BAM Education Radio Network

Amplifying the voices of educators sharing what works - Podcast Network Partners: ISTE | ASCD | Education Week | AASA | Microsoft - Weekly group discussions.

[BAM Education Radio Network @BAMRadioNetwork]

[PRIORITIES] What If we valued teachers like we value celebrities?
http://t.co/u9atVeU8I8 #NationalTeachersDay

[Jon Harper @Jonharper70bd]

We hear all the time how important it is to activate students’ prior knowledge. To be honest, I’ve always just assumed it was something we should do because it made sense. But I’m not sure I’ve ever heard anyone really dig into why it matters or how to do it well. This conversation does both, with practical examples of how to connect different units and why those connections matter. I found it really helpful and insightful, and I hope other teachers get as much out of it as I did.

Also, the concept of advanced organizers was brilliant. If you're like me and have never heard of them before, take some time to learn more about them. beforehttps://www.bamradionetwork.com/track/how-can-teachers-build-on-students-prior-knowledge-to-create-more-meaningful-learning/

[Errol St.Clair Smith @estclairsmith]

The conversation around AI and trust has evolved in the four months since we posted themes and categories that surfaced during our talks with teachers, parents, school leaders, technologists, professors, developers, and vendors.

We were seduced into going deeper down this rabbit hole by some of the initial comments:

Francisco J. Alvarez Gabriel, "I’ve focused heavily on how we intentionally use these tools to support learning. But as this graphic notes under Agentic and Ambient AI, the moment automation bypasses human agency or operates invisibly in the background, we risk breaking that crucial bridge of trust. The Value Tension matrix is the crux of it all....If we don't resolve that value tension first, any AI implementation becomes a 'house of cards'."

Mark Sparvell, B.Ed. , M.Ed. "You need to ask hard questions, and that's not, does it work? It's what is happening under the hood. How is it trained? How is data acquired, how is data traded, sold, shared?"

Jeremy Roschelle "Trust -- without it, AI in Education is heading to a brick wall. There's no magic wand here, and yet there are many concrete actions to move the ball forward."

Wheatley Moylan - "This is the most comprehensive and visually pleasing overview I’ve seen of these trust concerns. Very helpful, yet it also makes me pause."

Jeff Livingston - "I've spent a lot of my life marketing education programs, and that has taught me one thing: teachers trust other teachers, nobody else."

One of the most compelling comments came from Ben Kornell, who talked about the undervalued soft skills of building trust in AI.

We've been thinking about the most accessible way to share the nuanced, useful views we're hearing and finally landed on a series retitled Trust. AI Reels. They are one-minute short videos that either opened our eyes, pushed our thinking, surprised us, or changed our minds about some slice of AI and trust.

We're kicking off the series by resharing Ben's comments.

#edtech #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #genAI #agenticAI

[SoL in the Wild @SoLInTheWild]

What a lovely first review on Apple Podcasts for Teach Smarter: The Science of Learning!

If you haven’t checked out @StamStam193 and me yet, you most definitely should. In every episode, we talk with teachers about how they use the science of learning to inform their instruction.

We’re all about bridging the gap between theory and practice. 🎙️

@BAMRadioNetwork

[BAM Education Radio Network @BAMRadioNetwork]

“How does a field that I've been part of for 20 years publish 14 faulty meta-analyses on one of the most important topics of our generation?” That was Justin Reich, executive director of the MIT Teaching Systems Lab.

Last week we had one of those conversations where you leave thinking, everyone I work with needs to hear this. He gave me a 15-minute master class that revealed a broad blind spot in AI research, leaving us all vulnerable to junk science.  He pointed to a solution: awareness.

He invited some peers to discuss what to look for in a credible meta-analysis and how the field can produce more reliable AI studies.

Below is a one-minute clip from our chat.

If you’re interested, he’s doing a webinar today, October 20th, at 9 am PST. Can’t make it? Register anyway, and you’ll get access to the recording.

Here’s the link:https://t.co/GUQpjH8c6F

[Jon Harper @Jonharper70bd]

During this discussion, Dr. Christina Brown talks about how the attention muscle is something that can be trained. I think this is significant when looking for ways to improve our students' reading stamina. I must admit that my attention muscle has atrophied over recent years because I haven't been working on it. There is no magic cure for improving the attention muscle. We simply need to work on improving it. And, it doesn't always need to be with text that interests students. Students need practice with text that doesn't interest them. They won't always get to choose what they read in school and in their future careers. Rant over. Thoughts?
@christinalbrown @colbysharp @smorrisey @bamradionetwork https://t.co/Fd29O357iy

[Jon Harper @Jonharper70bd]

When budgets get tight, transparency becomes even more important. People can handle difficult news better when they understand what is happening and why. This episode looks at how leaders can communicate through those moments.
@PrincipalGarden @PJCaposey @bamradionetwork https://t.co/MgiLbGiTQZ

[Jon Harper @Jonharper70bd]

Ever wonder why students seem to understand a lesson one day and forget it the next? The latest Teach Smarter episode does a great job explaining why that happens and what teachers can do about it. Worth checking out.
@SoLInTheWild @StamStam193 @Helenrey @S_Oberle @bamradionetwork https://t.co/vpXWKkObnu

[Jon Harper @Jonharper70bd]

“You cannot see students being cognitively overloaded.”
That may be one of the most important and unsettling ideas from our conversation. @DylanWiliam @bamradionetwork https://t.co/EtP0MFhrpJ

[Jon Harper @Jonharper70bd]

I can't imagine teaching without mini whiteboards and yet last year was my first year ever using them. Looking back, I realize I need to practice white board routines on day 1. I will be starting instruction on day 1. They can get to know each other and I them "while" we are working not "separate" from working.
@AmberBHaven @AndrewWatsonTTB @SoLInTheWild @bamradionetwork https://t.co/tWU40sQQ8g

[SoL in the Wild @SoLInTheWild]

🚨What happens when you get two experienced teachers, one from the lower elementary grades and one from the upper high school level, together to discuss how they use the science of learning and the Model of Memory to support student learning? You get references to coat hooks, lounging in a beach chair, and slop.

The first episode of Teach Smarter: The Science of Learning has a little bit for everyone. Link in the next post. 🔗⬇️

@BAMRadioNetwork @StamStam193 @helenrey @S_Oberle

[Jon Harper @Jonharper70bd]

Dylan's admission that mini-whiteboards helped him realize that his students knew a lot less than he thought they did was powerful. He admits that this let him know he needed to change his teaching. While this discussion was mostly about the power of using mini-whiteboards, there was discussion about when it may not be good to use them and why.
@AmberBHaven @AndrewWatsonTTB @SoLInTheWild @bamradionetwork https://t.co/tWU40sRnXO

[Jon Harper @Jonharper70bd]

As much as I enjoyed this conversation, it left me torn.

I absolutely believe we should get students excited about reading and help them find books that spark their interest.

At the same time, I think we need to be careful not to make reading too easy. We also need to help students build the stamina to read longer and more complex texts.

Yes, I want students reading books they enjoy.

But I also think they need to learn how to read texts they may not enjoy but that are important and worthwhile.

Sometimes I wonder if we spend so much time thinking about what students want to read that we don't spend enough time thinking about what they need to read.

I'm not sure I have the answer.

These are just my thoughts.

Regardless, this was a terrific conversation with four outstanding panelists.

@christinalbrown @colbysharp @smorrisey @bamradionetwork https://t.co/Fd29O357iy

[Jon Harper @Jonharper70bd]

This was a balanced discussion on the use of or allowing kids to have cell phones at school. The part I have a difficult time with is the expectation or the proposal that teachers could or should spend time teaching their students how to use their cell phone responsibly. We have a hard enough time teaching the mandated curriculum. I am clearly against allowing cell phones in the classroom because as Doug shares, they fracture our students' attention. Heck, they are designed to do so. I look forward to hearing others' thoughts on this topic as I am sure we will be discussing this for quite some time.
@radiokeri @nationalparents @Rdene915 @Doug_Lemov @bamradionetwork https://t.co/PtbajarbJF

[Jon Harper @Jonharper70bd]

I had never taught using white boards until this year and now it is pretty much all I use. What I appreciated about this conversation that while we discussed the benefits of teaching using white boards we also discussed when not to use them and the danger of overusing them (I am guilty here).
@AmberBHaven @AndrewWatsonTTB @SoLInTheWild @bamradionetwork https://t.co/tWU40sQQ8g

[Jon Harper @Jonharper70bd]

I have concerns about allowing cell phones in the classroom regardless of the expectations or parameters that are set. I think their ability to fracture attention is simply too great. Having said this, I am not well versed in how to teach students how to use them effectively. I believe our students lack too many of the basic skills that should come before learning how to use their cell phone to help them in the classroom. I think modeling and teaching productive use of cell phones is something that shouldn't be on teachers' plates and definitely shouldn't come before teaching many of the basic skills that many of our students sorely lack.
@lkolb @ISTE_ASCD @Rdene915 @bamradionetwork https://t.co/qIjrVjSr1t

[Jon Harper @Jonharper70bd]

As the school year comes to an end I am still working on having all of my 4th grade students know their multiplication facts instantly. The thing is, they knew them in January and we practice them every day. This is frustrating but eye opening. In this conversation we discuss specific retrieval practices that teachers have found work for them. I have begun to revisit some of the strategies these last few weeks and I have noticed it has helped, especially having them recall their facts from memory and not just studying flash cards.
@smorrisey @effortfuleduktr @bamradionetwork @SciInTheMaking https://t.co/s7hTmwkb3I

[Jon Harper @Jonharper70bd]

My biggest takeaway from this discussion is that students can not possibly enjoy reading until we teach them how to read. It may sound obvious but I think far too often we try to get students excited about something they don't know how to do. I am certain that I have been guilty of this. Great discussion here.
@Jenschwanke @bamradionetwork https://t.co/XebTVo3pG7

[Jon Harper @Jonharper70bd]

This conversation does not treat AI in writing as a simple yes-or-no issue. Instead, it wrestles with the tension many teachers are feeling right now: how do we protect foundational writing skills while also acknowledging that AI is not going away?
@JSerravallo @MelanieMeehan1 @T_F_Berger @BAMRadioNetwork https://t.co/oI9HBcXo9Y

[Jon Harper @Jonharper70bd]

Retrieval isn’t just about remembering. It’s about building understanding and confidence over time.
I feel like our conversation connects those pieces.
@smorrisey @effortfuleduktr @bamradionetwork @SciInTheMaking https://t.co/DklMio6Gnu

[Jon Harper @Jonharper70bd]

It’s May, and many classrooms start to feel different as students become louder, attention spans shrink, and everyone in the room feels the weight of a long school year. If your class has felt harder to settle lately, this conversation is a reminder that even experienced teachers go through it too. Great suggestions here for teachers of all ages.
@dalorleon @mrs_frommert @EmilyAPaschall @Mr100Teacher @jonHarper70bd @bamradionetwork https://t.co/rACeqUzxza