SEL Games: Learning Life Skills through Games
10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
Release Date: 03/16/2022
10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
As a teacher, it is healthy to evaluate where we are in our career. Is what I'm doing now still a good fit? Are there changes I need to make? And more. Rob Donatelli has invented the Q.U.E.S.T. method of evaluating where.you are as a teacher and to help you determine how you should move into the future. We dive into this method in today's show to help all of us answer the ever-important question "Is teaching still a good fit for me?" Rob's book includes this framework. Show Sponsor: Modern Classrooms Project helps teachers bring engaging, exciting teaching to their classrooms. They...
info_outline An Innovative Mastery-Based Self-Paced Math Classroom That Works10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
Self-paced mastery-based learning has many misconceptions and misunderstandings about how it is being implemented. Today's guest, Joe Manfre, a math teacher from Hawaii, has been using this teaching method and has seen a positive improvement in his classroom in terms of student learning and empowerment. Joe clearly shares how self-paced learning is not about replacing the teacher with videos, but using instructional videos as a baseline of knowledge that can be accesssed both inside and outside the classroom. Joe also talks about formative instructional approaches in the classroom and the...
info_outline Free in 50 Languages: The Hedy Programming Language Phenomenon10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
Felienne Hermans is a middle school teacher one day a week, and college professor four days a week. She created a natural language programming tool in Dutch and English. After she released Hedy as open source, it became popular in many places and now has been translated into 50 languages and is spreading throughout the world. Hedy is a fantastic way to teach computational thinking and programming in an easy text-based way as students create flowers, music, and their own programs with the tool. Named after Hedy Lamar, both a movie star and electrical engineer who created a method used in...
info_outline How to Create Apps in the Classroom and Inspire Design Thinking10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
Students can build apps and collaboration skills at the same time. Today's episode features my friend Alefiya Master, the CEO of MAD-Learn, and the sponsor of today's show. We discuss the transformative role of app-building, collaborative learning, design thinking, and the importance of authentic learning experiences. Alefiya shares how app building can enhance STEM education and how it also teaches essential skills like teamwork, problem-solving, and passion-based learning. If you're doing collaborative projects and design in your classroom, you'll get practical ideas for how you can modify...
info_outline Unlock the Secrets: Expert Homework Hacks for Busy Parents10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
In this episode, I had the pleasure of talking with Brian Page, a former Milken National Educator of the Year with 15 years of experience in the education field. Brian is the creator of the Homework Hacks Course, designed to equip students aged 13 to 20 with research-backed homework hacks and independent learning strategies. In this show, we dive into the essential homework hacks that every parent and student should know, focusing on developing lifelong learning skills, enhancing organizational abilities, and promoting a growth mindset. We can help our children learn! This show is a great one...
info_outline The Energy Bus: 5 Ways to Elevate Your Campus Vibe10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
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info_outline How to Make Every Student Feel Valued10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
I hope today's show will provoke thought and thinking about what it means to relate to our students. Relationships may not be easily measurable but have a significant impact on student achievement. Today, for Though Leader Thursday, we are talking to Tom Hierck, 41-year educator, and author of 25 books. Tom shares how a sense of belonging is crucial for students' success and self-actualization. He gives suggestions for schools that help them frame school behavior and understand students' dreams, needs and abilities in a way we can put into our classroom practice. Tom also emphasizes the need...
info_outline 3 Ways to Be a Less Stressed Educator10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
How are you doing, educators? Are you stressed? While that can be typical, we also want to consider the habits that will help us teach long-term with a high quality of life. Today will be a refreshing encouragement for educators everywhere. Learn how to set boundaries, embrace self-care, and manage your mindset to transform stress into strength. This is a great show for teachers to see balance and encouragement so they can be their best in the classroom. Today, I interviewed Barb Flowers, an elementary school principal and host of the Teacher Burnout Podcast and the Less Stressed Principal...
info_outline A New Essential Formative Feedback Tool for Project Based Learning10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
In today's Tech Tuesday, I record my screen as I make a custom GPT to evaluate my student websites. This is being released as a podcast and as a YouTube video. First, I make the custom GPT and talk through how that happens. Then, I load it onto my phone and have students take pictures of their web pages and receive feedback on them. This is much faster than you think and is so very useful. When you listen, you'll see how AI can provide a valuable feedback mechanism for student projects, even those with many visual elements and in this case, graphic design needs. Show Notes and Link to YouTube...
info_outline Empowering New Teachers: Insights from Alex Kajitani, the Rapping Mathematician10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
Today, I interview Alex Kajitani, the 2009 California Teacher of the Year, and a Top-4 Finalist for National Teacher of the Year and author of the book "You're a Teacher Now, What's Next?" In this podcast, we offer encouragement for new teachers and old alike with an emphasis on those in their first year of teaching and how it feels to be at this point in the school year. Alex emphasizes the importance of finding hope and perspective in teaching and shares how any teacher can start fresh at any point in the year to improve their practice. This podcast is full of fresh from the classroom...
info_outlineThe harsh reality of classroom life is that students and teachers both report lower motivation and morale right now. We must reengage students! Games can help us! SEL games can help you teach social-emotional learning skills and life skills. Today’s expert, Dr. Matthew Farber, gives us an interesting twist on games by integrating them with SEL. He has practical ideas for understanding and using game-based learning in the classroom.
Games make a great addition to every teacher's toolkit. From board games, in-class games, or video games, students love them! So, let me encourage you to take some time to learn about SEL games today in this podcast.
8 Actions Teachers Can Take After Reading this Post and Listening to This Podcast
- Understand that parents do not typically like the term social-emotional learning and prefer the term “life skills” but as you teach life skills, they want to partner with teachers in the process.
- Understand games can be a powerful way to teach life skills
- Find some games to try with students in class
- Understand the concept of asymmetrical game design and how it can teach teamwork. Educators should look for games with asymmetrical design as they test games for the classroom.
- Understand the concept of situational game design and how it can open up conversation in the classroom.
- Understand that the Nintendo switch can be hooked to a projector and passed around the room to create conversations about situational games.
- Check out 16 links for game-based learning resources.
- Look at practical classroom resources to dig deeper into game-based learning and SEL
Resources Transcript and Show notes: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e771
Thank You Advancement Courses:
Thank you Advancement Courses for sponsoring today’s show. This month, Advancement Courses is kicking off their annual Tournament of Teachers bracket challenge where educators can win up to $2,000 in prizes. This year’s “Mischief-Makers Edition'' features some of the most incorrigible students from literature and film, including Draco Malfoy, Veruca Salt, Bart Simpson, and Ferris Bueller. From now until March 20, choose which mischief-maker you’d rather teach and submit your bracket in order to play. Then from March 21-30, you’ll have a chance to come back and vote for your favorites to advance. Enter now and you could win prizes like a $1,000 Amazon gift card and more. Visit www.coolcatteacher.com/tournament/ to learn more and submit your brackets!