Best Tani Toprakci Podcasts (2024)

1
Long-Term Effects of the Practice of Gratitude: How that Translates to the Classroom 10:51

1h ago10:51

10:51

This conversation explores the practice of gratitude with children and its profound impact on their mindset and behavior. Tani Toprakci, M.Ed shares examples of students expressing gratitude for various aspects of their lives, such as themselves, pets, friends, and material possessions. The practice of gratitude helps children develop a positive at…

1
Neurodivergent kids need these tools, but they work for EVERYONE! 11:28

5d ago11:28

11:28

Summary Neurodivergent kids need different tools, but these tools can benefit all children. The conversation explores various tools and techniques that can help strengthen brain pathways and support academic success. The tools discussed include balance exercises, breath work, symbol mastery with clay, tracking exercises, spell reading, sweep readin…

1
Learning is Messy 15:59

12d ago15:59

15:59

Learning is often messy and not always pretty, but it is through the messiness that true understanding and growth occur. The process of learning and growth can be nonlinear, with steps forward and steps back. Presentation and appearance are not always indicative of deep learning. True learning is shown through the nitty-gritty thinking work, the ab…

1
The Power of Repetition 16:05

19d ago16:05

16:05

"The brain and body learn through repetition." The conversation explores the concept of how the brain and body learn through repetition and how powerful this is as an agency for change and learning. It discusses the importance of creating rituals and routines in academic settings, such as tutoring sessions and study skills, to make learning easier …

1
Stillness + Breathwork 18:55

26d ago18:55

18:55

The conversation explores the benefits of silence and slowing down in order to bring focus and attention to our lives. In this conversation, we look at how stillness can help with creating focus that is intentionally directed in a kid-friendly way. We explore a "mini-retreat" in this episode with easy breathwork and balance work. Tani Toprakci, M.E…

1
Explicit Teaching 10:39

1M ago10:39

10:39

This conversation discusses the need for explicit teaching techniques for students who are struggling in school. It emphasizes the importance of patience and using specific language to help these students understand concepts. The conversation also explores "brain work" exercises that can benefit dyslexic students and strengthen brain connections wi…

1
Why is self-esteem so important? 12:27

1M ago12:27

12:27

Summary The conversation explores the importance of self-esteem in academic success and personal growth- it literally changes how we approach an academic path. When a child has self-esteem we can approach the academic task directly, otherwise, there's a whole set of detours that we need to take to deal with the academic task at hand. This conversat…

1
Competence Breeds Confident 14:00

2M ago14:00

14:00

Summary As much as gratitude, breathwork, and balance are important for processing. Nothing creates amazing confidence (and success!) in school more than actual KNOWLEDGE and competence in the subject matters a child is studying in school. This week's episode emphasizes the importance of foundation work, academic competence, and building confidence…

1
Negative Self-Talk and Classroom "Abilities" 14:00

2M ago14:00

14:00

Summary This conversation explores the impact of self-talk on classroom "abilities" and how negative self-talk can hinder academic performance. We look at the role of confidence in a child's overall success and the long-term effects of negative self-talk on self-esteem. A negative mindset can actually cause a hindrance to skill development and that…

1
Creating Self-Worth Early 13:18

2M ago13:18

13:18

Summary This conversation explores the concept of creating self-worth and programming the subconscious mind, with a focus on doing so at an early age. Tani Toprakci, M.Ed discusses the role of subconscious programming in shaping our lives and suggests methods for developing self-worth in children. The conversation concludes with a little exercise i…

1
Creating Space for Students 14:36

2M ago14:36

14:36

In this conversation, Tani emphasizes the importance of creating space for students to be themselves and make sense of things in their own way. Think about the comic strip that talks about students as different animals- it's almost laughable that we test students who are say a fish, a monkey, an elephant, or a giraffee and ask them ALL to climb a t…

1
The Writing Progression: A 3-Step Guide to teaching directly to spelling mistakes in writing 12:44

3M ago12:44

12:44

Summary Teaching writing can be challenging, especially for struggling students. This conversation explores a three-step process for teaching writing skills and addresses the progression of writing abilities. It also discusses the challenges students face in the writing process and provides tools for teaching writing effectively. The three steps of…

1
The Ones That Wiggle 16:15

3M ago16:15

16:15

There is a special challenge teaching kiddos who wiggle and can't seem to sit still no matter what- but that's not what I'm taling about here in this episode! In this episode we explore the kiddos who "wiggle" with thie academics and that need some extra support to perform their best in the academic setting. Sometimes it's just sitting with them to…

1
Covering up not understanding 16:58

3M ago16:58

16:58

When kids cover up their lack of understanding and/or aren't honest with themselves about what they do and don't get in academics- those things often come back around later and show up as holes in their understanding. In this episode, we discuss what this looks like in children and where and how these holes tend to show up again. Resources: The Fou…

1
The Heartbreak of Being Behind 25:34

3M ago25:34

25:34

With being behind in academics, comes heartbreak. Kids show heartbreak in so many different ways: acting out, shutting down, negative self-talk, giving up easily, etc. Take a listen to this week's episode to find out more about how to combat some of these behaviors with specific confidence-building tools (also found and outlined in The Foundation C…

1
Q and A: How do I stop negative behavior in my child? 14:38

4M ago14:38

14:38

We're back with another Q and A episode! In this episode we explore the questions: How do I stop negative behavior in my child? Be sure to take a listen. Submit your own academic questions to tani.toprakci@tanitutors.com. Resources: The Foundation Course is now available!! Sign up at: www.creatingconfidentlearners.com It’s available both as a one-t…

1
Gratitude Creates Grace 20:14

4M ago20:14

20:14

In this week's episode we explore how gratitude literally changes the way we perceive. It changes what we perceive and opens up the grace of even more possibilities. In this podcast we'll explore how gratitude changes the synaptic connections in the brain, how a consistent gratitude practice extends further than you can imagine, and how gratitude a…

1
The Checklist 17:35

5M ago17:35

17:35

We're closing out the 2023 year soon and it's about mid-year within the school year. Like clockwork kids who start to struggle tend to show this struggle the most at two points in the academic school year, about a month or two after school has started and the material has started to get real, as well as the mid-year jump into the second semester. I…

1
Frustrations 21:32

5M ago21:32

21:32

It's normal for us, as adults, and for kids to get frustrated, but we all need better tools. Having better tools to change the dynamic is game-changing for any parent that struggles with a child who acts out, gets frustrated easily, complains, or gets anxious. We talked more about it here in this episode. The Foundation Course is now available!! Si…

1
Reading is Thinking 10:34

5M ago10:34

10:34

It's really important to teach kids deeper thinking and comprehension skills along side fluency.Oftentimes in the younger years, parents and adults tend to think of learning to read more as fluency and oftentimes I end up seeing kids who can't remember what they've just read. Reading is thinking, and also knowing the meaning and understanding it in…

1
Glimmers 12:03

5M ago12:03

12:03

In this week's episode, we explore the idea of actively looking for "glimmers." Much like the gratitude practice, actively looking for glimmers allows for students to tap into a more positive state more easily. We can change the internal state and equilibrium of children by teaching them tools, such as being a glimmer-seeker or actively looking for…

1
What is Word Mastery? 17:06

6M ago17:06

17:06

Does your child misread sight words? Or words that look similar like "felt" and left" ? These are known as trigger words. In this episode, we start to explore the use of clay for word mastery and symbol mastery to help reduce the number of mistakes and omissions of trigger words when reading and writing. Resources: The Foundation Course is now avai…

1
The Help of a Change in Environment 14:55

6M ago14:55

14:55

In this episode we look at how environment can compound gaps in knowledge for students between themselves and their peers. Sometimes kids need a different environment to build the skills at a pace that they can handle independent of the classroom space and environment they're in, at a pace that fills in their gaps of knowledge and their lack of ski…

1
Compensation Behaviors 10:46

6M ago10:46

10:46

In this episode we look at compensation behaviors. Compensation really are these loud, distracting behaviors where kids and students are compensating for the fact that they don't have the necessary skills in place to preform well in the classroom setting. They are having trouble with keeping up with their peers, and keeping up with the pace of the …

1
Revisiting Laser Focus 13:07

6M ago13:07

13:07

Like what you hear?? Consider donating to TTM: Creating Confident Learners to help support us grow! In this episode we revisit this out-of-the box idea of tools to create laser focus and allow a kid-friendly way to especially help those highly visual and kinetic kids. These tools help students become more aware of their environment and more aware o…

1
A Deeper Look into Self-Confidence 18:44

7M ago18:44

18:44

Like what you hear?? Consider donating to TTM: Creating Confident Learners to help support us grow! In this episode, we dive deeper into how confidence can change the whole demeanor of a child when it is achieved and embodied. I leave you at the end of this episode with two concrete tools that help create self-confidence in yourself as adults. Reso…

1
Non-obvious factors that negatively affect learning 19:30

7M ago19:30

19:30

Like what you hear?? Consider donating to TTM: Creating Confident Learners to help support us grow! In this episode, we look at how other factors outside of academics affect learning. Such as: Lack of confidence Anxiety/ negative self talk Brain synaptic connections/balance/processing Lack of focus/body embodiment/ multi-tasking Comparison/ lack, n…

1
Q&A: What have you noticed in academics since the COVID pandemic? 15:05

7M ago15:05

15:05

Like what you hear?? Consider donating to TTM: Creating Confident Learners to help support us grow! Question and Answer Episode! Q: What have you noticed in academics since the COVID pandemic? Youtube video: If we treated teachers like pro athletes: https://youtu.be/aYOg8EON29Y?si=dRZVzFYmAkcwZjKm Resources: The Foundation Course is now available!!…

1
Delayed Gratification 16:19

7M ago16:19

16:19

Like what you hear?? Consider donating to TTM: Creating Confident Learners to help support us grow! In modern society, we have relatively little practice in delayed gratification: everything is at our fingertips in terms of instant rewards. In this episode we look at the parallel between teaching to the whole child and creating a sense of delayed g…

1
The Mind's Eye and Balance 16:39

8M ago16:39

16:39

Like what you hear?? Consider donating to TTM: Creating Confident Learners to help support us grow! In this episode we explore how balance helps with focus and retention of academic materials. Even though it may seem counterintuitive, by taking the time to help smoothen out both processing and focus, core academic skills can then be addressed from …

1
Laser Focus and Energy Dials 14:23

8M ago14:23

14:23

Like what you hear?? Consider donating to TTM: Creating Confident Learners to help support us grow! In this episode we look at how to create laser focus in children in a kid-friendly way which helps with better retention of academic materials. Resources: The Foundation Course is now available!! Sign up at: www.creatingconfidentlearners.com It’s ava…

1
Q&A: What’s your biggest takeaway from your diverse teaching experience? 15:33

8M ago15:33

15:33

Like what you hear?? Consider donating to TTM: Creating Confident Learners to help support us grow! Question and Answer Episode! Q: What do you feel like your biggest takeaway has been from such diversity in the places you’ve taught? This is the first podcast episode of this kind! Stay tuned to hear the response! Resources: The Foundation Course is…

1
Awareness versus Focus 20:26

8M ago20:26

20:26

Like what you hear?? Consider donating to TTM: Creating Confident Learners to help support us grow! We talk about the difference of focus versus awareness in school. We look at how memorization techniques in academics isn’t enough and helping kids with developing some grit for school when other things outside the classroom come so easily to them. S…

1
Maui Strong: The Maui Wildfires 32:46

8M ago32:46

32:46

In this week's podcast episode, I talk a lot about what has been going on here on Maui. If you would like to skip directly to the academic link of academic crisis, skip to the marked chapter and time stamp of 23:57 of the episode. We look at when there is crisis- whether academic or other- it's more of an unwinding process that unfolds one step at …

1
Setting Matters 17:19

9M ago17:19

17:19

Like what you hear?? Consider donating to TTM: Creating Confident Learners to help support us grow! We look at the effects of environments, and how we can use environments and ritual to influence more positive habits in ourselves, children, and students. Positive environments have an imprint that affects both the brain and body and signals to them …

1
The Quickest Route to Academic Progress 21:22

9M ago21:22

21:22

Like what you hear?? Consider donating to TTM: Creating Confident Learners to help support us grow! In this episode we look at what the quickest route to academic progress is. We talk about how one-on-one tailored teaching to gaps in knowledge often lets kids transfer skills and focus to other settings, like the classroom, where before they couldn’…

1
How a Butterfly Gets Its Wings 15:45

10M ago15:45

15:45

Like what you hear?? Consider donating to TTM: Creating Confident Learners to help support us grow! In this episode we look at how letting kids struggle is actual good for the learning process. That with scaffolding, a healthy amount of effort and struggle, actually helps them become stronger , more confident, and more independent as a learner. I s…

1
Reflections from Bali and Travel 11:58

10M ago11:58

11:58

Like what you hear?? Consider donating to TTM: Creating Confident Learners to help support us grow! In this episode we talk about my recent trip abroad to both Bali and Australia and the insights and connection I made with education. We also talk about The Foundation Course and creating a solid foundation using the key components of TTM: Creating C…

1
The Importance of Good Literature 14:49

11M ago14:49

14:49

Like what you hear?? ⁠⁠Consider donating to TTM: Creating Confident Learners to help support us grow!⁠ In this episode, we look at how the type of books and literature children reads affects all other areas of academics. The types of books they read does matter! Summer is the perfect time to combat “summer brain” by reading really deep texts and bo…

1
The Importance of "Simple" Tasks 16:17

12M ago16:17

16:17

Like what you hear?? ⁠⁠Consider donating to TTM: Creating Confident Learners to help support us grow!⁠ In this episode we look at the importance of small tasks and how everything builds upon each other one step at a time. We talk about how simple tasks are important in their own right and how they snowball over time with consistency and discipline …

1
Number Sense 17:06

12M ago17:06

17:06

Like what you hear?? ⁠⁠Consider donating to TTM: Creating Confident Learners to help support us grow!⁠ In this episode we dive deep into number sense and what that actually means. We talk about the importance of having solid math skills and foundation as well as mental math ease with the four major operations. We talk about the importance of number…

1
Is Your Child a Visual or Phonetic Learner? 16:57

1y ago16:57

16:57

Like what you hear?? ⁠⁠Consider donating to TTM: Creating Confident Learners to help support us grow!⁠ In this episode we look at what it means to be a visual or phonetic learner, and why it’s so important to know the difference. By teaching visual learners visual-based tools we can avoid bigger problems. In this episode we talk about two visual ba…

1
Practice Makes Permanent 13:16

1y ago13:16

13:16

Like what you hear?? ⁠⁠Consider donating to TTM: Creating Confident Learners to help support us grow!⁠ As my good friend and Peloton instructor, Denis Morton, says “Practice doesn’t make perfect, it makes permanent.” We explore in this episode how important it is for students to master skills correctly and, in particular, the mechanics and the neur…

1
Breathwork and the Brain 10:55

1y ago10:55

10:55

Like what you hear?? ⁠⁠Consider donating to TTM: Creating Confident Learners to help support us grow!⁠ In this episode we will look at how the breath and teaching breathwork affects the structure of the brain. We revisit and explore the neuroplasticity of the brain. We look a little at the science and what the breath does for the body. We explore o…

1
The Importance of Gratitude 15:41

1y ago15:41

15:41

Like what you hear?? ⁠Consider donating to TTM: Creating Confident Learners to help support us grow!⁠ What is gratitude? Why is it important? What little things are you grateful for? And how does that make you feel in your body? AND how does it apply to academics?In this episode we look at how gratitude can change what a child perceives, what they …

1
Welcome! 15:10

1y ago15:10

15:10

Like what you hear?? Consider donating to TTM: Creating Confident Learns to help support us grow! In this first episode, we look deeper at how to create confidence in learners through influencing the brain-body connection using The Toprakci Method. We look at teaching the whole child and creating foundational skills to change the synaptic connectio…

1
The Toprakci Method: Creating Confident Learners (Trailer) 0:58

1y ago0:58

0:58

The Toprakci Method: Creating Confident Learners specializes in creating confident learners with a growth mindset. The Toprakci Method uses a unique combination of breathwork, brain-body work, GRATITUDE, and even a clay-based learning program to affect the neuroplasticity of the brain to help dramatically improve students’ ability to spell, read, g…

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Tani Toprakci Podcasts

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