Podcast Archives - Spencer Education

Jan 21 2026

The Push and the Pull Needed to Help Students Focus

By John Spencer Creativity, Depth Advantage, Podcast No Comments

Focus is no longer our default. It's not something that tends to happen by accident anymore. In a culture built on notifications, infinite scroll, and instant answers, students need both a pull toward deeper thinking and a push away from the distractions that steal their…

Jan 13 2026

The Human Advantage: Nine Skills We Can’t Afford to Lose in an AI-Powered World

By John Spencer Artificial Intelligence, Creativity, Podcast No Comments

With AI becoming a helpful tool in education, it’s easy to see the benefits of quick access to information, personalized support, and the efficiency that technology can bring. However, as we embrace these tools, we also want to preserve and nurture the learning experiences that…

Jan 06 2026

Brett Fischer on AI and Teacher Creativity

By John Spencer Artificial Intelligence, Creativity, Podcast No Comments

In my latest episode, Brett Fischer talks about how AI is transforming teacher creativity. I loved his practical insights and depth of knowledge on this subject. Listen to the Podcast If you enjoy this blog but you’d like to listen to it on the go,…

Jan 02 2026

Designing Socratic Seminars to Ensure That All Students Can Participate

By John Spencer Empowering Students, Podcast 19 Comments

Socratic seminars are a democratic, student-centered, approach to class discussions. They can be used at any grade level with any subject area. In a Socratic Seminar, members meet in a circle (or more likely an oval, because, let’s be real, circles are really hard to…

Dec 03 2025

How Will AI Transform Creative Thinking?

By John Spencer Artificial Intelligence, Creativity, Podcast No Comments

As AI becomes becomes more pervasive in our daily work, we often wrestle with a big question: what should we automate and what should we protect as deeply human? We experience this profoundly in creative work. We are drawn to the speed and efficiency of…

Oct 29 2025

Using AI to Spark Deeper Learning

By John Spencer Artificial Intelligence, Creativity, Depth Advantage, Podcast No Comments

AI represents both a dream and a warning for education. On one hand, it offers personalized feedback, instant support, and creative possibilities that can make learning more dynamic than ever. On the other, it tempts us toward speed over depth, efficiency over understanding, and convenience…

Oct 21 2025

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. I kept a list of specific strategies I would use in…

Oct 14 2025

Students Need to Explore the Nature of AI

By John Spencer Artificial Intelligence, Podcast, Technology and Media Literacy 5 Comments

In 2014, Microsoft launched a hugely successful AI bot named Xiaoice in China. With over forty million conversations, users often described feeling as though they were interacting with a real human. Microsoft founder Bill Gates described it this way, “'Xiaoice has attracted 45 million followers…

Sep 17 2025

Rethinking How We Use AI for Writing

By John Spencer Artificial Intelligence, Podcast No Comments

We keep talking about AI in schools like it is either a miracle or a menace, and that either-or mindset steers us into two dead ends. One path hands the wheel to the tool and mistakes novelty for real learning. The other path locks everything…

Sep 10 2025

The Surprising Element for Empowering Your Students in Collaboration

By John Spencer Creativity, Depth Advantage, Empowering Students, Podcast No Comments

Collaboration is one of the most powerful forces in learning. Yet it can also be one of the hardest things to cultivate. Too often, students struggle to share ideas, listen to one another, or take creative risks. At the center of this struggle is something…

Dr. John Spencer

As a former middle school teacher and current full-time professor and best-selling author, I’m a big believer in empowering students (and teachers) through the power of creativity. Whether you sign up for one of my online courses, enroll in one of my cohorts or invite me to spend time with your staff, I promise you’ll walk away with a fresh perspective and new ideas to transform your classroom.

Podcast

The Push and the Pull Needed to Help Students Focus

The Human Advantage: Nine Skills We Can’t Afford to Lose in an AI-Powered World

Brett Fischer on AI and Teacher Creativity

Designing Socratic Seminars to Ensure That All Students Can Participate

How Will AI Transform Creative Thinking?

Using AI to Spark Deeper Learning

Empowering Students to Self-Select the Scaffolds

Students Need to Explore the Nature of AI

Rethinking How We Use AI for Writing

The Surprising Element for Empowering Your Students in Collaboration

Dr. John Spencer

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