69 episodes

It’s easy to see a child’s education as a path determined by grades, test scores and extra curricular activities. But genuine learning is about so much more than the points schools tally. MindShift explores the future of learning and how we raise our kids. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us @MindShiftKQED or visit us at MindShift.KQED.org. Take our audience survey! https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/7297739/b0436be7b132

MindShift Podcast KQED

    • Kids & Family
    • 4.8 • 235 Ratings

It’s easy to see a child’s education as a path determined by grades, test scores and extra curricular activities. But genuine learning is about so much more than the points schools tally. MindShift explores the future of learning and how we raise our kids. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us @MindShiftKQED or visit us at MindShift.KQED.org. Take our audience survey! https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/7297739/b0436be7b132

    Dear Math: You Are Terrible and Wonderful

    Dear Math: You Are Terrible and Wonderful

    MindShift spotlights a teacher who encourages students to name their feelings and share their past experiences – the highs and the lows – by writing letters to math. This activity launches a yearlong process of building a classroom culture where all students feel confident to share their ideas and problem-solving strategies. The episode features excerpts from “Dear Math” letters, insights from math education experts, and reflections from two alumni about how the class shaped their mathematical identities.

    • 25 min
    How Green Schoolyards Can Turn Schools into 3D Textbooks

    How Green Schoolyards Can Turn Schools into 3D Textbooks

    Most people are familiar with snow and rain as reasons to cancel recess. But what about canceling recess because it’s too sunny? Playgrounds in California are heating up. And with asphalt blacktops and metal monkey bars, kids are forced to skip outdoor activities to avoid getting burned on school yards that can reach up to 140 degrees. One solution to this problem is to green schoolyards by adding trees, gardens, and other vegetation. Green schoolyards not only help reduce heat island effects but also provide a wealth of educational opportunities. By using the schoolyard as a 3D textbook, students can learn about climate change, sustainability, and other academic topics through hands-on experiences. For example, students can learn about water conservation by monitoring rain gardens or composting food waste in the school garden. Additionally, green schoolyards can provide a safe and stimulating environment for students to learn, play, and connect with nature, promoting mental and physical health. 

    • 21 min
    The Right Way to Say “I’m Sorry”

    The Right Way to Say “I’m Sorry”

    We all know how it feels to get a bad apology. “I’m sorry if,” “I’m sorry but,” and other ways people skirt real acknowledgement of wrongdoing. Effective apologies require empathy, perspective-taking, honesty and courage, and making amends is an important habit for healthy school communities. In this episode, MindShift talks with two authors who analyze apologies in the news for a website called SorryWatch. Then we meet a fifth-grade teacher who teaches her students a seven-step formula for apologies through role-playing and class discussions. Her students not only learn to recognize and enact good apologies – they also share that knowledge on the playground and with their families at the dinner table.

    • 19 min
    Inclusive Dress Codes: A Challenge and an Opportunity

    Inclusive Dress Codes: A Challenge and an Opportunity

    In recent years, dress codes have been undergoing significant shifts in many schools across the nation. With language targeting hair, visible skin, and footwear, dress codes are often touted as promoting professionalism and eliminating distractions in the classroom. However, policies around dress codes are receiving pushback from students and parents for disproportionately impacting students of color, LGBTQ+ students, and students from low-income backgrounds. In response to student-led research, one Washington DC-based school decided to center input from students to reevaluate their policies to ensure they are inclusive and respectful of all students. In this episode, MindShift investigates the reasons behind creating rules around what students wear, whether dress codes work the way adults hope they do, and one school’s process of creating a more relaxed dress code.

    • 22 min
    How Extroverted Teachers Can Engage Introverted Students

    How Extroverted Teachers Can Engage Introverted Students

    As educators move away from sage-on-the-stage instruction, their first step is often to foster more student discussion. A talkative classroom might be a mark of success in student-centered learning, but it doesn’t mean every student is engaged. In this episode, MindShift visits a language arts classroom where an extroverted teacher has developed creative ways of inviting introverted students to share their thinking. We also hear from an education researcher who says we should view student engagement as a continuum, and from a teacher who uses that continuum to better understand how students are driving their learning.

    • 24 min
    Uncovering Healthy Relationships With Consent Education

    Uncovering Healthy Relationships With Consent Education

    Age-appropriate consent education involves much more than navigating sexual activity. It can show up in situations as mundane as sharing fries, asking someone to dance at prom, or initiating a romantic relationship. By teaching students how to ask for and give enthusiastic consent, they can navigate these situations in a way that ensures both parties feel comfortable and respected. In this episode, MindShift explores how teaching consent in school empowers students to set boundaries and express their emotions.
    The MindShift team includes Nimah Gobir, Kara Newhouse, Ki Sung, Marlena Jackson-Retondo, Chris Hambrick, and Seth Samuel. MindShift is supported in part by the generosity of the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation and members of KQED. Jen Chien is the director of podcasts. Katie Sprenger is Podcast Operations Manager. Audience Engagement Support from Cesar Saldaña. Holly Kernan is KQED’s Chief Content Officer.

    • 25 min

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5
235 Ratings

235 Ratings

MarcAlexander7 ,

Yay for New Season!

Great first episode back. The awareness being made surrounding assessments is crucial and something that must always be scrutinized and re-evaluated.

August Consumer ,

Professor full of empty air

Study strategies lecture
Professor typified the empty chatter of US colleges.
The tragedy is students in the USA pay a ransom to be a captive audience to them—and the professor gets a pay check.
I remember from the first day till decades later when we sat in the beginning of a University lecture was like a train starting — stop the conversation and jump on.
There are too many great books to read rather than listening to this.
The internet revolution allows us to filter much and see how much busy chatter is in US academics.
And his book won’t be on my list

Elise M.C ,

Every episode is gold

This podcast adds so much to my life, I don’t know how I survived before it. Short yet tells a complete story that is well researched and captivating. As a parent this expands my view so wildly and for that I am appreciative.

Top Podcasts In Kids & Family

Dr. Becky Kennedy
WBUR
National Geographic Kids
Tinkercast | Wondery
Story Pirates
American Public Media

You Might Also Like

Jennifer Gonzalez
Angela Watson
Elena Aguilar
Amplify Education
Vicki Davis
Teach Me, Teacher LLC

More by KQED

KQED
American Public Media
KQED
KQED
KQED
KQED