Schools are constantly trying to improve, but too often, big improvement efforts don't lead to the changes people hoped for. In this episode, I talk with Jal Mehta and Max Yurkofsky, authors of A Chance to Solve Their Own Problems, about what gets in the way of meaningful school improvement, what needs to be in place for it to work, and how leaders can create the conditions that allow educators to solve problems together.

Thanks to Brilliant and Listenwise for sponsoring the episode. To read a summary or a transcript and find links to the book, visit cultofpedagogy.com/continuous-improvement.

To learn more about Mastering the Lesson Plan, visit cultofpedagogy.com/teaching101.

In Part 4 of our Back to Basics series on unit planning, we're taking our sample unit and building in more differentiation. I'm putting out this series as an introduction to my new online course, Mastering the Lesson Plan. These four episodes will give you the big picture, but the course takes a much deeper dive into each step of the process and gives you practical tools you can use to plan stronger instruction. To learn more about the course, visit cultofpedagogy.com/teaching101.

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Thanks to Brilliant and Notability for sponsoring the episode. To read a written version of this podcast, visit cultofpedagogy.com/realistic-differentiation.

We've reached part 3 of our Back to Basics series on unit planning! Last episode, we built the assessment plan for our sample unit that included diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments. Now it's time to choose the learning activities that will move students toward success on those assessments: the daily lesson plans. I'm putting out this series as an introduction to my new online course, Mastering the Lesson Plan. These four episodes will give you the big picture, but the course takes a much deeper dive into each step of the process and gives you practical tools you can use to plan stronger instruction. To learn more about the course, visit cultofpedagogy.com/teaching101.

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Thanks to Brilliant and Notability for sponsoring the episode. To read a written version of this podcast, visit cultofpedagogy.com/how-to-write-a-lesson-plan.

It's part 2 of our Back to Basics series on unit planning! Last episode, we looked at the overall process and started by setting measurable objectives for a sample unit. Now we're going to design a unit assessment plan that includes diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments. I'm putting out this series as an introduction to my new online course, Mastering the Lesson Plan. These four episodes will give you the big picture, but the course takes a much deeper dive into each step of the process and gives you practical tools you can use to plan stronger instruction. To learn more about the course, visit cultofpedagogy.com/teaching101.

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Thanks to Brilliant and Notability for sponsoring the episode. To read a written version of this podcast, visit cultofpedagogy.com/how-to-create-an-assessment-plan/.

I'm kicking off a four-episode Back to Basics series that will offer a practical overview of how to effectivley plan a unit of instruction. This week we'll start with the big picture, an overview of the process I use for planning a unit, starting with setting measurable objectives and getting a sense for how you will assess them at the end of the unit. In the next episode, we'll zoom in on that process of designing the assessment plan. I'm putting out this series as an introduction to my new online course, Mastering the Lesson Plan. These four episodes will give you the big picture, but the course takes a much deeper dive into each step of the process and gives you practical tools you can use to plan stronger instruction. To learn more about the course, visit cultofpedagogy.com/teaching101.

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Thanks to Alpaca and iCivics for sponsoring the episode. To read a written version of this podcast, visit cultofpedagogy.com/how-to-plan-a-unit-of-instruction.

Character education often gets lip service in schools — we say it matters, but rarely build a real system to make it happen. What if students could regularly practice noticing and naming character strengths like self-efficacy, depth, and generosity in each other through anonymous nominations? On the podcast this week, high school English teacher Marcus Luther returns to share a system he created that does exactly that.

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Thanks to Alpaca and Notability for sponsoring the episode. To read a written version of this podcast, visit cultofpedagogy.com/peer-affirmations.

To learn more about my upcoming course, Mastering the Lesson Plan, visit cultofpedagogy.com/teaching101.

What often sets the best PD experiences apart are a few intentional choices in how that learning is designed. In this episode, I talk with Jenn White and Josh Kurzweil of Berkeley LTC about three simple but powerful practices they use when designing professional learning for adults: Pre-During-Post, Curated Q&A, and Poster Sessions. All of these strategies create more opportunities for participants to discuss, reflect on, and apply what they're learning, and they can make your next PD a lot better.

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Thanks to Alpaca and Notability for sponsoring the episode. To read a written version of this podcast, visit cultofpedagogy.com/3-fresh-pd-structures.

To learn more about my upcoming course, Mastering the Lesson Plan, visit cultofpedagogy.com/teaching101.

When Pernille Ripp moved from the U.S., where she had taught for over a decade, to her native country of Denmark, she was immediately struck by how different school was. In this episode, we'll explore why Danish schools are so good for teachers and students, and which practices we might be able to adopt in the U.S.

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Thanks to Alpaca and iCivics for sponsoring the episode. To read a written version of this podcast, visit cultofpedagogy.com/danish-school.