The Balance, by Dr. Catlin Tucker

Dr. Catlin Tucker is a bestselling author, international trainer, and keynote speaker. She was named Teacher of the Year in 2010 in Sonoma County, where she taught for 16 years. Catlin earned her doctorate in learning technologies from Pepperdine University. Currently, Catlin is working as a blended learning coach, education consultant, and professor in a Masters of Arts in Teaching program. Catlin has published several books on blended learning, including The Shift to Student-led, The Complete Guide to Blended Learning, UDL and Blended Learning, and Balance with Blended Learning. She is active on Twitter @Catlin_Tucker and writes an internationally-ranked blog at CatlinTucker.com.

The Balance, by Dr. Catlin Tucker is a education podcast hosted by catlinthebalance, with 189 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

catlinthebalance hosts The Balance, by Dr. Catlin Tucker, a education show with 189 episodes published.

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  Episode #192

  Ask Catlin — Can Chunk, Pause, Process Work with Read-Alouds and Gradual Release?

  Sep 29, 202632 min

  Can you use Chunk, Pause, Process when you’re reading aloud to students or teaching with an “I do, we do, you do” lesson? In this Ask Catlin episode, I explain how to build meaningful pauses into both approaches so students have time to think, talk, and make sense of new information. I walk through examples from elementary read-alouds and secondary classrooms, then show how the cycle can make each stage of gradual release more responsive to students’ needs. I also share how to use Four Corners to check for understanding during direct instruction and uncover misconceptions while there’s still time to address them. You’ll leave with practical ways to hear from more students and use what you learn to guide your next instructional move.

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  Episode #191

  Beyond the AI Debate: Designing for Connection, Collaboration, and Better Writing with Adam Sparks

  Sep 22, 202656 min

  Technology has the potential to connect students, foster collaboration, and support richer learning experiences, but those benefits exist alongside real concerns about AI, screen time, and the role technology should play in schools. In this episode of The Balance, I talk with educator and Scriblit founder Adam Sparks about how we navigate those tensions without reducing the conversation to technology being either good or bad. We explore the role technology can play in helping students develop as writers, including how peer feedback, communication, and collaboration can make writing more social and dynamic. Adam and I also discuss the growing presence of AI in education and what it means to acknowledge both its potential benefits and the harm and risks associated with it. Ultimately, our conversation asks a bigger question: How do we thoughtfully prepare students for the world they are entering while continuing to design learning experiences that prioritize connection, communication, critical thinking, and meaningful human interaction? Episode Resources Check out Adam’s Substack, Edtech Confidential Scriblit — Write Better Together! Modern Classroom Project PAIRR Instructional Materials

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  Episode #190

  Deep Dive - Reciprocal Teaching & Reading Comprehension

  Sep 15, 202632 min

  How can teachers help students become more strategic, confident, and independent readers? In this deep dive episode, Dr. Catlin Tucker explores reciprocal teaching, a guided, inclusive strategy that engages students in collaboratively making meaning from texts through four comprehension lenses: summarizing, questioning, clarifying, and predicting. She explains why explicit instruction is essential to the success of student-led learning and shares a five-stage process for onboarding students to the reciprocal teaching routine. From teacher modeling and supported practice to a fishbowl demonstration, small-group application, and self and peer assessment, this episode offers a practical pathway for gradually transferring cognitive responsibility to students. The goal is not simply to teach students a new routine, but to help them develop the skills and confidence to navigate challenging texts across subject areas. Resources: Related Blog: Strengthening Reading Comprehension with Reciprocal Teaching Resource: Reciprocal Teaching Template Resource: A Teacher’s Guide: Reciprocal Teaching for Elementary Students: A Teacher’s Guide Resource: A Teacher’s Guide: Onboarding Students to Student-Led Learning Strategies

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  Episode #189

  Deep Dive - MIT’s 2026 AI Report: What It Means for Teaching and Learning

  Sep 8, 202650 min

  In August 2026, MIT released a report examining how generative AI is affecting teaching, learning, assessment, and the human relationships at the heart of education. In this deep dive, I explore why the report carries particular significance coming from an institution so closely associated with technological innovation. I unpack seven key takeaways, including AI’s potential to expose weaknesses in existing educational practices, bypass productive struggle, increase isolation, complicate assessment, and strain trust between students and educators. I also examine MIT’s distinction between augmentation and automation and consider how it can help educators decide when AI adds value to learning and when it replaces the thinking students need to do. Ultimately, this episode asks how schools can prepare students to use AI effectively, responsibly, and ethically without surrendering the human judgment, creativity, connection, and intellectual engagement education should cultivate. Related Resource: MIT Report on AI K-12 AI Implementation Guide: Skills Before Tools

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  Episode #188

  Ask Catlin - Are We Expecting Independence Before We’ve Taught It?

  Sep 1, 202626 min

  In this Ask Catlin episode, I respond to three questions educators have recently shared with me on social media about active processing, note-taking, and the Station Rotation Model. I explore how teachers can build meaningful processing opportunities into whole-group instruction without creating elaborate activities, and I share a gradual-release approach for explicitly teaching students how to take notes. I also discuss how elementary resource teachers can use Station Rotation to provide targeted small-group instruction for students working toward different IEP goals. Across all three questions, I emphasize the importance of providing intentional scaffolds and support as we help students develop greater confidence and independence as learners.

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