In this episode, Gene Tavernetti speaks with Linda Rhyne, award-winning educator and owner of Rhyne Consulting. They discuss the changing landscape of literacy education, instructional coaching, and practical strategies for supporting teachers. Linda shares her vast experience in teaching, literacy coaching, and district-level instructional support, providing actionable insights for educators and coaches.

00:00 Introduction

01:21 Science of Reading

01:40 Role and Experience as a Literacy Coach

04:32 Transition to Instructional Coaching

06:39 Responding to Change in Literacy Practices

20:45 Transparency and Trust in Coaching

30:26 Challenges and Strategies in Coaching

Get in touch with Linda:
Website: lindarhyneconsulting.com

Instagram: instagram.com/lindarhyneconsulting

X: twitter.com/lindaschultzie

Facebook: facebook.com/lindarhyneconsulting

Lindedin: linkedin.com/linda-rhyne-91704b93/

You Tube: youtube.com/@lindarhyne8246

In this episode, Gene Tavernetti interviews Steve Hare, a long-time classroom math teacher and the creator of the You Teach You book series and Fact Freaks, a free math fact website. They discuss the importance of learning math facts, the motivation behind Fact Freaks, and how Steve's instructional strategies evolved, especially during COVID-19.

Topics include:

• techniques for improving math education
• student individualized learning
• impact of worked examples on student understanding.

00:00 Introduction

00:42 Steve Hare's Background

01:18 Importance of Math Facts

02:01 Creation of Fact Freaks

02:53 Fact Freaks Accessibility

03:38 Development and Evolution of Fact Freaks

04:24 The Need for 100% Accuracy

06:03 Impact of Speed on Accuracy

08:03 Implementation in Classrooms

16:15 Benefits of Worked Examples

13:32 Overcoming COVID-19 Challenges

21:31 Encouraging Student Independence

22:46 Managing Differentiated Classrooms

27:55 Teacher and Student Benefits

36:40 Conclusion and Resources

In this episode of "Better Teaching: Only Stuff That Works," host Gene Tavernetti sits down with veteran educator James Hardin. With over 20 years of experience as a principal, James shares actionable insights and personal anecdotes from his career. Topics include effective administration across various school settings, the importance of focused instruction, fostering teacher growth through coaching, and the critical role of leadership in educational success. James emphasizes the need for principals to be both instructional leaders and supportive coaches, providing practical advice for new and seasoned administrators alike.

00:00 Introduction to Better Teaching Podcast
00:28 Meet James Hardin: A Veteran Educator
02:15 Unique Experiences in Independent Schools
04:13 Differences in Teaching Levels
05:30 Effective Teaching Strategies Across Levels
07:39 Leadership and Coaching in Education
08:49 Building a Collaborative Teaching Environment
13:42 The Role of Instructional Leadership
23:03 Meeting James Hardin: A Story of Ambition
23:39 Setting High Expectations in a High-Performing School
25:14 Building Consensus Among Teachers
28:28 Achieving Top Scores and Recognition
31:11 Transitioning Between Different Socioeconomic Schools
34:46 The Role of a Principal as an Instructional Coach
38:15 Advice for New Principals

In this episode, Gene Tavernetti interviews Adam Moler, an innovative middle school social studies teacher recognized for his exceptional instructional practices. They discuss the real and practical uses of AI in education, as well as the benefits of EduProtocols in the classroom.

00:00 Introduction to the Podcast and Guest

01:19 Introduction by Adam Moler

01:23 AI in Teaching

02:05 Using AI for Lesson Planning

03:45 AI in the Classroom

03:53 Creating Questions with AI

04:45 Editing AI Responses

08:15 Student Engagement with AI

11:16 Thoughts on AI Usage

13:40 EduProtocols Overview

19:15 Practical Uses of EduProtocols

20:15 EduProtocols in Schools

21:32 Scaling EduProtocols

24:34 Adjunct Professor Role

28:00 Advice for Teachers

This episode features an interview from the show Transformative Principal with Jethro Jones.

• Everyone should have a coach
• There are people who are viewed as the real pros
• The difference between having a coach and “just getting better”
• The biggest mistake coaches make.
• How to mix the coach’s agenda with what the teacher is doing
• Personal relationship vs. professional relationship
• Focus is powerful.
• Teacher behavior during a training vs. teacher behavior in classroom.
• Teachers don’t have to be an entertainer.
• Coaches as a model lesson.
• Power Phrases and Phrases to Never Say.
• Teacher behavior matches the behavior of the grade they teach.
• Techniques that work regardless of your personality.
• Coaching cycles are important. Meet, observe, debrief, Check-in
• This is your lesson, do it your way.
• Coaches need to be smiling during the observation.
• Debrief - how they evaluated their own lesson.
• Calibrate with a local coach or administrator.
• How to be a Transformative Principal? Know that your role is not that of a coach. Coach helps teachers get better. Principal - don’t get in the way! Part of a system of improvement.

About Gene Tavernetti

Dr. Gene Tavernetti has been involved in education for over forty years. He has served as coach, teacher, counselor, administrator, and consultant. He is the author of Teach FAST, a book about the design and delivery of quality instruction, and Maximizing the Impact of Coaching Cycles, a book that answers many of the questions that were left unanswered in most books on instructional coaching.

In 2006 Gene partnered with his former high school teacher and mentor, Dr. Randy Olson, to found Total Educational Systems Support, (TESS). The focus of TESS has always been training teachers, and those who support teachers, in how to provide the best instruction possible.

Dr. Tavernetti holds a core belief about children and adults: Given the right environment and proper support, everyone can improve and succeed. This core belief has allowed Dr. Tavernetti to help his students, staffs, teachers, and administrators – with whom he now trains and coaches – to attain the levels of competence they desire.

In this episode, host Gene Tavernetti interviews Bill Davidson, an experienced educator and elementary math trainer. Click here to find more information about Bill and what he does.

They dive into Bill's new book, 'Infusing Dynamism into Daily Problem Solving,' discussing effective strategies for teaching word problems, the importance of visual representations in math, and combating complex issues students face with word problems. The episode focuses on providing practical advice and innovative methods for teachers to enhance student engagement and understanding in math problem-solving.
00:00 Introduction

00:28 Meet Bill Davidson

00:43 Bill's Experience and Work

00:50 Centering the Pendulum

02:03 Infusing Dynamism into Daily Problem Solving

04:22 Challenges in Implementing New Math Strategies

06:20 Effective Methods for Teaching Word Problems

08:03 Developing a Problem-Solving Structure

09:17 Engagement and Dynamism in Math Teaching

21:03 Reversing Learning Complexes

27:33 Final Thoughts

34:28 Closing Remarks

In this episode, host Gene Tavernetti welcomes Dr. Zach Groshell, a distinguished teacher, instructional coach, and education consultant. They discuss Zach's career journey, the evolution of his podcast 'Progressively Incorrect,' and his perspective on effective teaching and coaching practices based on research. Zach also shares his experiences teaching internationally and the transition to educational consulting.

00:00 Introduction to Better Teaching and Dr. Zach Groshell

01:25 Zach Groshell's Early Career and Podcast Beginnings

11:36 International Teaching Experience

19:00 Return to the USA and Reflections on Teaching Practices

20:39 The Importance of Research in Teaching and Coaching

34:03 Final Thoughts and Upcoming Projects

If you wanna hear about the latest edu fads and conversations filled with cliches and buzzwords, find another podcast. Welcome to Better Teaching: Only Stuff that works.
This is a show for teachers instructional coaches, mentors, administrators, and anyone else whose job it is to support teachers.

My name is Gene Tavernetti for more than 20 years, I've worked as an instructional coach who has worked and supported all teachers, teachers who were masters at their craft and demonstrated their expertise every day to lucky classes of students,

Teachers who are struggling to find their sea legs and all teachers in between,, in schools that served incarcerated youth, and in schools where teachers drew the blinds because the view of the beach was too distracting. In addition to providing support to teachers, I've also had the opportunity to provide training and support to instructional coaches and administrators, and I continue to work in schools across the country in that capacity.

I chronicled that work and much of what I've learned about instruction and coaching in two books teach fast focused, adaptable structured teaching and maximizing the impact of coaching cycles. The persistent truth about teaching that is confirmed in every classroom is this, teaching is hard and unfortunately much of the advice from many of the experts make the job more difficult instead of easier. Many ideas and innovations would be great, and the kids would love them if only teachers had the time, and other resources necessary to make those ideas work. The goal of this show is to articulate advice to make teaching easier and learning easier for teachers and students.

The advice will be common sense evidence-based, and most importantly, it will be advice that has already been implemented in a real classroom.
These are not pie in the sky ideas that, oh, wouldn't it be nice for someone to try someday? If you wanna hear about the latest edu fads and conversations filled with cliches and buzzwords, find another podcast.

What you will hear here are ideas that have already successfully been used in real classrooms by real teachers and are proven to be effective to help students succeed. In other words, you know, only step that works. Talk to you soon.