Rana Dajani is a worldwide advocate, and research scientist. She holds a PhD in molecular cell biology, has received many accolades and recognitions around the world, has participated in the Clinton Global Initiative, is on The Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program from Jordan to the United States, and so much more. She is also the author of “Five Scarves: Doing the Impossible,” an exploration of the intersections between gender, race, religion, and science, told through the eyes of one of the world’s leading Muslim, women scientists. Every woman or educator deserves to read it. She’s seeking a paradigm shift in the fight against women’s oppression. She joins us to talk about her work, what influences her thinking, and the future of education.

To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.org

Resources:

• welovereading.org
• scholar.harvard.edu/rdajani
• Instagram: @wlreading
• Twitter:@welovereading
• Twitter: @Prof_RanaDajani
• facebook.com/ProfessorRanaDajani
• facebook.com/WLReading

Learning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate Media

Recorded by Eric French at WOSU Studios in Columbus, Ohio

We’re continuing our conversation on the ideologies of progressive education and how to put them into practice. We’ve talked about the origins of the progressive education movement, the philosophy behind it, and why it works so well for students, families, communities, and teachers.

Now we’re talking to two teachers who have been working in progressive education for a while. We dive into more of the details surrounding putting it into practice. 

Sarah Giles teaches in a two-three multi-age classroom at Wickliffe Progressive Elementary School. Tim O'Connor is a middle school mathematics teacher, currently at Francis W. Parker School in Chicago. He has many years of experience and has been involved in teaching math in grades six through 12 in England, Ireland, New Zealand, and the US. 

We talk about what these progressive schools are doing, how they keep their students engaged, and the barriers blocking progressive education from being introduced to more schools.

To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.org

Resources:

• wickliffepto.org
• Chicago | Making Math Work Remotely

Learning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate Media

Recorded by Eric French at WOSU Studios in Columbus, Ohio

We continue our conversation on digital transformation, this time focusing on growing startups and fostering entrepreneurship as a component of transformation.

Jasmine De Gaia is currently the Executive Director of Transformation at JP Morgan Chase & Co. She has over 20 years of experience in building and leading innovative digital and agile organizations. She’s returning from being featured on the previous two components of this series. Joining her is Kristy Campbell, who leads operations for Rev1 Ventures, an investor startup studio that provides strategic services and capital to help startups scale and corporations innovate.

The education system still has a very distinct divide between business and technology disciplines. We talk about breaking down the silos between them and embracing technology and innovation in the work that educators do.

To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.org

Resources:

• Read more: jpmorgan.com/insights/technology/digital-innovation
• linkedin.com/in/jasminedegaia
• linkedin.com/in/campbellkristy

Learning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate Media

We continue our discussion of progressive education by exploring equality and justice. Joining us are three experts in the progressive education movement.

Theresa Collins has 27 years of experience teaching high school English, she was past president of the Progressive Education Network, and she is now co-director of the National Institute of Progressive Education.

Kavan Yee is the director of Middle School at Lowell School and has served in a variety of former roles, including middle school science teacher, science curriculum coordinator, director of middle school and student life.

Chris Thinnes is a veteran, independent school-leader, an active collaborator with educators and activists from the public and private sectors, and an engaged public school parent.

Together, they consider the role that progressive education will play in the future of our society, the value of making connections with students, and the responsibility that educators face in shaping the way forward.

To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.org

Resources:

• linkedin.com/in/theresa-collins-32621117
• linkedin.com/in/kavan-yee-3167a2102
• twitter.com/ChrisThinnes

Learning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate Media

Recorded by Eric French at WOSU Studios in Columbus, Ohio

Dr. Alvin Logan, Jr. is the Director of Education and Affiliate Curator of African Culture and Education at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture from Seattle, Washington. Dr. Logan has a track record of building support systems to catalyze learning from marginalized communities, from middle school to graduate school. His focus is on culturally relevant pedagogical approaches, decolonization, and multicultural curriculum development.

The Burke Museum is the State of Washington's Natural History and Culture Museum. It has been around for 130 years and has deep roots in the community. It was founded by the wife of Thomas Burke, who collected native art and the stories that go with that — the good and bad. And it's now grown into a significant cornerstone for research, teaching, and community building. It has become a hub in the Northwest for learning about, teaching, and understanding natural culture and history.

STEM typically has a Eurocentric or Western perspective. However, Alvin and the Burke Museum are striving to share the ecological knowledge of indigenous peoples and make it known to the world.

To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.org

Resources:

• burkemuseum.org
• linkedin.com/in/alvinlogan

Learning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate Media

Recorded by Eric French at WOSU Studios in Columbus, Ohio

Outdoor science education is an essential part of any child’s education. It offers them a real, tangible reference point for their future coursework in science and technology. At the McCall Outdoor Science School (MOSS) of the University of Idaho, educators and scientists work together to create diverse, inclusive communities of learners while asking challenging questions that transform their thinking.

Leslie Dorsey is a former MOSS graduate student, field instructor, and AmeriCorps member. She has worked as a Naturalist at the Redfish Visitor Center, and more recently, as the Citizen Naturalist Coordinator at the Idaho Department of Fish and Game for the Multi-species Baseline Initiative.

Carmen DeLeon is an experienced science educator, wildlife conservationist, and STEM education specialist. She has over 12 years of experience in volunteer management, inquiry-based education, and animal biology at environmental non-profits and museums.

The conversation heads out into nature for a chat about outdoor science education and how it ties into university programs, training your teachers, and getting kids excited about being in the great outdoors.

To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.org

Resources:

• uidaho.edu/cnr/mccall-outdoor-science-school
• linkedin.com/in/cfalcospar
• uidaho.edu/cnr/mccall-outdoor-science-school/about/meet-our-people

Learning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate Media

We take the show on the road, so to speak, to Ireland, talking about innovations in education across the pond. Joining us are three industry experts to talk about the work being done there.

Alice D’Arcy has been involved in STEAM Education Ltd. since it was founded in 2014 and now serves as its Managing Director. She’s intimately involved in the development, delivery, and training of all STEAM programs, there.

Elaine Higgins is a Materials Engineering Manager at DePuy Synthes. She leads a technical virtual team involved in engineering and 3D printing.

Mark King is an educator with 19 years of experience working with children in learning environments, presently at the O’Connell Primary School in Dublin.

All three are doing amazing things in the education space, and we’re glad to have them on the show to share their collective approach, findings, and outlook.

To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.org

Resources:

• steam-ed.ie
• linkedin.com/in/alice-d-arcy-31ba8a16
• linkedin.com/in/elaine-higgins-777390196

Learning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate Media

Today, we have a Learning Unboxed takeover. One of our internal colleagues, Javier Cruz, is going to be controlling the host’s mic to lead a conversation discussing student experiences — and what that means in a STEM world.

Javier is joined by Melissa Olvera, Swathi Vudatala, Caleb Buaful, and Josiah Nahhas — all students of The PAST Foundation — to share their experience and talk about how it has influenced their path moving forward. They discuss how they were each introduced to PAST, what skills they gained there, how they are carrying those skills into their careers, and what they envision as the future of education.

To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.org

Learning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate Media

PAST’s podcast passion project, Learning Unboxed, has reached the 100 episode milestone! To commemorate, we thought we’d turn the mic to me, your host, Annalies Corbin, to explore the origin story of the show while celebrating milestones past, present, and future.

We talk about how my life-long thirst for knowledge ultimately led me to PAST and this podcast. I’m so grateful for this incredible platform, which links learning to life and connects with a worldwide network of education facilitators and students on an intimate level. 

Thanks for supporting us thus far. Here’s to the next 100! 

To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.org

Learning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate Media

Today we’re delving into PAST’s origin story with the founders who had the courage and vision to start this foundation with me twenty years ago. 

Dennis Aig, Sheli Smith, Andy Hall, and I take a walk down memory lane to reflect on how we set the stage for PAST to innovate, teach and succeed – despite the growing pains we all had to stomach along the way.  

We wouldn’t be here today without our incredible network that goes above and beyond the mission to move science from paper-to-people, and make world-class scientific research accessible everywhere.

To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.org

Learning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate Media

Recorded by Eric French at WOSU Studios in Columbus, Ohio