Learning Futures

The Learning Futures Podcast is produced at the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University. Executive Producers are Dr. Sean Leahy and Claire Gilbert. The show is produced by Dr. Clarin Collins and Karina Muñoz Baltazar. Audio production provided by Claire Gilbert.

This Bonus episode hosted by Dr. Sean Leahy explores the creative project Turn it Around - Flashcards for Education Futures with the innovative team from ASU including Dr. Iveta Silova, Adriene Jenik, Belen Sanchez, and Saiarchana Darira. 

From the projects website https://www.turnitaroundcards.org/  

“Calling Young Artists, Thinkers, and Leaders - We invite you to reimagine our approach to education, our relationship with nature and our connection to the living world during this time of crisis. Help us design a deck of flashcards that show how ecological justice can be achieved.” 

Turn it Around - Flashcards for Education Futures will be introduced to policymakers at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) and the launch of UNESCO’s Future of Education report.

For more information and to get involved please visit the project website: https://www.turnitaroundcards.org/

Twitter: @TIAflashcards

Instagram: artistsliteraciesinstitute

Facebook: artistsliteraciesinstitute

TikTok: turnitaroundcards

Special thanks to our guests: 

(Guest host) Dr. Sean Leahy - @seanthenerd

Dr. Iveta Silova - @IvetaSilova

Adriene Jenik

Belen Sanchez

Saiarchana Darira

To learn more about this, and other related projects and work, please visit 

Learning Futures from the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College.

Ronald Beghetto and Joel Westheimer have a conversation about what we currently value as a society and how those values are showing up in how we approach teaching and learning. Westheimer mentions how schooling focuses too much on standardized testing and explains that these tests do not tell us what is going on in a school. He further discusses that standards cannot always be achieved the same way by all students, and asks that we see the value in difference and uncertainty. Westheimer invites us to question how we want to live in society, explaining that the pandemic has kind of held the mirror up to our real values, which are qualities of life that are not easily measured. Creativity and humanity require differences that are not standardized. Westheimer imagines a future where schools are more social, humane places, where teachers are offered the best possible conditions to do their job, and students receive quality experiences that create a meaningful life. 

You can learn more about Dr. Joel Westheimer’s work by following this link:  Joel Westheimer. You can also follow him on twitter: @joelwestheimer

Ronald Beghetto discusses play and technology, as well as creativity with Elisabeth McClure and Stuart MacAlpine from LEGO Foundation. McClure and MacAlpine explain how learning through play includes cognitive and social emotional learning, and that learning experiences which include play lead to deeper learning for everyone; from babies and toddlers through adulthood. McClure and MacAlpine imagine a future where children and adults feel empowered to make and produce technology rather than just users of technology, with the agency to solve the problems in meaningful ways, to create a sustainable and more humane future. 

You can learn more about Drs. Elisabeth McClure and Stuart MacAlpine’s work by following these links: LEGO Foundation Twitter, LEGO foundation, Playlist resources from Lego Foundation; Read an interview and publication featuring Ron who serves as a creativity advisor for the LEGO foundation.  

Dr. Ronald Beghetto talks with Yutaka Tamura about his non-profit organization nXu and the work they do towards helping students and educators engage in purpose based learning experiences. Tamura reflects on his personal struggles towards finding his true purpose and how that led him in the direction of creating a research based methodology that helps students along their own journey, training and coaching educators on purpose development. Tamura imagines a future where students and teachers work together to foster a sense of belonging and purpose, which is something that expands beyond the classroom. He also invites educators and parents to take time and engage with children in conversations about their feelings and dreams, and help them make the direct connections between those and their current learning experiences, so students feel more connected and invested in their educational experiences.

You can learn more about Yutaka Tamura and his work by accessing his LinkedIn page, the nXu website , and Transcend education. 

Drs. Ronald Beghetto and David Garcia have a conversation about the disconnect between research and policy that Garcia has observed throughout his career in politics and academia. Garcia explains how politicians are often novices in many of the issues they will have to tackle during their time in office, and how researchers can help by providing the practical issues and information necessary to make the best decisions. Garcia imagines a future where academics and politicians work together, combining research and practical application, to achieve meaningful change. 

You can learn more about Dr. David Garcia and his work by accessing her directory page at ASU. 

Ronald Beghetto talks with Elyse Burden about Real World Scholars and how she co-created an organization that focuses on giving students the opportunity to become real entrepreneurs and create Ecommerce businesses. Burden explains how entrepreneurship can be used to bring any passion to life, makie students excited about the learning process, and allow both teachers and students to move beyond the usual confines of a classroom. Burden tells listeners how important it is to disrupt the assumptions that currently exist regarding who gets to be an entrepreneur, what they look like, and what they can do. She imagines a future where students and stakeholders are seen as equal partners in the creation of educational journeys. 

You can learn more about Elyse Burden by following these links Linked In, Real World Scholars. You can also follow Elyse on twitter: @LyzBurden

Ronald Beghetto talks with Dr. Sarah Dryden-Peterson about REACH, a program she leads to create and facilitate welcoming and inclusive education to refugees in different parts of the world. She shares how educators can help refugee students make navigational decisions between what exists and what could be, and realize that their malleable histories and identities are what makes them part of communities. Dryden-Peterson explains how refugees, surrounded by uncertainty and disruption, provide an example for us as we emerge from the pandemic. 

You can learn more about Dr. Sarah Dryden-Peterson and her work by accessing her directory page at Harvard, and also the REACH webpage.

Ronald Beghetto talks with Ariel Anbar about his work with science teaching and learning, and if done right, how this can empower nonscientists for their whole life in how they access and understand information. They discuss the recent “bad rep” that science has received during the COVID-era, and Anbar explains how the real process of science is an ongoing set of observations and interpretations which leads to continuous tests and iterations, as recommendations improve with greater knowledge. Anbar also mentions his work on creating and using interactive digital technologies, which immerses students in virtual field trips based on what they are learning. He imagines more of this type of interactive digital learning technology in the future which will meet learners where they are, and get them to where they need to go in their science education journey. 

You can learn more about Dr. Ariel Anbar and his work by accessing his directory page at Arizona State University. Virtual field trip webpage. Center for Education Through Exploration. You can also follow him on twitter:@ArielAnbar

Ronald Beghetto talks with Laura McBain about how her experience as a middle and high school substitute teacher led her to thinking about design in education. She began thinking about what we could create in education to create more equitable futures--how can students and teachers help design better futures by reshaping education so it’s able to serve more students with distinct needs, as well as connect with the community? McBain mentions the importance of letting go of the idea that as educators we have to constantly predict what their future will look like, and let students take a more active role towards shaping their futures and their current learning experiences. She poses questions for us such as: How can we as educators be of service for the students in our care and develop their own agency? What are students doing now to shape their learning experiences, their communities, and their futures? 

You can learn more about  Laura McBain by following these links Linked In, d school,  K12 Lab. You can also follow Laura on twitter: @laura_mcbain