Rethinking Learning Podcast Barbara Bray

          

Cara Zelas is an early childhood educator, social and emotional learning expert, and curriculum creator. Cara founded Big World of Little Dude, an educational platform that focuses on teaching social and emotional skills to children aged 3-6 through a captivating book series and comprehensive “humanKIND Curriculum.” Through dog therapy and the focus on embracing kindness, Cara’s goal is for children to thrive and have a brighter future. 

Your WHY

My WHY is to empower children with the essential social and emotional skills they need to thrive in today’s world.

Background

With a Bachelor of Media and Bachelor of Education degrees from Macquarie University, along with an Early Childhood Montessori (AMS) teaching certification from West Side Montessori School, I bring a strong educational foundation to my work.

After relocating from Sydney, Australia to New York City, I actively engaged with The Good Dog Foundation. Together with my dog, Little Dude, we underwent training to become a therapy team, visiting hospitals and schools across the city. 

The Good Dog Foundation

The Good Dog Foundation harnesses the dog-human bond to ease human suffering and support learning with Animal Assisted Intervention. 

The oldest love affair on Earth has been going on for 30,000 years.

It’s the bond between dogs and humans.

Big World of Little Dude was born out of a transformative experience I had while volunteering with Little Dude, my therapy dog, through The Good Dog Foundation. During this time, I discovered the incredible power of kindness – that even small acts of kindness can have a profound impact on others. Inspired by this realization, I started bringing Little Dude into an early childhood classroom to teach children about the importance of kindness. This experience sparked a deep interest in social and emotional learning for young children, leading me on a journey of research and exploration.

Big World of Little Dude

At Big World of Little Dude, we are driven by the belief that nurturing the social and emotional well-being of children is paramount to building a brighter future. We have created this platform to make social-emotional learning accessible to every child and family, as a guiding light for parents and teachers alike. Together, let’s forge a path where every child thrives, learns, and flourishes, equipped with the indispensable skills of resilience, empathy, and limitless potential.

Our mission is to spread kindness and provide support to those in need. This experience of fostering kindness within my community inspired me to teach this invaluable concept to young children.



“humanKIND” Curriculum

I created engaging and free activities suitable for the classroom, homeschooling, or even the kitchen table. These hands-on and enjoyable activities are designed for children aged three to six,

          

Brian Curcio is the visionary behind Rapunzl, an EdTech game-changer reshaping financial education. Brian’s inspiring journey, from launching Rapunzl in a college dorm room to securing a 3 million dollar investment from the owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, exemplifies his unwavering dedication to empowering students through financial literacy.

Your Why

I believe that students from underserved communities face an opportunity gap. With Rapunzl, we aim to fix that with educational content accessible to anyone. By ensuring that all of our programming remains permissionless, we can provide every student with equitable access to high-quality financial literacy materials that foster independent learning and outstanding student outcomes.

Your Background

I was raised in Chicago by two investment bankers who emphasized the importance of community and financial literacy at an early age. Throughout high school, I volunteered at a school for at-risk youth, tutoring students and gaining firsthand experience with the institutional and systemic barriers facing students from underserved communities. I began interning in finance in 2011, my junior year of high school, and it transformed my world. I was hooked. When I arrived at Amherst College in 2013, it was shocking to learn more about the disparity between what was being taught about finance in school and what I had learned at home and through various internships.

A fire had been lit: how could we make a high-quality financial education program equitable, sustainable, and accessible for all students? I reconnected with my long-time high school friend, Myles Gage, and Rapunzl was born in my senior year.



What Is Rapunzl?

https://rapunzlinvestments.com/ 

Rapunzl is a gamified education platform transforming how we teach kids about money. Rapunzl allows any school to implement a robust, standards-aligned financial education program. Students simulate real-time portfolios, access an integrated curriculum, and compete in a national scholarship competition. Rapunzl, recognized as a 2022 Yass Prize Finalist, has already impacted 100,000 high school students nationwide and distributed over $300,000 in scholarships. This past year, my partner and I were recognized by Forbes 30 Under 30 and we’re rapidly growing to more schools.

The name Rapunzl, is an analogy borne from the reality that many people view the world of investing and the returns of Wall Street as something inaccessible. That’s where Rapunzl comes in: rolling down the hair and providing equitable access to financial markets and scholarship opportunities.



Your Ah Hah Moment!

When we launched Rapunzl, we spent a month driving to over 150 high schools, teaching more than 2,000 students during the day, and coding the app at night.

We knew we were onto something when our first scholarship winner, Destiny Davis, was invited to ring the opening bell at Nasdaq’s ...

          



Kevin Honeycutt is a technology integrationist, staff developer, musician, and songwriter. He has worked with teachers and learners in 49 states plus Puerto Rico and delivered keynotes to audiences around the world in places such as Norway, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Barcelona, New Zealand, London, Manila, Canada, and Australia. In 2021 he partnered with his wife of 31 years to start his own company, Honeycutt Consulting, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  Kevin has some opportunities for you. Make sure you keep listening.

I think of my networks as a jar of lightning bugs. Each person I connect with flashes their light occasionally. If I collect enough of these luminous people I can always find my way forward, even in the dark.

Your WHY



I am a reluctant warrior. As a child, I found myself on a battlefield created by my father’s choices that led to poverty, poor nutrition, and assignments to the lowest strata of the social constructs of whatever school in whatever state I ended up in. As I grew up, frustration and determination germinated in me led me to be the first Honeycutt to go to college and the first person in my family to become an educator.

Building Real Relationships (making kids feel seen)



Background

I grew up in poverty, living on welfare and being sent to foster homes and occasionally robbing the Goodwill Box looking for clothes. I attended school in more than 20 states before becoming the first high school and college graduate in my family. I taught K-12 art, and summer art camps and wrote and directed high school plays for 13 years. During that time I was nominated for Sallie Mae Master Teacher, Kansas Master Teacher and won the Making IT Happen Award and published in art education journals. I then transitioned to a role as a staff developer and keynote speaker at an educational non-profit service agency for the next 17 years. There, I conceived and developed multiple research-based programs in the areas of project-based learning, trauma/poverty-informed instruction, SEL, STEM/STEAM education, and Creating Your Digital Legacy presentations for teens.

My Space Capsule Project 

Launching into creative STEM/STEAM learning!

Musician, Songwriter

How I started

I started sketching a Steampunk Guitar way back in 8th grade, that dream finally came true!

Stop Bullying and create Kinder cultures in Schools



The event that started a movement

What happens when your kid gets bullied by the popular kids and all of his friends either join in or remain silent while they are systematically destroyed? How do we create kinder cultures in schools? 

         

Erik M. Francis, M.Ed., M.S., is an international author, educator presenter, and professional development provider with over 25 years of experience in education. He is the owner of Maverik Education, providing professional development, guidance, and support on how to plan and provide teaching and learning experiences that are standards-based, socially and emotionally supportive, and student-responsive. Erik is also consistently ranked as one of the World’s Top 30 Education Professionals by the international research organization Global Gurus and the Top 25 Thought Leaders.

Your WHY 

My purpose is to ensure teaching and learning are standards-based, socially and emotionally supportive, and student-responsive so that the experience is academic and effective for all.

Your Family and What You Love

I live in Scottsdale, Arizona, with my family. I enjoy football (Go Arizona Cardinals!), basketball (Go Phoenix Suns!), working out, Peloton (#Maverik70), playing guitar, classic rock music (I’m a huge Van Halen and Led Zeppelin fan!), and watching films (The Godfather saga, Jaws, the Star Wars saga, the Rocky films (including the Creed movies), and Marvel’s Infinity War saga are my favorites).

Your Background

I received my Master’s in Education Leadership from Northern Arizona University and my Master’s in Science in Television/Radio/and Film Production and Management from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. I also hold a Bachelor of Arts in Rhetoric and Communication and English from the University at Albany. I have over 25 years of experience working in education as a classroom teacher, a site administrator, an education program specialist with a state education agency, and a trainer who produces and provides professional development for teachers and school leaders.

Maverik Education

Maverik Education provides professional development, guidance, and support on how to develop and deliver teaching and learning experiences that are standards-based, socially and emotionally supportive, and student-responsive. Learning opportunities that:



provide continuous onsite and virtual professional development, guidance, and support for schools and their staff.

specialize in professional development on Depth of Knowledge (DOK) and how to use the DOK Levels accurately

offer professional development on how to develop and deliver inquiry-based learning experiences driven by good questions.



Your Books 

I am the author of Inquiring Minds Want to Learn: Posing Good Questions to Promote Student Inquiry (Launched April 2024) and Deconstructing Depth of Knowledge: A Method and Model for Deeper Teaching and Learning...

        

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, and fear surrounding the rise of artificial intelligence among educators and stakeholders in education communities. AI and the Future of Education is a response to this general state of panic, showing you that AI is a tool to leverage,

        

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, and learning from the inspiring social justice work of AS220, transformed my teaching practice, and made me a passionate advocate. These experiences cemented my commitment to assuring all our children see themselves reflec...