Empowering Students Archives - Page 2 of 4

Jan 31 2022

Empowering Students to Self-Select the Scaffolds

By John Spencer Empowering Students, Podcast 2 Comments

When I was a new teacher, I had a goal of differentiating instruction for every student. I would provide additional directions, project sheets, tutorials, and small group instruction for any student who needed help. My main focus was on providing the necessary accommodations on IEPs…

Jan 17 2022

Why I’m Not Too Worried About Learning Loss

By John Spencer Creativity, Empowering Students, Podcast 5 Comments

All three of my kids have missed a significant number days because of the need to quarantine. The Omicron variant is sweeping through our neighborhoods and our local school district recently created a no-contact day this last Friday. Many caregivers and community members are concerned…

Oct 04 2021

Empower symbol with fist and lightning bolts

You Don’t Have to Be a Martyr to Do Student-Centered Learning

By John Spencer Creativity, Empowering Students, Podcast, Teacher Life 4 Comments

It's been quite a year so far in American education. Between school board battles over Critical Race Theory to protests over mask mandates, we are seeing significant social strife playing out in the context of our schools. We're also seeing school staff shortages, leading to…

Jul 26 2021

Less Work. More Reading.

By John Spencer Creativity, Empowered Readers, Empowering Students, Podcast One Comment

This is part of a series on empowering readers. If you're interested, I also have a self-paced course where I walk you through practical ways that you can empower your students in the reading process. Some people say that it's better to ask forgiveness than…

Apr 12 2021

Clement Townsend on How Video Journalism Can Empower Students with Voice and Choice

By John Spencer Empowering Students, Literacy, Podcast 2 Comments

In this podcast episode, I interview Clement Townsend about the importance of journalism and multimedia composition in the classroom. Clement Townsend has valuable real-world experience in journalism as well as teaching and mentoring experience at the K-12 level. In this episode, he shares practical insights…

Feb 26 2021

Thom Gibson on Designing Student Jobs that Empower the Classroom Community

By John Spencer Empowering Students, Podcast One Comment

Teachers have been using student jobs for years but sometimes a classic idea can use a makeover in an age of hybrid learning, remote learning, and blended learning. In this podcast episode, I interview Thom Gibson, who has thought strategically about how to use classroom…

Aug 24 2020

5 Ways to Get to Know Your Students in Virtual and Hybrid Environments

By John Spencer Distance Learning, Empowering Students, Podcast 6 Comments

As an educator, you are a community builder. From day one, you getting to know your students on a relational level. It’s often in the little things, like sending an email the first time they miss a virtual class session. It’s what happens when you…

May 11 2020

Seven Reasons to Pilot Genius Hour Projects

By John Spencer Creativity, Empowering Students, Podcast, Student Choice 7 Comments

Genius Hour (or 20% Time) projects begin with a simple idea: give students a dedicated period of time to pursue their passions, interests, and questions in a creative way. In this blog post and podcast, we explore the benefits of doing Genius Hour projects. This…

May 06 2020

4 Ways to Craft Choice Menus in Distance Learning Classes

By John Spencer Creativity, Distance Learning, Empowering Students, Podcast 13 Comments

I have three kids ranging from older elementary to high school. Each one of them is handling distance learning differently. My daughter, who is also the youngest, initially felt overwhelmed at the list of assignments that popped up each Monday and the scheduled meetings twice…

Jan 19 2020

Empowered Teachers Empower Students

By John Spencer Creativity, Empowering Students, Podcast 3 Comments

I have a bobble head of myself on the bookshelves in my office. It's a bit of an Easter egg that you can find in some of my videos. On the surface, this item seems arrogant and excessive. And yet, I didn't buy the bobble…