Learning Unboxed

Anyone will tell you: Teaching is hard. But when we have teachers who are good at their jobs but are feeling that struggle, how can they overcome that hurdle and go on to have long, joyous teaching careers?Bill Manchester is an old friend of Learning Unboxed. We met with him and his students back in episode 34, Engineering Creativity Through Music. If you happened to miss that one, we’ll catch you up: Bill is an 18-year (and counting) veteran teacher who runs his classroom in a way that most teachers dream about. Most recently, he’s published a book titled "When You Feel Like Quitting Teaching, Read This Book".We talk about the nudge needed to keep teachers on track and feeling good, the small consistent steps for a solid teaching foundation, and how to find your footing in a tumultuous landscape.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgWe unbox:Why Bill felt the need to write his bookWhat stands in the way of our teachers loving their jobs long termThe learning triangle that becomes the foundation of your passion pivots: Engagement, content, and structureCreating full engagement in the classroomBalancing the need for testing without relying on it as a mechanism to learnResources:Twitter: https://twitter.com/manchester_eduTEDx Talk: https://youtu.be/umA0K6aE15UEngineering Creativity Through Music with Bill Manchester

When we can use entertaining games as amazing educational tools, everyone wins. It’s clear that the game of chess can lead to some stellar learning opportunities, but what's not always obvious is how to get kids interested in it at all.Elliott Neff is the founder and CEO of Chess4Life, a platform that teaches kids critical thinking skills, problem-solving, EQ, and other important life skills through the game of chess. He’s also the author of A Pawn’s Journey: Transforming Lives One Move at a Time.We talk about how Chess4Life uses the game of chess to teach kids how to fail fast, learn, and improve, focus on individual strengths, and celebrate differences.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgWe unbox:Why chess makes such a valuable learning toolScaling the impact of coachingTaking failure as an opportunity for growth and iterationThe Chess4Life curriculum and how to get involvedResources:chess4life.comelliottneff.comRead: A Pawn's JourneyLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/elliott-neff-9b53473

When we spoke to members of The Willowell Foundation, Jen Olson & Tasha Ball, about the Wren’s Nest, we realized there’s so much more to this story that needs to be explored. How we contextualize our relationship with nature is so important, and getting kids interested in it at the ground level may have far-reaching implications.Matt Schlein is the founder and director of The Walden Project and The WIllowell Foundation. As you may know, Willowell offers nature-based education programs and activities to help connect communities to the natural world. While Wren’s Nest is their preschool program, The Walden Project offers alternative public education for grades 10-12. We talk about the origins of the foundation, why connecting with nature is so important, and how we can get this level of education across the world.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgWe unbox:The origins of The Walden Pond Project and The Willowell FoundationCreating a K-12 experience where students are immersed in natureHow Willowell is allowing kids to recontextualize natureFinding the universal in the particularResources:waldenprojectny.comwillowell.orgLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/matthew-schlein-33a47b19156. Connecting Kids to Their Community & Environment with Jen Olson & Tasha Ball

There’s a lot to learn by taking the time to understand things that kids are invested in, even if it doesn’t seem to relate to education. Take esports, for instance: Could this thing that so many adults pass off as a waste of time actually teach our kids valuable life skills?North American Scholastic Esports Foundation (NASEF) is the world’s first academic approach to esports, providing opportunities for students to learn STEAM skills and prepare themselves for the work of the future. In 2018, Gerald Solomon created and launched NASEF when he recognized the possibility of reaching disenfranchised learners through a pass time that kids love. Kevin Brown was a lifelong gamer himself and wears many hats at the foundation under the title of Chief Academic Officer. We talk about the unlikely bond between gaming and education, how to open up skeptics to these opportunities, and how to scale programs like this across the globe.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgWe unbox:Taking STEAM skills already present in esports and making them visible to kidsHow they scaled the NASEF program across statesPushing back against the negative connotations of video gamesTalking to “digital native” kids in a language they understandResources:Learn more at nasef.orgLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/geraldsolomonLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kevinthierrybrown

In previous parts of Hacking School, we’ve taken a look at our education system, the role it’s played, and what could happen if we allow ourselves to imagine other possibilities. Change is difficult—especially getting started—and once you’ve decided to make a change, picking a direction to go in can be even harder. We’re joined by August Majtenyi, a member of PAST’s research team, to have a conversation about the single biggest question I get when we start talking about ways to hack school: How do we know problem-based learning even works?To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgWe unbox:Acknowledging the work ahead of usThe evidence behind problem-based learningHow we can improve the research supporting PBL and combat hesitancyResources:startSOLE.orgedutopia.org

If the role of school is to prepare students for their adult lives, then academics are only a part of what they need to learn. We’re going to look at an innovative program that is working hard to bring SEL (social emotional learning) to the forefront of our thinking as we look at transforming our school structure.Bridget Durkan Laird is the chief executive officer at Wings for Kids, an organization that recognizes how emotional intelligence was a missing component in schools and sought out to give kids these skills by the time they’re teenagers. We discuss why Wings for Kids was founded, their approach toward teaching SEL, and the impact they are hoping to have.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgWe unbox:The goal of Wings for Kids and the importance of social emotional learningHow Wings for Kids works to bring SEL into the classroom in engaging waysPartnering with teachers who are passionate about SELThe importance of adult buy-in when teaching kidsFinding the kids that need the most helpResources:Learn more at wingsforkids.orgsoarwithwings.com

We’re speaking to a number of people from one of Ohio’s leading STEM schools, the National Inventors Hall of Fame School, including Sam Crews, a founding teacher at the school with over 20 years of experience in schools. Joining him are two former students, Mar Lin and Camryn Woodley. They share their learning experiences at the National Inventors Hall of Fame School and how what they learned there has carried with them throughout their young adult lives.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgWe unbox:The story behind the National Inventors Hall of Fame SchoolHow the school’s strong founding ethos carries on throughout the yearsCreating meaningful experiences for studentsRolling out STEM education to the broader school communityMaking the decisions that are best for kidsResources:invent.orgLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sam-crews-bb795512a

Many schools are excited by the idea of collaborative maker spaces, putting large amounts of funding into getting them built. But once those spaces have been built they start to struggle. What do we do with these spaces to make them a success? Nikil Ragav is the founder and CEO of inventXYZ, a program devoted to bringing high-tech, hands-on education to students everywhere by setting up maker workspaces at partner schools across the country. We talk about how he’s working with schools to make the process of building and using maker spaces more streamlined, and how schools everywhere can get involved.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgWe unbox:The problems districts face when building maker spacesHow inventXYZ is making it easier to put maker spaces in schoolsAccelerating the rate of teaching standard educationBecoming involved with inventXYZResources:inventxyz.comLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nikil-ragav

With a wicked problem in mind, choosing relevant issues tied to a school, a community partnership, technical apprenticeship, or continuing education reveals many paths that lead down numerous avenues of inquiry—all relating back to the issues at hand. Sustainability, world health, and local environments are larger issues with multiple facets, with the potential to generate years’ worth of projects for students. We can use this approach to create a new model for learning that increases the motivation of students, supports teachers’ professional development, and engages community industry partners. It would be a system that prepares students for the future and serves us all far better.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgWe unbox:The benefits of addressing local or current problems in educationThe extraordinary results that come from partnering industry experts with educatorsCreating a new, problem-based model of education and learningRecalibrating our education system to be relevant to the future

Education starts from the moment we take our first breath, but we often only give it our full attention as kids get closer to their careers. Today we’re going to be talking about our littlest learners and how to prepare them for further education and their futures.Willowell Foundation’s “Wren’s Nest” program, a holistic, interdisciplinary, and sensory-based approach to learning, and a companion program to Willowell’s nationally-recognized outdoor high school program The Walden Project. The goal of Wren’s Nest is to foster students’ independence and an initial understanding of their interconnectedness with the whole world.Joining us are Tasha Ball, the administrative director of the Willowell Foundation, and Jen Olson, an early childhood educator and teacher at the Wren’s Nest. We talk about embracing kids’ natural curiosity and desire to explore, getting them immersed in nature, and how we can scale outdoor education.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgWe unbox:What Wren’s Nest does and how it worksThe value of learning outside the classroomTrusting kids to rise to their capabilitiesHow Willowell incorporates state-required learningScaling outdoor classroom programsResources:willowell.orgLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jennifer-olson-b7842384