Tammy Maxson McElroy and Dr. Brad Johnson form a dynamic and entertaining duo known as The Edutainers.  Drawing upon 35+ years of combined teaching and administrative experience, Mrs. McElroy and Dr. Johnson share a wealth of knowledge and experience from “The Trenches”.  Their expertise is balanced with their outgoing personalities and humor to create entertaining and engaging workshops.  Their motto is to “Work Hard, Play Hard”. 

They are authors of The Edutainer: Connecting the Art and Science of Teaching.  Through The Edutainer, they have quantified and developed the strategies that will improve the effectiveness of teachers and the success of students in the 21st Century Classroom. They have published several articles on education and pop culture, including “The Changing Role of the Teacher in the 21st Century” and “Have We Childproofed Education?”.   The Edutainers frequently speak at conferences, as well as conduct workshops and seminars for teachers and teacher education students. 

Tammy Maxson McElroy has over twenty years of experience in the educational field. This experience includes teaching in public and independent schools. She has also edited books for publishing in different fields. Her degrees include a bachelor’s degree in language arts and a master’s degree in mathematics. Tammy’s certifications include language arts, science, and mathematics. Her roles have included teacher, department chairperson, grade-level coordinator, and mentor, and she has served on committees that addressed the development of curriculum, textbook adoption, and admission test design, as well as school wide behavior and discipline policies. During her time in public schools, Tammy served on a county-level committee to develop testing policies for one of the largest school systems in Georgia. She also served as department chairperson, where she mentored new teachers, developed a scope and sequence curriculum, and was involved in textbook adoption. During her tenure in independent schools, Tammy served on curriculum, leadership, and technological committees that developed policies as well as a scope and sequence curriculum for initial SACS certification for the school. She was instrumental in the development of the math and language arts curriculum for the middle and lower school. Tammy was instrumental in the implementation of a formal mentoring program for new teachers.

Dr. Brad Johnson has over fifteen years of experience in the educational field. This includes experience in public schools, independent schools, and at the collegiate level. His degrees include a bachelor’s degree in education, master’s degree in education, specialist degree in leadership/administration, and a doctorate in curriculum studies from Georgia Southern University. He used cultural studies as his theoretical framework for his doctoral dissertation, The Oppression of Obesity. Dr. Johnson’s educational certifications include science, educational leadership, instructional supervision, and teacher support specialist. Because of the diversity and extensive nature of his education background, Dr. Johnson has a unique perspective as it relates to education. His roles have included classroom teacher, administrator, curriculum developer, and scholarly researcher. Besides his experiences as a teacher, curriculum director, and administrator, Dr. Johnson has served as an accreditation committee chair. He developed and supervised a formal mentoring program. He has chaired committees for curriculum development at the middle and high school levels. He has served on a board-level educational committee for an independent school. Dr. Johnson’s research interest is in cultural studies, where his focus is on pop culture and its influence on students and learning.

Topics:

The Edutainer: The Changing Role of the Teacher in the 21st Century.  This session explains a paradigm shift for today’s  teaching and learning.   The Edutainer bridges the gap between yesterday's and today's classroom.   Authentic teaching strategies are shared ,and student engagement is made easy. This paradigm shift explains methodologies which provide relevant, personalized, and purpose driven learning.

 The Essential 3R’s:  The traditional three R’s have been used to focus on reading, writing, and arithmetic. However in a changing 21st Century culture, the essential 3R's of education today must include respect, responsibility, and intentional relationships. The 3R’s focus on making positive change in both the school and family setting. Learn techniques which promote improved student behavior and  student engagement.  Bottom line... student achievement will soar.

Who’s Doing the Homework Anyway? Parents are an integral part of the education community. This entertaining and educational seminar presents the responsibilities, relationship building, and role of the parent and student in the educational process. The speakers examine the influence of pop culture on learning and family dynamics in the 21st Century

Lights, Camera, Management:   Studies have identified the lack of management as one of the biggest problems in public schools over the past three decades. In fact one of the major determining factors in the success of a  teacher is not subject knowledge but rather the ability to manage a classroom. Bottom line, whether or not students learn depends upon the teacher's ability to establish the classroom, engage students, and involve parents. This presentation provides insightful techniques that establish core operational and interpersonal skills for the effective teacher.

Are you ready to be a star? (New Teacher Induction):  You are competent in pedagogy and have been given the “keys to the kingdom”. So now what? Where do you begin?  How do you teach today's digital learners?  This presentation will help you not only survive but thrive from pre planning through the final days of school.  We offer effective strategies for establishing core operational  and interpersonal skills for the effective teacher. 

To request information on The Edutainers, e-mail edutainers@educationspeakersgroup.com