Best Practices in Education

Part 4- Comprehension Through Knowledge Building Curriculum with Equity in Mind! The science of reading has taught us that students build comprehension through knowledge building.  We went searching for a knowledge building curriculum that we wanted to use.  In our search, we made equity a high priority.  We strongly believe in decolonizing history.  We want to give our students a world view that celebrates all cultures.  That search led us to Fishtank Learning!   In this episode, we also hear from the head of school at Odyssey, Dr. Howard.  He explains why equity is so important. Support the Show.

Part 3- Phonics and Intervention with UFLIEvery good science of reading program needs a strong phonics program that is explicit and systematic.  It also requires intervention work.  In this episode, we discuss how we use UFLI as a tool to teach phonics according to the science of reading and Orton-Gillingham methods.  We also talk about how we use small group interventions to help support struggling readers.   This episode will be helpful for anyone looking for ways to implement a high quality reading and phonics program! https://ufli.education.ufl.edu/ Support the Show.

In the second episode in our series on the Science of Reading we discuss assessment.  Odyssey moved away from Fountas and Pinnell assessment and adopted Acadience this year!  The difference has been amazing!  Please enjoy listening to us explain why and how it works! Use this link to learn more about Acadience Learning.  https://acadiencelearning.org/Support the Show.

Odyssey Elementary Director Robin Skeen takes on a six part series of the science of reading and how it can be applied in the classroom and beyond. Part 1 is an introduction and overview of the program. Support the Show.

We close out the third season of Best Practices in Education with special guests from AVL Rise, a peer-to-peer literacy and mentorship program based in Asheville, North Carolina, which is funded through OpenDoors Asheville.Program Director, David Kennedy, a Jamaican native, is a father, creative, music artist, writer, educator, and scholar. As an educator, he has over 7 years of experience at the primary, secondary and tertiary level as a Special Education and Social Studies teacher, also an Adjunct Lecturer, and was a certified professional teacher in two states, Florida and Colorado. David is joined in the studio by Toni and Kei'Shawn, ages 16 and 8, a student pair who participated in the program for the '21-22 school year.AVL Rise uses youth culture pedagogy and hip hop elements to build cohesion and growth within its students and reimagine the classroom setting. Listen till the end to enjoy the original song, "Everyday We Rise," written and performed by David "Coppa Stone" Kennedy, Nex Millen, and Open Doors senior, Khalid Jean.Support the Show.

Guest Host Elijah Allred is back to interview Intermediate teacher, Kylie Hulver. In this episode, Kylie talks about game design and how to create moments of  joy and movement in the classroom, while building gross motor skills and mental acuity for your students. Support the Show.

Intermediate Director, Kalyan Volpe, returns to the podcast to talk about his "Spiritual Warrior" intermediate program. Volpe defines spiritual cultivation in his classroom as the individual's attunement to their inner landscape and translating the information and knowledge taken from that attunement out into the physical world. It includes mindfulness practices, meditation, and developing inner attributes, such as focus and courage.Listen to learn more about how to inspire preteens and teens to engagement and leadership.Support the Show.

Kindergarten teacher Samantha Sole shares about her journey to integrate sign language into the kindergarten classroom. Supporting students in using movement to communicate opens up new pathways in the brain for communication and understanding, and builds empathy for difference.Support the Show.

Odyssey High math teacher, Grant Yost, reflects on why he prioritizes getting feedback from his students throughout the semester. He shares the strategies he uses to both elicit honest responses from students, as well as how to set clear boundaries about what feedback can and can't change about the classroom experience.Support the Show.

5th and 6th grade teacher, Kylie Hulver, talks about how to successfully settle and energize in the classroom. She uses silence and breath to support students in developing self-regulation.  She uses energizers to teach skills that are translatable to content. Plug in to listen to the conversation she and guest host Elijah Allread share.Support the Show.

Teachers often report feeling unsupported and financially challenged when seeking opportunities for their students. First and second grade teacher, Barbi Brittain, shares how cultivating community support can bring new opportunities to the classroom. An outside-the-box thinker, Barbi encourages teachers to make strategic partnerships that empower students and also make parents and community members feel a part of something bigger. Support the Show.

What does it mean to act in the role of teacher as (loving) antagonist? Intermediate Language Arts teacher Elijah Allred answers random questions offered by students. We laugh a lot. And we get into a deep conversation about how when teachers challenge their students, when they play the mischievous trickster, the developmental process gets rich and rewarding for our students.Support the Show.

Kindergarten teacher, Shirley Rotolo, talks about strategies to increase reading comprehension in students. She explores research based method from a practical standpoint, integrating Orton-Gillingham inspired practices with other strategies to get the best outcomes for her students.Support the Show.

High School Science Teacher Andrew Rabin encourages science teachers of all ages to engage their students in bird watching. An experiential activity that brings core elements of science alive, birdwatching is fun, challenging, rewarding, and can be done without a significant cost to the classroom.Support the Show.

Elementary Program Director Robin Skeen talks to us about creating learning paths in the classroom. We'll get a quick how to and learn some resources to get started. A bonus: these paths provide teachers with the opportunity to move smoothly between remote and on site learning!Support the Show.

Teaching students to become systems thinkers is a priority for high school scienc teacher, Andrew Rabin.  In this episode, the last episode of Season Two, Andrew walks us through how to teach a life cycle analysis project in high school, what processes he uses, and what the value of this kind of project is.Support the Show.

Kindergarten teacher, Shirley Rotolo, uses cultural art to support her students in engaging their creativity and passion. She talks about ways to include cultural art during thematic units, creating pottery, visual art, and other 3-D sculptures to build curiosity about our diverse  world.Support the Show.

High School math teacher Grant Yost shares strategies for how to create a positive learning environment. He encourages fellow teachers to assess their own favorite learning spaces and make changes in the classroom with an eye toward calm, creativity, and connection.Support the Show.

Intermediate Program Director Kalyan Volpe shares how storytelling in the classroom builds relationship and promotes transformation. As a teacher who straddles the developmental divide between childhood and pre-teen and teen unfolding, Kalyan dives into the somewhat mystical process of supporting students through their individual journeys of becoming.Support the Show.

We ask teachers to do so much! In this episode, Intermediate teacher (5-8) and Director, Alex Eren, shares about the organizational systems that save time and energy. Learn to make your classroom more organized, and your processes sleek and sophisticated--in both the physical and electronic world!Support the Show.