Today, the Getting Smart team is bringing you an episode on the innovation opportunity ahead.

As we all try to make sense of the health, economic, and education crisis we're all experiencing, the Getting Smart team has been participating in dialogues with educators from around the world about how to make the best of a bad situation. And now that the end of the school year is here, the team is shifting their Getting Through series from stories and advice to supporting remote learning and long-term closures, to the now challenging work of reopening schools in the fall.

In this episode, Tom Vander Ark and Rebecca Midles (the Vice President of Learning Design at Getting Smart) outline the new infrastructures schools will need in the fall to operate onsite, remote, and online programs. In the second half of the episode, Tom and Rebecca discuss the innovation opportunity to help children thrive, to meet them where they are, and to engage learners in work that matters to them and their community.

Key Takeaways:

[:10] About today's show with Tom Vander Ark and Rebecca Midles.

[1:17] Tom welcomes Rebecca back to the Getting Smart Podcast.

[2:11] Tom and Rebecca acknowledge the struggles that have come along with the current pandemic.

[3:08] Tom reads a relevant and inspiring Parker Palmer quote.

[4:05] Tom and Rebecca outline what they will be covering in today's episode.

[4:55] Tom and Rebecca give their thoughts on the currently available learning platforms and blending your core academic program.

[7:45] Tom and Rebecca discuss the gap regarding competency platforms.

[8:25] The good news and the bad news.

[8:41] Challenges in the fall and the upcoming need for schools to update their remote strategy.

[9:40] The importance of access and what that means.

[10:57] Tom and Rebecca discuss what the new look of schools may look like, once they reopen.

[13:28] Tom and Rebecca explain the importance of deeply considering starting or partnering with a remote school in your district.

[16:50] Tom summarizes the four key basic infrastructure pieces that they encourage schools and district leaders to think about.

[17:17] Switching gears, Tom and Rebecca transition to the second topic of today's episode: the three distinct, important innovation opportunities that can be approached in the coming year.

[17:38] #1: Thriving humans: the important success skills. Rebecca describes what they are and how we develop them.

[18:53] Jessica shares an important resource with listeners: the Getting Through microsite.

[19:31] Rebecca speaks about agency and how educators can help learners develop it.

[20:08] Rebecca highlights some of the specific ways that educators can incorporate agency and social-emotional learning more fully into the culture of a school. She also speaks about what 'teach-again learning' looks like inside of a school.

[21:24] Tom and Rebecca discuss how if a school or district does not have a broad definition of what success looks like, that it is now the time to do.

[22:55] Rebecca suggests some next steps to take, regarding developing report cards, transcripts, and helping learners tell their stories.

[24:38] #2: Work that matters. Rebecca shares some examples of what interspace learning looks like.

[25:08] How educators can go into the fall by incorporating more interspace learning and be more artful about adding more voice and choice while simultaneously packing projects with important skills?

[27:35] Tom and Rebecca highlight how to take a space towards work that matters, no matter your role.

[28:18] Rebecca outlines the opportunity this fall to better meet learners where they are.

[30:25] Rebecca shares how we can learn more into competency-based structures and learning come this fall.

[33:50] Tom and Rebecca summarize what they discussed in today's episode.

[35:07] Jessica thanks the teachers and leaders once again for all that they do and gives some recommendations for further listening and guidance.

Mentioned in This Episode:

GettingSmart.com/GettingThrough

Rebecca Midles

Parker Palmer

Google Classroom

G Suite

Microsoft Classroom

Microsoft Teams

Canvas by Instructure

Schoology

EMpower Brooklyn Laboratory Charter School

Portrait of a Graduate

Lindsay Unified

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Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 255: "Dan Gohl on Leading in Crisis"