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Episode 042 – The Nautilus School Interview with Milissa McClaire Gary and AJ, a learner

Lynn Fuini-Hetten and Randy Ziegenfuss

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In this episode, we are speaking with Milissa McClaire Gary from the Nautilus School located in Chicago. Joining Milissa is a young learner –  Andrew (we call him AJ) is almost 8 years old and is passionate about technology and cars. Nautilus opened in the Fall of 2018 with 3 learners. The Nautilus School in Chicago is an independent school empowering students to explore their world and drive their learning through a learner-centered education leveraged by their unique strengths, curiosity, and the community. Their reimagined one-room schoolhouse allows students of various ages and abilities to learn in a shared space.  Students work at their own pace, as valued members of our learning community.

As a result of the conversation, here are a couple of questions we are asking:

    1. What learner-centered aspects of the Nautilus School might you apply in your school or district?
    2. How might you know your learners and be open and responsive to their needs?

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Episode 041 – Harrisburg School District (SD) Interview with Travis Lape, Shana Wagers and Landri, a young learner

Lynn Fuini-Hetten and Randy Ziegenfuss

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In Episode 41, we are learning with Travis Lape, Innovative Programs Director in Harrisburg School District (SD), Shana Wagers, Instructional Coach at Freedom Elementary School, and Landri, a young learner in the Freedom Elementary program.

Located in Sioux Falls, SD, the Harrisburg School District’s current K-12 enrollment is around 4800 students. It is the vision of the Harrisburg School District to create a legacy of exemplary academics, paired with a comprehensive scope of extra-curricular activities and opportunities that will develop an educational environment of leaders who foster citizenship, exemplify integrity, and evoke critical thinking. As an innovative, leading-edge school district, the district works to maximize positive change and transcend barriers.

As a result of our conversation, here are two questions we are thinking about:

  1. What learner-centered aspects of Harrisburg School District do you connect with most?
  2. WHAT MIGHT BE if you made voice and agency the drivers of your transformation?

Resources:

Episode 040 – d.tech High School Interview with Rachel Siegman, Wendy Little, Vani Suresh and Hezekiah Smithstein

Lynn Fuini-Hetten and Randy Ziegenfuss

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In Episode 40, we are learning with an innovative school –Design Tech High School in San Mateo, CA. We spoke with Rachel Siegman, Internship Coordinator and Educator, Wendy Little, Director of Intersession & Community Learning, Vani Suresh and Hezekiah Smithstein, learners at d.tech.

d.tech curates learning experiences so students are innovation-ready by developing skills that are critical to success in the 21st century – abilities include collaboration, creativity, self-direction, and communication. Students develop these skills by building deep content knowledge and learning important design thinking skills. The two principles that guide the educational model are extreme personalization and putting knowledge in action.

Thinking beyond our conversation, here are two questions we are asking:

  1. What learner-centered aspects of Design Tech High School might you apply in your school or district?
  2. WHAT MIGHT BE if your learning environment connected student learning to action in the community?

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Episode 039 – Interview with Suyash Agrawal, learner in a traditional learning environment

Lynn Fuini-Hetten and Randy Ziegenfuss

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In this episode we are speaking with Suyash Agrawal, a 16 year old learner from Edison, NJ. He has spent all his life in traditional, school-centered environments and has recently connected with what is possible in education through Education Reimagined. He strongly believes that education needs to be able to ignite the passion within every student. His passions are business and finance and intends to run multiple businesses that will have a positive impact on people all around the world in the future.

As a result of the conversation we are asking these questions:

  1. How might leaders provide opportunities for learners to develop their passions in a learner-centered environment?
  2. How might you engage the learners’ voice?

Resources:

Bonus Episode 07 – Interview with Julie Wilson on the Human Side of Changing Education

Lynn Fuini-Hetten and Randy Ziegenfuss

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In this Shift Your Paradigm Bonus Episode, we are speaking with Julie Wilson, author of The Human Side of Changing Education: How to Lead Change with Clarity, Conviction and Courage.

Julie coaches leaders who lead change. She graduated from the Harvard Graduate School of Education with a master’s degree in technology, innovation, and education, and a bachelor’s of arts in business administration and French from Queens University in Belfast, Northern Ireland. She has over fifteen years’ experience building effective learning environments that unlock human potential and enable organizational culture to adapt and grow during times of change.

We discussed the following:

  1. Let’s start the conversation with a personal story about how you got connected to this work – leadership, school change and the human-centered approach.
  2. The Human Side of Changing Education is centered on the premise that when we ask schools to change, we are asking human beings to change and this requires special tools and a human-centered approach. Help us understand what you mean by this.
  3. What are some of the special tools available to leaders as we embark on change?
  4. Why is it important to embrace a human-centered approach as we work towards change in our schools and districts?
  5. On your website you have some additional resources such as the Roadmap for Change, the book’s companion guide, “Your Hero’s Journey,” and an organizational change capacity questionnaire. How can these resources be used to support this work?
  6. What are the most common pitfalls leaders face when leading change – especially when leading post-industrial change?
  7. Before we invite you to share what is next for you, let’s hear your ideas about our lightning response questions
    • Who is one expert our listener’s should connect with to learn more about school change?
    • If you were recommending one book to our listeners, what would it be?
    • What online site/resource/person do you learn from regularly?

Exploring Additional Resources

Bonus Episode 06 – Community Internship Programs as Open-Walled Learning Interview with Jenny Finn, Springhouse Community School

Lynn Fuini-Hetten and Randy Ziegenfuss

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In this Bonus Episode, we are speaking with Jenny Finn, Head of School, and Co-Founder for Springhouse Community School about place-based education, open-walled learning, and an internship program at Springhouse Community School. Here is what we discussed:

  1. Let’s start the conversation with a personal story about how you got connected to place-based and open-walled education.
  2. Tell us a little about Springhouse so our listeners learn more about your learning environment.
  3. As the Springhouse model evolved, how and why did you determine the need for a community internship program.
  4. What do you and your learners view as the value of the internship program for your school community and beyond?
  5. Sometimes we hear it is difficult to place learners with internship experiences. How do you support a learner who comes to you with an interest but you aren’t sure there is someone in your community who could provide an experience based on that interest?
  6. Before we invite you to share what is next for you, let’s hear your ideas about our lightning response questions:
    1. Who is one expert our listener’s should connect with to learn more about these internships, place-based and open-walled education?
    2. If you were recommending one book to our listeners, what would it be?
    3. What online site/resource/person do you learn from regularly?
  7. What’s next for you, Jenny? What are you working on that you’d like to share?

Resources

As a result of our conversation, here is what we are thinking about:

  • What might be the value of internship learning in your environment?

Episode 038 – Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy Interview with Dr. Toni Hull

Lynn Fuini-Hetten and Randy Ziegenfuss

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In this episode we are speaking with Dr. Toni Hull, principal of Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy (MVLA) in New Mexico.

In our conversation, we learn that MVLA is unlike traditional middle schools, providing a unique project-based learning approach which allows students to produce real-world products and presentations that demonstrate their knowledge and proficiency. Each project is based on a monthly theme, which is developed by the teachers and school administration. MVLA is a school that starts with the learner!

As a restful of the conversation we are asking these questions:

  1. What learner-centered aspects of Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy are most intriguing to you?
  2. WHAT MIGHT BE in your learning environment if you start with the learner?

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Episode 037 – One Stone – Interview with Neva Geisler, Kylie Casper and Bennett Huhn

Lynn Fuini-Hetten and Randy Ziegenfuss

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Today we are learning with an innovative school – One Stone.  You may remember a previous podcast – Episode 29 – focused on the learning and leadership at One Stone. One Stone is a student-led and directed nonprofit that makes students better leaders. The program empowers high school students to learn and practice skills through experiential service, innovative initiatives, social entrepreneurship, and the radical reinvention of learning.

In this conversation we learn how One Stone creates the conditions for learners to connect to passion and the kinds of learner-driven experiences available at One Stone.

As a result of our conversation with Neva, Kylie and Bennett, we are thinking about the following questions:

  1. How are you releasing the passions of your learners?
  2. WHAT MIGHT BE if we created the conditions for learners to co-design relevant, contextualized learning opportunities?

Resources

Episode 036 – Workspace – Interview with Catherine Fraise and Raphael Lipp

Lynn Fuini-Hetten and Randy Ziegenfuss

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In Episode 36, we learn about Workspace, a unique learning environment in which families co-create learning.  Workspace is a maker and co-working space designed to help families implement education their way, in a vibrant learning community. 

In this conversation, we hear from Catherine Fraise, Founder and Executive Director of Workspace, and Raphael Lipp, a learner. We learn about Workspaces uniquely designed physical learning space, the role of community and family and education and what is possible when adult learners approach young learners with an asset model.

As a result of our conversation, here is what we are thinking about:

  • What learner-centered aspects of Workspace are most intriguing to you?
  • What did you learn today that you can use to move your school or district toward a learner-centered environment?

Resources:

 

Bonus Episode 05 – Panel Reflection on Episodes 12-22 with Dr. Ulcca Joshi Hansen and Dr. Trace Pickering

Lynn Fuini-Hetten and Randy Ziegenfuss

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In this special Bonus Episode, we are processing some of the ideas from our Episodes 12-22 – a sort of opportunity to rest along the way and think about the conversations we’ve had on the podcast. Our panel had a free form conversation to share takeaways and ask questions to better understand what it means to lead a learner-centered environment.

The episode’s panel had two guests:

Dr. Ulcca Joshi Hansen is the Associate Director of National Outreach and Community Building at Education Reimagined, where she is working to build an ecosystem of partners needed to ensure educators pioneering learner-centered learning are supported in their efforts. Ulcca is guided by the principle of promoting and supporting student-centered learning experiences that celebrate and maximize the unique potential of every child.

Dr. Trace Pickering is Executive Director of Iowa BIG and a member of the Education Reimagined team. Trace co-created Iowa BIG and is a lifetime educator and entrepreneur. Most recently he served as the Associate Superintendent for Innovation in the Cedar Rapids Community School District. You may recall Trace from Episode 5 featuring Iowa BIG.

As a result of this panel conversation, we hope you will think about these and other questions:

  1. What do the elements look like in different cultures?
  2. What are we letting go of in order to have the time and space for transformation?

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