Podcast appearances and mentions of Ron Berger

Episode Notes In this special live episode from the 2025 Deeper Learning Conference, educator Ron Berger talks to two Japanese educators and their two brilliant children, who have experienced education across cultures in Japan, the United States, and Europe.

Picture an era when advertising didn't just sell products—it shaped culture. That's the legacy Ron Berger helped build, from co-founding the 700-person agency MVBMS with Tom Messner, Barry Vetere, Louise McNamee, and Bob Schmetter to penning era-defining taglines like “Time to Make the Donuts” and “Subway Eat Fresh.” In this episode, Ryan reconnects with his former boss to explore how Ron helped launch Adweek and nurtured a culture of candid collaboration over empty hierarchies. Drawing a line between sports competition and creative excellence, he explains why teamwork, accountability, and “impact winning” have always been at the core of his leadership style. Ron also shares on building a culture at MVBMS that prized strategic clarity over trendy cool.

Episode Notes Leaders of Their Own Learning by Ron Berger, Leah Woodfin, and Leah Rugen Other podcast episodes featuring Ron Berger: Ron Berger on Presentations of Learning Ron Berger on Student-Led Conferences Ron Berger on Whole-Class Close Reading Ron Berger on Beautiful Lessons and “No Lesson at All”

This episode we're speaking with Ron Berger. Ron was a public school teacher and master carpenter in rural Massachusetts for over 25 years and is now a well-known national and international keynote speaker focused on inspiring a commitment to quality, character, and citizenship in students. He is the Senior Advisor at EL Education, a nonprofit school improvement organization that partners with public schools and districts across America, leads professional learning, and creates open educational resources. In this episode, Ron and I go in-depth into the idea of an ethic of excellence, and discuss, perhaps even debate, some of the ins and outs of the use of projects, assessments, and more. Full show notes at: https://www.ollielovell.com/ronberger

Ron Berger is Chief Academic Officer for EL Education, an organization that partners with districts and charter boards to found public schools in low-income communities. EL Education's core work is building teacher capacity in schools and districts through professional coaching, resources and open-source curriculum. He is an Annenberg Foundation Teacher Scholar, received the Autodesk Foundation National Teacher of the Year award, and is the author of six books.Highlights from this unique exploration of craftsmanship include: remembering a time when we aspired to make quality, tangible things instead of living in a rushed, transactional and mostly disposable society; a beautiful carpentry analogy that challenges the way we prepare teachers; the importance of a "crew" for learning in all aspects of life; how a calligraphy lesson from Ron turned into a transformational experience; why models and critique can be powerful tools in the classroom; tying the theme of craftsmanship back to improving educational systems; and the long-awaited return of the lightning round! Learn more about Ed CampQuestions? Thoughts? Feedback? Email us at  freerangehumanspod@gmail.com or Tweet us at @jal_mehta and @Rodroad219

Chair of The Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England, Geoff Barton, speaks to commission member Sonia Thompson about developing oracy at St Matthew's C of E Primary School, inlcuding what an oracy entitlement for all children beyond the Early Years looks like, as well as what she hopes the commission will achieve.Sonia Thompson, Headteacher of St Matthew's C of E Primary School in Birmingham, leads initiatives to enhance education, collaborating with Oracy Cambridge on a Key Stage One oracy development project. Serving as a trustee for EEF and Classics For All, she advocates for Latin education at St Matthew's. Sonia's book, 'An Ethic of Excellence in Action,' provides practical insights into implementing Ron Berger's educational philosophy, while her participation in 'The Uses of Oracy' conference showcases her commitment to inclusive educational practices. You can learn more about The Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England and its members here.

In this conversation, Mordy Oberstein discusses the impact of AI on SEO and the challenges it presents. He emphasizes the need for SEOs to adapt their strategies and understand the changing landscape of content creation. Mordy also highlights the importance of user intent and the role of AI in Google's algorithm. He suggests that brands should take risks and differentiate themselves by creating content that reflects their thought leadership and expertise. Additionally, he discusses Google's algorithm updates and the need for Google to improve its understanding of user behavior. Overall, Mordy provides valuable insights into the evolving relationship between AI and SEO. In this conversation, Mordy Oberstein discusses the impact of Google's changes on SEOs, the opportunities for SEO agencies and professionals in an AI world, time and energy management with a busy schedule, the controversial opinion that brand is more important than acquisition, impactful advice to not be a schmuck, a book recommendation, and where to find Mordy Oberstein on the internet.Key Takeaways:SEOs need to adapt their strategies to the impact of AI on SEO.Content creation should focus on user intent and reflect thought leadership.Google's algorithm updates indicate its efforts to understand user behavior.Brands should take risks and differentiate themselves in the changing landscape of content creation. SEOs need to understand the changes happening in the ecosystem and adapt accordingly.In an AI world, SEO agencies and professionals who can use their brains to navigate the changing landscape will have more opportunities.Time and energy management is crucial for balancing work and personal life.Building a strong brand can lead to long-term success and acquisition.Don't be afraid to say no and focus on quality over quantity.The book 'An Ethic of Excellence' by Ron Berger teaches the importance of iterative improvement.Show LinksVisit WixConnect with Mordy Oberstein on LinkedIn and TwitterConnect with David Khim on LinkedIn and TwitterConnect with Omniscient Digital on LinkedIn or TwitterPast guests on The Long Game podcast include: Morgan Brown (Shopify), Ryan Law (Animalz), Dan Shure (Evolving SEO), Kaleigh Moore (freelancer), Eric Siu (Clickflow), Peep Laja (CXL), Chelsea Castle (Chili Piper), Tracey Wallace (Klaviyo), Tim Soulo (Ahrefs), Ryan McReady (Reforge), and many more.Some interviews you might enjoy and learn from:Actionable Tips and Secrets to SEO Strategy with Dan Shure (Evolving SEO)Building Competitive Marketing Content with Sam Chapman (Aprimo)How to Build the Right Data Workflow with Blake Burch (Shipyard)Data-Driven Thought Leadership with Alicia Johnston (Sprout Social)Purpose-Driven Leadership & Building a Content Team with Ty Magnin (UiPath)Also, check out our Kitchen Side series where we take you behind the scenes to see how the sausage is made at our agency:Blue Ocean vs Red Ocean SEOShould You Hire Writers or Subject Matter Experts?How Do Growth and Content Overlap?Connect with Omniscient Digital on social:Twitter: @beomniscientLinkedin: Be OmniscientListen to more episodes of The Long Game podcast here: https://beomniscient.com/podcast/

Sonia Thompson is headteacher/director at St Matthew's Research School. She is a Specialist Leader of Education and a Talk for Writing Lead Trainer. Sonia is especially passionate about evidence-based reading for pleasure practices.Sonia is also the author of ‘Berger's An Ethic of Excellence in Action', a thorough analysis of Ron Berger's original Ethic of Excellence toolkit strategies, written with his support and guidance. The book shows what excellence looks like in the real world.Tracey Adams has been a teacher for 26 years and is deputy head at St Matthew's Research School in Birmingham. St Matthew's is part of the Research School Network, and aims “to share the very best evidence-based practice with schools and teachers across the West Midlands through evidence-based training.”Tracey is a NCETM Teaching for Mastery Specialist and Professional Development Lead. She is passionate about educational research and changing children's lives through better teaching.00:00 Intro00:31 Sharing good practice05:50 Does a disadvantaged area mean disadvantage in life?09:22 Held back by skin colour, the N word is not ok.12:14 These children deserve the best!18:99 ‘Our' curriculum – entwining the children in everything26:46 How we inspire our children to be the best they can be34:37 Where to start when improving other schools43:06 Learning behaviours & coaching46:52 Reading for pleasure: “You can't do everything, Sonia, let it go!”54:28 Workload, feedback and where to focus59:23 Empowering all – An Ethic of Excellence in Action01:03:49 The science of learning – in your lessonsFollow Tracey AdamsX: https://twitter.com/traceya75Tracey's School X: https://twitter.com/ChristChurchPr2Follow Sonia ThompsonX: https://twitter.com/son1bunSonia's School X: https://twitter.com/StMattsCofELinked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonia-thompson-4597a2b3/Follow White Rose Education:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whiteroseeducation/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/whiteroseedu/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@whiteroseeducationYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_N77kci_H7QM41tMs2ph7wX: https://twitter.com/WhiteRoseEdLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/white-rose-education/Website: http://whiteroseeducation.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

SHOW NOTES Ron Berger is Chief Program Officer for the non-profit school improvement network Expeditionary Learning, a national network of over 160 public project-based schools in 30 states in the US. Ron was as a public school teacher and carpenter in rural Massachusetts for 25 years. His writing and speaking centre on inspiring quality and character in students, specifically through project-based learning, original scientific and historical research, service learning, and the infusion of arts. He is the author of two books - An Ethic of Excellence and A Culture of Quality - the former of which is the focus of this podcast, in its 20th anniversary year This was a game-changing conversation in which Ron provides a way out of the trad-prog debate, and explains how to transform the culture of a school so that the students really start to care about their learning, and to consistently produce work to a staggeringly high standard. LINKS EL Education: https://eleducation.org/ An ethic of excellence: https://www.wob.com/en-gb/books/berger/ethic-of-excellence/9780325005966 THE RETHINKING ED CONFERENCE 2023 Sat 23rd September, London Tickets: https://bit.ly/reconf23 Speakers, sessions, bios: https://www.rethinking-ed.org/rethinked23 Making Change Stick: makingchangestick.co The Rethinking Education podcast is hosted and produced by Dr James Mannion. You can contact him at www.rethinking-ed.org/contact, or via a social platform of your choosing: Twitter: www.twitter.com/RethinkingJames Insta: www.instagram.com/drjamesmannion LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/james-mannion/ SUPPORT THE RETHINKING ED PODCAST: Become a patron: www.patreon.com/repod Buy me a coffee: www.buymeacoffee.com/repod

Ron Berger, Senior Advisor at EL Education, students from over 100 schools coming together for Better World Day.

Ron Berger, Senior Advisor at EL Education, students from over 100 schools coming together for Better World Day.

Questions from the Flight Deck: What if the US Dollar is not the dominant world currency? https://www.visualcapitalist.com/cp/how-reserve-currencies-evolved-over-120-years/   Part 1: How to know how much FDIC insurance you have? https://edie.fdic.gov/calculator.html?  Should we be nervous about the banking system? There is no safer place... How much can I actually hold in my bank account, FDIC insured? See FCIC calculator. Why are banks and brokerage firms different? Banks accept deposits onto their balance sheet. When you deposit money, it becomes a liability for the bank. Brokers are middlemen. They hold your money (custodial relationship) and then allow you to buy investments. These do NOT go onto the broker's balance sheet. They take a little to “broker the sales” but do not own anything. You own the underlying investments. What would happen if Schwab went bankrupt? FDIC, SIPC. Rule 15c3-1, "Net Capital Rule" of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), makes it mandatory for brokerages to maintain a minimum amount of prescribed capital in liquid form. Rule 15c3-3, “Customer Protection Rule,” requires brokerage firms to keep client assets (both cash and securities) in a separate account from the firm's assets to avoid any confusion What does a broker (Schwab) do with our money versus what a bank does with our money? Bank invests and loans your money Schwab puts it in stocks that YOU own. Schwab doesn't hold them. Schwab can't do anything with your money. It's not even on their balance sheet. However, Schwab does have a banking component. A subsidiary of Charles Schwab. Schwab has several components, subsidiaries: ETFs, Mutuals Funds Custodian, Broker-Dealer  Banks Who controls money at ETFs, Mutual Funds... Securities of underlying funds are not held at Schwab, Vanguard. They hire and pay a custodian to keep these securities separate... Who WAS the same – Bernie Madoff. https://international.schwab.com/account-protection Broker collapsing versus broker theft... Protected up to US$600 million. The combined total of our SIPC coverage and our "excess SIPC" coverage means Schwab provides protection up to an aggregate of US$600 million, limited to a combined return of US$150 million per customer, up to US $1.15 million of which may be in cash. This protection becomes available in the event SIPC limits are exhausted. SIPC covers shares, not $$$ amounts: For example, if an investor is holding 200 shares of ABC Inc. originally purchased through a failed stock broker, SIPC will work to replace or restore the same number of shares to the investor. However, if the stock price plummets during the time the stock broker goes bust to the time that the SIPC steps in, the SIPC will not reimburse the money the investor lost.   Ron Berger: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wz64z1YuL0A&t=816s   Part 2: https://www.businesstrialgroup.com/practice-areas/securities-litigation/oil-gas-partnerships/  Why do we go after these types of investments? Are they necessary to be successful? Do they add diversification? Private REITs Land Investments Mineral Rights Oil and Gas LPs Why do they look so attractive? 10-12% annual Yield... Phoenix Capital Group... What does Yield mean? Early bank run on Blackstone last December but it is NOT a bank. This guys says it is OK but if you wanted your money out of it- you cannot have it https://seekingalpha.com/article/4563565-the-truth-about-blackstone  How do you value something? Are short sellers able to sell private securities easily. How do we know if the price is right, close to right or downright wrong. In public markets, is volatility a bug or a feature? “Fox watching the hen house” Fundrise claims that privately held outperform public markets but there are multiple issues with this kind of data: https://fundrise.com/education/why-private-markets-outperform-traditional-publicly-traded  Internal rate of return helps private equity firms but NOT always clients Are losers in private equity always captured in data? survivorship bias. What counts in private investment is the quality of people, trust, and the investments? How many private firms are zombies that still show value on balance sheets When the tide goes out... you see who swimming is nakedly. ..."But I get my 8%, 9% or 10% dividend : ) “ Where does the dividend come from? Wall Street moved from banks & public markets (active mutual funds) to private- why? Because that is where the story, the reputation, the glitz, can be manufactured- with out all this “nobody can beat the market stuff” That is where the money is in the roaring 20s.!

Jal Mehta is a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and also holds the title of faculty co-chair for the Learning Design, Innovation, and Technology program. His research explores the role of different forms of knowledge in tackling major social and political problems, particularly problems of human improvement. He has also written extensively on what it would take to improve American education, with a particular focus on the professionalization of teaching. Our guest co-host, Ron Berger appeared in season one, episode 13: "Our Kids are Not Broken" and returns as a self-described "super-fan" of the podcast. Highlights from a very dynamic conversation include: an opening story about optimism in the face of a suddenly politicized education world; a look back at where it all began for Jal as he grew up in suburban Baltimore; unpacking the complexity of identifying and scaling deeper learning in all education systems; balancing the colonial nature and history of Harvard University with promoting a progressive approach to education; how having kids changes your view on teaching; and a fast moving lightning round that features a "scary story." Listen to Ron's Season 01 EpisodeQuestions? Thoughts? Feedback? Email us at  freerangehumanspod@gmail.com or Tweet us at @jal_mehta and @Rodroad219

This episode features a conversation with Ron Berger, long-time educator and program developer and now Senior Advisor, Teaching and Learning for EL Education. Beginning more than 30 years ago, EL Education was born out of the Outward Bound model of experiential learning that centers around young people, and adults, building strong bonds with each other and exploring and influencing the world together rather than alone, an approach to education that has particular resonance for young adolescents.  In Part 2 of their conversation, Ron and Jason talk about EL's open-source and highly rated and regarded English Language Arts curriculum and how it anchors experiential learning with rigorous, and standards-aligned content; they talk about EL's newer foray into social and emotional learning with its advisory program, Crew; and they address the state of education today, how to meet the moment for young people given the impacts of the pandemic on learning and for teachers amid the backlashes around addressing issues of equity. Additional Readings and ResourcesEL EducationK-8 ELA curriculumCrew: A Teamwork Approach to School Culture and BelongingKurt Hahn“To Improve Students' Mental Health, Schools Take a Team Approach,” by Laura van Straaten, The New York Times, October 7, 2022.Harvard Graduate School of EducationOutward BoundOutward Bound Middle School ExpeditionsNew American Schools Development CorporationNew American Schools' Concept of Break the Mold Designs: How Designs Evolved and Why, by Susan J. Bodilly, RAND Corporation, 2001.Facing the Challenges of Whole-School Reform: New American Schools After a Decade, by Mark Berends, Susan J. Bodilly, and Sheila Nataraj Kirby, RAND Corporation, 2002.A Nation At Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform, a report to the Nation and the Secretary of Education, United States Department of Education, January 1, 1983.

This episode features a conversation with Ron Berger, long-time educator and program developer and now Senior Advisor, Teaching and Learning for EL Education. Beginning more than 30 years ago, EL Education was born out of the Outward Bound model of experiential learning that centers around young people, and adults, building strong bonds with each other and exploring and influencing the world together rather than alone, an approach to education that has particular resonance for young adolescents. In Part 1 of their conversation, Ron and Jason talk about the genesis of EL Education, the core features of its educational programs that appeal to young adolescent learning and development, like hands-on, real-world group learning expeditions and student-led assessment, plus examples from its partner schools on how these concepts of learning come to life.Additional Readings and ResourcesEL EducationK-8 ELA curriculumCrew: A Teamwork Approach to School Culture and BelongingKurt Hahn“To Improve Students' Mental Health, Schools Take a Team Approach,” by Laura van Straaten, The New York Times, October 7, 2022.Harvard Graduate School of EducationOutward BoundOutward Bound Middle School ExpeditionsNew American Schools Development CorporationNew American Schools' Concept of Break the Mold Designs: How Designs Evolved and Why, by Susan J. Bodilly, RAND Corporation, 2001.Facing the Challenges of Whole-School Reform: New American Schools After a Decade, by Mark Berends, Susan J. Bodilly, and Sheila Nataraj Kirby, RAND Corporation, 2002.A Nation At Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform, a report to the Nation and the Secretary of Education, United States Department of Education, January 1, 1983.

In this episode, Co-founder and General Partner of 1517 Fund Danielle Strachman joins us to talk about her perspective on the current state of education and the importance of changing it from a students center perspective. Danielle is passionate about progressive education, all the way from homeschooling and giving kids freedom and autonomy to build new things, to backing founders at the earliest stages of their careers and companies. We dive deep into homeschooling, the charter student-led project based learning model, the importance of compassionate connection and non-coercion in learning and how and why we should empower the talent of kids. Furthermore we tackle the venture capital system and how Danielle through 1517 fund focuses on backing founders that are getting their education through starting a business rather than attending university. Stay tuned! SUPPORT US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/rhyslindmark JOIN OUR DISCORD: https://discord.gg/PDAPkhNxrC Who is Danielle Strachman? Danielle is the Co-founder and General Partner of 1517 Fund that backs dropouts, renegade students, and deep tech scientists at the earliest stages. She has worked with homeschoolers, Co-founded Innovations Academy, and was on the founding team of the Thiel Fellowship, a two-year program for young people who want to build new things. Topics: Welcome Danielle Strachman to The Rhys Show!: (00:00:00) Goal of this episode for listeners: (00:01:53) What got Danielle excited about helping young folks?: (00:02:22) What could the educational experience for a student feel like from ages 0 to 18?: (00:09:23) Why are “essential questions” crucial for the process?: (00:17:29) About Innovations Academy K-8 charter school: (00:19:10) Does this student-led project based learning model work for the low income kid?: (00:23:23) What should schools look like in 30 or 50 years from a VC lense: (00:26:16) 1517 VC: investing in teams led by dropouts, deep-tech scientists, and founders working outside of tracked institutions. What Danielle means by dropouts: (00:29:31) About creating an ecosystem where people can help each other overtime and share ideas: (00:42:45) High school and online learning underrated or overrated?: (00:48:25) Mentioned resources: An Ethic of Excellence: Building a Culture of Craftsmanship with Students. Book by Ron Berger: https://www.amzn.com/0325005966 Talent: How to Identify Energizers, Creatives, and Winners Around the World. Book by Tyler Cowen & Daniel Gross: https://www.amzn.com/1250275814 Connect with Danielle Strachman: Twitter: https://twitter.com/DStrachman Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellestrachman/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danielle.strachman Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dstrachman/

Ring of Fire  In 1962 the sport of boxing suffered an enormous setback to mainstream acceptability, when Benny ‘Kid' Paret died after being pummelled by six-time welterweight champion Emile Griffith at Madison Square Garden, on live network television. Dan Klores and Ron Berger delve deeply into this event, drawing a wealth of testimony and analysis from a gallery of veteran New York boxing identities and commentators. Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a journey, a song A documentary deep-dive into the life and legacy of legendary Canadian singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen told through the prism of his most anthemic and well-known song. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Notes This is the video Ron refers to in which a senior needs to redo her passage presentation High Tech High Unboxed resources on Presentations of Learning “Share Your Learning” resources on Presentations of Learning Leaders of Their Own Learning, by Ron Berger, Leah Rugen, and Libby Woodfin You can watch clips from the portfolio presentations in Ron Berger's own class from the 1980s More EL Education resources for portfolio presentations

For this episode, Tom and Emma chat with education “sister act” Tracey Adams and Sonia Thompson. The pair discuss their roles at St. Matthew's Primary School in Birmingham, Sonia's publication with John Catt Educational, and their philosophies on research-based education. In addition to being Head and Deputy Headteachers at St. Matthew's, Tracey and Sonia are sisters and discuss their dynamic in a research school environment. St Matthew's has garnered a lot of positive attention from the education community in the U.K, even having other educators visit quite often to take some of the techniques Sonia and Tracey use into their own classrooms across Britain. Using a wealth of knowledge gained in the classroom, Sonia's recent publication builds off Ron Berger's seminal work An Ethic of Excellence: Building a Culture of Craftsmanship. Sonia's book explores how she has used Berger's work in the classroom to build fundamentals in reading, language, and create educational experiences that shape young students for great achievement in the future. Sonia Thompson is Head Teacher at St. Matthew's C.E. Primary School and Director of St. Matthew's Research School. She is an SLE for English and School Improvement and a regular speaker at conferences, such as Research Ed. You can find Sonia on Twitter @son1bun Tracey Adams is the Deputy Head Teacher at St. Matthew's CE Primary School and Deputy Director of St. Matthew's Research School. She is also NCETM Professional Development Lead and SLE for Maths and School Improvement. You can find Tracey on Twitter @traceya75 Tom Sherrington has worked in schools as a teacher and leader for 30 years and is now a consultant specializing in teacher development and curriculum & assessment planning. His books include Teaching WalkThrus, Rosenshine's Principles in Action, and The Learning Rainforest Fieldbook. Follow Tom on Twitter @teacherhead Emma Turner joined Discovery Schools Academy Trust as the Research and CPD lead after 20 years in primary teaching. She is the founder of ‘NewEd – Joyful CPD for early-career teachers', a not-for-profit approach to CPD to encourage positivity amongst the profession and help to retain teachers in post. Turner is the author of Be More Toddler: A Leadership Education From Our Little Learners & Let's Talk About Flex: Flipping the flexible working narrative for education. Follow Emma on Twitter @emma_turner75 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mindthegap-edu/message

Today I am delighted to be able to share with you my recent conversation with Andy Sprakes, the co-founder of XP school in Doncaster. I also had the opportunity to speak with two students from the school, Declan and Guraaj, who were absolutely lovely and insightful as you will soon discover. There has been a lot of interest in XP school in recent months, partly following a very complementary profile of the school that was published in the Sunday Times magazine, entitled: ‘Is XP the school of the future?' The article is below - paywalled unfortunately. In case you haven't heard of XP school before, it's a free school that was set up in 2014 by two teachers - Andy Sprakes and Gwyn Ap Harri - who were inspired following a visit to some innovative schools in the US - notably, High Tech High in San Diego, and Ron Berger's Expeditionary Learning schools. They do things very differently at XP. The curriculum is organised into cross-curricular ‘expeditions'. Their pastoral system is second to none. And their results are astonishing. And they are rated by Ofsted as being outstanding in every category. LINKS: Article: Is XP the school of the future? (£) https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/no-uniforms-no-detentions-no-maths-lessons-is-xp-in-doncaster-the-school-of-the-future-jnc6n80kq Free e-book - How we XP: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yJy4-nn0cVaxFNaqBRMnoDemA3v3RvwH/view RETHINKING EDUCATION CONFERENCE - TICKETS: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-rethinking-education-conference-2022-tickets-226415834857 RETHINKING EDUCATION CONFERENCE - SPEAKER APPLICATIONS: https://rethinking-ed.org/conference/ RETHINKING EDUCATION MIGHTY NETWORK: www.rethinking-education.mn.co/feed BECOME A PATRON: www.patreon.com/repod BUY ME A COFFEE: www.buymeacoffee.com/repod The Rethinking Education podcast is hosted and produced by Dr James Mannion. You can contact him at www.rethinking-ed.org/contact, or via @RethinkingJames on Twitter.

You know that buzz you hear when you walk into a classroom that is completely learner-owned? That's world renowned Ron Berger's classroom... And his students are ALWAYS working on something meaningful. Whether it's completing a field guide on local amphibians; or drafting plans for a new playground; they behave in the same way professionals would in the REAL WORLD- and they are only 10.  I sat down with Ron, veteran teacher and senior advisor for EL Education to uncover his secrets for creating this 'ethic of excellence,' and how we can create it in our students as well. We learn: The power of public exhibition. How to transform static units of study into dynamic 'expeditions' of learning. How to build a positive classroom culture of feedback, critique + reflection. How to improve work quality without ever awarding a grade. To unleash curiosity and wonder in our most reluctant learners.    Connect with Ron: Twitter @RonBergerEL, Website (eleducation.org), LinkedIN Get Project Ideas: 'Models of Excellence' from EL Education PBL Starter Kit: www.transformschool.com/pblstarterkit  Ron's Bio:  Ron Berger is Senior Advisor at EL Education, a nonprofit school improvement organization that partners with public schools and districts across America, leads professional learning, and creates open educational resources. He is a well-known keynote speaker nationally and internationally on inspiring a commitment to quality, character and citizenship in students. Ron is the author of best-selling education books, including: An Ethic of Excellence, and A Culture of Quality; and co-author of Leaders of Their Own Learning, Transformational Literacy, Management in the Active Classroom, Learning that Lasts, and We Are Crew: A Teamwork Approach to School Culture. He also teaches at Harvard Graduate School of Education, where he did his graduate work. He founded the website Models of Excellence: The Center for High-Quality Student Work, which houses the world's largest collection of beautiful student work. Ron was a member of the U.S. National Commission on Social, Emotional and Academic Development. In his prior work, Ron was a public school teacher and master carpenter in rural Massachusetts for over 25 years, and received the Autodesk Foundation National Teacher of the Year award.

I first read Ron Berger's Leaders of Their Own Learning in 2018, and I've been sold on the power of learning targets ever since. I believe they're an essential part of successful instruction, assessment, and student learning. I post learning targets on my Google Docs. On Slides. On Classroom. On Seesaw. I try to refer to them often in my instruction. And I ask students to use our targets to assess their own learning. But how much attention do students really give to learning targets? Do they actually mean anything or do they just amount to irrelevant teacher talk and background noise? Welcome to SPARKS: mini-segments intended to spark your thinking and ignite your practice. These short episodes are based on my written reflections, which you can find on the Teachers on Fire Magazine at Medium.com. Read the blog post featured in this episode at https://medium.com/teachers-on-fire/my-students-are-actually-thinking-about-learning-targets-da90d8db352c. My name is Tim Cavey, and I'm proud to contribute to the education conversation through the Teachers on Fire podcast. Make sure to connect with me @TeachersOnFire on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to catch more from me and hear from amazing educators who are bringing growth and transformation to K-12 education today. CONNECT with ME On Twitter @TeachersOnFire (https://twitter.com/TeachersOnFire) On Instagram @TeachersOnFire (https://www.instagram.com/teachersonfire/) On Facebook @TeachersOnFire (https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/) On YouTube @Teachers On Fire (https://www.youtube.com/c/teachersonfire) On Voxer @TeachersOnFire (https://web.voxer.com/u/teachersonfire) On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/timwcavey/ Visit the home of Teachers on Fire at https://teachersonfire.net/. SONG TRACK CREDIT Flight to Tunisia by Causmic Tangled by Emmit Fenn Road Tripzzz by Ofshane Fast and Run by Nico Staf *All songs retrieved from the YouTube Audio Library at https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/teachersonfire/support

This episode is about knowing. We introduce ourselves, the podcast, and how we define teaching and learning for justice, liberation, and abolition through conversations with two teachers from our own schooling experiences: Ms. Brenda Fleming and Michelle Cotnoir. In this episode's Resource Room, we hear from Chase-Mitchell about a book that keeps her grounded in her teaching practice and Zoe, a high school student from Virginia, shares a poem about language, identity, and the power to become. Who are your podcast hosts? (monét and Erin) Why this podcast, why now, and why should we join together on this journey toward liberation in our schools? Well, you'll just have to listen. Thank you for coming with us. This Episode's Intellectual Inheritance Dr. Bettina Love's abolitionist clip is from Education For Liberation Network's Repurposing Our Pedagogies discussion, YouTube, June 3, 2020 “The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action”, The Cancer Journals, Audre Lorde Fleming Day School, (678) 429-0312 Organic World Language Thank you to Ron Berger at EL Schools who encouraged us, connected us to two amazing podcasters — Erica and Katie — and still reminds us to make beautiful work. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dancingondesks/message

Recently, I've been reading a book called “Ethic of Excellence” by Ron Berger. He teaches teachers about how to invoke pride in students, to invite them to work through community engagement and thoughtful feedback, and multiple drafts of work. Check out his classic short video called “Austin's Butterfly” here. He asserts that thoughtful feedback (ie critique) is essential to making great work, which he also asserts is the whole point of life: Make great things. He boils a philosophy of critique down to three principles: Be Kind Be Specific Be Helpful I wanted to bring together three of my favorite leaders to have a roundtable conversation about leading a culture of critique, and to open up about how to bring these ways of working together to life at work. Aaron Irizarry has been on this podcast before, with his co-author of “Discussing Design” Adam Connor. He's the Senior Director of Servicing Platforms Design at Capital One and is a deep, deep thinker on this subject.  Aniruddha Kadam recently left LinkedIn, where he was a Senior Design Manager. He's also an Advisor at Rethink HQ, which recently released an excellent guide to leading critique.  One of my favorite points in that guide is: Make it clear what you are NOT asking for feedback on!  And the roundtable is rounded out by the amazing and delightful Christen Penny, who is a Design Educator & Community Builder and leads the Design Education team at Workday, an enterprise cloud application for finance, HR, and planning.  I wanted to open with Christen's quote about culture change being challenging, because it's critical to have empathy for ourselves and others as we try to facilitate and lead change.  Creating rituals around critique takes time. Getting people to lean into the discomfort takes effort. Building psychological safety doesn't come for free. We should remind ourselves that we're asking people to lean into discomfort - to run into the fire. Ron Berger's perspective is ultimately the goal:  We want our work and our organization's work to be excellent. And we need outside feedback to make that possible. Critique before a launch is a lot less painful than realizing a missed opportunity after we hit “send”. There is so much goodness in this conversation! I hope you take the time to absorb it all. Head over to theconversationfactory.com/listen for full episode transcripts, links, show notes  and more key quotes and ideas. You can also head over there and become a monthly supporter of the show for as little as $8 a month. You'll get complimentary access to exclusive workshops and resources that I only share with this circle of facilitators and leaders. Also: I use and love REV for the accurate transcripts they make for me...it makes making my podcast notes and essays more meaningful and insightful. I love reading the transcript and listening to the session at the same time….it really gets the conversation into my brain! I also use the automated transcription feature for my coaching clients to help them get maximum value from our sessions. I sent the transcript to Rashmi so she could pull out what she needed from the conversation. Head over to http://bit.ly/tryrev10off to get $10 off your first order. In full transparency, that's an affiliate link, so I'll get $10 too! Links and Questions: Aaron Irizarry, Sr. Director, Servicing Platforms Design at Capital One  is here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaroni/ Adam Connor & Adam Irizarry on a way-back episode: Designing a Culture of Critique Aniruddha Kadam, Advisor at Rethink HQ, formerly Design at LinkedIn  is here:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/aniruddhakadam/ Rethink HQ Critique guide: https://www.rethinkhq.com/design-critique/leading-effective-design-critiques Christen Penny, Design Educator @Workday is here:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/christenpenny/ Some questions that guided our conversation: Why is Critique important? Why is a culture of Critique important? What are the barriers to cultivating a culture of critique? What are best practices on the individual, team and org levels to invite more critique?

Ron Berger is Chief Academic Officer for EL Education, an organization that partners with districts and charter boards to found public schools in low-income communities. EL Education's core work is building teacher capacity in schools and districts through professional coaching, resources and open-source curriculum. Ron teaches a course at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, he is an Annenberg Foundation Teacher Scholar, received the Autodesk Foundation National Teacher of the Year award, and is the author of six books. Highlights from the conversation include: a physical therapy metaphor for teaching post-COVID; the importance of quality as students head out in to the real world; how certain standards pose a threat to creativity and deeper learning; the idea that genius is spread out equally among the kids of this world, but opportunity is not; and Ron tells us what it's like to live in a town where most of his neighbors are former students.

Episode Notes Listen to the companion episode, Ron Berger on Student-led Conferences Read a how-to guide to Student-led conferences

Episode Notes The kindergarten student-led conference videos Ron refers to are here: Kindergarten Student-led Conference Station-based Kindergarten Student-led Conference

Ron Berger is the personification of success both in business and franchising.  But it wasn't always that way.  In fact his business career began with a bankruptcy. No, check that... Two bankruptcies: One business and the other personal.  But, out of the ashes arose the phoenix.  Today, ron is the Chairman and CEO of multiple pizza brands that he franchises: Nick and Willie's, Pizza Schmitza and Figaro's,  What's more, you'll find nothing but happy campers in his franchise families, across all three brands.  A lot of that is tied to unit level performance, driven by effective systems and competent leadership.  But it is also because of Ron's focus on relationships and caring deeply for his people.      Ron Berger joins me to talk about his bumpy start, and how it's led to his ultimate success.  Moreover, about how everyone that hitches their wagons to his engine, is rewarded both culturally and economically. This Berger talkspizza.  Ron Berger on Franchise Today!  

Today we will be talking about the persisting narrative around “learning loss” – The idea that students have suffered a collective educational deficit due to the global pandemic. We’re joined by Ron Berger, chief academic officer at EL Education, to look at how, as educators, we can challenge this negative dialogue and reframe how we view students – seeing them as capable, resilient learners whom we believe in. Read Ron's article "Our Kids Are Not Broken" in The Atlantic. Thanks for listening! Don’t forget to: Subscribe to Teach Starter on your favorite podcast app, so you’ll never miss an episode! Subscribe to Teach Starter on Youtube, for helpful videos for your classroom. Follow Teach Starter on Instagram for daily teaching inspiration. Visit TeachStarter.com to view all of our engaging and easy-to-use classroom resources. Did you know that you can listen to the Teach Starter podcast on Spotify?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Notes This episode was inspired by Stacey Caillier's interview with Ron Berger, "Crafting Beautiful Lessons." And THAT interview was inspired by a 2008 interview with Ron Berger that appeared in the inaugural issue of Unboxed, called "Crafting Beautiful Work."

In this episode, we (Mark Raffler and Sarah Shoemaker) chat with Ron Berger about the increasingly prevalent use of the term “learning loss.” Ron is the Senior Advisor for Teaching & Learning at EL Education, a nonprofit school improvement organization that partners with public schools across America, leads professional learning, and creates open educational resources. He is a well-known international keynote speaker on the topics of inspiring a commitment to quality, character, and citizenship in students. Ron also teaches at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. After reading a recent article in which he addressed the use of the term learning loss during this time of pandemic, we connected with Ron. We quickly realized that Ron's perspective reaches beyond the current time to address the intentional language educators use as we think about student strengths as a means to empower them as active planners in their own learning endeavors. Here is a quick unpacking of the conversation: Mark asks Ron to talk about his perspective on the term “learning loss.” Ron addresses this by helping us see that learning loss is about the ways in which students are broken and the efforts it takes to sort and remedy the broken parts of student lives. Through this perspective, he shares that we never actually get around to furthering students' lives or education. He delves into an analogy linking our work as educators and the roles of students to that of physical therapy after surgery. “Schools are not medical facilities. We're not there to fix kids... Physical therapists work with you as to how to grow yourself stronger.” Mark and Ron discuss empowering students to lean into planning their own educational paths. “Every kid needs a slightly different path. We can empower kids to lean into their learning.” Ron shares that the return to classrooms should be joyous and should be celebrated. “We should all be seeking ways to challenge and ramp up the learning.” This starts with an intentional, shared vision. This is the time to lean into academic challenges through social connections to engage students and set bold goals. Sarah asks Ron to describe how and where a teacher would know how to start this process with students leading the work. Ron inspires educators to be prospective. Ron shares a plethora of open-access resources to support the implementation of having students lead their own learning including lesson plans, student work samples, and videos. His emphasis is on making learning memorable and powerful when students are invested in their own learning. When we asked Ron to summarize his advice for schools, educators, and students, he states “This reopening of schools is the perfect time of leaning in together to do the teamwork.” He delves into the “crew” approach to making classroom learning based on collective efforts - more like the soccer team rather than the individual accomplishments - “a shift that can lift a lot for us this year.” All resources in this LLCN Brief (and all 2020-2021 podcasts) can be found at: bit.ly/LLCNresources Please note the audio used as an introduction and in transitions in this podcast is under the Creative Common License and attribution is given as follows: Medicine by WinnieTheMoog Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6256-medicine License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Steven Levy and Sara Espinoza interview Ron Berger, Senior Advisor for Teaching and Learning with EL Education. Check out the new book, We are Crew, as well as the video, Brave and Honest Communication through Crew. Questions they consider include: 1. How do you find time to schedule Crew? 2. How do you form small groups and still have an adult with each of these Crews? 3. Is there a curriculum for Crew? 4. How do you maintain Crew culture from year to year? 5. How do you have discussions around hard questions? 6. How do you start Crew? 7. Are there best practices around group numbers per grade level? 8. For middle school students, what are some recommendations for this age group? 9. How do you get buy-in from your school? Book: https://eleducation.org/resources/we-are-crew Video: https://eleducation.org/resources/brave-and-honest-communication-in-crew

In this episode, I chat with “modern” Vedic astrologist, author, Zen Buddhist,  and creator of the popular Astrology News Report podcast, Ron Berger.  With both humor and candidness, he offers his depth of knowledge on the history, specifics, and principles of the Vedic system as a powerful practice to provide both wisdom and insight along the path of life.  Vedic astrology is acclaimed for its uncanny accuracy drawing from its roots going back over thousands of years.

Episode Notes Full Episode Transcript Here This episode is a recording of a "Den Talk" from the 2021 Deeper Learning Conference, on “Leading School Staff in Work to Address Equity and Racism.” It's hosted by Ron Berger, Senior Advisor for Teaching and Learning at EL Education, and he’s speaking to Laina Cox, Middle School Principal at Capital City Public Charter School, in Washington, DC, Justin Lopez-Cardoze, a Middle School Teacher at Capital City Public Charter School, and Arria Coburn, Principal of Springfield Renaissance School, Springfield, Massachusetts. You can find the the “White Supremacy Culture” resource that Laina was talking about here You can learn more about the Deeper Learning conference here You can learn more about EL Education here And finally, you should read An Ethic of Excellence by Ron Berger. You should read his other books too, but honestly, if you care about education, you will never be the same after reading this book.

Today's show features an interview with Ron Berger, Senior Advisor for Teaching & Learning with EL Education. Ron talks about the structures and the culture of Crew. He is interviewed by Steven Levy, co-chair of Christian Deeper Learning. Ron shares a video on the "Power of Crew", which can be viewed online. Check out Ron's latest book: We are Crew - A Teamwork Approach to School Culture.

"Education Unbound: The Promise and Practice of Greenfield Schooling" by Frederick M. Hess (2010) (http://bit.ly/2Ng6fT5) "Medical and technological breakthroughs today are often seeded by expensive investments made 10 or 20 years ago, or even longer. The payoff for boosting K-12 R&D will not be wondrous increases in student achievement in three months or three years; it will unfold only in the course of time. This is a difficult sale in the 'fix it now' world of schooling..." (p. 39). References: Rick Hess (https://twitter.com/rickhess99) EL Education (https://eleducation.org/) Ron Berger (https://twitter.com/RonBergerEL) High Tech High (https://www.hightechhigh.org/) Deeper Learning Conference (https://www.deeper-learning.org/dl-events/) Michael Lipset, PhD of PassTell Stories (http://www.michaellipset.com/) Connect: Twitter (https://twitter.com/mjcraw) Website (https://www.mjcraw.com) Music from Digi G'Alessio CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 (https://bit.ly/2IyV71i)

The Special Sauce of PBL with Mike Kaechele, PBL & SEL Teacher, Coach, & PBLWorks National Faculty Mike Kaechele: Twitter @mikekaechele http://michaelkaechele.com/ Facebook Page: SEL in PBL Resources Mentioned: PBLWorks: https://www.pblworks.org/ High Tech High: https://www.hightechhigh.org/ Expeditionary Learning: https://eleducation.org/ Ron Berger: https://eleducation.org/about/staff/ron-berger Suzie Boss: http://www.ascd.org/Publications/ascd-authors/suzie-boss.aspx New Tech Network of Schools: https://newtechnetwork.org/ EdTech Classroom https://edtech-class.com/ Instagram @edtechclass Twitter @edtech_class

As schools try to determine how best to help students, the challenges, it seems, are everywhere: Health, safety, technology, food security, personal growth, and, of course, learning. Which is what makes learning about EL Education's approach so useful. EL Education guides a network of over 150 public schools in more than 30 states –  helping build schools in low-income communities that send all graduates to college through high student achievement, character and citizenship, while also building teacher capacity through professional coaching, resources and open-source curriculum. But how does it work? And in particular, how are the program's fundamentals helping students, parents, teacher, and administrators maintain learning and growing. To learn more, we spoke with Ron Berger and Laina Cox. Ron is Chief Academic Officer for EL Education, and Laina is Principal at Capital City Public Charter Middle School in Washington D.C. As you'll hear in this part one of our two-part conversation, a lynchpin to EL's success is something called Crew robust advisories that form human connections, and the connections in EL schools form a community. For more information, go to www.turnaroundusa.org/podcast.

Today we continue our conversation with Ron Berger and Laina Cox. Ron is Chief Academic Officer for EL Education, and has been with the group since its founding.Ron is Chief Academic Officer for EL Education, which guides a network of over 150 public schools in more than 30 states – helping build schools in low-income communities that send all graduates to college through high student achievement, character and citizenship, while also building teacher capacity through professional coaching, resources and open-source curriculum.  Laina is one of those educators and administrators who bring EL's vision to life, as Principal at Capital City Public Charter Middle School in Washington D.C. In fact, today's conversation focuses even more in depth on what exactly that means in Laina's school – literally, how they do it. In this conversation, Ron and Laina also take on the question more broadly – looking at learning in America today – and address some of the broader social questions of how learning can and should work in the face of a pandemic, social unrest, and more. For more information, go to www.turnaroundusa.org/podcast.

Chris Fitzgerald Walsh chats with Laura Flaxman about parenting, school leadership, and feeling connected during crazy times. Ron Berger stops by to talk about about craftsmanship in teaching and learning.¯------------------ ◠‿◠ ------------------ /¯ school180.com@school_180Chris Fitzgerald Walsh: @fitzwalshLaura Flaxman on Twitter: @FlaxmanLauraRon Berger on Twitter: @RonBergerELMore from Ron Berger: A Culture of Quality, We Are Crew, Leaders of Their Own Learning

This edWeb podcast is sponsored by Brooklyn Laboratory Charter Schools (LAB) and hosted by Digital Promise.The webinar recording can be accessed here.In this edWeb podcast, the Brooklyn Laboratory school community, in partnership with Turnaround for Children, EL Education, and City Year, demonstrates how schools must go beyond safety measures to meet the needs of students and ensure that every young person has a relationship with a trusted adult to provide the support they need to learn and grow.On August 12th, Brooklyn Laboratory Charter Schools (LAB) announced the launch of its Success Coaching Playbook to help schools nationwide consider how they can train staff to help every student navigate different learning environments and succeed in a COVID-19 world. Given the financial and health challenges created by COVID-19, as well as ongoing racial trauma, students need support in a variety of learning contexts, including remote, in-person, and hybrid options. Brooklyn LAB is training a range of adults—including teachers, support staff, administrators, and teaching fellows—to be the primary support people for designated sets of students, working with each student individually to make sure they are set up for success.Hear from key partners in the development of the Success Coaching Playbook: Pam Cantor, M.D. from Turnaround for Children, Jennifer Boyce and Kirsten Davis from City Year, and Ron Berger from EL Education. Learn vital information and get access to practical resources to ensure that every young person in your learning context has access to a safe, supportive, and knowledgeable adult who can effectively serve our learners and guide them through trauma, stress, and upheaval.This edWeb podcast is of interest to K-12 teachers and school and district leaders. Digital Promise Digital Promise's mission is to accelerate innovation in education to improve opportunities to learn

In this episode, Ron Berger, co-author of We Are Crew: A Teamwork Approach to School Culture, shares insights on creating a positive school culture through a crew spirit that places an emphasis on team building and working together for positive change. Berger also talks about his role as Chief Education Officer for EL Education, a network of over 150 schools in 30 states, that takes Deeper Learning to the next level with the concept of "Deeper Instruction" as every lesson is designed to push students deeper through the three dimensions of classroom instruction that makes learning challenging, engaging and empowering for kids. Berger also offers praise for teachers and school leaders, calling them "heroic" in their efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic and offers sound advice on how to have challenging conversations in schools about race and social inequity. Twitter: @RonBergerEL. Websites: https://www.eleducation.org. Meet Ron Berger Ron Berger is Chief Academic Officer for EL Education. EL Education guides a network of over 150 public schools in more than 30 states – an organization that partners with districts and charter boards to found public schools in low-income communities that send all graduates to college, and transforms existing public schools K – 12 toward high student achievement, character and citizenship. EL Education’s core work is building teacher capacity in schools and districts through professional coaching, resources and open-source curriculum. Ron works closely with the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where he did his graduate work and teaches a course that uses exemplary student project work to illuminate standards. With Harvard colleague Steve Seidel, he founded Models of Excellence: The Center for HighQuality Student Work, an open-source collection of the nation’s best K-12 student project work and writing. He is an Annenberg Foundation Teacher Scholar, and received the Autodesk Foundation National Teacher of the Year award. He is the author of six books: An Ethic of Excellence and A Culture of Quality; more recent works include Leaders of Their Own Learning, Transformational Literacy, Management in the Active Classroom, and Learning that Lasts." Ron was a public school teacher and master carpenter in rural Massachusetts for over 25 years. His writing and speaking center on inspiring quality and character in students, specifically through project-based learning, original scientific and historical research, service learning, and the infusion of arts. He works with the national character education movement to embed character values into the core of academic work. About Dr. Greg Goins As the Founder/Host of the Reimagine Schools Podcast, Dr. Greg Goins has emerged as one of the nation's leading voices on visionary leadership and the path to transforming our schools. He currently serves as the Director of the Educational Leadership Program at Georgetown College (KY) and previously spent 15 years as a school district superintendent in Illinois. Dr. Goins is a passionate keynote speaker and is available to speak at your next education conference or school PD day. To book Dr. Goins, please send inquiries to drgreggoins@gmail.com. Twitter: @DrGregGoins. Website: www.reimagineschools.net. Support The Reimagine Schools Podcast You can now help keep the conversation going by supporting the Reimagine Schools Podcast with a small monthly donation to help sustain future episodes. Thanks for your support! https://anchor.fm/greg-goins/support --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/greg-goins/support

Ron Berger, my educational hero, joins me to talk about his new book, We Are Crew: A Teamwork Approach to School Culture and presents some important and beautiful ideas about what education should really be all about. I was so grateful to get this opportunity to speak with and learn from Ron and learn how we can all work together to “get everyone to the top of the mountain.” My very special thanks to Ron and to Yossie Frankel for his voice work on this episodes fauxmercial.

Today on the podcast, Tom Vander Ark is joined by Ron Berger. Ron has been teaching for 40 years and is currently the Chief Academic Officer at EL Education. He’s also the author of some popular books you may have heard of! One of which, Leaders of Their Own Learning: Transforming Schools Through Student-Engaged Assessment, is one of Getting Smart’s favorites. Last year, Ron joined the Getting Smart podcast to discuss a companion piece to Leaders of Their Own Learning. (If you missed it, be sure to check out episode 222, linked below!) In this episode, Ron is joining the podcast once again to discuss his newest book, We Are Crew: A Teamwork Approach to School Culture, that he wrote in collaboration with Anne Vilen and Libby Woodfin. At EL Education, ‘crew’ is the culture and the advisory structure. We Are Crew details secrets to create secondary schools that promote academics and character development. Listen in to hear about how crew as a culture and structure is transforming schools!   Key Takeaways: [:10] About today’s episode with Ron Berger. [1:00] Tom welcomes Ron back to the podcast. [1:07] Ron speaks about the impact his previously published book, Leaders of Their Own Learning, has had on schools, educators, and students. [2:17] How the timing of Ron’s new book, We Are Crew, came out at an opportune time with the current global pandemic. [3:42] What is ‘crew’ as culture? How is it different from traditional public schools? [8:41] What is the structure of crew? [9:43] How the crew model varies between elementary and secondary schools. [11:20] The role that crew fulfills in a high school. [13:29] About crew’s post-secondary planning and goal-setting. [14:42] Why is it hard for homeroom advisories in high school to be done well? And how can they be improved? [17:38] What makes crew particularly successful? [19:45] Chapters 4-7 in We Are Crew cover the specific jobs that crew does for EL Schools. In Chapter 4, the book details how to help young people become effective learners. Ron further elaborates on this and details how crew helps them understand themselves as a learner. [22:15] Chapter 5 in We Are Crew is about becoming ethical people. Ron shares how crew aids in that. [24:55] Chapter 6 is on contributions. Ron elaborates on how crew helps young people understand contributions and begin to make their own, unique contributions. [26:51] Chapter 7 talks about post-secondary. Ron adds his thoughts on how educators can help young people imagine possible futures. [30:04] Tom and Ron reflect on the timeliness of We Are Crew. [31:13] Where to find Ron and access free EL Education resources online.   Mentioned in This Episode: Ron Berger EL Education Leaders of Their Own Learning: Transforming Schools Through Student-Engaged Assessment, by Ron Berger, Leah Rugen, Libby Woodfin, and EL Education Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 222: “Ron Berger on Helping Students Become Leaders of Their Own Learning” We Are Crew: A Teamwork Approach to School Culture, by Ron Berger, Anne Vilen, and Libby Woodfin   Get Involved: Check out the blog at GettingSmart.com. Find the Getting Smart Podcast on iTunes, leave a review and subscribe.   Is There Somebody You’ve Been Wanting to Learn From or a Topic You’d Like Covered? To get in contact: Email Editor@GettingSmart.com and include ‘Podcast’ in the subject line. The Getting Smart team will be sure to add them to their list!

Kevin Boston-Hill speaks with Ron Berger, EL Education Chief Academic Officer, about the importance of character and taking a team approach to education.

Ericka Sóuter, a nationally recognized voice in the realm of parenting news talks to us about how Messenger Kids from Facebook can help with learning and connecting to friends. Ron Berger, Chief Academic Officer, for EL Education discusses the importance of social-emotional learning and healing as a critical foundation for academic success. Katie Macarelli, a cycling enthusiast, works with Topeak and shares ideas for biking and walking to school as an alternative to the bus or car. Victoria Rowell chats about her new show on AMC Networks, "Trash Verses Treasure."

Joining The Project in this episode is Rob Berger, the Chief Academic Officer for EL Education.   EL Education guides a network of over 150 public schools in more than 30 states. It's an organization that partners with districts and charter boards to found public schools in low-income communities in order to send all graduates to college.   Ron works closely with the Harvard Graduate School of Education (where he did his graduate work) and teaches a course that uses exemplary student project work to illuminate standards. He is also the author of six books including, An Ethic of Excellence: Building a Culture of Craftsmanship with Students and A Culture of Quality: A Reflection on Practice.   In this episode, Ron speaks about powerful PBL projects he has worked on with students and their communities, including an 8th grade science project that prompted a town to invest $156K in energy renovations of its schools. He details what made them so impactful and how these projects helped prepare students for their real lives. Ron also shares some practical steps that new PBL teachers can take towards creating authentic learning experiences, the importance of building strong student/adult relationships, and his response to those that say PBL is not for everyone.   Key Takeaways: [:32] About today's featured guest, Ron Berger! [1:36] A clip from Ron's keynote from last year's PBL World Conference, where he describes a project in which students worked with a community to complete energy audits of their schools. [4:16] Ron Berger is welcomed to The Project. [4:53] Ron further elaborates on the project to show the power of what kids can do. [7:07] Ron speaks about how, during the project, he worked with the experts and the community, bringing them together to create something truly powerful. [9:22] Ron outlines some practical steps that new PBL teachers can take towards creating authentic learning experiences. [12:25] Ron emphasizes the importance of building strong student/adult relationships for project-based learning. [14:47] PBL prepares students for their real lives. [16:44] “What I value most in teaching is the opportunity to support students in doing beautiful work.” How does Ron define ‘beautiful work'? And why is it important? [18:59] How can we support all learners in getting to the place where they can create beautiful work? [23:06] Ron responds to those who say that PBL is not for everyone. [26:15] Ron speaks about some of the areas of PBL that he is currently exploring.   Mentioned in This Episode: PBLWorks Ron Berger | EL Education EL Education PBL World 2019 Keynote | Ron Berger An Ethic of Excellence: Building a Culture of Craftsmanship with Students, by Ron Berger A Culture of Quality: A Reflection on Practice, by Ron Berger Models of Excellence | The Center for High-Quality Student Work Harvard Graduate School of Education   Twitter Quotes (for Social Media Use):   “I think one of the most important steps [in creating authentic learning experiences as a PBL teacher] is to not make assumptions about what your community could need but to go out and talk to people in the community about what … the genuine needs [are].” — Ron Berger   “The most powerful projects… happen not because the kids or the teacher made an assumption about the environmental, … social, or the financial needs of the community but [instead] went out and found out what would be useful in [their] community.” — Ron Berger   “That sense of doing high-quality work … [and] craftsmanship … is one of the most important things about school but [it is] one of the things that we … least focus on because … many schools have to spend their time on test preparation [rather than] … standards.” — Ron Berger   “You have to give yourself as a teacher … the time to create something valuable.” — Ron Berger   “I think the biggest problem in project-based learning is typically the need to rush … so the ability to create things of quality isn't there … [when] we're just rushed to cover things [as teachers] … kids don't have time to really draft [their work] well.” — Ron Berger

Mike, Julie, Jeannine, and Matt strike up a conversation with EL Education's Ron Berger. Ron gets into EL's purpose, its core values, and some of the reasons why it's held back a bit in growing its network, despite calls for more EL schools around the country. Ron talks about EL's free resources, including their notable literacy curriculum and his own path as a teacher in a small rural town in Massachusetts. This week's plugs include: Maverick Teachers by Dave Baugh and AJ Juliani, Wide Open School, Rivet- a free reading practice tool, and Better Together by Tom Vander Ark and Lydia Dobyns. Music by Ketsa.

Episode Notes Our other podcast episode featuring Ron Berger is "Ron Berger on the magic of beautiful lessons, and of "no lesson at all" Stacey Caillier's interview with Ron Berger is “Crafting Beautiful Lessons: An Interview with Ron Berger”Resources from EL Education: In this video, Hillary Mills' 11th grade biology class at Metropolitan Expeditionary Learning School in New York City grapples with a scientific figure taken from an article on TALEN gene therapy. This video shows Peter Hill's 8th grade science class at King Middle School (Portland, Maine) grappling with an article about how magnets and wires generate electricity.

Today’s episode is all about contribution and empowering all students to make meaningful contributions to the world! At Loudoun County Public Schools that is their motto! LCPS is a big Virginia district west of Washington, DC, serving about 84,000 students in 94 schools.   In today’s episode, Tom Vander Ark gets to speak with the Superintendent of Loudoun, Dr. Eric Williams. Dr. Williams has been Superintendent in Loudoun for just over five years. While many districts reference citizenship as a goal, Williams prefers the term ‘contribution,’ as it incorporates careers in the private sector, civic engagement, and community service. He believes in engaging students in solving authentic problems as a means of developing knowledgeable critical thinkers, communicators, collaborators, creators, and contributors.   Join the conversation today to hear all about Loudoun, how Williams is driving authentic learning from the elementary level to high school, and his focus on empowering all students to make meaningful contributions to the world!   Key Takeaways: [:15] About today’s episode! [1:00] Tom welcomes Dr. Eric Williams to the podcast! [1:07] Why did Dr. Williams study history at William & Mary? [2:33] How and when did Williams realize teaching was for him? When did he start his career as an educator? [3:23] Tom and Williams speak about when they first met. [3:37] Williams speaks about the work he was proud of when he served as Superintendent at York County School Division. [4:14] What attracted Williams to work at Loudoun? [5:44] How was Williams able to keep the focus at Loudoun on teaching and learning and not let himself and his board get preoccupied with simply managing growth? [7:00] Do William and his board end up redoing their boundaries every year? And if so, how do they do it in a way that doesn’t drive the community crazy? [8:21] William describes their improvement agenda at Loudoun. [10:15] How did Williams’ belief in empowering students to make meaningful contributions become so prominent in his work as an educator? [13:30] Williams talks about Loudoun’s emphasis on the four Cs and why they don’t add the fifth C, citizenship. [16:20] What a day of authentic learning looks like in the elementary schools of Loudoun County. [18:40] What a day of authentic learning looks like in the middle schools of Loudoun County. [19:55] What a day of authentic learning looks like in the high schools of Loudoun County. [21:36] Williams gives some examples of students contributing in Loudoun County, both in and out of school. [25:43] Williams speaks about his recent statement about equity in Loudoun County. [26:35] What’s next in Loudoun? [27:22] Does Williams anticipate seeing changes in the traditional master schedule in secondary schools? [29:15] Tom thanks Williams for joining the Getting Smart Podcast!   For More on Authentic Student Work, Listen to: Getting Smart Ep. 222: “Ron Berger on Helping Students Become Leaders of Their Own Learning”   Mentioned in This Episode: Loudoun County Public Schools Dr. Eric Williams’ LinkedIn The Kern Family Foundation Fairfax County Public Schools   Get Involved: Check out the blog at GettingSmart.com. Find the Getting Smart Podcast on iTunes, leave a review and subscribe.   Is There Somebody You’ve Been Wanting to Learn From or a Topic You’d Like Covered? To get in contact: Email Editor@GettingSmart.com and include ‘Podcast’ in the subject line. The Getting Smart team will be sure to add them to their list!  

This week, Tom is speaking with Ron Berger, the Chief Academic Officer at EL Education. Ron has been with EL Education since 2003 and is responsible for leading EL Education's vision of teaching and learning. Bringing with him 40 years of experience as a teacher and professional development designer, with 28 of those years teaching public school, Ron is highly regarded in the education space.   Going back to the beginning of Ron’s journey, he began teaching in a little town in Western Massachusetts. Just about everyone under the age of 50 in Shutesbury, MA, was one of Ron Berger’s students. The fact that his nurse, plumber, and accountant had all been in his class helped him understand the bigger picture. It made him ask himself, ‘Do they understand high-quality work? Do they have courage? Do they have quality values? And do they use critical thinking? Would I trust my life to that person?’ These became Ron’s principles in what he hopes for his students to achieve. When he went on to develop the Expeditionary Learning School model — a project-based community-connected approach focused on doing authentic, quality work — these principles remained at the forefront. Now, EL Education is helping more than 50,000 students become great scholars and active, ethical citizens with the capacity to build a better world.   Listen in to Tom’s and Ron’s conversation about the incredible impact EL Education is having on students, teachers, and schools; Ron’s journey in education and how it has impacted his life personally and professionally; about his upcoming book, a sequel to his 2014 release, Leaders of Their Own Learning; and some incredible examples of how students are building quality character through the framework Ron has helped build through EL Education.   Key Takeaways: [:14] About this week’s episode. [1:19] Tom welcomes Ron Berger to the podcast! [1:33] Why and how did Ron become a teacher in Shutesbury, Massachusetts? [5:04] How did Ron build his own house in Shutesbury, MA? [6:16] Ron expresses his appreciation of craftsmanship and why it is so important in education. [9:04] Along with his passion for craftsmanship, is it true that Ron also has a passion for disco? [10:48] Is it true that Ron also remains a student of popular culture? [11:38] When did Ron discover Expeditionary Learning (EL Education)? [13:28] Ron speaks about his contribution to some of the early design principles at EL Education. [15:15] Would Ron agree that around 2010 EL Education shifted to focus more on curriculum than developing a school network? [18:55] Around 2011, Ron started a project with Harvard called ‘Models of Excellence.’ Ron explains the thought process behind it and what it means to him. [21:22] Under what conditions do students do world-class work? [25:02] Why does Ron’s character framework put the idea of contributing to a better world at the center? [28:40] How Ron defines ‘character.’ [29:15] Ron gives an incredible example of students with character and breaking out of the standard curriculum. [31:06] In 2014, Ron authored Leaders of Their Own Learning along with several other authors. He explains the impetus of that book and what it means to him. [32:50] Why has Ron decide to write a sequel to Leaders of Their Own Learning? What does he hope to accomplish with it and how is it going to help teachers? [34:37] Ron shares some of the ways he hopes to see people use his book. [36:43] Where to find Ron online and learn more about EL Education. [37:30] Tom thanks Ron for joining the Getting Smart Podcast!   Mentioned in This Episode: Ron Berger (LinkedIn) EL Education Leaders of Their Own Learning: Transforming Schools Through Student-Engaged Assessment, by Ron Berger, Leah Rugen, Libby Woodfin, and EL Education Revisionist History Podcast, by Malcolm Gladwell Project Zero Outward Bound Gates Foundation EL Education’s Models of Excellence For More on Provoking Deeper Learning, Listen to: Episode 203: “Jal Mehta on Provoking Deeper Learning in High School”   Get Involved: Check out the blog at GettingSmart.com. Find the Getting Smart Podcast on iTunes, leave a review and subscribe.   Is There Somebody You’ve Been Wanting to Learn From or a Topic You’d Like Covered? To get in contact: Email Editor@GettingSmart.com and include ‘Podcast’ in the subject line. The Getting Smart team will be sure to add them to their list!  

You can read Stacey Caillier's interview with Ron Berger here

Every classroom has walls , but some teachers use their wall space more effectively than others. In this episode, we look at the best ways to use classroom walls. @larryferlazzo @RonBergerEL @omanster @ichangecollab @Bamradionetwork Martha Caldwell and Oman Frame, veteran teachers and co-founders of iChange Collaborative, facilitate compelling conversations about the impact of race, class and gender identities with educators and their students. Their co-authored Let’s Get Real: Exploring Race, Class, and Gender Identities in the Classroom. Ron Berger is Chief Academic Officer for EL Education, a nonprofit school improvement organization that supports over 150 public schools across America toward high achievement, character, and college readiness, and provides professional development and open educational resources. He also teaches at Harvard Graduate School of Education.

We've all made mistakes in our teaching practice and most of us are eager to learn from them and move on. We know school administrators also miss the mark at times. In this episode, we look at leadership mistakes and how to avoid them. Anne Vilen is Senior Writer and Project Manager for EL Education (formerly Expeditionary Learning) and co-author (with Ron Berger & Libby Woodfin) of Learning that Lasts: Challenging, Engaging, and Empowering Students with Deeper Instruction. Previously, she served as Associate Director of an EL Education mentor school in Asheville, North Carolina. Marcy Webb is a Spanish teacher, middle and high school, at an independent day school in CT. Dr. Jason Kotch is the Principal of Garnet Valley Elementary School in Glen Mills, PA. Jason is the co-author of the Routledge Eye on Education series book 7 Steps to Sharing Your School's Story on Social Media.

Of the many daily challenges art teachers face, adopting a growth mindset may not be at the top of your list. Emily Gould, known as @sierramadres on Instagram, is a K-12 art teacher who has done it all. Throughout her years teaching art, her one main focus is to never stop learning, always move forward, and do what’s best for the students. Sounds like a good plan, right? WHAT YOU’LL LEARN: - What craftsmanship means to Emily, and how it plays a role in her career and teaching - How the expectations she has for her students helps them grow as artists - What can happen when people fall out of the creative habit - The importance of practicing lessons you’re teaching before hand, and how this can help you make an art lesson your own - The many uses of Emily's favorite, unique art supply: joint compound LISTEN TO THE SHOW 1. What was your path/journey to becoming an art teacher? My first art teaching job happened by accident...I had just graduated from art school, and I was sharing a painting studio with three other artists in Chicago. I needed a stamp because it was time to send the bills. There was an elementary school on the corner near my studio, and I remember thinking...a school could have stamps! So, I went into the school, and I didn't know I was talking to the principal. She said, "You look like an art teacher, and I need an art teacher.”  Maybe I looked like an art teacher because I had paint all over me?  I needed a job, so I told her..."Yes, I'm an art teacher!" I was hired! I immediately walked to the Chicago Public Library and checked out several books about teaching art (There was no internet in 1993.) 2. What do you feel is your best attribute or strength as an art teacher? Setting a standard of craftsmanship in the classroom that encourages excellence. Two  summers ago our summer reading book was, An Ethic of Excellence: Building a Culture of Craftsmanship with Students by Ron Berger. I've never thought "that's exactly what I think,” while reading a book as much as this one! Ron Berger is a carpenter, but also a teacher. He extends this idea of craftsmanship into the classroom. The book is all about setting a standard of excellence and how he inspires students to do this. I would recommend this book to all educators as an inspiration to revitalize the passion for excellence. The ideas in this book are truly inspiring and the educational goals are exactly what I strive for! It’s also important to build an arts community, to keep faculty and parents aware of what is happening in the art room. Student artworks are displayed on bulletin boards and in our hallway gallery space. Every student has an online art portfolio or gallery at Artsonia.com.  Whenever an art project is completed, student artwork is uploaded onto an online school art gallery. It is always open for viewing and can be shared with family and friends internationally. Part of the art making process is getting your art out there to be seen! I’ve noticed that students work harder knowing that family and friends will see their art in school art displays or online. 3. What do you do well in the art room and how does that benefit your students? I am good at inspiring students and teaching the life lesson of perseverance, by assigning art lessons that are challenging. I also feel that an environment that allows for some playfulness helps to promote creativity!  I was intrigued by a TED talk by Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO. He spoke about the connection between playfulness and creativity. He attempted to understand how one may lose their creativity. Tim Brown notes that "preschools are filled with shelves of building blocks, bins of crayons, tubs of play-doh. As children grow and move through the educational system all of these supplies that facilitate the creative thinker and once filled the classrooms get taken away…” I feel that a creative environment must not be an environment where students are intimidated to loose their playfulness.

Julie answers the questions: How can we make sense of the practices that our global digital learners--our students--need to be experiencing in the classroom? And how do these practices align to the framework of Bloom's taxonomy? More about critical thinking verbs: https://globaldigitalcitizen.org/26-critical-thinking-tools-blooms-taxonomy More about learning by doing by Ron Berger: https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2018/09/26/we-learn-by-doing-what-educators-get.html?cmp=SOC-EDIT-FB

Justin Cook is Director of Learning for the Ontario Aliance of Christian Schools (http://www.oacs.org/author/justinc/). A few months ago he and I had a conversation where he shared Ron Berger's article "Beautiful Work" (http://www.bie.org/object/document/beautiful_work), and in his own writing Justin states that "our work is beautiful" because it reveals coherence, interconnectedness, craftsmanship, and authenticity. But the primary conversation that we have pertain to his developing ideas on what he calls the Beautiful Worker.  

Rod Arquette Show Daily Rundown - Monday, January 22, 20184:20 pm: Representative Karianne Lisonbee joins Rod for a discussion about her bill that will enact protections for children with Down syndrome4:35 pm: Representative Brian King joins the show to discuss his recent op-ed in which he questions why so many Mormons are supportive of President Donald Trump6:05 pm: Richie Angel, Co-editor in Chief of The New Guards, joins Rod to discuss his recent op-ed in which he asks which Mitt Romney will we see in Washington should he be elected to Congress6:20 pm: Ron Berger, Chief Education Officer for EL Education, joins the show to discuss his piece in Real Clear Policy in which he outlines how public education can help revive citizenship6:35 pm: Kay Hymowitz, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute, joins the show to discuss the truth behind President Trump’s immigration storm

Ron Berger describes an extraordinary career in an amazing range of industries - including director of "The Boys of 2nd Street Park," a documentary, where many of Berger's childhood pals and basketball buddies talk about growing up in the 60s and the 70s.

Ron Berger talks about how school culture drives both learning and teaching. Ron is responsible for leading EL Education’s vision of teaching and learning, and brings 40 years experience as a teacher and professional development designer. He is author of two books, An Ethic of Excellence and A Culture of Quality.

In this episode, I speak with Steven Levy, the author of Starting from Scratch: One Classroom Builds Its Own Curriculum (Heinemann, 1996). His book shares his reflections on the complexities of teaching by drawing upon his years spent implementing project-based learning in the elementary grades. We discuss his beginnings and influences, the roles of expertise and curiosity in teaching, and the qualities that make a good teacher. He recommends the following books for listeners interested in his work and our conversation: Leaders of Their Own Learning: Transforming Schools Through Student-Engaged Assessment by Ron Berger, Leah Rugen, and Libby Woodfin How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms by Carol Ann Tomlinson Levy joins New Books in Education for the interview. You can watch a video of students reflecting on their experiences in his classroom on YouTube. To share your thoughts on the podcast, you can connect with him via email at slevy@elschools.org. Trevor Mattea is an educational consultant and speaker. His areas of expertise include deeper learning, parent involvement, project-based learning, and technology integration. He can be reached by email at info@trevormattea.com or on Twitter at @tsmattea. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, I speak with Steven Levy, the author of Starting from Scratch: One Classroom Builds Its Own Curriculum (Heinemann, 1996). His book shares his reflections on the complexities of teaching by drawing upon his years spent implementing project-based learning in the elementary grades. We discuss his beginnings and influences, the roles of expertise and curiosity in teaching, and the qualities that make a good teacher. He recommends the following books for listeners interested in his work and our conversation: Leaders of Their Own Learning: Transforming Schools Through Student-Engaged Assessment by Ron Berger, Leah Rugen, and Libby Woodfin How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms by Carol Ann Tomlinson Levy joins New Books in Education for the interview. You can watch a video of students reflecting on their experiences in his classroom on YouTube. To share your thoughts on the podcast, you can connect with him via email at slevy@elschools.org. Trevor Mattea is an educational consultant and speaker. His areas of expertise include deeper learning, parent involvement, project-based learning, and technology integration. He can be reached by email at info@trevormattea.com or on Twitter at @tsmattea. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ron Berger (teacher, author, and Chief Academic Officer at EL Education) talks about giving students authentic assignments with a public audience and purpose, showing students models of high quality work, teaching them to critique their own work, and develop an ethic of excellence more important than any test score.

The school structures we present to teachers can sometimes resemble two extremes. In the first set of circumstances, teachers have enormous autonomy over what they teach, when they teach it, and how they teach it. In the second, they have almost no choices whatsoever. The texts are all provided, along with the objectives, the script, and the pacing guide. I am not sure that either of these working conditions are sustainable longterm. Obviously, no one enjoys being told exactly what to do. It conveys a lack of trust and respect. But it is an awesome responsibility to be told that everything is up to you. When we live in a culture that continually reinforces the idea that the longterm success of every student is tied to a single teacher’s priorities, words, and actions, this is a recipe for burnout. Are there practices that provide room for creativity without placing an unreasonable burden on individual teachers? How might teachers’ aims inform their choices? How can all teachers facilitate deeper learning in a sustainable way? In Learning That Lasts: Challenging, Engaging, and Empowering Students with Deeper Instruction (Jossey-Bass, 2016) Ron Berger and co-authors, Libby Woodfin and Anne Vilen, outline instructional moves, lesson structures, and discussion protocols that ask more from students and work in a variety of teaching contexts. Woodfin joins New Books in Education for the interview. You can find more information about her work with Expeditionary Learning on its website. Trevor Mattea is an educational consultant and speaker. His areas of expertise include deeper learning, parent involvement, project-based learning, and technology integration. He can be reached by email at info@trevormattea.com or on Twitter @tsmattea. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The school structures we present to teachers can sometimes resemble two extremes. In the first set of circumstances, teachers have enormous autonomy over what they teach, when they teach it, and how they teach it. In the second, they have almost no choices whatsoever. The texts are all provided, along with the objectives, the script, and the pacing guide. I am not sure that either of these working conditions are sustainable longterm. Obviously, no one enjoys being told exactly what to do. It conveys a lack of trust and respect. But it is an awesome responsibility to be told that everything is up to you. When we live in a culture that continually reinforces the idea that the longterm success of every student is tied to a single teacher’s priorities, words, and actions, this is a recipe for burnout. Are there practices that provide room for creativity without placing an unreasonable burden on individual teachers? How might teachers’ aims inform their choices? How can all teachers facilitate deeper learning in a sustainable way? In Learning That Lasts: Challenging, Engaging, and Empowering Students with Deeper Instruction (Jossey-Bass, 2016) Ron Berger and co-authors, Libby Woodfin and Anne Vilen, outline instructional moves, lesson structures, and discussion protocols that ask more from students and work in a variety of teaching contexts. Woodfin joins New Books in Education for the interview. You can find more information about her work with Expeditionary Learning on its website. Trevor Mattea is an educational consultant and speaker. His areas of expertise include deeper learning, parent involvement, project-based learning, and technology integration. He can be reached by email at info@trevormattea.com or on Twitter @tsmattea. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The school structures we present to teachers can sometimes resemble two extremes. In the first set of circumstances, teachers have enormous autonomy over what they teach, when they teach it, and how they teach it. In the second, they have almost no choices whatsoever. The texts are all provided, along with the objectives, the script, and the pacing guide. I am not sure that either of these working conditions are sustainable longterm. Obviously, no one enjoys being told exactly what to do. It conveys a lack of trust and respect. But it is an awesome responsibility to be told that everything is up to you. When we live in a culture that continually reinforces the idea that the longterm success of every student is tied to a single teacher’s priorities, words, and actions, this is a recipe for burnout. Are there practices that provide room for creativity without placing an unreasonable burden on individual teachers? How might teachers’ aims inform their choices? How can all teachers facilitate deeper learning in a sustainable way? In Learning That Lasts: Challenging, Engaging, and Empowering Students with Deeper Instruction (Jossey-Bass, 2016) Ron Berger and co-authors, Libby Woodfin and Anne Vilen, outline instructional moves, lesson structures, and discussion protocols that ask more from students and work in a variety of teaching contexts. Woodfin joins New Books in Education for the interview. You can find more information about her work with Expeditionary Learning on its website. Trevor Mattea is an educational consultant and speaker. His areas of expertise include deeper learning, parent involvement, project-based learning, and technology integration. He can be reached by email at info@trevormattea.com or on Twitter @tsmattea. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Better Leaders Better Schools guest John Mergnedoller works on special projects for the Buck Institute for Education as the first recipient of the annual Mergendoller Fellowship. He was Executive Director of BIE from 2000 to 2015, guiding its growth and building its reputation for high-quality work. He joined BIE in 1989 as Research Director, and was responsible for conducting research on the impact of BIE’s Project Based Economics Units on student learning.    Before joining BIE, he was a Senior Program Director at the Far West Laboratory (now WestEd), a federally-funded regional educational laboratory. At Far West, he also established and managed the At-Risk Student Program and the Secondary School Improvement Program.   His publications span educational technology, science education, middle grades reform, and Project Based Learning.   John holds an MA and a PhD in Psychology and Education from the University of Michigan, an EdM from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a BA in Letters from Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT. He was awarded a Fullbright Fellowship to study cognitive development at the University of Geneva.    In this episode you will learn: How to establish priorities in your class / school Critical question = What would embarrass me if students didn’t know it by the end of the year? How to build a culture of Project Based Learning Classroom management is key What gets in the way of student success? How is time used in school? Does the system support your goals? Start small   Resources   Setting the standard for project based learning by John Larmer, John Mergendoller, Suzie Boss.   “Why we changed our model of the ‘8 essential elements of PBL’” by John Mergondoller and John Larmer   An ethic of excellence by Ron Berger (mistakenly called A culture of critique - I apologize!)   Crucial conversations by Patterson, Granny, McMillan, & Switzler.   Buck Institute for Education   Contact John   Do you need accountability? Text BETTERMASTERMIND to 33444 Daniel wants to work with you and help you accelerate your leadership development and increase your impact.   Follow Me and Get Behind the Scenes Access on SNAPCHAT!!!   BECOME A PATRON OF THE SHOW FOR AS LITTLE AS $1/MONTH DID YOU LIKE THE SHOW?  iTunes SUBSCRIBE HERE! SHOW SOME LOVE: PLEASE LEAVE A 5-STAR RATING AND REVIEW Grad your FREE 15 Phrases of Effective School Leaders  Text PHRASES to 33444 or click the link above.   Website :: Facebook :: Insta :: Twitter :: LinkedIn      

Listen to Rebecca Boswell's summary and review of Leaders of Their Own Learning, by Ron Berger, on the Rhode Island Educators' Guide to Personalized Learning.

Many of us went through school not fully knowing what we were supposed to be learning or how our teachers were measuring our progress. These priorities and processes were largely hidden to us as students because they were assumed to be irrelevant or uninteresting. How much learning can happen under these conditions? What if teachers translated standards into student-friendly language and worked with students to develop personalized goals? What if teachers asked students to examine their work and articulate their growth to their parents and classmates? How might increasing ownership and changing accountability allow for greater learning? In Leaders of Their Own Learning: Transforming Schools Through Student-Engaged Assessment(Jossey-Bass, 2014), Ron Berger and co-authors, Leah Rugen and Libby Woodfin, outline a series of practices designed to make students more active participants in their school experience, including student-led conferences, celebrations of learning, and passage presentations. Berger joins New Books in Education for the interview. You can find more information about his work with Expeditionary Learning on its website. To share your thoughts on the podcast, you can connect with him on Twitter at @RonBergerEL. You can reach the host on Twitter at @tsmattea. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many of us went through school not fully knowing what we were supposed to be learning or how our teachers were measuring our progress. These priorities and processes were largely hidden to us as students because they were assumed to be irrelevant or uninteresting. How much learning can happen under these conditions? What if teachers translated standards into student-friendly language and worked with students to develop personalized goals? What if teachers asked students to examine their work and articulate their growth to their parents and classmates? How might increasing ownership and changing accountability allow for greater learning? In Leaders of Their Own Learning: Transforming Schools Through Student-Engaged Assessment(Jossey-Bass, 2014), Ron Berger and co-authors, Leah Rugen and Libby Woodfin, outline a series of practices designed to make students more active participants in their school experience, including student-led conferences, celebrations of learning, and passage presentations. Berger joins New Books in Education for the interview. You can find more information about his work with Expeditionary Learning on its website. To share your thoughts on the podcast, you can connect with him on Twitter at @RonBergerEL. You can reach the host on Twitter at @tsmattea. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many of us went through school not fully knowing what we were supposed to be learning or how our teachers were measuring our progress. These priorities and processes were largely hidden to us as students because they were assumed to be irrelevant or uninteresting. How much learning can happen under these conditions? What if teachers translated standards into student-friendly language and worked with students to develop personalized goals? What if teachers asked students to examine their work and articulate their growth to their parents and classmates? How might increasing ownership and changing accountability allow for greater learning? In Leaders of Their Own Learning: Transforming Schools Through Student-Engaged Assessment(Jossey-Bass, 2014), Ron Berger and co-authors, Leah Rugen and Libby Woodfin, outline a series of practices designed to make students more active participants in their school experience, including student-led conferences, celebrations of learning, and passage presentations. Berger joins New Books in Education for the interview. You can find more information about his work with Expeditionary Learning on its website. To share your thoughts on the podcast, you can connect with him on Twitter at @RonBergerEL. You can reach the host on Twitter at @tsmattea. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many of us went through school not fully knowing what we were supposed to be learning or how our teachers were measuring our progress. These priorities and processes were largely hidden to us as students because they were assumed to be irrelevant or uninteresting. How much learning can happen under these conditions? What if teachers translated standards into student-friendly language and worked with students to develop personalized goals? What if teachers asked students to examine their work and articulate their growth to their parents and classmates? How might increasing ownership and changing accountability allow for greater learning? In Leaders of Their Own Learning: Transforming Schools Through Student-Engaged Assessment(Jossey-Bass, 2014), Ron Berger and co-authors, Leah Rugen and Libby Woodfin, outline a series of practices designed to make students more active participants in their school experience, including student-led conferences, celebrations of learning, and passage presentations. Berger joins New Books in Education for the interview. You can find more information about his work with Expeditionary Learning on its website. To share your thoughts on the podcast, you can connect with him on Twitter at @RonBergerEL. You can reach the host on Twitter at @tsmattea. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Student critiques, prototype loops, feedback sessions...  featuring our in house study with middle school teacher Caitline Kingsley's classroom where students use peer feedback forms and Google Docs to facilitate online and face to face collaboration.  Dr. Ron Berger of Expeditionary Learning challenges us to contemplate the importance of feedback, rigor, products of excellence, and celebrations.  Dr. Lisa Palmieri of the Ellis School explains some of the incredible work being done through Active Learning, Design Thinking, Maker Space, and space as collaborative tool.

This is the third episode discussing the 10 part video series "A Year at Mission Hill" hosted by Sam Chaltain. In this segment we look at question of authentic assessment. What are we doing right? What needs to change? Follow: @samchaltain @bamradionetwork Scott Hartl is President and CEO for Expeditionary Learning. He has played in integral role in EL since its inception. In prior work, Scott founded Boston’s Harbor School, and mentored aspiring principals from Harvard, Northeastern University and the Principal’s Residency Network. Ron Berger is Chief Academic Officer for Expeditionary Learning, and teaches at Harvard Graduate School of Education and his writing and speaking center on building a culture of quality and craftsmanship in schools.