K-12 Greatest Hits: Your shortcut to what works in education

One of our earliest concerns about generative artificial intelligence was that it would diminish students’ writing skills. This week we discovered that ChatGPT is helping students write more clearly and effectively when used well.

Follow on Twitter: @ideasforteacher @DrBioTom @jonHarper70bd @CFKurban @JBR_Kleinmann @bamradionetwork

Resources Mentioned: | ChatGPT | Bard | SAMR | Triple E | TPACK

Dr. Caroline Fell Kurban is the advisor to the Rector at MEF University. Caroline previously was Director of the Center of Research and Best Practices for Learning and Teaching (CELT) at MEF University. She also teaches in the Faculty of Education. She has taught, trained, and managed in schools and universities in her twenty-year career. She holds a BSc in Geology, an MSc in TESOL, an MA in Technology and Learning Design, and a PhD in Applied Linguistics.

Juli Ross-Kleinmann is an experienced Administrator/ Instructional Specialist who has worked in primary, secondary, and higher education and is skilled in authentically integrating educational technology, professional development, curriculum planning, instructional design, and organizational leadership. Juli has a Master of Science in Education (Administration & Supervision) focused in Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship from Fordham University. She served for three years on the board of ISTE and is an ISTE-certified educator.

Dr. Thomas Mennella has been an instructor in higher education for over ten years. Starting as a lecturer at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst and moving on to an Assistant Professorship at Delaware State University (DSU), Tom is now an Associate Professor at Western New England University in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Dan Jones earned a BS in Middle Grades Education from Ashland University and a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the American College of Education. Dan is an FLGI Master Teacher whose professional interests include e-learning, technology, and Project-Based Learning.

What are the most effective ways to restore a class that’s spinning out of control? We discovered that the answer depends on the grade level. An Edutopia survey identified the top 34 strategies to quiet a rowdy classroom. We review the findings with an elementary school teacher, a middle school math teacher, and an assistant principal.

Follow on Twitter: @dalorleon @mrs_frommert @EmilyAPaschall @Mr100Teacher @jonHarper70bd @bamradionetwork

Related Edutopia Article: 34 Ways to Quiet a Rambunctious Class | Edutopia

Daniel Leonard is a journalist and assistant editor at Edutopia, a division of the George Lucas Educational Foundation. He writes about classroom tips, tech tools, and the latest research in education. Prior to Edutopia, Daniel wrote for outlets including Scientific American and Scienceline, and has a master’s degree in science journalism from New York University.

Crystal Frommert, M.Ed, brings over two decades of diverse educational experience, spanning from elementary to post-secondary levels. She currently holds the positions of middle school math teacher and deputy head of secondary at Awty International School in Houston. Crystal is also a published author of the 2023 book When Calling Parents Isn’t Your Calling: A Teacher’s Guide to Communicating With Parents.

Jeremiah Short is entering his 10th year in education and eighth as a teacher, and he’s presented at the State and National level. He’s the author of Phenomenal Intervention: The Playbook and the host of The Phenomenal Student Podcast.

Emily Paschall, author and education leader, has served as a teacher, district coach, school administrator, professional learning trainer, and motivational speaker. Her passions lie in teaching, learning, and serving others. Her work is recognized around the world by educators who desire to learn how to create a climate and culture that promotes excellence.

We start the new year by reflecting on our experiences with generative artificial intelligence in 2023 and the lessons we learned. We close by sharing our most useful discoveries and how we plan to use them in the year ahead.

Follow on Twitter: @ideasforteacher @DrBioTom @jonHarper70bd @CFKurban @JBR_Kleinmann @bamradionetwork

Resources: ChatGPT | AI LABS |

Dr. Caroline Fell Kurban is the advisor to the Rector at MEF University. Caroline previously held the position of Director of the Center of Research and Best Practices for Learning and Teaching (CELT) at MEF University. She also teaches on the Faculty of Education. She has taught, trained and managed in schools and universities in her twenty-year career. She holds a BSc in Geology, MSc in TESOL, MA in Technology and Learning Design, and a PhD in Applied Linguistics.

Juli Ross-Kleinmann is an experienced Administrator/ Instructional Specialist who has worked in primary, secondary, and higher education. Skilled in authentically integrating educational technology, professional development, curriculum planning, instructional design, and organizational leadership. Juli has a Master of Science in Education (Administration & Supervision) focused in Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship from Fordham University. She served for three years on the board of ISTE and is an ISTE Certified Educator.

Dr. Thomas Mennella has been an instructor in higher education for over ten years. Starting as a lecturer at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst, and then moving on to an Assistant Professorship at Delaware State University (DSU), Tom is now an Associate Professor at Western New England University in Springfield Massachusetts.

Dan Jones earned a BS in Middle Grades Education from Ashland University and a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from American College of Education. Dan is an FLGI Master Teacher whose professional interests include e-learning and technology, as well as Project-Based Learning.

This week, we dove into AI image generators and how they can be used to engage students in higher-order thinking. We explored and shared the results of testing and comparing several AI image tools with real students in real classrooms. We also exchanged in-class projects and activities that were assigned to students, noting what worked and what we learned from what didn’t. We close with a list of 10 creative ways AI image generators can be used in teaching and learning.

Follow on Twitter: @ideasforteacher @DrBioTom @jonHarper70bd @CFKurban @JBR_Kleinmann @bamradionetwork

Resources: ChatGPT | AI LABS |DALL.E3 |Freepik| Canva |Craiyon | Picsart| Midjourney | Padlet | NightMare AI | Porsche Transformer |

Dr. Caroline Fell Kurban is the advisor to the Rector at MEF University. Caroline previously held the position of Director of the Center of Research and Best Practices for Learning and Teaching (CELT) at MEF University. She also teaches on the Faculty of Education. She has taught, trained and managed in schools and universities in her twenty-year career. She holds a BSc in Geology, MSc in TESOL, MA in Technology and Learning Design, and a PhD in Applied Linguistics.

Juli Ross-Kleinmann is an experienced Administrator/ Instructional Specialist who has worked in primary, secondary, and higher education. Skilled in authentically integrating educational technology, professional development, curriculum planning, instructional design, and organizational leadership. Juli has a Master of Science in Education (Administration & Supervision) focused in Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship from Fordham University. She served for three years on the board of ISTE and is an ISTE Certified Educator.

Dr. Thomas Mennella has been an instructor in higher education for over ten years. Starting as a lecturer at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst, and then moving on to an Assistant Professorship at Delaware State University (DSU), Tom is now an Associate Professor at Western New England University in Springfield Massachusetts.

Dan Jones earned a BS in Middle Grades Education from Ashland University and a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from American College of Education. Dan is an FLGI Master Teacher whose professional interests include e-learning and technology, as well as Project-Based Learning.

A 2022 study from the University of Essex and the University of Reading found that tone shifts significantly impact classroom health and student behavior. In this session, we discuss how to cultivate a warm, confident, firm tone that can minimize student misbehavior and create a conducive climate for learning.

Follow Twitter: @YoukiTerada @parrishlearning @AnnettePonnock @Jonharper70bd @bamradionetwork

Youki Terada is the Research Editor at Edutopia, a division of the George Lucas Educational Foundation. He leads the research beat, covering a broad range of topics from the science of learning to effective classroom management and assessment strategies. Prior to Edutopia, Youki was an educational technology, STEM, and informal science learning researcher at UC Berkeley and the Lawrence Hall of Science.

Annette Ponnock, PhD is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Yale Center Emotional Intelligence. Dr. Ponnock’s research focuses on teacher motivation and well-being, with an emphasis on urban schools. She received her PhD in Educational Psychology from Temple University and her MA in Psychology from the University of Santa Monica.

Nina Parrish has 20 years of experience in the field of education, where she has worked as a special education teacher, education center director, speaker, and educational consultant. Nina is the co-founder and chief academic officer of Parrish Learning Zone in Virginia and the author of The Independent Learner: Metacognitive Exercises to Help K-12 Students Focus, Self-Regulate, and Persevere. Nina holds a Bachelor’s Degree in psychology from the University of Mary Washington, a teaching certification in special education from North Carolina A &T, and a Master’s Degree in education for school counseling from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Dr. James L. Floman is an Associate Research Scientist at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. He received his Ph.D. at the University of British Columbia, where he studied the effects of mindfulness and compassion meditation on teacher emotion regulation and prosocial behavior with Dr. Kimberly Schonert-Reichl. Dr. Floman has three core research streams: 1) The assessment of dynamic social-affective processes (i.e., developing and validating EI and well-being measurement tools); 2) EI, mindfulness, and well-being training (i.e., developing, optimizing, and scaling EI and well-being-enhancement interventions for real-world applications); and 3) Affective neuroscience (studying mental training-induced changes in ‘emotional brain’ function and structure).

Every week, we explore new and helpful ways generative artificial intelligence can support teaching and learning. This week, we unwrapped a surprisingly engaging new resource that uses voice to teach and support students in novel ways.

Follow on Twitter:@ideasforteacher@DrBioTom@jonHarper70bd@CFKurban@JBR_Kleinmann@bamradionetwork

Resources Mentioned:ChatGPT Voice|Caroline Kurban’s YouTube Channel|

Dr. Caroline Fell Kurbanis the advisor to the Rector at MEF University. Caroline previously held the position of Director of the Center of Research and Best Practices for Learning and Teaching (CELT) at MEF University. She also teaches on the Faculty of Education. She has taught, trained and managed in schools and universities in her twenty-year career. She holds a BSc in Geology, MSc in TESOL, MA in Technology and Learning Design, and a PhD in Applied Linguistics.

Juli Ross-Kleinmannis an experienced Administrator/ Instructional Specialist who has worked in primary, secondary, and higher education. Skilled in, authentically integrating educational technology. professional development, curriculum planning, instructional design, and organizational leadership. Juli has a Master of Science in Education (Administration & Supervision) focused in Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship from Fordham University. She served for three years on the board of ISTE and is an ISTE Certified Educator.

Dr. Thomas Mennellahas been an instructor in higher education for over ten years. Starting as a lecturer at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst, and then moving on to an Assistant Professorship at Delaware State University (DSU), Tom is now an Associate Professor at Western New England University in Springfield Massachusetts.

Dan Jonesearned a BS in Middle Grades Education from Ashland University and a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from American College of Education. Dan is an FLGI Master Teacher whose professional interests include e-learning and technology, as well as Project-Based Learning.

We all agree that grading papers, providing detailed feedback, and maintaining consistency across 100 or more papers are some of the most taxing tasks on a teacher’s to-do list. This week, we met at the AI Cafe to explore how artificial intelligence can help, what works, ethical considerations, and pitfalls to avoid.

Follow on Twitter: @ideasforteacher @DrBioTom @jonHarper70bd @CFKurban @JBR_Kleinmann @bamradionetwork

Resources Mentioned: ChatGPT | Bard | Claude | NWEA | Eduaide | Magic School | Twee | DreamBox | Edmentum| ClassPoint | Curipod | Conker | Caroline Kurban’s YouTube Channel |

Dr. Caroline Fell Kurban is the advisor to the Rector at MEF University. Caroline previously held the position of Director of the Center of Research and Best Practices for Learning and Teaching (CELT) at MEF University. She also teaches on the Faculty of Education. She has taught, trained and managed in schools and universities in her twenty-year career. She holds a BSc in Geology, MSc in TESOL, MA in Technology and Learning Design, and a PhD in Applied Linguistics.

Juli Ross-Kleinmann is an experienced Administrator/ Instructional Specialist who has worked in primary, secondary, and higher education. Skilled in, authentically integrating educational technology. professional development, curriculum planning, instructional design, and organizational leadership. Juli has a Master of Science in Education (Administration & Supervision) focused in Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship from Fordham University. She served for three years on the board of ISTE and is an ISTE Certified Educator.

Dr. Thomas Mennella has been an instructor in higher education for over ten years. Starting as a lecturer at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst, and then moving on to an Assistant Professorship at Delaware State University (DSU), Tom is now an Associate Professor at Western New England University in Springfield Massachusetts.

Dan Jones earned a BS in Middle Grades Education from Ashland University and a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from American College of Education. Dan is an FLGI Master Teacher whose professional interests include e-learning and technology, as well as Project-Based Learning.

Student engagement remains high on the priority list this school term. Recent studies suggest keenly listening to students’ needs can make a significant difference. In this session, we explore what students really need us to hear and how we can improve our ability to hear what matters most to each of them.

Follow our PLN on Twitter: @brandihalverson @LisaPas220 @5Silber @bamradionetwork @jonHarper70bd @curriculumblog

Related Resources:

Orchestrating the Move to Student-Driven Learning | by Bena Kallick and Allison Zmuda
Inclusive Schools: Does Your Classroom Support Introverts | by Steven Weber

Brandi Halverson is a mental health professional currently working as a School Counselor. She has 25 years of experience in education ranging from elementary to high school students. Ms. Halverson obtained her Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health from San Houston State University. She plans to continue her career by pursuing her LPC and research in mental health studies.

Lisa Leaheey has taught English at North Providence High School for the entirety of her 23-year career. A lifelong voracious reader and movie buff, she spends every day sharing her passion for stories with her students, and she continuously seeks out new ways to elevate her students’ individual strengths and to support their individual needs. Lisa was recently named the 2023 Rhode Island Teacher of the Year,

Sara Silber is an award-winning elementary school teacher and a lead mentor with 30 years of classroom experience. Sara has written two blogposts, for BehaviorFlip’s Blog — “Social Emotional Growth Maps” and “A Teacher’s Journey Through Hacking School Discipline.” More recently, she authored a chapter in the inspiring book Thank You, Teacher. Sara enjoys working with her students and helping them grow and become independent learners. When she is not teaching or planning she is finding ways to support her colleagues. She loves to share her expertise, funny stories and other things that happen in the life of a teacher.

Dr. Steven Weber is an Assistant Principal at Rogers Heritage High School (AR). He has spent over twenty five years in education, serving as a teacher, administrator, and adjunct professor. His leadership experience includes serving as Associate Superintendent for Teaching and Learning with Fayetteville Public Schools (AR), Executive Director for Curriculum and Instruction with Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools (NC), and Director of Secondary Instruction for Orange County Schools (NC). Weber was a social studies curriculum specialist with the Arkansas Department of Education and North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. In 2019, Weber was named the AACIA (Arkansas Association of Curriculum & Instruction Administrators) Administrator of the Year. Weber is the past president of Arkansas Association of Curriculum & Instruction Administrators, vice president of Arkansas ASCD, and has served on multiple state and national boards.

It's fascinating; this is the first back-to-school season in the age of generative artificial intelligence -- historic. A middle school teacher, a university professor, an early childhood educator-tech coach, and an education researcher met to exchange notes on how they prepared to engage students this term. It's a highly engaged conversation among colleagues, sharing discoveries, aha moments, mistakes made with generative artificial intelligence, and lessons learned. It ends with a lightning round of AI tools the group found helpful and effective.

Follow on Twitter: @ideasforteacher@DrBioTom@jonHarper70bd @CFKurban @JBR_Kleinmann @bamradionetwork

Resources Mentioned: ChatGPT | Bard | Code.org | Google Experiments | Claude | Show Me Diagrams | ElevenLabs | Pictory | Eduaide | Magic School | Twee | Canva | Chatmind | Goblin.tools | Midjourney | Otter

Dr. Caroline Fell Kurbanis the advisor to the Rector at MEF University. Caroline previously held the position of Director of the Center of Research and Best Practices for Learning and Teaching (CELT) at MEF University. She also teaches on the Faculty of Education. She has taught, trained and managed in schools and universities in her twenty-year career. She holds a BSc in Geology, MSc in TESOL, MA in Technology and Learning Design, and a PhD in Applied Linguistics.

Juli Ross-Kleinmann is an experienced Administrator/ Instructional Specialist who has worked in primary, secondary, and higher education. Skilled in, authentically integrating educational technology. professional development, curriculum planning, instructional design, and organizational leadership. Juli has a Master of Science in Education (Administration & Supervision) focused in Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship from Fordham University. She served for three years on the board of ISTE and is an ISTE Certified Educator.

Dr. Thomas Mennella has been an instructor in higher education for over ten years. Starting as a lecturer at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst, and then moving on to an Assistant Professorship at Delaware State University (DSU), Tom is now an Associate Professor at Western New England University in Springfield Massachusetts.

Dan Jones earned a BS in Middle Grades Education from Ashland University and a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from American College of Education. Dan is an FLGI Master Teacher whose professional interests include e-learning and technology, as well as Project-Based Learning.

Many of us were consumed with teaching when ChatGPT entered the scene last year, so we had little available attention to give it.  The impact of this tool and other forms of generative AI has grown since then, and now it's essential to know the basics before we head back to school this term.

Follow on Twitter: @Angela_Watson  @sgthomas1973 @jonHarper70bd @bamradionetwork

Angela Watson is a National Board Certified Teacher with a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction. She has 11 years of classroom experience and over a decade of experience as an instructional coach. Angela created a website in 2003 to share practical classroom ideas and help other educators build a positive mindset to truly enjoy their work.  Angela has written five books and her site now impacts over 8 million educators annually.