Change the Narrative

6th Grade Humanities teacher, Sam Kary shares his secrets for  work-life balance, and talks about how remote teaching has forced teachers to move away from the 'sage on the stage' lecture-and-note-taking model of teaching, and toward one where teachers are facilitators of learning.

How do you pivot your class to distance learning when your teaching has relied on two file cabinets filled with worksheets for 20 years? Ask AP Chemistry teacher, Teresa Nielsen. Now her curriculum is filled with dynamic digital content, and she's built new relationships with her students and colleagues.

The phrase "Distance Learning" strikes fear into the hearts of parents and teachers around the world. But maybe we just need to rethink our relationship between students and curriculum.  And what's a teacher really for, anyway? Veteran educator Christina Torres reminds us that instead of fearing what we've lost with school closures, we should think about what's been gained.

The burden of feeding poor children, providing structure, and ensuring access to internet often falls on the shoulders of the education system. But school closures have made delivering those services nearly impossible. What's next?

The pandemic has forced us to rethink our education system. This season we talk with teachers and students across the country to find the silver linings in our situation, the lessons we've learned to make school better as we reimagine the education system.

​With every system disrupted by COVID19, everyone is forced to become an innovator. We talk with  Mary Jo Madda , named a Forbes “30 under 30” and now lead at Google on the Education Equity team, about the secrets to innovation, and how a diverse team can make all the difference.

In this extended bonus episode, we talk with  Mary Jo Madda , named a Forbes “30 under 30” and now lead at Google on the Education Equity team, about why connections make the difference when diversifying the tech industry and the workplace.

Forgot what it's like to be outside, surrounded by people? I dig through my recordings to share some of the places I've been in the past 9 months. Speaking of quarantine, now that we're at home and free from standardized testing, we're forced to rethink how we teach, and what really matters in education. How did we forget?

All season we’ve listened to ideas about how to find innovation and make our workspaces more dynamic and productive. In this episode I reflect on the making of this podcast, and the lessons I learned that will help you develop your own passion project. This episode is sponsored by Book Creator

Fear of failure often prevents us from embracing change in our lives and workspaces. In this episode we talk with educator and USC Doctoral candidate Sabba Quidwai about how we can overcome fear to create a culture of empathy and a culture of innovation.

School and work expect us to crank out our best work under deadlines. But is that really the best way to get things done? Award-winning animation professor, Jose Garcia-Moreno, talks about managing time for innovative creative projects, and life.

Not many of us have the luxury of going on sabbatical to develop a passion project. So how can we find time to create when we’re always rushing between soccer practice, taking the car to the mechanic, and cooking dinner? In this episode, we talk with Dr. Monica Burns about the importance of carving out productive ‘Me Time.’  This episode is sponsored by Participate .

Do you need a quiet space or lots of stimulation when you work? Is your desk decorated with figurines and family photos, or tools of the trade? In this episode, I talk with designer Rebecca Hare about how workspaces affect productivity, and how to find a space that will be an innovation incubator for your ideas. This episode is sponsored by Participate .

You know the type: people who want to blow out your candle because they think it will make theirs brighter. But it turns out that how we frame our story of innovation is key to creating a culture that supports change. Hear from former Apple Senior Specialist and Learning Engineer Marco Torres about changing the narrative in the workplace, and the impact it can have on education.

Get out from behind your desk and close your laptop. No matter how many figurines you have artfully arranged on your desk or great vacation photos you have taped to your cubicle, the best way to become inspired is to change your routine and put yourself in stimulating situations. This episode is all about finding experiences that inspire your thinking and change your mindset. I talk with design an...

We might not always have a great collaborator or resources for change nearby. But the good news is that they’re only as far as your laptop or phone. In this episode, we’ll talk with social media and marketing professor Ai Addyson-Zhang about out how to leverage the power of social media and other online channels to find your tribe and the resources you need to make change possible. This episode is...

When it comes to professional development, it’s easy to stick with what you know: the same people and organizations that we run with in our professional circles. But that method can keep us stuck in a creative rut that’s hard to get out of. In this episode, we talk with Columbia Professor and Explain Everything co-founder Reshan Richards and his writing partner Stephen J. Valentine to find out how...

It takes more than one log to build a fire. In this episode, we talk with design thinking expert and award-winning educator Dan Ryder to see how working with the right collaborators can generate the creative heat you need to make change happen. This episode is sponsored by Book Creator .

Stop feeling guilty about nurturing your creative side.  But don’t take our word for it. We start our podcast adventure by talking with someone who knows all about creativity: Cornell engineering professor Christopher Hernandez. This episode is sponsored by Book Creator .

A recent trip to Guatemala finds Michael questioning what it means to be a teacher, and why school is so boring. Kick off the podcast series by hearing Michael's 'origin story.'