Philosophy of Education

In education, how should we conceive of the parent as a customer? This week, join us for a discussion with Deb Ross, founder of KidsOutAndAbout.com, as we dig into questions of parenting, choice, and what parents really want from schools. Debra E. Ross is the founder, publisher, and CEO of Kids Out And About, LLC, a media and marketing company whose purpose is to celebrate what local communities offer their residents and visitors, on two main platforms: KidsOutAndAbout.com and BeyondTheNest.com. KidsOutAndAbout.com, originally launched in the Rochester area in 2001, focuses on activities for kids, teens, and families. BeyondTheNest.com, launched in 2016, connects local adult audiences with their community's arts, culture, and recreation options. The sites provide comprehensive calendar and resource lists for 45 local regions across the U.S. and Canada, attracting 15 million unique visitors per year.

Mentoring is the oldest model of education, but it is uncommon today. Why is so effective? Why is it now rare? Why does it still matter? Join us for a discussion with Audrey Wisch of Curious Cardinals. Audrey Wisch is the Co-Founder and CEO of Curious Cardinals, an ed-tech company that empowers K-12 students to explore and pursue their passions with the guidance of a network of college mentors. Audrey has shared her grand vision on Forbes and CNN, and was recognized this year in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Education and Youngest category. You can find Audrey on Twitter, @AudreyWisch, and learn more about Curious Cardinals on their website, https://www.curiouscardinals.com/.

Join us for a chat with Lenore Skenazy, of Free Range Kids and Let Grow, about raising independent children—why it's so important, why it's so hard for parents and educators to get right, and how to do it. Lenore Skenazy is president of Let Grow, a non-profit promoting childhood independence and resilience, and founder of the Free-Range Kids movement. She is also a speaker, blogger, syndicated columnist, author, and reality show host. You can find Lenore on Twitter, @FreeRangeKids, and learn more about her work on her website, https://www.freerangekids.com/.

Join us for a conversation with Jeremy Tate, creator of the Classic Learning Test. Motivated by a desire to reconnect knowledge and virtue, the CLT is an alternative to the traditional American SAT and ACT college entrance exams. Listen to hear more about the origins of standardized college exams in the U.S., the pedagogy behind the CLT, and where virtue fits in. Jeremy Tate is the founder and CEO of the Classic Learning Test. Jeremy is also the host of the Anchored Podcast, CLT's global podcast that features discussions at the intersection of education and culture. You can find Jeremy on Twitter @JeremyTate41. You can learn more about the Classic Learning Test at https://www.cltexam.com/.

What pedagogy plays well with virtual and tech-enabled education? Discovery-based? Project-based? Both? Neither? Join us for a lively discussion with Garrett Smiley of Sora Schools, and Jeffrey Imrich of Rock by Rock. Garrett Smiley is the Co-Founder and CEO of Sora Schools, an online, accredited middle and high school that aims to help students achieve their full potential through project-based learning and real-world experience. You can find Garrett on Twitter (@gw_smiles), learn more about Sora Schools and their mission on their website (https://soraschools.com/), and find them on Twitter (@soraschools). Jeffrey Imrich is the co-founder of Rock by Rock, an education start-up that leverages a blended-learning platform to bring project-based learning to K-5 everywhere. You can learn more about Rock by Rock on their website (https://rockbyrock.com/).

One big idea in secondary and post-secondary education: collapse everything together. Join us this week for a discussion with Ivan Cestero of Portal Schools, on making high school a comprehensive bridge to adulthood. Ivan is a lifetime educator and innovator with experience teaching and leading workshops in the US, Europe and South America. He's passionate about building new school models and learning experiences focused on agency, creativity and real world learning. Ivan's current project is launching Portal Schools, a new competency-based micro-school network focused that embeds with corporate and industry partners in Los Angeles. Learn more about Portal Schools at https://www.portalschools.org/ and find Ivan on Twitter, @zoltero.

This week, we are joined by software and fin-tech investor Rohit Krishnan for a sweeping discussion of big patterns around progress and innovation, and how these present both opportunities and challenges for educators today. Rohit is a venture capitalist and the writer of Strange Loop Canon, trying to understand the complex world through essays on innovation and progress, technology, business, science, fallibilism, probabilism and , self-proclaimedly, generally caressing the elephant's trunk and tail and hoping to understand its full majesty. You can find Rohit on Twitter (@krishnanrohit) and read his essays on his blog, Strange Loop Canon (https://www.strangeloopcanon.com/).

Should educators care about blockchain? What does web3 actually help solve for in education? How does it relate to other trends in education? This week, we are joined by Vriti Saraf to talk through these questions and more as we envision the future of education and the web. Vriti is the founder of k20 Educators, the next generation of social learning for educators. Vriti has served as a teacher, dean, & director in public, private, & charter schools both locally & internationally across k12 & higher education. Vriti is also the cofounder of Ed3DAO, the first DAO for educators. You can find Vriti on Twitter, @VritiSaraf.

This week, we are joined by Professor Martin Bickman of the University of Colorado Boulder to discuss the American tradition of "active learning" and its relationship to John Dewey and the Transcendentalist movement. Professor Bickman specializes in American literature, composition, rhetoric, and pedagogy. Bickman has described his interest in student-centered education and participatory democracy in education in a recent autobiographical article, “Returning to Community and Praxis”. Bickman is also the author of the award-winning book, Minding American Education.

Join us for a conversation with Kirk and Josh Umbehr of a.school, a microschool management platform. We discuss a.school's unique model—and also why structural innovation is on the critical path for education reform. You can learn more about a.school on their website, a.school. Josh is a husband of 19 years, father of 3, and a Kansas native. He got his BS at KSU in human nutrition and his medical degree from the KU school of medicine. He's a leader in the innovative direct primary care movement. Kirk is graduated from Kansas State University in Hospitality Management. While at K-State, he met his wife Amanda and is a father of two daughters that are currently part of a homeschool co-op. Kirk works on the business and consulting side for direct primary care doctors and teachers looking to open their own microschool.

Join us for a discussion with Rebecca Girn, Chief Programs Officer of Higher Ground Education, about the process Montessori called “normalization”: centering one's developing self with concentration and work. Rebecca Girn is an attorney with an undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago and a law degree from UCLA, with dual specializations in business law and philosophy of law. She also holds an AMI Montessori teaching diploma from the Montessori Institute of San Diego, specializing in 0 to 3-year-olds. In 2016, Rebecca became a founding member of Higher Ground, providing oversight and guidance for the organization with regards to the law, human resources, marketing, and infant and toddler pedagogy. She currently serves as the company's Chief Programs Officer. Higher Ground Education is dedicated to mainstreaming and modernizing Montessori education, and is the parent company of the Academy of Thought and Industry, Guidepost Montessori, Montessorium, and The Prepared Montessorian.

Homeschooling is on the rise. And it's not just disaffection from the status quo; it's an enabler of better pedagogy. This week, we were joined by Ryan Delk, CEO and Co-Founder of Primer, an exciting ed-tech company that connects students through interest-based clubs and microschools. Learn more about Primer on their website, https://primer.com/.

Telisha Thomas and Sam Sharp of Higher Ground Education join Matt Bateman to discuss the exciting work they're doing to bring Montessori education to military families in the United States. Telisha is Higher Ground's Department of Defense Liason. She is a senior military spouse who has spent 25 years advising and advocating on behalf of military spouses and military-connected students. Sam is a trained Montessori guide who has worked in the Montessori world for over 25 years as a guide, trainer, mentor, parent, HOS, Regional Director, and most recently as the Director of School Launch for Higher Ground Education. She is currently doing lots of exciting work launching new projects to expand the reach of Montessori.

David Doswell and Arnaud Schenk join us for a discussion of the potentials and pitfalls for educators thinking about the blockchain-enabled internet. Arnaud is Higher Ground Education's VP of Technology. Prior to Higher Ground, Arnaud was a co-founder of Aztec, a privacy-focused layer 2 for Ethereum. David is a founding member and engineer at First School, a Web3 education platform for Generation Alpha. He is also the author of the sci-fi book Meredith: The Future of Silicon Valley.

Education has experienced two decades worth of change in the last two years. Joseph Connor joins us to help bring order to the chaos, to glimpse the present clearly enough to see the future. Joseph is a founder, attorney, and teacher. He is the current CEO of Agora, a new startup with the goal of helping families finance their K-12 education, and the co-founder of micro-school company SchoolHouse. You can find Joseph on Twitter (@josephconnor) and on Agora's website, http://withagora.io/.

In this special episode, Cristina De Stefano joins us to discuss her new biography of Dr. Maria Montessori, The Child is the Teacher. Listen to hear about what drew Cristina to investigate the life of this fascinating, accomplished, and complicated woman. Cristina De Stefano is an accomplished journalist and writer. She lives and works in Paris as a literary scout for many publishing houses around the world. Her books Belinda e il mostro: Vita segreta di Cristina Campo (2002) and Americane avventurose (2007) have been translated into French, German, Spanish, and Polish. Her biography Oriana Fallaci: The Journalist, the Agitator, the Legend was published by Other Press in 2017. Her most recent work, The Child Is the Teacher: A Life of Maria Montessori, was published by Penguin Random House on March 8, 2022.

Join us for a conversation with Pano Kanelos, founder of the new University of Austin, about his philosophy of higher education. What is the job of the university? How do most universities go wrong? How will UATX fix it? Dr. Pano Kanelos is the Founding President of the University of Austin. Before embarking on this exciting project, Dr. Kanelos served as the 24th President of St. John's College, Annapolis. After earning degrees from Northwestern University (B.A.), Boston University (M.A.), and the University of Chicago (Ph.D.), Dr. Kalenos taught at Stanford University, the University of San Diego, and Loyola University Chicago. You can learn more about the University of Austin here: https://www.uaustin.org/

Kmele Foster and Dr. Gregory Salmieri join Matt Bateman for a critical discussion of public school. Is it compatible with free speech? With parental custodianship? Do we need it for cultural unity? How should we evaluate school choice proposals? Kmele is the co-founder of Freethink Media (https://www.freethink.com/), and co-host of The Fifth Column, a libertarian podcast that covers political and social issues. (https://wethefifth.com/). You can find Kmele on Twitter, @kmele. Dr. Salmieri is a senior scholar of philosophy in the Salem Center at the University of Texas, Austin. He holds the Brigham Fellowship for the Study of Objectivism and is director of the Center's Program for Objectivity in Thought, Action, and Enterprise. Dr. Salmieri is the co-editor of "A Companion to Ayn Rand" and "Foundations of a Free Society".

Art historian and educator Luc Travers joins us this week to talk about his book, Touching the Art, a tour of five incredible artworks meant to show you ways to experience meaningful and emotionally powerful encounters with the visual arts. Luc Travers is the author of Touching The Art and the forthcoming book Stories in Paint: 50 Moving Artworks from American Museums (Spring '22). He leads art museum tours around the world and teaches literature to all ages. Learn more about his work at TouchingTheArt.com and LiteratureAtOurHouse.com.

This week, we have the pleasure of speaking with Sarah Miller, Program Manager at Edpuzzle about video content in education. What makes video such a unique and special tool? How do we fully leverage this amazing resource? What can we do with video that we can't do with anything else? Edpuzzle is an innovative teaching tool centered around interactive video content. You can learn more about Edpuzzle on their website, https://edpuzzle.com/. You can find Sarah on Twitter (@0sarahmiller) and LinkedIn.

This week, Byran Caplan, author of The Case Against Education and Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids, joins us to discuss the causes of bloat in education, and why we might be better off with less of it. You can find Bryan on Twitter (@bryan_caplan) or check out his website at http://www.bcaplan.com/.

What will education look like in a century? Piecemeal and unbundled, or integrated? Eaten by tech—and how, if so? Where is pedagogy headed? EC? K12? College? This week, we are joined by Yusuf Ahmad, researcher, developer, and member of the Lifelong Kindergarten group, to discuss the future of education. You can learn more about Yusuf's wide-ranging and innovative work at https://www.yusufsa.com/, or check out his blog, Samba, at https://samba.substack.com/.

This week, we are joined by Bobby McDonald, founder of Parlay Ideas, to talk about what makes classroom discussions difficult and how to overcome these challenges. Parlay Ideas is an instructional technology platform aimed at helping teachers facilitate, measure, and assess student-driven discussions. Learn more at https://parlayideas.com/.

Dr. Jason Rheins, historian and philosopher, joins us to discuss ancient Greek education during the Socratic Era. Listen to learn about the ancient Greek approach to mathematics, moral edification's role in ancient education, and more. Dr. Rheins is a Montessorium Senior Research Fellow; you can find more of his work on our website, https://montessorium.com/initiatives/history-of-education.

Louise Livingston (@LouLiv1), an AMI Montessori Trainer at the Maria Montessori Institute joins Ray Girn (@raygirn) and Matt Bateman (@mbateman) for a discussion about the distinct virtues and mindsets required to become a Montessori educator.

Staci Hill and Dr. Laura Mazer join Matt Bateman to discuss the value of adolescents "doing something real" during their middle and high school years. Staci Hill is the head of academics at Polygence, an online academy that supports students with independent research and passion projects alongside expert mentors. Dr. Laura Mazer is the Vice President of Academic Programs at Higher Ground Education, which operates schools for students from birth through adolescence, provides training to educators, and more.

In this special episode, Montessorium's pedagogy and identity team shares their radical approach to DEI, one that centers around respect for individual agency and emphasizes direct, individualized interventions grounded in deep personal relationships. This panel is led by Matt Bateman, Executive Director of Montessorium. He is joined by Ray Girn (CEO of Higher Ground Education), Kmele Foster (Partner at Freethink Media), Chloe Valdary (Founder of the Theory of Enchantment) and Dr. Gregory Salmieri (Philosopher at the Salem Center at UT Austin).

Montessorium Senior Research Fellow Kerry Ellard joins Matt Bateman to discuss education in the 19th century. Kerry Ellard writes pieces for the Montessorium History of Education Initiative, focusing on education in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Kerry regularly publishes on her blog, (https://ke.substack.com/), and you can find her on Twitter, @kerry62189.

Ray Girn (@raygirn), CEO of Higher Ground Education, and Joel Mendes, Executive Director of The Prepared Montessorian Institute join Dr. Matt Bateman for a Q&A about Higher Ground Education. Higher Ground Education is dedicated to mainstreaming and modernizing Montessori education, and is the parent company of the Academy of Thought and Industry, Guidepost Montessori, Higher Ground International, Montessorium, and The Prepared Montessorian.

Dr. Andrew D. Wilson (@PsychScientists) and Dr. Laura Flores Shaw (@lflorshaw) join Dr. Matt Bateman to discuss ecological psychology as a framework for education.

Dr. Matt Bateman discusses lifelong learning and communities of curiosity with Interintellect founder Anna Gát (@TheAnnaGat on Twitter). You can learn more about Interintellect at https://interintellect.com/.

Film director Fawaz Al-Matrouk joins us this week to discuss his recent work with Higher Ground in art education for middle and high school students—which includes film, acting, sculpture, drawing, and more. You can reach Fawaz on Twitter (@FawazAM), and you can check out his website at https://www.directedbyfawaz.com/.

Dr. Matt Bateman interviews Jason Crawford (@jasoncrawford), founder of the non-profit organization The Roots of Progress (@rootsofprogress), about industrial literacy and the pedagogy of progress.

Get an insider's look into an internal Higher Ground Education pedagogy meeting about surfacing major issues and questions in high school math, recorded for your listening! Our speakers are Dr. Matt Bateman, Violeta Kristof, Rivkah Schack, Laura Mazer, Joseph Perlman, and Steven Gaudino.

Dr. Matt Bateman interviews educator and pedagogue Lindsay Journo about the unique and enduring value of literature in education. Lindsay is a founding member of Higher Ground Education and is currently The Prepared Montessorian Institute's Director of Training & Executive Program Developer.