No Limits EDU: Recent Episodes
Northern Kentucky Cooperative for Educational Services
Welcome to the NO LIMITS EDU podcast, where by tapping into the expertise and strength of those with their boots on the ground, we cover a variety of topics that educators can gain professional learning from regardless of where they are. It costs nothing to tune in. There are no time constraints. No geographical constraints. There are, NO LIMITS.
We’re on a mission here in Kentucky to understand and provide deeper learning experiences for our students. One component that we know offers an expanded view and an enhancement of a deeper learning experience is the partnerships that our schools and classroom teachers have with the community.
Today we’re flipping that script a little to talk about how the community partner of NKCES (Northern Kentucky's education coop) can be YOUR community partner as an education professional to provide resources, professional learning, networks, and to build capacity so that you can be better equipped to lean into these real deep learning experiences in your classrooms.
6 guests join us in this episode to share their experience partnering with NKCES and the impact it has had on their teachers and students. You'll hear from both general education and special education classroom teachers, building-level administrators, and district-level leaders across five different NKY districts:
- Heidi Neltner, Fort Thomas Independent School District
- Liz Vroegindewey, Covington Independent School District
- Becky Blevins, Kenton County School District
- Brian Tolle, Southgate Independent School District
- Bradie Bowen, Covington Independent School District
- Kim Thomson, Boone County Schools
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- NKCES website--Here you'll find access to all the departments, events, and PLNs that our guests mentioned today.
Today Abby Beausir from NKCES' Northern Kentucky Institute for Strategic Prevention is back as guest host!
Tune in to her interview with Deanna Bentley with the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services and Nicole Frevola with the NorthKey Regional Prevention Center to discuss The Dinner Table Project!
Resources Related to this Episode:
KY Strengthening Families Framework - https://www.chfs.ky.gov/agencies/dph/dmch/ecdb/Pages/kysf.aspx
40 Developmental Assets - https://www.search-institute.org/our-research/development-assets/developmental-assets-framework/
Purple Star resource for military families: https://www.kypurplestar.org
Healthy Menu Ideas: https://kynep.ca.uky.edu https://www.planeatmove.com
KY Provider Directory: https://providerdirectory.dbhdid.ky.gov/ProviderDirectory.aspx
KY Dinner Table Project https://thedinnertableproject.org
-email: kydinnertableproject@gmail.com for more information
Today Abby Beausir from NKCES' Northern Kentucky Institute for Strategic Prevention is back as guest host!
Tune in to her interview with Lisa Anglin, project manager and community liaison with St. Elizabeth Healthcare, on this special episode for Alcohol Awareness Month.
Resources Related to this episode:
https://www.samhsa.gov/talk-they-hear-you
https://www.stelizabeth.com/care/activating-hope/
https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving
https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/
Abby Beausir is back as guest host! You're invited to listen in as she talks with Mr. Keith Kline, Mental Health and First Aid Coordinator in Northern Kentucky and Southwest Ohio on behalf of Mental Health America.
"Relationships are key to everyone’s mental health. [We’re] not just talking about administrators and teachers…but support staff and others as well. It doesn't matter who that individual is and what they do, but that a relationship is established and that a young person can lean into it when they need to, to get the help and support they need."
Resources Mentioned in this episode:
https://nkymhfa.org/https://ohiomhfa.orghttps://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org
My Guests today remain nameless. They are students here in our Northern Kentucky public schools. Over the past couple of months I talked with many students about their school experience, posing a question to find out--from their perspective--what makes for a positive relationship with their teachers, and therefore their learning.
Resources mentioned in today's podcast:
Visible Learning Research summary on Teacher-Student Relationships
Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain by Zaretta Hammond
Warm Demander Chart
Have you ever experienced one of those guided painting classes? Instructors model for us different techniques, demonstrate how to create specific images, provide lots of guided practice with feedback... and in the end, we have become Picasso! (Or at least we feel that way!) This is explicit instruction.
In this episode, Dr. Merissa Waddey, a special education consultant with the Northern Kentucky Cooperative for Educational Services in Northern Kentucky speaks on the what, why, how, and for whom of Explicit Instruction.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Anita Archer's Website
- Explicit Instruction: Effective and Efficient Teaching by Anita L. Archer and Charles A. Hughes
- Self-paced modules on Explicit Instruction from the NKCES Professional Learning Online Website
Catch my Breath is a tier 1 vaping prevention program. It is evidence-based and available for FREE to school districts online. The Northern Kentucky Institute for Strategic Prevention is a wealth of knowledge about this program and will provide free training to get to know it.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
NKCES
Northern Kentucky Institute for Strategic Prevention website
Catch My Breath
As we know, a classroom built on procedures and routines is more likely to foster positive relationships, and experience productivity over an unstructured and unpredictable classroom. Well-defined routines and procedures not only keep students safe, but helps maximize our instructional time.
**I invite you to hear from SEVEN incredible Northern Kentucky educators--ranging in service from Kindergarten to high school, and the arts--in the hope that you may walk away with a fresh idea or insight to kick off the next school year.
Be sure to check out some of the resources mentioned from these amazing teachers:*Ashley Rabe, Kindergarten teacher in the Kenton County School District
--photos* of what Mrs. Rabe shares in this episode*Casey Kirk, Gifted and Talented Resource Specialist in the Williamstown Independent School DistrictAlyssa Vanderpool, Music teacher in the Fort Thomas Independent School District*
Leah Jefferson, High School teacher at the Ignite Institute's Education pathway college
--Google slides to accompany what Mrs. Jefferson shares in this episodeElizabeth Winkler, High School math teacher in the Bellevue Independent School District
--Links to some of the tools Mrs. Winkler mentions in this episodeChristy Daugherty, Reading and Math Interventionist in the Kenton County School District
--Example "get-ready" slide that Mrs. Daugherty shares in this episodeAbby Weyer, Kindergarten teacher in the Bellevue Independence School District
"It's all about an evolution...we have tailored [opportunities for feedback] to the needs of our building through feedback from the participants...when we first started all of these it looked very different. Be open-minded, flexible, and responsive to whatever it is your staff needs."
Tiffany Hicks and Nic Skaggs of the Bellevue Independent School District in Northern Kentucky share how they use Observe Me and a Lesson Tuning Protocol as a professional growth opportunity for teachers. Hear them discuss how offering these opportunities for non-evaluative, supporting feedback contributes to educator agency in their district.
ObserveMe by Robert Kaplinsky
School Reform Initiative (SRI) free protocols
Collective Teacher Efficacy (CTE) according to John Hattie
Kentucky educators, Amanda Klare and Bridget Powell believe that if we build our own social emotional learning competencies we can avoid burn-out, increase well-being, and improve our effectiveness as educators.
Together, they have teamed up to create a TikTok channel to share strategies that are working for them.
Resources/Ideas mentioned in this episode:
SELinunder1
Giving Thanks Can Make You Happier
Positive Daily Affirmations: Is There Science Behind It?
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Ms. Amanda Bell from Arnett Elementary in the Erlanger-Elsmere School District, had to revamp what worked for meeting the individual needs of her students with moderate and severe disabilities. Through what she learned in a virtual book study on How to Differentiate in Academically Diverse Classrooms, she started creating choice boards for her students. She has seen so much success in this strategy that she has continued using it upon return to in-person instruction.
Resources Mentioned:
Book: How to Differentiate in Academically Diverse Classrooms by Carol Ann Tomlinson
Carol Ann Tomilinson's Website: Differentiation Central
Example of one of Amanda's Choice Boards
Art for Kids Hub
Bitmoji Classrooms: Educators Turn to Bitmoji to Build Community and Engagement
Example of one of Amanda's Bitmoji Classrooms
IEP Snapshot Example
Fair is not Always Equal free poster download from Brooke's Publishing
A Morning Meeting is an engaging way to start each day, build a strong sense of community, and set children up for success socially and academically. Each morning, students and teachers gather together for 15, 20, or 30 minutes and interact with one another during four purposeful components.
Regina Holmes and Samantha Zachary, a middle grades educator and elementary educator respectively, teach in an alternative school setting in Northern Kentucky. In this episode they share their experiences (the good and the challenging!) as they begin implementing morning meetings with their students.
You'll hear Samantha share a positive moment she has already experienced as a result of this new routine, "...they felt heard and were a little more honest and more vulnerable..."
Resources mentioned in this podcast:
Choose Love
What is a Morning Meeting?
Positive Action is an evidence-based, coherent social-emotional learning program that addresses the entire school eco-system: the school, the family, and the community. In this episode, Dr. Kathy Burkhardt discusses Positive Action, it's tremendous positive impact on students, and how schools and families can utilize the services offered through the Positive Action grant. Dr. Burkhardt is the Positive Action Grant Coordinator with NKCES, Senior Director of NaviGo Career and College Prep with Learning Grove, Adjunct Professor at Northern Kentucky University, and retired Superintendent of Erlanger-Elsmere Independent School District. She comes with a wealth of experience in developing and implementing programs that address the needs of the whole student.
Resources Mentioned in the Episode:
Positive Action Website
If you are in Northern Kentucky and would like more information, contact Dr. Kathy Burkhardt at kathy.burkhardt@nkces.org or the NKCES CRSSA team!
Approximately 20% of U.S. high school students and 5% of middle school students use e-cigarettes (CDC, 2020). In the 2018 Kentucky Incentives for Prevention (KIP) survey, 58% of 10th graders in Northern Kentucky reported using e-cigarettes in the past 30 days. With the upsurge of e-cigarette use among students, schools have been actively searching for ways to address the youth vaping epidemic. In this episode, Dr. Damodhar Suresh, Executive Medical Director of the Heart & Vascular Institute at St. Elizabeth Healthcare, shares how the youth vaping epidemic got out of control so quickly and ways that schools, parents, and other caring adults can intervene to address and prevent youth vaping.
Resources Mentioned in the Episode:
American Heart Association - The Ugly Truth About Vaping
St Elizabeth Healthcare - Youth E-Cigarette and Vaping Education
Sadie the Science Lady Anti-Vaping Videos
The Truth Initiative
Follow Dr. Suresh on LinkedIn
A recent KIP survey revealed that only 8% of tenth graders had never tried vaping before. In response to alarming statistics like this, the Northern Kentucky Cooperative for Educational Services has received grant funds to create the Northern Kentucky Institute for Strategic Prevention. This Institute is working hard to be a hub of information on substance abuse and prevention for our young people. Learn how Kristen Haddad and Ashleigh DuBois are leading this work and tackling this widespread problem in our region.
Resources Mentioned in the Episode:
Catch My Breath
DFC (Drug Free Clubs)
Let's Talk About It (resource for parents/families)
NKY Institute for Strategic Prevention on Twitter
NKY Institute for Strategic Prevention Website
A student-led conference is a meeting facilitated by the STUDENT in which he or she shares a portfolio of their work and discusses progress with members of their family or support system outside of school.
Ballyshannon Middle School in Northern Kentucky's Boone County School District has been refining this process since they opened in 2018 with increasingly great success. Stacie Kegley, Ballyshannon's instructional coach, shares how this process has progressed.
In her school, student-led conferences can now be facilitated at home and participation is near 90%! Stacie states, "...higher numbers is definitely something I would count as a success only because we want every child to have this opportunity...that feeling to really say, 'I've been heard.'"
Resources mentioned in this episode:
4Dx Model for goal setting
Google Sites
Flipgrid
Student-friendly proficiency scale
Throughout this challenging time, we are seeing many positives emerge from the schools in our region. Educators are getting creative, digging deep, and sharing ideas like crazy.
Perhaps some of the ideas shared in this episode will speak to others as we embark on an unprecedented school year. Four Northern Kentucky educators with a variety of experiences, from Kindergarten to High school, share some of their ideas for building relationships and community when their classroom is a virtual one.
Resources shared from our guests:
*Samantha Richards, Boone County School District
--Google Meet
--Kagan
*Katelyn Callahan, Kenton County School District
--Flipgrid
--Mrs. Callahan's Weekly Family Check-in Form
--Choose Love
--#TMGenius podcast: A Spark of Genius
*Jessica Hoskins, Campbell County School District
--Choice Board time with Ms. Hoskins!
--Ms. Hoskins on Instagram
Chris Wheeler, Bellevue Independent School District
--chris.wheeler@bellevue.kyschools.us*,
--Google Teacher Podcast
--Reddit
--OBS studio
The mission of The Kentucky Autism Training Center (KATC) is to build the capacity of educators across Kentucky to successfully serve students with autism. One of the services they offer is tailored, individualized, technical assistance for your school or district. Field Training Coordinator, Ms. Sarah Bayes, explains how to apply for such support next school year.
Sarah also touches on some of the evidence-based practices she promotes for working successfully with children and youth that have learning and behavioral disabilities:
Visuals, Reinforcements, Antecedents, Communication, and Systematic Instruction.
Resources:
Kentucky Autism Training Center (KATC)
KATC Facebook
KATC YouTube
Training Site ApplicationOhio Center for Autism and Low Incidence (OCALI)
"I was sitting on the couch with Charlie watching the World Games ... and I knew I wanted him to compete in sports even if it looked different."
Keith Faust is the principal at Woodfill Elementary School in Ft. Thomas, Kentucky. His young son, Charlie, inspired him to launch unified sports at his school. In a very short time period, it has become something much bigger than he ever thought possible. Through involvement from many stakeholders, (the superintendent, the school board, special education teachers, general education teachers, students' families, and even a local landscaping company), they have become a Unified Champion School--a model of inclusion.
Resources:
Keith Faust
Video of Unified Bocce in action at Woodfill Elementary
Special Olympics Kentucky
Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools
Lincoln Elementary's Unified Bowling
Dr. Laura Clarke, special education consultant and collegiate professor, shares with us how co-teaching is "a present on top of a present" by increasing the intensity of instruction and therefore increasing student achievement and engagement.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
The Power of Two by Marilyn Friend30 Days to the Co-Taught Classroom by Paula Kluth and Julie CaustonGreat Instruction Great Achievement with John O'ConnorAnita ArcherWendy MorowskiDr. Laura ClarkeNorthern Kentucky Cooperative for Educational Services
"We’ve got to be deep thinkers to grow deep thinkers." Alison Teegarden, Director of Academics for the Bellevue Independent School District, reflects on how applying thinking strategies and metacognition in her classroom and life has profoundly changed her practices. She makes a strong case for how much more powerful it is for ALL students to be engaged in their own thinking; crafting it, and being permitted to struggle through it.
Resources mentioned in this Episode:
PEBC Thinking Strategies Institute
#LetThemSpeakAlison Teegarden
Relevant resources from 2Revolutions Learner Agency Building Block:
25 Self-Reflection Questions to Get Students Thinking about their Learning
Talking Politics: Valuing Different Perspectives
"Honor the silent period. During this time, the student is learning from you. They're just not ready yet to express their feelings or answers." Christy Daugherty, classroom teacher leader, and former school-wide ESL teacher shares her advice for supporting your English language learners.
These tips and strategies will help you create a safe environment and support students throughout their learning process.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Class Dojo--translate feature enables families to translate all classroom announcements and messages into their preferred language.
Class Remind--translation feature translates messages into 6 different languages on the mobile app.
Colorin Colorado
Christy Daugherty
2Revolutions
What is Northern Kentucky Makerspace? "It's an all-inclusive environment where students, parents, teachers, and administrators can get hands-on experience through field trips, after-school workshops, clubs, camps, and more."
Emily Greene, Expanded Learning Opportunities Coordinator for Boone County Schools answers all of our questions and inspires us to employ learner agency in our work as educators.
Northern Kentucky Makerspace is a student-generated project that has impacted over 26,000 people to date.
Be inspired by its humble beginnings and hear Emily's tips on getting started with your own Makerspace!
Resources mentioned in this episode:
NKY Makerspace website
NKY Makerspace on Facebook
Emily Greene, Expanded Learning Opportunities Coordinator, BCPS
2Revolutions
Elephant Toothpaste
"The arts are a way that we human beings grapple with and express our understanding of big ideas." Joe Bertucci, Arts Integration Manager and former theater teacher and director, shares his passion for true arts integration in K-12 education.
When integrating the arts, students have the opportunity to create something original: making, self-assessing, getting feedback, making changes based on feedback…. Clear benefits of arts integration include increased student engagement, student ownership, and collaboration (both for students AND teachers).
Tune in for some tips on getting started!
Resources mentioned in this episode:
The Carnegie
Pones, Inc.
Cincinnati Art Museum
Cincinnati Ballet
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
The Art of Comprehension by Trevor Bryan
2Revolutions
Joe Bertucci, Arts Integration Manages at NKCES