Building Thinking Classrooms with Emily Welu

03/15/25 • 32 min

20 Minutes of Teaching Brilliance (On the Road with Trust-Based Observations)

In this episode, Craig Randall interviews Emily Welu, a dedicated math teacher at Holy Redeemer School in Marshall, Minnesota. Emily shares her innovative teaching strategies, including building thinking classrooms, using story arcs for lesson planning, and creating a career wall to connect math to real-world applications. The conversation delves into the importance of teacher-student relationships, engagement techniques, and Emily's experiences with trust-based observations.

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Movement and Engagement in Kindergarten with Paula Dudgeon

In this episode, Craig Randall is joined by Paula Dudgeon, a seasoned kindergarten teacher from Holy Redeemer in Marshall, Minnesota. Paula shares her extensive teaching experience, the importance of fitting well within a teaching role, and her journey in kindergarten teaching. They explore the significance of movement in learning, the effectiveness of calendar time activities, and engaging students through active participation. Proximity control, formative assessment, immediate feedback, and differentiation are highlighted as key strategies in Paula’s teaching methodology. Craig and Paula also discuss the observation process and the value of supportive, growth-focused feedback.

Get in touch with Paula here.

Next Episode

Creating Safe Spaces for Growth with Amanda Jelen

In this episode, Craig Randall speaks with Amanda Jelen, a dedicated third-grade teacher at Holy Redeemer in Marshall, Minnesota. Amanda shares her teaching journey, the importance of building strong teacher-student relationships, and strategies for effective classroom management and engagement. She also discusses differentiation practices to meet each student's unique needs and reflects on her experience with trust-based observations.