Podcast
Cool Cat Teacher Talk
Hosted by Vicki Davis, Cool Cat Teacher · EN
Want to supercharge your teaching with research-backed strategies that actually work? Join veteran educator Vicki Davis as she shares practical, real-world solutions to into spaces where every student thrives.
Help and Hope for Teachers
🎙 Are you striving to improve student learning without increasing your workload? Education is changing fast, but practical, research-backed strategies can help you work smarter, not harder.
Join veteran educator Vicki Davis, a full-time teacher, instructional technology coach, and award-winning podcast host, as she shares real-world insights from the classroom.
Each 1-hour episode features top researchers, expert educators, and classroom teachers who are tackling today's biggest challenges—like student engagement, AI in education, classroom management, lesson planning, and teacher burnout.
✨ What You'll Get in Every Episode:
🎯 Cut through the AI hype—learn what works (and what doesn't) in real classrooms
📚 Engage students in meaningful ways without overwhelming yourself
🚀 Stay ahead in teaching with research-backed strategies that make an impact
🎤 This show is a blend of expert interviews and solo discussions, designed to give you real, actionable solutions you can use tomorrow.
🏆 Why Listen to This Podcast?
✅ Named Top Podcast Host in Education (Bammy Award)
✅ Recognized as a Top Global Edruptor (ICS Research, 2022 & 2023)
✅ 23-year classroom veteran & instructional tech coach helping educators from K-3 to college
✅ AP Computer Science Principles teacher with a 100% student pass rate
🌎 Join thousands of educators worldwide who trust Cool Cat Teacher Talk for authentic insights, inspiration, and practical strategies.
📅 New episodes released every Thursday!
📲 Subscribe now & leave a review to help more teachers discover the show.
🌐 Get show notes & connect with Vicki at coolcatteacher.com
Join a community of passionate teachers, instructional coaches, and school leaders who believe in teaching smarter, not harder.
About Your Host:
Vicki Davis is a practicing classroom teacher, instructional technology coach, and creator of the award-winning 10-Minute Teacher Podcast. With over 7 million downloads and 20+ years of experience, she brings you tested strategies that help students thrive.
🔹 New episodes drop Thursdays! Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen.
📌 Get full show notes and resources at coolcatteacher.com.
34episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Honest Conversations About AI: The Need for Truth
3w ago00:58:01Tap to summarizeAre we being honest about what AI is really doing in our classrooms? Two leading thinkers say the conversation most of us need to have isn't happening yet. MIT's Justin Reich and philosopher Dr. Christian Miller join Vicki Davis for Season 6's Big Picture Conversations series, exploring one of the most pressing questions in education today: What does honesty about AI actually look like — in research, in classrooms, and in ourselves? In this episode, you'll learn: Why the AI in education research base is thinner than most people realize — and what teachers should do in the meantime (hint: become a micro-experimenter) Why domain knowledge matters more than ever when students use AI — and how handing off cognitive work too early may shortcut the learning that matters most What The Homework Machine podcast found when it interviewed 90+ teachers and 30+ students about what AI is really doing in K-12 classrooms What 30 years of research on honor codes can teach us about AI integrity policies — and why they work The personal honesty question Dr. Christian Miller poses to every teacher: Are you honest with yourself about how you're using AI? How to open the honest conversation about AI in your own school and classroom — and why it starts with the teacher Show notes and a comprehensive list of research and sources: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/honestai 👉 If this show has made you a better teacher, please take a moment to leave a rating and review. It helps more teachers find the show!
Transcribe →Traveling With Students — Five Teachers Who Took the Leap
May 900:58:01Tap to summarizeFive teachers — from Laredo to Denver to rural Colorado — share what really happens when you take students traveling. The fundraising. The quiet student who finds his voice. The FFA kids in Irish pastures. The principal who watches a student "come to life" on a Boston trip. After 20 years of leading student trips around the world, Vicki Davis brings together five educators who say the same thing: travel changes lives. In this episode, you'll learn: How a teacher in a high-poverty Title I district makes international travel happen for her 8th graders Why curriculum-aligned trips create classroom moments that last for years How a rural Colorado ag teacher and FFA advisor took 10 FFA kids to dairy farms in Ireland Practical tips: passport copies, the 10-minute "buffer zone," chaperone strategy, and why you need a med kit What a school principal looks for when choosing a travel partner Show notes: coolcatteacher.com/travel If this episode helped you, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts — reviews help other teachers find the show. This episode is sponsored by EF Educational Tours. Learn more at eftours.com and their STEM tours and Career and Technical education tours.
Transcribe →What AI Can't Do: Being Beautifully Human
May 500:58:01Tap to summarizeIn the age of AI, what can machines never do? Communication. Emotional intelligence. Real editing. True connection. This episode explores what makes us beautifully, irreplaceably human—featuring a rhetoric expert on why your body language speaks louder than words, a master editor on why AI can't do what humans do with craft, and educators who've rejected technology to reclaim human-centered learning. What AI Can't Do: Being Beautifully Human. Show notes: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/beautifulhuman
Transcribe →Vibe Coding, Agentic AI, and What Schools Must Teach Now
Apr 700:58:01Tap to summarizeWhat if you could describe exactly what you want and let AI write the code? That's vibe coding—and it's transforming how teachers create classroom tools. In this episode, Vicki Davis talks with 5th-grade teacher and 2021 Kentucky Teacher of the Year Donnie Piercey about vibe coding in action, explores agentic AI with producer John Davis (including Vicki's 18+ custom Claude Cowork skills), and covers the critical AI literacy and cybersecurity lessons schools must teach NOW with EdTech consultant and author Rachelle Dené Poth. In this episode, you'll learn: - What vibe coding is and how to use it for classroom printables, newsletters, and games - Why AI is eliminating entry-level jobs and what that means for K-12 curriculum - How to implement agentic AI in your workflow (email triage, meal planning, show production) - Cybersecurity essentials: ransomware in schools, phishing, password safety, and VPN usage - What schools MUST teach: file management, professional vocabulary, computational thinking, and digital discernment Show notes: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/vibecoding
Transcribe →STEAM Classroom Ideas That Work: 9 Experts Share What's Real
Mar 2400:58:01Tap to summarizeSTEAM classroom ideas that actually work — from AI literacy to garden-based science. Nine expert educators share hands-on strategies you can use in your classroom this week. This is Part 2 of the STEAM Super Series on Cool Cat Teacher Talk. In this episode, you'll learn: - How Code.org's Hour of AI gives every teacher a free starting point for AI literacy — including unplugged activities with no computers needed - Why a student who never engaged in traditional math built a working scale model of a TI-84 calculator — and what that means for project-based learning - How Stephen Ritz grows 50,000 pounds of vegetables indoors with students in the South Bronx - How Fortnite Creative (with no guns) becomes a physics lab where gravity is 3x stronger than Earth's - How Desmos sliders give students instant visual feedback on math relationships Full show notes, guest bios, and resources: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/steamaction Part 1 — The STEAM Mindset: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/steammindset Featured guests: Karim Meghji (Code.org), Tinashe Blanchet, Stephen Ritz (Green Bronx Machine), Dr. Erin Krupa, Karen Bosch, Andrew Vanden Heuvel, Dan Meyer (Amplify/Desmos), Adrian Gordon, Terra Tarango (Van Andel Institute for Education) Sponsored by: Van Andel Institute for Education and their Educator's Studio. Use COOLCAT to get 50% off. All opinions are that of each guest and not that of the sponsor. Hosted by Vicki Davis | coolcatteacher.com
Transcribe →The STEAM Mindset: Empowering Excitement and Learning
Mar 500:58:01Tap to summarizeWhat happens when teachers stop starting with answers and start with questions instead? In this first episode of our two-part STEAM Super Series, twelve educators share how shifting to an inquiry-driven, curiosity-first approach transforms science, math, art, and every subject in between. Sponsored by the Van Andel Institute for Education and their new Educator Studio. In this episode you'll hear from: Terra Tarango — Inquiry-based science and flipping the lesson order Dan Finkel — Math as play and starting with questions Susan Riley — Creativity as a brain-based bridge to deeper learning Tim Needles — Building creativity through constraints and community projects Dr. Michael Rousell — The surprising science of life-changing moments Liesl McConchie — Releasing the "parking brake" before students can learn Dr. Lidia Gonzalez — Productive struggle and the power of "yet" Dr. Sam Nix — How leadership language shapes school culture Dr. Justin Reich — Small experiments for big change Patti Duncan - STEAM in Practice Stephanie Zeiger — STEAM in practice Links mentioned in this episode: Van Andel Institute for Education Educator Studio — Free STEAM resources for teachers Show notes and all resources
Transcribe →The Beautiful Nuance of Neurodiversity in the Classroom
Feb 1900:58:01Tap to summarizeOne in five children in the U.S. is neurodivergent, yet one in three educators believes learning disabilities are just laziness. In this episode of Cool Cat Teacher Talk, host Vicki Davis sits down with two remarkable guests who are changing how we think about neurodiversity in the classroom. Dr. Sue Fletcher-Watson from the University of Edinburgh shares the neurodiversity paradigm, the double empathy problem, and why the quiet room that never gets used might be the most powerful support you can offer. Then Vanessa Castañeda Gill, diagnosed with autism and ADHD at 14, shares how one teacher's harsh words kept her from raising her hand until college — and what every teacher can do differently. In this episode, you'll learn how to: Understand the neurodiversity paradigm and why it matters for every classroom Apply the double empathy problem to rethink communication breakdowns with students Use monotropism and flow states as strengths rather than problems to manage Give neurodivergent students processing time, transition warnings, and flexible seating Create safe spaces that students may never need to use — because they exist Help students build self-advocacy skills that last a lifetime Show notes and resources: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/neurodiverseclass
Transcribe →Building Classroom Culture That Transforms Learning
Feb 1200:58:01Tap to summarizeNearly half of teachers say their students show little to no interest in learning. In this episode of Cool Cat Teacher Talk, four educators from around the world share what actually works to build classroom culture that transforms learning. From student motivation to productive struggle to teaching thinking on purpose, this episode is packed with practical strategies you can use right away. In this episode, you'll learn how to: Build student motivation by getting to know your students and being vulnerable with them Help students embrace productive struggle using James Nottingham's Learning Pit Teach thinking explicitly with routines like See, Think, Wonder Create school cultures where every voice can speak honestly without apology Celebrate small wins to build momentum for bigger victories Dr. Tracee Perryman, James Nottingham, Daron "Coach Frank" Franklin, and Alice Vigors light up this show with their expertise and motivation to help all of us improve the culture in our classrooms today. Show notes and resources: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/culture2026
Transcribe →Epic Elementary Super Show: Executive Functioning, Reading, Math Differentiation, and More
Feb 400:58:01Tap to summarizeWhy are students forgetting everything you just told them? How do class rosters make or break a school year? This Epic Elementary Supershow brings together seven expert educators to tackle the challenges elementary teachers face every day. From executive functioning to differentiated math instruction to a remarkable story of 91% reading proficiency, this episode delivers research-backed strategies you can use right away. Guests featured in this episode: Dr. Sarah Oberle — Executive functioning in the elementary classroom Carrie Hetzel — Class rostering for balanced classrooms Dr. Carol Ann Tomlinson — Differentiated math instruction Malia Hollowell — Science of reading practices Jennifer Burns — Reading and writing instruction Heather Marrs — Classroom gamification Ezera Washington — New Jersey Governor's Educator of the Year, reading instruction and classroom transformation In this episode, you'll learn how to: Reduce hidden cognitive demands on students by simplifying instructions and using visual reminders Make rostering decisions that set teachers and students up for success Differentiate math instruction using flexible grouping and pre-assessment data Support struggling writers with sentence stems while building independence Gamify your classroom to boost engagement without losing instructional focus Circulate and give real-time feedback during independent work instead of waiting to grade papers later Show notes and resources: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/elementary
Transcribe →Learning That Sticks: Attention, Memory, and AI
Jan 2900:58:01Tap to summarizeThis episode of Cool Cat Teacher Talk focuses on a challenge many teachers face right now: keeping student attention strong while navigating the rise of artificial intelligence in classrooms. We explore how learning science, memory strategies, and thoughtful AI use can help students focus, remember more, and think more deeply. With insights from Blake Harvard and Mary Ehrenworth, this conversation connects research-backed teaching practices with real classroom needs. If you want practical ways to strengthen learning without losing the human heart of teaching, this episode is for you. What You'll Learn In this episode, you'll learn how to: Use retrieval practice, spaced repetition, and pretesting to strengthen student memory Apply formative assessment and feedback to move students from "I heard it" to "I can do it" Reduce distractions and design classroom routines that protect attention Support reading, vocabulary, and writing while keeping thinking student-centered Use AI as a learning tool and thought partner without replacing student effort Episode Link Show notes and resources: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/attention2026
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