Intersection Education

This is our 50th episode, and to celebrate we have a very special guest. Someone who inspired this podcast and many of the guests we have featured, it is none other than my friend Dr. Simon Breakspear. Simon is a researcher, advisor and speaker on educational leadership, policy and change. He is the Executive Director of the global consultancy Agile Schools, and Research Fellow at the University of New South Wales, Gonski Institute for Education. He is also the creator of Learning Sprints, an open-source teacher learning approach used by thousands of educators across the planet to enhance their expertise and impact.

Simon’s work has had a big impact on me and my school. I know you are going to learn from our conversation.

To connect with Dr. Breakspear, follow him on Twitter @simonbreakspear. To learn more about Learning Sprints, go to their website at www.learningsprints.com

Show Notes:

App Recommendation - Headspace
Book Recommendation (Education): Reduce Change to Increase Improvement by Viviane Robinson
Book Recommendation (Non-Education): Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown
Inspiring Organization or Person: Blaxcell Street Public School and Principal Hani Zahra

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This episode features Langston Evans who is the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program District Coordinator for the Madison Metropolitan School District. Through this program, he and his team have been able increase access to post-secondary for students who have traditionally been underrepresented in colleges. How they go about it is the interesting part. I think you are going to appreciate his perspective on how you go about making meaningful change and his reminder that we need to focus on both the instructional and cultural aspects to move forward.

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In this episode we have a special edition of the podcast where I am speaking with 2 of my good friends, who also happen to be 2 of the top educational leaders in North America. First, we have  Bryn Spence, Principal of High Park School in Stony Plain, Alberta. We also have Dr. Randy Hetherington, Assistant Professor at the University of Portland in Oregon. There is some history between the 3 of us, as there was a time when we all worked as administrators in the same school. It was during this time that we realized that has different perspectives on issues, which lead to great discussions when we were working out problems or wrestling with questions. 

That is what we are hoping to accomplish here. We’ll go around the table and will bring up questions or issues that we are facing, from there we’ll discuss the issue and see if we all land on the same side. We hope that this conversation incites thought from your side too, reach out to us if you have comments on our conversation.

Dr. Randy Hetherington - @rwhetherington
Bryn Spence - @brynspence
Corey Haley - @coreyhaley

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In this episode I speak with Richard Gerver. Richard has been described as one of the most inspirational leaders of his generation. He is an award-winning speaker, bestselling author and world-renowned thinker.

He began his career in education, most notably as headteacher of the failing Grange Primary School. In just two years, he famously transformed it into one of the most acclaimed learning environments in the world. He was celebrated by UNESCO and the UK Government for its incredible turnaround. Richard has since transitioned to speaking and writing. 

The three core principles underpinning Richard's philosophy are communication, empowerment and impact. He argues that great leadership is first and foremost about serving the needs of the people who work for you. His mantra: systems and structures change nothing; people do.

Richard has had the opportunity to regularly advise governments and major corporations globally, including such names as Google, Visa, and Microsoft. His unique experience and insight into realising human potential has also seen him work in elite sport, with Olympic and Paralympic coaches, English Premier League Soccer coaches, England Golf and professional cricket teams. He has also worked with the British music industry to help develop a capacity for forward, proactive and sustainable change. 

I am truly inspired by Richard’s work and it was a great pleasure to speak with him while at uLead in Banff. I know you are going to be as inspired as I was after hearing what he has to say.

You can connect with Richard on Twitter @richardgerver or on his website https://www.richardgerver.com/

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This episode features Aaron Dublenko. Aaron has been teaching with Edmonton Public Schools for 17 years. He coordinates an educational platform called Innovate which supports student learning in real-world contexts with a focus on sustainable development, technological trends and citizenship. Two new Innovate initiatives are CVO (Community Volunteer Opportunities) and SEC (Sustainable Energy Certification). Aaron is a model of both innovation in the classroom and in engaging students and you are sure to hear some ideas that you can put in place to increase the learning in your classroom.

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Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/7dswC8QFiwU
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This episode features Dr. Jody Carrington. Jody is a Clinical Psychologist who has spent most of her career working with children and families who have experienced trauma. Having grown up in rural Alberta, she worked on the Mental Health Inpatient Units of the Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary for 10 years and is now back in a rural setting; working in private practice, speaking around the country, writing books, and raising her family.

Jody is a passionate believer in the power of the relationship with the people we love, lead, and teach. The core of everything she speaks and writes about comes down to this: We are wired to do hard things. We can do those hard things so much easier when we remember that we are made for connection.

You can connect with Dr. Carrington at her website http://www.drjodycarrington.com/ or on Twitter at @jodycarrington

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Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/7dswC8QFiwU
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This episode features Jed Richardson who is an applied micro-economist focused on education policy. He is currently an Assistant Scientist with the Wisconsin Evaluation Collaborative. He is the Principal Investigator of multiple evaluations of state policies and district academic programs. He has studied the design of school accountability systems, basic needs insecurity among college students, and impacts of student risk factors such as placement in out of home care and contact with the juvenile justice system. Prior to joining WEC, Jed served as Acting Director and Managing Director of the Wisconsin HOPE Lab and as Associate Director and Economist at the Value Added Research Center. He received his Ph.D. in economics from the University of California, Davis.

We often speak about having impact in the programs that we deliver and Jed shares his thoughts on ways we can ensure that this happens. He has thought deeply about how to know whether what we do makes a difference.

You can connect with Jed by visiting the WEC website at http://wec.wceruw.org/

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Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/7dswC8QFiwU
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Today we are talking about Concept-based instruction with Diane Lander. If you are like me, it seems like I am hearing about concept-based learning and teaching all over. I have had a little bit of introduction to it, but there are some aspects that are still unclear to me. This is why I asked Diane to speak about this important topic.

Diane works as a Curriculum Facilitator with Parkland School Division in Alberta. She has worked as a teacher in the classroom, in government with Alberta Education, in workshops as a facilitator around the province, and now in schools helping teachers have impact in their classroom.

Over the past few years, Diane has been working on proposed curriculum changes in Alberta that focus on Concept-based learning. She is one of the people I trust the most in this area and has the perspective that comes from working with a topic deeply over time. In our conversation, we shift the way we normally progress with guests based on some ideas around concept-based learning.

Many different places around the world are looking at concept-based practices, but there are differing levels of understanding of this concept. I know you will walk away with a better appreciation of what concept-based learning is and how it might improve your impact on learning.

You can connect with Diane on Twitter @DianeLander

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This episode features Brian Torrance, the Director of Everactive schools. Brian works with government ministries, schools, and other agencies to initiate new and innovative projects that support health and wellness in Alberta children and youth. 

Prior to joining Ever Active Schools he went to the University of Alberta completing a Bachelors in Physical Education and a Masters of Science.

Brian has a lot to share about bringing together organizations to work towards creating environments where students can be healthier. I love his perspective, as sees what has been working and is constantly learning himself about how we might be a positive influence on the health of everyone in our society. 

You can connect with Brian by visiting the Everactive website at everactive.org or by following him on Twitter @briantorrance.

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Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/7dswC8QFiwU
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This episode features Janelle Allen, an Instructional Designer who specializes in custom online courses. She started out working with a design agency, but left that line of work to serve entrepreneurs and mid-size businesses. This pivot created her company Zen Courses.

Janelle works in the adult learning field and is focused on helping others create actionable, learner-focused online courses that change lives. She has a lot to teach anyone who works in the education field about engagement, developing understanding, creating community, and online education delivery.

You can reach Janelle on her website https://www.zencourses.co/ or on Twitter @janelleallen.

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Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/7dswC8QFiwU
Additional Editing by Mike Brazeau (http://www.reelaudio.ca/)