132. The Heart of Learning is Intentional Teaching with Miriam Plotinsky

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Teachers are taught to differentiate their instruction to meet the needs of all students. But what does that even mean? It’s not about lowering standards and expectations so one person’s mastery is different from another’s. Instead it’s about adding more supports for students who need it while keeping targets the same.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The only way to do this is to be more intentional about teaching, more learner-centered. We need to talk to our students more and truly listen to the feedback we receive from them. And then act on that feedback.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This week on the podcast I’m talking to author and instructional specialist Miriam Plotinsky about the challenges that exist in classrooms today and how we can navigate this new high-tech, post-Covid world our youth are coming of age in.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Listen in as we discuss the importance of leading schools from a teacher’s perspective, how to make student interactions more valuable, what’s going on with youth mental health, how to give students voice, and so much more.</span></p> <h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">About Miriam Plotinsky:</span></h2> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Miriam Plotinsky is an author and instructional specialist who addresses challenges in both teaching and leading across schools with a wide range of differentiated needs. A strong advocate for student-centered learning, she provides coaching and professional development for teachers and administrators. She has written Teach More, Hover Less: How to Stop Micromanaging Your Secondary Classroom and Lead Like a Teacher: How to Elevate Expertise in Your School (W.W. Norton, 2022 & 2023). Miriam is widely published in education publications such as Education Week, Edutopia, ASCD Express, Middleweb, The Teaching Channel, EdSurge, K-12 Talk and Education World and is a frequent guest on education podcasts internationally. She is also