• Teach and Learn Outdoors with Lauren MacLean

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    🔥 How can I take my students and their learning outdoors?

    🔥 How do students win when learning occurs outside the school building?

    🔥 How do curriculum, feedback, and assessment appear in outdoor environments?

    Join me for this conversation with LAUREN MACLEAN as she shares her insights on these and other critical questions.

    About This Guest

    Lauren is an elementary school teacher and the author of Me and My Sit Spot, Finding Common Ground, and Sitting with Nature: An Educator’s Guide to Sit Spots. She is the host of the Teach Outdoors podcast where she shares her passion for outdoor learning and promoting environmental education. She is also an outdoor learning consultant for school districts in Canada and the USA.

    Connect with Lauren

    • on Linkedin,
    • on X @lkmaclean,
    • on YouTube @TeachOutdoors
    • on Instagram @teachoutdoors.ca,
    • on TikTok @teachoutdoorsca, and
    • at her website, teachoutdoors.ca.

    Tune in for my regular Teachers on Fire interviews, airing LIVE on YouTube every Saturday morning at 8:00am Pacific and 11:00am Eastern! Join the conversation and add your comments to the broadcast.

    In This Conversation

    0:00:00 – Welcome to a conversation with elementary educator Lauren MacLean

    0:15 – Who is Lauren MacLean?

    1:25 – Story Time: Lauren recalls responding to an upset parent

    4:10 – Lauren describes the themes in her latest book, Finding Common Ground

    6:19 – Why teaching and learning outdoors sets Lauren on fire

    8:44 – The natural environment around Lauren’s elementary school

    10:26 – How to respond to the practical challenges of teaching outdoors

    13:09 – How to address feedback and assessment in the outdoor classroom

    16:24 – Lauren discusses her first children’s book, Me and My Sit Spot

    19:29 – Nature’s Path: 12 months of professional support for schools and educators

    21:50 – Lauren previews her next book project: Sitting with Nature

    24:06 – Passions outside of teaching and nature: field hockey and gardening

    25:31 – Daily productivity hacks: waking up early, mud water, quiet

    26:50 – A favorite edtech tool: ‪Seesaw

    27:38 – A book recommendation: Unschooled by Kerry McDonald

    28:39 – People to follow online: Janice Novakowski, Megan Zeni (Room to Play), and Outdoor Learning Store

    29:13 – What Lauren’s streaming in her down time: Alone

    29:49 – How and where to follow Lauren online

    Connect with Teachers on Fire and Host Tim Cavey

    Song Track Credit

    Tropic Fuse by French Fuse

    GO! by Neffex

    *All songs retrieved from the YouTube Audio Library at https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/.

  • Design Thinking in the English Classroom with Adrian Neibauer

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    🔥 What does it mean to create a classroom of abundance?

    🔥 How can we make multiple iterations of work an integral part of our learning culture?

    🔥 How can we build strong relationships with our students at the start of the school year?

    Join me for this conversation with ADRIAN NEIBAUER as he shares his insights on these and other critical leadership questions.

    About This Guest

    Adrian is a public school educator in Colorado with 20+ years of experience in helping students find their voices. His elementary classes rely on design thinking as a process for creativity and innovation. Forever a student of teaching, Adrian runs learning experiments in his classroom to collect feedback on what’s working and tweak things that are not.

    Connect with Adrian

    Tune in for my regular Teachers on Fire interviews, airing LIVE on YouTube every Saturday morning at 8:00am Pacific and 11:00am Eastern! Join the conversation and add your comments to the broadcast.

    In This Conversation

    0:27 – Who is Adrian Neibauer?

    1:48 – Adrian’s story of teaching through some low years

    3:58 – How to build relationships with students in the first week of school

    9:28 – Designing learning experiences and classrooms of abundance

    13:32 – Design thinking in the English Language Arts classroom

    18:20 – Why Adrian blogs about teaching and learning on Substack

    23:21 – Adrian talks about his YouTube video titled ‘Why I Teach’

    27:15 – A message for veteran teachers who feel off their game

    30:31 – Adrian loves reading and writing poetry

    31:09 – A productivity habit: a little bit every day

    32:19 – An edtech tool pick: Microsoft Flip

    32:59 – Book recommendations: Don Quixote and Redesigning Tomorrow

    33:49 – Inspiring educators to follow: Mike Kleba (author of Otherful) and Marcus Luther

    35:35 – What Adrian’s streaming right now: K-Dramas

    36:16 – How to follow Adrian online 

    Connect with Me

    Song Track Credit

    Tropic Fuse by French Fuse

    GO! by Neffex

    *All songs retrieved from the YouTube Audio Library at https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/.

  • How to Lead Your School to Awesome Outcomes with Dr. Darrin Peppard

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    🔥 What are the core ingredients of successful school leadership teams?

    🔥 How important is mindset when it comes to the effectiveness of a school leader?

    🔥 What is one piece of advice that new principals, APs, and teacher-leaders should consider as they head into this school year?

    Join me for this conversation with DARRIN PEPPARD as he shares his insights on these and other critical leadership questions.

    About This Guest

    Dr. Darrin Peppard is an author, leadership coach, consultant, and speaker focused on developing emerging leaders and building organizational cultures. He is the best-selling author of the book Road to Awesome and is the host of the Leaning into Leadership podcast. As a ‘recovering high school principal’, Darrin shares strategies and lessons learned from 26 years in public education to help leaders gain clarity, find joy in their work, and walk in their purpose.

    Connect with Darrin

    on Linkedin,

    on X @DarrinMPeppard,

    On TikTok @DarrinMPeppard,

    on Instagram @darrin_m_peppard, 

    on YouTube at Darrin M Peppard EdD,

    at his website, https://darrinpeppard.edublogs.org/, and

    on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/darrin.peppard.

    Tune in for my regular Teachers on Fire interviews, airing LIVE on YouTube every Saturday morning at 8:00am Pacific and 11:00am Eastern! Join the conversation and add your comments to the broadcast.

    In This Conversation

    0:27 – Who is Dr. Darrin Peppard?

    2:04 – Darrin tells the story of his rocky start in school leadership

    8:03 – How significant is mindset when it comes to the effectiveness of a school leader?

    11:40 – What are the core ingredients of successful school leadership teams?

    17:49 – What are the most common pitfalls of school leadership teams?

    21:57 – What’s the first step to repairing a broken system?

    25:24 – Advice for new principals and school leaders

    28:40 – How can principals and school leaders take ownership of their calendars?

    36:48 – How Darrin made his teachers feel safe with their principal

    41:04 – The mission of the Leaning Into Leadership Podcast

    44:28 – An area of learning for Darrin away from education: building a business

    46:01 – A productivity hack: Darrin’s daily routines

    46:55 – An app that Darrin relies on: Clear

    48:38 – People to follow: Lauren Kaufman, Sean Gaillard, and Josh Tovar

    49:45 – What Darrin’s streaming on TV: Hijack and Reacher

    50:39 – How to connect with Dr. Darrin Peppard online

    Connect with Me

    On X @TeachersOnFire (https://X.com/TeachersOnFire)

    On Facebook @TeachersOnFire (https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/)

    On YouTube @Teachers On Fire (https://www.youtube.com/@teachersonfire)

    On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/timwcavey/

    Visit the home of Teachers on Fire at https://teachersonfire.net/.

    Song Track Credit

    Tropic Fuse by French Fuse

    GO! by Neffex

    *All songs retrieved from the YouTube Audio Library at https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/.

  • How to Shift to Student-Centered Learning in Your Classroom with Kyle Wagner

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    🔥 What is one mindset shift I need to make as a teacher in 2024?

    🔥 Why do student-centered approaches matter now more than ever?

    🔥 How can generative AI support project-based learning in the classroom?

    Join me for this conversation with Hong Kong educator Kyle Wagner as he shares his insights on these and other questions.

    About This Guest

    Kyle is the founder and lead PBL/Learning Design Coach for Transform Educational Consulting, an organization that empowers forward thinking schools and educators to create more globally, socially and emotionally aware citizens through project-based experiences and student-centered environments.

    Kyle is also the former Coordinator of Futures Academy at the International School of Beijing, has 12 years classroom teaching experience, and worked as a Humanities Teacher at world-renowned High Tech High. He has authored The Power of SIMPLE and Where is the Teacher, hosts a popular podcast, and holds an M.Ed. in Teacher Leadership.

    Connect with Kyle

    on Linkedin,

    on X @kwagssd3,

    on Instagram @kylewagner3,

    on YouTube at @transformschool,

    at his website, www.transformschool.com, and

    on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/transformyourschool.

    Tune in for my regular Teachers on Fire interviews, airing LIVE on YouTube every Saturday morning at 8:00am Pacific and 11:00am Eastern! Join the conversation and add your comments to the broadcast.

    In This Conversation

    0:28 – Who is Kyle Wagner?

    1:58 – Kyle tells a story of losing his job in his second year of teaching

    4:22 – In the age of AI, why do student-centered approaches matter now more than ever?

    6:52 – Kyle explains what he means in the title of his book: Where is the Teacher?

    9:09 – Shift: Moving student learning from content-driven to inquiry-driven

    10:58 – Shift: Moving motivation from grades to problem-solving (deeper purpose)

    13:36 – How can Chat GPT power deeper project-based learning experiences?

    17:09 – “Simple designs beget complex behaviours”

    21:33 – Kyle’s work at the Transformative Learning Experiences Podcast

    22:43 – Kyle’s plans for his YouTube channel, ‪@transformschool‬ 

    24:34 – A passion outside of education: song-writing

    26:08 – A productivity habit: reflecting in his journal every morning

    26:58 – Kyle’s morning routine

    28:38 – Favorite tech tools: Chat GPT and Canva

    29:35 – A book recommendation: The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay 

    30:59 – An educator to follow on LinkedIn: Benjamin Freud and Loni Bergqvist on LinkedIn

    32:06 – What Kyle’s streaming: Big Bang Theory

    33:03 – How to connect with Kyle Wagner and follow him online

    DISCOUNT CODE: Pick up Kyle’s book Where Is the Teacher? using code WT30 or at this link to receive 30% off: https://www.routledge.com/Where-Is-the-Teacher-The-12-Shifts-for-Student-Centered-Environments/Wagner/p/book/9781032484716.

    (This interview episode is not sponsored.)

    Connect with Me

    On X @TeachersOnFire (https://X.com/TeachersOnFire)

    On Facebook @TeachersOnFire (https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/)

    On YouTube @Teachers On Fire (https://www.youtube.com/@teachersonfire)

    On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/timwcavey/

    Visit the home of Teachers on Fire at https://teachersonfire.net/.

    Song Track Credit

    Tropic Fuse by French Fuse

    GO! by Neffex

    *All songs retrieved from the YouTube Audio Library at https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/.

  • How to Build Belonging in Your School Community with Morgane Michael

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    🔥 How can we create a sense of belonging for every learner?

    🔥 How can we make the physical spaces of our schools more welcoming?

    🔥 What are 1-2 tangible daily practices that we can use to promote cultures of positivity in our schools?

    Join me for this conversation with BC educator Morgane Michael as she shares her insights on these and other questions.

    About This Guest

    Morgane is a teacher and mother of two boys in Victoria, Canada. She is also a coach, speaker, and host of the KindSight 101 podcast. She has written two books: From Burnt Out to Fired Up (2021) and Blueprint for Belonging, A: Building a Positive School Culture From the Ground Up (2024).

    Connect with Morgane

    • on Linkedin,
    • on X @MorganeMichael,
    • on Instagram @SmallActBigImpact,
    • on TikTok @Morgane.Michael,
    • on YouTube at Small Act Big Impact,
    • and at her website, https://morganemichael.com/.

    Tune in for my regular Teachers on Fire interviews, airing LIVE on YouTube every Saturday morning at 8:00am Pacific and 11:00am Eastern! Join the conversation and add your comments to the broadcast.

    In This Conversation (timestamps are clickable)

    0:30 – Who is Morgane Michael?

    1:54 – Morgane’s experience of not speaking English as a student

    6:28 – Is belonging actually important in the learning environment?

    10:20 – Daily practices that build cultures of positivity in our school

    17:17 – How to make our physical spaces in our schools feel welcoming

    23:37 – How boundaries contribute to a sense of belonging

    27:16 – Morgane’s sense of teacher morale across North America today

    31:15 – Morgane’s coaching services for educators looking to offer more

    34:30 – Passions outside of education: kids, working out, and travel

    35:23 – A productivity hack: the Pomodoro Technique

    35:56 – An edtech tool pick: Canva

    36:38 – Book recommendations: Atomic Habits, the Coaching Habit

    37:19 – Inspiring educators to follow: Tyler Comeau, Lisa Baylis

    38:14 – What Morgane’s streaming: The Boys

    38:58 – How to connect with Morgane and follow her work online

    Mentions: James Clear, Michael Bungay Stanier, Tyler Comeau, Lisa Baylis

    Connect with Teachers on Fire

    On X @TeachersOnFire (https://X.com/TeachersOnFire)

    On Facebook @TeachersOnFire (https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/)

    On YouTube @Teachers On Fire (https://www.youtube.com/@teachersonfire)

    On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/timwcavey/

    Visit the home of Teachers on Fire at https://teachersonfire.net/.

    Song Track Credit

    Tropic Fuse by French Fuse

    GO! by Neffex

    *All songs retrieved from the YouTube Audio Library at https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/.