Podcast: Class Act Coaching
Class-Act Coaching: A Podcast for Teachers and Instructional Coaches
Join us each week as a different SREB instructional coach walks our host through different teaching concerns in the world of K12. Teachers will gain valuable teaching insights and instructional coaches will see a model coaching session.
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Summer AI Series: Using AI to Personalize Learning
Part of our summer series on SREB’s Guidance for the Use of AI in the K12 Classroom.
In this episode, Ashley talks with Leslie Eaves, SREB’s director of project-based learning, about how AI can support personalized learning.
They dig into what it really means to differentiate in today’s classrooms and how teachers can use AI tools to give students tools to use at home, create custom learning plans and much more.
Summer AI Series: Using AI to Help Streamline Teachers’ Administrative and Planning Tasks
Part of our summer series on SREB’s Guidance for the Use of AI in the K12 Classroom.
In this episode, host Ashley Shaw is joined by Leslie Eaves, SREB’s director of project-based learning, to talk about Pillar 2: Using AI to streamline teacher administrative and planning work.
This conversation dives into practical, real-world ways teachers are using AI to save time—without giving up professional judgment.
Summer AI Series: Designing Cognitively Demanding Tasks With Help From AI
In this episode of Class-Act Coaching, we dive into Pillar 1 of SREB’s Guidance for the Use of AI in the K12 Classroom—using AI to design cognitively demanding tasks that engage students in deep, meaningful learning.
Ashley is joined again by Leslie Eaves, SREB’s project-based learning program director, to talk about what makes a task truly cognitively demanding (hint: it’s about thinking, not just doing), and how AI tools can help teachers brainstorm, plan and scaffold rich learning experiences.
Summer AI Series: How to Get Started With AI in the K-12 Classroom
In this kickoff episode of our special summer series, Ashley Shaw sits down with Leslie Eaves, SREB’s project-based learning director and a key member of the SREB Commission on AI in Education, to explore the new, free report: Guidance for the Use of AI in the K12 Classroom.
Whether you’re AI-curious or already experimenting, this episode is your entry point into making AI a helpful tool—not a headache—in your classroom.
Season Wrap-Up: Collective Teacher Efficacy, Clarity, and True Engagement
In the final episode of the school year, the Class-Act Coaching crew is back together! Ashley is joined by co-hosts Jason and Dan to reflect on the biggest takeaways from this semester’s episodes — and this time, Dan takes the reins as host.
Together, they dive into three powerful themes that kept coming up in coaching conversations:
Special Episode: Coaching the Coaches – How One Georgia District Supports Instructional Coaching at Every Level
In this episode, Jason and Dan sit down with Kanisa Williams, an instructional coach from a large Georgia district, who coaches other instructional coaches. They talk about how coaching cycles are implemented not just with teachers, but with coaches, and the importance of modeling, trust-building and communication.
Kanisa shares how she supports new coaches in clarifying their role, planning productive coaching cycles and using teacher data to identify priorities.
Designing Meaningful Projects: Making Project-Based Learning Work in the Classroom
In this episode of Class-Act Coaching, Ashley is joined by Marty Sugerik, an instructional coach with a passion for project-based learning (PBL). Marty shares practical coaching strategies to help teachers design or refine classroom projects that connect to real-world skills.
Whether you’re a coach supporting teachers in PBL or an educator looking to strengthen your own projects, this conversation is packed with hands-on strategies for making learning more engaging and meaningful.
Tips for Creating an Engaged Class: Writing, Movement and Meaningful Talk
Getting students to truly engage can be one of the hardest parts of teaching—but this episode is here to help! Ashley is joined by two instructional coaches, Kari Meldrum and Sharon Moehle, who share two powerful, easy-to-implement strategies that promote deeper student engagement across all content areas.
The Power of Planning: Collaborative Strategies for Stronger Lessons
Planning comes up in nearly every episode of Class-Act Coaching—so this week, we’re giving it the spotlight it deserves. Ashley teams up with guest instructional coach Michelle Harada, who shares practical tips and research-backed strategies for improving the quality and efficiency of lesson planning, especially through collaborative planning.
Special Episode: Coaching Conversations – Microteaching and Meaningful Reflection
This week, we’re doing something a little different! In this special episode of Class-Act Coaching, we take you behind the scenes of a real coaching conversation between SREB Coach Jason Adair and Jen Zelena, a reading specialist and literacy coach at Broughal Middle School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Curiosity in the Classroom: How to Spark Student Motivation
Why do some students naturally engage in learning while others seem uninterested? In this episode, Ashley is joined by Dan Rock, who takes on the role of coach, to dive deep into the power of curiosity and motivation in learning. Dan breaks down the research behind cognitive interest cues—simple yet powerful techniques teachers can use to increase student engagement, deepen learning and make lessons more memorable.
Teaching for Transfer: Ensuring Learning Sticks (Part 2)
We’re back with Part 2 of our conversation with Christi Edwards, where she shares her final two strategies for ensuring students don’t just succeed on class assignments but can apply their learning in future assessments and beyond.
In this episode, Christi focuses on helping students regulate their own thinking and communicate their ideas effectively—two key skills that build confidence and deeper understanding.
Teaching for Transfer: Ensuring Learning Sticks (Part 1)
Ever had a student ace all the assignments, but then struggle on a final essay or a state assessment? In this episode, Ashley and special guest co-host Jason Adair sit down with instructional coach Christi Edwards to tackle a key challenge in education: helping students transfer their learning beyond the classroom. Christi shares the first two of her four key strategies for ensuring students not only succeed in class but can apply their knowledge in future learning situations.
Teaching to the Standard: Breaking It Down and Building It Up
In this episode, Ashley and Dan sit down with Juliana Coleman, an experienced science educator and instructional coach, to discuss how to effectively teach to a standard while ensuring students develop deeper understanding rather than just memorizing facts.
Juliana breaks down common misconceptions about rigor, explains how to analyze standards to scaffold learning, and shares practical strategies for helping students think critically.
From Planning to Collaborating: A Semester of Learning
In this special end-of-semester wrap-up, Ashley and Dan reflect on the four major themes explored in this semester’s podcast episodes: Planning, Creating Authentic Work Experiences, Collaborating, and Building Connections with Students. They share key insights from their conversations with instructional coaches, highlight strategies that resonated, and discuss practical applications for teachers and coaches alike.
Building Relationships: The Heart of a Thriving Classroom
Rodriquez “Rod” Leonard, a coach with extensive experience in K-12 education, shares valuable insights on building a positive and productive classroom culture.
He emphasizes the importance of getting to know students as individuals, using those insights to inform instruction, and fostering student achievement.
He encourages teachers to try one of his tips, starting with making a genuine effort to connect with their students. This can be accomplished through:
Fostering Gratitude and Encouragement in the Classroom
Unlock the keys to fostering gratitude and encouragement in your
classroom as we celebrate Thanksgiving with a special guest,
instructional coach Shelly Gibson. This episode promises to equip
you with practical strategies for showing appreciation to your
students through listening, meaningful connections, and
purposeful actions. Together with co-host Daniel Rock, we’ll
share how these practices create a nurturing environment where
students can thrive, even when challenges arise.
Join us on a journey of personalized encouragement and its
transformative effects. Drawing from Shelly’s inspiring
experiences, we’ll illustrate how small gestures, like
personalized notes and community involvement, can have lasting
positive impacts on students and educators alike. Discover the
story of how Shelly went above and beyond, organizing special
sessions and even acquiring a bus license to ensure every student
felt supported in their academic pursuits.
Active Learning Through Collaborative Notetaking
Unlock the secrets of effective note-taking in our latest
episode, promising to transform how students and educators grasp
and retain information. Our engaging conversation with Donn
Kirkwood, a senior leadership coach with a specialty in literacy,
provides a treasure trove of practical strategies designed to
boost understanding and retention in classroom settings. We
explore the pitfalls of relying solely on technology, like
snapping pictures of slides, and delve into the power of
translating information into one’s own words for a deeper
learning experience.
Discover innovative ways to enhance classroom discussions through
diverse note-taking methods that encourage unique perspectives
and peer interaction. We introduce dynamic activities such as
“speed dating” and inner-outer circles, which create
opportunities for students to share, validate, and refine their
notes collaboratively. These approaches not only build confidence
but also ensure that students are equipped to apply their notes
to future learning situations, ultimately fostering mastery of
the material.
Mastering Student Engagement Through Dynamic Conversations
Discover how to transform silence into vibrant conversations in your classroom with insights from our latest discussion. Join me, Ashley Shaw, alongside Dan Rock, as we unravel the secrets of fostering engaging student discourse with the help of Keisha King, a distinguished math instructional coach. Learn how to create a safe environment for students to express their thoughts and build confidence in speaking up. Keisha introduces her five practices for orchestrating productive mathematics discussions, offering a powerful framework that can enhance critical thinking and student interaction.
Empowering Students with Real-World Communication Skills
Unlock the secrets to transforming your classroom into a dynamic
workplace simulation with insights from our extraordinary guest,
Marty Sugerik. With a wealth of experience drawn from both
military and educational realms, Marty delivers invaluable
strategies to enhance students’ communication and collaboration
skills. Discover how we can extend the classic “think-pair-share”
method by incorporating world language research’s “three modes of
communication,” empowering students to adapt these skills across
diverse subjects and careers.
Explore a structured, hands-on approach to cultivating workplace
collaboration skills that goes beyond traditional classroom
practices. With a practical three-step process, students first
engage in independent problem-solving tasks before collaborating
with peers to refine their approaches through visual tools like
Venn diagrams. As educators, we step into the role of an
employer, offering constructive feedback to help students elevate
their presentations and communication skills, collecting
qualitative evidence of student understanding to guide future
instruction.
