Hack Learning

Mark Barnes says he used to penalize kids for insignificant things like using a pencil or putting their names in the wrong spot (a bad practice he now admits). But failing a kid for not printing a Google Doc? Mark argues that this is the stupidest school policy ever. He explains why and how this needs to be hacked ... immediately, while providing a few hacks from numerous Hack Learning experts.Check out the books referenced in this episode at http://hacklearningbooks.comBrowse the podcast archive at http://hacklearningpodcast.com

Mark shares the worst thing he did to his students and how you may be doing the same thing right now. Then, he provides one simple hack to avoid doing it again.View the archive at http://hacklearningpodcast.comBrowse books at http://hacklearningbooks.com

EduHacker Mark Barnes admits that math has always eluded him, until he stumbled upon the Unanswerable Questions hack in Hacking Mathematics, by Denis Sheeran. Mark shares Sheeran's reasoning behind Unanswerable Questions and the power they hold over not just math students, but all teachers and learners.Read the excerpt at http://hacklearning.org/UQBrowse the library at http://hacklearningbooks.com

Mark Barnes is angry and Uncut, as he unabashedly says No to the president's plan to arm teachers, in an attempt to stop school shootings. Not only does Mark say educators must say no to guns, he provides a few more ways to stop school shootings. Listen and comment on Twitter at #HackLearning.More from Mark Barnes and Hack Learning at http://hacklearningpodcast.com

Mark shared this on social channels, and something amazing happened: "A model student his whole life, my son, a freshman, suddenly hates school. He says the teachers are boring and most of the subject matter he will never use in real life. This is heartbreaking. He has three and a half years left, and I don't know what to do."Listen to how people reacted and how Mark disseminates their reactions into some powerful, What-You-Can-Do-Tomorrow strategies to make school an engaging, fun place for all kids.Learn more at http://hacklearning.org/kidhatesschoolBrowse the library at http://hacklearningbooks.comMore episodes at http://hacklearningpodcast.com

The Mississippi State legislature wants to mandate nightly homework, including spelling, across the state. Mark Barnes explains why any homework mandate undermines teachers, learners, and parents. He also declares that politicians must stay out of education policymaking, unless they enlist the help of progressive-minded educators.Learn more at http://hackinghomework.comListen to more episodes at http://hacklearningpodcast.com

A reader pushed back hard against Mark Barnes' article about going gradeless in Education Week's 10 Big Ideas Special Report. As you may have expected, Mark pushes back against the pushback in this episode, sharing excerpts from the EdWeek article and the comments. Along the way, Mark explains why grading and evaluating are not the same as effectively assessing learning in the no-grades classroom. Check out an excerpt from the article, No, Students Don't Need Grades, on our show notes page here: http://hacklearning.org/10bigideasLearn about going gradeless and other progressive education ideas at http://hacklearningbooks.com. Tell the world what you think of the podcast with an iTunes rating and review.

Mark discusses changing the narrative about school leaders. With a little help from principals Dan McCabe and Tracy R. Taylor, Mark says, it’s time to stop making the principal the bad guy. Visit the Show’s archive at http://hacklearningpodcast.comBrowse the library at http://hacklearningbooks.comCheck out http://spreaker.com for fast and hacky podcasting

Mark interviews Utah English Teacher of the Year Mike Roberts, author of Hacking Classroom Management: 10 Ideas To Help You Become the Type of Teacher They Make Movies About. Learn more about Roberts and the Movie Teacher approach at http://hacklearning.org/movieteacherCheck out all Hack Learning Series books at http://hacklearningbooks.com

Mark cites a Psychology Today Blog post, in which the author references an interview with a Google executive who says the search engine giant does not use GPAs and SAT scores to assess potential new hires. Mark Barnes despises grades and tests, and he wonders why schools continue to use them when one of the most successful companies on the planet disdains them.Read the article at https://medium.com/the-mission/inverse-relationship-between-gpa-and-innovative-orientation-57e604e7112Listen to more episodes at http://hacklearningpodcast.comBrowse the library at http://hacklearningbooks.com

Mark posted this on social channels: "No, I won’t lecture, assign homework, punish, or grade my students, just because that’s the way we’ve always done it." And people reacted. He talks about it in classic Hack Learning Uncut style.Want more episodes? http://hacklearningpodcast.comNeed a solution to a big problem? http://hacklearningbooks.com

For parents and teachers, the old, "Back-in-my-day" mentality no longer works, because, as Kimberley Moran writes in Hacking Parenthood, The World Really Is Different. In this special Friday edition of Hack Learning Uncut, Mark shares Mantra 9 from the new book, Hacking Parenthood: 10 Mantras You Can Use Daily to Reduce the Stress of Parenting, along with some what-you-can-do-tomorrow strategies for reducing screentime at home in and the classroom. Mark explains how Moran uses the Parent Resource Notebook (PRN) as a powerful tool for pausing and reflecting--critical for both parents and teachers.Look inside Hacking Parenthood at http://parentmantras.comAccess your free copy of the PRN at http://hackingparenthood.orgCheck out the Hack Learning library at http://hacklearningbooks.com

Love him or hate him President Donald Trump isn't the best example for kids, when it comes to debating issues on social media. In this non-political episode, Mark Barnes shares an excerpt from Shelly Terrell's book, Hacking Digital Learning Strategies, which tackles the issue of online debate and disrespect head on. Learn how to teach kids to debate issues appropriately on social media, with some right-now strategies you can use today to engage kids in a meaningful discussion about online debate. Read the chapter on Teaching Debate at http://hacklearning.org/debateCheck out all Hack Learning books at http://hacklearningbooks.comListen to more episodes at http://hacklearningpodcast.com

EduHacker Mark Barnes explains the problem with rewards, gestures, and asking kids to give you the finger, when attempting to effectively "manage" students. Of course, he's got a hack for that.

Mark talks about the power of mission-minded learning with NAPW Woman of the Year, renowned EdTech presenter, and author of Hacking Digital Learning Strategies Shelly Sanchez Terrell.Learn more about EdTEch Missions at http://hackingDLS.comFor more episodes, visit http://hacklearningpodcast.com

A recent #HackLearning chat sparked some hot debate about appropriate teacher dress and engaging with students outside of class. Mark has opinions, and he's sharing in another Uncut episode.See the Twitter chat archive at http://hacklearning.org/dresscodeCheck out all episodes at http://hacklearningpodcast.comVisit the library at http://hacklearningbooks.com

In Episode 100, Mark reflects on century's worth of podcasts, asking Why he produces the show. Find out the "Why" and ask yourself why you do what you do.Share your thoughts at #HackLearning on Twitter and on the Hack Learning Facebook page. Check out all episodes at http://hacklearningpodcast.com.Look inside a book at http://hacklearningbooks.com

Hacking Parenthood author Kimberley Moran explains how mantras were created thousands of years ago by people in ancient India who understood that sound is a pathway to reaching enlightenment and they became sound formulas to calm the self. With this in mind, Moran shares several Parent Mantras and explains how you can apply these mantras to your own parenting strategies and reduce the daily stress of parenting.Moran also explains how teachers can share mantras with parents to help them inspire independent learning at home. Learn more about Parent Mantras at http://hacklearning.org/stressofparenting, where you can get a free downloadable PDF of Moran's 10 Parent Mantras.Listen to all episodes at http://hacklearningpodcast.com.

With so much tragedy in the world, we need inspirational stories to ease the stress. Mark shares his favorite inspirational teaching story and puts a Hack Learning spin on it, providing some right-now solutions for teachers and parents of reluctant readers.Learn more at http://hacklearning.org/storyFor more solutions for teachers and learners, visit http://hacklearningbooks.com

A blog post suggesting that teachers should work less draws Mark's ire, and he sounds off in another Uncut version of the podcast. Mark says teachers can't be effective in less than 40 hours a week, but the whole 40-hour thing might just be semantics. Find more episodes at http://hacklearningpodcast.comLook inside any or all books at http://hacklearningbooks.comTell us what you think on Twitter at #HackLearning