Advertise on podcast: The Thoughtful Teacher Podcast

Rating

★★★★★

from

4 reviews

Description

The Thoughtful Teacher podcast shares the stories of educators who have implemented innovative or creative solutions within their space. These stories and commentaries empower educators by sharing a world of ideas that can enhance pedagogical choices and decrease the isolation many teachers experience. We introduce listeners to school-based educators, thinkers, and researchers who have powerful ideas and innovations that makes teaching and learning more meaningful for your students. We also occasionally offer commentary on practice and policy to help navigate the complexity of our profession.

Unlock The Thoughtful Teacher Podcast podcast Email contact info,
Listeners & Audience details

Email contact information

Direct podcast contact details

Listeners

Audience numbers & engagement insights

Audience details

Podcast Insights

Podcast episodes

Check latest episodes from The Thoughtful Teacher Podcast podcast

Teaching All Students about Climate Action with Laura Schifter

2026/02/03

Send us a text Aspen Institute Senior Fellow Laura Schifter shares about her work at This Is Planet Ed-part of the Aspen Institute's Energy and Environment Program. This Is Planet Ed an initiative to unlock the power of education as a force for climate solutions to empower the rising generation to lead a sustainable and resilient future. In this conversation we discuss why learning about climate action should be part of the content in all classes and we'll share some actionable ideas for classrooms and schools. Links: This Is Planet Ed Laura Schifter, Ed.D. Subject to Climate - teacher resources

Yes! Grammar can be Fun to Teach with Patty McGee

2026/01/13

Send us a text It's happened to all of us we have to teach grammar and our teeth clench because we hate it. Almost all teachers have some writing instruction, but the grammar lessons remind us of all the red ink on our own papers when we were in school-so we find work arounds and avoid. In this episode Patty McGee, co-author of the new book Not Your Granny's Grammar, shares that it doesn't have to be like that. Links Patty’s website Not Your Granny’s Grammar book from Corwin Press

Our Students say They Feel Free: Outdoor Learning with Kyra Stepenson

2025/12/09

Send us a text School-based nature educator Kyra Stephenson shares how she developed the nature-based learning program at her school in New York and shares stories about how this program promotes learning with her students.

SEL Works for Every Student with Christina Cipriano

2025/11/18

Send us a text Christina Cipriano led a research team that studied over 250 social emotional learning programs worldwide again demonstrating that SEL is effective and essential to promote positive outcomes for all students. In this conversation we discuss why SEL is so important and how your school should approach developing daily, quality SEL interventions for students and why every teacher must intentionally work to promote SEL with all students.

Professional Learning for Teachers to Thrive with Anne Podolsky

2025/10/28

Send us a text Anne Podolsky of the Learning Policy Institute shares the latest research trends in effective teacher professional learning. Some of the findings-particularly on learning environments for experienced teachers may be surprising. What is not surprising is that the collegial professional learning environment of a school has a huge effect on student academic and social emotional learning.

Joy and Empowerment in Teaching with Missy Testerman

2025/10/07

Send us a text National Teacher of the Year for 2024-2025 Missy Testerman uses her position to advocate for the teaching profession. In this conversation, she shares how even in times of stress and upheaval there is great joy and positivity in the education profession.

Why Have We Never Heard of Catharine Beecher? with R. Lee Wilson

2025/09/18

Send us a text She taught, she founded schools, she was published widely, she demonstrated that women and girls could achieve academically at the same levels as men and boys. She became one of the most famous women of her time in the 19th century. Yet, almost none of us have ever heard of Catharine Beecher (even those who know of her famous younger sister). In this episode biographer R. Lee Wilson shares the story of one of the most influential educators that you have never heard of and why he believes you should know how Catharine Beecher changed American education for the better.

PBS Stations Still Stand by Teachers with Robyn Stringfellow

2025/08/26

Send us a text At both the local and national levels PBS stations are facing serious challenges. Yet, they keep providing some of the most helpful and robust resources for educators. In this conversation local PBS educator Robyn Stringfellow shares how PBS stations support the work of teachers-and will continue to do so in the future!

Every Conversation Matters with Erika Bare and Tiffany Burns

2025/05/20

Send us a text Every interaction with every student is important, but how we structure (and yes, even plan) our conversations have an enormous impact on how students learn and achieve. In this conversation Erika Bare and Tiffany Burns, authors of Connecting Through Conversation: A Playbook for Talking with Students, share their strategies building connecting relationships with students.

Build the Ecosystem for Great Conversations about Race with Matthew R. Kay

2025/04/29

Send us a text English teacher and author Matthew R. Kay shares how to build the classroom ecosystem for having meaningful conversations in the classroom, especially conversations about race in America. In this conversation he shares several interventions he uses and discusses how to craft great questions that lead to quality conversations in the classroom.

Our Kids Want to Have Difficult Conversations with Matthew Hawn

2025/04/15

Send us a text Matthew Hawn used to be a social studies teacher until he was fired. He had his day in court and won, but instead of being reinstated the school board appealed. In this conversation, Matt shares his story, his thoughts on teaching controversial issues and how the community and particularly his former students have reacted. Despite many setbacks, he continues to be optimistic about the future and his desire to return to the classroom.

How Trees Support Learning with Albert Garcia

2025/03/25

Send us a text Have you ever noticed that tree-lined streets and neighborhoods with lots of trees seem appealing? Have you ever thought that your school or the area around campus could use more trees? Well, it turns out that trees do more than just make things look nice: having a lot of trees on campus and near a school actually improves achievement (yes for real!). In this episode of The Thoughtful Teacher Podcast Albert Garcia shares research that directly connects a fuller tree canopy with improved student achievement and he tells why planting trees is one the strategies for student success.

Building Design for Learning with Willam Browning and James Determan

2025/02/25

Send us a text Most teachers know that the physical space in schools and classrooms matter for student learning, health and wellness. But often teachers are using guesswork when they make decisions about physical spaces that are conducive to learning. Design consultant Bill Browning and architect Jim Determan are practitioners and researchers on biophilic design. In this conversation they share the research on how to create spaces that support student learning and wellness and share ideas for educators to turn their own physical spaces into learning spaces.

Relating to Kids Through Storytelling with Jerry Kolber

2025/02/04

Send us a text In this conversation, self-described "bad student" Jerry Kolber shares insights from his work producing kid friendly media and how good storytelling can help teachers connect with students. Jerry is co-founder of Atomic Entertainment which produces kid-friendly programming like Brain Games and the podcast Who Smarted.

Using the Arts for a Classroom Culture of Care with Maggie Broderick

2025/01/14

Send us a text Dr. Maggie Brodkerick shares her past experiences as a music teacher and her current work as a professor to tell how teachers can create a culture of caring in their classrooms-while also maintaining academic rigor. Many students are sometimes not connected to teachers or other students for a variety of reasons, but teachers can integrate the arts and social emotional learning to reach and engage all students. Links Maggie Broderick’s faculty page at National University National University homepage Harmony Academy resource mentioned in conversation Sir Ken Robinson’s well known TED Talk