Using Comics to Teach Chemistry (and more!)
10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
Release Date: 11/05/2019
12 Easy Ways to Teach Kids to Code: Hour of Code & CS4Ed Week 2024
10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
Get ready for CS4Ed Week 2024 and the Hour of Code with this special episode of the 10 Minute Teacher Podcast! 🎉 We’re sharing 12 practical and fun coding activities that will inspire creativity and teach kids computational thinking. From gamified platforms like CodeCombat to app development with Mad Learn, hands-on robotics, and unplugged challenges, there’s something here for every educator and student. 💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode: How to use CodeCombat and Code.org to engage students in coding. Creative ideas like Dance Party, Minecraft, and coding with Anna and Elsa....
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Teaching and Having Gratitude and Thankfulness
10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
This special extended episode is for family and friends to listen to in the car or around the holidays. It is from what I call my "legacy project," Cool Cat Teacher Talk, soon to be released as its separate podcast. In this, I'll tell you about the Cool Cat Teacher Talk Show project, why I'm doing it, and how it is being created and shared. Then, I'll share my 58-minute Cool Cat Teacher talk episode on Gratitude and Thankfulness. I hope you enjoy the show. Show notes:
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How to Get Kids Excited About Writing
10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
Speech-to-text, audio, personal drawings and pictures, and writing about things kids love are all part of helping kids get excited about writing. In today's show, we talk to 15-year educator Randi Ahrndt about encouraging kids to get excited about writing as we discuss interactive writing strategies and one of the best free tools for teaching writing. We also talk about an authentic project of having kids write a personal book and the various steps of making it happen. We'll explore how to leverage technology and interactive strategies to turn even the most reluctant students into...
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Practical Tips on How to Teach Reading from Jennifer Serravallo
10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
Sometimes, teachers can struggle to "fit it all in" when it comes to reading. What a relief it is to hear reading instructional leaders like Jennifer Serravallo talk about the artistry of teaching, how to overcome the challenges of teaching reading, and teacher autonomy and responsiveness. Jennifer also reflects on where the research is "fuzzy" in reading instruction needs more work and discusses where we go next (including the challenges of teaching children with changing attention spans). If you teach reading, Jennifer's show is a must-listen. Episode Highlights: Effective Lesson...
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NASSP Principal of the Year 2025: Dr. Tracie Anderson Swiley
10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
Dr. Tracie Anderson Swilley the Principal of Fairfield High School in South Carolina was named the 2025 Principal of the Year for the United States by the National Association of Secondary School Principals. Today we're going to talk to her about the culture transformation at her school that improved their graduation rate and built a school pride that is promoting excellence in everything they do. She also talks about school safety and how she has approached this sensitive topic. Listen to this inspiring principal and make your school a better place too. Show notes:
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An Interesting Interview with My Principal: Meet Jonathan Dyal
10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
This episode of The 10 Minute Teacher was a lot of fun. Not only did I get to interview my principal, Jonathan Dyal, but my film class, the "Sherwood Showstoppers," filmed the interview. (I'm so proud of how much they are learning!) After a tweet I sent out in October 2023, George Couros and Allyson Apsey invited me to write a chapter about Jonathan in their book out this year. (You can about what truly makes a great principal and the five pillars shared in the book.) Principal Dyal shares his philosophy of walking the halls frequently to stay connected with teachers and students,...
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How to Help Students and Schools in Traumatic Times
10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
In today’s episode, we discuss a critical issue many schools are facing—how to help students and staff heal from trauma. Whether it's a safety event, severe weather like Hurricane Helene, or individual traumas, schools across the nation are navigating unprecedented challenges. To help students learn, we must first help them process what they've been through. As Lana Penley says, "In moments of crisis, we need to provide space for students and teachers to process what they've been through before diving back into academics." I want to acknowledge those still in the midst of trauma, like...
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Things That Will Make a Truly Great Principal
10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
In today’s episode of The 10-Minute Teacher Podcast, we sit down with well-known educator and author George Couros to dive into his latest book, . With insights from educators, principals, and contributors from around the world, George discusses how great principals build strong relationships, encourage continuous learning, and create environments that elevate both teachers and students. (I also was able to contribute a chapter about my principal and we talk about that a little as well.) Questions Answered in This Podcast: What makes a great principal? What are the five pillars of effective...
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What Makes Kids Excited to Learn?
10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
We want our students to be engaged and to want to learn. Particularly since the pandemic, many schools have struggled to engage learners. Today's episode shows us not only how we can creatively include play in our classrooms, no matter the age group or subject, but also why it's never too late to re-engage students. Additionally, Dr. Nash shares fascinating data from a recent survey involving over 6,000 administrators, teachers, parents, and students that reveals the importance of student engagement and how play-based learning can drive meaningful educational experiences across all ages....
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The Spectacular Story of Quest Academy: Whole School Competency-Based Learning
10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
Nicki Slaugh is a trailblazing principal who pioneered personalized competency-based learning at Question Academy Junior High in Utah. Nicki's innovative approach has captured national attention, increasing student engagement, test scores, and teacher retention. In today's episode, Nicky shares the journey of shifting from a traditional school to a dynamic, customized learning environment where every student thrives at their own pace. Here’s what we’ll cover in today’s episode: How did Nicki transform her school culture to engage students and raise test scores? What strategies did she...
info_outlineScience can be difficult for low to average readers. Today, we'll dig into the power of comic books to help us teach difficult subjects to students by making learning reachable and approachable. C.A. Preece works to reach every learner by working to make science approachable and understandable.
www.coolcatteacher.com/e587 - to see show notes and examples of comics he uses.
C.A. Preece - Bio As Submitted
MY BACKGROUND
I am a high school chemistry teacher and have been for seven beautiful years, now. Using facilitated diffusion, knowledge was beaten into my fertile mind at Morehead State University and the University of Kentucky granting me the power of holding a piece of paper that says: Bachelor's of Science in Chemistry at Morehead State University as well as a Master's of Arts in Teaching. In addition, I have taken 30+ graduate chemistry and education hours from the University of Kentucky in the pursuit of a Ph.D. in S.T.E.M. Education.
Along with teaching and grad school, I write! My first publication was in July 2017 with CheMystery! A graphic novel aimed at providing quality chemistry knowledge through the lens of superheroes. Also, I do science consulting. I have had the pleasure of assisting Frank Barbiere, Greg Rucka and the creators of Doctor Puppet on projects.
MY PASSION
Teaching, science and reading comics! I love comics of all kinds but the ones that truly win my heart are comics with great characters and even greater science. This medium is a great way to communicate many ideas and since science is so graphic, I think it can be a beautiful marriage when done right.
Here are some of my favorite characters:
Marvel- Captain America/Black Bolt
DC- Firestorm
Indy- Dr. Solar
PANELS on Science in Comics
+ Lexington Comic Con 2015 with Bob Hall and Kody Chamberlain
+ D.C.'s Awesome Con 2015 with Duncan Rouleau and Tom King
+ Baltimore Comic Con 2015 with Mark Waid and Ramona Fradon
+ Lexington Comic Con 2016 with Matt Hawkins and Nathan Fox
+ Indiana Comic Con 2016 with Neal Adams
+ Lexington Comic Con 2017
+ Heroes Con 2017 with Josh Reynolds, Shari Brady, and Matt Brady
+ KSTA Conference 2017 on Using Science Comics in the Classroom with Josh Woodward
+ Derby City Comic Con 2017 with Megan Scholar
+ Lexington Comic Con 2018 with Jim Shooter and Erica Schultz
+ ConGlomeration 2018
+ Indy Pop Con 2018
Blog: http://atomicuniverse.org/index.html
Twitter: @AtomicUniverse
Instagram: @Atomic_Universe
Kickstarter: Fire! Salt! Slime! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1547322454/fire-salt-slime