The Balance, by Dr. Catlin Tucker

Guided Notes vs. Cloze Notes: Are Your Notes Supporting or Stifling Learning?

In this episode of The Balance, I unpack a classroom trend I’ve been noticing across middle and high school classrooms: teachers using what they call “guided notes” that are actually closer to cloze notes.

I explore the difference between guided notes, cloze notes, and completed notes, and why those distinctions matter for cognitive engagement, meaning-making, and long-term learning. I talk about how note-taking scaffolds can support students without reducing learning to task completion and compliance. I also address questions teachers are asking about fairness, accommodations, inclusion, and how to normalize differentiated supports in diverse classrooms.

Finally, I share practical strategies for designing guided notes that actively engage students in thinking, processing, discussing, and making meaning during direct instruction.

Related Blog:
Are Your Guided Notes Supporting or Stifling Learning? Designing Notes That Promote Active Engagement

AI Tools That Give Teachers Time Back with Robert Mayfield

In this episode, Robert Mayfield and I continue our conversation about deep work in education by exploring specific AI tools that can help teachers reclaim time and focus on more meaningful instructional work.

We discuss how AI can streamline tasks like creating slide decks, writing student-facing directions, designing higher-order questions, generating review activities, providing feedback, planning units, and managing communication with families.

Throughout the conversation, we emphasize that the goal is not replacing teachers, but reducing the shallow, repetitive tasks that consume so much of their time and energy. We also talk about the importance of teachers remaining thoughtful evaluators of AI-generated content and building a small, purposeful toolkit that supports student-centered learning.

Related Blog:
Deep Work in the Age of AI (Part 2): AI Tools That Give Teachers Time Back

Deep Work in the Age of AI: Protecting Teacher Thinking with Robert Mayfield (Part 1)

In this episode, I chat with Robert Mayfield about a growing tension in education: teachers aren’t necessarily resistant to AI, they’re resistant to more fragmentation.

We explore how the structure of teaching leaves little room for the deep thinking required to design meaningful learning experiences and why AI should be used to create space for that work, not add to teachers’ cognitive load.

Robert shares powerful examples from classrooms, including how one teacher’s perspective on AI completely shifted when she saw its potential to support student thinking and reclaim teacher time. We also discuss the difference between simply putting together lessons and intentionally designing them, along with small, realistic ways educators can begin protecting time for reflection, analysis, and instructional decision-making.

Related Blog: Deep Work in the Age of AI: The Case for Protecting Teacher Thinking (Part I)

Tier 2 Instructional Shifts: Strategies That Strengthen Small Group Instruction

In this episode, I unpack the instructional shifts that make Tier 2 more targeted, responsive, and effective.

Too often, Tier 2 turns into a smaller version of whole-group instruction, repeating the same explanations and tasks that didn’t work the first time. I walk through what needs to change, from grouping students based on specific needs to using different instructional approaches, scaffolding thinking, and ensuring students are doing the cognitive heavy lifting. I also explore how pre-assessment and formative data can be used to proactively design support and enrichment, not just react after students struggle.

Finally, I share how the station rotation model can create the time and structure teachers need to make small group instruction possible in real classrooms.

Episode Resources

• Related Blog: https://catlintucker.com/2026/04/tier-2-instructional-strategies/
• The Station Rotation Model & UDL

Rethinking Technology in the Classroom: It’s Not Screen Time, It’s Design

In this episode, I take a closer look at the growing conversation around technology in education.

With rising concerns about screen time, student attention, and mental health, many schools are starting to question their use of devices. But what does the research actually say? I unpack key insights from a recent American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement, highlighting an important distinction: it’s not just how much time students spend on screens, it’s what they’re doing on them. Then I contrast that research with what I see in classrooms every day and explore what it means for schools moving forward.

Episode Resources

• Digital Ecosystems, Children, and Adolescents: Policy Statement

Engagement Is the Outcome of Design: Supporting Teachers and Students Through Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness

In this episode, I reflect on a recent keynote I delivered in Singapore, exploring the shared challenges impacting teacher and student engagement.

Drawing on Self-Determination Theory, I unpack the three psychological needs that drive motivation—autonomy, competence, and relatedness—and explain how these needs shape what we see as engagement in classrooms and schools. Too often, we treat engagement as a student issue, but teacher and student engagement are deeply interconnected and influenced by the same system-level conditions.

I share practical examples to illustrate how rigid structures, one-size-fits-all design, and limited opportunities for connection can undermine motivation for both groups. If we want to reignite engagement, we have to move beyond compliance and intentionally design learning experiences that give both teachers and students a sense of control, confidence, and connection.

Fast Finishers: 6 Strategies to Support Self-Paced Learning Without Busywork

In this episode, I tackle one of the most common questions teachers ask when using the station rotation model: What do you do with students who finish early?

Instead of treating fast finishers as a problem, I reframe pacing differences as one of the biggest benefits of blended learning and self-paced environments. I walk through six practical strategies you can use to keep students meaningfully engaged without defaulting to extra work or busywork. From Must Do, May Do, and Aspire to Do to peer tutoring and brain break options, these approaches help you design for flexibility, student agency, and better classroom flow.

If you’re using station rotation, this episode will help you make pacing work for you, not against you.

Episode Resources

• Related Blog Post: What to Do When Students Finish Early in a Station Rotation
• The Station Rotation Model and UDL: Elevate Tier 1 Instruction and Cultivate Learner Agency

Backward Design in the Age of AI: From Coverage to Deep Learning with Jay McTighe

In this episode, I sit down with Jay McTighe to revisit the core principles of backward design and why they matter more than ever in today’s classrooms.

We unpack the ongoing tension between content coverage and deep learning, and what it really means to design for understanding and transfer. Our conversation explores the power of performance tasks as a way to shift from simply learning content to applying learning in meaningful, authentic contexts.

We also examine how AI can serve as a design partner, helping educators clarify goals, rethink assessment, and create more purposeful learning experiences.

Check out Jay’s work!

• https://jaymctighe.com/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaymctighe

Block Scheduling: Avoiding Common Design Mistakes and Sequencing for Impact

Block schedules offer the promise of more time, but without intentional design, that time doesn’t always translate into deeper learning. In this episode, I unpack common missteps like stacking and stretching traditional lessons and why they often lead to cognitive overload, disengagement, and fatigue. I explore how to shift from filling time to intentionally sequencing learning with purposeful content blocks that move students from passive to active participants. If you’re teaching in a block schedule, this episode will help you design that time so it actually works for you and your students.

The Empty Station Strategy: Solving the Biggest Challenge in Station Rotation Design

In this episode, I unpack one of the most common challenges teachers face when transitioning from linear, whole-group lessons to the station rotation model, designing for a circular flow when students don’t all start with the teacher.

I introduce the Empty Station Strategy, a simple but powerful variation that allows me to model or introduce new learning at the teacher-led station while ensuring students have an immediate opportunity to apply it. I walk through what this looks like in practice using both English and math examples so you can visualize how it works in your classroom.

I also explain how this approach can serve as a bridge for teachers new to station rotation and a long-term strategy when working with more sequential curriculum. If you’ve ever felt stuck trying to make station rotation “work,” this strategy can help you move forward with more clarity and confidence.

Related Blogs & Podcasts:

• Blog - Part I: Station Rotation Design Tip – Go Horizontal with Your Linear Agenda
• Podcast - Designing a Station Rotation: Go Horizontal with Your Agenda