A Day in the Life
High energy, “teacher on the street” conversations with engaging practitioners on the exhibit floor of NCEA 2023. Hear from a principal about school culture and one teacher’s creative teaching...
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Conference Connections
How to make the most of speakers, workshops and conferences. Best strategies for maximizing the learning and camaraderie at teacher gatherings.
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Saving the Environment
Space matters when it comes to learning. It can be fun to create the ultimate Pinterest worthy classroom, but magic happens when the environment is perfectly suited to the...
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Sage on the Stage
It can be scary to give up control in the classroom, but we also know the ideal teaching methodology is giving students the opportunity to teach themselves and each...
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Running to Community
The pressures of school sports can be legendary, especially with the rise in club sports and specialization, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Building community while maintaining...
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Feeding the Fish
Conversation and participation can be a challenge for any classroom, but Ashley Schoeller uses the concept of a fishbowl to create robust, yet controlled interaction and engagement.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 11:21 — 15.6MB)
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Voice and Choice
When given the chance, students can thrive when allowed to participate in their learning environment. What if you challenged your class to “Choose a seat where you can learn...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 11:10 — 15.4MB)
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Describe and Guess
Show and tell takes on a new spin with fellow student trying to guess the special item using their inquiry skills.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 11:36 — 16.0MB)
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Robust Cross Curricular Learning Techniques
Catholic Teachers’ Lounge hosts Jill Annable and Colleen McCoy-Cejka welcome curriculum expert and Mr. Roger’s protégé, Joellyn Cicciarelli, to the lounge for a special deep dive discussion. Mixed with...
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We are an Easter People
Keeping the focus on Easter Joy during the busy, hectic and anxiety driven whirlwind countdown toward the end of the school year.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 10:50 — 14.9MB)
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Artistic Expression
Art can transform student understanding and appreciation of not just faith, but a multitude of topics, including science, history and reason.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 11:42 — 16.1MB)
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Sister Act
Experiences with nuns can run the gamut between eccentric, interesting and demanding, but their dedication and faith is always unmatched. What has been your experience with sisters?
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Passion for Palms
Traditions of the church can bring structure and comfort throughout the year. This is especially true for Palm Sunday and Holy Week.
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Public Displays
Catholic schools uniquely provide opportunities for public engagement, whether it is participation at Mass, presentations in class, or even activities in front of the whole school for various functions.
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Opposites Attract
By design, it can be helpful to embrace our differences as teammates as well as teachers to play to our strengths across curriculum and grades.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 10:56 — 15.0MB)
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Reward System
Reinforcing good behavior is the key to child development. Explore the long term impact of currency or other rewards on motivating students.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 10:53 — 15.0MB)
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Lessons Learned
The pandemic forced us to rethink the process of teaching and we have a great opportunity to continue experimenting with new models. What needs to be hands on and...
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Welcome Wagon
How does your school culture reflect radical welcoming? Do you have an official onboarding plan? Are students and families welcomed naturally by all?
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 10:31 — 14.5MB)
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Portfolio Precision
Testing for student progress can take many forms, but a great tool for assessing skill development over the course of the year is portfolio assessments. Learn how to make...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 10:36 — 14.6MB)
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Rocket Science
Rocket science development is driven by failure — but our culture says perfection is a must. Science teacher Isaac Forquor exemplifies training students on the benefits of effort over...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 10:31 — 14.5MB)
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Fearless Inclusion
Fear of doing it wrong gets in the way of effective inclusion efforts for neurodivergent students. How to embrace the beauty of belonging for all kids.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 10:48 — 14.9MB)
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Grading Discipline
What is the academic impact of students’ choices and behavior? Is the class grade measuring knowledge or the students’ ability to follow directions, or both? If not in the...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 10:29 — 14.4MB)
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Disciplined Discipline
Discipline is a necessary part of every teacher’s classroom experience, but there are ways to ease the process — even when parents and administration need to get involved.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 11:28 — 15.8MB)
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Schoolhouse Rock
Replicate these memorable Saturday morning teaching tools through song in your classroom. Let it trigger memories, discussion and conversation across a variety of topics and ages.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 10:09 — 14.0MB)
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Poetry in Motion
Helping learners of all ages remember the key points of content across science, history and theology, can be enhanced with a fun and interesting experiment in poetry.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 9:57 — 13.7MB)
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Leadership Lookout
Academic leadership comes in many forms and from many different sources. How do the new realities of Catholic education impact the next generation of leadership?
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 10:50 — 14.9MB)
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Ideation Creation
Books and movies change lives by introducing new ideas, expanding knowledge, and creating empathy for others. Hear more about how one teacher creates a fun book tasting event for...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 11:09 — 15.3MB)
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Failure IS an Option
Ideas flow on helping teachers help their students to hold themselves accountable through empowerment, accompaniment, and the patience to let them learn through their mistakes.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 11:14 — 15.5MB)
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Cursive as Art or Antiquity?
Controversy and conversation revolves around the topic of teaching students cursive. Join the discussion as we explore the positives and negatives and what’s unique about Catholic school’s approach.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 14:35 — 20.1MB)
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Ash Wednesday Social Stories
Ash Wednesday can be an overwhelming day for kids as well as adults when considering the full scope and meaning. Help ease students of all ages and backgrounds into...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 11:58 — 16.5MB)
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Fat Tuesday
Any change of season brings an opportunity for learning and growth and the beginning of Lent is no exception. Fat Tuesday can be a great day for celebration and...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 9:22 — 12.9MB)
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Project Runway
Danielle Iannelli brings out the funk and fun of grammar with an annual Adjective Fashion Show starring her 4th graders who create their own vivid description of their fashionista...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 10:18 — 14.2MB)
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Fidget Widgets
Navigating best practices for helping kids concentrate in the classroom is a tough assignment. The development of new fidget tools often blur the lines of what is a toy...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 11:06 — 15.3MB)
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Generational Pen Pals
Go beyond classroom learning with connections across generations as noted by principal Adrianne Van Norman and her Grandbuddy Pen pals for grades 4-6. This concept can extend from Kindergarten...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 10:05 — 13.9MB)
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Meeting Students Where They Are
Leaning on multiple intelligence research, Karl Sieglaff creates lesson plans to engage his students using visual, tactile, naturalist, interpersonal, and intrapersonal tactics — breaking the model of teaching to...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 10:41 — 14.7MB)
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Digital Dilemma Part II
Where does the love of reading come from and how is it impacted by technology and the lack of physical books in schools and classrooms? When reading to learn,...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 10:41 — 14.7MB)
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Digital Dilemma
Exploring brain research in the area of consuming and retaining content digitally vs. in print. What is the best way to engage and connect with content while still embracing...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 10:47 — 14.8MB)
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Celebrating Faculty, Staff, and Volunteers
The lounge is ground zero of school culture. We discussed keeping the lounge a place of culture in accord with Catholic virtue and acknowledged the times we’ve experience the...
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Celebrating Vocations
Prayerful discernment is at the core of any vocation assessment process — religious or otherwise — as we embrace the fact each of us is uniquely unrepeatable in the...
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Celebrating the Nation
What happens in a classroom doesn’t have to stay in the classroom. Local, state and national funding, policy making, and research depends on awareness of teacher, student and classroom...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 11:28 — 15.8MB)
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Celebrating Your Students
Classroom management tips are as much about maximizing learning time as it is about controlling behaviors, and purposeful call back techniques can reinforce your underlying goals.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 10:30 — 14.5MB)
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Celebrating Your Community
Whether it’s Catholic Schools week or not, extend the reach of students and school with creative community service projects and the natural conversation connections that come with them.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 10:43 — 14.7MB)
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From Classroom to Home
It’s empowering to know when classroom experiences get replicated at home, especially when related to faith. Classroom prayer tables are a great example of an idea that finds its...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 9:30 — 13.1MB)
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Station Rotation
While the benefits of learning through rotating stations in the classroom can be exponential, getting the students to perfectly implement the necessary coreographed movements can be a signifcant challenge....
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 10:17 — 14.2MB)
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Worship Fusion
Catholic worship can come in many shapes and sizes — especially across age groups of school kids. Teacher Michelle Hurley worked with her pastor to creatively approach adoration with...
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Data Driven Scheduling
School routines can support student development across grade levels when the right data is available and schedule blocks align. Notre Dame academy in Park Hills, KY created a universal...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 10:55 — 15.0MB)
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Faith-based Connections
Catholic schools are unique in their ability to build common connections through faith. Traditions and prayer experiences allow students (and teachers!) to share in vulnerability, hope and values, bringing...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 10:28 — 14.4MB)
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Finding and Being an Influencer
Teachers spend all day every day mentoring and supporting students, but what about your needs? Whether or not a formal mentoring process exists at your school, there are many...
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School Garden
Innovative electives, such as gardening class, bring a skillset to students through curriculum they wouldn’t otherwise experience. Shout out to school leaders who let teachers take on these creative...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 10:05 — 13.9MB)
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A Day in the Life: Teacher Interviews
Drama, drama, drama. Harnessing and inspiring student energy and passion through theatre and the arts in elementary school.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 10:52 — 15.0MB)
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