Things That Will Make a Truly Great Principal
10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
Release Date: 09/23/2024
Apple Intelligence and Its Impact on the Classroom
10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
In today’s ever-evolving educational landscape, technology is redefining how we teach and learn. With the release of Apple Intelligence in iOS 18.2 and macOS Sequoia, students and educators now have AI tools at their fingertips, embedded in everyday devices and apps. In this episode of the 10-Minute Teacher Podcast, Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher will cover: How Apple Intelligence integrates into apps, web browsers, and writing tools like Google Docs. A comparison between Apple Intelligence and Google's Gemini AI in education. Practical classroom applications, tips, and strategies to harness...
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From Ego to Excellence: Leadership Growth with Dr. Samuel Nix
10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
🌟 Leadership is not about ego; it’s about transformation. 🌟 In this inspiring episode, Dr. Samuel Nix, award-winning educator and Chief Academic Officer of Duncanville Independent School District, shares actionable strategies for transforming school culture, rebuilding trust, and leading with humility. Whether you're striving to improve assessments, foster thriving school environments, or grow as a leader, this episode is packed with insights you can use immediately. 🔑 What You'll Learn: How to shift from being a results-only leader to one who inspires trust and connection....
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How to Help Kids Use Devices Responsibly
10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
In this episode of the 10-Minute Teacher Podcast, I sit down with Jordan Shapiro, author of The New Childhood: Raising Kids to Thrive in a Connected World. We tackle one of the most pressing challenges for parents and teachers today: how to help kids develop healthy relationships with their devices. From cell phone bans to managing screen time, we dive into the heart of the frustrations many adults face when navigating technology with children. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: Why kids struggle with device self-regulation and how adults can help them develop this critical skill. The...
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4 Essentials for Every Teacher: How to Design Lessons, Engage Kids and Manage Your Classroom
10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
As a teacher, we must build our classrooms from the ground up. Today, veteran teacher and teacher coach and author of Always a Lesson: Teaching Essentials for Classroom and Career Success, Gretchen Bridgers, shares the four ways we build our classroom. From designing lessons that engage students powerfully to classroom management and student engagement, learn the fundamentals in this quick listen. And hear about the top level where all of us veteran teachers want to hang out "student ownership." Let's listen to what we can learn about building the best classroom ever! This episode is a...
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91% Proficiency: How One Teacher Transformed Reading Outcomes In Just One Year
10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
What if you could achieve a 40% increase in ELA proficiency in just one school year? Teacher Ezera Washington from Paterson, New Jersey, did exactly that—reaching an astounding 91% proficiency rate with her students. In this episode, Ezera shares her proven methods for improving reading test scores while building meaningful relationships with students. You’ll learn how to: Adapt teaching using real-time data and formative assessments. Scaffold complex content to ensure all students meet grade-level goals. Build strong parent-teacher partnerships to reinforce learning at home. Inspire...
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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:
info_outlineIn 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, What Makes a Great Principal: The Five Pillars of Effective School Leadership.
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 school leadership?
- How can principals build strong relationships with their staff and students?
- Why is servant leadership important in education?
- How do principals promote a collaborative school environment?
- What is the role of vision in school leadership, and how should it be developed?
- How can principals support teachers to help them grow and succeed?
- What characteristics do the best principals and teachers share?
- How can school leaders balance autonomy and accountability for their staff?
- How does a principal’s presence in the classroom impact school culture and teacher performance?
Whether you're a principal, teacher, or aspiring leader, this episode is packed with valuable lessons on how to lead with vision, purpose, and empathy whether you're leading a school or your classroom.
Sponsor: Mirrortalk.ai - Today's show is sponsored by MirrorTalk.AI by Swivl. This incredible verbal reflection tool for students uses AI to respond in a way that will help coach my students on the task at hand. Whether they are building websites or working on teams, the feedback helps me see where students are and coaches them to higher levels of performance. Go to coolcatteacher.com/mirrortalk now to sign up for your free, 60-day trial.
Show Notes and Full Transcript: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e864
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✅ WHERE TO FIND ME
🌐 Check out my blog: https://www.coolcatteacher.com
🐦 Twitter: @coolcatteacher
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📸 Instagram: /coolcatteacher
🔗 LinkedIn: /in/coolcatteacher
Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored podcast episode.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via cash payment, gift, or something else of value to include a reference to their product. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."