The Perkins Platform

Welcome to our February episode. This month, we are delighted to have Dr. David Levy to share his insights on how to bring a balance to our digital lives. Dr. Levy is Professor at the Information School, University of Washington in Seattle. He earned his Ph.D. in computer science at Stanford University and a diploma in Calligraphy and Bookbinding from the Roehampton Institute in London. For over 15 years Dr. Levy was a researcher at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, exploring the transition from paper and print to digital media. At the University of Washington since 2000, he has focused on bringing mindfulness training and other contemplative practices to address problems of information overload and acceleration. His latest book, "Mindful Tech: How to Bring Balance to Our Digital Lives," was published in January 2016 by Yale University Press.

Join us at our first show of 2018 for a conversation on the mechanics of meditation within the education leadership framework with Dr. Home Nguyen. Dr. Nguyen is a professor of mindful leadership, and an advisor and coach to senior executives, entrepreneurs, and educators. He has coached mid-level and C-suite executives of Fortune 200 companies including Google, Amazon, LinkedIn, Fox Entertainment and numerous start-ups. He has taught courses on Self-Awareness Training, Interpersonal Group Dynamics, and Adult Development at Columbia Business School and Yale School of Management. Dr. Home is the founder of MindKind Institute, providing executive coaching and facilitation for high-achieving leaders who are ready to create powerful and lasting change for their team and organization. A certified executive coach, Dr. Home earned his Doctorate of Education in Organizational Leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University. He received his coaching certification with the International Coaches Federation (ICF) and with the Coaches Training Institute. Dr. Home was born and raised in Vietnam during time of war, and having survived as a refugee escaping on a boat from the communist regime at the age of 14. He lived in a refugee camp for a year before emigrated to America. He grew up in Los Angeles, and started his career as a theater artist, writing and directing theater performances, excavating and weaving stories of the refugees experiences. He also incorporates performance arts for HIV/AIDS education and prevention.

To close the year, we a pleased to present Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman--Scientific Director of the Science of Imagination Project at the Positive Psychology Center.  His reasearch is supported by a grant from the Imagination Institue.  He conducts research on the measurements and development of imagination, creativity, and play, and teaches the popular undergraduate course, Introduction to Positive Psychology.  Kaufman is author of Ungifted:  Intelliegence Redefined and co-author of the upcoming book Wired to Create:  Unraveling the Mysteries fo the Creative Mind.  he is also host of The Psychology Podcast, co-founder of The Creativity Post and he writes the blog Beautiful Minds for Scientific American.  Kaufman completed his doctorate in cognitive psychology from Yale University in 2009 and received his Master's Degree in Experimental Psychology from Cambridge University in 2005 where he was a Gates Cambridge Scholar.  Dr. Kaufman discusses his new theory of personal intelligence and shares his story about growing up with a learning disability.

This month, we are pleased to have with us Dr. Charles Temple. Charlie Temple is Kinghorn Professor of Global Education at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York, where he teaches courses in literacy education, children’s literature, storytelling, comparative education, and writing for children. He is a co-founder of the Open Society Institute’s Reading and Writing for Critical Thinking project, that promotes pedagogy for active learning and critical thinking in primary and secondary schools and universities in forty countries on five continents.  With the Canadian international literacy organization CODE, Temple works on teams that produce children’s books in Tanzania, Liberia, and Sierra Leone and trains teachers to use the books to encourage thoughtful discussions.  In the US, Temple is active in the International Literacy Association, the Comparative and International Education Society, and the National Storytelling Network. He has authored textbooks in literacy education and children’s literature, and also books for children.  Temple has a B.A. in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Ph.D. in literacy education from the University of Virginia. 

Join us for what will be an enlightening conversation on Wednesday, March 29 at 2pm EDT.

Join us on Wednesday, January 11 for a conversation on leadership in today's schoolhouse with Dr. George Theoharis.  George Theoharis is Professor and Department Chair for the Teaching and Leadership Department at Syracuse University. He served as Associate Dean to direct the urban education initiatives. George teaches classes in educational leadership and elementary/early childhood teacher education. He also has extensive field experience in public education as a principal and as a teacher. His research focuses on issues of equity, leadership, and inclusive service delivery in K-12 schools.   His books titled The School Leaders Our Children Deserve, What Every Principal Needs to Know to Create Excellent and Equitable Schools, and The Principal’s Handbook for Leading Inclusive Schools focus on issues of leadership and creating more equitable schools.  He co-runs a summer leadership institute for school administrators focusing on issues of disability and inclusion as well as a school reform project called Schools of Promise that focuses on working with and students schools and district in creating inclusive services for students with disabilities. He consults with leaders, schools, and districts around issues of leadership, equity, diversity and inclusive reform. His Ph.D. is in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.  

Phone in and be part of the discourse.  January 11 (2:00pm EST)

Our December show will share some new findings on what happens to student preparation in preK during their elementary experience.  Our special guest is Dr. Dale Clark Farran.

Dale Clark Farran is a professor in the departments of teaching and learning and psychology and human development in Peabody College at Vanderbilt University. She is also the interim director of the Peabody Research Institute. Farran has been involved in research and intervention for high-risk children and youth for her entire professional career. She has conducted research at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and the Kamehameha Schools Early Education Project in Hawaii.

Farran is the editor of two books both dealing with risk and poverty, the author of more than 80 journal articles and book chapters and a regular presenter at national conferences. Her recent research emphasis is on evaluating the short and long term effectiveness of alternative preschool programs for preparing children from low-income families to be successful in school. Currently she is directing a longitudinal evaluation of Tennessee's prekindergarten program.

 

Join us and call in for what will certainly be an amazing show!

Join us with our special guest Sam Brinson dialing in live from Uruguay!

“Education isn’t something you can finish,” once quipped Isaac Asimov, a point that rings true now more than ever. We’re reveling in information nirvana while relying on outdated learning habits that don’t stack up. All the world's knowledge is at our fingertips, we're able to consume whatever we want whenever we want it—but this, unfortunately, doesn't guarantee that we will make the best use of our time or that we will remember what we think we're learning. If we're going to raise the collective intelligence and creativity of the world at large, education must escape the school system and become an activity pursued by people of all ages and from all walks of life. The first step in this process is learning how to learn. Among Connecting the Dot’s most valuable insights: - What happens in the brain as we experience and learn - How technology and science are driving a need for continued education - Why our ability to plan and predict rests upon our knowledge - What we should focus on to become an expert - How to avoid the many biases and fallacies in our current learning methodologies Connecting the Dots will lead you on a journey through the brain, the mind, the environment, and the future, providing a well-rounded picture of why learning is essential and how to best achieve it. (Taken from Amazon.com description on Sam's latest book)

Author Sam Brinson will join us on October 19 at 2pm to discuss what he has learned in his travels and share from his book, Connecting the Dots. Sam is a writer and researcher with interests brain research, personal development and creative expression who lives in Montevideo, Uruguay

Join us for what promises to be one of our most engaging shows ever.  Discourse about politics and the political arena have almost become taboo in our public schools.  Our guest in September will explain why we should engage our schools in significant ways to help our children understand their civic responsibilities.  Our guest is Louise Dubé who serves as the Executive Director of iCivics. Louise discovered the power of education in the early 1990’s as a co-founder of CASES, a New York alternative-to-incarceration program where education helped re-shape lives.  Inspired by a deep commitment to learning, she has devoted her career to ensuring that all students are prepared for active and thoughtful citizenship and life. 

Louise has successfully led growth organizations that make and deliver engaging educational technology.  Most recently, she was the Managing Director of Digital Learning at WGBH.  At WGBH, Louise helped launch PBS LearningMedia, a platform reaching over 1.5 million educators.  Previously, Louise served as President of Pangea Tools, an educational software start-up successfully acquired by Houghton Mifflin.  As President of Soliloquy Learning, Louise structured the sale of the company to Scientific Learning where she served as Vice President and General Manager of Speech Products.  Louise began her career as an attorney in Montreal, Canada, and holds a law degree from McGill University, as well as an MBA from Yale University.   Louise has been recognized as a Draper, Richards, Kaplan Social Entrepreneur.  During her tenure, iCivics won the MacArthur Foundation’s Award for Creative and Effective Institutions.

Remember - Call in and BE THE DISCOURSE.  Wednesday, September 14 - 2pm.

American schools have long been scheduled around an abandond agrarian life-style.  Our guest is part of a national movement to adjust school start times that are developmentally appropriate. Dr. Kyla Wahlstrom is a Senior Research Fellow and Lecturer in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota. Her research focuses on educational leadership, professional development of teachers, the politics of school change, and the role of standards in school reform. Dr. Wahlstrom is an experienced school administrator and classroom teacher, and she is the recipient of the MASCD National Research Award for her ground-breaking study of the effects of later starting times for high schools. She was also the Primary Investigator for the 5-year Learning from Leadership national research study funded by the Wallace Foundation which examined the link between educational leadership and student achievement. Publications include one book, several book chapters, and numerous journal articles and technical monographs used by educational leaders to shape policy decisions across the US. 

Call in at 2pm to participate in what will be an amazing conversation!

This week's show will be a dynamic review of the guests that appeared on the show and what some of the most important take-aways are.  We will have a cadre of education leadership professionals joining Dr. Perkins in his studio live in New Orleans, Louisiana.  Call in and join us for the discussion.

Wednesday, July 13 - 2pm EST.