The Teachers' Classroom

Learn about Illinois Education & Technology Conference (IETC), Raising Student Achievement Conference (RSAC), Educating Mindfully Conference (EMCon), The Teacher Leadership Summit (TLS), and The Illinois Digital Educators Alliance Conference (IDEACon) coming up later in 2021 and into 2022.

There is a substitute teacher shortage in the United States. Substantial Classrooms used design thinking to come up with possible solutions on where and how to recruit subs, how to train them, provide ongoing support, and also how very little changes in school procedures can make a big difference in the substitute's experience.

Adam Geisen and David Lerch from the podcast EdTechDistilled had host Matt Weld on as a guest to talk about the future of Professional Development post-COVID. Discussion includes edtech updates, the Directions Conference, and a summary of what we are doing in our own lives and what we're drinking that night.

Host Matt Weld has a conversation with Communications Professor Julie Smith that ranges from Formula 1 Racing to Star Wars to trips out west to empty nesting and more.

​A required course for all Freshmen on Personal Wellbeing facilitated by a Wellbeing Coach? A multi-layered system for educator support? It's actually a thing at the high school in Lake Forest, IL, a suburb of Chicago. Dr. Matt Dewar, the wellbeing coach for the district describes the program and why it's so effective. In addition to providing his go-to tips for on-the-spot stress reduction, he explains the importance of breath and our mind-body connection as well as how our society's view of intense exercise as a stress-reliever might not be as effective as we think it is.

Tens of thousands of Americans and millions of persons worldwide are trafficked each year and compelled into labor or the sex trade. Ginger Coakley, co-executive director of Eden's Glory, a rehabilitation center for exploited women, and Winda M., a trafficking survivor, describe the situation and offer some suggestions on how teachers and schools can help identify victims and prevent human trafficking through education.

Katy Fattaleh of the NORA Project sits down with host Matt Weld to talk about empathy, compassion, sympathy, the use of the word 'disability' as well as how to use 'person first' language when talking about people with differences and disabilities. Katy goes on to give examples of how to make differences and disabilities part of what's normal in the classroom.

Personalized Digital Inquiry emphasizes the personal relationships that we build, the role that digital texts and tools play, and the way in which we cultivate a culture that inspires learners to grow and change in relevant ways. Dr. Julie Coiro is a professor of reading and digital literacy at the University of Rhode Island, landing here after having taught PreK - 8 students with learning disabilities. In addition to speaking nationally and internationally, Dr. Coiro works with educators to support their understanding of digital inquiry as part of comprehension strategy instruction designed to foster engaged reading and deeper learning.

Listen in to Dr. Eric Jensen as he discusses poverty with host Matt Weld in a conversation that covers the definition of poverty, classroom teaching techniques, ideas for parental involvement, the importance of educator self-care, and more. Dr. Jensen is the author of more than 30 research-based books, and speaks internationally.

Schools aren't the only place where trauma is studied, unpacked, and used as a new lens through which to view human psychology and behavior. DeCruit is a nonprofit whose mission is to help veterans work through their trauma with the help of Shakespeare. Matt's conversation with Dawn Stern illustrates just how much of what happens in schools to help students with trauma can work throughout their lifetime.