Silver Lining for Learning Punya Mishra | Chris Dede | Curt Bonk | Yong Zhao

Hosts reflect with Chris Dede, Curt Bonk and Punya Mishra

Using 21st Century Online Learning to Teach Girls in Afghanistan with guests, Timothy Stiven, Founder, Flowers for the Future; Jasmin Azizi, Advisor and Developer, Flowers for the Future and Andishvar Mohibi, student.

Social-emotional skills are widely recognized as vital tools for youth to thrive in society, sparking a growing interest in integrating their development into the Chilean educational system. What better way to systematically equip children with such a crucial tool? Yet, despite recognition and inclusion in the national curriculum by the Ministry of Education, social-emotional learning (SEL) remains vaguely implemented in Chilean classrooms. Why?

This episode delves into the story of Eventuras, a Chilean non-profit born from addressing a major issue in vulnerable schools: disruptive student behavior. Along the journey, Eventuras realized that behavioral issues were an expression of a lack of socio-emotional skills, but that this was just the tip of the iceberg, revealing deeper challenges like a lack of problem-solving abilities, social skills, low self-esteem, depression, and dropout rates. Hence, Eventuras was founded to help vulnerable schools systematically implement SEL. In our 5 years, we've identified and tackled key barriers, bringing evidence-based programs to Chile, rigorously addressing this issue. Joining us in this episode are Francisca Astudillo and Francisca Saéz, founders of Eventuras, and Sofia Larraín, one of the pioneering teachers Eventuras has worked with and who has become a local SEL advocate and trainer.

Champions of Robotics

Some of the most powerful principles of learning in the 21st century relate to collaboration and teamwork, hands-on doing, and learning relevancy and meaningfulness. As such, Episode #193 of Silver Lining for Learning promises to be highly unique and inspirational. Why? Well, the “Pythoneers 52402” team in Dallas, Texas recently won the state championship for robotics, and, then, they did something even more inspiring which kids all over the world only dream about. What did they do? Well, they won the First Robotics world breakthrough award at the world competition in April 2024. Come to this session and meet the “Pythoneers 52402” team. Find out how this team elevated to new heights in terms of collaboration and successful performance.

Below is a list of the brilliant students on this team. They are the future leaders of not just Texas, but the world. Come to this session and find out how these young people in Texas learned the skills and competencies to win this global robotics competition.

David Xiao, 7th grade, St. Mark’s School of Texas, Dallas, TX
Evan Huang, 7th grade, Greenhill School, Addison, TX
Wanni Zhu, 7th grade, Rice Middle School, Plano, TX
Andrew Li, 6th grade, Rice Middle School, Plano, TX
Nicholas Lipsmeyer, 8th grade, Carroll Middle School, Southlake, TX

Building Worlds: Connected Camps in Minecraft with guests H Chad Lane, Jeff Ginger, & Kobe Duda

Episode 191 of Silver Lining for Learning featured a conversation between Yong Zhao, Chris Dede, and Curt Bonk. They discussed the rapidly evolving role of AI in education,  emphasizing the importance of understanding AI's current capabilities and limitations through sources like the national AI institutes. They highlighted the potential of AI to enable truly personalized, self-directed learning experiences tailored to individual needs.