Learning Counsel Report Podcast

Join LeiLani and Dr. Ehsan Kattoula, Assistant Superintendent Accountability Division, Cobb County School District in Georgia for a discussion on “Appropriate Learning Scaffolding Using AI.”  Dr. Kattoula makes cogent points on how AI will need to be used in schools, what it’s worth will be to learning, and what he means by “scaffolding” learning.  Kattoula’s long-time work as an educator and data scientist helping direct this large district’s student management with data has been some of the most forward-thinking in America.  His points are well worth the listen.

LeiLani embarks on a discussion with her friend Karl Rectanus, an edtech entrepreneur and former educator with a history of great innovations in the K12 marketspace. Together they bring up what’s at the top of trends and dynamics in K12, starting with what’s happening with AI.  Karl’s perspective on what will happen, what’s new and what educators should pay attention to makes for a refreshing listen.

States like California and Georgia are working on curriculum frameworks that include incorporation of mathematical “Big Ideas.” What are they? Listen in on this podcast with LeiLani and Brandon Smith, the Lead Mathematician and Product Director at MIND Education. The discussion opens about the possibility that mathematics education has been trying to solve the wrong problem in learning, how learning is built, not transferred, and providing insight into the new direction of teaching and learning that could be the watershed moment long hoped for to drive higher achievement. 

More teachers should understand that loss of engagement in the present generation of students has serious neuroscience-driven experts hot on the trail of tech solutions that curiously elevate human discourse at the same time. LeiLani interviews Senior Director of Product and Content for MIND Education, Ki Karou, who leads a team of learning and game designers, artists and mathematicians who develop ST Math’s interactive programs. They discuss the importance of talking about math and collective problem solving in classrooms, how this transforms the actual learning experience while engaging students. Listen in as LeiLani and Ki chat about how students chatting about what they notice and what they wonder about in math problems presented as puzzles prompts the learning engagement needed.   

Nigel Nisbet, VP of Content Creation at MIND Education joins LeiLani to discuss creative reasoning in the process of learning math. Imagine a mind being able to internally visualize math in a similar way to any other language – such as the mental image picture one gets of a tall tree in all it’s dimension on a landscape and its color and movement in the wind. Such a mind exploring math would have achieved much more than memorizing addition and subtraction tables, for example. This evolution of math learning is particularly important for educators to understand and for learners to have facilitated to arrive at the type of learning that uses curiosity over anxiety, and imagination over arduous mechanics. Nigel and LeiLani elaborate on what’s changed about the world that makes this podcast a must view or listen.

What does it mean to school leaders and teachers to intersect students with what they need to achieve when the existing schedule already overwhelms teachers? When there is no time to catch students up or challenge ones far ahead, something must be done or the likelihood of losing those students to alternatives or dropping out is high. The dawning of change in the structure of schooling includes novel approaches to sourcing tutoring to overcome learning loss, absenteeism, behavioral issues, and expectations of full personalization for every learner. It used to be that easy scheduling was a difficult proposition – but no longer so with AI. In this discussion with Anthony Salcito, Chief Institution Business Officer with Varsity Tutors, Leilani learns about Varsity Tutors and their mission to help schools gain, without compromise, on their objectives by becoming a sourcing hub leveraging some 40,000+ tutors.

Listen in as LeiLani discusses with guest Ki Karou of MIND Education what it means to use game-based learning, visual learning, in helping learners build mental schema and problem-solve.  This is a complex topic that Karou is an expert in, being the Lead Mathematician and Product Director at MIND Education.  Karou’s application of game theory and rich background in cognitive sciences makes for an excellent conversation on what edtech is doing today to drive true personalization with exploratory learning. 

LeiLani discusses how the future is already here – education is, irretrievably, already in an intelligent network matrix but still has much to do to fit comfortably in it. Mike Witzman, Senior Director of Solutions Engineering of Cisco’s U.S. Public Sector team talks about the trend of “form following function”: with LeiLani and the three levels of schooling being part of a new matrix of learning. Witzman includes many comments about the technical side of advancing schools up from devices in the hands of all students, through campus and classroom readiness, and up to the network mesh matrix that intelligently provides access and interchange of teaching, learning and resources across the internet.

A conundrum of schools wanting to personalize and customize learning, to tailor it around individuals is juxtaposed against a lack of logistics and strategy in this discussion with Matt Yeager, Assistant Superintendent of Technology from Garland Independent School District in the Dallas, Texas area with 52,000 students.  Yeager introduces his theory of leadership and answers questions about what he means by tailored learning, missing logistics and his work in connectivity for schools and students. He provides additional valuable insights in strategic planning and how schools need to understand how technology will help them change structure and gain long-held desires to provide what learners and parents really want. 

What could happen when all the artificial intelligences converge?  That’s just part of this conversation between Serena Saks-Mandel, the Global CTO for Education at Microsoft, and LeiLani Cauthen. Starting of with introducing her not-associated-with-Microsoft new book, “Empowered: Frame your Narrative, Own your Power” available now on Amazon. Like in all things from Serena, the stories have high energy and resonance for anyone – a powerful light and lesson is shown in this book to take away from its many mini-stories. In this podcast, after LeiLani brings up Serena’s new book, the conversation naturally turns to the need for educators to see the future is first and foremost going to be a balancing act of becoming more resolutely human, a time of perfecting our human-ness.  Four other future-leaning predictions are made in a jumble you need to listen closely to discern – plus seven types of AI including machine learning, generative, recommendations engine, voice, vision, embedded (IOT) and spatial-temporal. Hear what Serena and LeiLani have to say happens when it all comes together.