Reinventing Education

EP71 Introducing Brendan & Rob (your hosts) with Malcolm Giles

Brendan and Rob share ideas, models & critiques freely. 

But they've been stingy about their personal details.

Malcolm Giles returns to flip the tables & ask us questions about why we're doing what we're doing and where things might be going.

Malcolm was our guest in our 65th episode. All 3 of us wanted to keep our conversation going, so here he leads the discussion with Brendan and Rob.

 

EP70: Michael Tomaino - How To Be A Superhero

What are your superpowers?

Michael helps students define theirs. 

We focus on the importance of letting students know they are valued, gratitude in the classroom and helping students tell an empowering story about themselves. 

Brendan and I then reflect on some of Michael's key points and do our best to see what a superhero might mean to traditional, mainstream and progressive teachers. 

You can check out Michael's book here:
https://www.amazon.com/How-Be-Superhero-SECRET-Official/dp/1674020309

& his work here:
http://www.superherohill.com

 

 

EP69: Reflecting On Our Interview With Dr. David Labaree

How did schools get to where they are? Who are the stakeholders in our education system and how are their needs met? What has been the impact of schools shifting their attention from nation-building to cultivating value? What are the impacts of gamifying education? 
Our conversation with Dr. David Labaree from episode 68 brought up so many important questions that we unpack some of what he brought to the table here.    

EP 68 : Dr. David Labaree : How We Got Here - Education's Changing Purpose

Today we chat with Dr. David Labaree, a sociologically oriented historian at the  Stanford Graduate School of Education on some of the major processes and patterns that define the relationship between education and society.

David's books include, “Someone Has to Fail" & "How to Succeed in School Without Really Learning.”

We are joined by fellow educator Dwayne Primeau to discuss how the purposes of school have evolved from building citizens to producing human capital. Along the way, we dig into hopes for the future and ways to bring political decisions about education back to the community.

Enjoy! And please get in touch with us at reinventingeducationpodcast@gmail.com if you want to be part of the conversation.

 

EP 67 :Starting the Day & Uniforms in Mainstream Schools

Buses, taxis and walking trains! A deep dive today into how the mainstream values of opportunity play out at the start of the school day. 

Following this, we tackle that most controversial of issues.. what shall we wear? The mainstream opportunity centred school is torn between the freedom of fashion and the efficiency of uniforms. Join us!

Get in touch with us at reinventingeducationpodcast@gmail.com

EP 66 : Before and Afterschool Care and The Morning Journey in Mainstream Schools

Today we dig deep into the minutiae of the mainstream school to see just how deeply those values of opportunity, independence and efficiency run.

How does the mainstream school system support parents that work beyond the school day? Should childcare in these cases be the responsibility of schools and local government to support and subsidise or should friends, family and the local community take care of it?

Get in touch with us as reinventingeducationpodcast@gmail.com and let's continue to discussion!

EP 65 Malcolm Giles Integral Teacher Training

Malcolm Giles works with those training to become teachers. As a professor, he provides them with an integral & holistic approach to better understand the nature of the profession they are entering. We explore his best practices, engaging exercises, and frames for thinking. 

Ep 64 Efficient and Effective Staff Meetings In Mainstream Schools

Without staff meetings a mainstream school cannot:

-debate the merits of ideas & proposals together

-collaborate in teams to reach school goals

-share roles to ensure effective & efficient use of time

In this episode, we dive deep into the culture, protocols and activities found in mainstream staff meetings and tease apart the pros and cons of this approach. 

EP 63: Planning & Collaborating on Effective & Efficient Lessons, Units & Activities In The Mainstream School

How do we help students effectively and efficiently demonstrate their learning at school? How do I as a teacher engineer the best possible unit to maximize the use of our time together to achieve our curricular goals?

These could be questions at the core of the hearts and minds of teachers in mainstream schools. Today we dig deep into the indicators you'd see when planning that help you identify that you are likely teaching in a mainstream school.  

Ep 62 : Professional Development & Teacher Evaluation in Mainstream Schools

Mainstream schools support teacher growth through continuous training or "professional development". Today we look at how this professional development, with its transparent and achievable goals, lines up with the core mainstream value of "opportunity".

Also...

We all agree that we want “good teachers”, but it's tough to reach a consensus about just what constitutes a good teacher ,and even tougher to measure it. Teacher Evaluation can come in many forms and when done effectively can contribute to individual growth and a supportive school culture. In the second half of the show, we look at how mainstream schools go about this evaluation and the "babies and bathwaters" of the mainstream opportunity value approach.

In the show we reference the following articles :
5 Ways To Make Teacher Professional Development Effective by Maria Kampen (Prodigy) and Teacher Evaluation: An Issue Overview by Stephen Sawchuk (Education Week)