STEAM 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

What 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

One 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