Zone Of Proximal Development

Jun 20 2021 1
Zone Of Proximal Development Podcast artwork

Remember when being a kid and walking past the teachers' lounge? Your imagination going wild about this secret clubhouse. Then you became a teacher and you realized that the teachers' lounge is more support group than clubhouse. I’m Marjorie, and I can relate because I'm a teacher. So I’ve created a teachers' lounge of my own: The Zone of Proximal Development: where we can reflect, grow, and yes, vent. So grab a coffee and hustle in here before your prep period ends or sip some wine while you grade. Let’s find the irony, the humor and the hope we need, to get through the Sunday night jitters! Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zoneofproximaldevelopment/support

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Zone of Proximal Development: Teaching Through Covid S1E13... Did We Drop the Ball with Our High Schoolers?

Jun 20 2021 49 mins  
Throughout the Covid 19 Crisis we have heard adults from all walks of life speak on the effect that this pandemic has had on our kids. Parents, teachers, politicians, media figures and scholars have described the toll of remote learning on students. The “concerns” have largely focused on issues centered around younger students and their parents: Childcare, “learning loss” o

Zone of Proximal Development: Teaching Through Covid S1E12... What Do the Young Kids Think?

Jun 06 2021 42 mins  
Throughout the Covid 19 Crisis we have heard adults from all walks of life speak on the effect that this pandemic has had on our kids. Parents, teachers, politicians, media figures and scholars have described the toll of remote learning on students. However, I haven’t seen very many kids represented in the media telling their stories. Last week, I spoke with a middle schooler abo

Zone of Proximal Development: Teaching Through Covid S1E11... What Do the Kids Think?

May 30 2021 51 mins  
The Covid 19 Crisis has upended our lives in ways we had never imagined to be possible. We were asked to do our part and stay home to flatten the curb. We have all felt the terrible practical and emotional burden of this pandemic. I have had the privilege of speaking with adults in a variety of roles within the school system, but this week I thought it was time to talk to another d

Zone of Proximal Development: Teaching Through Covid S1E10... Teachers Just Want a Fair Shot

May 23 2021 98 mins  
We, understandably, want to get past the Covid19 crisis. It makes sense that after a year and a half of uncertainty, scarcity, and fear, as the vaccines become readily available and cities open up, we want to simply move on. Yet, how do we do that? How do we cope with all the trauma? This week I got to speak to someone who is usually one of the most optimistic I interact with; she

Zone of Proximal Development: Teaching Through Covid S1E9.5 Spring Break Short... We're Getting Close! ***Bonus***

May 16 2021 2 mins  
Hi everyone! So we're on Spring Break this week (my spring break is super late)... well I a, because my school schedules its Spring Break after State testing. Usually I'm on board with this arrangement, but this year, after teaching through Covid and not getting a Spring Break at all last year (I know... CRAZY TOWN), I would have loved to have it earlier. Here we are though, gratef

Zone of Proximal Development: Teaching Through Covid S1E9 We're Teaching Through Covid-19 Can We Do What We're Told So We Can Do What We Want?

May 09 2021 72 mins  
How do so many teachers manage to keep themselves sane and on message despite all the issues in our education system? This week I got to speak to one of those teachers who always seemed to know the secret to staying present for her kids and above the nonsense of the system. Ms. Hall taught me to do what I’m told so I can do what I want--to teach my kids. I continue to learn from

Zone of Proximal Development: Teaching Through Covid S1E8 We're Teaching Through Covid-19 So We Can Do ANYTHING

May 02 2021 27 mins  
Is it just me or does the nonsense that surrounds teaching go up to 11 in the spring? It’s like a switch goes off on the policy makers and Admins’ minds and they become zombies in BS mode as soon as the equinox hits.Please stop by the Zone of Proximal Development Teachers’ Lounge and help me make sense of all the exasperation, mixed emotions and victories of life as a teacher

Zone of Proximal Development: Teaching Through Covid S1E7 What's the Optimist Upside of Teaching in a Crisis?

Apr 25 2021 99 mins  
Everyone I know has gone into teaching from a place of idealism. To enter this field without hope would only cause relentless cognitive dissonance. How can we work with youth and not have faith in change and progress? As time goes on, the challenges we face as teachers can make us feel as though faith in the system of education is misplaced. I’m likely to think it is, but the bel

Zone of Proximal Development: Teaching Through Covid S1E6 Is Teaching a Job?

Apr 18 2021 96 mins  
As Americans, we have the bad habit of introducing ourselves using job titles and career paths. Even I, an introvert with a very low tolerance for small talk, find myself telling people I am a teacher before telling them anything else about myself. Teaching is undoubtedly a unique profession and an enormous part of my life. Still, it does not occupy the entirety of my identity. I�

Zone of Proximal Development: Teaching Through Covid S1E5 The Paraprofessional Perspective

Apr 10 2021 83 mins  
I love working and exchanging ideas with youth. That is the best part of my job as a teacher. Furthermore, it is always amazing to speak to people at the beginning of their careers as educators. My conversation with Joseph, a substitute paraprofessional filled me with hope and energy. His dedication to our children is beyond evident and highly contagious. How do we check-in with o