Independent Curriculum: The Podcast

Host Peter Gow speaks about PLACE-BASED LEARNING with John Lewis and Emily Beck of The Gunston School in Maryland—how thoughtful and immersive place-based learning can help students build deep understanding and meaningful engagement with their studies, their communities, and their world.

Host Peter Gow interviews Jonathan Haber, author of the forthcoming book CRITICAL THINKING, from MIT Press. What exactly is critical thinking, and how can educators do more to help students develop and apply this essential skill/disposition across domains and disciplines? Jonathan Haber has answers!

Host Peter Gow interviews Dr. Greg Martin, author of the Triple Threat Blog and principal at TeachCoachLive.com, about how independent schools ought might think more strategically about the VERY important work of hiring faculty. It's not just about filling positions—it's about fulfilling your mission!

In this episode One Schoolhouse head Brad Rathgeber gets long-time educator (and official podcast host) Peter Gow to tell the story of a complex and comprehensive "curriculum review" as experienced at the independent school where Peter was one of the leaders of the process. The conversation explores assumptions, false starts, surprises, and lessons learned, and Peter summarizes some "mindsets" that might help any school embarking on such a process.

Educational deep thinker Jonathan Martin and host Peter Gow discuss Jonathan's new book, REINVENTING CREDITING FOR COMPETENCY-BASED EDUCATION: THE MASTERY TRANSCRIPT CONSORTIUM MODEL AND BEYOND (Routledge, 2019). Discussion ranges far beyond the Mastery Transcript to the lessons to be learned from other current and planned competency-based crediting schemes and what schools need to think about in order to "get it right."

When great ideas and great ambitions fired a group of teachers, it seemed that starting their own school was the only option. Learn how dreams became reality through a thicket of bureaucratic and operational obstacles—and how The Stone Independent School came into being.

Veteran college admission counselor and thought leader Scott White of Columbia High School (NJ) chats with ICG executive director Peter Gow about college admission, student stress, equity, and how perceptions of college demands can distort secondary schools' development and implementation of mission-aligned curriculum. White offers advice and resources for on how not to be constantly "praying to the admissions god."

Featured guest Jewel Reuter, Associate Head of School for Institutional Research, Academic Innovations, and Strategic Relations at Episcopal School of Baton Rouge (LA), chats with host Peter Gow about how the school prepared and then learned from its experiences when the city and much of their campus flooded in the fall of 2016. Drawing on her own experiences in New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina, Reuter offers anecdotes, best practices, and above all guidance for sustaining and developing a whole-child educational program and maintaining a strong school culture under even the most challenging of circumstances. A summary of the episode and links to resources and ideas referenced can be found at http://independentcurriculum.org/episcopal-baton-rouge-podcast-2017/

Featured guest Elizabeth Clayton, Assistant Head of School and a science teacher at Charles River School (MA), chats with host Peter Gow about the PreK–8 school’s work to sustain and develop the kinds of Progressive, constructivist practice that have been a hallmark of its program since 1911. A summary of the episode and links to resources and ideas referenced can be found at http://independentcurriculum.org/podcast-charles-river-school/ .

Featured guest Larry Kahn, Chief Technology Officer at Trinity Valley School (TX), chats with host Peter Gow about ongoing work to engage students more deeply in their own learning experiences and about his own observations as a thought and practice leader in the independent school community. A summary of the episode and links to resources and ideas referenced can be found at http://independentcurriculum.org/partner-podcast-trinity-valley/

Featured guest Kimberley Berndt, science teacher at St. Mark's School (MA), chats with host Peter Gow about how developing her reflective practice within a school engaged in strategic transformation of its culture of teaching and learning. A summary of the episode and links to resources and ideas referenced can be found at http://independentcurriculum.org/stmarksmapartnerpodcast/

Featured guest Vince Watchorn, Head of School at Providence Country Day School (RI), chats with host Peter Gow about how a set of named features creates a culture of engaged learning and living at the school. A summary of the episode and links to resources and ideas referenced can be found at http://independentcurriculum.org/partner-podcast-providence-country-day-school/

Featured guest Mariandl Hufford, director of the Center for the Advancement of Girls at The Agnes Irwin School (PA), chats with host Peter Gow about her work, about advancing girls through research-driven programming, and about advancing all students. A summary of the episode and links to resources and ideas referenced can be found at http://independentcurriculum.org/partner-podcast-agnes-irwin/

A conversation with arvind grover of Grace Church School (NY) on what the "Anti-Racist School" would look like--and some challenges to educators and the Independent Curriculum Group. (58:42)

Part 2 of our two-part conversation with Tim Fish, Chief Innovation Officer at the National Association of Independent Schools, on how this new position will be supporting schools in their efforts to learn and evolve. (34:30)

Part 1 of our two-part conversation with Tim Fish, Chief Innovation Officer at the National Association of Independent Schools, on how this new position will be supporting schools in their efforts to learn and evolve. (39:56)

The second half of our two-part conversation with John Gulla, executive director of the E. E. Ford Foundation and a leading voice on behalf of educational innovation and improvement.(49:31)

The first half of our conversation with John Gulla, executive director of the E. E. Ford Foundation and a leading voice on behalf of educational innovation and improvement. (41:12)