Learning Unboxed

In this episode of Learning Unboxed, we’re joined by Alan Tang, co-founder of Collaboration Laboratory (CoLab), an award-winning online program that teaches kids life skills through immersive, game-based learning. CoLab combines elements of Pokemon and Sherlock Holmes, using interactive challenges to help kids develop confidence, leadership, and critical thinking—all while having fun. Alan shares...

Dr. Maggie Broderick is the Dissertation Chair in the Department of Teacher Education at National University. National University has doctoral students all over the world and credentials the most PK-12 teachers in the state of California.  Because of her position, Maggie has an incredible view of the latest research in teacher education. Today, she joins the show to share the latest trends in doct...

Amber Humm Patnode has spent over a decade researching the root causes of chronic absenteeism and how to address them effectively. She joins us today to explain what the data shows. Amber is the Acting Director of the Proving Ground program, part of Harvard University’s Center for Education Policy Research. She helps school districts assess the data they have related to chronic absenteeism, analyz...

What if instead of pushing every high schooler into Algebra 2, we let them choose a math route that focused more on data science and computers? That’s what Chris Orban and the Math Pathways project are working to make happen in the state of Ohio. On the show today, Chris describes how he’s helping increase access to computer science education for kids across the state through math course offerings...

Kasondra Wilson was a first generation college student and now works at one of the top consulting firms in the world, Deloitte. She knows firsthand what boost students need in order to thrive in the professional environment. Kasondra is one of our industry partners here at the PAST foundation, and we’re thrilled to have her on the show today. Kasondra walks our listeners through how to attract and...

Welcome back for the third episode of our four-part series all about our Portable Innovation Labs (PILs). Today, we have a conversation with two community partners who use PILs for their workforce development missions. Iddrisu Seidu from Makerspace Central and Rich Granger from DriveOhio explain how they team up with our rocket-focused PIL. By using 3D-printing, the PIL allows children to immerse...

If assessments measured how a student is smart, not if a student is smart, our education system would be in a better place. That’s the future Sonn Sam and Big Picture Learning are building towards. And they already have examples of it working. In this conversation, we do a deep dive into learner-centered assessment. We talk about the resistance to it, but also about where it’s finding support with...

Imagine if instead of having to cram for tests and sit through lessons, high schoolers could graduate by navigating six “passages” that prove their practical, creative, and logical skills. Fifty years ago in Jefferson County, Colorado, a group of parents and educators created a school just like that and it’s still thriving today. Melyssa Dominguez and Jenny Long from the Open School join us today...

When Jessica Fields carries a PAST Foundation Portable Innovation Lab (PILs) box into a school, kids’ eyes light up. They know they’re about to do something cool and fun. What they probably don’t realize is that they’re also going to be learning standard-aligned content that keeps them on-track with their curriculum. Jessica is a 21st Century Learning Coach for Grandview Heights Schools and she is...

Microschools are positive disruptors of our modern education ecosystem. Today, CEO of Changemaker Microschools, David K. Richards, joins the show to help us dig a little deeper into the phenomenon. We discuss the ingredients to starting and sustaining a microschool: finding the right teachers; navigating facility and funding options; and deeply engaging student families. We also talk about microsc...

The most important part of a child’s education is developing a love of learning. That’s Amir Nathoo’s motto and what led him to co-found OutSchool. Amir joins the show today to talk about future-proofing education by allowing students to engage with what they are most interested in. OutSchool is a marketplace for live online classes for K-12 learners. It has helped over a million students explore...

Welcome to our new mini-series on our Portable Innovation Labs (PILs). Here at the PAST Foundation, we’ve been working hard to make this offering a reality. Now we want to tell you all about it! Our own Brianna Agomessou joins the show today to give an overview of our PIL program. The PIL program is made up of over 40 labs that educators can borrow for 2-3 weeks for free. The labs come with equipm...

Dr. Keeanna Warren, CEO of Purdue Polytechnic High School, says her school is a school without walls. She means that metaphorically of course, but it did physically come to fruition through a student project at one point. Dr. Keeanna Warren joins us on the show today to explain. Purdue Polytechnic High School is a school without walls in the sense that it has strong relationships with industry par...

There are lots of conversations today about AI’s role in education. To help us more deeply discuss it, we have invited Ian Zhu on the show today. Ian is the co-founder and CEO of SchoolJoy. We have a conversation about SchoolJoy, an AI-powered education management platform that provides dynamically updated personal learning preference plans, as well as a comprehensive extended learning program man...

There’s a good chance your state’s policies actually allow for more innovative and student-centered learning than you think. Sonn Sam is the National Director of Partnerships at Big Picture Learning and he’s our guest on the show today. He explains how they have been able to create more space for innovative student-centered over the last 30 years. Big Picture Learning’s mission is to activate the...

Andrea Vescelius is a Ohio public school teacher who has eliminated homework and limited grades to just quarterly marks for her students. In this episode, we ask her how she pulled this off and what impact it has had on her students. Andrea takes us on her 24-year teaching journey. She notes when and why her thoughts on homework and grades changed. She also describes the small steps she took, and...

Laksh Dhir’s goal is to revolutionize how informal education is being done in classrooms around the world. Laksh is the CEO and Chairman of Youth for STEM Equity, and he is our guest on the show today. Laksh explains that informal education has three main strengths. It helps students imagine themselves in the professional field they are learning about. It deeply engages students in key educational...

Usually, one-on-one coaching is reserved for business executives, but Joel Nicholson’s mission is to bring it to students. Joel is the co-founder of Youthfully, a coaching and development platform for students. He’s our guest on the show today. Joel explains Youthfully’s holistic and non-directive coaching philosophy. He walks us through their process, starting with an intake assessment all the wa...

Dr. Tyler Thigpen co-founded The Forest School in Fayetteville, GA and from there he also co-founded the Institute for Self Directed Learning. Tyler is our guest on the show today and shares with us key practices he has researched and used to nurture student-led environments. We talk about the concept of mastery and how to measure it with single point rubrics, with an emphasis on longitudinal grow...

“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” was made almost 40 years ago, yet it still is seen as an accurate representation of education in America. Kevin Stoller is on a mission to update America’s perception of its schools. He’s our guest on today’s episode. Kevin is the founder of the Second Class Foundation and is creating a new docuseries called “What We Show Them.” He explains the power of entertainment to...

Often game-based learning is treated simply as a hook to get students initially engaged. Today our guest Chris Ramsden explains how game-based learning should instead be deeply infused in a curriculum, supported with a strong methodological and pedagogical foundation.  Chris is a game-based consultant for Accelium Australia, an organization that provides a digital platform and 24-session “Thinking...

All great things start with a podcast! What started out as a podcast by Ryan Pruitt during COVID lockdowns has morphed into his business called Be All You. Ryan joins the show today to introduce his unique business and discuss the state of education.  Be All You is an education company creating an exploratory platform for students who need to create unique projects or initiatives to enhance their...

While virtual learning is often associated with COVID lockdowns and isolation, it actually has the power to create more connections than traditional brick-and-mortar schools for some students. Dr. Lorna Bryant, Head of Career Solutions at Pearson Virtual Schools joins the show today to explain how. With virtual learning, students can access knowledge, networks, and opportunities across the globe w...

Many times we say we value students’ voices and aspirations, but we don’t do the work to truly make them partners in designing and delivering education. Today, Dr. Russ Quaglia and Dr. Lisa Lande from the Quaglia Institute for School Voice and Aspirations join the show to talk about how to change this. We have a great conversation about being honest with where you’re at as an organization in terms...

Welcome to our special series about shifting to a more student-lead ecosystem! Usually we take the month of July off, but this year we’re going to re-examine episodes with the theme of empowering students and communities to determine their own needs and successes. Sometimes we get caught up in the idea that the purpose of education is to create a future workforce. Heather Van Bethuysen joins the s...