Highlight Clips from Ep.019 -- Tim "The Shop Teacher" Gregory

ClassCast Podcast Ep.019 features Tim "The Shop Teacher" Gregory, a beloved educator with a diverse skill set, critical mind, disarming sense of humor, and intense dedication to learning and teaching. He talks with host Ryan Tibbens about TechEd, shop class, expanding vo-tech programs, project-based learning, grading, girls in STEM, post-secondary education, fatherly wisdom, books, and more. 

The five highlight clips included below have already been released via popular streaming platforms, and in just a few days with no real promotions, they are among the most-streamed ClassCast segments. This discussion hits on many, many major issues in public schools today without ever getting too deep into the weeds, too distracted by terms or trendy pedagogies. This is what the ClassCast Podcast is all about. 

Clip 019.1 -- Tim Gregory --
Becoming "The Shop Teacher"

The proper term is "technology educator," but Tim Gregory embodies the modern "shop teacher." The first highlight clip from ClassCast Podcast Ep.019 features Tim "The Shop Teacher" Gregory discussing his family's influence on his education and career path with our host, Ryan Tibbens. They address the complexity of technology education, a working class perspective on college, and becoming a teacher; they even mention "The Myth of the $100k Welder." ​

Clip 019.2 -- Tim Gregory --
​Project-Based Learning

This clip from ClassCast Podcast Ep.019 features host Ryan Tibbens and Tim "The Shop Teacher" Gregory discussing project-based and interdisciplinary learning in Technology Education classes. Tim teaches everything from coding and robotics to traditional wood shop, from CAD to metal working -- probably no one in his building teaches more subjects and skills than him, nor does anyone do more consistent PBL. Hear his take on PBL and student engagement. 

Clip 019.3 -- Tim Gregory -- 
Girls in Shop, girls in STEM, & Girl/Boy Ratios

In this clip from ClassCast Podcast Ep.019, host Ryan Tibbens and Tim "The Shop Teacher" Gregory discuss girls in shop class, STEM programs, and how girl/boy ratios can affect class dynamics. Tim believes that girls are the best shop students, despite what cultural prejudices might indicate, and hopes to continue promoting hands-on skills for all students. ​

Clip 019.4 -- Tim Gregory --
​Expanding VoTech Programs

In this quick clip from ClassCast Podcast Ep.019, host Ryan Tibbens and Tim "The Shop Teacher" Gregory discuss the need for expanding vocational/technical education and increasing students' access to votech programs overall. Each teacher shares his perspective, plus personal anecdotes, about the power of vocational training.  Votech programs are a recurring theme in this episode and are discussed in other ways at multiple points -- check out the full episode for more discussion on the value of specialized vocational programs in public school. ​

Clip 019.5 -- Tim Gregory -- 
Failure

ClassCast Podcast Clip 019.5 includes a segment we call "Open Mic," in which the guests get time to talk about anything they want that wasn't already covered in the conversation.  Tim "The Shop Teacher" Gregory addresses the necessity of failure: "Let them fail." Host Ryan Tibbens later follows up with one of his favorite quotes about education from the great Thomas Dewey: "Failure is instructive. The person who really thinks learns quite as much from his failures as from his successes." Enjoy this quick clip in which two successful teachers address the necessity of failure in education and why grade consciousness might be limited learning. ​