Confessions of a PYP Teacher
Lu Gerlach
This podcast is for any teacher who is seeking for ways to enrich the learning in their classroom without breaking the bank. We will explore the simple steps on how to turn the traditional learning experience into one founded on practices of the PYP in 10 to 20 minute episodes. The PYP is part of the International Baccalaureate program, which focuses on developing the whole child by allowing students to create their own meaning from learning. If you’re not a PYP teacher, don’t worry. We’ll be sharing ideas that can be applied to your learning setting, because good practice can be used anywhere. https://thinkchat2020.weebly.com/podcast
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Top 10 Confessions of a PYP Teacher Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Confessions of a PYP Teacher episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Confessions of a PYP Teacher for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Confessions of a PYP Teacher episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
C11: Agency Deepens When We Take Ownership
Confessions of a PYP Teacher
09/26/20 • 19 min
In this episode, we will break down the complexity of taking ownership in our minds and our hearts. We will unpack the various stages on the Ownership Continuum, which support student engagement and buy-in to the learning process. You will walk away with five possible strategies on how to make ownership apart of your virtual, hybrid, physically distanced learning situation.
For a written blog post and other resources, visit: https://thinkchat2020.weebly.com/
C58: ATL Social Skills for Early Years (PK-K)
Confessions of a PYP Teacher
07/08/21 • 16 min
In this episode, we are trying to examine the social skills that early learners need in order to operate within the world.
Every time I enter an early years classroom, I feel the same energy. The room is full of young people trying to figure out the correct social cues and behaviors to properly participate in the classroom and school. They make mistakes, they make others cry, they cry, and the cycle repeats itself until self-awareness sets in. This is the magical part of being an early years teacher. You get to watch all of this self-awareness take place and you get to see these young people take more ownership through social skill development. It’s part of creating good humans.
For a written blog post and other resources, visit: https://thinkchat2020.weebly.com/
C59: ATL Social Skills for Elementary (1-6)
Confessions of a PYP Teacher
07/08/21 • 14 min
In this episode, we are trying to examine the social skills that learners need in order to operate in the elementary classroom.
As you enter the elementary age, there seems to be a trend that I have noticed in nearly two decades of education. The older the learner, the quieter they become in a traditional learning environment. This should not be the case in a PYP classroom, since learners should be posing wonderings, collaborating ideas with others, researching, testing out ideas, and forming conclusions. So, how is it that we are still seeing quiet students in the upper grades?
Our learners quickly understand that to be considered a “bright” and “good” student, they know when to speak and when to remain silent. This is part of developing social skills. In some cases, learners are afraid to speak their minds to avoid ramifications from the teacher. So, how do we fix this situation, so all learners are actively engaged in refining their social skill development while demonstrating agency?
For a written blog post and other resources, visit: https://thinkchat2020.weebly.com/
C55: ATL Communication Skills for Elementary (1-6)
Confessions of a PYP Teacher
06/04/21 • 15 min
In this episode, I am going against the norm and choosing a different ATL than the early years. It spoke more to me as an upper elementary teacher. One of the things I struggled the most with my students was getting them to analyze and interpret information and connect to their own lives. This is a difficult thing for most adults to do, so imagine being an eight year old trying to tackle it.
When I think of communication skills, I naturally see learners trying to make meaning of what is being presented to them. At this age, they are trying to determine if the message is clear and usually there are many misconceptions along the way. This is why learning how to communicate and deciphering the message of communication is so important.
For a written blog post and other resources, visit: https://thinkchat2020.weebly.com/
C50: ATL Thinking Skills for Specialist/Support
Confessions of a PYP Teacher
04/24/21 • 15 min
Hello to my friends who work with learners in the entire school. You have such a special role in touching many, if not all, of the students in your school. With that, comes a unique challenge to get learners to better understand the learning in your classes and give them the tools to become more independent thinkers.
Welcome to this episode my friends that has been crafted just for our specialist and supporting teachers. Ever since the transdisciplinary challenge, I’ve been seeking ways to include you more in the process. In the past, we have been talking about a lot of topics that can be applied to any grade level and situation. As we get into the approaches to learning and teaching, we need to start to diversify to meet your needs.
When I think of the ATLs, you naturally come to mind. You can easily apply the ATLs to your discipline or role, because your aim is to grow the level of independence within your learners. For specialists, you need to start thinking of how to wrap the skill development with your content focus. For supporting teachers, you need to start thinking about the learning objectives you have for your learners and how to pair them with the ATLs.
In this episode, we are going to examine the ATL thinking skills from your viewpoint. We will refer to PYP From Principles into Practice: Learning and Teaching from pages 26-38, since these are the more advanced learning situations you will encounter.
For a written blog post and other resources, visit: https://thinkchat2020.weebly.com/
C62: Self-Management Skills for Homeroom (1-6), Specialist, & Supporting Teachers
Confessions of a PYP Teacher
08/29/21 • 14 min
As a child advances in age, it’s assumed that they know how to manage themselves, because they are quiet, sit still, and complete assignments. There is so much more to self-management than that.
When I think of self-management, I compare it to ownership as part of learner agency. Both of them are more difficult to define, because it’s part of our being of who we are. We can’t do a quick strategy to develop self-management skills, which means they must be done over again through a duration of time. For those who want it one and done, this is going to be a growth area for you as you delve further into making it a vital part of your daily process.
In this episode, we will look at ways to increase learner self-management, so they can build up resilience through life’s toughest challenges. All of these ideas will be applicable for grades 1-6 homeroom, specialist, and supporting teachers.
For a written blog post and other resources, visit: https://thinkchat2020.weebly.com/
C86 (Challenge): Evolving our Practice with POWR
Confessions of a PYP Teacher
05/24/22 • 17 min
I’m so excited to record this episode on the 2nd birthday of this podcast! What a journey. I never thought I would ever record a podcast, let alone 86 episodes of my meandering thoughts about the PYP. It has been truly a passion project as I share with you my love of learning and I hope it’s helped you as well.
As we have gone through this Design Thinking Challenge together, it has been my pleasure to connect to two books that have really touched my practice this year. The Four Agreements and Pop-Up Studio: Responsive Teaching for Today's Learners have left the greatest imprint on how I think and craft my workshops for others.
At the close of this challenge, I consider the POWR of connecting thinking as we try to evolve as educators and learners. Let's unpack it together and apply it to our practice.
Pop-Up Studio: Responsive Teaching for Today's Learners by Misty Paterson
Paper Book
Ebook
For a written blog post and other resources, visit: https://thinkchat2020.weebly.com
Thanks for listening! Please find us on X @thinkchat2020, LinkedIn @lugerlach, Instagram @thinkchat2020, Threads @thinkchat2020, and Bluesky @thinkchat2020.bsky.social.
Join our Confessions of a PYP Teacher Facebook Group! Let's have some fun!
C117: How do we show the expectations of a school within the classroom?
Confessions of a PYP Teacher
03/20/23 • 23 min
This episode came from a question that was posed by Nirali Parikh, a transitional kindergarten teacher, originally from India that works at the Creation Village World School in Celebration, Florida. I’ve had the pleasure to work with Nirali on several occasions and she makes me think differently about the capabilities of an early years child. If you haven’t already, consider following Nirali on Twitter @NiraliParikh7.
Here is Nirali’s question: What are the expectations of a school ?
This simple question spreads its tentacles into every aspect of the school building. How are the expectations seen throughout the campus? One way I believe a school has clear expectations is that its practices align with the PYP transdisciplinary approach to learning and teaching. It’s visible as you walk through the campus within and beyond the classrooms.
We will explore this question and another by Emmanouil Zerai: @E_zerai, a PYP homeroom teacher at the International School of the Stockholm Region (ISSR).
For a written blog post and other resources, visit: https://thinkchat2020.weebly.com
Thanks for listening! Please find us on X @thinkchat2020, LinkedIn @lugerlach, Instagram @thinkchat2020, Threads @thinkchat2020, and Bluesky @thinkchat2020.bsky.social.
Join our Confessions of a PYP Teacher Facebook Group! Let's have some fun!
C70: Designing for the Learner with Disabilities
Confessions of a PYP Teacher
11/12/21 • 11 min
The practices we have shared in the past two episodes apply to all learners. Some will be overstimulated, while others will be underwhelmed. No child fits into one specific category, which was part of my apprehension in separating the students into designation groups.
At the same time, I believe there are some things we can put into place that will support a student with disabilities. As we know, there is not one size fits all, because there are varying degrees of needs that a student might have.
How does your learning environment support the needs of your learners with disabilities? Are you giving them equal access to the curriculum?
For a written blog post and other resources, visit: https://thinkchat2020.weebly.com
C54: ATL Communication Skills for Early Years (PK-K)
Confessions of a PYP Teacher
06/04/21 • 14 min
When I think of communication skills, I can’t help but think of you early years teachers. Our youngest learners are so curious about the world around them that they want to continuously ask questions, add comments to the learning topic, and make connections to their everyday lives. At times, it can be overwhelming the sheer amount of questions that early learners ask, but isn’t it beautiful at the same time? They have such interest in the world around them and they don’t have problems voicing their ideas or opinions.
In this episode, we are going to examine the communication skills that our young learners need to be able to harness their message and provide ideas in a logical manner.
For a written blog post and other resources, visit: https://thinkchat2020.weebly.com/
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FAQ
How many episodes does Confessions of a PYP Teacher have?
Confessions of a PYP Teacher currently has 187 episodes available.
What topics does Confessions of a PYP Teacher cover?
The podcast is about Courses, Podcasts, Self-Improvement and Education.
What is the most popular episode on Confessions of a PYP Teacher?
The episode title 'Confession #5 - Guiding the Inquiry' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Confessions of a PYP Teacher?
The average episode length on Confessions of a PYP Teacher is 17 minutes.
How often are episodes of Confessions of a PYP Teacher released?
Episodes of Confessions of a PYP Teacher are typically released every 5 days, 19 hours.
When was the first episode of Confessions of a PYP Teacher?
The first episode of Confessions of a PYP Teacher was released on May 25, 2020.
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