Learning Unboxed

Andrea Vescelius is a Ohio public school teacher who has eliminated homework and limited grades to just quarterly marks for her students. In this episode, we ask her how she pulled this off and what impact it has had on her students.

Andrea takes us on her 24-year teaching journey. She notes when and why her thoughts on homework and grades changed. She also describes the small steps she took, and continues to take, to make her teaching more centered on student needs.

If you’ve ever dreamed of making your classroom less checkbox-driven and more student-led, this episode is for you.

To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.org

We unbox:

• The benefits of no homework and no grades
• Andrea’s journey to not assigning homework and limiting graded work
• How other teachers can move in the direction of no homework and grades

Produced by NOVA Media

Laksh Dhir’s goal is to revolutionize how informal education is being done in classrooms around the world. Laksh is the CEO and Chairman of Youth for STEM Equity, and he is our guest on the show today.

Laksh explains that informal education has three main strengths. It helps students imagine themselves in the professional field they are learning about. It deeply engages students in key educational subjects. It also connects students with professionals in the industries they are learning about.

Youth for STEM Equity harnesses the power of informal learning through an escape room model. Take a listen as Laksh describes some of the STEM-based escape rooms they have put on. You’ll want to jump in and do one yourself!

To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.org

We unbox:

• What “equity” means in the context of education
• The unique strengths of informal learning
• The power of the escape room model for STEM engagement and retention

Resources:

• Learn more about Youth for STEM Equity at yforse.org
• Follow Youth for STEM Equity on Instagram

Produced by NOVA Media

Usually, one-on-one coaching is reserved for business executives, but Joel Nicholson’s mission is to bring it to students. Joel is the co-founder of Youthfully, a coaching and development platform for students. He’s our guest on the show today.

Joel explains Youthfully’s holistic and non-directive coaching philosophy. He walks us through their process, starting with an intake assessment all the way through application of the student’s stated goal. He also lays out his vision for scaling up the platform so more families can benefit from it.

Bloom’s 2 Sigma problem has been around for a few decades now– how do we achieve the outcomes of one-on-one teaching while being limited by resources. Joel is tackling this problem head-on and has a lot to teach us about the lessons he’s learned along the way.

To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.org

We unbox:

• What the term ‘holistic’ means in education
• How to scale up one-on-one coaching
• The three levels of the Youthfully process: foundations, experiences, applications

Resources:

• Learn more about Bloom’s 2 Sigma problem
• Explore Youthfully.com
• Connect with Youthfully on LinkedIn
• Follow Youthfully on Instagram
• Watch Youthfully on YouTube
• Follow Youthfully on TikTok
• Connect with Youthfully on X
• Link up with Youthfully on Facebook 

Produced by NOVA Media

Dr. Tyler Thigpen co-founded The Forest School in Fayetteville, GA and from there he also co-founded the Institute for Self Directed Learning. Tyler is our guest on the show today and shares with us key practices he has researched and used to nurture student-led environments.

We talk about the concept of mastery and how to measure it with single point rubrics, with an emphasis on longitudinal growth. We discuss the role exhibitions and practicals play in developing student responsibility. We also get into how to create space for students to forge their character and learn how to manage conflict.

The Forest School is a model for all of us interested in education innovation, and its Institute for Self Directed Learning is a resource to help us achieve it. 

To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.org

We unbox:

• How Tyler implements self directed learning at the micro school he co-founded, The Forest School.
• The importance of measuring longitudinal growth in a mastery-based environment.
• How to create an environment where kids take responsibility for their learning.

Resources:

• Learn more at the Institute for Self Directed Learning
• For more free online resources, check out Transcend 
• Join the waitlist for Dr. Tyler Thigpen’s new book “The Playbook for Self Directed Learning”

Produced by NOVA Media

“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” was made almost 40 years ago, yet it still is seen as an accurate representation of education in America. Kevin Stoller is on a mission to update America’s perception of its schools. He’s our guest on today’s episode.

Kevin is the founder of the Second Class Foundation and is creating a new docuseries called “What We Show Them.” He explains the power of entertainment to change culture. 

We discuss the importance of leadership, how anyone can be a storyteller, and the roadmap for his series. 

Be sure to check the Resources section to find out how you can connect with Kevin and potentially showcase your own innovative education program.

To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.org

We unbox:

• The power of entertainment to change culture
• The lag between progress in education and how it is reflected in the media
• How anybody can be a leader and a storyteller

Resources:

• Learn more at SecondClassFoundation.org 
• Email Kevin at [email protected]
• Watch “What We Show Them” Episode 1 on YouTube
• Read “The End of Average”

Produced by NOVA Media

Often game-based learning is treated simply as a hook to get students initially engaged. Today our guest Chris Ramsden explains how game-based learning should instead be deeply infused in a curriculum, supported with a strong methodological and pedagogical foundation. 

Chris is a game-based consultant for Accelium Australia, an organization that provides a digital platform and 24-session “Thinking Journey” to help teachers integrate gamification into their classroom. The sessions are focused on learning abilities, mathematical thinking, scientific thinking, and flexible and agile thinking.

Even more importantly, Chris notes, is that game-based learning builds social and emotional skills in students. It helps them create a toolkit of metacognitive habits that they can use in their personal, and eventually professional, life.

This conversation will make you want to stop and play a game right now– what Chris calls “nutritional candy for the brain.”

To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.org

We unbox:

• Teaching metacognitive thinking models to kids
• Game-based methodology and pedagogy 
• How digital platforms are great ways to capture student learning data

Resources:

• Learn more at Accelium.com
• Check out the Peace Advocate Project

Produced by NOVA Media

All great things start with a podcast! What started out as a podcast by Ryan Pruitt during COVID lockdowns has morphed into his business called Be All You. Ryan joins the show today to introduce his unique business and discuss the state of education. 

Be All You is an education company creating an exploratory platform for students who need to create unique projects or initiatives to enhance their college applications or build their resumes. It’s designed to get students to create entrepreneurial projects that are made up of their skills and their passions. 

We talk about the importance of youth self-discovery and empowerment. We also discuss how to help teachers develop their own entrepreneurial mindset. 

Take a listen to learn more about this exciting new program.

To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.org

We unbox:

• Fostering an entrepreneurial mindset in students and teachers
• The importance of students being able to choose their learning projects
• How future careers can be created through what students learn today

Resources:

• Learn more at BeAllYou.org 
• Check out the Conrad Challenge Prize

Produced by NOVA Media

While virtual learning is often associated with COVID lockdowns and isolation, it actually has the power to create more connections than traditional brick-and-mortar schools for some students. Dr. Lorna Bryant, Head of Career Solutions at Pearson Virtual Schools joins the show today to explain how.

With virtual learning, students can access knowledge, networks, and opportunities across the globe while still remaining in a physical setting that works best for them. Sometimes these students have disabilities, are parents themselves, or simply learn best in a virtual setup.

Lorna walks us through how Pearson does career assessments for their students, develops their soft skills, and connects them with industry partners. Even if you work in a brick-and-mortar location, Lorna’s insights can help you broaden your students’ world through technology.

To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.org

We unbox:

• How virtual learning can bring more learning opportunities and connections to under-resourced kids
• Pearson Virtual School’s approach to career assessments
• How virtual learning and brick-and-mortar are equally valuable, it just depends on which is the best fit for the student

Resources:

• Learn more at Pearson.com

Produced by NOVA Media

Many times we say we value students’ voices and aspirations, but we don’t do the work to truly make them partners in designing and delivering education. Today, Dr. Russ Quaglia and Dr. Lisa Lande from the Quaglia Institute for School Voice and Aspirations join the show to talk about how to change this.

We have a great conversation about being honest with where you’re at as an organization in terms of student voices and aspirations, and starting from there. We talk about trusting students with more responsibility, and being ok when things get messy. We also talk about the importance of building a foundation of community and individuality. 

If you are interested in truly utilizing student voices, this episode is for you.

To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.org

We unbox:

• The definition of voice
• How values inform aspirations
• The importance of ongoing relationship-building to create space for voices and aspirations

Resources:

• Learn more at QuagliaInstitute.org

Produced by NOVA Media

Welcome to our special series about shifting to a more student-lead ecosystem! Usually we take the month of July off, but this year we’re going to re-examine episodes with the theme of empowering students and communities to determine their own needs and successes.

Sometimes we get caught up in the idea that the purpose of education is to create a future workforce. Heather Van Bethuysen joins the show to remind us that the purpose of education is a strong democracy. We want to educate young people to be powerful in the world in which they live. The goal is to develop them to be powerful to enact change, be powerful to advocate, be powerful to know.

If we look at education through that lens, student empowerment becomes a more natural and necessary part of our systems. Heather gives us a specific example of how they are doing this in Chicago Public Schools: Not only do they collect student surveys, but they then give that data back to students to co-collaborate on what changes need to be made.

Join us for a fascinating conversation about power, uncomfortable conversations, and continuous learning.

To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.org

We unbox:

• The goal of education is to build a strong democracy
• What “democratizing data” means
• The importance of developing the skills needed to have difficult conversations

Resources:

• Connect with Heather on LinkedIn
• Learn more about the Civic Engagement Research Group at University of California, Riverside
• Find out more about the McCormick Foundation 
• Explore StartSOLE 
• Learn more about the Cultivate Survey and Framework
• Check out PERTS’ Elevate Program
• Take a look at the Inner Core graph on the Chicago Public Schools Department of Student Voice and Engagement page

Produced by NOVA Media