The Education Vangaurd

When you have something working well for your organization, you might decide to keep it to yourself as a competitive advantage or you might take the longer view and share your methodologies with others.Wildwood school, an independent school based in Los Angeles, took the longer view. They created the Wildwood Outreach Center where they bring their ideas and support to schools around the world.  I speak with Steve Barett, the director of the Wildwood Outreach Center about their programs and some of the specific focus they have on Systems Thinking, contextual and social emotional learning.Connecthttp://wildwood.org/outreachBioSteve is the Director of the Wildwood Outreach Center, a professional development center housed at Wildwood School in Los Angeles and has 30 years' experience as a teacher and administrator in public and private schools in California and Illinois. As a facilitator, Steve's guided the professional learning of educators throughout the US and internationally.

Like me, you may not be familiar with oracy, the ability to express yourself fluently and with proper grammar. But as educators, you are likely familiar with the concept and supportive of the idea.I talk today with Daniel Thomas, the head of School 21, a private school in London. We jump into the power of oracy and its impact on learning. Specifically, for students from financially challenged backgrounds.ConnectTwitterBioDaniel Thomas is the head of oracy 4 - 18 and a senior leader at School 21. Having arrived at the school in 2016 he has helped to drive forward the development of oracy practice within the school ensuring it maintains its status as a world leading establishment. He also works closely with Voice 21, the school's outward facing sister charity, to support their mission to develop a national network of practitioners and leaders who will go on to impact systemic change.

When you wake up in the morning and read in the newspaper that your international school will be closed, it can be a bit shocking. Dr. David Lovelin, the High School Principal at Hong Kong International School, had that experience along with the added concern of how do we plan a program in a virtual school environment?Our discussion ranges from day one to nine weeks later and what emerges as the important things to focus on during these trying and “interesting” times.ConnectTwitterBioDr. David Lovelin has been an administrator for the past 15 years in several different roles and is currently the High School Principal for Hong Kong International School. Previously, Dr. Lovelin worked at Korea International School and in the US in varied leadership roles and with a continued commitment for developing innovative education programs, promoting a positive culture, building relationships, and grounded in supporting all learners.

Hey, let's talk about data! Hearing those words might make some of us run for the hills and hide, while others might be excited for that discussion.Thankfully we now have other ways to talk about and deal with data. Thanks to people like Aaron Reedy, my guest today, the discussion of data is moving toward a visual presentation that lets all of us participate.Aaron Reedy is the founder of Dataclassroom: “A web app that allows teachers of grades 6-12 to grow data intuition in students.” We go all in on data visualization and how regular teachers can use it in their classrooms.ConnectWebsiteTwitterBioAaron taught high school biology for seven years in  Chicago Public Schools. He left the classroom to do a PhD in Evolutionary Biology and is currently a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow in Biology studying aging in wild lizard populations.Aaron co-founded DataClassroom to improve the teaching of quantitative skills in math and science classes around the country.

“Stories connect us in a way facts cannot.”  These words from Deb Abela, my guest today, stuck with me during our conversation. For Deb, the author of 26 books and counting, stories are the lifeblood of her work.But storytelling is not the only thing driving Deb today. Much of her work involves sharing the craft and excitement of writing with young people around the world. Deb is an enthusiastic ambassador for writing and engages students with her excitement and passion.Connectwww.deborahabela.com/Facebook: Deborah Abela Author http://www.facebook.com/deborah.abela.9Twitter: @DeborahAbela https://twitter.com/DeborahAbelaLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborahabela/Instagram: deborah_abela_ https://www.instagram.com/deborah_abela_/Teachers' Resources: https://www.deborahabela.com/teacher-notesVideos and trailers: https://www.deborahabela.com/videosBioDeborah trained as a teacher before becoming writer/producer of a national children's TV show. Since then, she has become an internationally published and awarded author of 27 books about spies, soccer legends, WW2, pesky wolves, spelling bees and kids living in a climate-changed world. Her latest is Final Storm. 

Hands on learning is seeing a resurgence in recently. After lying dormant for many years, we see its return in the form of the Maker Movement and, as we will discuss today, robotics. While I can't explain the exact reason for the return to this type of education, I do have my suspicions. Today's work is really an early manifestation of mechanical and electrical engineering at work. Oh, and you can toss in some computer science as well thanks to the programming elements.Ringo Dingrando is a believer in the return of the hands on movement and he built International School Manila's High School Robotics program. Starting with a club, Ringo built the program into a High School set of courses while promoting the coolness of being a robotics student along the way.Connect with Ringo @ringodin (Twitter)BioRingo was predominantly a physics teacher until he started a robotics club at ISManila. He is enamored with robotics, making, and creativity as essential tools for education at all age levels.

I remember well when I saw schools in Hong Kong and China going virtual and thinking, “Oh gosh, that must be rough. I am so lucky that this is not happening at my school.”  Seven weeks later and I am not asking “Ok, how did those schools handle it now that I am in full virtual school mode."Stephen Dare is the head of Hong Kong Academy and a seven week veteren of virtual schooling.  Our discussion today left me with a much clearer pathway forward for my own new journey into virtual learning and will hopefully give some ideas to all regardless of where we are on the virtual learning journey.

When you hear the idea of a self directed democratic school, you might wonder if that means the students will vote for ice cream everyday.Or, more likely, you have a more mature viewpoint than I and are curious how a school can be democratic in its educational mission and still deliver a strong learning environment. Cassi Clausen is a core founder of Open School based in Southern California.  At Open School, self directed learning is expected and democratic decision making is the norm.  She explains how this concept works and what types of students, teachers (she does not call them teachers), and parents learn in this type of environment.

While English is the predominant language in international education it is often not the only one our students speak. How should we recognize the variety of languages in the world today (over 6000 according to my guest) and celebrate the interesting diversity that comes with it? I talk with ELL teacher Graham Noble about his effort to share phrases from over 100 languages using the popular program FlipGrid. We talk about the why behind what he is doing, the role of language in education and the hopes and dreams he has for the program. Connect Grahamnoble.com teachingourlanguages.org. @grahamwnobleBioGraham Noble is an experienced international educator with a love of family, travel, learning, and language. He is currently working in Hong Kong.

Starting the job hunt for a position at an international school can be both frightening and exciting. Or maybe just one of the two. Knowing how to prepare for the process and having an understanding of what administrators on the hiring end are looking for can be a big help. Today I speak Tim Bray, The Director of EdTech at Cheongna Dalton School in Korea all about getting that coveted international school job.Tim, in his own words, “peels back the veil”on the hiring process, how best to prepare and what administrators are secretly thinking before, during and after an interview. Connect @tsbray http://tsbray.blogspot.krBioTim S Bray is an international educator with 22 years of experience. Most of that time (20 years) has been overseas and in 1:1 learning environments. He is passionate about helping teachers and students become effective and efficient users of technology in their teaching and learning.

Digital communication is ubiquitous today in society, and in recent years, education. Nearly every international school has a device program such as iPads, laptops and more. While the primary reason for these devices from a teacher point of view is to create and consume information, they are often used by students for a much more interesting purpose: Communication! In addition, as we know, most students have their own personal digital device starting in middle school.With lots of scary stories floating around out there, we often wonder how access to these devices impacts how, why and in what ways students use them to with each other and the wider world.  What sort of behaviors do these devices allow and drive? How do parents feel about these changes that are likely taking place with less or their influence than in the past.I welcome back Eugene Leanord from the Shen Wai International school in southern China to share the work they are doing with digital citizenship. Specifically with the parent community.Helpful Links https://padlet.com/eugeneleonard101/SWISwebwisePARENTambassadorGroup https://mattharrisedd.com/2018/01/19/integrating-digital-citizenship-21clhk18/ https://beinternetawesome.withgoogle.com/en_us https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/eugene-leonard/episodes/2019-04-22T18_05_05-07_00 https://anchor.fm/eugene-leonard/episodes/SWIS-Webwise-Parent-Ambassador-Group-Presentation---English-e3q7s7/a-adjcge https://innovation.swis.cn/digital-citizenship.htmlConnect @mr_leonard_SWISBioEugene Leonard, from Ireland, has been at Shen Wai International School in China for 5 years.Previously taught in Iraq, Thailand, Abu Dhabi and Liverpool in the UK. Passionate about EdTech, Digital Citizenship and Podcasting and an Arsenal fan!

If you are listening to this podcast, you have likely heard of podcasting.  You may have even thought to yourself “This podcasting sounds interesting. Maybe I should try it. I mean if Michael can do it, how hard can it be?” Not too hard is my response, but don't take my word for it. Instead listen to Eugene Leonard my guest today. Eugene is a technology coach at the Shen Wai International school and has traveled far down the path of podcasting. This show focuses on his journey as it relates to anybody ready to give podcasting a try.Connect Anchor.fm for great podcasting solutions Podomatic for podcasting hosting options @mr_leonard_SWISBio Previously taught in Iraq, Thailand, Abu Dhabi and Liverpool in the UK. Passionate about EdTech, Digital Citizenship and Podcasting and an Arsenal fan!

As you can imagine the youth of today are a little riled up when it comes to our world and the direction it is heading. While this may be the norm for all younger generations, I get a sense it is magnified at the moment.Today, I speak with Lincoln Bacal a student at the Venture Academy School in Minnesota in the USA. She is a passionate and articulate advocate for youth issues and attends an entrepreneurial focused school that lets her explore her passions and, in her case, act on them.ConnectTwitter: @lincolnbacalBioLincoln is passionate about giving young people the opportunity to engage in student-centered learning and becoming effective change agents in the process of the transformation of learning. She is a member of Venture's Changemakers team, a student-led group supporting Venture's shift to deeper student centered practices. She helps to promote diversity and inclusion in the historically white, upper middle-class Minnesota Youth in Government program as a member of its state leadership and candidate for Lt. Governor. She also interned for the Minnesota House of Representatives and the Citizens League, a nonpartisan public policy think tank in St. Paul.

Design Thinking is a popular idea and methodology winding its way across school today.  With the idea that the future is more unpredictable now than in the past, Design Thinking helps us to be more future ready.However, according to David Lee an Elementary STEM & EdTech Specialist at Singapore American school, it is our mindset that really plays the largest role on how well we embrace Design Thinking and other opportunities in our lives.I talk with David about his early roots and the progression of his mindset during his formative years and how that led to his current work and writing of the book Design Thinking in the Classroom.BioDavid's goal as an educator is to empower every student to develop systems and habits of learning that render them future-ready, empowered citizens who have the knowledge, skills, dispositions, and learning abilities to succeed in their future professions, projects, personal lives, and civic duties.Connect Twitter: @davidleedtech davidleeedtech.org 

OverviewWhen you think of Iceland you might think of geysers, broad landscapes, changeable climate and a fascinating place to visit. Yet, as you can imagine, there is more to Iceland and today we are going to talk about their education system.Ingivi Omarsson is a Chief Innovation Officer in Iceland focused on collaboration and bringing interesting, technology enhanced lessons to teachers and students in his home country.  We discuss the journey he saw take place in Icelandic education from the dittos and a copier to a focus on continuous innovation and reflection of best practices today and into the future.BioChief innovation officer at Arskoli and the Skagafjordur School District. One of the Teachers of the year in Iceland 2018. Only Apple Distinguished Educators in Iceland and Google Certified Innovator. Led the first iPad 1:1 in Iceland back in 2012. Blog at ingvihrannar.com and host of the innovative educator podcast.Connect Website Twitter

The library.Ah yes, the library.  For people of my age (Generation X) the library still brings back scary memories of a place where I might get into trouble if I spoke too loudly.Stefanie Gaspari helps us understand that libraries are no longer that type of place and that it is time to return to their original design: A community space for sharing ideas and learning.For Stefanie, that looks like a multi-use space designed to engage a variety of learners from the rugby team to the quiet student looking for a little refuge and time with a good book.  A space setup up to prototype new ideas and learn.Where was Stefanie when I was in High School? ;-)BioStefanie is an eternal optimist, a passionate educator, and self-confessed bookworm.An advocate for ‘all things library', she is curious about big ideas, learning spaces and the future of information in the digital age.Connect @stefaniegaspari LinkedIn

OverviewWhat if the goal of a school was “to learn to” learn, live act and be?  And it looked like a place where students worked on whatever topic there were interested in for the day, had the freedom to choose when to take tests, actively participated in regular trips and might be expected to travel the world speaking about the school.The Evangelical School Berlin Centre is that school. Today I talk with Jamila Tressel a senior student at the school all about her experiences and why she believes the way she is learning is best way for all our students.BioJamila Tressel is a student at the ESBZ School in Germany and a young author, speaker, trainer coach and change maker, empowering young people to unfold their potential and make a change. After many negative experiences in the traditional school system the student is campaigning for a drastic change of the education system since she was 12 years old, speaking at national and international conferences and leading trainings for students, teachers and managers, often in collaboration with “Schule im Aufbruch” (Schools in Transformation)

OverviewThe idea of positive education appears to sound simple. For me I see myself saying nice things to my students and colleagues in the hallway and trying to have an optimistic outlook. After talking with Justin Robinson from the Geelong Grammar School in Australia, I realized there is a lot more to it.Following the idea that embracing positive education asks us to learn, live, teach and embed it into our daily and organizational practices, I learned it is a significant realignment of how most educators, including myself, embrace our practice.The Institute of Positive Education at Geelong Grammar school  not only fully adopted positive education, they took it to the next level where they are now actively training other schools and educators to adopt the program on their own.BioJustin Robinson is the inaugural Director of the Institute of Positive Education. As a passionate leader in the field of student and staff wellbeing, Justin has been invited to write for a number of publications and speak at conferences both in Australia and around the world.Connect Twitter ggs.vic.edu.au/Institute

Designing, or redesigning the best way for a school to make an impact on the future of our students is a more common conversation among educators today. We are starting to see more and more schools emerge focused on this redesign idea and it is very exciting.Today I talk with Superintendent Cameron Fox about the Verso school, a new concept school set to open in Bangkok in the fall of 2020. Cameron shares the journey he and his team took to design (and design really is a key word here) a school that supports students as the head into our fast, or faster, changing world.BioCameron is the head of school at American International School Hong Kong. He has been living 26 years in Hong Kong and is completing his 19th year at AIS. Cameron is the founding head of school for VERSO.Connect cfox@ais.edu.hk Twitter: HeadofSchoolAIS Verso.school

OverviewDana Kerford started her working career like many of us as an educator in a public school system in her home country. As we typically discover, managing and improving relationships between students is often the key to a successful class culture.Diving in with enthusiasm, Dana researched, read, discovered and built a relationship program for classrooms and schools. She shares her ideas, work and discoveries in today's interview.BioDana Kerford is a Teacher, Friendship Expert, and the Founder of URSTRONG, a social-emotional wellbeing program for kids.Connect @urstrong Urstrong.com

OverviewThe future of work and the realities that it entails are still unknowns to many of us.  Multiple job and career changes are likely on the horizon for our students and teaching them to be life long, adaptable learners today will help them in the future.Today I speak with Anna Server, Deputy Principal of Haleybury Middle school in Australia.  We discuss various models for the future of education along with how to evaluate and adapt those models as the times change and our understanding of education evolves.BioAnna Sever completed a Bachelor of Applied Science degree, before undertaking her Graduate Diploma of Education. Anna has also completed her Masters of Education Management through the University of Melbourne and is currently completing her MBA at Melbourne Business School. Since moving into the role of Deputy Principal (Teaching and Learning), Anna leads strategic and research based approach to reviewing the Middle School Program with a strong emphasis on innovation and the future of work.Connect www.haileybury.com.au

OverviewWe all know change is tough. It is tough at an individual level and even more so at an organizational level. I always enjoy talking with leaders focused on change and learning their strategies, successes and difficulties.  Today I speak with Kiffany Lychock from the Boulder Valley School District of Colorado in the United States about the changes she fostered in her district. After the passing of a bond measure that created funding, the district moved forward with implementing change in how buildings are designed and the practice of teaching is transformed. Kiffany shares her story and ideas for making this sort of change happen at scale.BioKiffany Lychock is the Director of Educational Innovations for BVSD, National Faculty for @BIEpbl, Co-Owner of DLI LLC, and is a passionate advocate of learning.Connect@klychockbvsdinnovation.or

OverviewAs educators, improving the lives of students and how they relate to the world is an essential part of what we do. If you are an international teacher, life is usually stable and your school is well resourced and ready to go.  If you are from Guatemala with an unstable government, frequent violence and many other hurdles to your success, you might just want to give up what you are doing or not even try.  CNN Hero Juan Pablo, my guest today, took on those challenges and created a program that addressed the fundamental needs of students in his hometown. Listening to him overcome the obstacles he faced helped me to have perspective on what I saw as difficult   in my world.BioJuan Pablo Romero Fuentes was born in Jocotenango, Guatemala and started Los Patojos at the age of 21. As a self-taught educator and social entrepreneur, he grew Los Patojos from a small community program in his parent's home to a community center, health clinic, and school educating over 300 children and providing jobs to 50 people daily.In 2014, Juan Pablo was honored as a Top 10 CNN Hero for his unwavering commitment to create change in Guatemala and beyond. He's currently working to open a new campus that provides a pipeline of workforce development opportunities for his students. Juan Pablo says his job is to create safe environments and build pathways to dignity and lifelong change for all Guatemalans.ConnectTwitter https://21clradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Copy-of-Juan-Pablo.mp3

OverviewAs education, and how we educate, changes we seek out new models to learn from.  There is a wide variety of change making schools now and Venture Academies is one of them. Today I speak with founder Jon Bacal about how he and his team bring leadership skills, entrepreneurial skills and personalized learning to a school of over 300 disadvantaged middle and high school students. Hint: It is all about relationships...BioJon Bacal is the founder, Executive Director and student leadership coach of Venture Academy, a Minneapolis public charter middle-high school with the mission of building entrepreneurs by developing independence, scholarship and leadership, and also co-leads the Minnesota Learner-Centered Network, a multi-school collaborative of 12 schools supporting youth voice and leadership for school transformation. Over the last 20 years as an education change-maker, Bacal has founded, co-founded or helped launch 30 charter schools in three states as founder and leader of SchoolStart, a nonprofit consulting firm, lead founder of Twin Cities Academy in St. Paul and Hiawatha Academies in Minneapolis, and the Minneapolis Public Schools' Office of New Schools.Connect  @JonBacal1  Venture Academies

OverviewA focus on social capital in schools and the social interactions it generates is an important part of working collaboratively for organizational improvement. Dr. Jim Spillane, my guest today, focused much of his career on the benefits of social capital at schools like ours. We discuss what social capital is (see Wikipedia's version here), how to go about developing it in a school system, the impact of school building design on social capital and a whole lot more.  BioJames P. (Jim) Spillane is the Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Professor in Learning and Organizational Change at Northwestern University where he is a Professor of Human Development and Social Policy, Learning Sciences, and Management & Organizations. In recognition of his contribution to educational research, Spillane was elected to the US National Academy of Education in 2013.Connect @jamespspillane on Twitter distributedleadership.org

Play is not an activity itself, but a state of mind. I learned this today from my guest Mark Collard, the founder and director of Playmeo, an organization dedicated to enhancing how humans connect with each other.As we see many schools beginning to understand and incorporate Social Emotional Learning, in their programs, Mark's emphasis on fun and play as a way increase connections within classrooms and psychological safety is very timely.Mark helps us understand the why behind more play, the research to back it up and how we can use it as educators.These quotes from our talk summed it up well for me: “Connect first before delivering content.” And “Fun is a magnet for participation.”BioHe runs a small professional development company called playmeo, which hosts the largest online database of group games and activities in the world. He has written five books, his latest called No Props No Problem which features 150+ outrageously fun group activities that do not use equipment to help people connect.Connect Twitter @playmeo Playmeo.com

If you are motivated to create change at your school or other organization, yet want to know if the idea you have or the effort you have put forth is actually helpful, then action research might be for you.Action research involves defining and validating a problem, seeing the impact of the solution and more. My interview with Dr. Jayson Richardson goes deep into the action research methodology.BioJayson W. Richardson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership Studies at the University of Kentucky.  His research, teaching, and service links school technology leadership and international development. Jayson is a Director of the Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE).Connect Twitter: @jaysonr JaysonRichrdson.com  

“Be careful, not too high.”“I wish you would not do that.”“Time to do homework.”“You have to worry about people out there. ““Come on in we have to go to your next scheduled activity.”These are common phrases parents utter to their children in the world today.  And, as many of us know, this may be a departure from the past where we had lots of free time to explore and take risks while we were growing up.Dr. Mariana Brussoni is both my guest today and a developmental pediatrician focused on risky play and, believe it or not, how we don't do enough of it.She helps us understand that we need to let our kids explore more on their own, take a few risks along the way and learn their own limits. I think you will enjoy listening to someone challenge our current beliefs about what is good parenting. I know I did.  BioDr. Mariana Brussoni is a developmental psychologist and Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia. She is an investigator with the British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute and the British Columbia Injury Research & Prevention Unit. Dr. Brussoni investigates child injury prevention, parenting and children's risky play.Connect  https://brussonilab.ca  @mbrussoni

Over time the pressure on our students, especially in the international world, to perform have increased. Couple this with the ever pushy role that technology plays in our academic, work and personal lives, and you have a society of young people facing a lot of stress.  Are our school adjusting to these new realities?Toby Newton, suggests they are not and as the director of  International College, Hong Kong, he is doing something about it.  ICHK focuses on both the emotional and academic needs of students with the goal to produce, for the lack of a better word, a student that is able to balance the external needs placed on them with the internal needs we all have. Toby shares the various models they use at ICHK and reflects on the future.BioToby Newton has worked in education since 1992, assuming senior leadership responsibilities in 2002, initially in the UK and since 2008 in Hong Kong. Trained as an English teacher, he quickly diversified into Film and Media and was Assistant Principal Examiner for Media Studies at AQA between 2005 to 2008. He has taught courses in Film and C20th Social Theory at Kings College London and Brunel University. He has an abiding and on-going interest in the interface between the emotions and learning, curriculum design, and whole person development. Toby is currently Head of School at International College Hong Kong (ICHK).Connect with Toby @toby_newton

Early in my life health education was about learning to eat properly, getting exercise, staying away from drugs and other “stuff.”Today, thanks to people like my guest Amy Lauren Smith, we are seeing a more comprehensive and expanded approach to health. Mindfulness, balancing technology, sleep and social emotional learning are becoming a greater part of health education.  Amy and I get into all those topics and more.  BioAmy is a Health & Wellness teacher at the Hong Kong International School as well as a consultant and education editor for Choices, Scholastic's health & life-skills magazine for teens. Connect with Amy @teaching_health TheHealthTeacher.com Amy's presentation information at the APPEC Conference

You may be familiar with Parkour, an increasingly popular discipline that emphasizes efficient movement based on our individual skills and abilities. You might have seen hordes of young people giving it a go. What you might not know is that Parkour is coupled with a mental discipline behind it that syncs the Parkour's challenges s with the mental discipline needed to carry on and be successful. Today I speak with Dan Edwardes, one of the founders of Parkour Generations. Their organization helps spread the Parkour movement globally through awareness and a dynamic certification program to help PE teachers bring Parkour to their curriculums.BioDan is the founder and CEO of Parkour Generations, a multinational organisation which helps people of all ages and abilities find their potential through movement, community and challenge.Connect with Dan: @danedwardes

Martin McKay is the Founder and Chief Technology Officer of TextHelp a software company based in Northern Ireland that creates software to help support anyone to better reader or writer. They work with schools but also other organizations so anyone whether a student or a professional has the tools they need to reach their full potential. Martin is an enthusiastic technologist, who has a personal story that drove his interest in assistive technology. We discuss this and how his personal journey with technology and his specific story led him to start the company he leads today that impacting millions of learners around the world.Martin on TwitterRecommended Articles/ResourcesGreat Courses Plus: Capitalism vs. Socialism: Comparing Economic SystemsPeter Diamandis book AbundanceAbundance -  book by Dr. Peter Diamandis (Founder and Executive Chairman of the XPRIZE Foundation) and Steven Kotler (bestselling author and science journalist), published on February 21, 2012. It is a thrilling antidote to today's dark pessimism. The authors rely on exhaustive research and extensive interviews with top scientists, innovators, and captains of industry to explore how four emerging forces—exponential technologies, the DIY innovator, the Technophilanthropist, and the Rising Billion—are conspiring to solve our biggest problems.   

Agency, self-directed learning, rocks, and learning pits.  These are not the words you might typically hear to describe an elementary school on the North Island of New Zealand, but after listening to today's guests, Gina and Jana, it will all make sense.The Stonefields school located outside of Auckland is a unique, highly collaborative learning environment designed to bring independence and more to students in years 1-8. Gina and Jana discuss the details of the school, the foundations of its values and learning the culture. BioBIO for Gina HarduarGina Harduar is an Associate Principal at Stonefields School. She started her teaching career 19 years ago and in that time has led Junior School teams in a variety of low and high decile schools. Gina is in her fourth year at Stonefields School. Her role as an Associate Principal is overseeing the data and assessment portfolio, inducting new to Stonefields teachers, and growing Teacher Effectiveness. This involves supporting teaching teams across the school to grow teacher capability to delve deeper into their data and reflect on next step strategies, to cause shift in learner outcomes. Gina believes all learners to be  ‘at the heart of the matter' and she is passionate about how teachers use data to practice strategies to cause shifts in learners' achievement. BIO for Jana BensonJana Benson is a part of the Leadership Team at Stonefields School and works across five schools in their Community of Learning.  Jana works with teachers and schools to establish and develop a shared language of learning and believes this is fundamental for learners' agency and their assessment capability. She is currently undertaking her doctorate in this area. Jana's role in Stonefields is overseeing the Learner Agency and Designing Real Learning pieces of our Strategic Plan.  This role involves supporting teachers across the school to think differently about their learning design to ensure that it is rich, real and relevant for our young people today.

There is a common understanding that a high school student drops out of high school about every 26 seconds.  Many groups, schools, are working to chip away at this tragic statistic and many are using approaches aimed at leveraging a student's specific talent and interests.For Tony Simmons, my guest today, music is their leverage. Tony is the executive director of the High School for Recording Arts in Minnesota. HSRA takes students from high poverty areas of the city and gives them access to a full education with music as the driving force behind them.Our talk today focuses on the workings of the school, the vision behind it and their plans to grow HSRA to other cities.

Today I talk with Louse Favaro about her blog post Reversing and Preventing a Culture of Silence Among Girls The story is shocking, surprising and a good insight into what we may be dealing with as teachers to students in an international setting.  Start with her intro below then head off to read the article.In light of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, and the #MeToo movement that followed, Louise Favaro shares insights from dealing with what appeared to be an incident involving inappropriate language by middle school boys, but further investigation opened a Pandora's box of misogynistic behaviour toward middle school girls that had been secretly tolerated for years. This led to a better understanding of how blind acceptance, normalization, and a culture of silence can start at a young age, and what we can do in schools to reverse and prevent it.BioLouise Favaro is a writer and speaker who has worked in education for more than 25 years, mainly in international schools that were International Baccalaureate (IBDP, MYP, and PYP) and One-to-one Laptop (Mac Platform). In addition to her experience as an IB Diploma Teacher, a Counselor, and an Administrator, Louise is a practitioner of Mindfulness Based Systemic Constellations to help people deal with interpersonal dynamics in families and organizations. 

Alec Couros has long been in the world of social and digital culture.  He was/is an early adopter in the social world and has watched it evolve from a place for nerds, full of hope for the future, to what it is today.  Recently we have seen much reporting on the downsides of digital culture with fake news, extremist information and louder voices than usual.Alec and I discuss this world, how it has changed and the impact it has on our students and their learning.  We wrap it up with a story or two about catfishing.  Not sure what that is? Put it this way, Alec has been replicated thousands of times on the internet. Connect Website: http://couros.ca Twitter: aleccourosBioProfessor of educational media at the University of Regina. Well-known keynote speaker, educator, consultant, and advocate for openness and connectedness in education and digital literacy.

High Tech High is a well known brand in the education world. But do we really know and understand their core values and educational philosophy? How does it impact their students and growth of the organization?Today I talk with Melissa Daniels from the High Tech High organization. Melissa is a director at High Tech High Middle school in Chula Vista, California. Connect mdaniels@hightechhigh.orgBioMelissa began her teaching career at international schools in both Cairo, Egypt and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. After teaching internationally for seven years, Melissa joined High Tech High as a 6th grade humanities teacher. In 2011, she became the founding director of High Tech Middle Chula Vista.

The future. The future of education.This is a topic getting a lot of discussion over the last ten years or so.  In many ways, it has dovetailed the rise of technology and the disruptions we see in the workplace and what it means to have a job, a skill and a career.Today I speak with Brad Latzke a retired international school administrator about his ideas of what the future of education should look like, where we are going now and what it takes to get “there.”BioBrad Latzke is the former middle school principal at Shanghai American School – Puxi Campus and American School of Doha. He has taught and served in school leadership positions at international schools in Colombia, Saudi Arabia, Tanzania, Qatar, and China. Currently on sabbatical from international school leadership.Connect with Brad @BradLatzke 

If you are going to design an adjunct campus with boarding facilities, remote from your main campus, then it seems likely you will see the development of student independence as the natural outgrowth of the experience.Richard Pratt, my guest today, found that the experience at Chinese International School's Hang Zhou campus did actually created even more INTERdependence among his students. The interconnected, two-way dependence between individuals sharing a common experience.We discuss the relationship between the development of interdependence and the growth of students and preparation for an even great future.Connect With RichardLinked InBioOriginally from UK, teaching career in UK independent schools and Chinese universities. With CIS since 2012.

Many of us have some great ideas and things we think we should do or make happen.  Sometimes it is difficult for us to take one of those ideas and make it a reality.  We enjoy listening to the stories of those who do though and Kristen MacConnell is one of those people.Kristen sees a need for the combination of conversation about great teaching pedagogies and the sharing those ideas. In addition, Kristen knows that research based, peer reviewed content makes for a stronger, more sustainable conversation capable of effecting more dramatic change.That is why she launched the online journal Globally Informed.  Kristen shares with us her ideas behind the journal, how it works and her plans for the future.BioKristen has a diverse educational background that includes school counseling, school psychology, instructional coaching, university teaching, and school leadership. Kristen has worked in the US and internationally in Chile at the International School Nido de Aguilas.Connect @kristenmacc @globallyinformd

I really enjoy speaking to people about the changes and shifts taking place in education today.  There are a host of early adopters out there trying and succeeding at bringing contemporary learning ideas more suitable for today's world.Doris Korda is one of them.Doris is the associate head at Hawken School in Ohio, USA. She leads the Hawken Entrepreneurial Studies program designed to change how students think, solve problems  and learn.After a quick overview, we start out talking a lot about a tea shop and how it becomes a teachable and scaffolding moment for students. It makes more sense once you hear about it.Doris also shares her incredible outreach efforts as she continues to share and spread how to develop entrepreneurial studies in any school.Doris is a featured speaker at the Global Education Leadership Summit in Bangkok this coming April.  For more information, head to the summit website: GELS.AsiaBioPrior to her 20 years as an educator, Doris spent 15 years in the software industry building out products and businesses from raw technology. Doris left business to become an educator, and is currently number two at Hawken School, where Doris designed and directs Hawken's Entrepreneurial Studies programConnect @DorisKorda

The combination of the words Green and Bali may conjure up the idea of beauty that we have come to expect when we think about or visit Bali, Indonesia. The popular Bali Green School combines the beauty of Bali, a focus on sustainability and modern learning practices to create a unique student experience.I talk today with Glenn Chickering, a founding faculty and head of upper school at the Green School. We enjoy a variety of topics including the power of experiential learning, giving students freedom to pursue passions and how having a positive impact on the local community brings learning to life.   Glenn uses the term “messy learning” to explain their pedagogy and you will enjoy understanding what that means.Glenn is representing the Green School at the upcoming Global Education Leadership Summit in April 2017. For more information about the summit, head to GELS.asiaBio As a founding faculty member of the Green School, Bali combined with experience in a variety of educational organizations, Glenn gained perspectives on the needs of the student, teacher, and parent from many different vantage points. This helped him to better understand the interconnections of all stakeholders and how best to steer relationships to foster a sustainable organization.Connect with Glenn@ChickeringGlenn

Change is coming!  We often hear that in education today.  We also often see signs and examples of those changes in new schools with a shared commitment to a contemporary pedagogy. But what about larger schools? Schools that are already well established, doing well and seen as successful in many ways. How do they shift? Should they?Today I talk with Tim Stuart, Executive Director for Strategic Programs at Singapore American School, all about change, significant change, in a large flourishing organization.SAS is on a multi-year journey to improve how education is delivered at their campus. Today we talk all about that journey, what it looked like, lessons learned and where they are today.Connect With Tim Twitter: @drstuart LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothy-stuart-75b62a48BioDr. Tim Stuart grew up as an American in France and Germany and graduated from an international school as a multilingual Third Culture Kid (TCK). He appreciates Singapore American School as a place that is nimble and courageous enough to support revolutionary change while upholding a tradition of proven excellence.Dr. Stuart landed in Singapore in 2010 as the high school principal and now serves as the executive director of strategic programs. Before SAS, Dr. Stuart's professional teaching and administrative experiences brought him from eastern Turkey to Switzerland, from Washington State to the Navajo reservation in New Mexico, and then for three years as high school principal at Jakarta International School in Indonesia.The co-author of several books on parenting, teaching, and mentoring, Dr. Stuart holds an Ed. D from Seattle Pacific University, an M.Ed from The College of New Jersey, and a B.A. from Wheaton College.

Data, data, data and more data.  I often hear the call for data at meetings, gatherings or even the occasional happy hour.  Well not really, but you know what I mean.Today I talk with Dr. Damian Bebell, assistant research professor at the Lynch School of Education, Boston College. More germane to the discussion today, Dr. Bell also works for the International Research Collaborative, a group of international schools looking to analyze data to look for improvements and trends in student learning. We cover  the power of data, ways to visualize it and what it means for schools going forward.BioDamian holds a position of Assistant Research Professor at Boston College's Lynch School of Education and is a Senior Research Associate at the Center for the Study of Testing, Evaluation, and Educational Policy. Over the past decade, Damian led numerous research and evaluation studies investigating the effects of 1-to-1 technology programs and other computer-based technology tools on teaching and learning.Connect with Damian ircollaborative.org

Ever heard of a 'mobile high school'? We hadn't, until we met THINK Global School at #ISTE2016!Connect @TGSTHINKGlobalEver

Imagine you had a successful education career spanning back over 40 years. What sort of things would stand out to you and what would you want to pass on to future generations? Those are the kinds of conversations I was fortunate enough to have today with Jim Perry, president of the California Interscholastic Federation and district athletic director for Huntington Beach Unified High School District.We discuss his early career in education, what we can all learn from sports, what he has learned in his career and where the future of athletics is going.Connect Twitter: @perryjamesluscBioJim is the District Athletic Director for the Huntington Beach Union High School District in Huntington Beach, California. He works with six comprehensive high schools and also serves as President-Elect of the California Interscholastic Federation (the CIF is the governing body for all 1,500 plus member high schools and over 850,000 student-athletes in the State of California).

The terms digital and media literacy have been around for a while now, but I am not sure we all know exactly what those terms mean or have a common definition for them. Is it just using the technology tools out there? Or is it using them in a certain way?Today I speak with teacher, author and consultant Kristin Ziemke about digital and media literacy and the exciting possibilities and learnings that go along with opening your classroom to the wider world.  Connect Twitter: @KristinZiemke Website: kristinziemke.comBioA teacher of primary age learners in Chicago, Kristin Ziemke pairs best practice instruction with digital tools to transform learning in the classroom and beyond. Author of Amplify: Digital Teaching and Learning in the K-6 Classroom an Apple Distinguished Educator and National Board Certified Teacher, Kristin collaborates with educators around the globe as a staff developer, speaker and writer.

Experiential education.  What does that really mean?  What is it all about?  More importantly, and after this interview you will also ask, why are we not doing it more in our regular classes?Today I talk with Nick Cotton, Executive Director for Outward Bound of Hong Kong. Nick takes us through the activities that are part of Outward Bound, the types of students that are part of the program and the long lasting impact generated when people “truly discover what they are capable of.”Connect with Nick OutwardBound.Org.hkBioNick has been working in International education for 20 years and recently took up the role of Executive Director at OBHK to focus on experiential education, having experienced its positive impact within the school setting for many years. 

As a part-time technology and learning coach I am keenly aware that the role of the technology coach is changing.  Maybe even disappearing.  But we also know there will always be a need for innovation, iteration and change as part of education. How else can we help our students keep up with the world?Simon Power of Shanghai American School is transitioning from a technology coach to an instructional coach and he is doing it, in part, but heading up the MS/HS design studio. A departure from the computer labs of long ago and not to be called a stand alone makerspace, the design studio focuses on the process of design, the software that enables the designs to be built and the 3D printers that bring it all to life.Simon shares the ideas behind the design studio, some samples of how it is used and the vision for the future. Connect Twitter: @spowerBioSimon has been at Shanghai American School for 11 years now. He taught Media Studies in Australia many years ago, and spent a year on a teacher exchange in Denver Colorado. He has taught at SAS, MS Humanities, Elementary Tech and for the last four years back to MS for Technology. 

Sometimes when you first meet someone you immediately sense a positive vibe, energy and preference for helping and reaching out to others. This happened to me today within a few seconds of my meeting Shelly Sanchez Terrell, my guest today.  Shelly is an instructional designer by day, and a connector by night.  Actually she might connect during the day too. She connects with people through her workshops, keynotes, and online work at 30Goals.com and EdSpeakers.com.  In addition she runs a bunch of other activities such as the Twitter EdChat and beyond.  Too many to cover in one show!Connect with ShellyTwitter: @ShellTerrell Website: Shellyterrell.com/BioShelly Sanchez Terrell is the author of The 30 Goals Challenge for Teachers, Learning to Go, and TeacherRebootCamp.com and the founder of #Edchat and Edspeakers, a community of educators dedicated to diversifying the voices in education. She has trained teachers and taught learners in over 20 countries and named Woman of the Year by Star Jone's National Association of Professional Women.

The Twitter!  For many of us it is something we enjoy and use to connect, learn and maybe share what is going on in our lives. For others it is a mass of conversations with no obvious pattern and place where the Jenner family shares the most intimate details of their personal lives. For educators, though, it is valuable way to create and maintain a personal learning network that helps us all grow and connect to others who share the same interests. That may be special education, science, math or robotics.  Who knows!Billy Krakower, my guest today, is the perfect person to talk about this.  He is the co author of the book 140 Twitter Tips for Educators and has a thing or two to say about how Twitter is something we should all take advantage of.Connect With Billy Evolving Educators @wkraowerBioBilly is an educator from North New Jersey, where he teaches computers and STEAM to third and fourth grades.  He is also the co-author of three books, Connecting Your Students with The World, Using Technology to Engage Students with Learning Disabilities, and 140 Twitter Tips for Educators.