Alex Kajitani is the 2009 California Teacher of the Year, and a Top-4 Finalist for National Teacher of the Year. He is the author of several books, including Owning It,
which was named “Recommended Reading” by the U.S. Department of Education,
and his newest book (for new teachers!), You’re a Teacher Now! What’s Next? is
receiving rave reviews!
A highly sought after education speaker, Alex is known around the world as “The
Rappin’ Mathematician. He has a popular TED Talk, and was honored at The White
House. He was also featured on The CBS Evening News, where Katie Couric
exclaimed, “I LOVE that guy!” (and you will too!).
Trenches story: how he became the rappin mathematician: Was a new t. struggling to survive, reminder the math. Rap songs would come out & they memorized fast. He wrote “The Itty Bitty Dot” about decimals. He wasn’t “the man” among middle schoolers. Later was walking to lounge, kids were excited to be in class. They asked him to record videos- now 250K views on YouTube. If you as a teacher act like something is cool, it will become important to st’s.
Author of Owning It & among other books): Owning It came out several yrs ago- focuses on practical strategies to be highly effective. Section on hard-to-reach students. How do we interact w/ colleagues. How to be public professionals, how to balance our role in public eye with living rich lives.
You’re a Teacher Now, what’s next? (out in Feb.), w/ co-author Tom Hierck: they had convos w/ t’s about what they were struggling w. Deals w/ what new t’s are asking the first 3 yrs. Written w/ straight-forward lens. Time they spent in CR for research was post-pandemic. We have many teachers with emergency credentials & are overwhelmed. Rooted in what highly effective teaching is. Principals are still rooted in foundational skills- world’s greatest teachers will use.
Also wrote a book about teaching online- 101 Tips for Teaching Online some is the same for brick & mortar. How to keep st’s engaged & keep a collaborative culture. He interviewed some of the best online teachers. Virtual teaching will always be there. During pandemic, many companies evolved to virtual work. They should adopt more of a hybrid model.
What type of speaking engagement do you have lined up for ‘24? Feels like he has a much bigger CR. Impacts more w/ training t’s in several states. Can list keynotes from May on- CTE conf. in July in AZ. Helps districts with BTS convocations. No crowd too small or large.
What is your current “day job”- are you still in the classroom? He transitioned into speaking/writing FT, he may go back. He taught MS math. Then TOSA-coaching at other levels.
He can talk about supporting new teachers & building relationships w/ students. He does this work w/ schools he visits. How to keep st’s more engaged. We talk so much about it- but what IS a relationship? It’s a connection that’s growing or falling apart. #1- spend time together. #2- be interested & be interesting. #3- built on trust: trust is confidence w/ the unknown. When we have confidence in the unknown, strong trust develop. 4 relationships happen- w/ themselves, other st’s, relationship w/ content, w/ adults in the building. How can a student who has aptitude but isn’t showing it- he advises t’s to show their interests. Bring it up from time to time. “Alyssa, I know you love to cook, fractions are such an important part of cooking”. Start w/ st’s lives, see where it fits into content. He played a game- “Stump Mr. Alex”- they had to think of something that he can’t relate to math. St said “when you’re in love, it could be very expensive”.
out of everything: build relationships with students- don’t force curriculum & force it into their lives; see how students' lives can fit in with the curriculum. Click To Tweet
Where can ppl find you online: https://twitter.com/alexkajitani
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQgyFEIXAgTEhKGriml3rVg
https://www.facebook.com/alex.kajitani
IG @alexkajitani
Multiplication Nation- sign up on his website
Website: https://alexkajitani.com
View this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/u6JWX4qLADs
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