The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast | Education

It's been a difficult spring term to say the least. But chances are, you still want to find a way to end things on a positive, creative, meaningful note. This episode can help. 

Lab Atlanta is an innovative program connecting students with the resources and richness of Atlanta, and empowering them to make an impact through project-based learning. Find out more in this podcast episode with its founder, Laura Deisley, and start thinking about how you could incorporate aspects of its model into your own teaching. Find the show notes at www.nowsparkcreativity.com. 

After a flood ravaged his hometown of Cedar Rapids, IA, Trace Pickering helped lead a transformation in education through his innovative program, Iowa Big. Maybe our current crisis could give us an opportunity to reenvision school in America. Listen to this interview with Trace for inspiration.

Grab a smoothie and let's talk about life under quarantine. In this episode, I'm sharing five tips and resources that have stuck with me from a lot of online conversations these last few weeks, and then sharing a picture of life at our house. I hope it's helpful to you. 

Is your school closing due to the coronavirus outbreak? Here are some ideas for you to stay connected to your students and keep them working on their ELA skills, regardless of their internet access at home.

Hexagonal thinking is a powerful way to help students make connections between characters, themes, ideas, other literary works, and current events. But how to get started? This episode will walk you through everything you need to design an easy, successful hexagonal thinking activity for your ELA classes.

Wish your students kept talking about classwork out in the halls? Want to tap into the research when it comes to creating opportunities for deep, meaningful learning in your classroom? Of course you do! In this episode of The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast, learn from author and researcher Sarah Fine, who visited thirty schools across America with her co-author, Jal Mehta, to discover when and why student learning goes deepest.

Want the best of teacher tech? Discover five top tools for ELA teachers available in 2020. Screencastify, My Shakespeare, Kaizena, Flipgrid, and Anchor all hold wonderful possibilities for your classroom.

I've worked on so many projects this year, and not all the delightful resources, books, websites and products I've discovered fit neatly into a post or podcast. So today kick back with me and hear about some of the hidden gems I've encountered in my work this year that I think you'll love. 

Students always on Snapchat? Harness their love of the app with #booksnaps, a powerful reading comprehension strategy that brings annotation into the 21st century, whether students use Snapchat, Google Slides, Flipgrid, Seesaw, or some other program to create their snaps. In this podcast episode, learn how booksnaps came to be and how to use them with Tara Martin, their creator.

In search of creative elective ideas? Join my brainstorming session and hear my five favorite ideas for electives in 2020, then adapt them for your own elective proposal (or innovative new unit). As always, find more at www.nowsparkcreativity.com. 

Project-based learning is messy and sometimes, intimidating. But it's also AWESOME. In this episode of The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast, find out how two teachers are empowering their students by learning to understand their gifts, building real relationships with them, and jumping into creative community projects that make a difference.

Group Work in ELA: It's not easy to get students to navigate collaborative work well. There's usually someone who does all the work, someone who stays silent, someone who feels bitter about everything. It's hard work. It's extra hard because students are rarely taught HOW to collaborate. In this episode, discover five ways you can take the guesswork out of group work, and head to the show notes to find a free download that will make it sooooo much easier.

If you're interested in saying goodbye to testing and embracing progressive education, you'll want to learn more about Ted Dintersmith's trip across all fifty states in search of creativity and innovation, and about his new project, "The Innovation Playlist."

Want to get students excited about your reading library? Try First Chapter Fridays. This quick episode gives you all the details you need to get started.