Teaching Beyond the Gradebook Tavis Danz and Tawny Reinhardt

In their first listener requested episode, T&T open a new season of TBTG (and a new school year), by examining what goes into a well-functioning and cohesive grade-level team. By providing specific strategies that are actually in your control, they offer advice to help you level up the way in which your team collaborates. In typical TBTG fashion, much of what they share goes beyond the classroom, and can be applied to any professional setting…even personal relationships.

This episode delves into the age old question every teacher, no matter his or her level of experience, has grappled with at one time or another, “Should I grade this assignment or not?” T&T not only define what is truly meant by “graded” but also outline three categories that any activity or assignment fall into which determine its ultimate purpose in the unit. They also discuss the “dark side of grading” and the potential harm that can be done if not done properly.

T&T discuss the myriad reasons to read aloud to your students no matter what grade or subject you teach. It empowers them, it enriches you, and it emulates the good that they can bring to their lives and the world. Sound hyperbolic? We dare you to give it a whirl...

As 2020 wraps up, T & T discuss the use of Socratic Seminars to boost student engagement during this odd school year set in the midst of a global pandemic. Check out the "how to's" for implementing this student-centered discussion format, including the linked resources here. T & T walk listeners through how to prepare for this activity and all the benefits of using it inside your classroom. 

T&T take a close look at self-care, a buzzword in education that often feels unattainable. After discussing what self-care is and examples of what it can look like, they give some simple tips about how to find the time for this vital part of a flourishing teaching career and life. 

In the second part of this language episode,  T&T discuss the potentially negative impacts that language choices can have in the classroom, from how to rectify negative interactions with students, to how your choice of words used for something impacts how it is perceived.