Category: English

Episode 27: Tonya Gilchrist

~ Teachers On Fire ~ Leave a comment

LISTEN to this episode on Anchor and SUBSCRIBE to the podcast!

27 - Tonya Gilchrist

Tonya Gilchrist is a literacy coach and language teacher at Tokyo International School in Tokyo, Japan. An experienced speaker and presenter, Tonya advocates for learner agency, the inquiry mindset, and joyful leaders.

Tonya knew she wanted to become a teacher since she was in third grade, but the daunting pressure and prescriptive directions to teach to standardized tests threatened to make her quit the profession altogether. It was after Googling “What else can I do with a teaching degree?” that she discovered the incredible opportunities in overseas education, and the rest is history. Today, you can hear the passion in Tonya’s voice as she talks about the influences of growth mindset, inquiry-based learning, translanguaging, and the importance of self-care. You’ll also want to hear Tonya’s recommendations for books to read, Twitter accounts to follow, and more.

Follow Tonya Gilchrist on Twitter @Mrs_Gilchrist, check out life at the Tokyo International School @TISLearns, and read Tonya’s latest thoughts on literacy and education at TonyaGilchrist.com.

TIMESTAMPS. In this episode, Tonya discusses …

Song Track Credits

Intro: Relax (by Simon More)
Outtro: Starley – Call on Me Remix (by DJ Zhorik)

LISTEN to this episode on YouTube and SUBSCRIBE for more episodes!

Episode 27 – Tonya Gilchrist

~ Teachers On Fire ~ Leave a comment

27 - Tonya Gilchrist.png

TONYA GILCHRIST is a literacy coach and language teacher at Tokyo International School in Tokyo, Japan. An experienced speaker and presenter, Tonya advocates for learner agency, the inquiry mindset, and joyful leaders.

Tonya knew she wanted to become a teacher since she was in third grade, but the daunting pressure and prescriptive directions to teach to standardized tests threatened to make her quit the profession altogether. It was after Googling “What else can I do with a teaching degree?” that she discovered the incredible opportunities in overseas education, and the rest is history. Today, you can hear the passion in Tonya’s voice as she talks about the influences of growth mindset, inquiry-based learning, translanguaging, and the importance of self-care. You’ll also want to hear Tonya’s recommendations for books to read, Twitter accounts to follow, and more.

Follow Tonya Gilchrist on Twitter @Mrs_Gilchrist, check out life at the Tokyo International School @TISLearns, and read Tonya’s latest thoughts on literacy and education at TonyaGilchrist.com.

TIMESTAMPS. In this episode, Tonya discusses …

Song Track Credits

Intro: Relax (by Simon More)
Outtro: Starley – Call on Me Remix (by DJ Zhorik)

LISTEN to this episode on YouTube and SUBSCRIBE for more episodes!

Episode 23: Danielle Peters

~ Teachers On Fire ~ Leave a comment

LISTEN to this episode on iTunes and SUBSCRIBE to the podcast!

23 - Danielle Peters

Danielle Peters is an elementary teacher at Westerman Elementary School in Surrey, BC, Canada. Recently completing her Master’s in Ed. Tech., Danielle is passionate about helping kids learn, create, and innovate using technology.

In our conversation, Danielle talks about how team teaching allows her to better meet the social-emotional needs of her learners and grow from her colleague’s perspectives each day. She describes how her third graders are using green screens and stop motion to make stories come alive, and explains how she combines her loves of book reading and photography to produce beautiful book reviews. Finally, Danielle gives us some great recommendations for books to read, Twitter accounts to follow, a YouTube channel to subscribe to, and more.

You’ll find more of Danielle’s content on these great platforms:

In this episode, Danielle discusses …

  • 0:56 – how she team teaches 42 3rd graders
  • 2:58 – how team teaching helps her meet the social-emotional needs of her learners
  • 5:07 – what lights her passion for education: the amazing possibilities for learning enabled by new technologies in the classroom
  • 7:12 – a personal passion outside of the classroom: book reviews and photography
  • 9:25 – the importance of building a strong network of educators, and the role of critical friends
  • 11:52 – educators to follow on Twitter: Karen Fadum (@MrsFadum) and Curtis Wiebe (@DivisionW)
  • 12:36 – what her students are currently creating: stop motion videos
  • 13:47 – a book recommendation: Launch: Using Design Thinking to Boost Creativity and Bring Out the Maker in Every Student (by John Spencer and A J Juliani)
  • 14:19 – podcasts to check out: Serial (a crime series) and TED Talks
  • 14:51 – a great YouTube resource for the English classroom: Flocabulary
  • 15:44 – what she’s watching on Netflix: Evil Genius and Black Mirror
  • 16:23 – the best ways to follow her (see links above this section)

Song Track Credits

Intro: Relax (by Simon More)
Outtro: Starley – Call on Me Remix (by DJ Zhorik)

LISTEN to this episode on YouTube and SUBSCRIBE for more episodes!

Episode 23 – Danielle Peters

~ Teachers On Fire ~ Leave a comment

23 - Danielle Peters.png

DANIELLE PETERS is an elementary teacher at Westerman Elementary School in Surrey, BC, Canada. Recently completing her Master’s in Ed. Tech., Danielle is passionate about helping kids learn, create, and innovate using technology.

In our conversation, Danielle talks about how team teaching allows her to better meet the social-emotional needs of her learners and grow from her colleague’s perspectives each day. She describes how her third graders are using green screens and stop motion to make stories come alive, and explains how she combines her loves of book reading and photography to produce beautiful book reviews. Finally, Danielle gives us some great recommendations for books to read, Twitter accounts to follow, a YouTube channel to subscribe to, and more.

You’ll find more of Danielle’s content on these great platforms:

In this episode, Danielle discusses …

  • 0:56 – how she team teaches 42 3rd graders
  • 2:58 – how team teaching helps her meet the social-emotional needs of her learners
  • 5:07 – what lights her passion for education: the amazing possibilities for learning enabled by new technologies in the classroom
  • 7:12 – a personal passion outside of the classroom: book reviews and photography
  • 9:25 – the importance of building a strong network of educators, and the role of critical friends
  • 11:52 – educators to follow on Twitter: Karen Fadum (@MrsFadum) and Curtis Wiebe (@DivisionW)
  • 12:36 – what her students are currently creating: stop motion videos
  • 13:47 – a book recommendation: Launch: Using Design Thinking to Boost Creativity and Bring Out the Maker in Every Student (by John Spencer and A J Juliani)
  • 14:19 – podcasts to check out: Serial (a crime series) and TED Talks
  • 14:51 – a great YouTube resource for the English classroom: Flocabulary
  • 15:44 – what she’s watching on Netflix: Evil Genius and Black Mirror
  • 16:23 – the best ways to follow her (see links above this section)

Song Track Credits

Intro: Relax (by Simon More)
Outtro: Starley – Call on Me Remix (by DJ Zhorik)

LISTEN to this episode on YouTube and SUBSCRIBE for more episodes!

Episode 18: Lynn Thomas

~ Teachers On Fire ~ Leave a comment

LISTEN to this episode on iTunes and SUBSCRIBE to the podcast!

18 - Lynn ThomasIn this episode of the Teachers on Fire podcast we speak with Lynn Thomas. Lynn is the department head of English and Library and Digital Lead Learner at Dunnville Secondary School in Dunnville, Ontario, Canada.

In this conversation, Lynn shares candidly about a year of serious family health challenges, crediting the support of administrators that helped her work through this difficult time. She speaks with passion about the power of new technologies to facilitate collaborative learning across great distances, and describes how Project Kakuma is improving education in Kenya. Lynn also offers some solid recommendations for books to read, Twitter accounts to follow, and more.

Follow Lynn on Twitter @ThomLynn101 and at her blog at https://wordsgrow.wordpress.com/.

In this episode, Lynn discusses …

  • 0:58 – her current education situation
  • 1:34 – a low point in her teaching career and how she overcame it
  • 4:12 – what ignites her passions in education
  • 6:36 – learning she enjoys outside of the classroom
  • 7:34 – personal habits that contribute to her success
  • 10:33 – accounts to follow on Twitter: Andrew Campbell (@ACampbell99) and Koen Timmers (@zelfstudie).
  • 14:49 – her edtech tool recommendation: OneNote
  • 16:21 – her book recommendations: The Innovator’s Mindset by George Couros and Teach Like a Pirate by Dave Burgess
  • 18:39 – a podcast recommendation: Stephen Hurley on VoicED Radio
  • 19:14 – a YouTube channel recommendation: TED Talks
  • 20:07 – the best ways to follow her online (listed above)

Song Track Credits

Intro: Relax (by Simon More)
Outtro: Starley – Call on Me Remix (by DJ Zhorik)

LISTEN to this episode on YouTube and SUBSCRIBE for more episodes!