• Better Questioning, Deeper Learning – with Connie Hamilton

    Better Questioning, Deeper Learning – with Connie Hamilton
    • How can we improve the effectiveness of the questions we ask in the classroom?
    • What’s a better way to respond the next time we get the classic “I don’t know”?
    • What does collecting actionable microdata look like during a live lesson?

    About This Guest, Connie Hamilton

    Connie is an author and instructional expert known for helping educators shift more thinking to students through effective questioning, collaboration, and high-impact classroom practices.

    How and Where to Connect with Connie

    • On Facebook and LinkedIn, 
    • On Instagram @conniehamiltonEd, and
    • At her website at conniehamilton.org.

    Timestamps from This Episode

    • 0:00:00 – Connie Hamilton is an education author, speaker, and presenter
    • 1:14 – How to improve teacher questioning
    • 2:57 – Questioning that shows student reasoning
    • 5:10 – How to respond to “I don’t know”
    • 7:39 – Questions that produce more equity and inclusion
    • 11:41 – Teacher invisibility – giving students agency and ownership
    • 15:33 – Productive struggle – what teachers need to know
    • 20:12 – Microdata points for instructional coaches to look for
    • 25:55 – Signs of curiosity and inquiry in a classroom
    • 27:20 – Providing coaching support to teachers without burdening
    • 30:37 – How and where to connect with Connie Hamilton’s work

    Song Track Credit: Tropic Fuse by French Fuse – retrieved from the YouTube Audio Library.

  • This Is Your Sign to Teach Internationally – with Greg Lemoine

    This Is Your Sign to Teach Internationally – with Greg Lemoine
    , ,
    • What is the single most rewarding aspect of international teaching?
    • For educators considering an international leap in their teaching career, what are the most crucial factors to consider?
    • What is the most common mistake teachers make when interviewing for an international teaching contract?

    About This Guest, Gregory Lemoine

    Greg has been teaching overseas for the past 25 years in international schools. He is the author of Finding the Right Fit: Your Professional Guide for International Educator Recruiting Fairs and Amazing Stories of a Teacher Living Overseas. On The International Teacher Podcast, he enjoys spreading the best kept secret in education: international teaching.

    Connect with Greg

    • On Facebook and LinkedIn,
    • On Instagram @internationalteacherpodcast, and 
    • At his website, itpexpat.com.

    Timestamps from This Episode

    • 0:00:00 – What to consider before teaching internationally
    • 1:29 – Five years of the International Teacher Podcast
    • 4:01 – Reverse culture shock
    • 6:18 – The countries Greg has taught in
    • 10:47 – The path to ed leadership in international schools
    • 12:29 – International teaching recruitment fairs
    • 15:59 – The life of a third culture kid (TCK)
    • 19:59 – How AI is impacting international schools
    • 24:04 – The most rewarding aspect of international teaching
    • 25:57 – How and where to connect with Greg Lemoine online

    Song Track Credit: Tropic Fuse by French Fuse – retrieved from the YouTube Audio Library.

  • Make the Move to Competency-Based Assessment with Danielle Paloposki

    Make the Move to Competency-Based Assessment with Danielle Paloposki
    , , ,
    • How do traditional grading systems quietly undermine deep learning?
    • How can teachers shift assessment paradigms without burning out?
    • What steps can administrative teams take to genuinely support their staff?

    About Danielle Paloposki

    Danielle is an educator and former school administrator with extensive experience as a classroom teacher and middle level leader, specializing in standards aligned, competency based assessment.

    A contributing author to the British Columbia K–12 Reporting Policy, she has led system wide shifts from traditional grading to competency focused approaches grounded in feedback, professional judgment, and evidence of learning over time.

    Danielle now partners with the Canadian Assessment Centre to support schools in building coherent, humane, and sustainable assessment systems that cultivate transferable skills and self regulated learners.

    You can connect with Danielle

    Timestamps from This Episode

    • 0:00:00 – How traditional assessment undermines learning
    • 4:15 – Why Danielle founded the Competency Code Collective
    • 9:52 – How to support teachers in assessment transitions
    • 16:10 – Are learning targets just for administrators?
    • 18:59 – From evaluator to learning coach
    • 23:39 – Ensuring our assessment language is consistent
    • 31:08 – How to use AI to design better assessment
    • 35:49 – Assessment resources from Danielle

    Song Track Credit: Tropic Fuse by French Fuse – retrieved from the YouTube Audio Library.

  • Money and Financial Literacy for Students and Educators: Debra Kierstead

    Money and Financial Literacy for Students and Educators: Debra Kierstead
    • Which foundational money concepts do our students struggle with the most?
    • Why do states and districts continue to downplay the importance of financial literacy in our curricular standards?
    • What is one practical way for teachers to build financial literacy in their classrooms on Monday morning?

    Welcome back to the Teachers on Fire Podcast, airing live on YouTube most Saturday mornings at 8am Pacific, 11am Eastern. My name is Tim Cavey, and my mission here is to warm your heart, spark your thinking, and ignite your professional practice.

    About this guest, Debra Kierstead

    Deb is an elementary teacher and financial literacy coach who helps educators bring real-world money skills into the classroom. Her hands-on approach makes budgeting, saving, and spending feel simple and fun – for students and teachers alike.

    Connect with Debra

    Take advantage of Deb’s free starter class: www.liveskillsmoney.com/free-starter-class (not sponsored)

    Timestamps from This Episode

    • 0:00:00 – Deb Kierstead is an elementary educator in Ontario, Canada
    • 1:24 – A foundational money concept that students struggle with
    • 2:28 – Collaboration between teachers and parents
    • 3:50 – Speaking negatively about money
    • 5:27 – Budgets as a path to freedom
    • 7:28 – 3 questions to answer before spending or purchasing
    • 10:04 – Good debt versus bad debt for 8-year-olds
    • 11:43 – How educators can model financial competence
    • 14:04 – How Deb’s teaching background has shaped her work
    • 15:44 – Why states and districts downplay financial literacy
    • 19:19 – A first step to take in your classroom on Monday
    • 21:51 – How and where to connect with Deb online

    Song Track Credit: Tropic Fuse by French Fuse – retrieved from the YouTube Audio Library.

  • Bringing the Florida Everglades to Your Literacy Classroom: Jennifer Diaz

    Bringing the Florida Everglades to Your Literacy Classroom: Jennifer Diaz
    ,
    • How can we build literacy skills and environmental stewardship at the same time?
    • What is the Everglades Foundation Literacy Program, and what resources do they offer classroom teachers?
    • What is Everglades Ecoquest, and how can educators use this web-based platform to bring interactive, gamified learning to their students?

    About This Guest: Jennifer Diaz

    Jennifer is the Vice President of Education at The Everglades Foundation, where she has dedicated the past 12 years to building and leading Florida’s only comprehensive, statewide Everglades environmental education program. Since joining the Foundation in 2014, she has guided the growth of the Everglades Literacy Program into a national model for place-based environmental learning, now adopted by 31 school districts and reaching more than 300,000 students and families annually.

    Connect with the Everglades Foundation

    • On X @EvergFoundation,
    • On Instagram @evergladesfoundation,
    • On Facebook and LinkedIn, and
    • At their website, evergladesfoundation.org.

    Timestamps from This Episode

    • 0:00:00 – Welcome to Jennifer Diaz, VP of Education at the Everglades Foundation
    • 0:16 – The mission and vision of the Everglades Foundation
    • 1:07 – Everglades Foundation literacy resources are free to anyone
    • 2:02 – Building environmental stewardship through literacy skills
    • 4:13 – The Teacher Toolkit 41 lesson plans are curriculum-aligned
    • 6:03 – Resources for Spanish and Haitian Creole learners
    • 7:41 – What is Everglades Ecoquest and what does it offer students?
    • 10:35 – Hands-on learning experiences related to the Everglades
    • 12:59 – The Champion Schools program builds environmental leadership
    • 15:54 – A first step to take to build environmental literacy
    • 17:11 – How to connect with the Everglades Foundation

    Song Track Credit: Tropic Fuse by French Fuse – retrieved from the YouTube Audio Library.