So We've Been Thinking..‪.‬ Greg Kulowiec & Shawn McCusker

Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is currently a popular focus for schools because evidence suggests that effective SEL improves academic learning.    How can we best teach students skills like self-awareness, self- management, empathy, perspective taking and cooperation. Today’s guest is someone who combines her love of reading and knowledge of books provide support to people trying to start conversations about challenging issues.  Whether it’s diversity, mindfulness, diversity or dealing with trauma… she has a list for you. ( Though, she also has lists about unicorns and outer space!)  Lauren Bercuson shares her work with “Happily Ever Elephants” and how to make children’s reading intentional.

If Equity work is going to be meaningful, it requires more than just a passing commitment of time and energy, more than just inviting a speaker or distributing materials.  It means that community as a whole is going to take a good hard look in the mirror. So what does an Equity process look like and what does it entail? Shawn talks about Equity in Education with Dr. Darnisa Amante of Disruptive Equity Education Project (DEEP)

Educator Kwaku Aning joins us in our first episode that explores the potential and role of virtual reality in education.  The discussion covers the entire spectrum of the topic from big picture thinking about the role and impact of VR in the classroom and on student experience, to specific approaches towards implementation.  Learn more from Kwaku and follow his work on Twitter at @kwaku1 and check out his podcast, Radio Zamunda.

To explore Virtual Reality from a research perspective, visit the Stanford Virtual Human Interaction Lab site.

In the first episode for season 2 of the podcast, Greg was able to connect with Erin Woo of the Mindfulness Center at Brown University.  Erin shares her experience and insight into mindfulness that starts at the beginning with a clear understanding on what it truly means to be mindful.  From taking a breath to better connect with an experience, to truly unlocking creative thinking and innovation, being mindful is an increasingly common topic of discussion, and for good reason.  In a world that is full of limitless distraction, being present in each moment seems more important than ever.  As mindfulness in schools and promoting mindfulness in education is gaining traction, we thought it was important to connect with an expert in the field to better understand mindfulness and begin our journey towards being more present in every moment.

Across the country, there is a renewed focus on laws and practices to promote quality civic education, geared toward preparing our students with the skills they need to be active participants in a democracy who are able to access and insert themselves into the democratic decision making process. Shawn talks with Mary Ellen Daneels about transforming Civic Education.

Shawn Talks with Project Based Learning (PBL) Expert Andrew Miller. Some changes take more than just making a new lesson or building a new unit.  These changes can require a whole new mindset or in some cases building a new classroom culture.  Project based Learning is one of these changes. Andrew Miller has been sharing his PBL expertise around the world and stops by today to discuss “Making PBL Work”