Think Differently and Deeply Podcast

In this episode from Season 2, host Glenn speaks with Lisa Shambaugh about student choice, intrinsic motivation, and the role neuroscience can play in rethinking the admissions process.
They discuss how diversity, equity, and belonging intersect with admissions, the limitations of standardized testing, and why student agency should be a greater priority when evaluating applicants.
Listen in to learn what admissions professionals should understand about the brain, how intrinsic motivation can shape student success, and why it may be time to reimagine an admissions process that has changed very little in decades.
"We didn't know what we would be coming into; we didn't know what school might look like, but we knew for sure that we had to rethink what our admission criteria were." - Lisa Shambaugh.
What You'll Learn:
How many years has Lisa Shambaugh worked in admissions

What is good about independent schools

How did COVID-19 affect school admissions

What are the challenges of working in admissions

How to educate admissions staff on choice and intrinsic motivation

Why has the student admission process changed 

How to make the school admission process equitable 

What are admissions offices doing about AI essays

How do admissions offices analyze submissions 

Which research strategies did the admissions office use when changing their policies 
"We see trends coming before they've totally materialized." - Lisa Shambaugh.
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In this episode from Season 2, host Glenn speaks with Rose Currie about her experience as a student intern at the academy.
 
They discuss the importance of her relationship with teachers, how well teachers should know their students, ways to incorporate metacognition into student learning, and what makes for a good homework assignment.
 
Listen in to learn why Rose signed up for a summer internship with the CTTL, how to manage a heavy course load, and what can make teachers better listeners.  
"I felt very heard. When I was talking, there was feedback and conversations going back and forth, and I could tell that we were respecting each other and learning a lot from each other." - Rose Currie.







What You'll Learn:
What should teachers know about their students

How to manage a heavy course load 

What does Rose Currie do for fun

Why sign up for a summer internship with the CTTL

What kind of learner is Rose

How learning styles change over time

What is a brain dump

How can teachers listen better

Is there good homework and bad homework

What makes a good homework assignment

How to take advantage of one-on-one teaching
 
"Teachers should be open to flexibility and dynamic teaching and having a good variety between online versus on paper." - Rose Currie.
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There are seasons in a teaching career when the questions shift from "What am I doing in my classroom tomorrow?" to "Who am I becoming as an educator, colleague, and human?" In this episode, veteran third-grade teacher, nurse-turned-educator, and new‑teacher mentor Dale Kynoch invites us into that deeper work through the lens of coaching, theorist‑informed practice, and a relentless belief that both children and adults can change.
Across this conversation with host Glenn Whitman, Dale unpacks how she moved from giving advice as a senior teacher to learning the craft of coaching, including completing a fifteen‑month, twenty‑hours‑per‑week coaching course and integrating those tools into daily life at Saint Andrew's Episcopal School. She shares why she calls herself "a Vygotskian through and through," how she uses responsive classroom structures and clear boundaries to empower third graders, and why she believes coaching can help retain early‑career teachers, support parents, and even shape her future as an alpaca‑owning hobby farmer.
"Part of being in this service industry for me is I love, love, love to see people shine. That absolutely floats my boat." - Dale Kynoch.
What You'll Learn:
Why Dale moved from advice-giving to true coaching and what changed in his conversations with colleagues and students
The difference between mentoring, advising, and coaching in a PK–12 school context, and why that distinction matters for teacher growth
How Responsive Classroom structures and six intentional weeks of rule-setting create belonging, boundaries, and a "hum" in the elementary classroom
What it means to be "a Vygotskian through and through" and how core learning theories shape classroom decisions and adult interactions
How coaching supports new-to-Saint-Andrew's teachers in years one to five and why that window is critical for retaining great educators
Practical ways coaching conversations unfold on walks, during hallway chats, and in informal moments, not just in scheduled sessions
Why believing in a person's ability to grow is foundational to any meaningful coaching relationship
Strategies Dale uses to "catch kids doing something right," call it out publicly, and help them feel the joy of better decisions
How movement, like walking during coaching conversations, can change the brain's state and deepen reflection
The role of coaching for teachers, students, and even parents as schools navigate complex times, high expectations, and the science of learning
How a fifteen-month, twenty-hours-per-week coaching program reshaped Dale's thinking and clarified when to mentor versus when to coach
Why Dale dreams of a "hobby farm" with alpaca, and how he seeks learning and coaching even in that next chapter
"To make those changes, you have to feel it on the inside. You have to create it. And so that's coaching, where the person is coming up with their own plan." - Dale Kynoch.
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LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS EPISODE: https://www.thecttl.org
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There are conversations in education that challenge not just what we do in classrooms, but how we think about learning itself. Today's conversation with educator, researcher, and The Scaffolding Effect co-author Alex Fairlamb was exactly that kind of conversation. Alex joins us at the Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning after a whirlwind stretch of presentations across China, New York, Maryland, and beyond — and somehow still brought clarity, energy, and practicality to one of the most misunderstood ideas in education today: scaffolding.
In this episode, Alex insists that scaffolding is not about lowering expectations or making work easier. It is about maintaining ambitious goals for every learner while thoughtfully removing barriers that prevent students from reaching them. In a moment when schools are wrestling with AI, personalization, differentiation, and equity, Alex offers something refreshingly grounded: responsive teaching rooted in the science of learning, teacher expertise, and a deep belief that all students deserve access to rigorous curriculum and high expectations.
"Success equals motivation. So the more that I saw the success of what I was doing in the classroom with the students, the more that I was motivated to find out more and more and more." - Alex Fairlamb.
What You'll Learn:
Why is scaffolding fundamentally different from "watering down" instruction

What is the difference between differentiation, adaptive teaching, and responsive teaching

How does effective scaffolding support equity and academic belonging

Why "teaching to the top" matters for all learners

How checks for understanding drive responsive instruction

What teachers often misunderstand about I-We-You instructional models

Why teacher expertise—not programs or scripts—remains central to learning

How can AI support scaffolding without replacing student thinking

What is the role of coaching and professional learning in improving instruction

Why the science of learning should shape how schools think about curriculum, assessment, and support systems
"It's about being absolutely and unapologetically ambitious about what each child can do." - Alex Fairlamb.
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Today's guest Kristin Webster taught middle and upper school Latin at St. Andrews for four years and is currently a class dean and Latin teacher at the Nightingale Bamford School in New York City. Kristin has also continued to be a translation group leader at the CTTL'S Annual Science of Teaching and School Leadership Academy, and authored an article for volume four of Think Differently and Eeeply titled Emotion and Cognition: Creating a Positive Classroom Culture.
In this episode, Kristin explains her role when teaching tricky topics and the importance she places on the transparency of her thought process with her students as she teaches. We also talk about how the topic of latin is evolving and which recent research in the science of learning has influenced her teaching style.
"Most of us aren't gonna remember a lot...I am so much happier if you leave and you know how to study, how to advocate for yourself, what are effective strategies, because you're gonna take that to every subject throughout your educational journey." - Kristin Webster
What You'll Learn:
How to know if study strategies are sticking
What's to love about teaching Latin 
How is teaching Latin evolving
Which topics in Latin are difficult
How important is mindset in learning
What is it like to be a translation group leader
Research that informs teaching
What is the next frontier in the science of learning
"I want them to feel good about learning and know that they're capable of learning. They just need, might need to pivot on what strategy they're using." - Kristin Webster
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SUBSCRIBE TO THINK DIFFERENTLY & DEEPLY ON iTUNES/APPLE PODCASTS: https://apple.co/3JCpK1u
And to support our work, please leave us a 5-star review with your feedback on iTunes/Apple Podcasts.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS EPISODE: https://www.thecttl.org
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