155. Remix #3 - Seven Empowered Students, Speaking Powerfully

If you navigate to WhatSchoolCouldBe.org, you will find in the nav bar the words, The Innovation Playlist. What is this? The Innovation Playlist is a powerful change model based on small steps that elevate learning and life outcomes. It brings your community together to build consensus on your North Star. It trusts teachers to lead the way, build on successes, draw on best practices, and do what you take joy in, challenging your students in creative, distinctive ways that prepare them for life. One of the playlists is called student-driven learning. Imagine your children, your students, fueled by intrinsic curiosity and motivation, enthusiastically learning without your constant oversight? Student-driven learning gives educators the time to truly guide, inspire, and encourage deeper learning. When we empower students to do bold, creative work, they develop distinctive higher-order competencies. Yet, creative work demands different, more authentic assessments. In this 3rd 2025 remix my co-producer, Mel Ching and I focus on the voices of students I interviewed over the past few years. These are young learners who have struggled in traditional learning environments, but thrived when immersed in student-driven learning and the quest to be assessed deeply, and authentically. These are young people who refuse to be sorted and ranked by standardized test scores. They live and breathe relevant, authentic learning spaces, both inside and outside of this thing we call school. So if you are ready, I am ready. As always, if you have insights or questions, email me at MLTSinHawaii@Gmail.com, which is my podcast contact. The What School Could Be Podcast is edited by the very talented Evan Kurohara. Our theme music comes of the catalog of pianist, Michael Sloan.