Hey there Friends,

It's Alex. I just wanted to come and say thank you to all of you for everything! Thanks especially to Natalie for all she's shared and taught me. 

I'm working on some new things starting with a new podcast on Youtube (for now) called Curiosity Bridge, the link is below.  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfdO3NS1bd8fHfKYGsHPasQ 

Linkedin is best way to connect for those who'd like 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-noel-3a292980/ 

Thanks again,

Alex

On her final episode of the #EduCrush podcast, Natalie reflects on her personal growth throughout the past four years of creating the show and shares insights into what's next.

Show Notes:

• The greatest validation comes from within. 
• Creativity thrives on consistency.
• Equity without introspection is a trap. 
• You are the solution until you become the problem. 
• My voice is powerful. 

→ Subscribe to Unleash YES, Nat's new podcast with co-host Tom Schimmer.

✨Join us at the 2024 Empowerment Ecosystem Summit!

Sometimes, our focus on external change is just a reflection of the deeper changes we know we're avoiding in ourselves. 

Go read that again.

Join Natalie for a solo episode to seize the new year and finally let go of the toxic habits, patterns, and relationships in your life to manifest your deepest desires. And no, manifesting isn’t magic, it’s science. Learn the biological basis for this powerhouse practice and a three-step process to apply it to your own life. 

💬 Continue the conversation with Natalie on Twitter or Instagram

 ✊ Join our Facebook group for community, connection and allies.

✨Download Nat's six research-based ways to INSPIRE change in assessment and grading!

Show Notes:

• A game of high/low for the holidays. 
• Natalie gets personal about the 15-year karmic cycle she’s ready to release.
•   The science behind manifesting as described by Dr. Bruce Lipton in “Biology of Belief.”
• A three-step process to tap into creative visualization and clear blocks. 

This week on #Educrush, Alex is looking back on some of the interviews that match with what has turned out to be the focal point of the year…Community.  

 Continue the conversation with Natalie on Twitter or Instagram

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Download Nat's six research-based ways to INSPIRE change in assessment and grading!

In this crossover episode, Natalie joins fellow podcast host and co-author, Tom Schimmer, to discuss how story is critical to rehumanize assessment, embrace the messiness of change, and to cultivate the mindset necessary for inner peace.

💬 Continue the conversation with Natalie on Twitter or Instagram

💬 Continue the conversation with Tom on Twitter or Instagram

 ✊ Join our Facebook group for community, connection and allies.

✨ Check out the website for the Empowerment Ecosystem Summit for the schedule, locations, and details on how to register!

Show Notes:

• Rehumanizing assessment through story allows us to tap into deeper learning, build empathy, and demonstrate cultural expansiveness while gathering evidence of the critical competencies.
• When students are the storytellers, they develop agency.
• Storytelling in the classroom can range from micro moments to macro projects, and capture evidence of the standards as well as metacognition and reflection.
• Change requires leaders to become storytellers to model the vulnerability of making mistakes and trying something new.
• The stories we tell ourselves determine our mindset.
• If you live to please others you'll lie to yourself, but when you tell yourself the truth, you'll find your inner peace, even if that doesn't make everyone happy.

As the winter Holiday’s loom, now is the time of the year that I and others start to think about family. The countdown is on and we’re ready for a break. What does it look like to use this time, leading to the holidays, as an opportunity for personal growth and community building? Join Alex for a brief discussion on sharing traditions for the season!

**Note from Alex** This episode is shorter than usual because I am sicker than usual but I hope you still enjoy!

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Download Nat's six research-based ways to INSPIRE change in assessment and grading!

As soon as we say the word inclusion, there’s an exclusion. Designing an education system that is grounded in the mindset that all students belong and are capable of high levels of learning is the real goal. Dr. Shelley Moore joins Natalie to talk about what inclusion means to her and how we can make change through collaboration, standards-based approaches, and stories.

💬 Continue the conversation with Natalie on Twitter or Instagram

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💬 Continue the conversation with Shelley on Twitter or Instagram

 ✊ Join our Facebook group for community, connection and allies.

✨Check out the website for the Empowerment Ecosystem Summit for the schedule, locations, and to register!

Show Notes:

• A personal story for Shelley that reveals the transformative power of inclusive education was in grade 8 when she experienced a middle school program that was organized in cohorts, supported by tech and inquiry-based.
• The vision for ideal inclusion is that we don’t need to talk about it anymore; as long as there’s inclusion, there is also exclusion.
• Two ways to reduce stress and workload in inclusive education are through collaboration and thinking standards-based.
•  Stories and humour are critical for making change in a complex system like education.  
• We don’t need ability groups for all students to receive the support they need to be successful, especially as these groups limit students from grade-level instruction.
•  Inclusion requires us to build our capacity to teach strategically, and two powerful strategies are designing learning progressions and fluid, goal-oriented groups.

Diversity, equity and inclusion will always be a complicated subject. It’s worthwhile to learn and to grow from it, because that allows us as teachers to create environments where all students can learn. Not just about the subject matter that we’re trying to teach but learn about what it means to be considerate of the communities we’re in and the people we encounter. This week on #Educrush, Alex interviews Professor and Author, Dr. Shirley Steinberg as they start to explore what it means to consider Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accommodation.

 Continue the conversation with Natalie on Twitter or Instagram

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Download Nat's six research-based ways to INSPIRE change in assessment and grading!

Fasten your seatbelts as Natalie takes you on a journey through the inception, challenges, and triumphs of Bio-Med Science Academy with its founder, Stephanie Lammlein. They explore how she turned a bold vision into reality, how the students are thriving in this educational ecosystem and the impact it's making on the rural community it serves. 

💬 Continue the conversation with Natalie on Twitter or Instagram

💬 Continue the conversation with Stephanie on Twitter or Linkedin

 ✊ Join our Facebook group for community, connection and allies.

📅 Register for Natalie's two-day grading workshop in St. Louis, MI. 

✨Download Nat's six research-based ways to INSPIRE change in assessment and grading!

Show Notes:

• The tipping point for Stephanie to leave the classroom and create a STEM school was mastery of her craft and frustration with being trapped in a box.
• The hallmark of a thriving STEM classroom is students experimenting with things we don’t already know the answer to. 
• Creating a school requires legislative backing and many pivots. 
• The integration that STEM requires challenges both students and teachers to learn to navigate social-emotional hurdles. 
• Assessment in an integrated STEM school requires a shift to assessing competencies over products. 

Leadership is often cited as one of the most important and contentious parts of school’s life. Many dream of being a leader that is effective and inspiring and many more have opinions on what exactly a leader needs in order to be effective and inspiring. What if we focused on the leadership that lives in all of us? What does it look like to move away from a system where one person is always at the top and shift to looking at having the right leader for the right time. This week on #Educrush, lets explore a little of leadership and what it looks like when it is distributed through democracy.  

When Teachers Run the School

https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/when-teachers-run-the-school

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Download Nat's six research-based ways to INSPIRE change in assessment and grading!

In this solo episode, Natalie honors the Halloween season by describing five ghastly ghouls haunting our schools: phantom policies, zombie meetings, dementor processes, and the control and avoidance poltergeists. Learn what they are and how to defeat them!

💬 Continue the conversation with Natalie on Twitter or Instagram

 🎧Listen to the podcast episode that inspired this episode: “Slaying your Organizational Debt Monster.”

🎥Watch Rodney Evans describe organizational debt.

 ✊ Join our Facebook group for community, connection and allies.

✨Get on the list for advance tickets for the Empowerment Ecosystem Summit!

Show Notes:

• Organizational debt is the policies, practices and ways of working that are no longer serving their purpose, leading to bureaucracy.
• Phantom policies are born of a idiosyncratic mistake and scare teachers from more meaningful practice (e.g. teachers must have 5 entries per week in their grade book).
• Zombie meetings are routine meetings that have lost their soul. (e.g. PLC meetings).
• Dementor processes suck the life out of creativity and innovation. (e.g. committees as a part of the change process).
• The control poltergeist haunts leaders lacking connection and leads to a culture of permission.
• The avoidance poltergeist haunts leaders who feel unsafe and leads to a culture of influence.
• The fix to all of these issues is the thing we tend to avoid in our workplaces, tough conversations (with ourselves and others).

School or Athletics? That’s the question we often ask students athletes if grades begin to slip. What if we are misunderstanding the role that sports have in the education space? How can teams help students better grasp the concepts in the academic classroom. This week Alex sits down with Teacher, Coach and Athletic Director Nick Waterbury, who has spent time on a local and national and international level, giving opportunities for students and teachers to learn about leadership and participate in the athletics as an extension of education.

 Continue the conversation with Natalie on Twitter or Instagram

 Continue the conversation with Alex on Twitter or Instagram

   Join our Facebook group for community, connection and allies.

Download Nat's six research-based ways to INSPIRE change in assessment and grading!

This new podcast from Natalie Vardabasso with co-host Tom Schimmer will help you leave the politics of your job behind and experience the freedom of becoming your own boss. 

→Use this link to subscribe/follow on Apple, Spotify, or Google Podcasts!

Is participation the only thing that can be assessed in Phys Ed class? How might health be integrated as a goal alongside physical activity? Nat joins Canadian PHE and assessment expert Josh Ogilvie to explore what’s possible for Phys Ed when we embrace conversation, personal inquiry and belonging.

Show Notes:

• The shift to Physical “Health” Education (PHE) was an intentional one to explore the intersection between movement and mental health.
• The ideal goal of a PHE program is for each student to arrive at an awareness of the type of “mover” they are and what personal benefit it provides.
• There is no equity in assessing participation in PHE as it does not consider the competence, confidence, and satisfaction each learner is experiencing in that space.
• PHE teachers have more to offer than being a glorified recreational facilitators. 
• Competition is an important concept to explore in PHE, albeit within the context of student voice and choice.
• PHE teachers cannot assess every student at once, but they can practice sound assessment by embracing more conversation as an artifact of learning.

💬 Continue the conversation with Natalie on Twitter or Instagram

💬 Continue the conversation with Josh on Twitter or his website.

 ✊ Join our Facebook group for community, connection and allies.

✨Download Nat's six research-based ways to INSPIRE change in assessment and grading!

What is burnout? Why does it have such a tight grasp on discussions of educator’s efficacy and longevity? This week on #Educrush Alex discusses learnings about the insidious natures of and potential strategies for dealing with Burnout. 

**For the curious, here are some links to the papers I read that don’t cost money or require membership at a university library.**

National Library of Medicine

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8834764/#:~:text=Although%20definitive%20evidence%20has%20not,cynicism%20or%20depersonalization%20%5B29%5D.

35 Years

https://scholar.google.ca/scholar_url?url=https://www.psicopolis.com/burnout/BUpdf/35anni.pdf&hl=en&sa=X&ei=epAZZf_7D66P6rQPvLWsmAQ&scisig=AFWwaebEJ6E5AQf9n1j2BFICaeRk&oi=scholarr

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Download Nat's six research-based ways to INSPIRE change in assessment and grading!

Where is the space for entrepreneurship in education? How might visionary educators expand their impact outside the four walls of their classroom and school? Dr. Will joins Natalie to discuss what an EduPreneur is and how we can disrupt our limiting beliefs around money and worthiness to become one.

Show Notes:

• Dr. Will’s mission in education is to fill the “hope gap"
• An EduPreneur is someone who wants to make a greater impact in education without being confined by the rules of the system. 
• Breaking through limiting money mindsets means recognizing our value and owning it. 
• By making a documentary featuring successful EduPreneurs, Dr. Will learned it requires finding your niche, being patient and not being afraid to pivot. 
•   Becoming an EduPreneur is a pathway to achieve transformation and the first step to getting there is discovering your element.  

💬 Continue the conversation with Natalie on Twitter or Instagram

💬 Continue the conversation with Dr. Will on Twitter or Linkedin

 🎥 Watch Dr. Will’s documentary film “The Edupreneur”

 ✈️ Attend the “Grading from the Inside Out” two-day workshop in St. Louis.

 ✊ Join our Facebook group for community, connection and allies.

✨Download Nat's six research-based ways to INSPIRE change in assessment and grading!

This week on #Educrush, we’re talking to a recent high school graduate and previous guest to the pod, Reese Gagne. She shares her insights about the value, complexity and elusive nature of community as she begins her post-secondary journey, and we begin our school year!

Links:

 Continue the conversation with Natalie on Twitter or Instagram

 Continue the conversation with Alex on Twitter or Instagram

   Join our Facebook group for community, connection and allies.

Download Nat's six research-based ways to INSPIRE change in assessment and grading!

What makes for good design? If teachers are to see themselves as learning designers, what qualities might guide their work? Join Natalie as she talks to a professional interior designer to discover parallels to teaching.

Show Notes:

• If architects create the outside of a building, interior designers create the inside (of which decoration is only one small piece).
• Good design is more of a noun than a verb that includes functionality, inclusiveness, aesthetics, and a powerful user experience. 
• There are many parallels between the qualities of good design and good teaching. 
• Sound design principles include the use of space and a design narrative. 
• A common mistake folks make when approaching design is to adhere to the status quo and over-emphasize aesthetics.
• When designing our physical school spaces, access to nature and inspiring imagery, along with flexible uses of space, should be our guide.

💬 Continue the conversation with Natalie on Twitter or Instagram

 ✊ Join our Facebook group for community, connection and allies.

✨Download Nat's six research-based ways to INSPIRE change in assessment and grading!

This week on #Educrush Alex talks a little bit about his summer learning and discusses the true enemy of education, Apathy.

 Continue the conversation with Natalie on Twitter or Instagram

 Continue the conversation with Alex on Twitter or Instagram

 Continue the conversation with ______ on Twitter or Instagram

   Join our Facebook group for community, connection and allies.

Download Nat's six research-based ways to INSPIRE change in assessment and grading!

In the season 4 opener, Natalie comes to you solo to share a story of failure that reveals an important truth about change.

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Nat and Alex come together to answer the season 3 inquiry question, “How might we rehumanize education through story?” by reflecting on what they learned from conversations with guests.

Show Notes:

·       Nat and Alex check-in. (0:30)

·       Stories are the bedrock of community and how we decolonize education. (3:15)

·       To tell a story of personal growth, we need to feel that we belong. (7:45)

·       We must rewrite the stories about leadership, wellness, and power that limit our humanity in school spaces. (9:50)

·       Updating the story of education as it relates to work in our modern world. (17:00)

·       Why is it so hard to change what we know we need to change? (22:00)

·       The connection between story, accessibility, and story. (25:45)

·       Looking forward to summer and beyond. (34:40)

Follow Natalie: Twitter | Instagram

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Follow the Podcast: Twitter | Instagram

What is decolonization? How is story integral to it? How might we all become better at receiving and telling stories? Natalie joins Indigenous scholar, teacher and changemaker Carolyn Roberts to discuss circle work, deep listening, performative allyship and finding our voices.

Carolyn’s Blog Post, “It’s about representation: Let’s talk about The Outsiders and Animal Farm.”

Carolyn’s Podcast Series, “Walking in Relation”

Follow Natalie: Twitter | Instagram

Follow the Podcast: Twitter | Instagram

Follow Carolyn: Twitter | Website

Show Notes

Why stories and circles are inherently decolonizing. (11:35)

How can teachers honor indigenous storytelling? (16:05)

The barriers to accepting story as valid evidence of learning in schools. (18:50)

Opportunities to decolonize the education system writ large. (26:05)

How the adults in schools can learn to listen and create psychological safety (30:35)

Why it is critical for leaders and teachers to tell better stories to rebuild relationships. (38:34)

The purpose of education. (49:28)

This week on #Educrush, Writer, Producer and Science communicator Ceri Riley shares her experiences being an educator outside of the classroom, the challenges that she has faces and the importance of making sure that everyone has access to learning!

Ceri on Twitter: @Ceriley

Alex on Twitter: @MrAlexNoel

Natalie on Twitter: @natabasso

Podcast on Twitter: @educrushpod

Podcast on Instagram: @educrushpod

Links Mentioned:

https://open.spotify.com/show/22OJWsluntwDB1siMFIA9V?si=8ece44d390e3487b

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/scishow-tangents/id1441251826

On this episode Alex interviews passionate and innovative educator Andrew Rigby, on the numerous benefits of TTRPG’s for students in the classroom.

 Continue the conversation with Natalie on Twitter or Instagram

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   Join our Facebook group for community, connection and allies.

Download Nat's six research-based ways to INSPIRE change in assessment and grading!

Who is the greatest lever for change in our education system? Teachers? Parents? Students? In this episode, Natalie connects with three former students and their mentor teacher from Prince George, Canada, to explore how students can become visionary catalysts who spark learning in an entire community. 

Video #1 - Stories and Experiences: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=PyX81hRIVgA#dialog&ab_channel=SchoolDistrictNo.57

Video #2 - Impact: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=7Q00FZfoqjM&ab_channel=SchoolDistrictNo.57

Video #3 - Hope and Allyship: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=1T7P3tRDrLM&ab_channel=SchoolDistrictNo.57

Video #4 - For Educators: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=tOKUlkcPNMY&ab_channel=SchoolDistrictNo.57

Join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/empowermentecosystem

Follow Natalie: Twitter | Instagram

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Show Notes:

• Who is the greatest lever for change in our education system? (1:30)
• The inciting incident; a polarizing costume at Halloween following the renaming of a school. (11:50)
• The collective decision by the DSAC students in response to the racism they witnessed in their community. (22:03)
• The critical difference between “student voice” and agency. (27:03)
• Grounding themselves in the first persons' principles to navigate the process.  (32:40)
•  The brave conversations, pushback, and productive discomfort in the SD57 community as a result of the learning series videos. (34:58)
• Key insights and learnings that emerged from each journey. (44:33)
• Student advice for teachers about how to develop their own agency to make change in the education system. (51:15)
• The purpose(s) of education. (55:04)

Description:

This week on #Educrush we hear from Calgary’s Current and the first ever Black Poet Laureate of the city, Wakefield Brewster as he shares with us the importance of story and poetry  and education.

Wakefield on Twitter @LyricalPitpull

Wakefield on Instagram @Wakefield_Brewster

Alex on Twitter: @MrAlexNoel

Natalie on Twitter: @natabasso

Podcast on Twitter: @educrushpod

Podcast on Instagram: @educrushpod

Links Mentioned:

https://wakefieldbrewster.com/

What is community? How do we build it, and break it? Who are we as a wider education community? Natalie connects with former teacher and current community engagement strategist, Melody McAllister, to unpack the complexities of both youth and adult communities in the age of social media. 

Join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/empowermentecosystem

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Follow Melody: Twitter | Instagramv | LinkedIn

Email: hello@educrushpod.com

Show Notes:

·       Melody’s education journey thus far. (6:25)

·       What is community? (9:45))

·       How to tell the story of a classroom community; building a classroom community with parents. (13:30)

·       The power of co-creation to build community. (20:00)

·       Leveraging music and check-in questions to make everyone welcome immediately. (20:20)

·       Who are we as an education community? (30:25)

·       We need to stop attacking each other on social media and giving ammunition to the critics. (39:15)

·       How can we honor one another as whole people and get back to a place of unity? (48:35)

·       A hopeful note about the purpose of education. (55:15)

Description:

This week Alex talks to Multimedia Specialist and Search and Rescue volunteer Nick Hughes. He share how his experiences with high school influenced his passions today.  What does it look like for teachers to nurture the interests and passions of students and where might that start lead them in their lives?

Alex on Twitter: @MrAlexNoel

Natalie on Twitter: @natabasso

Podcast on Twitter: @educrushpod

Podcast on Instagram: @educrushpod

Fresh off the first-ever Empowerment Ecosystem Summit in Vancouver, BC, Natalie sits down with co-hosts Katie White and Tom Schimmer to reflect on highlights, insights, and next steps for the innovative event.

Show Notes:

·       What’s sticking with each of us immediately after the event. (10:25)

·       Rethinking the concept of the “middle” in education and how tension shows up in creative work. (19:45)

·       Tweaks to the event design to better meet the vision. (23:30)

·       Moments that will stick with us. (27:00)

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Follow Tom: Twitter | Instagram

Email: hello@educrushpod.com

This week on #Educrush, our guest Alora Popow shares the importance of both the Physical and Education portion of Physical Education. As a PE teacher herself, Alora shares her Philosophy of education, how classroom outcomes intertwine with outcomes in the gym space and how we can better utilize physical education to aid our instruction of class outcomes.

Don’t forget to sign up the Empowerment Ecosystem Summit!
https://sites.google.com/view/empowermentecosystemsummit/home

Alex on Twitter: @MrAlexNoel

Natalie on Twitter: @natabasso

Podcast on Twitter: @educrushpod

Podcast on Instagram: @educrushpod

Wellness is so much more than a pizza party or a coffee cart; it’s deep, personal excavation and ruthless time management. Jonathan Erickson is currently the principal of Parras Middle School in Redondo Beach, California, and he joins Natalie to share what he learned about the discipline of wellness when he studied it during his PhD, and how he’s bringing it to life in his school.

Show Notes:

·       Jonathan’s journey through innovative teaching contexts and a PhD in mindfulness and workplace outcomes. (5:50)

·       Wellness; the story being told and how we can rewrite the narrative. (11:30)

·       Rethinking teacher education and after-school care to build collective capacity in social-emotional learning. (16:00)

·       Th importance of designing for academic engagement as a facet of social-emotional learning for all. (25:35)

·       Determining a defensible position to inspire rethinking. (33:20)

·       How a principal can create the conditions for wellness on their campus. (37:25)

·       Managing your time so you can show up for people. (44:00)

·       The purpose of education (53:50)

Register for the Empowerment Ecosystem Summit: https://sites.google.com/view/empowermentecosystemsummit/home 

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Follow the Podcast: Twitter | Instagram

Follow Jonathan: Linkedin

Email: hello@educrushpod.com

This week we further explore what we started in Ep 72, where Natalie and Alex talked about what it means to “craft a public narrative” in education. Welcome to part of Alex’s public Narrative. “Cross Curricular Conversations to energize your time.”

Don’t forget to sign up the Empowerment Ecosystem Summit!
https://sites.google.com/view/empowermentecosystemsummit/home

Alex on Twitter: @MrAlexNoel

Natalie on Twitter: @natabasso

Podcast on Twitter: @educrushpod

Podcast on Instagram: @educrushpod

Links Mentioned:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3b3q7KO62YBCDgRdvBwtgT?si=11eb0df263704caa

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/crafting-a-public-narrative/id1529486348?i=1000600616054

This season, we have explored many stories of education here in the present, but what is the future of education? Join Natalie to play within two future simulations that will stretch your capacity to discover creative opportunities, today.

Empowerment Ecosystem Summit website: https://sites.google.com/view/empowermentecosystemsummit/home

Follow Natalie: Twitter | Instagram

Follow the Podcast: Twitter | Instagram

Email: hello@educrushpod.com

Show Notes:

·       When does the future start? (4:45)

·       Jane McGonigal, SuperStruct, and the power of a future simulation to build our capacity for creativity today. (7:00)

·       Future simulation #1: CurriculumGPT (15:00)

·       Future simulation #2: IncorporatED (24:30)

·       10 ways anything can be different in the future. (32:00)

This week on #Educrush we dive into how our expectations of students change the stories that they get to tell about themselves. Kelsey Brown talks a bit about a restorative justice program run out of the Calgary Youth Justice society.

Don’t forget to sign up the Empowerment Ecosystem Summit!
https://sites.google.com/view/empowermentecosystemsummit/home

Alex on Twitter: @MrAlexNoel

Natalie on Twitter: @natabasso

Podcast on Twitter: @educrushpod

Podcast on Instagram: @educrushpod

Show Notes:

10:45 Introduction

15:30 Community mentorship

17:08 How students have negative interactions with their school communities.

20:00 Students participating in risk behaviors.

23:14 Schools allowing students to be a part of their communities.

27:48 The importance of community

30:14 The purpose of education

Links Mentioned:

https://calgaryyouthjustice.ca/

 https://calgaryyouthjustice.ca/programs-services/cyjc/

https://calgaryyouthjustice.ca/get-involved/volunteer/

Though Starr is considered a leading voice in innovative assessment and grading practices, it didn’t start out that way. Once upon a time, she was a teacher in her classroom on the precipice of making a terrifying change. In this episode, Nat talks with Starr about how her personal growth journey triggered a change in her practices and eventually a major pivot in her career. Learn how Starr learned to let go of control and empower students so you can do the same.

Show Notes:

• How doing personal, inner work sparks an openness to change and learning, like it did when Starr chose to transform her assessment and grading practices.
• The biggest misconception about assessment is not believing that kids are capable of being assessors on their own behalf; it’s vulnerable to release control.
• Cultivating respectful education by seeing people and moving together puts joy back in the job.
• When being an innovative teacher puts a target on your back.
• Leveraging our skills as teachers allows us to move beyond typical jobs in education to expand our impact.
• Surrendering to the energy of the universe to allow our path to unfold and find our people.

💬 Continue the conversation with Natalie on Twitter or Instagram

💬Continue the conversation with Starr on Twitter or Linkedin.  

 ✊ Join our Facebook group for community, connection and allies.

✨Download Nat's six research-based ways to INSPIRE change in assessment and grading!

Breana Jacques and Shannon Finnegan are two “engagement guides” at the Collaborative Lab School in Minneapolis with a fascinating mission: to empower students to reinvent school. What principles do students think school should follow? What do they think should be assessed? How do they want to feel? They join Natalie to share the story of how they’ve shared power with students as co-designers of school and are rewriting the narrative of education.

Show Notes:

·       Introduction to Breana and Shannon, two “engagement guides” at the Collaborative Lab School. (7:30)

·       How reimagining the role of a teacher is energizing and rehumanizing. (12:00)

·       What students want when they are empowered to co-design school.  (19:30)

·       The co-design journey that led to the Collaborative Lab School. (29:00)

·       Co-designing an assessment system grounded in competencies. (36:45)

·       The barriers that folks are facing in traditional contexts that keep them from sharing power and co-designing with students. (49:00)

·       The purpose of education. (60:00)

Empowerment Ecosystem Summit website: https://sites.google.com/view/empowermentecosystemsummit/home

Breana & Shannon's podcast, The Loop: https://thelooppodcast.weebly.com/

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Jill on Twitter: @engler_jill 

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Throughout history, we have told the story of girls as precious eggs and boys as kept princes. However, as we begin to explore gender identity as a spectrum rather than a binary, it’s time to update this narrative and that begins with interrogating the scripts we perform when talking to students. Author, speaker and gender awareness coach, Jason Ablin, joins Natalie to unpack this gender equation in schools and uncover how it is impacting literacy and numeracy achievement.

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Jason’s new book “The Gender Equation: How to Create Equity and Fairness for All Students” is out now!

Show Notes:

·       Introducing Jason Ablin. (5:00)

·       Jason’s first move as a new principal to remove the gender barriers to learning. (8:00)

·       The origin story for Jason’s passion in gender-related issues. (14:00)

·       How students and teacher respond to each other in ways that uphold gender bias. (19:30)

·       Girls as “precious eggs” and boys as “kept princes.” (28:45)

·       An academic rationale for taking gender issues seriously in school. (32:15)

·       A first step for a leader looking to tackle gender bias in their school. (44:30)

·       The purpose of education. (49:45)

Dave Conrad is the Community Engagement Program Director at a Non-Profit organization called the Mustard Seed. They are an organization that specializes in providing aid to people around Canada who are facing homelessness. On this episode, Dave and Alex explore what life could be like for students who could be experiencing homelessness and the importance of dignity and person first language.

Alex on Twitter: @MrAlexNoel

Natalie on Twitter: @natabasso

Podcast on Twitter: @educrushpod

Podcast on Instagram: @educrushpod

Show Notes:

Introduction [09:17]

What leads students into experiencing homelessness [01:39]

Things teachers can look for [10:56]

School communities can provide support [16:08]

The discomfort of showing others dignity [20:24]

Students benefit from volunteering [24:38]   

Talking to students about homelessness [26:57]

The purpose of education [32:42]

Significant quotes:

“I think the key to it is, we need to see people for more than their experience they’re going through right now. We need to see people for more than how they are presenting right now” 17:23

“I think first and foremost we need to be treating people with dignity, building relationships out of that place, and then there are practical supports that can come into that, but it all needs to come out of a place of relationship.”  18:10

Links Mentioned:

Homelesshub.ca 

A public narrative is a framework to help us craft a story that inspires others to take action. In this “coaching call” episode, Natalie walks Alex through the creation of his own public narrative for a cause he is passionate about.

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Show Notes: 

• Unpacking the “public narrative” framework as designed by Marshall Ganz. (3:30)
• Clarifying the story of now and a specific call to action. (13:20)
• Finding empathy with high school teachers in the story of us. (32:45)
• Bringing it home with the story of self to make it personal. (40:30)
• Episode takeaways and a call to action. (1:06)

Apply to the Empowerment Ecosystem --> https://calendly.com/natabasso/60-minute-meeting

On this week’s episode, Alex explores his own thoughts and history around discrimination.  

Alex on Twitter: @MrAlexNoel

Natalie on Twitter: @natabasso

Podcast on Twitter: @educrushpod

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Links Mentioned:

https://twitter.com/lyricalpitbull

Stories are a powerful tool for liberation when we see ourselves in a character that demonstrates ingenuity and creativity on their quest for freedom. In particular, the stories of rebel Black communities can inspire our youth today when they are told alongside stories that describe historical violence and oppression. Dr. Crystal Menzies is a qualitative researcher and entrepreneur on a mission to uncover the hidden history of Black folks. She joins Natalie to tell the story of Maroon communities and how she is likewise on a quest to discover liberated spaces outside of the limitations of schools and organizations.

Show Notes:

• Crystal’s journey in the education system as a student and a teacher. (10:15)
• The mission that Crystal embarked on to tell a different story about the history of Black folks. (15:00)
• The lack of integrity in organizations who are equity-seeking that led Crystal to seek liberation outside of the system. (23:30)
• What are Maroon communities? (28:00)
• Poor white folks often allied with Maroon communities. (34:00)
• Challenging the “poor unfortunate souls” narratives to unearth joy. (39:35)
• Unlearning the unattainable standards of grind culture, like a false sense of urgency, as an act of personal liberation. (45:30)
• Reimagining education through the lens of relationships with self, others, and the land. (50:50)
• The purpose of education is to co-construct a healthy relationship with our youth. (56:45)

Apply for the Empowerment Ecosystem: https://forms.gle/TD6ediiZzz3d49ti8

The website for Crystal’s company, EmancipatED: www.emancipatededucation.com

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On this week’s episode we discuss speech pathology and the profound impact that it can have on students’ education and their future. Alex Henderson shares her insights, expertise, and optimism!

Alex on Twitter: @MrAlexNoel

Natalie on Twitter: @natabasso

Podcast on Twitter: @educrushpod

Podcast on Instagram: @educrushpod

Show Notes:

Define speech pathology [04:05]

Speech pathology in schools [09:19]

Speech problems that interfere with learning [12:17]

Supporting skill development [16:42]

Spotting language disorders [29:51]

Tools for development [32:53]

The purpose of education [36:29]

Significant quotes:

“Any kid can learn to be a communicator, it might not look like everybody else, but everyone can learn to communicate.” 31:38

Links Mentioned:

Project core

http://www.project-core.com/communication-systems/

Six months ago, Natalie quit her job to unleash her entrepreneurial spirit on a mission to reimagine education. Now, she’s back with an update about the Empowerment Ecosystem, an online program that provides the community, coaching, and tools for change agents to build an empowering assessment system. She’s joined by three founding members, Lynette Earle, Kyle Webb, and Danelle Almaraz, who share their experiences in the ecosystem.  

Ready to make REAL change? Book a 45-minute call with Natalie to see if the Empowerment Ecosystem is a fit for you: https://calendly.com/natabasso/60-minute-meeting

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Show Notes:

• The backstory of becoming an entrepreneur and creating the Empowerment Ecosystem. (1:18)
• What drew three founding members of the Empowerment Ecosystem, Lynnette Earle, Danelle Almaraz and Kyle Webb, into the program. (15:22)
• How community, the “high-yield, low-prep” practical activities, and tools to handle difficult conversations have been the most impactful parts of the experience. (20:12)
• Exciting ways that Lynnette, Danelle, and Kyle are taking up this work in their different contexts. (26:12)
• Lessons learned about change leadership while building an empowering assessment system. (36:12)
• Advice for people on the fence about investing in themselves and joining the ecosystem. (41:20)
• The purpose of education. (47:10)

On this episode of #Educrush, Alex talks to a Planner named Srimal Ranasinghe who believes whole heartedly that one of the keys to students thriving is looking at the spaces that we all spend time in. Listen while they discuss why it’s important and what it may look like to design spaces with health and engagement in mind.

Alex on Twitter: @MrAlexNoel

Natalie on Twitter: @natabasso

Podcast on Twitter: @educrushpod

Podcast on Instagram: @educrushpod

Show Notes:

Intro [00:40]

Today’s Guest [05:17]

What does a planner do [05:43]

The importance of urban planning for students [10:15]

Useful, Safe, Comfortable and Interesting spaces 16:20

Well laid out neighbourhoods [21:31]

Schools taking action [33:53]

Planning for equity  [41:36]

The purpose of education [50:17]

Significant quotes:

“There’s four factors that spaces need to be… useful, safe, comfortable and interesting.”  [16:43]

“When you step out on the streets, how much of the street is taken up by asphalt automobile space vs spaces that are designated and welcoming to pedestrians and other forms of mobility?”[29:05]

“Can you actually imagine a different way of being in your community, and the community actually looking a different way?”  [36:22]

“Can we start looking at some of those foundational issues and making tweaks so that we can set up all schools for success in the longer term?” [40:54]

“Talking about equity, It’s a question of “Can we design our spaces in a way that it welcomes the most vulnerable people””  [46:00]

Links Mentioned:

< http://www.sustainablecalgary.org/> 

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On this episode Alex discusses how the court of public opinion influences policy, ethics and our feelings about assessment.  

What if qualitative evidence were amplified to the same status as quantitative data in our education system? How might our schools transform if we tapped into the rich insights that come from story, anecdotes, experience, and emotion? Shane Safir, author of “The Listening Leader” and recent co-author of “Street Data” with Jamila Dugan, joins Natalie to discuss why we need to amplify qualitative evidence to engage in equity transformation cycles, and how these cycles will radically transform our approach to pedagogy and assessment.

Show Notes:

• How Shane’s story as a mom, daughter, and teacher in a youth prison informs her mission to cultivate equitable education. (6:20)
• Why schools privilege quantitative data over the deep insights that come from stories and emotion. (10:30)
• Street data is qualitative data that forces us to shift from being statisticians and technicians to ethnographers. (13:30)
• Equity transformation cycles aim to be decolonizing as they are endless, iterative, and adaptive. (16:30)
• Is the achievement gap a mythology? (21:50)
• Jamila Dugan offers important equity traps and tropes including “doing” equity, tokenizing equity, and boomerang equity. (25:45)
• Centering street data through a pedagogy of voice. (28:15)
• We can’t reimagine pedagogy without reimagining assessment. (30:30)
• Remove grades from feedback to build a culture of revision and redemption. (33:15)
• Rubrics increase equity as they lift the veil on implicit criteria that teachers have in mind and share power when we co-create them with students. (36:50)
• The purpose of education according to James Baldwin. (44:15)

Shane’s newest book with co-author Jamila Dugan, “Street Data: A Next Generation Model for Equity, Pedagogy and School Transformation.”

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In this holiday special, Natalie explores the topic of grading through the lens of the Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol. Get ready for a visit from the ghosts of grading past, present and a future yet to come!

Show Notes:

• The ghost of grading past. (2:29)
• The ghost of grading present. (11:05)
• The ghost of grading yet to come. (21:03)

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On this PodSwap episode, Natalie connects with Peter Hostrawser, one of the co-hosts of the Disrupt Education podcast, to talk about edu-podcasting, the industrial story of school that needs disrupting, and how Spikeview empowers students to tell their story.

Show Notes:

• Peter’s backstory; what called him into education and what he’s doing now. (2:00)
• Creating a podcast to stay grounded and connected as an educator in a siloed system that won’t ask the uncomfortable questions. (7:15)
• The industrial story of school that we need to let go of. (12:30)
• How the conditioning of the industrial system makes it hard to embrace new instructional approaches. (16:25)
• Understanding the next generation of parents; millennials are becoming allies for innovative teachers. (23:00)
• How funding, leadership, and professional culture need to change to disrupt education. (25:30)
• Spikeview is a tool to help learners tell their stories. (34:40)
• The purpose of education. (43:00)

READY TO APPLY? If you’re a change agent that wants to amplify your voice and build an empowering and equitable assessment system in your context, click the link below to schedule a time to see if we're a fit to work together inside of The Empowerment Ecosystem: https://calendly.com/natabasso/60-minute-meeting

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What does a Tarot card reading have to do with leadership? How is our current story of work depressing? What are we getting wrong about change in our schools and organizations? Natalie joins Meghan Donohoe who is a Principal Catalyst at the Southern Alberta Institute for Technology to answer these questions and more!

Show Notes:

• Reliving the “answers” we discovered during a Tarot card reading. (8:15)
• What a Tarot card reading had to do with leadership. (16:45)
• The art of staying in a space of vision and embracing multiple ways of sense-making by tapping into the Forer effect. (22:00)
• How the story of work is changing. (27:15)
• Embracing the innovation of things by focusing on the innovation of ways. (31:50)
• Mistakes we’ve made when leading for transformation. (38:55)
• The purpose of education. (53:55)

Interested in joining The Empowerment Ecosystem? Book a time to schedule an interview to see if it’s a fit for you!

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Email: hello@educrushpod.com