Learning Unboxed

Dr. Lorna Bryant, Head of Career Solutions at Pearson Virtual Schools, is passionate about democratizing education through technology. She discusses how virtual learning can enhance connections and opportunities for students, particularly those who are underserved. Lorna outlines Pearson's innovative career assessments and mentorship programs that prepare students for the workforce. She emphasizes the blend of virtual and in-person learning to foster essential skills, ensuring students are equipped for their unique paths, regardless of their circumstances.

Many times we say we value students’ voices and aspirations, but we don’t do the work to truly make them partners in designing and delivering education. Today, Dr. Russ Quaglia and Dr. Lisa Lande from the Quaglia Institute for School Voice and Aspirations join the show to talk about how to change this.We have a great conversation about being honest with where you’re at as an organization in terms of student voices and aspirations, and starting from there. We talk about trusting students with more responsibility, and being ok when things get messy. We also talk about the importance of building a foundation of community and individuality. If you are interested in truly utilizing student voices, this episode is for you.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgWe unbox:The definition of voiceHow values inform aspirationsThe importance of ongoing relationship-building to create space for voices and aspirationsResources:Learn more at QuagliaInstitute.orgProduced by NOVA Media

Welcome to our special series about shifting to a more student-lead ecosystem! Usually we take the month of July off, but this year we’re going to re-examine episodes with the theme of empowering students and communities to determine their own needs and successes.Sometimes we get caught up in the idea that the purpose of education is to create a future workforce. Heather Van Bethuysen joins the show to remind us that the purpose of education is a strong democracy. We want to educate young people to be powerful in the world in which they live. The goal is to develop them to be powerful to enact change, be powerful to advocate, be powerful to know.If we look at education through that lens, student empowerment becomes a more natural and necessary part of our systems. Heather gives us a specific example of how they are doing this in Chicago Public Schools: Not only do they collect student surveys, but they then give that data back to students to co-collaborate on what changes need to be made.Join us for a fascinating conversation about power, uncomfortable conversations, and continuous learning.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgWe unbox:The goal of education is to build a strong democracyWhat “democratizing data” meansThe importance of developing the skills needed to have difficult conversationsResources:Connect with Heather on LinkedInLearn more about the Civic Engagement Research Group at University of California, RiversideFind out more about the McCormick Foundation Explore StartSOLE Learn more about the Cultivate Survey and FrameworkCheck out PERTS’ Elevate ProgramTake a look at the Inner Core graph on the Chicago Public Schools Department of Student Voice and Engagement pageProduced by NOVA Media

Welcome to our special series about shifting to a more student-lead ecosystem! Usually we take the month of July off, but this year we’re going to re-examine episodes with the theme of empowering students and communities to determine their own needs and successes.Kids today are different. Compared to high school graduates in 2000, today’s graduates are less likely to have a driver’s license (80% to 52%), less likely to have had a part-time job (85% to 35%), and less likely to have ever been on a date (decreased by 50%). Using these numbers, our guest today, Bill Daggett, explains just how out-of-date and out-of-touch our education system is for today’s students.We discuss how to fundamentally transform the system so it connects with students and what they need to thrive in the modern marketplace.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgWe unbox:How today’s students are fundamentally different than those of past generationsThe need for schools to focus less on content and more on skillsWhat it takes to change mindsets, culture, and practices in educationResources:Learn more at spnetwork.orgConnect with Dr. Bill Daggett on LinkedInProduced by NOVA Media

Welcome back to our special series about shifting to a more student-lead ecosystem! Usually we take the month of July off, but this year we’re going to re-examine episodes with the theme of empowering students and communities to determine their own needs and successes.Sheryl Cababa researches and designs educational products and services on behalf of philanthropists and investors. In this episode, she explains how she combines design thinking and systems thinking in her work in order to elevate the voices of students and teachers, and examine the underlying structures that shape success. She explains how we all can use concepts of human-centered design, equity-centered design, and targeted universalism in our work.We wrap up by discussing the latest trend in educational products: AI. Sheryl applies systems thinking to it, highlighting the fact that the commonly used AI models have been built on data sets rife with discrimination. To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgWe unbox:What key terms mean like “systems thinking,” “targeted universalism,” and moreHow to use the power of research to benefit participants, not just extract information from themWhy the equity-centered design approach can uncover systems that are not always visible Resources:Connect with Sheryl on LinkedInRead “Closing the Loop: Systems Thinking for Designers” by Sheryl CababaRead “Race after Technology” by Ruha BenjaminProduced by NOVA Media

Welcome to our special series about shifting to a more student-lead ecosystem! Usually we take the month of July off, but this year we’re going to re-examine episodes with the theme of empowering students and communities to determine their own needs and successes.In today’s episode, Kavita Tanna, founder of Global Reconnect, speaks about our interconnectedness, not just as human beings, but as creatures on this planet. She weaves together strength-based approaches, sustainable ownership, and care for the environment.  The more we understand our interconnectedness, the more we can make decisions as a community of individuals.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgWe unbox:Why strength-based conversations are criticalHow students can learn with empowered dignity, sustained ownership, and cultivated relationshipsThe power of connecting with each other around the question of what it means to be a human beingResources:Learn more at globallyreconnect.orgConnect with Kavita on LinkedIn"Factfulness" by Hans Rosling"Start with Joy" by Katie CunninghamProduced by NOVA Media

Humans think in story. Story is not just a way to connect with others, it’s how we connect to ourselves and how we navigate our world. At Just Bloom School, adults and children learn how to tap into their innate story-telling abilities to develop creativity and resilience. Head educator Sarah Lagrotteria joins us today to tell us more.Sarah has trained Special Ops members, business leaders, and third graders in how to think in story to come up with creative problem-solving solutions. She gives us an example of how she has kids come up with a kind of “Pokemon card” for someone who thinks differently than them, and then asks the kids to solve problems thinking like that person.Sarah explains that the ongoing practice of story-based creativity leads to significant results in individuals’ self-efficacy and resilience. Individuals feel confident that they can come up with several different solutions to fix a problem rather than giving up after one.We discuss how this kind of creativity education can be integrated in schools, afterschool programs, and summer camps.  To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgWe unbox:Story as a mode of thinkingDeveloping creativity from story-based thinkingHow creativity increases resilience Resources:Sign up for the Bloom & Grow NewsletterContact Sarah at Just Bloom Produced by NOVA Media

The traditional educational ecosystem is not built to reflect kids’ lived experiences and development. It has almost arbitrary divisions: School, after school, and summer; school districts and nonprofits; test scores and behavior. Byron Sanders and Big Thought want to change that ecosystem.Big Thought is a Dallas-based organization that creates youth programming, convenes other educational organizations, and consults on best practices. Through experiential learning, they provide kids from marginalized communities the opportunities they need to identify and pursue their passions, build 21st skills, and exercise their agency.Byron explains everything in terms of an ecosystem: How direct youth feedback of programs eventually impacts systems change, how creating more opportunities for youth changes the way they interact with the current system, etc. How he talks about our field might just change the way you look at everything.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgWe unbox:How youth’s program feedback should inform advocacy for systems changeWhy skills should supplement gradesUnderstanding the education as an ecosystem Resources:Learn more at BigThought.orgRead “Ecosystems for the Future of Learning” report commissioned by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of TeachingProduced by NOVA Media

Lesley Slaughter’s job as Senior Vice President of Soliant is to examine how to close the gap between the number of healthcare professionals and the increasing number of patients requiring care. Recently she has been focusing on school settings as the location of care and health professionals like speech pathologists, sign language interpreters, special ed teachers, etc.According to a survey conducted by Soliant, 50% of these school-based professionals were considering leaving their field altogether. At the same time, 90% of schools believe that the number of students with IEPs will continue to increase, and 26% of students will need some kind of mental or behavioral health counseling by 2028.So how do we retain these professionals in the education setting? Lesley’s research has led her to some suggestions. One is to allow professionals to remote work when appropriate. Another is to allow more professionals to be contract-based instead of district employees, allowing them more autonomy and flexibility.We dive into these solutions and discuss how we can better think about and act on this topic.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgWe unbox:Causes of burnout in school-based health professionalsOngoing impacts of COVID on studentsThe importance of agility and autonomy for professionalsProduced by NOVA Media

Getting to see a live wild animal up close beats staring at a screen for just about anybody, big or small. Our guests today have witnessed that firsthand and are building out their family education program based on it. We are joined today by Seth Oglesby and Susan Zelinski from Arc of Appalachia’s Nature is Neat program. They are in the early growing stages of the South-Central Ohio program, bringing on more volunteer naturalists and a full-time education coordinator. Their passion is palpable.We dive into all the segments they include in their once-a-month programming: An activity, interactive learning, themed hikes, meeting a live animal, and a craft kids can take home to continue their learning. They emphasize that the program is for the whole family, creating meaningful moments of nature immersion and learning that will have a long term impact on everyone.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgWe unbox:How nature lends itself to immersive learningThe power of volunteer naturalists in educationCreating a program that is great for kids and parents alikeResources:Learn more about Nature is NeatProduced by NOVA Media