Podcast appearances and mentions of ira socol

Dr. Pam Moran is a recently retired superintendent of thirteen years and has also worked as a teacher, staff developer, elementary principal, and assistant superintendent. She was the 2010 president of the Virginia Association of School Superintendents and the 2016 Virginia Superintendent of the Year, one of four finalists for the national superintendent of the year. Ira Socol is a Principal of Socol/Moran Partners and serves as Senior Provocateur, while leading work in the transformation of spaces, technologies, and library services. Highlights from their conversation include: opening mini-biographies based on a podcast homework assignment; an incredible story about Pam's first day as a teacher;  how being a police officer changed the way Ira viewed classroom observation; the importance of giving everyone in the school system room to make mistakes; a look at why we need transformational change, and then examining the what and how of actually making it work; amazing examples of what transformation looks like for students, teachers and administrators; why the definition of engagement is different for every student; and a vast list of book recommendations during the lightning round. Check out Ira and Pam's book: Timeless Learning: How Imagination, Observation, and Zero-Based Thinking Change SchoolsQuestions? Thoughts? Feedback? Email us at  freerangehumanspod@gmail.com or Tweet us at @jal_mehta and @Rodroad219

This is a rerelease of one of Joe and Ron's first interviews. They interviewed Ira Socol about literacy in the 21st century. Ira is a keynote speaker, and author of The Drool Room and co-author of Timeless Learning: How Imagination, Observation, and Zero-Based Thinking Change Schools along with Chad Ratliff and Pam Moran. Show Notes: https://wke.lt/w/s/cvSfgn --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/teacher-nerdz/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/teacher-nerdz/support

  Ira Socol is a former Technology Director and special education teacher. He is also He is the author of Timeless Learning and The Drool Room. The driver of change is where we want our kids to get to vs. where they currently end up. We’re not accomplishing 99% of what we want our kids to accomplish. We need to judge our work by how many choices kids have when they are 30. We focus on all the wrong things. We focus on content acquisition, when that has always been secondary. We’re not teaching the wonder of intrinsic motivation. I watch kids learn all sorts of things not in school. School without walls. Judo principle of education - use what the student is passionate about to everyone’s advantage. There are different choices we can make. What should we be focusing on measuring? 50% of kids who go to college don’t go back for the second year. They can’t assess anything without a standardized assessment. We need to look for very specific evidence. Step 1: Are you understanding what our responsibilities are in school/culture/society? See kids having a maximum level of freedom? If kids are in the halls, it means adults trust the kids. I’ve never seen learning happen where kids didn’t trust adults, and kids never trust adults that don’t trust them. You kids better get to work! Said one student to another. This is a win that will pay dividends forever. Changed summer school into maker camps. Teacher: “Tell me, is there a problem you have in baseball you would like to solve?” He can’t sit in a classroom. That’s our problem, not his problem. Music construction studios We didn’t define kids by any deficit. Talent development - Gifted and Special education working together. We found ways to make our kids succeed based on what mattered to them. Why don’t more schools do this kind of work? In many cases you can hear them spinning excuses from the moment they arrived. I don’t know how to make people more courageous. Your expectations of risk are very overrated. Because they were learners, they did fine. Kids live up to your expectations, just as they will live down to them. What do you have to lose? They just need to take the leap. All we ask is that they take a little leap each time from where they are. What do we want our kids to be? Lifelong learning competencies Wouldn’t it be easier if you were teaching all 8 year olds? How would he learn to be 9? How would he learn to care for the wee ones? They can learn anything they need to learn to go forward. Coder dojo Kids can do so much more. We just need to have the guts. Someone who is fearless is either uninformed our stupid. Courage is knowing you’re afraid and doing it anyway. Passion-based learning high school started with just 30 kids. Aim small miss small. How to be a transformative principal? Turn off the bells. Ask your teachers to open their doors and keep them open. Change your grade book so nobody can give below a failing grade. Sponsors TeachFX Innovative school leaders across the country have started tracking online student participation using TeachFX because it’s one of the most powerful ways to improve student outcomes during COVID — especially for English Learners and students of color. Learn more about TeachFX and get a special offer at TeachFX.com InControl SEL for Middle School In Control created an effortless social and emotional, character development video curriculum for your students that’s ZERO-TEACHER-PREP AND it’s so cool looking- it feels like a Youtube or Netflix Series- and that’s purposeful, they meet students right where they’re at. The videos are 5–6 minutes, kids love them, teachers love them, and you will too. There’s no guesswork in the program because there’s a 21-video progression for each grade level. They’ve thought of everything– because it’s a group of award winning counselors, teachers, and principals that came up with this thing. It’ll help you save tons of time and headaches. Take it from me, it’s time to check that social-emotional learning box, the empty one that’s been keeping you up at night–and it’s time to do it in a meaningful, measurable, magnetic way. If you go to www.InControlSEL.com/jethro you can check out some of the videos and even receive 20% off if you pre-order for next school year John Catt Today’s Transformative Principal sponsor, John Catt Educational, amplifies world-class voices on timeless topics, with a list of authors recognized globally for their fresh perspectives and proven strategies to drive success in modern schools and classrooms. John Catt’s mission is to support high-quality teaching and learning by ensuring every educator has access to professional development materials that are research-based, practical, and focused on the key topics proven essential in today’s and tomorrow’s schools. Learn more about professional development publications that are easy to implement for your entire faculty, and are both quickly digestible and rigorous, by visiting https://us.johncattbookshop.com/. Learn more about some of the newest titles: Michaela: The Power of Culture by Katharine Birbalsingh Teaching WalkThrus: Visual Step-by-Step Guides to Essential Teaching Techniques by Tom Sherrington and Oliver Caviglioli Putting Staff First: A blueprint for revitalising our schools by John Tomsett and Jonny Uttley The Teaching Delusion: Why Teaching In Our Schools Isn’t Good Enough (And How We Can Make It Better) by Bruce Robertson Stop Talking About Wellbeing: A pragmatic approach to teacher workload by Kat Howard John Catt is also proud publisher of the new book from Transformative Principal host Jethro Jones: SchoolX: How principals can design a transformative school experience for students, teachers, parents – and themselves Visit this page to learn more about bulk orders and how to bring John Catt’s research-based materials to your school: https://us.johncattbookshop.com/pages/agents-and-distributors

Our current framework for multiple-choice standardized testing is about 20 years old, dating back to legislation signed by President Bush called No Child Left Behind. The name has changed but testing still rules, although it has been disrupted by COVID-19. In this conversation with educators, Pam Moran and Ira Socol, co-authors of Timeless Learning with Chad Ratliff, we discuss how our education system responded to COVID-19 and how students have responded by turning off their cameras. Can we imagine a future where instead of multiple choice tests, schools offer students multiple and different ways to learn?

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney. My guest on the podcast this week is Dr. Pam Moran who is the Executive Director of the Virginia School Consortium for Learning and is a former superintendent of Albemarle County Public Schools. Among the points we discussed in the podcast were the following: The role of a superintendent in US education Desmos software that is used to teach mathematics. The reintroduction of maker skills into US education in response to narrow testing and the benefits of it MAKER LEARNING Students who take making courses Safety in maker learning Involving the wider family in maker learning How maker learning is reflected in the school curriculum PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR TEACHERS Her thoughts on professional development that works best for teachers Professional development to help teachers teach online Flipgrid EDUCATION FOR THE 21ST CENTURY What schools need to do to be more relevant to the twenty-first century (automation, climate change, working from home, demographic changes, superficial learning for tests) Edward Hess books: Learn or Die, Humility is the New Smart and Hyper Learning: Learning at the speed of change) How she would reform the mathematics and science curriculum to make it more relevant for students The book she co-authored, Timeless Learning: How Imagination, Observation, and Zero-Based Thinking Change Schools. Reimagining education using zero-based thinking Ira Socol. Yong Zhao episode on Inside Education. Catherine Cronin's interview on Inside Education. Pam O’Brien, Mags Almond, John Heffernan. Maya Angelou, Séamus Heaney Stories from the Pandemic. Website of Pam Moran and Ira Socol

Joe and Ron talk with Ira Socol co-author of "TImeless Learning" Ira Socol is a former Chief Technology and Innovation Officer for Albemarle County, Virginia. In 2017 he was recognized by the Center for Digital Education's annual award to the nation's top 30 Technologists, Transformers and Trailblazers. During doctoral studies at Michigan State, he became a leading national expert in the use of accessibility technology and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) where he also developed Toolbelt Theory, an equity lens for all learners. He is the author of numerous journal articles in national education and school architectural journals. Ira is also the author of The Drool Room, a unique novel that forces you to look through his eyes as a dyslexic student growing up in the earliest days of Special Education. Most recently, he also co-authored “Timeless Learning” with Pam Moran and Chad Ratliff. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/teacher-nerdz/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/teacher-nerdz/support

Buy the book at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1119461693/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_nF-GDb12ZCMNV | Follow the authors: @PamMoran @IraSocol @csratliff | Reach out to me @Jay_Eitner or on Telegran & Voxer: @Eitner

Pam Moran, Ira Socol: Community-Driven Schools | Steve Hargadon | Apr 27 2011 by Steve Hargadon

Today's podcast is all about designing spaces for learning. Often, we think of a teacher's role as creator - someone who is making the learning happen within their room. But we can look at this in a more nuanced way. To completely steal Ryan Hopkins-Wilcox's explanation from in this podcast, when we plan an experience, we're already aware of what outcomes will be achieved. We're planning for what's going to happen next and already have each step in mind. In contrast, to design an experience - or space - we're opening possibilities for students to learn in multiple fashions. We have a general idea of where we want to be, but we're side-by-side in that learning experience.This is an incredibly powerful message that is core to progressive education. We speak about student voice and choice but that's not choosing from preset options given by the instructor. When we say choice, we're referring to a plethora of possibilities that each student has to meet a learning goal. And we want to make that learning goal as broad as we possibly can to ensure that all students are engaged.I think the thing that excites me most about education is the ability to craft learning experiences. My "why" in education is to find cool ideas, make simple foundations and structures for them to flourish, and pass almost all control over to students to make it happen. Of course, a lot of barriers exist to making the why of our purpose as educators happen.Some of us get caught up in the systematic barriers to learning - whether they be topics that seem meaningless, students who aren't getting enough support, our lack of free time or pay, or just the general way our classrooms look and feel. And I think many - if not most - students are in the same boat. They may be excited from time to time on their why at school - after all, everyone loves to learn about things they care about...there's just a lot getting in the way.Walk into most school buildings and you'll find a fairly bland and sterile environment. It may be even prison-like. Lack of funding is partially to blame, but there's also a system of control that manifests itself in having a comatose environment. Make everything too crazy and maybe the students will go crazy? I'm not sure. The fact is that as educators, we have the capability to design learning spaces that tear down the barriers as much as they can be torn down.Sure, there's a lot of things outside of our control - and sometimes we're working against the best interests of our employer, the state, board, etc. that may have lost their way on what learning is (as they're more concerned about state test scores or upholding the way things were when they were in the school.) But we can continue to press on and design the most open and interesting environments we can.These learning environments are both physical - the ways things look and feel, as well as conceptual - how our learning is designed.We have four guests on today that exemplify these ideas - from a superintendent who designs schools to be honestly incredible, to a music educator who's making his classroom equitable and democratic, to an administrator at an International school who's designing experiences for students and staff, to two parents and educators who created their own school to do what's best for their children.GUESTS IN ORDER OF APPEARANCEDr. Pam Moran, superintendent of the widely acclaimed Albemarle County Public Schools and co-author of Timeless Learning. Pam is an avid proponent of progressive education and designing schools that ignite learning.Tim Fawkes, a high school music educator set on redesigning the classroom as an equitable, democratic space through embracing student voice, choice, and experiential learning.Ryan Hopkins-Wilcox, an international educator and current assistant principal at the International School of Uganda, where she focuses on igniting learning through well-designed opportunities for staff and students.Tosha Woods and Natalia Parker, founders of the Discovery Lab, a self-described “micro school.” Tosha and Natalia started this school as concerned parents and community members to provide an outlet of progressive learning to students.RESOURCESTimeless Learning: How Imagination, Observation, and Zero-Based Thinking Change Schools by Pam Moran, Ira Socol, and Chad RatliffHRP Review of Timeless LearningPam Moran’s recent TEDx TalkThe Application of Critical Pedagogy to Music Teaching and Learning by Dr. Frank AbrahamsDiscovery LabHRP’s 1 Page PD: CurationFURTHER LISTENINGS2 Highlight: Restoring Humanity to....Education (Critical Pedagogy)S2 Highlight: Timeless Learning w/ Ira Socol See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, we are welcoming co-authors of Timeless Learning: How Imagination, Observation and Zero-Based Thinking Change Schools – Pam Moran and Ira Socol. Pam is recognized nationally as a leading advocate for contemporary progressive education. In an educational career spanning four decades, she has promoted shifting learning power from teachers to young people, amplifying student voice, agency, and influence. Pam…Read more

Ira Socol is Senior Provocateur and Learning Environment Specialist at Socol Moran Partners LLC. He is a co-author of Timeless Learning: How Imagination, Observation, and Zero-Based Thinking Change Schools with Pam Moran and Chad Ratliff.     Ira presents nationally and internationally on the need to radically change the four technologies of school – time, ...

This episode of NWP Radio features a discussion with Pam Moran and Ira Socol about their new book Timeless Learning: How Imagination, Observation, and Zero-Based Thinking Change Schools. The conversation takes imaginative leaps into what schools could be and shares practical advice for how to make the imagined possibilities reality. Guests Pam Moran, Superintendent of Albemarle County Public Schools, Virginia Ira Socol, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer, Albemarle County Public Schools Tanya Baker (Host), Director of National Programs, National Writing Project Links from the Show Timeless Learning: How Imagination, Observation, and Zero-Based Thinking Change Schools "Insufficiently Transformative" by Ira Socol "Why Zero-Based Thinking is MissionCritical in Reimagining Education" by Ira Socol Hacking Schools: Getting Ourselves to Yes, Pam Moran, TEDx El Cajon "The Phygitals World: Speaking the Language of Creativity" by Pam Moran "What does it mean to build a school? What are our responsibilities now?" by Ira Socol "Habitable Worlds of Learning" by Pam Moran "Why do we read? Why do we write?" by Ira Socol

Pam Moran and Ira Socol talk about the timeless principle of student-created learning. What does this look like? www.coolcatteacher.com/e389 

In this webinar, Pam Moran and Ira Socol, two authors of Timeless Learning: How Imagination, Observation, and Zero-based Thinking Change Schools, discussed how developing a culture of invention and innovation creates new pathways to activate creativity, voice, agency, and influence in all young people. Through making, engineering, creating, designing, and producing projects and products that enrich learning experiences, students can impact their classrooms, schools, communities, states, and even the world.

Today we’re joined by Ira Socol. Ira is the public education director of Educational Technology and Innovation, a Design Project Manager, Researcher, a specialist in Universal Design technology, Senior Provocateur, among many other titles. Ira’s latest book, written with Dr. Pam Moran and Chad Ratliff, Timeless Learning: How Imagination, Observation, and Zero-Based Thinking Change Schools, explores how maker spaces, project-based learning, and student-centered instruction radically changes schools from assembly lines to a community learning space.In our discussion, we focus on converting traditional schools to ones that put students first. Often, when we talk about ‘student-centered learning”, we’re really just offering a faux choice designed by teachers. Instead, why not change schools to truly do what students want? Why not completely realign traditional practice to the needs of the 21st century? And what if, despite what everyone may think, students did better on traditional standardized assessment as a result? Ira offers research and anecdotes to help one understand the impact of zero-based thinking and what teachers/administrators/parents/whomever may do to transform their schools to be more human. Despite some minor connectivity issues, make sure you listen in to this one! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As I wrote about in last week's column, this new book titled Timeless Learning by Ira Socol, Pam Moran, and Chad Ratliff may just be the best book I've read about how to change schools and bring all the things we know are important about progressive learning to traditional public and private schools. In this interview, I get a chance to talk to Ira and Pam about a number of topics: Why this is the right time for progressive education to take root The challenges of moving centuries old practice in classrooms forward Some of the best ways to make change happen in schools And what skills, literacies and dispositions kids need to have to thrive in the modern world. I know you're going to enjoy the conversation. The illustration at right, by the way, was done by Linda Ashida, a Change School alum who was watching and listening on Facebook during our live interview. (Click the image for a larger version.)