Episode description
Episode description
In this episode, Jeffrey Bradbury speaks with Jonathan Davis and Maureen Connolly, authors of 'Planning for Teaching Success: 30 Practical Strategies for All School Context.' They discuss the importance of effective planning, collaboration among educators, and strategies for determining learning goals and assessing student progress. The conversation also covers the significance of connecting with previous learning, organizing lessons, and reflections on their journey as authors and educators. If you are a new listener to TeacherCast, we would love to hear from you. Please visit our Contact Page and let us know how we can help you today! Conversation Takeaways- The book aims to help both novice and veteran teachers.
- Collaboration among educators enhances the teaching experience.
- Teachers should focus on the bigger picture in planning.
- Understanding the 'why' behind teaching is crucial for engagement.
- Finding joy in teaching can inspire students.
- Organization is key for effective lesson planning.
- Teachers need to adapt goals based on student needs.
- Formative assessment helps connect with previous learning.
- Routine and novelty in lessons keep students engaged.
- The authors emphasize the importance of community in education.
Chapters
- 00:00 Introduction to the Authors and Their Work
- 04:06 Planning for Teaching Success: Strategies and Goals
- 09:06 The Importance of Collaboration in Education
- 14:00 Determining Learning Goals and Assessing Progress
- 18:52 Connecting with Previous Learning and Lesson Pacing
- 22:57 Organizing Lessons for Effective Teaching
- 27:10 Reflections on the Journey and Future Plans
About our Guests: Maureen Connolly, is an Associate Professor of Education at The College of New Jersey and a consultant for CBK Associates. She has also worked as an English teacher at Mineola High School in NY for fifteen years and coordinator of service learning grants for the New York Metropolitan Area. Maureen’s areas of educational expertise include service learning, curriculum development, literacy, standards, and assessment. She has authored several books on these topics and is currently developing a five-book series with her colleague, Jonathan Ryan Davis, entitled "Building Your Teaching Toolbox”. This series provides over 100 strategies for developing positive classroom climate, unit and lesson planning, instruction and professional development. The strategies in this series have been selected based on interviews with K-12 teachers, in varied school contexts, from all over the world. The titles of author and teacher are add-ons to the title of mom for Maureen. Helping educators do their best work is both personal and professional for her! While the most valuable praise she’s been given comes from her children and her students, Maureen can brag that she has been awarded the title of Honoree for the ASCD Outstanding Young Educator of the Year, granted the LEAD Award in Education by St. John’s University, and she was selected by Teachers for the Global Classroom for an international fellowship in Morocco. Maureen’s international experience also includes teaching and professional development in India, Ghana, Peru, Spain, Romania, the Czech Republic, and Japan. At the core of her work, Maureen’s WHY is the belief that it is the job of educators to develop purposeful learning that opens students’ eyes to the potential for positive change in themselves and in their local, national, and global communities. Jonathan Ryan Davis is an Associate Professor at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) in the Department of Educational Administration and Secondary Education....