or to transplant oneself to new educational soil is one many teachers grapple with. In this thought-provoking conversation, we weigh the emotional toll of leaving behind a familiar environment against the exciting potential of a fresh start. By tapping into the collective wisdom of seasoned colleagues and considering the impact on personal well-being, we provide a compass for teachers standing at this career crossroads. This episode isn't just about making the right choice—it's about understanding the intricate dance of assignments and recognizing when you're ready to leap into a new chapter, or when the best path is to nurture the growth where you are.
Remember to Subscribe for more insights on how to navigate the complexities of teaching with efficiency and impact. Share your experiences and strategies in the comments to join the conversation with fellow educators.
To find our highly effective, time-saving resources
Checkout our Madly Learning Store at www.madlylearning.com/store Checkout our Teachers Pay Teachers store Join our FREE Facebook community for teachers here: https://bit.ly/IYT-FB
Have you ever felt like there just aren't enough hours in the day, especially when it comes to teaching literacy? You're not alone. In our latest episode, we dive straight into the heart of this dilemma, revealing how to maintain a high-quality English program within the tight squeeze of a 60-minute frame. We're handing over the blueprint for educators to seamlessly weave together the essential threads of literacy instruction, even when they're teaching English to students in French immersion contexts or juggling packed schedules.
Key Topics Covered:
- The Challenge: We kick off by acknowledging the difficulty of fitting a comprehensive literacy curriculum into a shortened timeframe and the factors that often lead to this situation.
- Leveraging Overlapping Skills: Discover how to identify and utilize the skills that overlap between English and French (for French Immersion teachers), allowing for a more streamlined approach to teaching literacy.
- Advocating for a Supportive Schedule: Learn how to communicate effectively with your administration to negotiate a more literacy-friendly timetable.
- Maximizing Instructional Time: Strategies for structuring your 60-minute block to include warm-ups, teacher-directed lessons, centers, and lessons focused on writing, grammar, and morphology.
- Prioritizing Instructional Time:Tips for evaluating and minimizing non-instructional activities that cut into teaching time.
- Using Resources Wisely: An introduction to adapting resources, like Ignited Literacy, to fit a 60-minute literacy block by adjusting activities and timelines.
Additional Resources:
- Ignited Literacy: Customize this resource to fit your 60min Literacy Block
Connect with Us:
- Leave your questions and comments below; we love hearing from you!
- Don’t forget to like and subscribe for more educational content.
- Share this video with fellow educators who might benefit from these strategies.
Closing Thoughts:
Teaching literacy within a 60-minute block presents unique challenges, but with the right strategies and a bit of creativity, it's possible to provide a rich and effective learning experience for your students. Remember, the goal isn't just to cover material, but to inspire and engage your students in the wonders of language every single day.
Check out Ignited Math and Ignited Literacy and learn how you can get your math and literacy lessons planned for the whole year to save yourself hours and hours of doing it all yourself at www.ignitedteaching.ca
Remember to Subscribe for more insights on how to navigate the complexities of teaching with efficiency and impact. Share your experiences and strategies in the comments to join the conversation with fellow educators.
To find our highly effective, time-saving resources
Checkout our Madly Learning Store at www.madlylearning.com/store Checkout our Teachers Pay Teachers store Join our FREE Facebook community for teachers here: https://bit.ly/IYT-FB
As we transition into the second half of the school year, it's crucial to reassess our teaching strategies and classroom management techniques. In this video, we delve into the concept of Return on Investment (ROI) in education, examining how to balance innovative teaching methods with the practicalities of time management and mental health. We discuss the pitfalls of adopting every attractive idea seen on platforms like Instagram and Pinterest and the importance of setting boundaries to prevent burnout.
Key takeaways include:
- Evaluating the sustainability and effectiveness of new classroom strategies.
- The significance of establishing routines that align with part-time teaching without overextending.
- Practical examples like the "blurt bean jar" and its implications on classroom management.
- Efficient parent communication methods and the balance between thoroughness and manageability.
Join us as we explore actionable tips for maintaining a healthy work-life balance while delivering impactful teaching experiences. Whether a full-time educator or juggling part-time responsibilities, this episode will equip you with strategies to enhance your teaching efficacy and overall well-being.
#TeachingEfficiency #ClassroomManagement #EducationalROI #TeacherWellbeing #MidYearStrategies #TimeManagement #EducationTips #PartTimeTeaching #TeachingStrategies #EducatorBurnout
Remember to Subscribe for more insights on how to navigate the complexities of teaching with efficiency and impact. Share your experiences and strategies in the comments to join the conversation with fellow educators.
Remember to Subscribe for more insights on how to navigate the complexities of teaching with efficiency and impact. Share your experiences and strategies in the comments to join the conversation with fellow educators.
To find our highly effective, time-saving resources
Checkout our Madly Learning Store at www.madlylearning.com/store Checkout our Teachers Pay Teachers store Join our FREE Facebook community for teachers here: https://bit.ly/IYT-FB
Discover the secrets to transforming your classroom with our latest deep dive into the world of early finishers. I'm Patty Furth, and in this episode, we dissect the challenges that swift completers present to elementary educators. You'll learn about the three distinct archetypes—the rushers, the workhorses, and the intellectually gifted—and how to tailor your teaching to each student's drive. We don't just examine why these students finish early; we explore how to elevate their learning experience with strategies that emphasize quality over speed, ensuring that every task is an opportunity for growth and genuine engagement.
As we navigate the educational landscape, we also unveil how to create an environment where learning never stops. With no guest this time, it's just you and me unpacking the power of 'genius hour' projects and passion-driven assignments that enrich and extend the standard curriculum. We discuss ditching the busy work in favor of meaningful challenges that cater to every student's potential. This episode will equip you with the tools to foster a classroom culture where students are continuously captivated, working on tasks that test their limits and ignite their curiosity. Join me for an enlightening conversation that promises to reshape your teaching philosophy and turn those early finishers into lifelong learners.
Remember to Subscribe for more insights on how to navigate the complexities of teaching with efficiency and impact. Share your experiences and strategies in the comments to join the conversation with fellow educators.
To find our highly effective, time-saving resources
Checkout our Madly Learning Store at www.madlylearning.com/store Checkout our Teachers Pay Teachers store Join our FREE Facebook community for teachers here: https://bit.ly/IYT-FB
Ready to unlock the secrets to teaching nonfiction writing? We are setting you up for success in this episode by deconstructing the process of nonfiction report writing. We tackle the vital role of spiraled instruction in literacy and nudge you to ignite your teaching by shifting the focus from disseminating information to engaging students actively in the writing process. We lay out the five-step strategy for writing nonfiction reports, underscoring the necessity of a well-chosen topic. Expect practical insights on nurturing grades three to six students to leverage their past writing experiences and enhance their current writing abilities.
Ever wondered how to teach your students the clever use of jot notes? We've got you covered! Building on the premise that jot notes require higher-order thinking, we stress the need for regular practice, hinting that it's a skill that needs revisiting throughout the academic year. We walk you through the process of organizing research into subtopics, and the piecing together of a powerful paragraph within a specific framework. Be prepared for some groundbreaking advice on allowing students to refine their skills on their own work, all while you provide the necessary guidance and feedback. Don't miss out on this exciting journey to equip your students with the skills to use jot notes effectively in their writing. Tune in and experience the art of teaching like never before!
Remember to Subscribe for more insights on how to navigate the complexities of teaching with efficiency and impact. Share your experiences and strategies in the comments to join the conversation with fellow educators.
To find our highly effective, time-saving resources
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**Hey there, teachers! Welcome to another episode of the "Ignited Your Teaching Video Podcast."In this episode, we're diving into mindset strategies that can transform our classrooms and our sense of fulfillment in this incredible profession.
Teaching has changed, and the demands on us as teachers are growing. We're losing some of our power, and it's time to take it back. In this episode, I'll be sharing some mindset shifts that have helped me along the way. My priorities have changed, and my life and career have gone in a different direction than I anticipated. But I'm content with where I am, and I know this is where I'm meant to be.
Throughout this episode, we'll explore several mindset strategies, each with classroom examples and a simple three-step implementation plan. We'll start by reflecting on our reasons for becoming teachers and identifying our core purpose. Knowing our "why" will help us navigate the challenges and define our own version of teaching success.
Key Ideas Covered:**
- Overcoming Imposter Syndrome: Acknowledge your strengths and weaknesses, support fellow teachers, and celebrate your own successes.
- Setting Boundaries: Learn to say "no" when necessary, prioritize your tasks, and manage your time effectively.
- Embracing Improvisation: Be flexible in your teaching approach, adapt to unexpected situations, and create more engaging learning experiences.
- Taking Control in Teaching: Make confident decisions, set clear rules, and communicate assertively.
- Sustainable Teaching: Balance your workload with your personal well-being, incorporate mindfulness, and use resources to save time.
- Cultivating Resilience and Joy: Build resilience against stress, focus on what you can control, and make teaching more enjoyable through creativity and play.
Remember, changing your mindset is a journey, not an overnight transformation. Start with one strategy this week, and watch as it gradually transforms your teaching and your spirit. I hope you find these mindset strategies helpful and empowering. Thank you for joining me on the "Ignited Your Teaching Video Podcast." Until next time, keep the flame of learning burning bright!
Remember to Subscribe for more insights on how to navigate the complexities of teaching with efficiency and impact. Share your experiences and strategies in the comments to join the conversation with fellow educators.
To find our highly effective, time-saving resources
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What if you had the toolkit to boost your students' literacy levels? What if you could tailor your teaching styles to meet the individual needs of your learners? Welcome to a powerful episode that unravels the intricacies of incorporating assessments into your literacy program. We strip down the importance of diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments, helping you understand your students' starting point, observe their progress, and gain a comprehensive view of their proficiency levels.
You'll discover how tools like Exocard's, guided reading, and spelling assessments can help you identify strengths and weaknesses in your students' learning process. We go further to discuss the value of literacy trackers and formative assessments, and how informal writing assessments can offer valuable insights into your students' writing skills. Discover how summative assessments can showcase overall proficiency and growth, and how encouraging students to select their work for assessment can fuel reflection and learning. So, join us for a deep dive into the world of assessments, and gain practical insights on how to use these tools to enhance your students' literacy skills.
Remember to Subscribe for more insights on how to navigate the complexities of teaching with efficiency and impact. Share your experiences and strategies in the comments to join the conversation with fellow educators.
To find our highly effective, time-saving resources
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What if your students could effortlessly understand spelling patterns and rules, and not just memorize words for a test? What if you, as an educator, could transition smoothly away from traditional worksheets to an engaging and comprehensive spelling program? That's exactly what we're tackling in today's episode. We're voyaging through the fresh and comprehensive approach of teaching spelling to juniors using Ignited Spelling. We expose the gaps in foundational skills due to lack of explicit instruction and offer strategies to fill these voids, building on the knowledge your students already possess.
We also roll up our sleeves to dive into the tricky task of integrating ignited spelling with ignited literacy. We acknowledge that the pace of each classroom differs and hence, the incorporation of ignited spelling into ignited literacy may not always be smooth. Fear not, we've got your back! We unfold a weekly plan for ignited spelling which teases off with an intriguing inquiry hook and is sprinkled with components like a spelling zoo anchor chart, shared reading, and practice pages. We ensure that by the end of this enlightening episode, you will be equipped with a better understanding of how to transition to ignited spelling lessons seamlessly.
We wind up with the nitty-gritty details of a weekly practice plan. We unfurl effective techniques to assess student progress and discuss how to form a spelling list, summarize the text, provide instruction, and evaluate students. We shine the spotlight on the 12 available activities for spelling centers and offer tips on their best utilization. We parse the must-do activities and guide you when and how to collect assessment data. No matter if you're an educator or a parent, this episode is brimming with valuable insights and strategies to level up your teaching game and help your students ace their spelling skills!
Resources Mentioned in this Episode
Remember to Subscribe for more insights on how to navigate the complexities of teaching with efficiency and impact. Share your experiences and strategies in the comments to join the conversation with fellow educators.
To find our highly effective, time-saving resources
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Master the art of creating engaging and effective literacy centers for students in grades 3 to 6. Join us as we debunk common myths and provide insights on how to make these centers standardized, easy to implement, and intriguing for students. Discover the power of student self-selection and how it can significantly improve motivation and interest levels in the learning environment. In the second half, we explore practical strategies for incorporating spelling and grammar lessons into writing, creating a richer assessment for students. We also discuss different organizational approaches for literacy centers, including fixed and flexible groupings. Don't miss our special bonus training for the Changing Tides Literacy Group. Get ready to revolutionize your literacy instruction and make a lasting impact on your students' learning journey.
Remember to Subscribe for more insights on how to navigate the complexities of teaching with efficiency and impact. Share your experiences and strategies in the comments to join the conversation with fellow educators.
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In this episode of the Ignite Your Teaching podcast, host Patti Firth discusses the upcoming changes in the Ontario curriculum for language instruction in 2023 and how they will impact teachers in grades three and beyond. The new curriculum strongly emphasizes student-centred learning, communication skills, digital literacy, and integrating Indigenous perspectives and cultural content. Teachers must adapt their teaching strategies to align with these changes and create a more engaging and inclusive learning environment. Overall, the changes present both challenges and opportunities for educators to enhance their teaching practices and provide high-quality education for their students. To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit www.madlylearning.com/257.
📌 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
How the old curriculum compares to the new 2023 version
Why we need to update our teaching practices
What has changed and what has stayed the same
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📚 REFERENCES
Source 1: https://www.dcp.edu.gov.on.ca/en/curriculum/elementary-language/resources
Source 2: https://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/language18currb.pdf
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Are you struggling to organize your math centers and feeling overwhelmed by the chaos?
In today's episode of Ignite Your Teaching Podcast, we have some valuable insights on how to efficiently organize your math classroom and make your centers run like clockwork. Get ready to gain practical tips and simple systems that will transform your teaching approach and create a well-structured learning environment.
In this episode of Ignite Your Teaching Podcast, we will discuss:
● The importance of having a system to store math center materials
● Utilizing bins with lids for easy access and organization
● Labeling manipulative sets for easy identification and storage
● Exploring the Trofast system from IKEA as an excellent storage solution
● Creating a dedicated math wall for anchor charts and reference materials
● Incorporating a pocket chart for center rotation management
● Choosing between notebooks, binders, or a combination for student organization
● Establishing a clear routine and teaching students how to use organizational systems effectively
● Using a binder system to organize teacher materials for easy access and lesson planning
In this episode, we will explore the strategies and tools that will help you organize your math classroom with ease and efficiency. Plus, you will discover how a well-organized environment can enhance student engagement and maximize learning outcomes.
Are you ready to transform your math classroom and simplify your teaching experience? Tune into this episode and learn how to create a structured, organized space that fosters student success. Ignite a love for math and create a well-structured learning environment that supports student growth and success.
To find our highly effective, time-saving resources
Checkout our Madly Learning Store at www.madlylearning.com/store Checkout our Teachers Pay Teachers store Join our FREE Facebook community for teachers here: https://bit.ly/IYT-FB
Are you ready to set your math program up for success? Join us in this week's Ignite Your Teaching Podcast episode as we explore "How to Start Your Math Program Off Right: The First Three Weeks of School."
Discover effective strategies for establishing a solid foundation that will benefit your students throughout the entire year.
In this episode, we will discuss:
- The importance of rules, routines, and procedures in the context of math instruction
- Creating a smooth transition from bell work to whole-group lessons, independent tasks, guided practice, and consolidation
- Leveraging tools such as clocks, timers, and music to enhance time management and focus in the classroom
- Cultivating collaboration and independence skills in students, empowering them to become active and self-reliant learners
- Promoting a growth mindset, celebrating mistakes, and embracing the learning process in math
- Conducting diagnostic assessments to identify students' strengths and areas of growth, enabling targeted instruction and support
Join us as we share practical insights and actionable tips for creating a successful math program. Whether you're a new or seasoned teacher, this episode will equip you with the tools you need to ignite a love for math and foster student achievement.
Don't miss out on this valuable episode! Tune in now to learn how to kickstart your math program and set your students up for a year of mathematical growth and success.
To find our highly effective, time-saving resources
Checkout our Madly Learning Store at www.madlylearning.com/store Checkout our Teachers Pay Teachers store Join our FREE Facebook community for teachers here: https://bit.ly/IYT-FB
Today we're diving into a topic that's close to every teacher's heart: ending the year on a positive note with your students.
As we all know, this year has been filled with challenges, from behavior issues to a lack of support from admin and parents. It's no wonder we're feeling exhausted. But despite the chaos, we're determined to finish the year strong and leave a lasting positive impact on our students.
In this episode, we'll explore strategies to end the year on a high note without falling into the trap of toxic positivity. We'll discuss how to reflect on your growth as a teacher and celebrate the progress you've made, even if it feels overshadowed by the challenges you've faced.
In today's episode, we will talk about the following:
- Recognizing Student Progress
- Balancing Success and Failure
- Recognizing Unseen Impact
- Encouraging Student Reflection
- Acknowledging Challenges and Gratitude
Tune in!
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Are you ready to revolutionize your approach to teaching? Have you ever wondered how technology can enhance the learning experience?
In this episode of Ignite Your Teaching Podcast, we have a thought-provoking question: Can Chat GPT transform how students learn and write? Get ready to dive into the fascinating world of AI-powered tools and their impact on education.
In this episode, we will discuss:
- The potential of Chat GPT to revolutionize teaching and learning
- Strategies for effectively integrating Chat GPT into the classroom
- Navigating the fine line between assistance and plagiarism
- Exploring the benefits and limitations of AI tools in writing
- Alternative assessment methods to ensure academic integrity
- Empowering students to develop their unique voice amidst AI tools
Join us as we share insights on how Chat GPT can be harnessed to enhance student writing skills while maintaining academic integrity. Through engaging discussions and practical tips, this episode aims to inspire educators to embrace AI tools as a powerful resource for empowering students and fostering critical thinking skills. Discover how you can leverage the potential of Chat GPT to transform your teaching approach and ignite a love for writing in your students.
Are you ready to embark on this exciting journey of integrating Chat GPT into your teaching practice? Join us today and unlock the possibilities of AI-powered tools to enhance student learning and writing proficiency.
To find our highly effective, time-saving resources
Checkout our Madly Learning Store at www.madlylearning.com/store Checkout our Teachers Pay Teachers store Join our FREE Facebook community for teachers here: https://bit.ly/IYT-FB
How do you make assessments for your students to show their learning and overall knowledge of your lesson discussed in the classroom? Are you also requiring your students to create uniform projects where everyone's doing the same thing?
I know how challenging it is to make assessments as part of our responsibilities as a teacher. But now you can say goodbye to the traditional way of giving assessments and prepare to immerse your classrooms in an atmosphere of excitement, curiosity, and genuine love for knowledge.
In this episode, we will delve into a show-what-you-know project and some innovative strategies and practical tips that will empower you to become the extraordinary educators your students deserve. Here are different choices that you can give your students to allow for a true differentiation of your final task so that you can assess students' knowledge and understanding of the lessons you’re teaching them in the classroom.
In today's episode, we will talk about the following:
- The traditional way of assessments that many teachers do
- Looking for differentiation to give students an opportunity to show what they’ve learned with the products they produce
- The show-what-you-know project
- Different choices to give to students allowing them to do a show-what-you-know project
- Creating a success criteria checklist that students can follow
Tune in!
To find our highly effective, time-saving resources
Checkout our Madly Learning Store at www.madlylearning.com/store Checkout our Teachers Pay Teachers store Join our FREE Facebook community for teachers here: https://bit.ly/IYT-FB
Writing report cards is a comprehensive assessment that provides a valuable snapshot of a student's academic progress, strengths, and areas for improvement. However, many teachers find writing report cards challenging and time-consuming, especially when the tools they are using are making them less effective and efficient.
So if you're one of these teachers, this episode is for you. In this episode, we will look at different ways to simplify and create shortcuts so that we can produce personalized and tailored report cards for our students in meaningful ways.
In today's episode, we will discuss the following:
⚫️ Creating a structure and a format that allows teachers to systematize their process of writing report cards
⚫️ Three different steps to follow in writing report cards efficiently
⚫️ Student's skills to be evaluated
⚫️ How students demonstrate these skills
⚫️The next thing that students need to do to improve their current skills
⚫️Creating report card comment banks
From maintaining objectivity and fairness to effectively communicating a student's performance, educators must navigate various hurdles to ensure that report cards serve their intended purpose of informing parents, guiding students, and supporting educational growth.
So by understanding these challenges and considering potential solutions, we can strive to create meaningful and informative report cards that contribute to the holistic development of students.
Want instant access to our Simply Graded Report Card Generator? Click here to purchase it today!
To find our highly effective, time-saving resources
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In this episode, we dive deep into the three C’s of classroom management - connection, consistency, and compassion. They are the foundation and underlying root of successful classroom management.
In today’s episode, we will discuss the following:
- Connection - building relationships with your students and establishing trust is crucial for creating a positive and productive learning environment.
- Consistency - having clear rules and routines that are consistently applied is key to creating a predictable and safe environment for students to learn and grow.
- Compassion - showing compassion and empathy toward students is essential for recognizing their individual needs and providing support where necessary.
Whether you’re a new teacher just starting or a seasoned educator looking to refresh your classroom management strategies, this episode is full of practical tips and insights to help you build a strong and supportive learning community.
To find our highly effective, time-saving resources
Checkout our Madly Learning Store at www.madlylearning.com/store Checkout our Teachers Pay Teachers store Join our FREE Facebook community for teachers here: https://bit.ly/IYT-FB
Welcome to today's episode, where we will discuss why inquiry-based learning can be challenging for students. We will also review some strategies you can implement to help make inquiry more accessible to students in your classroom.
Inquiry-based learning is important for learning and engagement among your students, but it can also be challenging for them.
Students who struggle with inquiry often...
✅ Have difficulties taking an active role in their own learning
✅ Lack of independent learning and organizational skills
✅ Have limited prior knowledge
✅ Struggle with critical thinking and problem-solving skills
Tune in to this podcast episode to learn how to build up these skills and provide access to the right resources to ensure students are better prepared for inquiry and have a more successful learning experience.
Check out myFREETeaching Independent Work Skills Resource to help teach your students independent work skills.
To find our highly effective, time-saving resources
Checkout our Madly Learning Store at www.madlylearning.com/store Checkout our Teachers Pay Teachers store Join our FREE Facebook community for teachers here: https://bit.ly/IYT-FB
Welcome to today's episode, where we will explore the concept of differentiation in the classroom. Have you ever been asked if you are differentiating for your students and wondered what it actually means?
Well, in this episode, we will discuss the four different ways you can differentiate your student groupings each day and how they can benefit your students' learning.
4 Ways to Differentiate in The Classroom
- Differentiating the content: refers to the "what" of what is being taught. It involves using different teaching strategies and tailoring the lesson to individual students. This can be done through small group learning opportunities like guided math or reading sessions.
- Differentiating the process: refers to the "how" of learning. It involves teaching students different ways to learn materials, such as through discussions or hands-on experiences. This can be done through modeling, manipulatives, and showing multiple strategies.
- Differentiating the product: refers to what students do to show their learning, often in an assessment. Rather than focusing on task completion, it focuses on the skills and knowledge being demonstrated. This can be done through a choice board of assessments or rubrics based on skills.
- Differentiating the environment: involves changing the environment in which students are learning. This can be done through flexible seating, recognizing distractions, and providing different conditions that are helpful for all students.
Overall, differentiation allows teachers to tailor instruction to meet individual students' needs and create a more engaging and effective learning environment.
So, tune in to this podcast episode to learn about the different types of differentiation and how they can be implemented in your classroom.
To find our highly effective, time-saving resources
Checkout our Madly Learning Store at www.madlylearning.com/store Checkout our Teachers Pay Teachers store Join our FREE Facebook community for teachers here: https://bit.ly/IYT-FB
Are you struggling to include inquiry-based learning in your classroom? Understanding how to implement it can be challenging, especially for teachers with a range of abilities in their classrooms.
Inquiry is not just an open-ended free-for-all, but rather it is about empowering students to ask questions and guiding them through the process of discovering answers.
In this episode, we discuss the following:· The four types of inquiry-based learning
· How they're different
· How they're the same
· How there is a type of inquiry that all students can participate in
As teachers, we may have focused on getting through the curriculum during the pandemic, but now is the time to address the gap in our student's ability to use critical thinking skills to learn.
4 Types of Inquiry-Based Learning1. Structured Inquiry - This form of inquiry-based learning has a lot of teacher support. It follows predetermined steps that allow students to explore and discover things they are learning in a very structured, linear way.
2. Guided Inquiry - This form of inquiry-based learning has a high level of teacher support and scaffolds students through each step of the inquiry process while allowing some students to follow different paths.
3. Problem-Based Inquiry - In this form of inquiry-based learning, students start with a problem and try to come up with solutions to solve that problem. The teacher provides strategies, tools, and parameters, but students are free to explore and experiment with different solutions and draw conclusions based on their results.
4. Open-Ended Inquiry - In this form of inquiry-based learning, students are free to pick a topic that interests them and explore it independently, with the teacher providing minimal guidance.
Through inquiry-based learning, students are empowered to ask questions, become problem solvers, and engage in critical thinking, which are essential skills for success in the workforce.
Join us as we dive into this critical topic and explore how you can use the four types of inquiry-based learning in the classroom today.
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Critical thinking skills are essential for students to succeed in the classroom and beyond. These skills involve analyzing information, evaluating arguments, and making informed decisions based on evidence. By building critical thinking skills in the classroom, teachers can help students become more engaged and independent learners who are better equipped to navigate the complexities of the world around them.
In this video, you will learn:
● The gap in a student's ability to use critical thinking skills to learn
● What critical thinking is
● What are the higher-order thinking skills?
● The transition from learning how to read to reading to learn
● Teaching students the ability to make decisions based on the gathered information
● Establishing a critical thinking space inside the classroom
● The resources and the materials that boost critical thinking skills
● What is metacognition?
● The explosion of AI technology in this post-pandemic world
● Incorporating real-world events and experiences into the classroom lessons
● Allowing students to embrace curiosity inside the classroom
So tune in to this podcast episode as we will explore some effective strategies that teachers can use to foster critical thinking skills in their students.
To find our highly effective, time-saving resources
Checkout our Madly Learning Store at www.madlylearning.com/store Checkout our Teachers Pay Teachers store Join our FREE Facebook community for teachers here: https://bit.ly/IYT-FB
In this video, we dive into the crucial topic of creating a positive learning environment. As educators, we know that student motivation and engagement play a significant role in their academic success. A positive learning environment can make all the difference in fostering these qualities in our students.
In this video, you will learn:
The key components of a positive learning environment
Strategies to encourage student motivation and engagement
The impact of a positive learning environment on student academic success
We'll share real-world examples and practical tips that you can implement in your own classroom. Whether you're a seasoned teacher or just starting out, this video will provide valuable insights and inspiration for creating a positive learning environment for your students.
Don't miss out on this opportunity to transform your classroom into a space where students are motivated, engaged, and eager to learn! Watch the video now to start creating a positive learning environment for your students today!
To find our highly effective, time-saving resources
Checkout our Madly Learning Store at www.madlylearning.com/store Checkout our Teachers Pay Teachers store Join our FREE Facebook community for teachers here: https://bit.ly/IYT-FB
This podcast episode discusses the three primary assessment and evaluation types for teachers: diagnostic, formative, and summative.
- Diagnostic assessment is used to identify a student's strengths and weaknesses at the beginning of a school year or course to inform instruction. This can take many forms, such as diagnostic tests, skills assessments, and individualized learning plans.
- Formative assessment is used to monitor and improve student learning in real-time. It's an ongoing process that helps teachers gauge whether students understand the material being taught and allows students to receive feedback and adjust their learning strategies. Examples include quizzes, class participation, and exit tickets.
- Summative assessment is used to evaluate student learning at the end of a unit or school year; it often takes the form of a test or final project.
The episode also provides examples of different assessments and evaluations that can be used in the classroom.
To find our highly effective, time-saving resources
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This is a video about How To Mark Using a Rubric
In this episode, learn about
- How to establish goals and success criteria
- Determine the performance levels
- How to mark and score the rubric fairly
- How to provide feedback for students.
Check out www.madlylearning..com/243 for the show notes, including some of my favourite rubrics for various subjects and links to our best units that feature these rubrics.
To find our highly effective, time-saving resources
Checkout our Madly Learning Store at www.madlylearning.com/store Checkout our Teachers Pay Teachers store Join our FREE Facebook community for teachers here: https://bit.ly/IYT-FB
Managing your time as a teacher is not easy. But if you know what to do, it can be done!
Teaching is an important job that requires lots of energy and focus. It also takes a lot of planning and preparation. Here are some tips for managing your time as a teacher.
Set Goals.
Setting goals is one of the first things you should do when starting out with teaching. You need to set goals so that you know where you want to go. If you don’t set goals, then you won’t know how to reach them.
Plan Ahead.
It’s also important to plan. This means planning lessons, assignments, and projects before you start teaching. Planning ahead will help you stay organized and keep track of everything you need to do.
Prioritize.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the number of things you need to do each day, prioritize them. Start with the most important tasks first. Then, organize your schedule so that you can complete those tasks efficiently. Finally, make sure you have enough time to accomplish everything you need to do each week.
Create a Schedule.
You should also set aside some time every day to work on your lesson plans. This will help you stay organized and focused throughout the school year. It will also give you an opportunity to review your lessons before class starts.
To find our highly effective, time-saving resources
Checkout our Madly Learning Store at www.madlylearning.com/store Checkout our Teachers Pay Teachers store Join our FREE Facebook community for teachers here: https://bit.ly/IYT-FB
Did you dread teaching a split grade...wishing that you could just be in a single-grade classroom again?
Teaching a split-grade classroom doesn't have to be twice the work and double the hassle.
In this episode, we share why we embrace teaching a split-grade classroom and why you should too.
- Why split grades make you a better teacher
- How teaching a split can better support your students with Special Educations needs
- Why a straight-grade classroom isn't better than a split.
- How a split grade classroom helps you focus on the needs of the student not the needs of the curriculum
- How inquiry learning can be better developed in a split-grade classroom.
Learn about this and more about the benefits of teaching a split grade.
To find our highly effective, time-saving resources
Checkout our Madly Learning Store at www.madlylearning.com/store Checkout our Teachers Pay Teachers store Join our FREE Facebook community for teachers here: https://bit.ly/IYT-FB
What techniques and strategies should teachers use in their math programs if they want to teach math effectively? In this episode, we share a few techniques that you can use to spiral the curriculum, differentiate throughout the year, assess more efficiently, and engage your math students.
In this episode we explore:
- Why teachers should have high expectations
- How to build students who are willing to take risks in their learning.
- How to use assessment to inform your instruction
- The importance of differentiated instruction in the math classroom.
- Strategies to help students become better problem solvers.
To find our highly effective, time-saving resources
Checkout our Madly Learning Store at www.madlylearning.com/store Checkout our Teachers Pay Teachers store Join our FREE Facebook community for teachers here: https://bit.ly/IYT-FB
Did you get a notice that you were going to be TPA'd this year? It's a good reminder that we should be TPA ready now. It's time to set yourself up for success by ditching those worksheet workbooks we relied on so much during 2020-2022 and start to get back to the art of teaching.
In this episode, Patti covers what questions you should be asking yourself now to get TPA ready now so that when your evaluation comes you are ready to rock it without the stress and pressure.
- Learn what questions to ask so you are ready to show a commitment to student learning.
- Learn what professional practices and pedagogy your principal may be looking for.
To find our highly effective, time-saving resources
Checkout our Madly Learning Store at www.madlylearning.com/store Checkout our Teachers Pay Teachers store Join our FREE Facebook community for teachers here: https://bit.ly/IYT-FB
Is your math classroom the right place to be using reflective journals?
I started using reflective journals in my math classroom a couple of years ago and now it’s one of my favorite things to use in math class.
If you’ve never used reflective journals in your math classroom before, I hope this episode will convince you to try them out! I’m covering what math reflective journals are, how they will help you evaluate your students, how to structure them, and how to introduce them to your class.
If you want to reduce the number of tests your students have to take and the amount of marking you have to do, math journals are for you. Learn more about them in this episode!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/238
Resources Mentioned:
Register for the Ignited Math Webinar: www.ignitedteaching.ca/mathplan
Learn More About Ignited Math: www.ignitedmath.ca
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Don't forget you can always catch the show on the Madly Learning YouTube channel!
How do you teach two grades in your math class at the same time?
This episode is all about how to approach teaching math in a split-grade classroom.
These are my suggestions and strategies for teaching a split-grade class without constantly feeling like you’re doing two jobs at once. None of us have time for that!
You don’t have to double your workload to teach a split-grade classroom. I want to show you how to keep your workload the same as it would be if you were teaching a straight grade. You might have to tweak things here and there, but I promise you don’t have to start from scratch for each grade.
Teaching math to your split grade is like a train. You will pick up students along the way, let them off when their time comes, and keep going with those who can. What does that look like in your classroom? You’ll have to tune in to the episode to find out!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/237
Resources Mentioned:
Register for the Ignited Math Webinar: www.ignitedteaching.ca/mathplan
Get Ignited Math: www.ignitedmath.ca
I would love to connect on Facebook: http://facebook.com/MadlyLearning
I would love to connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madlylearning
Do you spend hours trying to make everything fit on your bulletin boards and look good at the same time?
I’m taking you through my process of putting together a bulletin board and teaching you how to plan it out in advance so that you know everything will fit in the space that you have.
Creating a mockup to scale is the simplest way to plan out your board, and you can use software to make it even easier. It will save you a ton of time because you know exactly what your board will look like before you start putting it up.
I’m covering everything from planning color, text, shapes, and space. With a little help from this episode, you’ll be able to put your boards together faster than ever.
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/236
Resources Mentioned:
Get Our Reading Bulletin Board: www.madlylearning.com/readingboard
I would love to connect on Facebook: http://facebook.com/MadlyLearning
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It’s time to start getting ready for back-to-school season!
I want to talk about what it means to get your classroom back-to-school ready and how to make it manageable and realistic in the time you have. I know that you don’t want to spend half of August prepping for September, so I want to help you make it simple.
We’re talking about things like arranging your space, decorating without going over the top, making resources accessible, and so much more.
What do you do to get your classroom ready for a new school year? If you need some ideas, tune in to this episode.
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/235
Resources Mentioned:
Routine Ready Planner: https://madlylearning.ck.page/a1445fd857
Hue Document Camera: https://amzn.to/3Cfm97c
I would love to connect on Facebook: http://facebook.com/MadlyLearning
I would love to connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madlylearning
It’s time to start getting ready for back-to-school season!
I want to talk about what it means to get your classroom back-to-school ready and how to make it manageable and realistic in the time you have. I know that you don’t want to spend half of August prepping for September, so I want to help you make it simple.
We’re talking about things like arranging your space, decorating without going over the top, making resources accessible, and so much more.
What do you do to get your classroom ready for a new school year? If you need some ideas, tune in to this episode.
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/235
Resources Mentioned:
Routine Ready Planner: https://madlylearning.ck.page/a1445fd857
Hue Document Camera: https://amzn.to/3Cfm97c
I would love to connect on Facebook: http://facebook.com/MadlyLearning
I would love to connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madlylearning
Have you ever heard me talking about spiraled math instruction and wondered what it would actually look like in your classroom?
In this episode, I’m answering your questions about spiraled math and teaching you how to do it the right way. If you’re new to spiraled instruction, it might seem like you have a lot of work ahead of you, but it’s actually very simple when you know exactly what you need to do.
I’m talking about what spiraling is, why you would want to spiral your math instruction, and what it looks like in the classroom. I’m sharing ideas to help you get started and a resource you can use to make it even easier.
If you’ve been wondering how to spiral your math instruction, I think you’ll find this episode a great place to start.
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/234
Resources Mentioned:
Learn More About Ignited Math: www.ignitedmath.ca
I would love to connect on Facebook: http://facebook.com/MadlyLearning
I would love to connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madlylearning
Do you like a lot of structure in your classroom, or do you prefer to hand the responsibilities over to your students?
The great thing about math centers is that you get to choose what learning looks like in your classroom.
That’s right, in this episode, we’re continuing the discussion about math centers.
I’m explaining why I love centers so much for math and teaching you two important aspects of planning centers: how to rotate your students through different activities and how to group your students.
It all comes down to choosing structured vs. open rotations and fixed groupings vs. flexible groupings. I’m giving you 4 different ways to run your centers using these options and explaining when and why you might use each one.
If you want to create more flexibility in your classroom, this is for you.
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/233
Resources Mentioned:
Learn More About Ignited Math: www.ignitedmath.ca
I would love to connect on Facebook: http://facebook.com/MadlyLearning
I would love to connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madlylearning
Have you been wondering how to get started with your math centers?
This is a quick and simple episode breaking down everything you need to know about math centers and what activities to include in them.
I get a lot of questions about how to run math centers, what goes into each center, and what they look like in the classroom, so I’m here to answer all those questions in one place.
I love using centers for math not only because they are fun and engaging, but because they allow me to spend time on guided math instruction. I hope that some of my enthusiasm for math centers rubs off on you and that by the end of this episode, you love them as much as I do!
Tune in, so we can figure out how to make math centers work in your classroom together!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/232
Resources Mentioned:
Learn More About Ignited Math: www.ignitedmath.ca
I would love to connect on Facebook: http://facebook.com/MadlyLearning
I would love to connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madlylearning
Are you starting to get ready for summer vacation?
Before you get into full vacation mode to enjoy some well-deserved rest and relaxation, it’s a good idea to take the last few weeks of the school year to get prepped for next year. Trust me, it’s going to save you a lot of stress over the summer, especially when the back-to-school season comes around.
In this episode, I’m sharing my tips to prep for the next school year during the last few weeks before the summer.
You’d be surprised how much you can get planned and ready right now while you’re still in the classroom surrounded by resources and colleagues. I promise that the work you do now will pay off in September. You’ll be thanking yourself when you can enjoy a few more weeks of relaxation while everyone else is scrambling to get things together for the school year.
Tune in to find out what you can do now to make sure you actually enjoy your summer.
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/231
Resources Mentioned:
Grab the Long-Range Plans: www.madlylearning.com/lrp
Get the Routine Planning Page: https://madlylearning.ck.page/a1445fd857
Check Out Our Other Resources: www.madlylearning.com/store
I would love to connect on Facebook: http://facebook.com/MadlyLearning
I would love to connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madlylearning
How are you going to get everything covered in the time that you have left in the school year? If that’s the question you're asking yourself right now, you’re going to want to catch this episode because I’m sharing the strategies I use to make sure I’m covering everything leftover in the subjects that I’ve fallen short on throughout the year. I want to help you do each subject justice while still getting through the content in a reasonable way, so you’ll find out what to ditch and what to combine to make sure all the important things are covered by the end of the year.
I also shared how to plan your entire year in advance so that you never again find yourself stressed out about cramming everything in at the end of the year, so take a deep breath and tune in to get some help finishing up your school year.
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/230
Resources Mentioned:
Grab the Long-Range Plans: www.madlylearning.com/lrp
Check Out the Other Madly Learning Resources: www.madlylearning.com/store
I would love to connect on Facebook: http://facebook.com/MadlyLearning
I would love to connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madlylearning
Do you want to use math centers in your classroom but you don’t know where to start?
Maybe you’re worried that your kids aren’t going to work independently or you don’t know when you’ll find time to plan and prep math centers when you’re already so busy. Well, I have a solution for you.
This episode is all about the 4 different math centers that you can use in your classroom. I’m making math centers simple so that you don’t have to worry. If you want math to be engaging and hands-on while still covering the curriculum and teaching your kids everything they need to know, look no further.
If you’ve been wondering how to get started with math centers, this is for you!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/229
Resources Mentioned:
Sign Up to Join Ignited Math: https://www.madlylearning.com/sp/ignitedmath-short/
I would love to connect on Facebook: http://facebook.com/MadlyLearning
I would love to connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madlylearning
Is it time for a math test in your classroom? How do you make sure that your test accurately reflects what your students know? It can be hard to know if you’re asking the right types of questions, marking accurately, and assessing the content that you actually want to be assessing. This can lead to all kinds of problems with tests.
Anyone can write a test, but as teachers, it’s our job to make sure that tests are accurately measuring student achievement.
I’ve spent a lot of time agonizing over what questions to put in a test, how to weigh a test, and how to score a test, and I want to share my results with you so that you don’t have to agonize over your tests too.
If you’re ready to switch up your test-planning process to make sure your students are getting the scores they deserve, tune in to this episode.
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/228
Resources Mentioned:
Download the Math Test Planner: https://madlylearning.ck.page/0a6693cb10
Episode 214: Math and Assessment: www.madlylearning.com/214
Episode 227: Get More Math Assessment Done in Class: www.madlylearning.com/227
I would love to connect on Facebook: http://facebook.com/MadlyLearning
I would love to connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madlylearning
What if I told you that you didn’t need to have so many math tests? There are other things you can do to effectively assess your students and generate marks for their report cards without overburdening yourself with marking to take home.
I’m sharing the methods you can use to assess your students without giving them endless tests and creating more work for you. These methods are going to give you more reliable results that accurately reflect how your students are performing, and they will allow you to assess your students more frequently so that you always know where they’re at with the material.
If you’re not utilizing things like guided sessions, math warm-ups, and math journals, then you’re probably spending a lot more time writing and marking tests than you need to be.
Are you ready to ditch the tests? This is for you.
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/227
Resources Mentioned:
Join the Waitlist for Ignited Math: http://www.ignitedteaching.ca/IMwaitlist
Episode 214: Math and Assessment: www.madlylearning.com/214
I would love to connect on Facebook: http://facebook.com/MadlyLearning
I would love to connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madlylearning
If you simplify the work you give your students because it’s too hard, are you accommodating, or are you modifying?
Your students have been through a lot when it comes to learning during the pandemic, and of course, you want to support your students who have gaps in their learning, but it’s important that you’re not modifying the program that they need to be on now.
This episode is about how to make sure you’re not modifying and oversimplifying tasks to meet your students where they are but instead are accommodating to help them reach where they need to be.
There’s a fine line between accommodating and modifying and I want to help you identify that and stick to it. I believe in you and your students, and I know that you’re going to get exactly where you need to be by the end of the year.
If you're feeling the urge to simplify your students’ work to make it easier for them, stop and listen to this episode first!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/226
Resources Mentioned:
Visit the Madly Learning Store: www.madlylearning.com/store
I would love to connect on Facebook: http://facebook.com/MadlyLearning
I would love to connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madlylearning
Are you juggling a lot of different levels of understanding and learning styles in your classroom after the pandemic? There’s a fine line between accommodations and modifications for students, but both are important to understand and can help you keep all your kids on track.
In this episode, I’m focusing on accommodations in the classroom and talking about what they look like, how to implement them, and how they differ from modifications.
If you need some ideas on how to accommodate for gaps in understanding due to the pandemic, I’ve got you covered.
You can also come back to this episode anytime you’re struggling with accommodations in your classroom. It doesn’t have to be pandemic-related!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/225
Resources Mentioned:
Visit the Madly Learning Store: www.madlylearning.com/store
I would love to connect on Facebook: http://facebook.com/MadlyLearning
I would love to connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madlylearning
Do your kids work a little differently in the classroom these days?
With COVID restrictions lifting here in Ontario, teaching is finally starting to feel normal again, except for the fact that now we’re teaching pandemic kids.
Learning has looked pretty different for our students over the last two years. Many of them are used to working at home on a laptop or tablet with the freedom to walk around, go to the bathroom, and get snacks whenever they want. Others might not have had much access to technology at all and haven’t had as many opportunities to learn as their peers.
This episode is here to help you and your students settle back into your less-restricted classrooms. I’m going over what it’s like to teach kids who have experienced a different style of learning over the last two years and what we can do as teachers to help them move forward.
If you’re trying to figure things out as your classroom gets back to normal, this episode is for you.
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/224
Resources Mentioned:
Visit the Madly Learning Store: www.madlylearning.com/store
I would love to connect on Facebook: http://facebook.com/MadlyLearning
I would love to connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madlylearning
Are you constantly having to adapt to curriculum changes? Sometimes a new curriculum comes at us with little to no warning and we feel like we’re expected to overhaul absolutely everything to do it the new way.
In this episode, I’m talking about how to handle curriculum changes and what you can do to reduce some of the stress that they cause.
It’s important to remember that changes are made for a reason. It doesn’t make sense to keep an outdated curriculum that doesn’t reflect the world we live in today, so changes can be a really good thing.
If you’re facing a curriculum change, I want you to know that often, it’s not as big of a deal as it seems. By the end of this episode, you’ll have the tools you need to handle it calmly and confidently.
Tune in to find out how to handle curriculum changes like they’re no big deal.
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/223
Resources Mentioned:
The Madly Learning Teacher Store: www.madlylearning.com/store
I would love to connect on Facebook: http://facebook.com/MadlyLearning
I would love to connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madlylearning
Are there things you’ve tried in your classroom that you will absolutely never do again?
After 15 years of teaching, I’ve made my fair share of mistakes, but some stand out more than others and there are definitely some that I will never make again.
In this episode, I’m sharing the top three things I’ve done in my classroom that I don’t ever want to do again. Hopefully, this will help you avoid making the same mistakes that I made or give you some ideas about how you want to run your classroom.
You’ll hear why I tried each of these things, why I stopped doing them, and why I don’t plan on ever doing them again.
I still make mistakes every day, but I do my best to learn from them and use them to make my classroom a better place for all my students.
If you want to know what things I would never do in my classroom again, tune in.
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/222
Resources Mentioned:
Ignited Literacy and Ignited Math: www.ignitedteaching.ca
I would love to connect on Facebook: http://facebook.com/MadlyLearning
I would love to connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madlylearnin
Have your students ever complained that they can’t play video games in your classroom? Mine did, and it gave me an idea for a classroom activity that I knew they would love. This is the story of how we ended up playing Minecraft in my classroom to learn about social studies.
My students were shocked when I said yes to letting them play video games in class, and because I listened to them and let them lead, they were engaged in the project right from the start.
Now, I didn’t just set my students loose on the computers and let them do whatever they wanted. We talked as a class about the curriculum expectations for their project on the global community, they created a plan for how to demonstrate the curriculum expectations in Minecraft, and then they did it!
I even learned a thing or two about Minecraft along the way.
If this sounds like something your students would love, tune in to find out how we made it work!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/221
Resources Mentioned:
Get the Minecraft Project Outline for Free: http://www.madlylearning.com/minecraft
I would love to connect on Facebook: http://facebook.com/MadlyLearning
I would love to connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madlylearning
What do you do with the rest of your class when you want to do guided reading with a small group?
That’s the question I hope I can answer for you in this episode. We’re digging into a bunch of different activities that you can use to allow you to focus on guided instruction while the rest of your students work independently.
Independent learning might not always look the way you want it to. It’s important to remember that different students work in different ways, and it’s okay if they aren’t silent and still the whole time that you’re working with a small group. What’s more important is that your students stay engaged in what they’re doing until you get back.
We’re talking about how to teach your students to work independently, what independent learning tasks should look like, and how to hold students accountable for the work they are assigned.
What are you going to try next time you need to do guided instruction? Tune in to get some ideas.
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/220
Resources Mentioned:
Learn more about Ignited Math: www.madlylearning.com/ignitedmath
Learn more about Ignited Literacy: https://www.ignitedliteracy.com/IL2021SP
I would love to connect on Facebook: http://facebook.com/MadlyLearning
I would love to connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madlylearning
Do you hate marking? Yeah, me too. Marking is a constant struggle. It’s so time-consuming that we feel like the only way to get it all done is to take it home, but when we take it home we either leave it in a bag and forget about it, or we ditch our time with friends and family and spend our time working unpaid. Does that sound familiar?
This episode is about how to strategically plan time for marking and set up conditions that allow you to get it done in a less time-consuming way.
I’m sharing 6 tried-and-true strategies that I use to reduce the amount of marking I take home.
If you want to spend more of your time at home with friends and family rather than buried under a pile of marking, this is for you.
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/219
Resources Mentioned:
Learn more about Ignited Math: www.madlylearning.com/ignitedmath
Learn more about Ignited Literacy: https://www.ignitedliteracy.com/IL2021SP
I would love to connect on Facebook: http://facebook.com/MadlyLearning
I would love to connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madlylearning
Do you consider yourself a lifelong learner? I feel like a lot of us get into teaching because we love to learn, and our guest on this episode is no exception.
Celeste Kirsh is researching how teachers can learn new genres of writing. In this episode, she’s sharing some of her findings so far that could shake up the way we learn as writing teachers and how that relates to teaching middle school writing.
Celeste understands the common obstacles that teachers face when it comes to teaching writing, and she believes in researching and finding better solutions. This episode is a great place for you to get inspired to learn more about your own teaching methods and new ways that you could approach teaching writing. If assessment is something that holds you back from trying new things in your writing classroom, she’s got you covered there too.
Celeste Kirsh is a PhD student at The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto where she is studying critical literacies and writing instruction. She is a mother, a wife, a former middle school teacher, a runner, and a lover of words and hugs.
The way you teach writing is important. Tune in to find out how you could take your middle school writing classroom to the next level.
Resources Mentioned:
Listen to The Teaching Tomorrow Podcast: https://cohort21.com/teachingtomorrow/
Follow Celeste on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teaching_tomorrow/
Follow Celeste on Twitter: https://twitter.com/teach_tomorrow
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/218
Have you ever been questioned about how you teach math or why you teach certain strategies? Most of us have.
In this episode, I’m continuing the discussion about new math and why we teach so many different strategies to help kids solve number problems.
I’m specifically walking you through different ways to teach division because division is often the most challenging. We’re looking at different strategies, why we use them, and what order I would teach them in. I’m giving you examples of each strategy so that you can see exactly how I would teach them in my classroom.
To get the most out of this episode, you might want to check out the video that goes with it on the Madly Learning YouTube Channel. There you’ll be able to see the division problems that I’m explaining on the screen and follow along.
If you could use some help understanding all the ways we teach division in new math, this is for you.
Resources Mentioned:
https://www.madlylearning.com/Ignitedmath
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/217
Have you ever questioned why you’re teaching so many different ways to do division and multiplication or even addition and subtraction?
Math these days requires us to teach a lot of different strategies for solving problems, and this can cause a lot of frustration to parents and teachers alike. I want to use this episode to explain why new math teaches kids so many different strategies and why I think it’s a good thing.
The reality is that new math is not new. It teaches strategies that strong mathematicians have been using in their heads for a long time. However, it looks different from the way that we were taught math when we were younger. Most of us were taught that there’s one right way to solve each problem. Guess what? That’s why so many people think they're bad at math!
This episode will help you understand the reasoning behind new math and teach you how to communicate with parents so that they can understand too.
If you get frustrated by how many different math strategies you have to teach, this episode will help you out.
Resources Mentioned:
www.madlylearning.com/ignitedmath
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/216
Have you ever wished that you could have your math program done for you so that you could spend more time with your students?
If so, Ignited Math is exactly what you need.
Ignited Math is a spiralled math program for those of you teaching grades 3-6 and following the Ontario math curriculum.
In this episode, I’m introducing you to Ignited Math and giving you a brief walkthrough of all the things included in it. I’m sharing what you can expect from every single week of the program.
If you’ve been thinking about signing up for Ignited Math but want to know more about it first, this is for you.
If you already know you want to be the first in the door to start using the program, stay tuned to the end of this episode.
Resources Mentioned:
www.madlylearning.com/Ignitedmath
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/215
How do you assess your students in math?
Some of the traditional methods of assessing math don’t give us the most accurate idea of a student’s abilities. Answers are often seen as black and white and right or wrong, but that doesn't tell the whole story of how a student has interpreted and worked through a question.
In this episode, I’m talking about how to assess your students in math, use the four levels of the achievement chart with different math problems, do a summative assessment in math, and mark math in a way that accurately reflects your students’ abilities.
I’m also sharing different examples as I go along to demonstrate each suggestion so that you can see how they would work in your classroom.
If you’re looking for a better way to assess your students in math, this is for you.
Resources Mentioned:
www.madlylearning.com/ignitedmath
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/214
What are the components that you always include in your math program that work for you? In this episode, I’m sharing the components that I include in my math program to help me structure the program from beginning to end.
There are four main components to my math program that I’m walking you through and I’m explaining each one and how they all fit together as we go along.
Most of us are dealing with a mix of students who are confident in their math skills and those who feel like they aren’t good at math. With the right systems in place, your math program can work for all of them.
If you want to create your best math program yet, this episode is for you.
Resources Mentioned:
Sign Up for the Ignited Math Waitlist: https://madlylearning.txfunnel.com/IMwaitlist
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/213
Did your school board switch to Microsoft products or restrict your access to Google resources when working with students?
In this episode, I’m walking you through how to use Microsoft products with some free online tools to help you create digital resources for your online or in-person classroom.
These days, a lot of us are being asked to create resources that work for students online, in person, or both. I want to share some tips and strategies to make sure that your resources work well when they are printed or viewed on a screen.
There are a lot of resources out there for using Google Drive, Docs, Slides, and Sheets, but what if you have to use Teams, PowerPoint, or OneNote? I’m here to help you figure it out.
If you’ve never used Microsoft before, or you need a refresher, this episode is a great place to start.
Resources Mentioned:
QR Code Generator Chrome Extension: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/qr-code-generator/afpbjjgbdimpioenaedcjgkaigggcdpp?hl=en
Canva: https://www.canva.com/join/calais-darling-medalist
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/212
You need to stop spending so much time writing your report cards. There, I said it.
Writing your report cards does not have to be this huge endeavor that takes hours and hours outside of your contracted time.
Trying to write personalized comments for each of your students while also meeting the requirements of your administrator can be a challenge, to say the least. This is what ends up taking teachers so much time.
I’m teaching you how to systematize and simplify report card writing so that you can complete them in far less time. There are three myths that are eating up your report card writing time, and we’re busting them in this episode.
If you’re ready to save yourself some time, you’re going to love this episode.
Resources Mentioned:
www.madlylearning.com/assessment
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/211
I am constantly looking for ways that I can simplify my report card writing so that it takes less time. The last thing I have is an additional 40 hours a week to be writing my report cards, and I bet you feel the same way!
In this episode, I am telling you about how I simplify the process of writing report cards and how I systematize writing learning skills for each student.
I understand that learning skills should be personalized and tailored to each and every student, but that could take days. For a busy teacher and mom, that is not realistic!
I have found the perfect program to help me write learning skills that take half the time and are still personalized - it is called Student Evaluator.
Tune in to learn how and why I love to use this learning skills generator program to save myself time and energy and how you can get 10% off of Student Evaluator to use it for yourself!
Resources Mentioned:
Student Evaluator: Get 10% off!
Report Cards Made Simpler
How a Comment Bank Can Help You Write Report Cards
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/210
We are all anticipating remote teaching sooner rather than later…
In this episode, I am discussing the 4 things that you absolutely should not be doing when pivoting to remote.
We can make the shift to remote teaching really easy and cost-effective by simply finding alternative ways of teaching or using what we already have. Remote learning is not ideal for any student, but we can do the best we can to make it as effective for our students as possible.
For example, we do not need to have everything digitized, we do not need to overcomplicate the technology we use, and we also do not need to feel like we have to be the band-aid for the inevitable problems that arise.
With that being said, listen in to hear the 4 things that I really recommend avoiding for this eventual shift, how to avoid them, and what to do instead.
Resources Mentioned:
Schedules and Lists: Remote Learning
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/209
Here’s my challenge for you as we approach the holidays: don’t take any work home with you on the last day of school. No marking, no schoolwork, and no planning. Do you think you can do it?
I don’t know if you need to hear this, but you deserve a break and that means you should be taking your two weeks over the holidays completely off. It’s not a chance for you to catch up on everything. It’s a chance for you to rest.
In this episode, I’m teaching you what you need to do over the next week to make sure that you’re not taking anything home over the holidays. It might sound impossible, but I promise it’s not.
If you want to take two weeks completely off, tune in to find out how to make it happen.
Resources Mentioned:
www.madlylearning.com/ELAforholidays
https://studentevaluator.com
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/208
Let’s talk about holiday concerts.
They might look a little different during the pandemic, but I know a lot of you are still expected to get the whole school involved which means you’ve got a lot to think about!
Holiday concerts can be a fun opportunity to have students present things to their families and to engage families in the community of your school. However, it does take away from your instructional time, and I know you’re already pressed for time, so I want to make sure that your holiday concert can be tied to curriculum expectations.
In this episode, I’m sharing holiday concert ideas that will be fun for your students while also covering the curriculum. Your students get to enjoy the holiday spirit, and you don’t have to worry about fitting everything in in even less time!
This episode will help you if you’ve been struggling to come up with holiday concert ideas, so tune in!
Resources Mentioned:
Holiday Concert Dance Ideas
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/207
Are you trying to mark every single thing your students touch? Why? It’s too much!
I’m here to give you permission to stop. Trying to mark every single thing your students do is completely overwhelming.
In this episode, I’m sharing what you need to stop marking and giving you some tips on what you do mark so that you don't feel like you're drowning in a pile of paperwork all the time.
We are covering why you shouldn’t be marking everything your students do, how to assess practice work without spending too much time on it, the importance of checking on students during class time, and more.
Once you stop marking the few things I mention throughout this episode and implement some of these tips, you’ll free up so much time to spend on more productive tasks.
Believe it or not, there are a lot of ways to make sure your students are receiving accurate assessments without pouring over every piece of work they do. Tune in to learn more about this!
Resources Mentioned:
www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Madly-Learning
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/206
How do you prepare for parent-teacher interviews?
Let’s talk about some of the best things you can do in advance and on the day to have your parent-teacher interviews run as smoothly as possible.
I know they can cause some nerves because you don’t always know what you’re walking into when it comes to parents, and after two years of irregular schooling, there are a lot of things to address with them. I want to share my tips for covering everything you need to and keeping it within your time limits.
Prep starts at the beginning of the year, but even if you’re just getting started as you near parent-teacher interviews, there are still things you can do!
If you have parent-teacher interviews looming, it’s time to get prepped and ready for them, and this episode will help you get started.
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/205
What are your favorite teaching tools?
In this episode, I’m sharing four tools that have changed my teaching practice (and they’re probably not the kinds of tools you’re thinking of!)
I’ve used a lot of different tools in my classroom over the years, but some of them stand out from the crowd. There are certain tools that I reach for over and over again that I know have made me a better teacher, so of course, I want to share them with you!
If you want to know how to read more books, where to find a community of like-minded teachers, how to make your classroom more interactive, or how to create activities more easily, you’ll be interested in some of the tools I’m sharing in this episode.
Tune in to add some teaching tools to your toolkit.
Resources Mentioned:
Join the Madly Learning Facebook Group
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/204
What’s holding you back from using inquiry in your classroom?
A lot of teachers tell me that inquiry is too hard for their students, so I want to tell you a story about my class to show you how open-ended inquiry is and why it can work for students at all different levels.
This quick story will also give you some ideas on how to introduce inquiry to your classroom and how to get things started.
You might think your students aren’t ready for inquiry, but I think this episode will help you to see that they are.
What’s more, inquiry-based learning will get your students more invested in their work than ever before. How? You’ll have to listen to the episode to find out!
Resources Mentioned:
www.madlylearning.com/store
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/203
How do you deal with a badly behaved class?
In this episode, I am diving into the very important topic of classroom management. Specifically, I am talking about how to manage that class that the rest of the school says is one of the most difficult classes in the building… you know the one!
I am sharing what I’ve learned over the years so that you can go home at night without stressing about your kids’ behavior.
These tips and strategies will help you lay the foundation for your classroom management. Trust me, foundational work is the key to success here.
If you have a class that eats supply teachers alive, chews them up, and spits them out so that they never want to come back, this episode is for you. If you know a teacher that does have that kind of class, pass this episode along!
The more teachers that have these strategies, the better!
Resources Mentioned:
www.kudosclub.com
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/202
Do you struggle with assessment?
I think every teacher does. Assessment is one of those things that you know you need to do but never have enough time for. I want to change that for you.
In this episode, we’re talking specifically about assessing reading.
I’m answering all your burning questions about how to find time for assessment, what to assess, what not to assess, and how to come up with those marks for report cards at the end of the year.
Assessing reading doesn’t have to be complicated and time-consuming. By the end of this episode, you’ll be armed with ideas to help you assess easily and effectively throughout the year.
If assessing your students is a challenge for you, you’re going to love this episode.
Resources Mentioned:
www.ignitedliteracy.com
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/201
Can you believe this is the 200th episode of the podcast?! Me neither.
Thank you so much for being a part of this journey. To celebrate, I wanted this episode to be an opportunity for you to ask me anything. I asked you guys to submit your questions to me, so in this episode, you’ll hear my answers.
I'm reflecting on things we’ve covered in the last 200 episodes and answering questions about finding balance, supporting students, and so much more.
The journey doesn’t end here. I can’t wait to see what the future of the podcast brings and I hope you’ll be here for it!
If you’ve ever wanted to pick my brain, you’re going to love this episode. Don’t miss it!
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/200
Did you know that good classroom management can lead to more respect between you and your students?
Let’s talk about what classroom management is and why it’s important. It’s the thing that’s going to set the tone for your classroom as you get back into the swing of things this school year.
You can put whatever system, program, or philosophy in place that you like, but it won’t be as effective as the values at the foundation of how you run your classroom.
This episode is about classroom management strategies that determine whether your classroom fails or succeeds.
Let's dig into the fundamental values that should be at the core of any classroom management program.
If you want to learn some simple strategies to foster mutual respect in your classroom, tune in to this episode.
Resources Mentioned:
https://www.madlylearning.com/kudos-club/
www.madlylearning.com/200
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/199
Do you focus more on teaching the writing process or teaching writing form in your classroom?
In this episode, we are digging into the difference between teaching the writing process and teaching writing form. You might not have given this much thought before, but I have some pretty strong feelings about it that I want to share with you.
If you’ve been around here for a while, you’ll know that I’m passionate about teaching the writing process first and then getting into form differently from traditional teaching methods.
I think that students need to learn how to write first. We need to teach them how to communicate their thoughts effectively. Throughout the episode, you’re going to hear me talk all about why that is and how to make it a reality in your classroom.
If you want to teach your students to be well-rounded writers, you’re going to love this episode.
Resources Mentioned:
www.ignitedliteracy.com/freeweek
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/197
Do you have a plan for your guided reading this year?
I know that sometimes as teachers we guilt ourselves if we can’t get guided reading started right away, so I want to lift some of that burden from your shoulders. Guided reading doesn’t need to start right away, and I’m going to tell you why in this episode.
I want to walk you through my plan to get guided reading started in your classroom as soon as possible in a way that’s easy and attainable for you and your students. I know you have students with different reading abilities and you need a plan that works for everyone.
You’re going to learn how to set up your guided reading, prepare your students for guided reading, and assess your students during guided reading time all in this episode.
If you’ve been looking for help with your guided reading plan then look no further! This is the episode for you.
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/196
Do you use literacy centers in your classroom?
In this episode, I am talking about what literacy centers look like in my junior classroom because they look a little different from centers in my primary classrooms. As junior students go through the year, they often develop more independent skills, so how you use centers can change depending on their skill and comfort levels.
Because centers can be so different in junior classrooms, I think it’s helpful to talk about the differences and how to adapt to make them work for you.
Something that you’ll hear me repeat in the episode is that there is no one right way to do centers. I just want to give you an idea of how I make centers work in my classroom so that you can get some inspiration and guidance for yours!
If you could use some help getting your literacy centers set up, this episode is for you.
Resources Mentioned:
www.ignitedliteracy.com/IL2021SP
EP 159: Literature Circles vs. Literature Centers – Which is Right for You?
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/195
How do you feel about teaching language arts? If you are feeling overwhelmed, overworked, stressed, and uninspired, you are not alone.
It is easy to feel this way when teaching this subject because there are so many components to consider when creating the perfect language arts program. You want to teach in a way that actually engages students so that they use their language skills every day.
In this episode, I am sharing all of the key components to creating a language arts program that will have students succeeding and surpassing their educational goals.
I am sharing tips on scaffolding, differentiating your instruction, how to relate your literacy lessons to the real world, and more.
Using these high-yield strategies will help you design a language arts program that increases student engagement and success, so tune in to hear them!
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/194
What’s the biggest barrier to meeting students’ needs in your classroom? Time.
You’re being pulled in so many different directions, and you only have a finite amount of time.
If you’re spending all of your time planning an entire language arts program from beginning to end, you’re taking that time away from actually implementing the program and meeting your students’ needs. In this episode, I am talking about a solution to that problem.
Ignited Literacy is a program that is designed to give you everything you need for your language arts program all in one place. It expands over four different grade levels and is being used successfully in over 600 classrooms across Canada.
Ignited Literacy gives you your time back, but I get asked all the time, “Is Ignited Literacy right for me?”
Are you the type of teacher that is going to benefit from a done-for-you plan that will help you implement reading, writing, oral language, and media instruction in your classroom? I have five questions for you to help you find out.
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/193
How confident are you in your language program?
Whether you’re super confident or there are some things you want to change, chances are you’re making some mistakes.
In this episode, I’m sharing five mistakes that you might be making during your language instruction.
These are really common and easy to fix, so don’t worry!
I’m covering what these mistakes are and giving you some tips and strategies on how to do things differently.
We’re also talking about things like tying reading and writing together, prioritizing guided reading, and how to get the most out of your allotted literacy time.
If you want to revise your language program but aren’t sure where to start, this episode is perfect for you.
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/192
What should you do with your struggling readers during guided reading?
This is something that can be pretty daunting, especially if you’re in a junior classroom and you have a huge range of abilities in your class.
It’s important to remember that you will have different types of students in your classroom, and your strategy for supporting those students is going to look different depending on their academic profile.
In this episode, I am talking about three different types of learners who may be working significantly below grade level in your classroom and how to best support them in a guided reading lesson.
Different students need different types of support, and that’s okay! It doesn’t have to mean a lot of extra work for you. It just means you need to be familiar with those students and what they need.
Once you have your strategy figured out, guided reading lessons will be no problem at all. That’s why I am helping you get it figured out in this episode!
If you need a strategy to help your struggling readers, tune in!
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/191
Do you need help with your guided reading sessions?
If so, I am excited to be sharing a complete plan for you to schedule your guided reading time in your junior classroom.
In this episode, I am teaching you how to set up your guided reading, and I am dispelling some myths about how to structure your guided reading time, especially as it pertains to junior grade levels.
I know that not all of your students are at the same level, and you need a schedule that can adapt to that. Guided reading should be a tool for you to use to assess your students’ progress, so let’s make that easier for you!
We’ll talk about what guided reading is, what its purpose is, and how to make it work for your students of all different levels.
If you could use some help getting your guided reading time set up, I’ve got you covered in this episode.
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/190
Do you have your schedule ready to go for the fall?
If you’re anything like me, you’re probably already thinking about what your schedule is going to look like.
If you’re lucky enough to have already been given your schedule by your principal, I have some tools to help you figure out what each of your periods is going to look like.
In this episode, I am walking you through the process that I follow to plan out the subjects in my schedule according to the time requirements that we have for each subject.
By the end of this episode, you will know how to plan out your week to make sure that you are fitting everything into your teaching schedule.
If you want to learn how to get your schedule set up quickly and easily, tune in to this episode.
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/189
Have you ever wanted to meet the team behind Madly Learning?
You get to in this episode! I have some of my amazing team members joining me to talk about all things teamwork and teaching. You will get to hear things like what their roles are on the team, what they’ve learned during the pandemic, and some of their favorite things about teaching.
Madison is part of the content team, and she helps us get everything done. She has taught in a bunch of different grades since the beginning of her teaching career.
Margaret helps us with all things tech. If you’ve ever sent us an email or noticed a broken link on our website, Margaret was probably working her magic behind the scenes. She keeps us organized.
Lisa is on our content team, and she writes some of our lesson plans. You might have seen some of her work! She taught for 30 years, mostly in junior grades, and she has done it all.
Katrina helps us out with our social media. You might have seen some of her posts in the Madly Learning Facebook group.
Tune in to this episode for a super fun chat and some laughs as you get to know my team.
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/188
Have you ever found the perfect resource, only to realize that the jargon won’t work in your Canadian classroom?
Being a Canadian teacher can be kind of a struggle because so many resources are geared towards U.S. classrooms!
Nine years ago, there was a lack of Canadian teacher voices online, and that's when I started my blog, Madly Learning. Fast forward nine years and Madly Learning has grown to something that I am so proud of. The community that has developed around Madly Learning is the most amazing community out there. Thank you for that!
In the spirit of that, I am talking about what makes Canadian teachers different from other teachers you see online in this episode.
I also have something super exciting that I want to announce to you, so stick around until the end of the episode for that!
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/187
Do you spend hours trying to come up with science lessons that are engaging and not boring? Do you end up just using worksheets because you don’t know what else to do?
In this episode, I am showing you how you can use inquiry-based learning and universal design in your science lessons. By the end of this episode, you’re going to have a whole bunch of ideas for lessons that go beyond basic read and respond worksheets.
Believe me when I say that you can have a fun, engaging, rigorous science program that is easy to plan, prep, and run. Inquiry-based learning is great because it is easy for the teacher and works for all students regardless of skill or ability.
Sound too good to be true? Trust me, it’s not. You just need to know where to start, and I’ve got you covered.
If you feel uninspired or lost and you’re not sure where to start when it comes to science lessons, tune in and take lots of notes!
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/186
I know we’re all looking forward to the end of the school year, but are you setting yourself up for success for when you come back in the fall?
In this episode, we are talking about some of the best ways that you can close down your classroom at the end of the school year.
I think that June is the perfect time to start planning and prepping to close down your classroom in a way that sets you up for success when it is back-to-school season, and I promise that if you do some of the things that I recommend in the episode, you will thank yourself in August and September!
From how you store items to getting new supplies and setting up your classroom, there are so many ways that you can get prepared and have your students help you!
Tune in before your school year is over, so you can avoid back-to-school season chaos!
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/185
What have you learned about yourself over the last year?
It’s been an incredibly challenging year for most of us, to say the least!
In this episode, I am reflecting on my last year of teaching and sharing my thoughts on it.
Around this time last year, I decided I was in need of a change, and I reduced my teaching contract to about three days a week.
I like to change things up and get a bit uncomfortable because I find that I can get a little too complacent over time and fall into habits that aren’t always the best for me or my students. Can you relate?
I am excited to say that it is time for me to change things up again! I am sharing what’s next for me so you can experience it in real-time with me, but before I start this next chapter, I also want to take some time to reflect on the last one, so I invite you to join me.
Listen in and take a moment to reflect on the last 365 days of teaching with me!
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/184
Do you get stressed about writing report cards? Do you wish that it didn’t take so long to do?
In today’s episode, we are talking about how you can prepare yourself to write your report cards by developing a comment bank.
We are also covering how to use this bank to write personalized comments for your students that reflect them individually and systematizing this process so that you don’t have to spend so much time and energy on your report cards.
I know that this process can be time-consuming if you don’t have a solid process down, so the purpose of this episode is to help you simplify your process.
Remember, expectations for writing report card comments vary from school board to school board, school to school, or principal to principal, so think about how this applies to your specific circumstances as you listen to this episode!
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/183
If you don’t love IEPs, that’s okay. I don’t either!
Luckily, I am talking to someone who does in this episode!
Today’s guest, Stephanie DeLussey, is talking all about teaching students with special and complex educational needs.
She is an absolute pro at all things IEP, so she is sharing some of her best tips and resources for those of us who find them to be a bit more challenging.
Stephanie is a dual-certified special education teacher, Master IEP Coach®, children's book author, and teacher mentor. She has a passion for creating engaging, adapted resources for teachers and students with special needs, and is a self-proclaimed #datanerd. You can connect with her at Mrs. D's Corner and The Intentional IEP.
Stephanie is also a huge mental health advocate, sharing her experiences and struggles to let others know that you can survive the dark seasons and thrive in life and teaching with a mental illness.
If you hate writing IEPs or struggle to work with them, Stephanie is here to help us both!
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/182
Are you looking for a new teaching position? Do you need to brush up on your interview skills?
Lucky for you, I am diving into the topic of interviewing in this episode.
Mostly, I am sharing with you how I recommend prepping and applying to a new position. This is something that I have done enough times, and I feel like I have really refined my process.
I also interview candidates for Madly Learning, so I am able to give the interviewer’s perspective as well which I think you will find to be very beneficial.
Whether you are looking for a change, you’ve been forced to find a new position, or you’re looking for your first teaching job, I want to give you my specific tips and tricks to prepare for that interview so that you can knock their socks off and get offered the job you really want.
I assure you, you will feel more prepared to land your dream teaching job after listening in to this episode.
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/181
Are you looking for new ways to build connections and boost the confidence of your students?
In this episode, we are talking all about morning meetings and closing circles.
If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you're in for a treat.
My friend Monica Dunbar recently wrote a book all about how to start implementing them in your classroom to increase student engagement and create a positive learning community, so she’s joining us to tell us all about it!
She breaks all of this down, makes it really practical, and gives you easy to implement activities so that you too can have fantastic, well-organized morning meetings and closing circles.
Monica is an enthusiastic educator with a passion for making connections with her students. Her love of education has led her to teach in the Canadian Arctic; creating educational materials for teachers around the world; and sharing her opinions, insights, and experiences on her blog at www.iheartgrade3.com. When she’s not in the classroom, Monica enjoys being at home with her husband, three children, and their lovable Samoyed, Nova. Most of her free time is spent at nearby arenas, with a cup of warm coffee in her hands, watching her children chase their dreams of Olympic gold medals and NHL stardom.
If you want to learn how to implement morning meetings and closing circles in your classroom and why they are so beneficial, tune in!
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/180
Can I tell you a secret? In my junior classroom, I don't want a word wall.
I don't want to take up all the space that a word wall requires when there are so many things I could be putting up there.
However, there are definitely still uses for subject-specific word walls, so we are going to talk about what those might look like and how you can make word walls more appropriate for a junior classroom.
In this episode, I’ll give you some ideas for different types of word walls, and how you can make them more accessible to your students.
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/179
Do you use inquiry in your math classroom? Perhaps you should be!
In this episode, we're going to talk about how you can use inquiry pedagogies in your math classroom to build a better math class.
We will mostly focus on the following questions:
Was your math program student-centered? Did your math program harness your students’ choice and voice? Did you support your students in learning differently based on their strengths and needs as learners? Were your tasks open-ended and allowed for the widest variety of students in your class to access the learning?
I am going to go through all of these questions in this episode and give you some ideas on how you can have more inquiry-based pedagogy in your classroom if you aren’t able to answer all of these questions with confidence!
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/178
Does the thought of assessing inquiry keep you up at night?
I totally get that! There is a lot to prepare!
You might feel like you have a lot of extra work during this time because you have neglected some papers or you feel like you need to justify the marks you give by finding evidence.
The good news is that you actually don’t need to be overwhelmed by assessment!
In this episode, I am talking all about how you can assess inquiry effectively without doubling or tripling your workload.
I am going over the ideas, tips and tricks that I recommend using for assessing inquiry in your classroom, and I think you are going to get a lot of value out of them.
If you are ready to release the overwhelm and start assessing inquiry more effectively, tune in!
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/177
Are your inquiry-based lessons effective and engaging?
In this episode, I am walking you through the exact process that my team and I use to plan out our inquiry units for grades 3-6.
I have spent the last 8 years developing this systematic process so that you don’t have to, and I even include a downloadable to make it easier for you to get started.
I am covering why including a variety of activities is important for students, where and how to define your focus, how to decide when you will add these lessons into the curriculum and more.
After listening to this episode, you will have a better understanding of how to effectively and creatively combine curriculum expectations and inquiry units for your students!
If this is something you want to try, this episode is an awesome place to get started, so tune in!
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/176
Do you feel unprepared to teach your students coding?
You’re not alone!
When coding was added to our curriculum, I knew that I needed Dena from Miss Tech Queen to help me and all of you understand how to teach coding.
Dena has such amazing and practical ideas about how to use coding, computers and all things stem in her classroom, so she is sharing that with us today in this episode.
We cover where to start if you’re totally new to coding, how to explain coding in basic vocabulary, why you don’t need to be an expert in coding to teach it and more.
After listening to this episode, you will have a whole new level of confidence because you will be more prepared to take complicated coding language and make a practical lesson for your students.
Tune in for helpful advice and tips from Dena!
I would love to connect on Facebook or Instagram!
Show notes available at www.madlylearning.com/175
Are you having fun in your science classroom yet? You should be!
Science is supposed to be full of problem-solving, exploration and discovery. Yet too often we simply skip all that in favour of trying to get it all done quickly using dull worksheets lesson after lesson.
Science class shouldn’t be about worksheets
So It’s time we level up our science lessons.
Creating a science unit that is chock-full of a variety of lessons rooted inquiry-based learning, doesn’t have to take more time.
Stop wasting time waiting at the photocopier, managing bored kids or marking pages and pages of worksheets. In the same amount of time, you can create an easy STEM unit that has you excited about teaching science, without additional prep, planning and marking time.
Let me walk you through some simple ideas you can use for low prep science experiments in your classroom.
If you are ready to say YES to transforming how you teach science then join me for my free workshop
Ditch Those Boring Worksheets For Good and Level Up Your Science Lessons
Click the link below to sign up
https://www.ml-go.com/science-workshop
Sometimes when teachers think of using inquiry in their classroom they think of the most impossible situation. Something that most teachers would struggle to accomplish.
But Inquiry can be simple.
In this episode, let's look at breaking down what we think inquiry should look like and challenge our thinking to see that inquiry can be simple.
Hello, hello!
I wanted to share with you a little about my time teaching split grades (which has been the majority of my teaching career!). Unlike probably the majority of teachers I actually do enjoy teaching split grades and over the years I’ve picked up a few tips & tricks along the way to make it more enjoyable and easier!
So here are my strategies that make teaching split grades more manageable
Hello, hello!
Today I wanted to share some ideas about leveling up your science and social studies lessons using four different methods!
Let’s get to it.
These subjects can be two of the most difficult for teachers to wrap their heads around because there's SO much content to cover. So, sometimes we think, let’s just grab a workbook so students can work through that and hit all the expectations.
Sure, you can do that and hit all the expectations. But you’ll also probably end up creating a rather boring, uninspired science and social studies program.
Luckily I’ve got four ways for you to create a fun and engaging curriculum...
Hello, hello!
Let’s talk today about differentiating. Specifically with ELL students. We’re gonna look at the planning, implementing, and assessing stages of your regular classroom and how you can modify and plan lessons that simply and easily integrate your ELL’s.
One of the things I do not support is a complete separate program for ELLs in the classroom. These students need to be integrated as much as possible.
Hey, hey!
Today I wanted to talk a little about books.
Particularly picture books. Or really any material we are reading in our classroom.
My challenge for you is to think about fitting the literature in your room into 3 different categories:
Windows
Mirrors
Prisms
If you’re looking for more book examples go to: https://www.ml-go.com/ilbooklist
Hello, hello! I hope everyone is having a fantastic week so far!
Sooo raise your hand if you use choice boards… 🙋♀️🙋♀️🙋♀️🙋♀️ And if you hadn’t before the pandemic, chances are you’re using them now. Why? Because they are a GREAT strategy for asynchronous learning (so if you still haven’t tried them, give it a shot! Hopefully this week's email will inspire you.)
The thing with choice boards is they are also great for face-to-face learning. So I want to share how you can use choice boards in a variety of ways to help differentiate instruction and simplify some prep and planning.
A choice board is essentially a menu. We put a table on a one page piece of paper where students can pick from a variety of activities. They can sort of choose their own adventure in terms of how they’re going to complete the activities!
It allows students to demonstrate the set of skills you are assessing but gives them a choice in terms of how they are going to be presenting their knowledge to you.
I’ve found the number one benefit to choice boards is it will cover a number of days of learning! Which means less prep and planning time for you (YAY! 🎉)
The other reason I love choice boards is because I'm a BIG proponent of choice and voice in the classroom and these boards allow for just that. Students can show you their learning but have a choice and voice as to how that’s going to happen.
Without further ado… here are my 3 main ways you can use choice boards in the classroom!
Hello, hello!
I hope you are all having a fantastic week so far! Today I wanted to talk a little about assessing student’s work in this digital world.
Most of us are probably marking or grading work that students have completed remotely. That means we may be using new tools to grade the completed work. 👩🏼💻
Personally, I’ve actually been using Google classroom for about 5 years now give or take (the first group I ever used it with are in grade 12 now, for reference!).
That being said, I wanted to share with you some of the things I have done over the years to quickly and easily mark student assessments when the work is submitted digitally.
Hello, hello!
So, it looks like we’re in this whole remote teaching thing for the long haul. Whether that’s a month, two months, I’m not sure. But I don’t want you to wait a second longer when it comes to getting some of your time back.
That means I am going to do everything I can to support you and help make your remote teaching experience less stressful. We’re all in this together.
My guess is you’re probably spending more time prepping and planning as a remote teacher than you were in the classroom? (I can say that is definitely the case for me).
I wanted to share my 4 strategies to reduce some of the prep that you are experiencing right now. Basically, we need to make sure remote teaching doesn’t completely consume us.
Here are the 4 areas that I think are key to helping you reduce your remote teaching workload.
This week I want to talk all about your home teaching space! Because the reality is, I think we’re going to be doing this whole remote-teaching thing for just a little bit longer.
There are 3 areas we’re going to want to look at in the home classroom.
Tech
Space
Demo
Let’s jump in!
Hi, Teachers!
I hope you’re having an awesome week so far. I wanted to talk to you today about setting realistic goals and aligning priorities.
For most of us, the new challenge in our career is remote teaching. We can set realistic goals for ourselves when it comes to taking on this challenge while at the same time making sure it doesn’t take over our lives.
I want to talk to you about 6 different areas of our lives.
Teaching
Family
Friends
Fitness
Hobbies
Fun
So what is most important to you? I want you to rank these 6 things in order of importance.
I hope you have all had an okay start back into the second half of the school year. Now, I know this is not what we signed up for. In fact, it is VERY different than what we signed up for. So I wanted to share some tips today to help you break through the overwhelm and stress that comes with being a “digital” teacher.
First, take away all the noise and chaos and get down to the very basics...Just TEACH!
Believe that you know how to do this. Because you DO!
I’m popping in today to talk all about student teacher writing conferences!
Whether you already have these one on one sessions with your students or not, I wanted to share the structure I use in my Ignited Literacy Program and how these conferences help students gain confidence in their writing skills. 📝
What’s great about these assessments is that it gives an opportunity to provide feedback and really help students work on their goals and set them up for success ✨(the goals are on my Be A Star Goal Board posted in my classroom!).
Remember - small incremental improvements over time lead to big success. 🤩
If you’ve been around for a while then you know I’m a big fan of using inquiry-based instruction in the classroom. Having students choose how they’re going to demonstrate and approach their learning, as well as encouraging them to use their voice to be active contributors, is one of the BEST and most effective ways to increase engagement!
This mixes up the traditional teacher centric classroom to a more student focused class, making things like differentiation more accessible.
So let’s get to it! Here are my 5 simple, practical ways you can increase both voice and choice in the class
Hi friends!
It seems to me that there are two distinct types of teachers. Those that use Literature Circles and those that use Literature Centers.
Now over my career, I’ve used both Literature Centers and Literature Circles (we’ll get to my personal favorite at the end 😉). Neither is right or wrong and BOTH have a valid place in the classroom.
If you’re still deciding which is the best for your teaching style, you’re in luck. Here come the pros and cons to both options!
Raise your hand if Lesson Planning feels like the biggest time thief. 🙋🏼♀️
Yes? Then boy am I glad I popped in your inbox. I know firsthand just how much time (not to mention stress) lesson planning can take. So I’ve gathered my top 5 tips to help you streamline this process and get you some of that free time back.💆🏼♀️
Working yourself to the bone isn’t healthy for you, your family, and it doesn’t make you a better teacher! We can still deliver effective and engaging lessons without having to sacrifice all of our personal time.
Let’s get you back to enjoying those evenings with your family - here are my top 5-time saver tips for lesson planning
Today I wanted to take a little trip down memory lane. I’ve dug back through the Madly Learning Archives to gather the very BEST teaching advice for the junior grades.
So let’s jump right in, shall we?! Here are my favorite teaching tips through the years!
Know something we don’t talk about much around here?
🧬🦠SCIENCE 🧫🧪
Science class is a time that can be SO much fun for our students.
But have you been busy just handing out worksheets? Then...yeah, not so much fun for students OR teachers. 🥱
So if you’re ready to transform your science block into an interactive, engaging, educational, and FUN experience, just stick with me.
We’ll take your science class from worksheet woes to spectacular 🌟
I want to start off this week with a quick story. Recently, my daughter woke up with a runny nose, congested, sore throat, and a sore stomach.
This meant she would not be going to school. 🤒
This made me think about the current situation we are in. If you have family members that rely on you to take care of them or if you don’t pass your Covid screening test, it means no teaching for you that day.
In the past, we’ve simply sent in a lesson plan to the sub for that one day.
But 2020 has changed everything, it's no longer just one day, it could even mean a whole week out of work.
📖✏️So that means we need to be overprepared with plans and supplies for our subs.
This made me think that it is SO important for us to have an emergency supply plan binder!
If it sounds overwhelming to make a lesson plan for 3 days, 7 days, or even 14 days. Don’t worry! That’s why I’m here to help you plan and prepare. 👍🏼
This week I wanted to tell you about a FREE program that I have been LOVING. I use it to track
student assessments and communicate with parents. 🥳
If you’ve ever thought of using spreadsheets then this would be an awesome solution for you!! It
is MUCH easier to use and more versatile.
Without further ado...let me tell you about Airtable.
There are SO many factors that can impact our students and their ability to read.
The reality is, we may be teaching in Grade 5, but not every student is going to be at that Grade 5 reading level - the range can sometimes even be huge.
So, let's talk about ways we can modify and accommodate for our students who are reading below grade level.
Now that most of us are back to school let talk about classroom management. I have six tips, tools and strategies that you can think about when planning out how you will manage the behaviour in your classroom. Not all classroom management systems are designed to work the way you want them to. In my first year of teaching I had the one I was using backfire in an unexpected way. From this lesson, I learned how to really motivate kids to quash the issues that are so common in the classroom. From power struggles, to acting out, to student apathy these six tips will help you decide which system is right for you so you can avoid these common problems.
In this video, we will look at how to structure your virtual literacy block to balance em, the question that is asked is how do we transfer what we did in class to the virtual classroom. In this video, we will look at how to structure your virtual literacy block to balance: Asynchronous Learning Synchronous Learning Student Independent Learning Activities Small-Group Instruction Office Hours / 1:1 support
A real and raw conversation, previously posted Live on Facebook about the current changes in the teaching atmosphere.
Are you rushing to create all the things digital? Before you create or convert your next digital activty I want you consider these 5 things. Using digital resouces being a digital teacher doesn't mean that you need to create all the things in a digial format. In fact probably many of the things you are creating and spending your time converting are just fine the way they are. There are simple ways that you can make the things you already have more accessible or simplify how to use digital tools that wont have you creating elaborate google slides presentations for your students. Learn more about simplifying your digital lesson planning and prepping in this video.
So things are going to look a lot different this year in classrooms all across the country. We are looking at in-class learning but clearly teaching and learning will look different this fall but there are a few things we can use from digital learning in the spring and blend with our in class learning. Theh key is to keep it simple. Not everything needs to be an elaborate digital resource. In this video we will explore an overview of the following eight concepts and how we can blend our learning from distance education and embedd this into our regular classroom teaching. 1. Use a LMS 2. Do it once - use it many times 3. Digital Record Keeping 4. Differentiating work and personal 5. Record it on video 6. Collaborate 7. BYOD 8. Digital markbook
Ignited Literacy is a comprehensive literacy program that uses a spiralled approach to teaching language arts in your Canadian classroom.
Ignited Literacy is now available for grades 3-4, 4-5, and 5-6 and sold in Canadian dollars. A monthly payment plan is also available. It fits everything together. Stop teaching all of the parts of language arts separately and start teaching them together so you can get more done in less time in a way that makes total sense.
Designed using the Ontario curriculum but meeting the needs of provinces across the country, you will finally have a literacy program that fits everything together. Stop teaching all of the parts of language arts separately and start teaching them together so you can get more done in less time in a way that makes total sense.
Ignited Literacy is now available for grades 3-4, 4-5, and 5-6 and sold in Canadian dollars. A monthly payment plan is also available
Everything you need for a week's worth of language material is at your fingertips with one easy to find and easy to use weekly PDF. Add the recommended picture book from your classroom, school or community library collection and you have everything you need.
Including
- Lesson Plans
- Anchor Charts
- Student Activities
- Graphic Organizers
- Assessment Pages
- Student Centers Activities
Because my goal is simple this program is organized on it's own learning platform and includes
- Introduction to Ignited Literacy Course
- Pandemic Planning Package
- 30 days of Literacy Coaching
- Bonus Resources
Watch the video to learn more or go to www.ignitedliteracy.com
This program is always available on Teachers Pay Teachers
But for a limited time will be available in Canadian dollars August 3-August 10 on www.ignitedliteracy.com
When you think about how to assess students what might be the first thing that comes to mind.
Tests..
Projects..
The tools we use to assess these tasks often include a marking scheme or a rubric.
But what if the tests and projects were simply the tools we used to assess the skills students demonstrated.
And...the rubrics, learning goals, success criteria were not based on the product produced by the skills demonstrated.
This would mean that the projects we designed and assigned and the tests that we developed wouldn't need to be the same for each student, nor would we need to make a new rubric for every iteration of what our students made.
This is why I want you to look differently at assessment.
It's not the task or project that we make the rubric for it's the skills.
Did you know that there was more than one way to run your centers in your grade3-6 classroom?
I have 6 different ways that you can run centers in your junior classroom.
These look at two different factors in using centers.
1) Rotations
2) Groupings
I have a simple matrix for you that looks at what centers look like on these continuums.
What are your goals for your literacy program in a junior program?
In this episode, we are going to review what makes junior literacy different from primary education.
Then learn about some things that can be used in the classroom that will help you accomplish these goals.
Let's start by looking at where to start when you are planning out your literacy program.
I have five things that will help you get started with your literacy program.
When I first started looking at making my long-range plans or just trying to figure out what I needed to teach. I treated the curriculum standards like a checklist.
This checklist led me to feel overwhelmed and always feeling like I was never going to get everything done.
I hated that feeling.
So I changed the way I looking at planning what I was going to teach when and I will never look back.
It's that time of year when we are all sitting down to write report cards.
From one teacher to another I wanted to share how I sit down and tackle these to help me get these done.
In this video, we talk about:
- How do you organize your tasks
- Strategies to turn your marking into a report card mark
- How to build your comment bank
It's that time of year when we are all sitting down to write report cards.
From one teacher to another I wanted to share how I sit down and tackle these to help me get these done.
I'd love to know your tips for shaving off time to write your own reports. Share below
I don't know about your but something tells me that I will need to be changing a few things up next week.
- Students are less engaged
- Parents are returning to work
- The weather is hard to avoid - we all would rather be outside.
So I have a plan...
I am making a month-long calendar of fun and engaging ideas that kids can do at their own pace while still covering concepts of the curriculum. I want to share with you my plan on what I want to do including different trends, tools, and projects that will hopefully boost engagement and keep kids learning.
The pressure is on and there is an increased pressure being placed on teachers to provide synchronous learning.
Never heard that word before?
That's because the better way to describe this overly complicated term is live teaching.
Just the thought of live teaching makes so many teachers nervous and rightly so. While there are advantages there are also some major concerns about privacy, access, and equity.
Despite these objections, it looks like synchronous learning is becoming more and more the expectation of teachers these days. From parents, admin, and the government.
So I wanted to talk about it.
In this live video, we broke down the advantages and disadvantages as well as the tools and equipment you can use to help you set your self up for success.
One big concern with teachers right now is how to provide assessment and feedback.
I wanted to share with you my mindset when it comes to providing feedback and assessment for teachers of students.
There is no one way to provide quality feedback and no it doesn't need to be all about writing paragraphs in response to everything that they are doing.
Let's review the guidelines set out for teachers.
Then we can explore some ideas on how to provide student's feedback.
We may not be evaluating and nothing we do is going to count however I am still marking their work and some of my own feedback will be given in value out of 10.
I know controversial.... but let me explain why I am still doing this even though it doesn't count.
Coping with Digital Teaching - How to adjust your mindset to better cope with the reality of teaching through Covid-19
Do you need a back to basics walkthrough to help you navigate how to get started with Google classroom?
By request, I have created a video walkthrough with all of the tips you will need to get started (or restart) on the right foot with google classroom.
Right now the trend seems to be using a lot of google slides to facilitate remote learning.
However, this is not the only useful format that can be used.
So many people are stressed about using new tools what if I told you that there were tools that can be used that would allow you to use what you have and repurpose them for a remote learning environment.
As teachers, we can use the PDFs that we own and send them out to our families in PDF format.
Once our students have these PDF files there are simple and easy tools and apps that can be used that will allow students to treat these PDFs as simply and easily as a homework book that they work through.
In this video, we will look at 3 tools that can be used across multiple student's devices that will allow students to use PDFs like paper.
These apps and tools allow students to annotate their PDFs by writing on top of the digital pages. Once complete students can then export what they completed back to you in whatever format you would like.
It’s simple. Let me walk you through these three tools.
To make this easy for you I have included the link to this video so that you can easily download this video, share it with your school teams inside and outside of Facebook.
Don’t forget that this video will be up on Youtube as well as reposted in podcast format for you to use again and again.
This is a tough time but learning how to adapt to this new type of teaching doesn’t have to be so overwhelmingly hard. If you need to know how to do something to support your at-home learning needs please reach out and ask. I am happy to share with you what I know to make this time easier.
In this video, I will walk you through how I have used Google slides to plan my lessons for the week.
We will look at how to
- Create a digital week at a glance
- How to create different interactive pages that students can use or print
- How to insert video lessons into your slides
- How to get them from slides to google classroom.
- How to set up your google classroom
- How to modify and accommodate your plans for students on IEPs
If you want to get your hands on these templates and future templates added please find them here. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Digital-Planning-Tool-5422898
As we embark on unchartered territory in education. We are all exploring how to use digital tools.
In this video, we will explore how to use
- Google Classroom
- Zoom Learning
- Screencast-o-Matic
Get an introduction on how to use these tools to teach students remotely.
While teaching and education is in a bit of upheaval right now. I debated about posting this or not. I created this before the break and before we were all isolated at home and social distancing.
Ultimately I decided that I am going to post the video tonight simply for no other reason than it is normal for me to do so.
Going forward I will be shifting focus on this video from inquiry in the classroom to homeschooling your own kids and remote learning. I am right there with you. I feel that with this platform you've given me, by continuing to watch, that I will do my best to continue to support you in any way I can. Together we can take on this new challenge and rock it together!!
~ Patti
I am so tired of having to justify why I teach math the way I do.
Yes I teach ‘Inquiry Math’
Yes I teach ‘New Math’
And just because you didn’t learn it this way and don’t know how to help doesn’t mean that it isn’t a valuable way to teach it. Or perhaps you were just someone who got it and didn’t struggle with learning new concepts.
Ok rant over...
I teach math to every type of learner in my classroom and I don’t teach them all the same way.
I use a variety of strategies with the knowledge that students need a scaffolded approach to learning different things.
I wish someone had taught me how to do the math this way when I was a student.
In this podcast, I will explain to you why I teach all types of different strategies and I will walk you through why it is important that I do. (And you can steal these ideas the next time someone questions you why you teach this way too)
Are you a teacher who wants to use more inquiry in your classroom?
But have you ever wished there was an easy button for that?!?
Most people think that inquiry is this huge, open-ended task that has students going in a million different directions. It is usually hard to wrap your head around, difficult to guide students through it and more difficult to assess.
But what if I told you that that type of inquiry doesn't work with every kid?Or that Inquiry-based learning doesn't have to be scary.
You can use it in your classroom each and every day simply and easily. You can still do inquiry in your classroom without a huge enormous project.
It's not always perfect but a change to using more inquiry in your classroom has enormous rewards too.
Let me dispell some myths of what inquiry can look like and how it could work in your classroom. All of this with the hope to set you up on a path that will have you using more inquiry in no time.
In this video, we will explore
- the role of the teacher
- the path of the student
- the assessment strategies that work
Let's finally make inquiry easier...don't we all want that!
Wondering what guided reading looks like...let me show you step by step
"They" tell us that we need to be doing guided reading. Easier said than done. This is especially true in Junior grades where most of our students now know how to read and we are focusing on higher-level skills beyond teaching 'how to read' skills.
I'll be honest I struggled for a few years with how to do the guided reading at the junior level. But I've finally nailed down what works for me and a structure that is easily recreated in other classrooms too.
There are three key steps I move through in each of my guided reading sessions. These steps are easy to plan and track each time I meet with my students.
I could tell you what I do, but instead, I wanted to show you exactly the steps I go through. So I enlisted the help of a special little guest to help demonstrate the process I follow in each guided reading session.
Stay tuned to the end where I will share with you how to grab my helpful guided reading planning and tracking tools within the Madly Learning membership.
As teachers we strive to save time and do more with less. So many teachers are busy parents, overwhelmed teachers, or we just desire to have more free time during the work week. The desire to look for places to do more things in less time is something that ties us all together.
One of my own pet peeves is when I see that something is taking too long to do. I am always looking for the next hack or shortcut that will give me some of my much needed time back.
With a bucket, some bins, a bit of tech, and a bit more delegation you can save minutes that might just add up to hours over time.
Here are 6 simple tips that you can try today.
Sometimes education can be turbulent. There are periods in every educator's journey where chaos and disruption threaten to derail even your best-laid plans.
The positive classroom community that you worked so hard to establish can easily unravel during these times making it harder to get done what needs to be done.
In an inquiry classroom, a positive classroom community is a foundation a teacher relies on to create a space of respect and trust that allows the teacher to implement inquiry-based teaching strategies. Without this classroom culture, students are unable to take risks, become autonomous, or foster independent work skills.
In times of disruption and chaos within our classrooms, it is important that we focus on maintaining this not only for our students but for ourselves.
Taking care of our own and our student's emotional needs during these times is just as important as imparting knowledge and covering the curriculum. We can't do the hard stuff of learning if we are not ready to learn.
In this video, we look at four areas to focus on during these turbulent times to maintain a positive classroom community.
From focusing on the relationships we have with our students, reinforcing and rehearsing class rules and routines, validating concerns or keeping it positive. What we do outside of academics matters.
How are you keeping up your classroom community and culture these days?
What is open learning and how does it work in regular classroom.
Open learning was a solution I discovered that I never knew that I needed. It helped me to solve the problem with what to do with a rigid centers rotation when all of my students were working at different levels and different speeds.
In this video, I am sharing my journey into open learning. We will explore what it is and why it helps me leverage more voice and choice in my classroom to provide more differentiation in my teaching.
If you have a classroom with many needs and learning styles then you will need to differentiate assessment. This assessment can be based on if and when student achieve small and large learning goals.
In this episode, we will look at how to integrate assessment with goal setting.
Are you a madly learning library member yet? Members get access to free resources, every month including resources, that go along with these episodes.
Join the membership now by going to www.ml-go.com/resource-library
So, you want your students to be more active goal setters. But how do you do this in your classroom?
In this episode, we will look at three different ways you can make goal setting more visual in your classroom.
The bump-it up board and the writing goal board are both available to you for FREE, and they are in my resource library membership. And you can get that by visiting the website www.ml-go.com/resource-library
What if we use failure to help our students develop more of a growth mindset and teach them how to take risks?
Join me in this episode, and we look at strategies that you can use in your classroom to help your students to fail more often and be comfortable with failing, so that they can develop grit, perseverance, and handwork.
Goal setting is embedded in a student centered inquiry classroom as an integral part of learning.
In this Episode, we explore a goal setting framework that will allow us to help students get from point A to Point B (The Learning Goal) but by focusing on individual goals and pathways. Building goal oriented students helps them to be active problem solvers who co-construct their own learning.
Join me as we dive into the steps we need to coach our goal setting students from Struggle to Success in your inquiry classroom.
Universal Design is the word that has been around for awhile but it is gaining in popularity and more people are using it to talk about what good teaching and learning looks like. And it is no wonder... It incorporates differentiation, inquiry and accommodations and modifications. Let me share with you some of the things that I do in my classroom that are examples of Universal Design and how you can reframe and reflect on your own teaching practices to approach teaching and learning from a Universal Design perspective.
Do you have a split grade class and dread teaching science and social studies? Do you wonder how you will teach two grades different content at the same time?
In this Episode, I share with you my 3 highly effective strategies to teach science and social studies that will help you manage teaching two grades at once. (I've also thrown in three strategies you should avoid and why) Get practical tips and tricks on how to use these strategies in your classroom, so you can do it all at the same time.
Inquiry based learning in my science classroom has allowed me to hook my students interests in the topics we are studying. In this Episode, learn my three phases of science instruction and the strategies that I use to make teaching science more engaging and meaningful for my students.
Writing comes with it's own unique challenges when it comes to assessment and evaluation. In this episode, we will chat about what writing looks like in the classroom and how I work with students throughout the learning process to assess their writing both through formative and summative assessment tasks all while utilizing the triangulation of data.
In this Episode, we explore ways to mark math in your classroom. Looking at ways that go beyond the check mark for a correct answers.
In this Episode, we will look at what is included in the triangulation of data as well as some practical ways you can capture this data to add to your own assessment tool box.