Episodes
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Today, Maria talks with Kristin Palmer, Director of Online Learning Programs at the University of Virginia, where she manages their online site, which showcases diverse courses, certificates, and degrees across the University of Virginia (UVA).
Kristin oversees 52 courses and 7 specializations on Coursera, serving over 4 million students with net revenues of more than 12 million USD. She is also the administrator of LinkedIn Learning and Coursera courses for the professional development of UVA students, faculty and staff at UVA.
Kristin has a bachelors in photography from Rochester University, a masters in Learning, Design and Technology from Stanford University and a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Change from Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara.
She regularly publishes best practices for teaching online and hybrid courses and provides faculty training through various services, from self-serve how-to guides and videos to one-to-one consultations and workshops. She is an International speaker on educational technologies, innovation, massive open online courses, workforce development and open educational resources.
Maria and Kristin unpack the design of online learning and distance education programs offered across UVA. They also discuss the community of inquiry framework and share best practices for cognitive, teaching and social presence.
They conclude their conversation with a deep dive into the African Scholarship Cohort, the flagship program of the nonprofit organization Distance Education for Africa. Kristin shares her experience running the African Scholarship cohort program that offers monthly entrepreneurship courses available for free through a collaboration between UVA and Coursera.
To provide a localized resource for business students and leaders who want to create robust businesses in Africa, Kristin co-published the book “African Business Case Studies Vol 1”, a collection of business case studies written by the participants of the African Scholarship Cohort.
Tune in to learn from an inspirational leader in higher education who is making an impact on the world, helping to alleviate poverty, and promoting gender equity through accessible and affordable online education.
Listen to this episode and explore:
Introducing Kristin Palmer and sharing highlights from today's episode (1:08)
Growing up poor and watching her mother claw her family out of poverty (4:40)
How a professor at Stanford University created new learning experiences for Kristin (5:38)
Reflecting on her teaching experience as an undergrad student (6:42)
Exploring graduate school options and finding the love of her life (8:17)
Sharing her experience working at Hewlett-Packard (10:06)
Completing her Master’s in Learning, Design and Technology at Stanford University (12:52)
Getting into K12 education (technology & curriculum) at Children’s Health Council (13:40)
How Kristin developed learning programs for special-needs students (15:28)
Using the Community of Inquiry framework to build a community of lifelong learners (17:26)
Unpacking the cognitive, social and teaching presence of the Community of Inquiry framework (18:46)
How Kristin found her way to the University of Virginia (UVA) after consulting for The Disney Company (22:21)
How Kristin got involved in co-creating the first online learning programs at UVA (24:56)
The evolution of online learning programs at UVA over the years (26:30)
Discussing on-campus and online degrees and certificates at UVA (29:48)
A deeper look at Coursera and LinkedIn Learning for continuous professional development at UVA (32:16)
How students' learning preferences have evolved amid the pandemic (35:57)
Envisioning the future of teaching and learning at UVA post-pandemic (39:19)
Sharing best practices for the design of online learning programs (42:32)
Why flexibility and multiple modalities are essential in higher education (45:34)
How Kristin’s partnership with the Distance Education for Africa started (47:00)
The collaboration of UVA with Coursera to support the African Scholarship Cohort (ASC) program (48:54)
Offering free educational resources and customized support to the ASC program students (53:00)
Publishing a collection of business case studies written by the participants of the ASC program (54:08)
The importance of African youth and the role of education in our society (55:56)
What Kristin wants to leave her mark on within her lifetime (01:00:12)
Maria’s request to listeners to recommend future guests and support the podcast (01:02:07)
Where to find more about Kristin Palmer:
LinkedIn
Online Learning at University of Virginia
Mentioned in this episode:
Online Learning Programs at University of Virginia
Coursera for University of Virginia
Community of Inquiry (CoI)
Kristin on SlideShare
Distance Education for Africa
African Business Case Studies Vol.1
Decker Walker at Stanford University
James Hilton (former VP and CIO at University of Virginia)
Jeanne M. Liedtka at Darden School of Business at University of Virginia
Prof. Edward Hess at Darden School of Business at University of Virginia
Small Changes, Big Impact at UVA Center for Teaching Excellence
Class Central
Leading with Lollipops
Episode 94 on Flipped Learning with Robert Talbert
Production team:
Host & Producer: Maria Xenidou
Introduction Voice: David Bourne
Contact us:
impactlearningpodcast(at)gmail.com
Music credits:
Like Lee performed by The Mini Vandals
Transition Sounds: Swamp Walks performed by Jingle Punks
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How can students explore multiple career paths before they decide on their first job out of college? How can hiring managers work with several interns before they decide who to hire?
Today, Maria talks with Jeffrey Moss, Founder and CEO of Parker Dewey, a mission-oriented organization that helps connect great talent with great companies. Parker Dewey has the largest network of highly motivated college students and recent graduates excited to complete short-term, professional assignments, known as micro-internships.
During these micro-internships, they can demonstrate their grit and exceed expectations as they seek the right full-time role or internship. Micro-Internships also help companies identify and evaluate prospective job candidates for when hiring needs arise. As a result, organizations improve hiring effectiveness, enhance diversity, and drive retention.
This episode provides students and recent graduates with guidance to help them get their foot in the door of potential employers while they get paid for completing professional assignments. It also offers them actionable insights on working on a range of projects for companies of different sizes to help them decide what work they want to do and who they want to work for through real-life professional experiences.
Tune in to learn from an inspiring leader who is creating equitable access to professional experiences as a pathway to a successful career for everyone.
Listen to this episode and explore:
Introducing Jeffrey Moss and sharing highlights from today's episode (1:22)
Jeffrey’s early-childhood learning memory (3:44)
Reflecting on his internships experience (4:56)
The origin story of Parker Dewey (8:10)
How they design effective micro-internships (11:58)
Their business model: frictionless, simple and efficient (14:50)
The unique value proposition for recruiters and hiring managers (17:54)
Experiential Recruiting: a two-way assessment for companies and students (19:28)
How students select micro-internships to build core skills and explore various career paths (23:10)
How Parker Dewey has been supporting students and recent grads during the pandemic (24:40)
How they provide feedback and guidance to the students (27:48)
Why Parker Dewey relies on word of mouth to attract interested and motivated students (30:22)
The eligibility criteria for international students interested in micro-internships (31:26)
How senior college students can create their own opportunities amid uncertainty (32:10)
How to get started quickly and complete multiple micro-internships this summer (36:28)
How hiring managers can become more productive by assigning students the right project tasks (37:35)
How recruiters can use experiential recruiting to increase brand awareness and recruit the best talent (38:48)
What Jeffrey wants to leave his mark on during his lifetime (40:36)
Where to find more about Jeffrey Moss:
LinkedIn
Parker Dewey
Mentioned in this episode:
Michelle Aymold
Articles for further reading:
Colleges Move to Help Students Find Remote Internships. None Include Fetching Coffee.
It's Time to Officially End Unpaid Internships
Production team:
Host & Producer: Maria Xenidou
Introduction Voice: David Bourne
Contact us:
impactlearningpodcast(at)gmail.com
Music credits:
Like Lee performed by The Mini Vandals
Transition sounds: Swamp Walks performed by Jingle Punks
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Missing episodes?
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How can parents and teachers use their experience with distance learning and working from home to create a better new normal?
Maria invited back her friend and positive psychologist, Robert Zeitlin, to share his experience guiding and supporting parents, teachers and families to get back on track amidst the pandemic.
Robert is the author of the books “Laugh More, Yell Less: A Guide to Raising Kick-Ass Kids” and “But I’m Not a Teacher! A Parent’s Guide to Learning Under Lockdown”. He has been helping parents to turn the challenges created during distance learning and working from home into learning opportunities for the whole family.
In this episode, Robert and Maria dive into the learning superpowers from positive psychology that can help parents identify their children’s character’s strengths to prepare them for better livelihoods.
They also discuss the tension between parents and teachers during distance learning and provide guidance and insights to help them rebuild trust and create a better new norm at home and in the classroom.Using their shared experience in the mastermind group they co-created, they explore learning in relationships and unpack the role of time and space, infinite and finite games, and so much more in learning.
This is a special episode between two friends and lifelong learners. Enjoy!
Listen to this episode and explore:
Introducing Robert Zeitlin and sharing highlights from today's episode (1:22)
The first time Maria interviewed Robert while learning to podcast (3:25)
Inviting Robert back to share his experience supporting parents during the pandemic (4:02)
Publishing two books in 2020 to help parents navigate distance learning and working from home (5:52)
Discussing the Learning Superpowers from Positive Psychology (8:10)
Unpacking the Love of Learning (11:00)
The challenges parents have been experiencing while navigating the pandemic uncertainty (12:20)
How parents can act as role models for their children amidst ambiguity (13:55)
Learning is Relational: the role of people, emotions, time and space (17:28)
Unpacking their shared learning journey since Robert and Maria co-created a mastermind group (20:54)
Discussing the tension created between parents and teachers in March of 2020 (23:50)
The development of the parent-teacher relationship amid the pandemic (26:48)
How parents can rebuild trust with teachers (28:42)
The dilemma of teachers during the pandemic (30:42)
Best practices to learn how to slow down (33:43)
How Maria created a consistent slow-down practice (35:54)
Reflecting on mastering skills vs being productive all the time (37:37)
Robert’s insights on how parents responded to the pandemic (39:23)
What parents learned about themselves, each other and their children (40:54)
How parents can identify their children’s potential using the character strengths from positive psychology (42:56)
Why parents need to identify their support needs before they focus on their children (44:38)
A simple approach for parents to decide if they need coaching or therapy (46:26)
The commitment parents need to make to get back on track (48:24)
How we can all use relational learning to create our post-pandemic new norm (51:03)
The opportunity parents and teachers have to build a stronger relationship (52:58)
Maria’s childhood story: how her mother and teachers had each other’s back (54:08)
The power of trusting that parents and teachers are doing the best they can (56:02)
Maria’s request to listeners to make recommendations for future guests and support the podcast (56:58)
Where to find more about Robert Zeitlin:
LinkedIn
Twitter
His personal website
Mentioned in this episode:
Book: Laugh More, Yell Less: Stuck-at-Home Edition
Book: But I'm Not a Teacher!: A Parent's Guide to Learning Under Lockdown
Positive Psychology & Character Strengths
Episode 11 with Robert (their first episode!)
Episode 9 with their friend David from Hire Cause
The episode when Maria shares her mother's learning journey
The Episode with Seth Godin: What's School For?
Production team:
Host & Producer: Maria Xenidou
Introduction Voice: David Bourne
Contact us:
impactlearningpodcast(at)gmail.com
Music credits:
Like Lee performed by The Mini Vandals
Transition sounds: Swamp Walks performed by Jingle Punks
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After reading the EdSurge article “Flipped Learning Can Be a Key to Transforming Teaching and Learning Post-Pandemic”, Maria was curious to learn more about flipped learning. So she invited the author, Robert Talbert, to join her on the podcast.
Robert has published the book Flipped Learning: A Guide for Higher EducationFaculty, to support other educators on their flipped learning journey and help them avoid the mistakes he made teaching with flipped learning since 2009. He also wanted to collect everything he knew about flipped learning - along with some research, theoretical foundations, history, and practical examples - and put it in one volume.
Together, they discuss why Robert decided to try flipped learning for the first time, who uses flipped learning and why, and how to design a flipped learning environment online or as a hybrid course. They also unpack the support faculty need to adopt flipped learning and guide their students to develop self-teaching skills.
Robert is a professor of Mathematics at Grand Valley State University, where he teaches a wide range of mathematics courses and conducts research in undergraduate mathematics education, with a focus on flipped learning and technology-enabled active learning. He served as Assistant Chair and Chair of the Mathematics Department between 2018 and 2020.
Robert holds MS and PhD degrees in Mathematics from Vanderbilt University and taught in small liberal arts colleges for 14 years before arriving at Grand Valley State University in 2011. He is a frequent workshop facilitator and keynote speaker on teaching and learning in the US and abroad. He writes about flipped learning, math, technology, education, and academic productivity on his personal blog.
Tune in to learn from an inspirational leader in higher education who wants to give faculty a handbook for how to get started and keep going.
Listen to this episode and explore:
Introducing Robert Talbert and sharing highlights from today's episode (1:18)
Learning the alphabet watching Sesame Street and spelling words at his grandmother's house (4:22)
How Robert’s interest in Mathematics developed during school and college (5:07)
The moment Robert discovered his passion for Mathematics (7:52)
How a conversation with his oldest sister ignited his interest in becoming a professor (9:28)
Robert’s teaching philosophy that led him to teach at small liberal arts colleges (10:38)
The origin story of his book Flipped Learning: A Guide for Higher Education Faculty (15:30)
What is Flipped Learning? (18:02)
How to design flipped learning for any modality (20:24)
Unpacking the basic and advanced objectives of flipped learning (24:17)
Why we cannot waste in-class time anymore to teach students things they can learn on their own (25:35)
How teachers facilitate active learning in-class through curated activities (26:22)
Reflecting on the active learning that happens through a connection of people and ideas (29:32)
Why Robert decided to flip his first online course, how he did it and what he learned from it (31:20)
The evolution of flipped learning over the years: it's so much easier today (35:10)
Why flipped learning is becoming a trusted pedagogy framework during and post-pandemic (37:12)
A student-centered higher education journey (40:30)
How to guide and support students during their first experience with flipped learning (43:32)
The essential skills students develop during flipped learning (46:05)
Reflections on his most recent online classes and students' preferences (47:44)
The critical support faculty need to adopt flipped learning in their courses (51:36)
The role of communities of practice in teachers' journey (54:02)
What educators can learn outside of academia to make their teaching better (56:12)
Why and how higher education institutions can build trust with students (58:36)
What Robert wants to leave his mark on within his lifetime (1:00:14)
Maria’s request to listeners to make recommendations for future guests and support the podcast (1:00:44)
Where to find more about Robert Talbert:
On LinkedIn
On Twitter
Robert's website
Mentioned in this episode:
The Book: Flipped Learning: A Guide for Higher Education Faculty
The EdSurge Article: Flipped Learning Can Be a Key to Transforming Teaching and Learning Post-Pandemic
How to join the Mastery Grading Slack Space that Robert administers: https://join.slack.com/t/masterygrading/shared_invite/zt-662paj3a-uhbTix_fFZhzo7xI3S2jYA
Production team:
Host & Producer: Maria Xenidou
Introduction Voice: David Bourne
Contact us:
impactlearningpodcast(at)gmail.com
Music credits:
Like Lee performed by The Mini Vandals
Transition sounds: Swamp Walks performed by Jingle Punks
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This episode is for teachers, administrators, and parents who want to learn about a free and holistic approach that helps underrepresented students prepare for the SAT and ACT tests used for admission to US colleges. It discusses how to build confidence in underserved youth, especially those about to become first-generation college students. And, it offers three simple questions to help those exploring their career direction make better choices for their life and work.
Today, Maria talks with Yoon Choi, the CEO of CollegeSpring, a national nonprofit that helps schools provide free SAT and ACT preparation to students from low-income backgrounds by equipping teachers with the resources and specialized training needed to close the testing and college opportunity gaps. Under her leadership, CollegeSpring has supported hundreds of educators and provided test prep to tens of thousands of students.
Yoon was born to Korean parents who fostered a sense of independence and creativity and gave their daughter the opportunity, when she was only 13, to either go back to Korea with them or stay in the US and pursue a better education. Her decision led her down a lifelong learning path guided by her passion for pursuing what she loved & her commitment to making an impact.
She has over a decade of leadership, management, and fundraising experience, primarily with organizations serving underrepresented youth. In 2020, she was named a Presidential Leadership Scholar by the program led by the presidential centers of George W. Bush, William J. Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Lyndon B. Johnson.
Prior to joining CollegeSpring, Yoon served as the co-president at Spark, a national nonprofit career exploration and self-discovery program for middle school students. During her time at Spark, she transformed the organization by building strong corporate partnerships, increasing revenue, and strengthening its overall program model.
Yoon earned her doctorate in anthropology from the University of California at Irvine, a master’s degree from New York University, and a bachelor’s degree from Scripps College. Her published articles about testing and college access can be found in leading publications such as Inside Higher Ed, The Hechinger Report, and EdSource.
Tune in to learn from an inspirational leader in the nonprofit education sector who believes deeply in the power of education to transform lives and communities. Every day, she works to expand educational opportunities so that all young people - no matter their background - are equipped to learn, explore, and achieve their full potential.
Listen to this episode and explore:
Introducing Yoon Choi and sharing highlights from today's episode (1:32)
Reflecting on Yoon's love for learning early on in her childhood (5:00)
How Yoon decided to stay in the US when her parents moved back to Korea (6:00)
Exploring her passion for learning without having a specific career path in mind (8:48)
How her father ignited her interest in English Literature and her undergrad journey (11:12)
Pursuing her Master’s and PhD in Anthropology on her way to an academic career (14:10)
Getting her first experience in education nonprofits as a grant writer (16:46)
Joining a local nonprofit and learning about fundraising and partnerships (18:16)
Becoming Executive Director at Spark: how she developed her leadership and discovered her strengths (19:00)
Building character and skills during her overall career in education nonprofits (21:36)
Why Yoon decided to join CollegeSpring as their CEO (23:50)
CollegeSpring: what problem they solve, who they serve and how they help students prepare for college admission (25:16)
How they support underrepresented students by offering a free and holistic SAT/ACT test preparation in school (27:26)
How they develop their proprietary curriculum and teacher’s training (30:09)
Unpacking their Test Confidence: Knowledge, Skills and Motivation (31:15)
How underrepresented students become confident when others believe in them (33:29)
What is College for? (36:35)
The role of higher education in increasing equity and inclusion in society (40:44)
How CollegeSpring responded to the pandemic and developed a virtual program quickly (43:22)
How they supported students, and teachers overcome their challenges amid the pandemic (45:24)
Yoon's plans to continue to increase access to education and offer more options to underserved students (47:34)
How schools can explore partnering with CollegeSpring and receive support for their teachers and students (52:12)
What Yoon wants to leave her mark on within her lifetime (54:01)
Maria’s request to listeners to make recommendations for future guests and support the podcast (54:52)
Where to find more about Yoon Choi:
LinkedIn
CollegeSpring Leadership Team
Mentioned in this episode:
EdSource: We must ensure online testing is equitable to all students
EdSource: Test-optional admissions won’t level the college admissions playing field
CollegeSpring: Test Prep for All, Not the Select Few
CollegeSpring: Supporting Our Students During COVID-19
CollegeSpring: How Can We Make College Admissions More Fair?
Production team:
Host & Producer: Maria Xenidou
Introduction Voice: David Bourne
Contact us:
impactlearningpodcast(at)gmail.com
Music credits:
Like Lee performed by The Mini Vandals
Transition sounds: Swamp Walks performed by Jingle Punks
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This episode is for students, parents and educators who want to learn how to design live virtual experiences for social and emotional learning.
Today, Maria talks with Seth Fleischauer, president and founder at Banyan Global Learning, an organization that since 2008 has been using video conferencing to connect daily with learners in classrooms in Asia.
Seth’s work is at the intersection of technology, language, culture and social and emotional learning. By connecting students to people, places and ideas to whom they would never otherwise have access, he believes that live video conferencing is an underutilized force of revolutionary change in education.
Seth studied psychology at Princeton University and has been leaning on his experience as a public elementary school teacher to create meaningful educational experiences and authentic human connections.
While watching his daughter struggle in the early days of the pandemic, Seth decided to help students and parents develop social and emotional skills that are the foundation of learning. Through their virtual programs, learners practice empathy, consider the relationship between their thoughts, feelings and actions and apply social and emotional skills to real-world homework assignments.
Tune in to learn from a leader in education who wants to inspire people to start to unpack the defences they put up over the years and build a greater emotional intelligence.
Listen to this episode and explore:
Introducing Seth Fleischauer and sharing highlights from today's episode (1:20)
How Seth discovered the power of personal expression and creativity in high school (3:30)
Deciding to study psychology to understand himself and heal from personal trauma (5:06)
Discussing how Social & Emotional Learning (SEL) can be incorporated into education (8:34)
Choosing between social work and education: the decision to become a teacher (10:22)
Reflecting on his experience as a teacher and what he would do differently today (12:46)
How teaching in Taipei, Taiwan during the summer led Seth to become a founder (14:50)
Making a bet on video conferencing (VC) and partnering with an outsider in education (17:29)
Unpacking the launch of their first VC-based program in 2008 and its evolution since then (18:40)
Banyan Global Learning (BGL): the origin of the name (21:40)
Their vision: to create responsible and kind global citizens through authentic connections (22:17)
How virtual experiences can help students develop cultural resilience (24:34)
How observing his daughter during the pandemic led Seth to make SEL an essential part of the design of their programs (26:24)
How learning is a collaborative experience between learning facilitators and learners (30:05)
Creating a Digital Citizenship program to help parents and children build essential skills (31:42)
How parents can establish deeper connections with their kids by solving problems together (34:20)
Unpacking the design of live virtual experiences for their key programs (38:34)
Using music to help students practice empathy while doing their homework (43:06)
What goes into the design of SEL-based virtual experiences: identifying and sharing emotions (44:41)
How to build richer live virtual experiences (48:49)
Seth’s desire to combine student voice and choice with technology to foster authentic human connections (52:05)
How Seth envisions the future of education as an expression of our shared values (54:50)
What Seth wants to leave his mark on within his lifetime (59:03)
Connect with Seth Fleischauer on LinkedIn
Mentioned in this episode:
Banyan Global Learning
BGL Live Virtual Programs
Digital Citizenship Programs
Social & Emotional Learning
Plutchik's Wheel of Emotions
Todd Amstrong: Seth’s uncle who provided SEL guidance
Production team:
Host & Producer: Maria Xenidou
Introduction Voice: David Bourne
Contact us:
impactlearningpodcast(at)gmail.com
Music credits:
Like Lee performed by The Mini Vandals
Transition sounds: Swamp Walks performed by Jingle Punks
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Today, Sonia Tiwari interviews Maria! Together, they unpack Maria’s learning journey, education and memorable life experiences in Greece.
Sonia facilitates an engaging conservation and provides wonderful insights as Maria talks about her childhood growing up in Athens and spending her summers in the Greek countryside.
Maria shares her accidental homeschooling experience, her interest in speaking local dialects and her curiosity to explore different cultural norms and lifestyles.
She talks about her love for chemistry and physics and remembers her teacher, who affirmed her career path when she was only 17!
Maria reflects on her mother’s stories and guidance that motivated her to build a better life through education and hard work.
As Sonia puts it, Maria found her purpose in life through crisis and insights. We hope you enjoy listening to this insightful conversation filled with childhood memories and deep reflections.
Listen to this episode and explore:
Flipping the interview: Sonia Tiwari interviews Maria (1:04)
Maria’s accidental early-childhood experience with homeschooling (3:12)
Starting to learn English at a private school in Athens (6:00)
Learning to understand and speak local dialects in the Greek countryside (7:46)
Reflecting on her curiosity to explore new cultural norms and her desire to connect with locals (12:48)
Studying for the national exams for her dream to get into the university (13:30)
Unpacking her interest in STEM and her decision to study Chemistry (14:52)
Remembering her Physics teacher who affirmed her career path (16:12)
Unpacking her interest in science and understanding the world around her (16:54)
Deciding to pursue her PhD in polymer chemistry and material science (19:10)
Discussing her broad interests in history, literature, philosophy, and arts and her experience growing up in the Greek culture (20:02)
Reflecting on suggestions from the extended family to become a lawyer or a medical doctor (22:15)
Appreciating her mother’s guidance to get educated and become independent (24:00)
Sonia’s thoughts on how Maria found her purpose through crisis and insights (26:16)
Deciding that education was the path to build a better life; experiencing working-class life and learning from her mother’s childhood stories (27:10)
Sharing some of her mother’s stories and the impact they had on Maria’s choices (29:54)
Exploring her intellectual interests through learning and education (33:40)
Discussing how career exploration has evolved over the years due to technology (37:00)
Sharing her experience and choices that led Maria down a corporate career path (39:30)
Shifting her focus on the future of learning and education: how life experience and informal learning guided her choices (43:54)
The Impact Learning purpose and the change Maria seeks to create during her lifetime (46:10)
Where to find more about Maria Xenidou:
LinkedIn
Twitter
Where to find more about Sonia Tiwari:
Sonia’s website
LinkedIn
Twitter
Mentioned in this episode:
Sonia’s Impact Learning interview in Episode 82.
Production team:
Host & Producer: Maria Xenidou
Introduction Voice: David Bourne
Contact us:
impactlearningpodcast(at)gmail.com
Music credits:
Like Lee performed by The Mini Vandals
Transition sounds: Swamp Walks performed by Jingle Punks
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Today, Maria talks with her friend Brandi Heather, Chief Knowledge Officer at AMPED2PLAY and author of the book Return To Play: Rebuilding Resilience, Risk and Reconnection.
Brandi is an award-winning Disability and Inclusion Educator and Therapeutic Play Specialist with over 25 years of experience. She began her career as a college and university professor in Kinesiology and Sport Studies specializing in Adapted Physical Education and has been building solutions that meet the physical, cognitive, social and emotional needs of every person.
Brandi utilizes the power of play to navigate diversity, inclusion, change management, self-care, and mental and physical health. She reveals how play is the catalyst to igniting and developing innovation and productivity and the foundation of moving from diversity to belonging. People and organizations that can play in both times of challenge and success will flourish because they have learned how to build from the unexpected and unknown, a skill built first in play.
Can play be the answer to our most complex social challenges of the 21st century? Play is when we are most open to taking risks because we feel our most capable and confident. In these moments, we are in a state of self-discovery and expression. We are learning, reaching, and attaining new experiences and skills. Being immersed in creative change, we are adapting and developing resilience.
Tune in for a lively conversation between two women passionate about playing and learning!
Listen to this episode and explore:
Introducing Brandi Heather and highlights of today’s episode (1:24)
Learning through play and fort-building in her childhood (2:54)
How her dad inspired her creativity through art (4:10)
Her relationship with school; being the helper and caring for others (5:22)
The decision to study education in college and her experience teaching young kids (7:20)
Creating a new program for students and kids with disabilities (10:38)
Building the course The Integrated Arts Approach to Movement (11:42)
Researching play therapy and designing play-based learning (14:20)
The mission of AMPED2PLAY: the role of movement in our body and mind (17:32)
The role of play in our biological and developmental process (19:25)
How AMPED2PLAY is serving all generations (20:34)
The role of play for our cognitive development through sensory experiences (22:00)
How playing in nature enables self-discovery in children (25:40)
Building skills playing Hide and Seek (27:18)
Why children choose to play in war zones and post-traumatic experiences (28:22)
The social aspect of play: how children choose how to engage (30:50)
The underdeveloped skills in play deprivation (34:08)
Unpacking the implications on mental health in young adults (37:12)
Maria’s reflection on the role of play growing up while attending industrial education (39:04)
How teachers can engage in play-based teaching and learning in their classrooms (40:58)
How to invite adults to participate in play by creating safety and cultivating trust (43:10)
The two different types of play for adults (44:54)
How to create effective team-building activities around play: build a common ground (46:46)
Why play is more essential for employees and organizations today than ever before (49:24)
What Brandi wants to leave her mark on during her lifetime (53:22)
How we can pass on the joy of play (54:13)
Where to find more about Brandi Heather:
Brandi on LinkedIn
AMPED2PLAY
Amped Training
Mentioned in this episode:
Brandi's NEW book: Return to Play: Rebuilding Resilience, Risk and Reconnection
Production team:
Host & Producer: Maria Xenidou
Introduction Voice: David Bourne
Contact us:
impactlearningpodcast(at)gmail.com
Music credits:
Like Lee performed by The Mini Vandals
Transition sounds: Swamp Walks performed by Jingle Punks
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Today, Maria is a guest co-host on Anette on Education. Together they take the opportunity to unpack education with one of their teachers, Seth Godin. This episode is for teachers, principals, parents, and everyone who seeks to create change in education including those responsible for education policy.
Seth has been outspoken about Education in his manifesto Stop Stealing Dreams, his TED Talk. He also published a course on Udemy called Seth Godin on Learning and Education. He asks the BIG question - What Is School For - and explains the difference between education and learning.
Anette and Maria prompt Seth to share his insights on the progress we've made thus far, the change we're creating today and most importantly, where we’re headed. The three of them interrogate the role of teachers and parents and everyone involved in setting up the education systems.
Seth is an entrepreneur, best-selling author, speaker, AND teacher. In addition to launching one of the most popular blogs in the world, he has written 20 best-selling books, including The Dip, Linchpin, Purple Cow, Tribes, What To Do When It's Your Turn (And It's Always Your Turn), and This Is Marketing. His newest book is The Practice, Shipping Creative Work. Seth also founded two companies, Squidoo and Yoyodyne (acquired by Yahoo!).
Tune in to learn from a teacher who never ceases to amaze us with his remarkable insights!
The original conversation was published on Anette on Education.
Listen to this episode and explore:
Introducing Seth Godin and the purpose of today's conversation(0:00)
What is the purpose of education? (2:08)
Looking back at the evolution of learning (3:05)
How Seth envisions the future of education (4:52)
Unpacking learning & education and students & adult learners (6:24)
The TED talk Seth never gave; What if the last kid on earth would enter kindergarten? (9:52)
How can we disrupt the education system? Unpacking the critical role of teachers (10:50)
How can indoctrinated students become lifelong learners? (13:50)
How can we address custodial care issues in K12 education? (15:54)
The role of parents and how community and education systems can support them (18:53)
Seth’s Manifesto on Stop Stealing Dreams: What Is School For? (20:24)
Do we need to blow the education system up? Seth’s suggestion to learn from prison reform (21:18)
How technology is disrupting education but continues to support testing and compliance (23:23)
The role of creativity in the future of education: figuring out what to do next! (25:49)
Seth’s call-to-action for listeners: the BIG question again! (27:10)
Anette’s closing remarks (28:02)
Where to find more about Seth Godin:
Seth’s Website
Seth’s Blog
Seth on LinkedIn
Mentioned in this episode:
Stop Stealing Dreams
Seth’s Books & Courses
Akimbo Workshops
The Podcasting Workshop (former Fellowship)
Anette on Education Podcast
Production team:
Host & Producer: Maria Xenidou
Co-host: Anette Carlisle
Contact us:
impactlearningpodcast(at)gmail.com
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Today, Maria talks with Trevor Soponis, Founder and Chief Learning Officer at The Sustainable Learning Programs, an organization dedicated to transforming education for students, educators and the planet. His doctorate from New York University examined the impacts of innovative environmental education programs while proposing a unique system to better support the design and implementation of sustainable ecological learning in K-12 education.
This episode is for students, teachers, parents, and educators interested in transforming our schools to become places where students learn by working on projects that contribute to solving the biggest issues facing our planet.
Trevor shares how he partners with teachers, schools, and districts to design innovative project-based learning experiences that allow students to make a meaningful impact on people, communities and society. We dive into two Sustainable Projects - Project Ocean Harvest and Project Student Voice - and together, we unpack how through collaboration, connection and contribution, students learn, build skills, solve real-life problems, and create impactful work.
We also talk about how project-based learning experiences enable teachers to become the coaches, facilitators and supporters that we want them to be so they can create the next generation of lifelong learners. We reflect on how parents, during their distance learning experience, are realizing how little we are expecting from their children at school and what boredom really looks like.
Tune in to learn from an innovative leader who wants to change the fundamental learning experience for every learner in the world where each one of them has the authority and autonomy to direct their learning journey.
Listen to this episode and explore:
Introducing Trevor Soponis and sharing highlights from today's episode (1:03)
Reflecting on formative classroom experiences; what he would have preferred to learn in high school (4:00)
Deciding to study English and becoming a teacher in an alternative high school in NYC (6:43)
Discussing the Small Schools Movement and reflecting on transformation in K12 (9:12)
Pursuing his Masters in Education and PhD in Learning and Teaching (11:45)
Exploring the impacts of ecological and environmental education programs during his PhD (15:10)
Deciding to found The Sustainable Learning Programs to put his research findings into practice (16:42)
Reflecting on his career experiences that led him to create The Sustainable Learning Programs (18:55)
The Ocean Harvest Project: re-designing the biology course curriculum and training students on their potential future work in Alaska (20:44)
The origin of the Ocean Harvest Project: co-designing a project for learning and impact on the community (23:28)
Unpacking student’s learning experience and future plans for the Ocean Harvest Project (24:50)
Discussing how Trevor collaborates with teachers in co-designing the project-based learning experience that enables students to enjoy learning and prepare for their future jobs (29:05)
How Trevor creates international networks of schools where student can connect with other learners beyond the walls of their respective classrooms (30:14)
The Student Voice Project: how students create and share content based on their personal preferences (31:52)
The origin of the Student Voice Project: Trevor’s lifelong dream to connect students across time and space academically (34:44)
What students enjoy while contributing to the Student Voice Project (36:38)
How The Sustainable Learning Projects create models that lead to transformational change in K12 education (37:55)
The role that parents can play in their children’s learning, especially after their distance learning experience (39:27)
How The Sustainable Learning Projects are creating pathways to drive lifelong change in K12 education (45:17)
How teachers can start with a 3-week project-based learning unit using free resources (48:12)
What Trevor wants to leave his mark on within his lifetime; the ultimate goal he aspires to achieve for lifelong learners around the world (49:42)
Parents’ awakening during distance learning amid the pandemic (51:37)
Where to find more about Trevor Soponis:
LinkedIn
Twitter
Mentioned in this episode:
The Sustainable Learning Projects
The Small Schools Movement
Small Schools: The Edu-Reform Failure That Wasn't
Production team:
Host & Producer: Maria Xenidou
Introduction Voice: David Bourne
Contact us:
impactlearningpodcast(at)gmail.com
Music credits:
Like Lee performed by The Mini Vandals
Transition sounds: Swamp Walks performed by Jingle Punks
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Today, Maria brings back Julie Delich, Vice President of Retention at Wiley Education Services, which partners with academic institutions and organizations to improve our world through education.
In this episode, they do a deep dive into the online learning advising model Julie, and her team developed using four principles: appreciative advising, proactive advising, cognitive behavioral theory and shame resilience theory. During this engaging conversation, they unpack how advisors guide and support students to complete their online learning program using the 5Cs: Connect, Create, Challenge, Collaborate and Commit.
They also discuss how advisors partner with students to ensure that they have the support, resources, confidence and resilience to overcome challenges during their learning journey. They accomplish that by helping students develop critical thinking, set achievable goals, be accountable to others and keep their promises.
By the end of this conversation, you will know when to use one of the most powerful questions: “what is your ideal outcome?” that works with children, students, and lifelong learners!
This is an insightful conversation with a person who combines a clinical mental health background with engaging storytelling and contagious laughter! If you want to learn more about Julie’s learning journey and work, you can listen to episode 64 that also offers resources and insights to help guide lifelong learners on their higher education journey.
Listen to this episode and explore:
Welcoming Julie Delich back and highlights from today's episode (1:10)
Developing the Online Learning Advising Model (OLAM) to address students who were dropping out despite receiving proactive advising (4:01)
The methodology Julie and her team used to design OLAM (7:12)
How students start receiving online learning advising support; introducing the 5Cs approach (9:21)
Advisors: who they are and how they get trained to serve the students (11:40)
How advisors establish a quick connection with students using follow-up questions (13:50)
How advisors guide students to create their vision of the future, define their ideal outcome and their “why” (17:07)
How advisors challenge students’ misconceptions by guiding them to examine the truth (19:42)
How advisors help students overcome challenges by asking them strength-based questions (23:12)
How advisors and students commit to their next steps and follow-up actions (25:05)
The five planned connection points between advisors and students ( 27:26)
How advisors use a simple engagement question to stay connected and uncover potential challenges (29:20)
How advisors Identify students who need individualized support to overcome challenges (30:22)
How advisors provide resources to students who need help with their mental well-being (33:03)
How advisors help students stay focused on what they have control over when they get overwhelmed (35:05)
The more challenging part for advisors and their core competencies and skills (38:40)
Introducing the shame resilience theory and how advisors use empathy to help students get out of their darkness (42:30)
How students embrace their personal power to seek support and use resources (45:10)
How Wiley Education Services assess students’ progress and retention (46:14)
Julie’s plans to study the effectiveness of OLAM for underserved students and clinical placement experience (49:19)
How advisors update educators and faculty on students’ progress and challenges and how they prompt needed actions (50:35)
Closing remarks on the timely need of the online learning advising model (52:10)
Where to find more about Julie Delich:
On LinkedIn
Leadership Team of Wiley Education Services
Mentioned in this episode:
Wiley Education Services
Episode 64: Julie Delich on Impact Learning
The Online Learning Advising Model (OLAM)
Student Retention
The 5Cs Process: Advising in Times of Uncertainty
The Shame Resilience Theory & Brene Brown’s TED talk
Production team:
Host & Producer: Maria Xenidou
Introduction Voice: David Bourne
Contact us:
impactlearningpodcast(at)gmail.com
Music credits:
Like Lee performed by The Mini Vandals
Transition sounds: Swamp Walks performed by Jingle Punks
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For educators who feel that everything they love about teaching has been thrown away, this conversation offers insights to help navigate the current turmoil in higher education by learning how universities can co-design a more equitable future of digital education to continue to serve teachers, students, staff and the local community.
Our guest today is Michael Gallagher, lecturer in Digital Education at the University of Edinburgh, co-programme director of the MSc in Digital Education and a member of the Centre of Research in Digital Education. Previously, Michael was an Assistant Professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, Korea.
Today he works on digital education projects in sub-Saharan Africa (Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda) and often collaborates with INGOs, including the World Bank’s Open Learning Campus and UN-Habitat. He currently works on Foundations for All, a Mastercard Foundation project exploring blended learning pathways for refugees into higher education in Uganda and Lebanon.
Michael was a researcher on the Near Future Teaching project, a project that explored how teaching at The University of Edinburgh unfolds over the coming decades, as technology, social trends, patterns of mobility, and new media continue to shift what it means to be at the university.
Michael has been awarded The University of Edinburgh Principal's Medal for 2020 for his outstanding contribution to support the university during 2020. In this episode, you will learn how Michael helped his colleagues and students move their courses online by leveraging his experience teaching the online MSc in Digital Education years before the pandemic.
Maria and Michael also unpack the role of mobile learning in creating a more inclusive education, especially for underserved and marginalized communities. They also share their thoughts and experience related to the pedagogy of simultaneity and serendipity in learning as they discover their shared passion for audio and natural sounds.
This is a rare conversation with a researcher and a teacher who wants to positively influence people’s view of what teaching can be, what teachers are and what role they serve in digital education.
Listen to this episode and explore:
Introducing Michael Gallagher and key highlights from today’s episode (1:20)
Michael’s desire to become a teacher and be involved in education (6:32)
Studying education, information science and digital education: an international, on-campus and online learning experience (8:20)
Michael’s current role at the University of Edinburgh in the UK and his thoughts on how digital education is empowering the teacher (12:54)
The Near Future Teaching project at the University of Edinburgh; the project's scope and lessons shared with other institutions (15:40)
Comparing the outcomes of the Near Future Teaching project with the higher education trends in the UK and beyond (19:43)
How higher education institutions can identify their probable new futures and co-create their preferred future using agency, and participation (22:05)
Resources and insights to help teachers navigate the current uncertainty in higher education individually and at their institutions (24:40)
How to anticipate the future of higher education by learning to interrogate the present through the lens of the future (28:05)
The Centre of Research in Digital Education: key areas of focus (30:55)
The importance of internet connectivity and mobile-first approach to enhance access to online learning in developed and emerging countries (33:38)
What Michael learned while supporting sub-Saharan Africa universities to teach online during the pandemic and how he leveraged this experience to help the University of Edinburgh (38:05)
Michael and Maria share their gratitude and appreciation for the impact of education in their lives and careers (40:34)
A discussion about global education and local, community-led education practices (42:20)
The evolution of mobile technology in online learning and the role of mobility in society (47:10)
How mobile learning offers flexibility and enables alternative ways in online learning (52:04)
How Michael experienced the implications of the pandemic through the projects of his MSc students who, as education professionals, were transitioning their courses online (54:10)
What Michael wants his MSc students to learn to be able to shape a more equitable future of digital education (57:10)
How a project exploring automation in teaching helped teachers interrogate what they believed their teaching practices to be and what they could be (59:20)
The pedagogy of simultaneity: learning in a non-linear fashion, allowing subconscious learning to occur over time and the role of serendipity in learning (1:02:30)
Maria and Michael discuss their shared passion for audio content and how recording natural sounds is a form of active learning (1:07:05)
What Michael wants to leave his mark on during his lifetime (1:09:40)
Where to find more about Michael Gallagher:
At the University of Edinburgh
At the Centre of Digital Education
At the Near Future Teaching Project
Michael’s Personal Website
Michael on Twitter
Michael on LinkedIn
Mentioned in this episode:
Near Future Teaching Project
Prof. Sian Bayne at the University of Edinburgh
Near Future Teaching Project Team
Michael’s Research Projects
Michael’s Audio Recordings
Michael’s Video Content
Pedagogy of Simultaneity: multiple references on the work of Michael with Pekka Ihanainen
Production team:
Host & Producer: Maria Xenidou
Introduction Voice: David Bourne
Contact us:
impactlearningpodcast(at)gmail.com
Music credits:
Like Lee performed by The Mini Vandals
Transition sounds: Swamp Walks performed by Jingle Punks
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Today, Maria talks with Jethro Jones, founder of Transformative Principal and author of the book SchoolX. Since he launched his podcast Transformative Principal in 2013, Jethro has been interviewing thought leaders in education and business to learn how to transform schools. After helping other principals, he realized that he could have the impact he always desired if he coached many more principals to transform their own schools.
Jethro wanted all his students to know that he cared for them as individual human beings, independently of their grades and where they came from. He became a principal to create systemic change in schools with one simple goal in mind: to create schools that children love going to.
He wrote the book SchoolX describing exactly how school leaders can do that themselves. SchoolX helps principals redesign their schools (even in the midst of the pandemic) to better serve their teachers, students, parents, community, and themselves.
During our conversation, Jethro shares powerful stories about empowering a 7th-grade student to design her curriculum aligned with her passion and level, guiding unmotivated middle-school boys to discover their interests, using goal-setting to help a student who was getting into fights develop self-control, and many more.
If you are a parent tired of feeling frustrated with your children, Jethro, who decided to homeschool his own children during the pandemic, offers simple recommendations you can use to guide your children to learn how to set goals, make their own decisions, and trust themselves.
This is an inspiring conversation with a patient and empathetic educator who is helping schools create a transformative learning experience for all.
Listen to this episode and explore:
Introducing Jethro Jones and what we talk about in this episode (1:04)
Jethro’s childhood memory learning to do woodworking (4:20)
Experiencing a school system not designed for Jethro as an individual student (5:00)
Becoming a teacher and learning to navigate school while creating a change (6:20)
His passion for helping students get a glimpse of their potential (9:10)
How Jethro empowered a 7th-grade student to design her curriculum aligned with her interest and level (9:50)
How Jethro guided middle-school boys to discover their interests and passions (12:55)
Jethro’s perspectives on the non-linear learning of children during the pandemic (15:35)
How teachers can build trust with students by creating agreements with them and being patient (16:55)
What Jethro’s kids learned being homeschooled during the pandemic: how to make their own decisions, plan their own time, and trust themselves (18:40)
How Jethro learned to adapt by watching what was working with his most challenging students plus an inspiring story about learning poetry (22:22)
Jethro’s decision to become a principal to make changes at a systemic level in the school (26:32)
How his Transformative Principal podcast and experience coaching other principals transform their schools led Jethro to found Transformative Principal (28:06)
Jethro’s book SchoolX: How principals can design a transformative school experience for students, teachers, parents – and themselves (29.35)
Maria’s insights on SchoolX and how Jethro wants principals to use the book to transform their schools (32:55)
The 5 stages of school transformation from traditional teaching to student-driven learning (37:02)
How student-driven learning is fun for both students and teachers (41:10)
Involving parents in every step of the way of transforming the school (43:23)
How schools can design project-based learning to solve specific problems while teaching English, math, science and history (44:28)
The importance of developing empathy for other people in K12 education (48:10)
How Jethro has used goal-setting to help his children develop self-control (49:25)
A glorious story about one of his students who set a goal to get to the end of the school year without getting into a fight and what happened when he did (53:18)
Jethro’s simple recommendations to help principals and teachers build trust with their students (55:54)
How to reach out to Jethro to talk about making your school better (58:01)
What Jethro wants to leave his mark on during his lifetime (58:34)
Where to find more about Jethro Jones:
Connect with Jethro at JethroJones.com
The Podcast: Transformative Principal with Jethro Jones
Jethro on LinkedIn
Mentioned in this episode:
The FREE first chapter of the book ScoolX
What Learning Looks Like (related to learning gaps or learning loss)
Student-Driven Learning
Learning to Choose, Choosing to Learn by Mike Anderson
Production team:
Host & Producer: Maria Xenidou
Introduction Voice: David Bourne
Contact us:
impactlearningpodcast(at)gmail.com
Music credits:
Like Lee performed by The Mini Vandals
Transition sounds: Swamp Walks performed by Jingle Punks
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Today, Maria talks with Yonat Sharon, a freelance iOS developer, writer, and speaker. Her learning journey, and that of her four children, is one of a kind and might change your mind about education as we know it.
Yonat learned to code at home at a very young age after her father bought a computer for her older brother. And for over twenty years, she has been unschooling her four children. When digital communities were not a thing, she built a virtual place for the unschooling community in Israel to connect families across the country and enable them to learn and grow together.
If you are a parent considering unschooling your children, this conversation provides actionable insights to help you get started and ease your way on a learning journey where life is the curriculum. Even if unschooling is not for you, this episode offers specific recommendations on what schools can learn from unschooling to help them develop independent, lifelong learners who own their learning journey and create the life they want.
If you are a parent with your children at home struggling with distance learning, Yonat’s unique experience and perspectives will help you identify opportunities to make your children’s learning enjoyable for them and you.
This was an eye-opening conversation for Maria. Not only did it help her change her mind about a few aspects of conventional education, but it also guided her to think about learning as a beautiful tool to build stronger connections with our families, friends and communities.
I hope you will enjoy this conversation that turns traditional education on its head and provides specific and actionable insights to help you build better relationships with your children while learning at home.
Listen to this episode and explore:
Introduction to Yonat Sharon (1:28)
Yonat’s favorite childhood memory playing in nature (4:25)
How Yonat learned to code at home at a young age when her older brother got a computer (5:26)
Studying science and math and wanting to have a family (8:40)
How Yonat and her husband decided to start unschooling their children (9:33)
The difference between homeschooling and unschooling (11:40)
How Yonat supports her children with their learning interests and how the children find what they want to learn (12:34)
Learning in physical and social places through real-life experiences (15:05)
Yonat’s insights about supporting her four children’s needs on a given day (15:55)
The learning preferences of her children driven by their interests and passions (17:28)
How children can be self-directed learners, but they don’t have to be (19:42)
How to create an effective learning environment at home using short-feedback loops (20:46)
How to improvise when children’s interests change over time (23:25)
Yonat’s approach to unschooling her children through trial and error and the skills she developed along the way (24:00)
One thing that Yonat would do differently if she started unschooling her children today: joining the unschooling community and meeting other parents and children from the start (26:26)
How Yonat created a virtual community for the unschooling families driven by her interest in the wiki and world-wide-web (28:00)
Why the children wanted to have their own wiki and how they learned to read and write while building lifelong friendships (29:26)
Maria and Yonat discuss how children develop independence by parents and teachers getting out of their way (31:05)
What school can learn from unschooling to help them develop lifelong independent learners: student-driven learning and short-feedback loops (33:34)
Yonat’s unique insights on the role of control, neglect, involvement and connection in unschooling and parenting (36:00)
The greatest gift of unschooling: Time. And how time helps children to immerse in deep learning (38:38)
Why children like to learn difficult things as long as they relate to them (41:06)
Maria and Yonat discuss the role of fantasy play and storytelling in learning and planning (43:38)
How Yonat guided her children to learn through play and storytelling to (47:47)
Yonat’s family experience during the pandemic: How knowing how to be with each other made things easier during the stay-at-home restrictions (49:24)
Maria and Yonat discuss the role of community in unschooling and homeschooling and how physical communities have evolved over the years (51:16)
What Yonat wants to leave her mark on during her lifetime. It might surprise you! (56:20)
Where to find more about Yonat Sharon:
LinkedIn
Professional Experience
Learn more about curriculum-based Homeschooling
Production team:
Host & Producer: Maria Xenidou
Introduction Voice: David Bourne
Contact us:
impactlearningpodcast(at)gmail.com
Music credits:
Like Lee performed by The Mini Vandals
Transition sounds: Swamp Walks performed by Jingle Punks
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Today, Maria shines the light on the change in education that often occurs unnoticed through initiatives teachers lead in their classrooms. She shares the stories of three high school teachers who teach different subjects from history to English, physics and chemistry but do have one thing in common: They want to help their students build skills that are rarely developed through the traditional curriculum, or they are developed in ways that students don’t find engaging. Under their respective circumstances and in their own ways, these three teachers decided to lead initiatives and create new experiences for their students. In doing so, they expanded or replaced the standard curriculum in their classrooms. Listen to these inspiring stories and Maria’s reflections to help you make education better, one classroom at a time.
Listen to this episode and explore:
How teachers’ initiatives help high school students build skills rarely developed in the classroom (0:30)
How Matt identified a different approach to motivate students to learn to write by becoming bloggers (2:20)
How Howard taught his students financial skills to help them avoid making the mistakes he did (7:20)
How Dennis started a school newspaper to help his students develop media literacy skills and find their voice. (13:45)
Maria’s closing reflections and call-to-action (20:05)
Where to find more about Matt, Howard and Dennis:
Matt Neil on LinkedIn
Matt Neil on Twitter
Matt’s Podcast: The Good Humans Show
Howard Malitz on LinkedIn
Dennis Mihalsky on Linkedin
Students Disrupting
Mentioned in this episode:
Episode 57 - Creating Good Humans by Teaching Students & Training Teachers with Matt Neil
Episode 63 - Becoming a Teacher: The Long Road to True Belonging with Howard Malitz
Episode 37 - Empowering Students to Find their Voice with Dennis Mihalsky
Production team:
Host & Producer: Maria Xenidou
Introduction Voice: David Bourne
Contact us:
impactlearningpodcast(at)gmail.com
Music credits:
Like Lee performed by The Mini Vandals
Transition sounds: Swamp Walks performed by Jingle Punks
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Today, Maria talks with Sonia Tiwari, a learning scientist and PhD candidate in Learning, Design, and Technology at Penn State University. Through her research, Sonia explores how children learn in informal environments using educational media and maker activities. She uses these insights to inform the design of creative learning environments, be it a classroom, a summer camp or a maker workshop.
Trained in electronic media, design and animation, she worked as a visual, game & user experience designer in the San Francisco Bay Area. Through her experience in educational games, she discovered the beauty of learning science and found her calling in early childhood education research.
If you are a parent, you will learn a plethora of educational media resources to help you design the best learning activities for your children at home.
If you are an industry designer, you will be inspired by Sonia’s journey that will offer you insights on how to explore and design a career path in game-based learning both in formal and informal environments.
And if you are a professor in higher education, Sonia has a request and a call-to-action for you: when you are looking for a grad student, please be open-minded and welcome people with different backgrounds.
This is a wonderful conversation with a visual designer and learning scientist who wants to put a smile on the face of learners by designing resources that are useful, beautiful, playful and funny!
Where to find more about Sonia Tiwari:
LinkedIn
Twitter
Visual Design Portfolio
Mentioned in this episode:
PBS KIDS
Curious George on PBS KIDS
Peg + Cat on PBS KIDS
Resources for Parents on PBS KIDS
iNaturalist by National Geographic
Why Game Designers & Game Researchers Should Meet More Often
Can Color Influence Learning?
Yasmin Kafai
Listen to this episode and explore:
How Sonia embraced her curiosity and creativity in high school (4:10)
Studying electronic media in India and character animation at the Academy of Art in San Francisco (6:32)
Being supported by her family to pursue her creative endeavors to (8:07)
Coming to the US to specialize in animation before working in the game industry (9:26)
Reflecting on the skills, Sonia developed as a visual and game designer (11:45)
How Sonia describes herself in one word (14:00)
Her decision to pursue her PhD in Learning, Design and Technology at Penn State University (14:42)
Sonia’s research in exploring children’s learning experiences using educational media (16:06)
How to assess that their children are learning through media engagement (19:21)
Examples of learning environments that Sonia designed in classroom and summer camp (21:42)
How Sonia incorporates her creative skills into the design of informal learning environments (25:24)
The challenges that academic researchers face while designing educational games (27:07)
How traditional instructional designers can leverage the wealth of creative designers in the industry (30:22)
Insights and resources for parents to help them design a learning environment at home (33:13)
Sonia’s ideas for designers who want to innovate in the future of learning from home (35:04)
How to design engaging maker activities online plus one example from Sonia (36:51)
How to embrace storytelling in the design of learning experiences (39:25)
The role of age and culture in how children engage with educational media (41:48)
How Sonia’s son brings new meaning and contributes to her research (44:37)
Challenges and opportunities in the future of early childhood education; the role of practitioners and researchers (46:08)
The need to create opportunities for industry designers who want to build a career in Education (51:38)
What Sonia wants to leave her mark on within her lifetime (55:31)
Production team:
Host & Producer: Maria Xenidou
Introduction Voice: David Bourne
Contact us:
impactlearningpodcast(at)gmail.com
Music credits:
Like Lee performed by The Mini Vandals
Transition sounds: Swamp Walks performed by Jingle Punks
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In this episode, Maria talks with Aditya Nagrath, cofounder and chancellor of Elephant Learning. Aditya graduated with a dual major in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Denver, Colorado. While working full time as a software developer, he completed his PhD in Mathematics and Computer Science and founded Elephant Head Software.
In 2016, Aditya co-founded Elephant Learning to bring transformational change to America's education system. Elephant Learning is an automated math academy that guarantees children learn one year of math in three months. All it takes is thirty minutes of math a week on the Elephant Learning app. They use algorithms to detect what a child does and does not understand. Children receive activities proven to teach math concepts faster, more efficiently, and with better results.
Parents receive real-time reports on their child’s progress, plus handy advice and coaching to take the concepts their child is learning outside of the app and apply them to real life. Teachers get free access to a dashboard developed by Elephant Learning to monitor their students' progress. They can easily identify the support each of their students needs to continue to advance in their math class. Teachers also have access to learning material to help them become more proficient in their teaching.
Maria and Aditya discuss how students become lifelong learners confident in their math abilities, free from math-related anxiety, and capable of thriving in a STEM-centric future. They also unpack how math proficiency helps students perform better in problem-solving and build a growth mindset to thrive in life and work. This is an insightful conversation with a visionary leader on a mission to change how the world teaches math.
Where to find more about Aditya Nagrath and Elephant Learning:
Aditya Nagrath on LinkedIn
Elephant Learning
Elephant Learning on YouTube
Mentioned in this episode:
NAEP Mathematics Assessment
Math Matters
Montessori Education and Maria Montessori
The 4-Hour Body
Hellen Keller
Listen to this episode and explore:
Learning computer programming and studying computer science and mathematics (4:35)
Co-founding Elephant Learning in 2016 to solve America’s Math problem (6:20)
How Elephant Learning is teaching their students the Math language (8:20)
Placing students at the right level and adapting to their progress (11:20)
The report and feedback parents receive to assess and discuss their children’ progress (14:40)
What feedback children receive and what they love about Elephant Learning (17:00)
How they create results without overwhelming the students (18:50)
The development of the Elephant Learning App and the touch-screen experience (21:05)
The critical role of math in a STEM-centric and technology-empowered future of education and work (22:05)
How Elephant Learning helps students use math as a problem-solving tool (24:00)
The success stories of students with ADHD, dyslexia, autism and other learning impairments (25:50)
How struggling students overcome their math anxiety and become confident learners (27:30)
How teachers use the Elephant Learning dashboard in their classrooms to quickly identify the students who need one-to-one help (29:50)
Offering teachers free training material and resources for each math subject at the right level and the right time (32:20)
The overwhelmingly positive response of teachers at the early stage of Elephant Learning (33:00)
Supporting teachers’ classroom fund and offering tuition scholarships to those in need (34:50)
The implications of the pandemic on Elephant Learning and the Covid gap for so many students (37:15)
Continue to fulfil Elephant Learning’s vision and creating a new video-based algebra curriculum (40:15)
"What would our society look like if we could create politicians and entrepreneurs who could understand math and develop critical mental models and problem-solving skills?" (41:35)
Maria and Aditya share their thoughts on developing a growth mindset, accepting our frustrations and overcoming fear (43:35)
The depth of the research and thought that goes into the design of Elephant Learning (46:40)
How Aditya speaks to parents who are afraid their child is not smart enough to learn math (48:05)
What Aditya wants to leave his mark on within her lifetime (50:40)
Production team:
Host & Producer: Maria Xenidou
Introduction Voice: David Bourne
Contact us:
impactlearningpodcast(at)gmail.com
Music credits:
Like Lee performed by The Mini Vandals
Transition sounds: Swamp Walks performed by Jingle Punks
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Today, Maria talks with Florence Martin, Professor in Learning, Design and Technology at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. Florence serves as the Program Coordinator of Ed.D. in Educational Leadership, Learning, Design and Technology concentration and Program Director of the Post-Master’s Certificate of University and College Teaching.
If you are interested in instructional design, educational technology and online learning facilitation, this episode is for you. You will learn the most effective online teaching strategies derived from various research studies to help you enhance your online presence, design a 21-first century classroom and prepare your students for success.
Florence unpacks the skills and competencies of award-winning online instructors and defines the eight roles you need to perform to thrive as an online educator. She shares good practices and recommendations on how to design online learning environments to improve student engagement.
This is a wonderful conversation with a higher education leader who wants to train professionals to become better designers and instructors through her teaching and research. And in doing so, she continues to impact more students in classrooms around the world.
Where to find more about Florence Martin:
LinkedIn
Faculty Website
Google Scholar
Mentioned in this episode:
Florence’s Publications
M.ED in Learning, Design and Technology
Ed.D. in Educational Leadership
Post-Master’s in University and College Teaching
A systematic review of research on online teaching and learning from 2009 to 2018
Bichronous Online Learning: Blending Asynchronous and Synchronous Online Learning
Listen to this episode and explore:
Florence’s fond memories going to school in South India (4:20)
Her love for math and her bachelors in Electrical Engineering (6:20)
Working as a network engineer before going to the US to continue her higher education (7:15)
Her decision to study Educational Technology for her Masters and PhD (8:30)
Experiencing student-centered and technology-based Education in grad school (10:00)
Her experience in corporate and the decision to become an academic (11:10)
Becoming a Professor in Design, Technology and Learning (13.30)
Designing the post-Master's Certificate for College & University Teaching (15:20)
Training professionals for leadership roles in K12, higher Ed and centers of teaching and learning (18:45)
Florence’s experience and insights into the evolution of Instructional Design (19:35)
The design of blended (in-person and online) synchronous learning (21:35)
Florence’s transition and experience in asynchronous online learning (22:50)
Best strategies for student engagement in various learning modalities (26:00)
How to transition successfully from in-person to online learning (29:30)
The elements of effective learning: design, facilitation, evaluation and assessment (33:00)
Award-winning online strategies derived from studies on design, engagement, facilitation, presence, communication, time management, evaluation and assessment (34:40)
Best practices to create social presence and connection (39:05)
Skills, competencies and roles of award-winning instructors (42:05)
How to prepare students for the 21st century (43:50)
Insights and suggestions on the future of online learning (45:05)
Florence’s reflections on teaching online during the pandemic (48:05)
What Florence wants to leave her mark on within her lifetime (49:40)
Production team:
Host & Producer: Maria Xenidou
Introduction Voice: David Bourne
Contact us:
impactlearningpodcast(at)gmail.com
Music credits:
Like Lee performed by The Mini Vandals
Transition sounds: Swamp Walks performed by Jingle Punks
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When Maria strained her lower back in September of 2020, she developed a plan to rest, recover and get back with her life. Only, this time, things were different. Today, she talks about her decision to pause the podcast and what she learned from this experience. She also shares an update on how she is doing today and the plan forward. Tune in to learn how to use our mental strength to press pause so we can get back in the saddle when the time is right!
Production team:
Host & Producer: Maria Xenidou
Introduction Voice: David Bourne
Contact us:
impactlearningpodcast(at)gmail.com
Music credits:
Like Lee performed by The Mini Vandals
Transition sounds: Swamp Walks performed by Jingle Punks
-
Production team:
Host & Producer: Maria Xenidou
Introduction Voice: David Bourne
Contact us:
impactlearningpodcast(at)gmail.com
Music credits:
Like Lee performed by The Mini Vandals
Transition sounds: Swamp Walks performed by Jingle Punks
Where to find more about Christine Oliver:
LinkedIn
Twitter
Mentioned in this episode:
Classroom, Inc
Read to Lead Games
Lewis W. Bernard
The Urban Assembly
Listen to this episode and explore:
Christina’s childhood: playing hide & seek and experiencing the joy of learning (4:50)
How her parents inspired Christina’s interest in education and reading (7:00)
Her love for history and humanity and her preference for hands-on learning in biology (8:00)
The person who inspired Christina to become a teacher (9:05)
What Christina learned about herself in her first job at a rifle club at the age of 13 (10:00)
Why Christina delayed her teaching career and got involved in politics at the NY State Assembly (12:00)
The role of representation in politics and how power can often lead to corruption (14:00)
How working at the NY State Governor’s office and visiting NYC led Christina to become a teacher in the Bronx (15:12)
Why teaching is the hardest job on the planet and why Christina loved it (16:45)
How life took Christina out of teaching when family illness sent her back to NY state (17:40)
How Christina started working on the intersection of politics and education in Washington, DC (18:25)
Why Christina decided to pursue her Masters in Education at Columbia SIPA in NYC (19:15)
How Christina’s interest in education reform led her to join the Urban Assembly (20:00)
Her decision to join Classroom, Inc and her current role as Executive Director (22:45)
The vision and mission of Classroom, Inc and their Read to Lead learning games platform (24:25)
How game-based learning helps bridge the skills gap between middle school and career (24:58)
How middle schoolers get exposure to over 30 different careers while building literacy skills (27:52)
What the Read to Lead games reminded Maria of during her former corporate career (31:04)
How the Read to Lead games, curriculum and resources develop and empower teachers to become more effective educators (32:45)
How adaptive learning is built in the Read to Lead games design to help struggling readers (35:70)
The three main Read to Lead learning games (39:65)
How the students build skills and confidence to be the boss at work (41:75)
The mission of Read to Lead: serving communities that lack resources and access to education (45:00)
How educators can access the free Read to Lead games, curriculum and resources (47:70)
What teachers love about Read to Lead: its unique value and impact on society (49:98)
What Christina wants to leave her mark on during her lifetime and Maria’s reflection (54:64)
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