Learning With Interesting People

In this episode Dr. Lang interviews the energetic and motivating Brian Martin from Western New York.  Brian has been an elementary teacher for nearly two decades while also serving as an Army reservist.  He has experience as a basketball coach, and is also the host of his own podcast, the Teaching Champions podcast.

In this episode, Brian highlights what he has learned about learning from both his formal journey and informal experiences along the way.

Throughout the episode Brian explains the power of positivity and both learning and as an outlook on life. 

Brian explains the purpose and future of the Teaching Champions podcast and how you could subscribe and use it to support motivation in your own life.  Be sure to check it out!

Be sure to follow Brian at:

@bmartinreal on Twitter

Teaching Champions Podcast available on all major podcast platforms

In this episode Dr. Lang interviews Eric Blair and his personal views on learning as well as professionally as a higher education administrator in the 21st century.

Eric reviews his formal education journey from public school in Tulsa, OK to a private liberal arts institution as an undergraduate athlete in Liberty, Missouri.  

Eric highlights the importance of being willing to learn for career advancement, but more importantly to let those around you know your passions, desires, and willingness to learn for the betterment of an organization.

Professionally, Eric highlights how higher education institutions are attempting to involve to meet the needs of 21st century employers and organizations while retaining the history and tradition of higher education.  This includes micro-credentialing and in particular the offerings of Jewell Unlimited (https://www.jewellunlimited.com/) via William Jewell College.

Follow Eric on Twitter @ericblair47

In season 2, episode 2 Dr. Lang interviews Jim Nedrow about his learning journey and that of a 21st century director of agronomy at an elite level golf course in the Omaha metro area.  Jim discusses the challenges related to his learning journey both formally and informally from a passion for animals and how great teachers helped shape is career path.

Jim includes messages regarding great mentors and how to utilize and support great people around you to maximize your organizational culture.

Jim outlines how technology can complicate learning in 21st century golf course management and his concerns for the "art" of learning within the industry.

Dr. Lang and Jim discuss their common fascination with Midwest turf diseases, but not for too long!

Jim discusses his future desires for learning and challenges associated with coaching youth and the type of teaching that coaching youth requires.

This episode ends with a bonus clip where Jim gives 3 great pieces of advice for the amateur home agronomist for a healthy and beautiful lawn.  

Follow Jim on Twitter at:  @ICTurfTalk and check out The Club at Indian Creek online at:  https://www.theclubatindiancreek.com/

Some episode background music provided by:
Motivational Cinematic by LesFM | https://lesfm.net/uplifting-background-music/

Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

Creative Commons CC BY 3.0

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

In this episode, Dr. Lang interviews Dr. Kristen Paul, a leadership coach for Humanex as well as an adjunct professor for Trinity International University.

With over 18 years in education Dr. Paul knows the importance of being positive and growth-oriented.  She is an expert at understanding individual talents and how they can be utilize to maximize your personal leadership and growth.

In this episode Dr. Paul discusses how to take a mission and put it into action as well as leaning on the strengths of teammates around you.

Twitter: @MrsKristenPaul
LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-kristen-paul-7b366a27/

Book referred to in episode by Dr. Lang, Carey Niewhof:  https://careynieuwhof.com/at-your-best/

in Episode 8, Dr. Lang interviews Louie Gravance about the superpower of service.  Louie, through his decades of experience and high energy, shares insights on the power of service for both others and self.

Some key concepts discussed:
*People today do not want to be a costar in a "brand" show, they want to work to be a co-star in their show."
"In the future the best organizations will be partners in the self-publishing of their employees, patients, and partners.  We now have an avatar in the family and preserving the image of the avatar is a skill we all have to learn."
*The four essentials of a service culture are:  story, language, recognition, and behavior.
Language becomes lexicon and lexicon becomes legacy.
*The power of consistency.
*Celebrate one's ignorance, you cannot get a ship in the bottle until it is empty."
*Humility is the pixie dust that allows all the other strengths to be elevated and work."
"The wand learns from the wizard, and the wizard learns from the wand--applies to service in your organization too!"
*In an organization it is not about what you are doing, it is about what you are being.
*Excellence seeks and finds other excellent through the law of attraction.
*Look at your service moment as if it was one frame of a movie.
*Think about what you wear to work as your costume because it communicates to people around you that we are not in a perpetual state of weekend, especially when working from home.
*Always dress like something great could happen at any time.
*Your customers will find what they are looking for.  With high expectations, the customers will do have of the work.
*Service is like martial arts--sometimes the most powerful move you can make is to do nothing.

Louie's book:  Service is a Superpower:  Lessons Learned in a Magic Kingdom
Twitter: @LouieGravance
LinkedIn
Instagram

In episode 7, Dr. Lang interviews Dr. Susan Enfield, Superintendent of Highline Public Schools in the Seattle, WA metro area.  Dr. Enfield is a bold, emblematic, and passionate educator and school leader.  Dr. Enfield discusses her educational journey including formal stops at University of California-Berkeley, Stanford, and Harvard.  Dr. Enfield discusses the importance of failing forward, the importance of growth mindset, and how patience for finding fulfillment through strengths can take time.

Dr. Enfield shares the importance of helping others identify the possibilities that in which they don't see in themselves.  

The episode concludes with what we can learn from our feline friends (cats!), traveling, and great thoughts about social media.

You can follow Dr. Enfield on Twitter:  @SuptEnfield

In episode 6, Dr. Lang interviews Gaggle.net founder and CEO, Jeff Patterson who leads an educational technology firm that assists districts in detecting risky student behavior, self-harm, and other potentially life threatening behavior through electronic means via school software.  Jeff is a UCLA grad who came about starting Gaggle as a budding entrepreneur in 1998 and has evolved the company through learning some tough lessons and evolving to meet the needs of 21st century schools.

Jeff drops some great learning and leadership knowledge throughout the episode such as:

"As an entrepreneur, I am not good at anything, I am a mediocre at everything."
"You may be educated, but I am not sure you are smart."
"We have conditioned people that we know the path to success and happiness, but of course know those are not the same things."
"I love to embrace the opposite of what I currently believe; it is important to try on ideas different than my own."
"Everyone deserves to be heard, to be listened to is to be loved."
"My confidence comes from years and years of self-doubt."

Jeff talks about his view on higher education in the United States and how at times, he has viewed it as a barrier to innovative and creative systems and even organizational learning.

Jeff goes on to share some tidbits about how to incorporate new learning into the context of your own life by "scheduling" integration time on your calendar as to remind you in ways to be making attempts to grow on a consistent basis.

Jeff wraps up the interview sharing what he has learned about battling gophers in a friend's yard, becoming more fluent in Spanish, and of course the role of DAD!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffhpatterson/

In episode 5, Dr. Lang speaks with Dr. Matt Townsley, one of the nation's most prominent voices on grading and educational leadership.  Dr. Townsley discusses his own personal learning journey and the evolution of synchronous and asynchronous learning, in particular, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dr. Townsley gives a full overview of the concept of standards-based grading and how it differs from traditional "hodgepodge" grading practices.  Dr. Townsley's overview is insightful for educators and parents alike.

Dr. Townsley and Dr. Lang discuss the challenges associated with learning that does not always have results that are immediate in nature, and the challenges associated with this type of learning.

Dr. Townsley discusses the importance of giving through mentoring as a way to learn and support others in their journey.

Dr. Townsley is the co-author of the 2020 publication, 

Standards-Based Grading in a Secondary PLC at Work®

You can follow along with Dr. Townsley's research and educational thoughts on Twitter @mctownsley and also  at his website at:  mctownsley.net

In episode 4, Dr. Lang interviews Hal Bowman from HalBowman.com and how Hal has worked over recent decades to inspire and grow teachers and learners alike based on his experiences as a student and educator.  His approach is motivating and inspiring and focuses on a set of effective, powerful strategies that drive students, teachers, and school leaders to perform at their very highest levels. 

In this episode Hal and Dr. Lang discuss the challenges and opportunities of the Covid-19 pandemic learning environment as well the importance of a learning community or "family" has Hal describes.

Hal discusses how an intrinsic competitive side personally has driven him to learn, in particular in areas or courses he did not think he would have to know for future success. 

Hal discusses his concept of teacher ownership of learning and offers the notion: " if you consider yourself 100% responsible of the learning, you can control 100% of the changes needed to make it better."

www.halbowman.com
@HalBowman on Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube

Episode 3 brings you an enlightening interview with Dr. Clarence Green (@NW_UPD) who serves both as the University Police Chief & Vice President of Culture at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri.  Dr. Green shares insights related to the learning (technical and relational) for being a police officer.  Dr. Green discusses the importance of lifelong learning and a growth mindset as well as the concept of reverse mentoring and failing forward.  Dr. Green shares what he learned from being a doctoral candidate, a boxing instructor, and a breeder of beagle hunting dogs in his spare time.  
"You never fail, you always learn."--Dr. Clarence Green