100 episodes

Join Barbara Bray in her conversations with inspirational educators, thought leaders, and change agents to define their WHY and reflect on how they learned from their experiences and challenges. Each conversation is complemented with a post on her site that includes images, videos, links, and more that illustrate the stories of their lives. Join Barbara and her special guests as they share their personal journeys that will inspire you, touch your heart, and might even touch your heart.

Rethinking Learning Podcast Barbara Bray

    • Education
    • 4.0 • 1 Rating

Join Barbara Bray in her conversations with inspirational educators, thought leaders, and change agents to define their WHY and reflect on how they learned from their experiences and challenges. Each conversation is complemented with a post on her site that includes images, videos, links, and more that illustrate the stories of their lives. Join Barbara and her special guests as they share their personal journeys that will inspire you, touch your heart, and might even touch your heart.

    Episode #155: Role of AI in the Future of Education with Priten Shah

    Episode #155: Role of AI in the Future of Education with Priten Shah

             

    Priten Shah is dedicated to pioneering innovative educational solutions that meet diverse learner needs, leveraging experiences from teaching in various settings globally. He develops tools ranging from animated civics education materials to AI-enhanced classroom resources, aiming to foster healthier democracies and keep educators abreast of rapid technological advancements by leading with two ventures, United 4 Social Change and Pedagogy.cloud. 

     

    Your WHY



    I am motivated by a simple, powerful idea: to better prepare our future generations for the complex world they’ll soon inherit. It’s about understanding the critical need to equip our educators and students with the knowledge, skills, and mindsets to navigate these global issues effectively and ethically. 

    My slogan, ‘Preparing Educators For A Dynamic Tomorrow,’ encapsulates my vision of readiness, adaptability, and evolution in the face of our rapidly changing world.

     

    Your Background

    My journey began during high school when I chose to confront the disparities in academic support within my community. I completed my undergraduate degree at Harvard College, earning a B.A. in Philosophy with minors in Sanskrit and South Asian Studies. I hold an M.ED. in Education Policy and Management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where I honed my expertise in the laws, regulations, and policies that underpin our educational systems. My education at Harvard, with its blend of philosophy, language, policy, and management, laid a solid foundation for my commitment to transforming education. It’s this comprehensive understanding of education that drives my work and ambition, setting the stage for my various endeavors in the field of education. To ensure my efforts stay firmly rooted in the realities of the classroom, I am committed to periodically returning to the classroom and working directly with students of diverse ages and backgrounds.



    I see myself as a philosopher who codes, not as a developer who philosophizes.

     

    Founder/CEO of Pedagog.ai at Pedagogy.cloud



    We believe in the power of technology to transform the way we teach and learn. Our mission is to provide educators with the resources, tools, and knowledge needed to confidently navigate the world of AI, fostering a future where innovative thinking and creative problem-solving thrive.

     

    Your new book, “AI & the Future of Education”

    I wrote this book to help educators face these challenges head-on to gain the knowledge and skills needed to use AI effectively in the classroom.

    There is a cloud of rumors, confusion,

    • 38 min
    Episode #154: Creativity, Play, and Experiential Learning with Janella Watson

    Episode #154: Creativity, Play, and Experiential Learning with Janella Watson

             

    Janella Watson is an international speaker and educational consultant. Drawing on more than 20 years of work as a researcher and practitioner in children’s museums and science centers, she is renowned for creating curricula and play experiences that center equity and spark joy, learning, and whole-family engagement. As founder and CEO of Watson Creative Consulting, she leads a multi-hyphenate team in the development of culturally responsive children’s content, curricula, and storytelling for clients including Nickelodeon, Spin Master Entertainment, and Sesame Workshop.

    Janella deepens her commitment to arts education and connection to the community by serving as board chair for AS220, a grassroots arts organization in the heart of Providence, Rhode Island where she lives, works, and plays with her husband and curious and kind kid.

    My Why

    My heart’s passion is sharing curiosity and a sense of wonder – fostering the creativity of the youngest learners among us.

    What it was like growing up/school experience

    I grew up in the foothills of Oakland, CA, and have known Barbara and her family since I was four years old. I played with her son, Andrew, and his neighbor, Nick in her backyard.

    I spent my early years immersed in nature, science, creativity, and learning by doing. While I was an engaged student, my key learning and fondest childhood memories were exploring the natural world around me and learning at the feet of the caring adults in my life. My grandpa Peter Klemchuk was my science hero. He was a chemist and self-taught photographer, classical music aficionado, and master gardener, with a true zeal for exploring the world. He and my grandmother Helen, a special education teacher, embraced curiosity and play as lifelong pursuits. The two of them had an indelible impact, not only on my childhood but on my life’s work, centering learning and play as drivers of community connection and well-being.

    What does healthy play look like?

    My truest Whys in the work that I wonder and wander through are threefold:

    What I learned as a museum educator: Throughout my twenty years in museums, I found a passion for creating sensory-rich experiences that invite families to tinker, create, and play together.

    Raising my own curious and kind kiddo has taught me the power of following a child’s lead and honoring his unique perspective of the world. Being curious about their interests and fascinations, and using them as a tool to contextualize what they need to learn and practice helps children build voice, confidence, and agency.

    Brushes with Social Service and Social Justice: My work with a social service-rooted museum, experiences supporting play for incarcerated parents and their kids,

    • 48 min
    Episode #153: Just Keep Showing UP and Always Learning with Dr. Asia Lyons

    Episode #153: Just Keep Showing UP and Always Learning with Dr. Asia Lyons

             

    Dr. Asia Lyons is the founder and lead consultant for Lyons Educational Consulting LLC, a consulting and coaching firm that supports schools and other non-profits through equity auditing of their programming, co-creation of culturally responsive programming and curriculum, and job-embedded coaching. She also co-facilitates a Black Educator Wellness Cohort in the Denver Metro area.  



    Your WHY



    My WHY is about the reciprocity of a shared equity focus and design thinking for youth voice from beginning to end. 

    Your Background

    I worked as a K-12 educator for over 10 years and also served as the Equity in Schools Specialist in a Denver-based non-profit, a role in which I worked with schools and non-profit partners across the Denver Metro Area to provide communities with resources to support the closing of the access gap for BIPOC youth.

    Your Education Journey

    I learned my work ethic and focus on social justice growing up in Detroit which is changing now. My boyfriend (husband now) and I moved in 2006 to Denver. My first job was at Cherry Creek Sunrise Elementary year-round school. The principal gave me options to teach anything for sixth-grade social studies so I taught “Social Justice.” Some of the topics included asking what is humanity and the roots of social justice. Kids voted on the topics. In 2016, the focus changed in the community and the class. I decided to leave teaching in 2018 and started my doctorate.

    Research on Equity

    I obtained my doctorate in Leadership for Educational Equity, where my research focused on the ways that racism-related stress crosses over from Black educators to their families.



    Racial battle fatigue

    Racial violence impacts leadership for ed equity

    Educator battle fatigue



    Opportunity Gap



    Worked for a non-profit to support new immigrants with education. 

    Wellness Cohort

    After school work with museums and zoos



    Lyons Educational Consulting 

    https://www.lyonseducationalconsulting.com/



    I am the founder and lead consultant for Lyons Educational Consulting LLC (LEC), a consulting and coaching firm that supports schools and other non-profits through equity auditing of their programming, co-creation of culturally responsive programming and curriculum, and job-embedded coaching.

    We support the design of programs that provide space for people to feel

    cared for, their lived experiences seen and their voices amplified.

    Vision Statement

    Lyons Educational Consulting imagines work and school cultures where everyone brings their best selves forward,

    Episode #152: Principles to Unleash Your Potential with Sylvester Chisom

    Episode #152: Principles to Unleash Your Potential with Sylvester Chisom

             

    Sylvester Chisom is the CEO and founder of Global CTE Learning, an online career and technical education curriculum & instruction company. Sylvester is an education technology entrepreneur, the author of 4 best-selling books including his latest, “Manifest Greatness,” and the creator of the EdTech product, “The $50 Startup Program.” He also hosts the podcast, Global CTE Podcast focusing on unleashing your potential.



    Your WHY 

    Understanding my “why” has been a guiding principle in my life, deeply rooted in the experiences I had growing up. Witnessing my mother, a single parent, and an entrepreneur, managing her salon with relentless dedication, I saw firsthand the transformation that is possible through entrepreneurship. She wasn’t just running a business; she was crafting a legacy, overcoming challenges with grace and resilience. This profound exposure to entrepreneurship from a young age shaped my perception of success and purpose.

    My mother’s journey illuminated for me the true essence of finding your passion. It’s not merely about choosing a career or starting a business; it’s about aligning your life’s work with what ignites your spirit and drives you from within. This realization became my “why” – the reason behind my endeavors, from launching my first business, a carwash, at 17 in the back of my mother’s salon, to establishing Global CTE Learning.

    Now, my purpose extends beyond my ambitions. It’s about inspiring and guiding the next generation to discover their “why.” Whether it leads them to a fulfilling career or ignites the spark to start a business, I want to help them connect their professional pursuits with their passions and personal interests. My goal is to empower them to see the boundless opportunities that career tech education and entrepreneurship offer, to understand that their unique path is valid and valuable, and to embrace the journey of turning their dreams into realities. This, to me, is the ultimate expression of success – living a life that resonates not just with what you do, but with who you are.

    Your Background



    I’ve always believed that the seeds of success are sown from humble beginnings and a resilient spirit. My entrepreneurial journey began at 17, with nothing more than a water hose, a bucket, and a dream that stemmed from watching my mother, a dedicated salon owner and single parent, navigate the challenges of entrepreneurship. Her perseverance and entrepreneurial spirit were my earliest lessons in business, teaching me that success is not just about resources, but about determination, vision, and hard work. Graduating from The Ohio State University as a first-generation college student,

    • 46 min
    Episode #151: Educating with Hope, Optimism and Courage with Jennifer D. Klein

    Episode #151: Educating with Hope, Optimism and Courage with Jennifer D. Klein

             



    Jennifer D. Klein is a product of experiential project-based education herself, and she lives and breathes the student-centered pedagogies used to educate her. A former head of school with extensive international experience and over thirty years in education—including nineteen in the classroom—Jennifer facilitates dynamic, interactive workshops for teachers, leaders, and students, working to amplify student voice, to provide the tools for high-quality project-based learning in all cultural and socioeconomic contexts, and to shift school culture to support such practices.

    Your WHY 

    My why is the intersection of writing and education and the urge to make the world better through educational practices. I am committed to intersecting global student-centered learning with culturally responsive and anti-racist teaching practices, and my experience includes deep work with schools seeking to address equity, take on brave conversations and restorative practices, build a healthier community, and improve identity politics on campus.

    Background 

    My parents sent me to an alternative school, the Open School in Colorado. During high school, I lived in Israel/Palestine for six months, followed by two months backpacking around Europe and Britain. I completed three independent projects for high school in those eight months. I hold a bachelor of arts from Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, and a master of arts from the University of Colorado at Boulder, both in literature and creative writing. Additionally, I completed my principal licensing studies at the University of Denver. I currently live in Denver, Colorado.

    Why you became an educator

    I stumbled into teaching when I was doing my master’s and later when I moved to Costa Rica at 25; teaching jobs were easy to find, but I quickly fell in love with teenagers and the potential they have to improve their world. My choice to leave the classroom to facilitate professional learning came from a desire to teach others what was done right in my own student-centered educational experiences.

    Your journey as an educator to consultant

    I am a former head of school with extensive international experience and over 30 years in education–including 19 in the classroom, several of which were in Costa Rica. As Head of School at Gimnasio Los Caobos (Bogotá, Colombia) for three years, I was able to put my educational thinking into practice with a profound impact on the quality of student learning and their growth as agents of change. 

     I have facilitated workshops in English and Spanish on four continents, providing strategies for high-quality, globally connected project-based learning in all cultural and socioeconomic contexts, with an emphasis on amplifying student voice and shifting ...

    • 42 min
    Episode #150: New Ways, New Forms, and New Measures for Learning with Elliot Washor

    Episode #150: New Ways, New Forms, and New Measures for Learning with Elliot Washor

             



    Elliot Washor is the co-founder of Big Picture Learning, co-founder of B-UnBound, and co-author of  “Leaving to Learn.” I still find it hard to believe that it was released 10 years ago. Elliot is co-author with Scott Boldt in his most recent book, “Learning to Leave.” It needed to be written because it was time to go deep as well as broad on what young people are doing out there. We need these conversations for our kids and their future now more than ever. 

    Did you know that Elliot was selected as one of the Twelve Most Daring Educators in the World by the George Lucas Foundation?

    Just listen to what he shares in the podcast and read the post below. Then you’ll know WHY Elliot was selected as a daring educator. I’m fortunate to have known Elliot for many years and am honored to have this conversation with him.

    Your WHY 

    WHY real-world learning? The student is the curriculum and the entire community (their town, their city) is the school – education is everyone’s business. I have always held that the key to education is to have students and staff mingle with and muddle through problems that matter to them and their communities. If this seems simple, it’s intended to.

    Big Picture Learning

    As co-founder of Big Picture Learning (BPL) and The Metropolitan Center, my educational philosophy—one which is embedded at the core of Big Picture’s successful design—is that practice should inform theory and that theory should inform practice, a cycle that leads to profound change.

    Big Picture’s Motto is “One-Student-at-a-Time-in-a-Community” which recognizes that every student brings her/his unique abilities, interests, needs, circumstances, and context into school and into their learning. When BPL started, they focused on learning – in and out of school. They asked several questions, “What if we didn’t know what school was – how would we design one? And how can we keep the design flexible so that when we learn how to do things better, the school can change.” This led us to design the schools around what is known as The 10 Distinguishers.



    Each student is part of an advisory, a learning community, with an advisor guiding them and, navigating with them, to identify their needs and explore their interests.

    Learning to Leave

    My newest book written with Scott Boldt, Learning to Leave How Real-World Learning Transforms Education, challenges us to develop new ways, new forms, and new measures in and outside of school. “Leaving to Learn” was written ten years ago to show how real-world learning increases student ...

    • 51 min

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