Vrain Waves: Teaching Conversations with Minds Shaping Education

Drumroll please...here comes Season 9 of Vrain Waves! We are so fortunate to have educational giant, speaker, and author Cornelius Minor returning to the show. Education is a story; your classroom is the setting, and we write the narrative of our classroom culture; it's not created accidentally. Tune in as we engage in a beautiful conversational story about how we ensure ALL our students feel successful in our care. The Minor Collective We Got This @SuzannahEvans2 @drshanesaeed

Wrapping up Season 8 with three outstanding St. Vrain educators who continually seek to refine their practice. We don't need to redo everything every year! Small, intentional shifts in language, error-analysis protocols, and reflection make a huge difference in these classrooms. All of which directly translates to inspiring students to own their learning and stay curious. Smart teaching, stronger learning at all ages! @SuzannahEvans2 @drshanesaeed Pooja K. Agarwal

We can't say enough about the collective efficacy that contributed to this incredible book, Smart Teaching Stronger Learning , but more importantly, the collective efficacy that is built when we incorporate science of learning practices. Our biggest takeaway: Don't be intimidated by these concepts! They are actually "bite-sized adjustments" you can make that will result in powerful shifts for your teaching and for your students' learning. Let's leverage what we're already doing in the classroom, intentionally name the practices, explain why they will build long-term memory, and implement these practices routinely! Stronger Learning, here we come! @SuzannahEvans2 @Drshanesaeed Pooja K. Agarwal Smart Teaching Stronger Learning STSL Media Kit Janell Blunt Shana Carpenter Roberta Ekuni Lisa Fazio Cynthia Nebel Steven Pan Michelle Rivers Lisa Son Kripa Sundar Veronica Yan Berklee College of Music: Dancing w The Stars

We are highlighting our incredible St. Vrain Valley AI team in this episode, and their work over the last three years has resulted in an Ethical, Transparent, Human-centered, Opportunity-focused, and Safe AI framework. Keeping people, not tools, at the center of this work is the priority, and let's ask ourselves, "Will AI help our students grow, or just get it done?" "Is it a value-add and elevation of the content, or just an unnecessary extra step?" Tune in for some thoughtful conversation around our AI work and how we keep grounded in the ever-changing world of education and technology! @Suzannahevans2 @drshanesaeed @matthewjmoulton @MissGroskin @mrkelsall ETHOS: A Responsible Approach for AI in Education Exploration AI: Beyond the Algorithm

Tune in for one of our most important episodes with educator, author, and speaker Matt Miller. Facing an ever-changing educational system requires putting on our "Tomorrow Glasses", along with a healthy dose of optimism and skepticism. While we can leverage AI and technology to create engagement and lighten some of our workload, it's sound, fundamental pedagogy that's still the foundation for how we serve our students best. So as we plan our lessons, let's ask ourselves, "I can use technology, but should I? Matt Miller Suzannah Evans Shane Saeed

Tune into one of our favorite conversations ever with master teacher Wendy Schuller, who grounds her scaffolding principles in empathy for her students. What would I need as a 5th-grader in this moment?, How am I using my data to determine what my students need? and What is the endgame for pulling the scaffolding back? are her guiding questions on a daily basis. Observing, responding, and bridging for the win! @SuzannahEvans2 @drshanesaeed The Scaffolding Effect

Bringing 2025 to a close with one of our most important conversations! Tune in as we chat with educator-authors, Rachel Ball and Alex Fairlamb, on why we need to be hunters in our classrooms, searching for student understanding, instead of hoping and fishing for mastery. The Scaffolding Effect is one of the best professional development books we've ever read; truly scaffolding and chunking material down for all of us to understand. Happy year-end to all of our listeners! Rachel Ball Alex Fairlamb Suzannah Evans Shane Saeed

The perfect follow-up to our episode last month with Dr. Catlin Tucker, three rockstar St. Vrain Valley educators give us a peek into how they're using AI as an enhancement tool, as inspiration and a thought-partner for students, a coach for themselves, and the ultimate brainstorming generator. Tune in to get inspired yourself and start to embrace our new AI reality! @SuzannahEvans2 @drshanesaeed @Catlin_Tucker @AckermanSVVSD Exploration AI: Conversations Beyond the Algorithm

Welcome back to Season 8! Dr. Catlin Tucker is back on the show, talking with us about how we can leverage AI to be a thought partner. How can we thoughtfully design learning pathways, lean into AI for the pieces that have traditionally taken up our time, and be more available for human connection? Tune in as we discuss UDL, sustainable practices, elevating our teaching, and always, always, ensuring our students leave the classroom with agency and motivation! @Catlin_Tucker @SuzannahEvans2 @drshanesaeed Elevating Educational Design with AI The Shift to Student-Led CatlinTucker.com

We're wrapping up Season 7 with two master St. Vrain teachers, Joylynn Boardman and Brian Huey, who continue to refine their practice, create relevant learning experiences, and champion their students! No matter how long we've been in education, adapting, tweaking, and reflecting are the keys to sustaining student engagement. But the most crucial piece for ALL students is, of course, inspiring them to believe they CAN succeed. Tune in for one of our favorite conversations this year and have a great summer! @SuzannahEvans2 @Drshanesaeed

Tune in as we chat with Professor Dan Willingham about his flow chart for independence, mastery in education, and building up the self-image of our students. Check out his book, Outsmart Your Brain , for strategies to combat learned helplessness, understanding what it takes to achieve true mastery, and how crucial it is to help our students reframe their personal narrative about academics. Dan Willingham Flow Chart for Independence Outsmart Your Brain Suzannah Evans Shane Saeed

It's time to connect the Physical and the Education in the classroom. Nothing is in a silo in our world. We are teaching the whole student, so connecting mind and body in our instruction benefits everyone. Incorporating movement in our classrooms creates engagement and builds attention, which helps content stick. Tune in as we chat with two @SVVSD physical education teachers who also teach academic content and how they see these two important worlds complementing each other. @SuzannahEvans2 @DrShaneSaeed

Welcome to 2025! The month of January is famous for starting new physical activity routines and we can't emphasize enough how important it is to move in the classroom too! "Movement snacks" as @DrJulianReed describes them are not only crucial for a sound body but also translate to increased academic performance. Tune in as we talk about the benefits of understanding the basics of brain science, focus, and stimulation all related to physical activity. While you're listening, move your body! activedinc.com @DrJulianReed @SuzannahEvans2 @DrShaneSaeed

Looking to build agency and standards mastery in your classroom? Then look no further than learning progressions! Tune in as we say goodbye to 2024 and chat with our very own @BennerBrainiacs. She motivates her students to self-assess on standards, visualize their goals more clearly, and achieve true mastery using learning progressions in her classroom. @SuzannahEvans2 @Drshanesaeed @BennerBraniacs Learning Progression Template Learning Targets PD

Inspiring students to self-assess and start working independently doesn't have to be complicated! Not only are students becoming aware of what they need and advocating for themselves, but also engaging in some beautiful metacognition. Another added benefit? All that independence and efficacy actually leads to higher-quality collaborative work! Tune in as we chat with Marcus Luther from The Broken Copier about his 1 through 6 rating system and how this simple strategy has created efficacy and independence in his classroom. Self-Assessment 1-6 @MarcusLuther6 @SuzannahEvans2 @drshanesaeed

Happy October to our Vrain Waves listeners! The perfect follow-up to our first episode with Brandon Slade is our conversation with these two rockstar St. Vrain educators, secondary special education teacher, Sarah Patton, and elementary counselor, Mike Laurent. Tune in as we talk about go-to strategies for not just students with needs, but the whole student body. We can't say it enough...what's essential for some is good for all and that includes us adults, too. It's not too late in the year to put some simple routines in place that will pay out huge dividends in your classrooms. What will be the lead domino that you set up tomorrow?!

Welcome to Season 7 of Vrain Waves! We are kicking off with what we all need at the start of the year. Setting up for success means explicitly unpacking directions and expectations for all students, especially those with executive functioning deficits. Tune in as we chat with Brandon Slade from Untapped Learning and let's all be reminded that what's essential for some, is good for all! UntappedLearning.com Untapped Learning YouTube channel @UntappedSlade @SuzannahEvans2 @drshanesaeed

Wrapping up Season 6 with two rockstar teachers who show us what it looks like to reframe Assessment in the classroom. The key to engaging students is not tricky; it's building intrinsic motivation through authentic assessment and grading practices! Tune in as our very own Sam LaFever and Gideon Matchey unpack how they use explicit assessment strategies to develop mastery and shift the cognitive load to their students! @SuzannahEvans2 @Saeed_shane @gideonmatchey @gideonmatcheycomposer Learning Pit - James Nottingham SVVSD Math

What are some ways we can reframe assessment? How can we shift toward seeing assessment as evidence of success rather than a "gotcha"? Tune in as Hacking Student Motivation author Tyler Rablin speaks to creating multiple opportunities for students to grow and learn over time. Let's stop focusing on mistakes and start focusing on trends in our classrooms! Spoiler Alert: Student motivation is built by giving them more than one attempt and celebrating both what they know now and have yet to learn! Hacking Student Motivation @Mr_Rablin TylerRablin.com @SuzannahEvans2 @saeed_shane @avivalevin

March Madness and the solar eclipse might be over but the excitement of Spring continues! Tune in to hear from our very own @missluker as she speaks to shifting the epicenter of learning, replicating yourself, and creating more powerful feedback loops. How do we do this & still ensure quality instruction? Blended Learning! Dive in, build your students' agency, your own agency, the collective efficacy, and honor what it means to be a learner! @SuzannahEvans2 @Saeed_Shane @missluker @Catlin_Tucker