40: Shifting from Industry to Well-Being w/ Dr. Susan Engel

We are joined by Dr. Susan Engel, professor of developmental psychology at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Dr. Engel has authored a variety of publications and books, including The End of the Rainbow: How Educating for Happiness (not money) Would Transform Our Schools and A School of Our Own: The Story of the First Student-Run High School and a New Vision for American Education, among many more - including her latest book, The Children You Teach: Using a Developmental Framework in the Classroom. Furthermore, Dr. Engel co-founded the Hayground School, a non-profit school focused on experiential learning and the teachings of John Dewey.

In our conversation, we talk about so many important topics:

• Why is “next step” and industry-prep (e.g. “Preparing students for tomorrow’s industries.”) potentially a problem?
• Why is well-being imperative to learning? How does this contradict those who focus so much on rigor?
• How can we convince educators and administrators that progressive policies help students learn?
• How can we enact this research without eliminating standardized testing?
• How can testing (if shifted to other realms) actually help us in progressive education?