Brave New Teaching: A Podcast for High School and Middle School Teachers

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EPISODE 132: THE YEAR TO COME - BOOKS WE CAN'T WAIT TO READ Dec 29, 2022

Show notes

It’s the last Brave New Teaching episode of 2022, and the time of year for reflection, goal-setting, and thinking about next steps. But first, books!

Today, we’re sharing our top picks of books we can’t wait to read in 2023 because if we’re being honest, that’s kind of a top priority for us. Books are a form of self-care, and that includes talking about them and finding different types of books to add to our TBR list. Does that make you as happy as it makes us?

You can check out all the books we mention inside this episode here:

Amanda’s list

Marie’s list

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Check out the show notes: https://www.bravenewteaching.com/home/episode132

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EPISODE 131: A YEAR IN REVIEW - THE BOOKS WE'VE READ Dec 22, 2022

Show notes

We are constantly gushing over our latest reads to each other behind the scenes, and realized that we should probably record these types of conversations for you!

As English teachers, books are a huge part of our lives, but not just in the classroom. We love books because they bring us joy, they entertain, they educate, and they can be a great way to connect with others. So, why not talk to you about the books that we read and enjoy?

Today you’ll hear our top books from 2022. Happy book browsing, brave new teachers!

Shop Marie’s list here.

Shop Amanda’s list here.

SHOW NOTES: https://www.bravenewteaching.com/home/episode131

Join Happy Hour: https://www.curriculumrehab.com/happyhour

Mentioned in this episode:

Get more Brave New Teaching each week:

Join BNT Happy Hour Here!

"Send us a message - please include your contact information so we can chat soon!"

Head to bravenewteaching.com/waitlist to become a beta tester for BNT University!

Support the show

📚 BNT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & RESOURCES 👩‍💻

EPISODE 130: TEACHER THERAPY SESSION: PERFECTIONISM & THE HOLIDAYS Dec 15, 2022

Show notes

Today’s episode is truly a gift to the Brave New Teaching community. It’s Amanda here, and I’m joined by my dear friend and life coach, Blair Wilson.

I met Blair during 2020 when I was taking my first steps in seeking out therapy and mental help support during the overwhelming experience of pandemic teaching. I knew that I needed to have someone to talk to in order to process through my aspirations, my issues, my questions, and all of the things that were holding me up in my personal life and making teaching particularly difficult at the time, other than the circumstances. Enter Blair.

In this conversation, we are focusing on the topic of perfectionism in teachers, especially during the holiday season. There are so many expectations from us during this season both at home and at work. All of this chaos can really take a toll on our mental health, so she is going to help us navigate through the perfectionism, realign our expectations, and just be more present in our lives.

SHOW NOTES: https://www.bravenewteaching.com/home/episode130

Join Happy Hour: https://www.curriculumrehab.com/happyhour

Mentioned in this episode:

Get more Brave New Teaching each week:

Join BNT Happy Hour Here!

"Send us a message - please include your contact information so we can chat soon!"

Head to bravenewteaching.com/waitlist to become a beta tester for BNT University!

Support the show

📚 BNT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & RESOURCES 👩‍💻

BONUS: CLASSROOM TRANSFORMATIONS: LISTENER Q&A Dec 09, 2022

Show notes

Enjoy a sneak peak of the content that will be coming to you on our brand new private podcast inside the Brave New Teaching Happy Hour!

You can sign up for Happy Hour here - https://www.curriculumrehab.com/happyhour

Mentioned in this episode:

Get more Brave New Teaching each week:

Join BNT Happy Hour Here!

"Send us a message - please include your contact information so we can chat soon!"

Head to bravenewteaching.com/waitlist to become a beta tester for BNT University!

Support the show

📚 BNT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & RESOURCES 👩‍💻

EPISODE 129: CLASSROOM TRANSFORMATIONS & "FUN" ACTIVITIES Dec 08, 2022

Show notes

As a teacher, do you ever feel like you have to choose between fun and rigor? Early in our teaching careers, we definitely got sucked into the “edutainment” culture, where we felt like we needed to constantly be performing. We had to keep things fresh and fun.

We quickly learned that that led to two things - burnout and poor classroom management. Not to mention that centering all of your lessons around fun often meant sacrificing some crucial learning time. Depending on where you are in your career, you might have a mixed up, bizarre relationship with fun too.

So what’s the answer? Well, most importantly, “fun” does not have to go anywhere! We’ve discovered how you can have the best of both worlds by linking fun activities to what you’re learning about academically.

We have split our fun strategies into three categories - classroom transformations, makerspace opportunities, and games. This is your permission slip to continue having fun, and your reminder that it’s possible to plan fun activities in your classroom that are wrapped up in your curriculum. It’s possible to find a balance!

Be sure to tune in to our next BONUS episode, where we’ll answer your questions about including fun in the classroom.

SHOW NOTES: https://www.bravenewteaching.com/home/episode129

Join Brave New Teaching's Happy Hour: https://www.curriculumrehab.com/happyhour

Mentioned in this episode:

Get more Brave New Teaching each week:

Join BNT Happy Hour Here!

"Send us a message - please include your contact information so we can chat soon!"

Head to bravenewteaching.com/waitlist to become a beta tester for BNT University!

Support the show

📚 BNT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & RESOURCES 👩‍💻

BONUS: GATSBY EXTENDED Dec 02, 2022

Show notes

Enjoy a sneak peak of the content that will be coming to you on our brand new private podcast inside the Brave New Teaching Happy Hour!

You can sign up for Happy Hour here - https://www.curriculumrehab.com/happyhour

Links mentioned in this episode:

Episode 128

John Greene’s Crash Course - Roaring 20s, Langston Hughes

Ted Talk - Paul Piff; Does Money Make you Mean?

The Balance: What is the American Dream Today?

American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures by America Ferrera

The Greatest Showman

Langston Hughes’ I Too and Harlem

Bodega Dreams by Ernesto Quinonez

A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry

Mentioned in this episode:

Get more Brave New Teaching each week:

Join BNT Happy Hour Here!

"Send us a message - please include your contact information so we can chat soon!"

Head to bravenewteaching.com/waitlist to become a beta tester for BNT University!

Support the show

📚 BNT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & RESOURCES 👩‍💻

EPISODE 128: UNIT MAKEOVER: THE GREAT GATSBY Dec 01, 2022

Show notes

Do you remember the first time you read The Great Gatsby? As one of the most commonly taught American novels, it’s likely that by now, you’ve also taught a Great Gatsby unit to your class.

Because it is so widely taught, you may have gotten stuck in teaching it the same way over and over again. Well my friends, we’re here to shake that up!

Over the years, we’ve found ways to make The Great Gatsby accessible, applicable, and engaging for virtually all the kiddos in our classroom. We’re excited to share these ideas with you today as we discuss what the process of a unit makeover could be like for a unit that uses The Great Gatsby as a vehicle for learning.

You’ll hear alllllll the essentials of a brilliant unit makeover - vision boarding, essential questions, and assessment. Plus, we’ll be jumping into the supplements of this unit inside a bonus episode of Brave New Teaching that will give you a sneak peek into what our new Happy Hour is all about!

SHOW NOTES: https://www.bravenewteaching.com/home/episode128

Mentioned in this episode:

Get more Brave New Teaching each week:

Join BNT Happy Hour Here!

"Send us a message - please include your contact information so we can chat soon!"

Head to bravenewteaching.com/waitlist to become a beta tester for BNT University!

Support the show

📚 BNT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & RESOURCES 👩‍💻

EPISODE 127: FALL FAVORITE THINGS FOR TEACHERS Nov 24, 2022

Show notes

As we celebrate American Thanksgiving this week, we know that we have so much to be grateful for here at Brave New Teaching! Mostly, we are thankful for you, our teaching community who continues to come back here week after week. We appreciate you so much.

To keep things fun and light, we’re going to do a special episode about some of our favorite fall things at work, at home, and more. These are things that are currently bringing us lots of joy and that we think you’ll love as well.

We’ve got quite the list of topics for you - from coffee, to gardening, to books, and even the dream of opening up a Mexican restaurant in Iceland…we’re pretty sure there’s something here for everyone!

We hope that this list inspires you to try some new things or even reflect on YOUR favorite things during this season. We all need those little things that make us happy! 🙌🏼

One additional thing that we know will make you happy is to join us in our new Brave New Teaching Happy Hour community! Check it out here.

SHOW NOTES: https://www.bravenewteaching.com/home/episode127

Mentioned in this episode:

Get more Brave New Teaching each week:

Join BNT Happy Hour Here!

"Send us a message - please include your contact information so we can chat soon!"

Head to bravenewteaching.com/waitlist to become a beta tester for BNT University!

Support the show

📚 BNT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & RESOURCES 👩‍💻

EPISODE 126: THE BEST THING I EVER TAUGHT: SUB PLANS Nov 17, 2022

Show notes

What teacher doesn’t love a good hack? We’ve all got more than enough on our plates, so anytime we can simplify a task to save us time, while still being effective in our teaching, it’s a BIG win.

Today’s hack is brought to you by part four of our “The Best Thing I Ever Taught Series” - sub plans!

We’re sharing our 5-step approach to stress-free sub plans that you can use time and time again.

The best part of these plans are that they model good teaching. You’ll be able to take care of yourself while also leaving plans that are reasonable, yet have high expectations and will keep moving students’ learning forward. You’ll be able to return to class without missing a beat!

Have you registered for our FREE masterclass with live Q&A yet? You’ll hear our three key strategies for making formative assessments work for you in the way that you need them to. Sign up here.

SHOW NOTES: https://www.bravenewteaching.com/home/episode126

Mentioned in this episode:

Get more Brave New Teaching each week:

Join BNT Happy Hour Here!

"Send us a message - please include your contact information so we can chat soon!"

Head to bravenewteaching.com/waitlist to become a beta tester for BNT University!

Support the show

📚 BNT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & RESOURCES 👩‍💻

EPISODE 125: THE BEST THING I EVER TAUGHT: ASSESSMENT Nov 10, 2022

Show notes

If we asked you what you get most excited about in teaching, assessments might not be at the top of your list…but it is for us! By the end of this episode, it just might be for you too.

Assessments are the star of the show in part three of our “The Best Thing I Ever Taught” series. Today we’re sharing two specific examples of favorite assessments that we have used with our students. Before you listen in, just remember that you can take these ideas and tweak them to fit the exact needs of your students - and that may take some trial and error!

If you are in need of some formative quiz ideas, be sure to register for our free new and improved masterclass, Down With The Reading Quiz!

SHOW NOTES: https://www.bravenewteaching.com/home/episode125

Mentioned in this episode:

Get more Brave New Teaching each week:

Join BNT Happy Hour Here!

"Send us a message - please include your contact information so we can chat soon!"

Head to bravenewteaching.com/waitlist to become a beta tester for BNT University!

Support the show

📚 BNT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & RESOURCES 👩‍💻