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Education · Jennifer Gonzalez

The Cult of Pedagogy Podcast

by Jennifer Gonzalez

Teaching strategies, classroom management, education reform, educational technology -- if it has something to do with teaching, we're talking about it. Jennifer Gonzalez interviews educators, students, administrators and parents about the psychological and social dynamics of school, trade secrets, and other juicy things you'll never learn in a textbook. For more fantastic resources for teachers, visit http://www.cultofpedagogy.com.

Latest episodes

Showing 20 · updated from the feed

281: Why School Improvement Fails So Often, and What to Do Instead

Schools are constantly trying to improve, but too often, big improvement efforts don't lead to the changes people hoped for. In this episode, I talk with Jal Mehta and Ma

Sep 28
52 min

280: A Realistic Approach to Differentiation

In Part 4 of our Back to Basics series on unit planning, we're taking our sample unit and building in more differentiation. I'm putting out this series as an introduction

Sep 14
33 min

279: How to Write a Lesson Plan

We've reached part 3 of our Back to Basics series on unit planning! Last episode, we built the assessment plan for our sample unit that included diagnostic, formative, an

Sep 1
34 min

278: How to Create an Assessment Plan

It's part 2 of our Back to Basics series on unit planning! Last episode, we looked at the overall process and started by setting measurable objectives for a sample unit.

Aug 16
26 min

277: How to Plan a Unit of Instruction

I'm kicking off a four-episode Back to Basics series that will offer a practical overview of how to effectivley plan a unit of instruction. This week we'll start with the

Aug 9
21 min

276: A Classroom Ritual for Peer Affirmations

Character education often gets lip service in schools — we say it matters, but rarely build a real system to make it happen. What if students could regularly practice not

Aug 2
52 min

275: Three Fresh Ideas for Structuring Professional Development

What often sets the best PD experiences apart are a few intentional choices in how that learning is designed. In this episode, I talk with Jenn White and Josh Kurzweil of

Jun 21
53 min

274: Why School in Denmark is Better, and What We Can Learn from Them

When Pernille Ripp moved from the U.S., where she had taught for over a decade, to her native country of Denmark, she was immediately struck by how different school was.

Jun 7
1 h 51 min

273: The Art of Classroom Timing: 10 Ways to Fit it All In

It can ruin even the most carefully designed lessons: An activity you had planned takes way longer than you thought it would. Or worse, it takes way less time. And someti

Apr 27
26 min

272: The Replacement Skills Approach: Teaching Behavior Instead of Managing It

When a student behaves in a way that disrupts their own learning or someone else's, our response is often limited to a reprimand or a punishment. While this usually stops

Apr 12
33 min

271: Meet Ellis: Your On-Demand Classroom Companion

Students are coming to school with more needs than ever, and a lot of those needs aren't strictly academic: anxiety, withdrawal, behavior issues, and learning differences

Apr 5
29 min

270: Eight Ways to Squeeze Writing Instruction Into a Few Minutes

There's been no shortage of conversation about the science of reading over the past several years. But writing barely comes up, even though the two are deeply connected.

Mar 30
52 min

269: Bringing the Power of Debate to Math Class

Have you ever watched students sit completely silent in math class, only to come alive the moment they're asked to share an opinion? That's what inspired my guest Chris L

Mar 15
37 min

268: What is a Warm Demander?

When our students face challenges in the classroom, some teachers double down on control and rigor: tighter rules, firmer consequences, higher demands. Others lean toward

Mar 1
54 min

267: How Inquiry-Based Freewriting Can Deepen Student Writing

Teaching students to write well has always been challenging, and newer developments have made it even more difficult: The internet offers unlimited text to plagiarize, st

Feb 1
44 min

266: Six Ed Tech Tools to Try in 2026

We're kicking off the year like we always do, with a round-up of six educational tech tools we think are worth a look. On the list this year: a site that offers fantastic

Jan 4
1 h 07 min

265: Growth Discourse: A Framework for Discussing Hard Topics with Students

We're living in a time when having a difference of opinion is a potential minefield of hurt feelings, emotional outbursts, and severed relationships. If this has caused y

Dec 7 2025
1 h 10 min

264: How Schools Can Support Neurodivergent Teachers

Neurodivergent educators, like those with ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and other forms of cognitive diversity, are essential voices in our schools. They bring innovation, empa

Nov 23 2025
1 h 20 min

263: Five Skills that Get Students to Take Ownership of Their Learning

If we're doing our jobs right as educators, students will gradually become independent, self-directed learners capable of monitoring, directing, and actively participatin

Nov 9 2025
42 min

262: Three Fresh Strategies That Get Students Engaged With Texts

If your teaching requires students to read or work with texts, and things have gotten a little stale in the engagement department, this episode will give you some great n

Oct 26 2025
44 min

What listeners say

A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.

I am a TA and utilize many strategies/ideas talked about on this podcast. I was really disappointed by the AI ad in the latest episode. There is ample evidence of the harm that AI does to marginalized communities (promoting racist/sexist ideas, depleting environmental resources, etc.) I strongly believe that it does not belong in the classroom, regardless of the short term benefits it may offer.

brodro01 · Jan 2026

The two words by which I judge most things. I’m a few episodes in of the wonderful topics and find them extremely helpful. As a 30+ year educator and life long learner I’m always exploring new ideas. This podcast hits the mark every time. Thank you for the critical conversations and the spark of hope you bring to education. Keep shining.

Fa8thwalker · Aug 2025

Whenever I want to make a change or learn more, I start here. Jennifer Gonzalez finds the top people and ideas.

AllisonDrew · Aug 2025

I’ve been teaching now for 8+ years and I am the teacher I’ve become in part to the amazingly thoughtful guidance I received from Jennifer Gonzalez’s podcast. I listened to her podcast every day on the way to school my first couple years. Her wisdom has molded me. Thanks Jen!

Nick12323453456 · Jan 2025

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