Education Evolution

So much of what we do in education is based around "getting through the curriculum" and checking off skills that students have "mastered." It's safe to say that this isn't working, and it frankly never has.

Every child is different and every child learns at a different rate. The notion that you can teach concepts in a string of ideas and that students will latch onto them in order is archaic.

There's a different way to approach teaching and learning and this week's guest, Catherine Saldutti of EduChange has found it. In this episode, we talk about how students and lifelong learners alike can deepen our understanding of concepts over time, the most important thing we need to do as a society if we want students to learn, the role trust plays in education, and what mastery really should look like.

This is such an important conversation stuffed full of resources and tools you can take back to your own school or initiative so we can truly start changing education for our future's benefit.

Catherine Saldutti has over 28 years of experience in secondary education and has served as a teacher, administrator, professional development provider, program evaluator, and learning systems designer. She founded EduChange in 2000 to fundamentally reimagine and redesign the systems and structures that deliver formal education.

Catherine's team of senior designers, master educators, and researchers built relationships with over 350 schools in New York City, several school districts across the USA, and in Sao Paulo, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, Culiacan, and Tijuana. After a 12-year implementation period in eight global locations, alongside three rounds of academic & scientific peer review, The Integrated Science Program is now powered by Sustainable Open Educational Resources (SOER) that removes disciplinary silos, is competency-based, is grounded in the Sciences of Learning & Development (SoLD) and UDL, is digitally deployed internationally using four different models, and may be customized to local and national requirements.

Catherine also holds a patent for Concept Construxions, a pattern-recognition system that helps learners construct concepts and acquire academic or technical language in social, collaborative ways. Catherine earned degrees from Stanford University, where her independent study on International Technology Education contributed to J. Myron Atkin's work on TIMSS development, and The Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she served as Chair of the Dean's Advisory Committee.

• [2:15] - How Catherine is creating change
• [4:19] - Some of the basics of supporting learning
• [4:53] - What we've learned about learning
• [7:43] - Why the one and done model doesn't work
• [8:43] - Students aren't blank slates
• [10:45] - The #1 thing we need to do if we want kids to learn
• [12:09] - the heart of the work at Educhange
• [14:28] - What needs to happen to start to make this change
• [16:46 ] Humans have an emotional relationship with time and it's one of our biggest problems
• [19:40] - The role of "mastery" of standards and what it means
• [24:38] - What about systems and structures we have in place need to be/can be dismantled
• [26:30] - Turbo time
• [31:04] - What people need to know about the concept of time
• [34:09] - How others can become activists and transform schools
• [37:18] - Catherine's Magic Wand
• [39:02] - Maureen's takeaways

• 10 Design Shifts for Open Learning Architecture
• Catherine's Design Blog
• Programs, Courses, Projects, Lessons: Reshaping High School Content for Equity
• Research: Implications for the educational practice of the science of learning and development
• Video: The Physics and Philosophy of Time with Carlo Rovelli
• Book: Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows
• Book: The Rise: Creativity, the Gift of Failure, and the Search for Mastery by Sarah Lewis
• Book: Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
• Book: Free Play: Improvisation in Life and Art by Stephen Nachmanovitch
• Dame Stephanie Shirley's TED Talk
• Podcast: The Promise of a Brighter Kingdom with Kim Hudson, author of The Virgin's Promise
• Talk: Redefining Economic Value with Mariana Mazzucato
• Episode 72: Bringing Psychological Safety to Our Teachers with Michael Vargas
• Episode 89: Achieving Excellence Through Equity (not Equality) in Education with Steven Cleveland
• Email Maureen

• Maureen's TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution
• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective
• Maureen's book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

With school back in session, things have changed. Again. Many schools have gone back to virtual or hybrid and that's wreaking havoc on kids, teachers, parents, administrators, and the general public. So we're leaning again (still?) on technology and innovation.

Though the increased rates of COVID is scary and unfortunate, this is an opportunity to embrace new ways of doing things. New ways that we should have been using well before the pandemic.

This week on the podcast, I'm talking again with Meg Ormiston, an educational consultant, about how schools can solve the challenges of remote learning without disrupting the classroom climate. We offer real solutions based on what we're seeing schools do right and I sincerely hope that some of these ideas get traction on a wider scale.

We also discuss the EdActive Collective and the second annual EdActive summit, which is coming in April 2022.

Meg Ormiston, in her role as a consultant, partners with school systems that have committed to 21st century learning experiences for everyone. Meg creates a unique partnership in each district, reflecting the mission, vision, and direction that local leaders identify. Her districtwide projects include guiding teams through the visioning process, designing and delivering professional development, facilitating classroom modeling, developing student leaders in technology, and educating parents.

Meg is the lead author in the NOW Classrooms series of five books all published in 2018. The books, written by 27 practicing educators, are organized into grade bands of k-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12 and leadership guide. The NOW Classrooms: Lessons for Enhancing Teaching and Learning Through Technology books are practical and sequence technology skills k-12. The 3-5 NOW book was awarded a Teachers Choice Award by Learning Magazine. Also, Meg was named as "2018's Most Influential People in EdTech" by Tech and Learning Magazine.

After twelve years teaching and coaching in the classroom, Meg volunteered on her local school board, facilitated grant projects, and continued researching and writing about best practices.

To learn more about Meg's work, follow @megormi on Twitter.

Jump Through the Conversation:

• [1:59] - Survival mode in schools vs. evolution
• [4:44] - New year, new variant
• [6:25] - Keeping teachers on front line
• [8:35] - A new (positive!) trend Meg sees
• [10:36] - Giving students choices
• [12:15] - Step back and ask students what they want their post-pandemic portfolio to look like
• [13:18] - We've lost track of students
• [16:48] - There's so many places to learn
• [19:08] - Educational professionals pulling together
• [22:24] - Turbo Time
• [35:36] - Meg's magic wand - continue to collaborate together, hear different voices, ideas and approaches - together we're smarter; let's share our wisdom
• [36:29] Maureen's takeaways

Links and Resources:

• Outschool mini-courses
• MOOCs, an extension of edx.org
• EdActive Collective 2021 summit presentations
• Calm app for sleep and meditation
• 10% Happier mindfulness app
• Roblox game
• Dr. Stacy Gonzalez, virtual empowerment coach
• The Metaverse
• Email Maureen

• Maureen's TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution
• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective
• Maureen's book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

Think about how different the lives of our children are, compared to how we grew up or how our parents and grandparents grew up. It's like night and day when you consider the technology changes, social development, human connection, racial awakening, and more.

And yet. The status quo in education is for students to sit in a classroom and listen to a teacher talk.

We've learned so much over the years about the importance of student agency, getting the child involved, hands-on learning, and more. Yet we keep doing the same thing and expect different results from the young adults in the workforce.

This week on the podcast, I'm talking with Peter Hostrawser, the "unlearning coach," about how we can stop checking off boxes in the classroom and start to let kids share their stories and design their own education.

It wouldn't be difficult for any educational institution to get started; all it takes is an open mind and a desire to do things differently. With how different life is today, I'd say it's a requirement.

Known as the "Unlearning Coach", Peter Hostrawser has been a business educator for over 20 years. He is an entrepreneur and change agent for traditional educational systems as well as a business coach. Peter has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs and educators innovate their craft. Peter is the host of the Disrupt Education Podcast where creative and non-traditional learners share their stories and thoughts on how to change education. He currently teaches business at Amos Alonzo Stagg High School in Palos Hills, Illinois, USA, is an eLearning Curriculum Developer and EdTech consultant.

• [1:40] - Disrupting and evolving education for Peter
• [3:54] - Times have changed and what we need to do
• [5:18] - Unlearn the status quo
• [6:17] - Most interesting question in education
• [7:20] - Let students lead their own stories
• [8:54] - Creating an audience and purpose for what kids create
• [13:41] - Where to start helping kids to own their story
• [17:26] - Kids are willing to teach us if we truly want to learn
• [18:46] - What's next for Peter and his mission
• [20:02] - Turbo Time
• [24:20] - What to know about finding your value
• [26:18] - Peter's Magic Wand - That school is the place where curiosity met experience and they can follow their curiosity (also in communities); where people not afraid to fail
• [27:49] - Maureen's takeaways

• EF Education as a Human Right Tour
• Disrupt Education Podcast
• Listen to my interview on the Disrupt Education Podcast
• Spikeview portfolio platform
• Agilities profile and career information
• Episode 11: Aligning Kids' Futures with Agilities Testing
• The Giant Killer book and Amazon movie
• Sir Ken Robinson's TED talk: Do Schools Kill Creativity?
• Email Maureen
• Maureen's TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools
• The Education Evolution
• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective
• Maureen's book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids
• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

So many of us said goodbye to 2020 with starry-eyed hope for 2021...only to feel a sucker-punch at all that this year has offered up to us. I've felt the same way in many aspects.

But while 2021 wasn't the year we had hoped, I choose to look at the positives. I want to take learnings from this year and grow from them in the new year. Hit a reset button, if you will.

This week on the podcast, I'm reflecting on four big bright spots of 2021 that have impacted society on a global scale. And I'm sharing my own three big lessons from the year. Some of these lessons we've already put into action at my micro-school, LEADPrep, and I'm sharing what that looks like.

I hope you'll listen to this positive message and take some of the bright spots and learnings to heart, too!

• [1:21] Hope for 2021 & a sucker-punch
• [2:30] Finding the positive and hitting the reset button
• [2:44] 4 bright spots
• [4:05] Learnings from 2021
• [6:17] Difficulty seeing ripple effect of positives
• [6:38] 3 big lessons from this year
• [7:35] Being exhausted and low stamina doesn't change hearts
• [12:18] speaking of moving on, hit the reset button

• Email Maureen
• Maureen's TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools
• The Education Evolution
• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective
• Maureen's book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids
• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

We've all heard that equality and equity are not one and the same. What one child needs to be successful can (and likely is) wildly different from what another child needs to be successful. But yet, so many schools still teach prescribed curriculum to the masses.

On this episode, Professor Steven Cleveland is sharing his own take on equality and equity and offers a different way to look at it--one that will make the concepts crystal clear.

Steven's understanding of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s old-school love message is sure to build bridges and develop solutions for everyone, while at the same time not wasting time and energy focusing on our differences of opinion. His perspective on loving those you disagree with and choosing to focus on commonalities and success is refreshing.

Tune in for a fun and really positive conversation around critical race theory, transformative parents, equality, and making sure students feel centered. You won't want to miss this one!

Steven was born into poverty in Birmingham, Alabama. His family eventually settled in the Bay Area, specifically Richmond, CA, which at the time had more murders per capita than anywhere else in the country. From these humble beginnings, Steven graduated from UCLA & USC in Los Angeles, the first of his family to go to college.

College transformed Steven's worldview by opening him up to the many possibilities that are available but when he returned home to his "ghetto," he noticed a different message of hopelessness. He wanted to change that message through the use of film and education.

After cutting his teeth in production on music videos for such artists as Dr. Dre, Tupac Shakur, and Mandy Moore, Steven was fortunate enough to executive produce commercials and music videos for the likes of the Old Lahaina Luau Company and Grammy Award Nominee Ledisi. He then began to develop a media-based service-learning curriculum aimed at producing high-quality media by pairing professionals with youth.

The marriage of cultural exploration via the arts served him well in both of his roles, i.e. filmmaker & educator. At Cal State University, East Bay, Steven is a Black Studies Professor in the Department of Ethnic Studies, a Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) Professor in the Department of History, and an African American (AFAM) Faculty Fellow at the Diversity and Inclusion Student Center (DISC). Currently, Steven resides in Los Angeles where he wakes up every day working to infuse Black Humanity into a variety of media projects.

• [2:03] How transforming learning began for Steven
• [2:40] Power of parents as tools for transforming education
• [4:08] What to consider in critical race theory construct
• [6:15] Social justice isn't one size fits all
• [7:31] Black Excellence Project
• [11:10] MLK's old school love
• [14:23] Applying radical love to education
• [16:34] Collaboration: We can't get there alone
• [17:43] Commonalities are the heart of collaboration
• [18:57] Turbo Time
• [22:32] How to become a change agent in education
• [24:04] Steven's Magic Wand
• [26:43] Maureen's Takeaways

• Episode 57: Hearing Untold Stories for Change
• Black Excellence Project
• Episode 61: Examining Polarity Thinking
• Episode 44: Learning about Trauma-Informed Education
• The Dream Begins: How Hawai'i shaped Barack Obama by Stu Glauberman and Jerry Burris
• Email Maureen
• Maureen's TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools
• The Education Evolution
• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective
• Maureen's book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids
• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

We have so many amazing educational leaders in the field and I appreciate that we're able to grow and learn together. But if we rely solely on leaders, our kids don't have the agency they deserve.

This week on the podcast, I'm talking with Rachel Kittle of Leadership Launch about how her organization is giving kids the real-world experience they need to build confidence and become leaders.

The result? She's watched incredibly shy youth come out of their shells to talk to community and business leaders. Kids have collaborated with adults, challenged themselves, and become servant leaders as a result of participating in the programs Leadership Launch offers.

As we come out of all the COVID lockdowns and isolation, we need to inspire our youth to get out there, combat their social anxiety, and create safe spaces for them to grow and learn. Creating opportunities for kids to work with mentors opens so many doors, fills needs for the whole community, and allows kids a safe person to support them through trauma and growth.

Tune in now!

Leadership Launch is a nonprofit organization with a mission to empower, equip, and engage student leaders from a place of equity. They work with students in the 9th grade through the first year of college who want to impact the community, grow as leaders, and pursue their dreams.

​Leadership Launch is dedicated to personal development, servant leadership, mentorship, and community engagement. They primarily work with first-generation college-bound students and students facing hardship.

• [1:54] How educational activism started for Rachel
• [2:56] Looking at what impacts you and leveraging that to help others
• [3:28] Training kids to look for needs and find ways to fill them
• [5:33] The Leadership Launch program
• [7:40] Messiness of creating events
• [8:45] Success story/transformation story
• [10:54] Teaching emotional intelligence through storytelling
• [14:13] The growth of social anxiety
• [14:50] Biggest roadblocks in creating a program like Leadership Launch
• [16:27] Importance of love, community, relationships, and mentorship, even if it's not measurable
• [17:21] Authenticity, Belief, Consistency - the ABCs of excellent mentors
• [18:07] Change starts at home
• [19:08] What can you do to influence ONE child's life?
• [19:27] What's next for Rachel and Leadership Launch
• [20:32] Turbo Time
• [25:30] Rachel's Magic Wand: That each child has at least one stable, loving adult in their life outside their family
• [26:48] Maureen's Take-Aways

• Leadership Launch
• Hinds Feet on High Places
• Dr. Stacy Flowers' TEDx: The 5 People You Need to Be Happy (or for accountability!)
• Kauai Trauma-Informed longitudinal study
• NIH: ACES information
• Episode 44: Trauma-Informed Education
• Email Maureen
• Maureen's TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools
• The Education Evolution
• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective
• Maureen's book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids
• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

We know that learning is challenging for many kids, especially when schools rely on a prescribed curriculum that's voted on from the top--not with individual kids' needs in mind. Seeing all the gaps in the education system has led many to taking action to support our colorful, mismatched learners. I'm one of those, and so are this week's guests.

This week we're talking to three amazing powerhouses in educational change, Kathleen McClaskey, CEO and chief learning officer of Empower the Learner; Julie Hartman, chief mindfulness officer; and Dr. Hillary Goldthwait-Fowles, Chief Accessibility and Technology consultant rounds out the team..

In this episode, we talk about the roadblocks to assistive technology, teaching kids mindfulness and how to empower them, being more compassionate parents and teachers, preconceived notions about learning, and so much more.

This is such an eye-opening and thought-provoking conversation. Be sure to tune in!

About Kathleen McClaskey

Kathleen McClaskey, M.Ed. is CEO and Chief Learning Officer of Empower the Learner, LLC, founder of Make Learning Personal, and co-author of bestsellers Make Learning Personal and How to Personalize Learning, and contributing author to 100 No-Nonsense Things that ALL Teachers Should STOP Doing. She is an innovative thought leader, international speaker, professional developer, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) consultant with over 35 years of experience in creating learner-centered environments as a teacher, K-12 technology administrator, and consultant. Kathleen is passionate about empowering ALL learners to thrive with tools, skills, and practices so they become self-directed learners, learners with agency, who are future-ready for college, career, and life.

About Julie Hartman

Julie Hartman, Chief Mindfulness Officer for Empower the Learner, is the founder of The Mindful Learner Program, and is also a Life and Mindfulness Coach with over 20 years of experience coaching, mentoring, and teaching. Julie is an eternal optimist dedicated to helping others realize their own inherent worth and empowerment. She designs, leads, and teaches individual and group coaching programs, classes and workshops, meditation groups, and coaching intensives. She is committed to bringing the best of what she is living and learning to her work and continually strives to be a positive leader in the fields of personal growth, mindfulness, and transformation.

About Dr. Hillary Goldthwait-Fowles, ATP

Hillary Goldthwait-Fowles is an accessibility accomplice specializing in assistive and inclusive technology, universal design for learning, and accessible educational materials. She has been in the field of education for 26 years, as a special education teacher and as an assistive technology specialist. She is also an adjunct faculty member, course designer, and subject matter expert at the University of New England and the University of Maine at Farmington. She is a firm believer that educators have been prepared backward to teach in education, which excludes children who do not "fit the mold," and recognizes the intentionality of this harmful design. She serves as the Chief Accessibility and Technology Consultant for ETL. Home is where her heart is in Saco, Maine with her husband, son, and stepson (who have both left the nest) and cats.

Jump in the Conversation:

• [2:28] - What is Empower the Learner (ETL)
• [3:04] - How ETL was formed
• [4:29] - ETL process for getting kids to understand who they are and how they learn
• [6:53] - It's wrong to teach one way
• [7:32] - If we come at it from a place of love, we can help kids be seen and heard
• [8:49] - Most commonly recommended tools
• [10:33] - We need to presume confidence for all kids
• [11:39] - Mindfulness in personal development
• [15:15] - Using mindfulness for self-regulation
• [16:35] - Examples of how to apply this learning
• [20:22] - Preconceived notions in learning and labels
• [21:27] - Goal is the same; means to get to that goal is flexible
• [24:52] - We're creating more kids with mental health challenges than we ever have before
• [26:30] If we're not empowering teachers, how can they empower kids
• [27:29] Turbo Time
• [30:25] What people need to know about UDL
• [32:51] Magic Wand Moment

Links & Resources

• Empower the Learner
• Register for the Book Creator webinar
• Book Creator Empower the Learner template and book
• Follow Kathleen on LinkedIn
• Follow Hillary on LinkedIn
• Follow Julie on LinkedIn
• Mia Mingus's Disability Justice
• Alice Wong on Identity, Disability Justice, and Her New Anthology
• Joy Zabala and Tools to Task
• Limitless by Jim Kwik
• Judy Heumann: Washington Post article on the "badass mother of disability rights"
• Crip Camp 2020 film on Netflix
• Being Human book by Judy Heumman
• Haben Girma, first deaf/blind graduate of Harvard Law School
• Email Maureen
• Maureen's TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools
• The Education Evolution
• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective
• Maureen's book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids
• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

Arizona is a national leader in education reform, having recently passed one of the most robust education reform bills in the nation. The goal? To showcase that seat time does not equate quality learning. Instead, thanks to HB 2862, the state recognizes that instructional time can look vastly different depending on the students' needs. Imagine that!

This and so much more was possible thanks to the work of Emily Anne Gullickson, CEO of A for Arizona, a nonprofit with a vision to build an education system that prepares every student to succeed in the global economy and contribute to local communities.

In this episode, we talk about the inequities in education today, how schools are taking the learnings from the pandemic and creating new ways to teach and learn, barriers to education because of student access, and so much more.

This is a refreshing conversation about an organization that's making a big difference in lives and laws. It's a must-listen for anyone who wants to create viable solutions to the challenge that is education today.

Emily Anne brings to A for Arizona a unique background of executive, advocacy, legal, and teaching experience as a Teach For America – Phoenix alumna. She is the founder and CEO of A For Arizona and also leads sister organization Great Leaders Strong Schools. Emily Anne was recognized by the Arizona Capitol Times and state Capitol community as Leader of the Year in Education and Best Activist in the State of Arizona, and was recently recognized in Arizona as Best Political Rising Star, Women Achievers of Arizona – Nonprofit Leader, and Breakdown Breakout for being one of the sharpest political minds in Arizona under 40. Nationally, Emily Anne serves on the PIE Network Leadership Council and was recently recognized amongst her peers as a finalist for Breakout Advocate of the Year and Gamechanger Policy of the Year.

• [4:03] Introducing Emily Anne
• [5:08] Where school transformation began for Emily Anne
• [6:12] Policy with good intentions - the impact on schools
• [7:35] What would happen if we built policy around high performing, innovative schools in high poverty communities
• [9:51] Expanding access for next-generation leaders
• [10:27] Engaging businesses to improve access
• [12:17] Bringing geometry to life
• [13:25] HB 2862 - seat time flexibility and innovation
• [17:09] Innovation zones
• [18:53] Some schools are running with change
• [20:56] Barriers to dismantle
• [25:23] Benefits of micro-schools: the relationship aspect
• [26:56] It doesn't have to be either-or
• [28:09] Barriers of transportation to student access - beyond the bus driver shortage
• [33:53] how others can begin to engage the government and change laws
• [36:46] What's your biggest hurdle to serve families and how can you get past it
• [40:30] Turbo Time
• [45:05] What you need to know about educational policy making
• [46:36] Emily Anne's Magic Wand
• [49:53] Maureen's Takeaways

Links & Resources

• A for Arizona
• Carnegie units
• VELA Education Fund
• A Fine Line: How Most American Kids are Kept Out of the Best Public Schools by Tim DeRoch
• TED talk: Brene Brown's The Power of Vulnerability
• Email Maureen
• Maureen's TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools
• The Education Evolution
• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective
• Maureen's book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids
• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

Our youth and young adults have so many more options than we did as kids. We were taught that you go into college or a trade; those were your two choices. Today, kids are creating their own model of what life will look like in adulthood.

But to ensure their success, we need to help them develop their voice and agency. They need to know how to speak up and speak out and allow their voices to be heard--literally and figuratively.

In the literal sense, podcasting is a great option. And in this episode of our podcast, I'm talking with James Healy, a certified StoryBrand Guide and editor of this podcast.

We talk about his experience teaching podcasting to a group of high school students, why audio is so important, how kids' tech skills transferred into podcasting, and the use of the StoryBrand framework.

We love that we can give our youth so many opportunities in today's tech savvy world, and that next steps after high school can be so varied now in support of our rainbow of learners.

Many professionals struggle to position themselves as an authority and get their message heard. All too often, great ideas and content never gets created. Insights and wisdom that could impact people and change lives are lost. James Healy specializes in helping these experts connect and engage with their ideal clientele as thought leaders in their field. He's an author, a podcast host and producer, and a book publisher. James is also a Certified StoryBrand Guide and implements the proven StoryBrand framework into powerful authority positioning strategies like brand messaging, book authorship, podcast hosting, and more.

• [1:40] Agency for millennials
• [3:10] The art of podcasting to empower youth
• [3:45] How James began in podcasting
• [6:48] Youth in wilderness - how two worlds collide
• [10:37] Design thinking as a teacher
• [11:27] Voice and choice for our youth
• [13:10] Learning isn't one size fits all
• [13:54] James's learnings from podcasting
• [16:27] Tech savvy youth - how their tech skills translated into learning podcasting
• [17:38] Transferring podcast learning to other formats
• [21:40] What is StoryBrand framework
• [27:02] Giving students tools to look at things from a different perspective
• [27:23] Applying the framework to college essays
• [29:16] Turbo Time
• [34:53] What people need to know about student voice
• [36:46] Passion in podcasting: voice matters
• [38:26] James's Magic Wand
• [40:12] Maureen's takeaways

Links & Resources

• Episode 30: Creating Student-Centered Learning Spaces
• Episode 64: One Stone
• High Mountain High Institute
• Voice-Only Communication Enhances Empathic Accuracy
• The StoryBrand Framework
• Barack Obama's and Bruce Springstein's Renegades podcast
• Scott Simon's Up First podcast
• TED Radio Hour episode: A Better You
• Headspace app
• Matt Cutts: Try Something New for 30 Days
• Teenwise Seattle podcast
• Email Maureen
• Maureen's TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools
• The Education Evolution
• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective
• Maureen's book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids
• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

It's time for solutions that don't overwhelm even more. With good teachers leaving the classroom at an alarming rate and fewer college graduates going into teaching, we're in a crisis.

This week on the podcast, I'm sharing more of the challenges that we're all facing (a reality check, if you will) and some of the solutions we're incorporating at my micro-school. And I welcome input on other solutions you've tried!

Tune in now.

• [1:08] 2021 is harder than 2020
• [1:30] Time for reality check
• [2:14] We don't need more assessments
• [4:40] Time to take things off teachers' plates
• [5:58] Simply say no
• [6:20] We can't return to business as usual
• [6:41] Rethink your resources
• [8:01] Two ways to address the overwhelm
• [8:34] Now is not the time to do more of the same

• Ed Week article: Teachers are Not Okay, Even Though We Need Them to Be
• Ed Week article: Enrollment in Teacher Preparation Programs is Declining Fast. Here's What the Data Show.
• Cult of Pedagogy: Teachers are Barely Hanging On
• Bob Newhart clip
• Email Maureen
• Maureen's TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools
• The Education Evolution
• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective
• Maureen's book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids
• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep