Learning Unboxed

We’re frequently talking about how we can broaden a student’s perspective of the world and their role in it, particularly through the lens of STEM education, but how do we get kids thinking about social change? And then, how do we get kids to start taking action to change the world?It was asking himself that question—how can I make an impact?—that led Adam Morris to his current career as a social impact coach who is inspiring greater social change in the world through Wild Tiger Tees and the People Helping People podcast.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgResources:People Helping People: peoplehelpingpeople.worldWild Tiger Tees: www.wildtigertees.comInstagram: @adam_s_morrisLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/amorrisTwitter: @adam_s_morrisLearning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate MediaRecorded by Eric French at WOSU Studios in Columbus, Ohio

Our guest and our host have something in common this week: they both started exploring technology and the world of STEM after their parents brought home a Gateway 2000 PC! It really can’t be understated how impactful just being exposed to the idea of new technology — and being encouraged to play with it — can change what you think is possible with your life.That’s why Olu Ibrahim created Kids in Tech, a nonprofit that strives to excite, educate, and empower children to acquire skills and confidence in technology through interactive after school programs. Their programs focus on helping kids develop the necessary tech skills and aptitudes to participate in and be future leaders of the 21st-century innovation economy.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgResources:Kidsintech.orgInstagram: instagram.com/kidsintechorgFacebook: facebook.com/kidsintechorgLearning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate MediaRecorded by Eric French at WOSU Studios in Columbus, Ohio

We first talked about BioEYES — a K-12 science education program that aims to foster enthusiasm for science by offering students opportunities to explore life science through real-world applications using a hands-on approach to learning — back in episode 51 with the wonderful Jamie Shuda. Today, we're going to dive deeper into the nuts and bolts of the program with a conversation featuring a teacher and a couple of students who've actually lived and experienced BioEYES.Katie Benton is a 20-year veteran teacher, and she helps bring programs like BioEYES into Barrington Elementary School. Katie is joined by Louise and Evren, two rising fifth-graders who had the opportunity to participate in BioEYES in Katie’s classroom. We’ll learn what it was like for Katie to bring this program into her class, what it was like for the students who participated, and how being exposed to the program changed the students’ perspectives.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgResources:www.bioeyes.orgFacebook: www.facebook

Today’s episode is all about the intersection of art education, joy, and critical thought. Our guests, Raygan Barrett & Nicole Clevenger, are the co-founders of Wonderment, creators of curated art experience that help educators and parents cultivate creative thinking. But the program is about more than just art; it’s a combination of connecting to the world, connecting to each other, and learning about all aspects of life through the lens of art.Wonderment is basically a combination of Nicole and Raygan’s experiences. Nicole's background in informal education allows her to dive deep into the subject matter, play off of children's interests, and encourage learning through experience. As an artist, Raygan focuses more on exploration, thinking like an artist, and the creative process. The alchemy of these two approaches and experiences is a truly one-of-a-kind learning experience, for everyone involved.Plus, Raygan and Nicole have come up with some great ideas for how parents can bring Wonderment int

This week, we’re talking about one of our favorite styles of education — one that asks students to get hands-on, roll up their sleeves, get in the weeds (among other things), and actively apply everything they’re learning. Specifically, we’re talking about Zoo Schools, which are just as cool as they sound. Our guests are Emily Cunningham, a veteran science educator and an instructor at the Columbus Zoo School, and Erin Murray, a senior at the Zoo School. We’ll learn what exactly goes on at Zoo School and why these alternative forms of education can serve so many students so much better than the traditional high school route.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgResources:Learn more about Columbus Zoo SchoolDelaware Area Career CenterLearning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate MediaRecorded by Eric French at WOSU Studios in Columbus, Ohio

Raymond Alf Museum of Paleontology in Claremont, CA, is unique in that they’re the only nationally accredited Natural History Museum that's located on a high school campus, which also makes The Webb Schools one of the coolest high school campuses in the country.To learn more about this collaboration, we sit down with Andy Farke, a paleontologist and educator who involves high school students in every step of the scientific research process.This is an incredible conversation that offers a glimpse at how STEM education can be transformed and given life for students, even in formal education spaces, as well as how non-traditional educators can be mentors to students.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgResources:Raymond Alf Museum: www.alfmuseum.orgLearn more about Andy’s  work: www.alfmuseum.org/science/research/andrew-a-farke-ph-d/Twitter: twitter.com/andyfarkeLearning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate MediaRecorded by Eric French at WOSU Studios in Columbus, Ohio

When Maurice Womack was a kid, he loved science fiction. Star Trek, Star Wars, Transformers, Voltron — pretty much anything an 80s kid could watch on Saturday morning that made him think about the world differently. This love for space ships and robots turned into imaginative play, which in turn turned into a passion for engineering. So, growing up, Maurice always knew he wanted to be an engineer. He didn’t, however, know that he’d become an educator.Now Maurice is the co-founder of OASIS, a STEAM learning company based in Columbus, Ohio. And if that wasn’t already enough to get us excited at the PAST Foundation, just check out what OASIS stands for: Opening Access to STEAM in Informal Settings. This emphasis on play and informal education is exactly what we hope to see more of from children’s programs, and it’s interesting to hear how the increasing popularity of things like Marvel superheroes is helping kids follow the same path from play to passion that Maurice forged in his childhood.To learn more, visit:

This spring many families found themselves as defacto teachers, while trying to work from home and manage their families. It was heavy lift for all of us. But now what, schools out - summer is upon us but camps, parks and rec centers, and such may still be shut down -- what!! You mean more working, learning, playing.... Take a deep breadth, and learn a few valuable lessons from a seasoned Home School mom. 

Tom Burden was an F-16 mechanic in the Air Force, and every day, one of the most painful parts of the job was having his tools slide off the aircraft. Lucky for the Air Force and all of the mechanics who came after him, this mechanical engineer made a decision: to solve that problem, no matter what. And, with some inspiration from his mom’s dashboard mount for her phone, he developed the Grypmat.Tom has become a frequent visitor to The PAST Foundation, and the kiddos just love hearing his story — because it’s awesome. We are constantly telling teachers, schools, and members of our community the same thing: tap into the thing that you're passionate about. But, for many, it’s hard to take action on this admittedly esoteric advice. However, when they hear Tom’s story, it makes the esoteric concrete; it makes the idea of finding and leveraging your passions and talents feel doable, no matter what age you are.So, we love that we’re now able to share his story on the podcast because we truly want everyone in th

Today we’re going to talk about Restorative Practices and Responsive Classroom, a relatively new but incredibly powerful approach to formal educational spaces that utilizes a variety of social and emotional learning techniques.To learn more about what these practices are and what they look like in a classroom (even a virtual classroom), we sit down with Allison McMannis, a third-grade teacher at Herbert Mills STEAM Elementary School in Reynoldsburg, Ohio.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgResources:Learn more about Herbert Mills Elementary: www.reyn.org/herbertmillselementary_home.aspxTwitter: twitter.com/missmcmannisLearning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate MediaRecorded by Eric French at WOSU Studios in Columbus, Ohiio

At some point growing up, kids discover dinosaurs — and most kids at least go through a phase where they love (if not obsess over) dinosaurs. So, today we're going to talk about dino digs and how they create an opportunity to learn about an entire career and a field of scientific study from an amazing expert. Our guests are JP Cavigelli, who organizes dino digs at the Tate Geological Museum at Casper College, and Dylan Trent, a sophomore at Upper Arlington High School who participated in a dino dig.We also discuss how paleontology and the love of dinosaurs can be leveraged to teach kids about a number of other subjects, in both formal and informal spaces.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgResources:Learn more about the Tate Geological MuseumCheck out the Tate Dinosaur DigsLearning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate MediaRecorded by Eric French at WOSU Studios in Columbus, Ohio

Fatima Bainazar and Katie Corbin are both college freshman, one at a large public university and the other at a small liberal arts college. What they now have in common, like so many college students around the globe, is a sudden and sometimes jarring experience with virtual instruction.  Listen in to learn from their experiences during a global pandemic.

The MATE ROV program is one of the most wonderfully unique, engaging, and fun expressions of STEM education that a student can participate in. The MATE ROV Competition uses remotely operated vehicles — AKA underwater robots — to inspire and challenge students to learn and creatively apply STEM principles to solve real-world problems and strengthen their critical thinking, collaboration, entrepreneurship, and innovation. It’s awesome.To learn more about MATE and all that MATE is and aspires to be, we sit down with is the Jill Zande, the Associate Director and Competition Coordinator for the MATE Center, as well as the President of MATE Inspiration for Innovation (MATE II).To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgResources:Learn more about the MATE competition: materovcompetition.orgMATE Inspiration for Innovation: mateii.orgLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jill-zande-271b887/Learning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate MediaRecorded by Eric French at WOSU Studios in Columbus, Ohio

What do engineering and empathy have to do with each other and how we learn? That’s the question we’re going to address in today’s episode with Melissa Higgins, who is the Senior Director of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) at the Boston Children's Museum. Melissa loves to create exciting hands-on, minds-on STEAM challenges that inspire children and educators to engage and enjoy STEAM learning, and she has some great insight into how kids learn and how we all think that are invaluable for educators of all kinds.Joining Melissa is Michelle Cerrone, a Senior Research Associate at the Education Development Center, where she leads research studies and evaluations that deepen the understanding of how to harness media and digital technologies to enhance education. Michelle also co-leads a National Science Foundation study investigating the design and implementation of engineering and empathy activities in early childhood settings, and that investigation is what we’re really jazzed to be ta

Cleveland happens to be home to one of the most unique and innovative education initiatives in the country: The School of One, a flexible program that provides instruction to meet the student's needs — socially, emotionally, and academically — at one of eight sites within the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. In this episode, we’re focusing on the site at The Foundry, which is actually not a school but a rowing facility and part of a partnership with MCPc, a data protection company headquartered in the area.We have three guests to provide insight on every aspect of the initiative: Jalen Baldwin, a student in the School of One MCPc Foundry program; Melanie Lynch, an administrator at the School of One’s Foundry location; and Michael Trebilcock, the Managing Director & President of Community Innovation Partners at MCPc.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgResources:Learn more at www.clevelandmetroschools.org/SO1Learning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate MediaRecorded by Eric French at WOSU St

In previous episodes, we've talked about the importance of computer science and coding, the opportunities that open up for students when they do get exposed to this education, and how hard it can be for schools and teachers to really ramp up computer science programs. The good news is there are some amazing organizations out in the world that are trying to be partners in this space. And today, we’re talking with Alice Steinglass, who is the President of Code.org, one of the biggest and most experienced organizations in this space. Plus, Code.org has some incredible resources for parents and teachers during the current health crisis — and we know that there are a lot of parents looking for resources like this right now! You can learn more about that at code.org/athome.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgResources:Resources for parents who are homeschooling: code.org/athomeInstagram: www.instagram.com/codeorgFacebook: www.facebook.com/Code.orgTwitter: twitter.com/alicesteinglassLearning Unboxed is produ

When our host Annalies grows up, she wants to be today’s guest: Emily Knapp, the conservation education coordinator at The Wilds, where she has access to a 10,000-acre classroom and facilitates some of the most amazing programs.In addition to sharing how Emily educates and engages the community through The Wilds, she has a ton of fantastic advice for parents who are, to their surprise, currently homeschooling for the first time.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgResources:Learn more at thewilds.columbuszoo.orgInstagram: www.instagram.com/visitthewildsFacebook: www.facebook.com/visitthewildsWatch Secrets of the Zoo: www.nationalgeographic.com/tv/shows/secrets-of-the-zooLearning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate MediaRecorded by Eric French at WOSU Studios in Columbus, Ohio

There’s incredible career potential in the fashion industry, and when you show that to a kid and you show them the variety of careers behind the scenes in the fashion industry, it can get those kids excited to learn.So, today, we’re sitting down with three of the people who are devoted to engaging kids and teaching them about the opportunities in this industry, especially in Columbus: Joe Brim, a self-described engagement experience strategist and creative who focuses on design through the eyes of the end user; Yohannan “Yogi” Terrell, CEO/Partner at Warhol and WALL ST, plus the new lead director of the Columbus Fashion Initiative; and Rob Smith, a chemist who travels the world, transforming the fashion industry through science and innovation.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgResources:Columbus Fashion Initiative: columbusfashion.orgCheck out PAST’s Techno Fashion Summer Program: www.pastfoundation.org/events/techno-fashion-2020KIPP Columbus: www.kippcolumbus.orghttps://cutthroughbeheard.com/Belowthebri

Jeff is a PAST Teaching and Learning Coach as part of our School Design team and better yet, Jeff is a veteran virtual teacher with tons of experiences, do’s , dont’s and so much more for us to think about to be successful in making this switch. • How does a teachers thinking need to change as we move quickly into online education?• How does student thinking need to change in response to this new direction in education?• Logistics of Digital Classes• Give students the work and let them do it in their time, with their resources, in their own unique circumstances

Mary is a PAST Teaching and Learning Coach as part of our School Design team and she gets asked about strategies for collaborative teaching all the time. On this episode we will explore the 5 most frequently asked questions about virtual collaboration in educational settings.  • What does it look like to work collaboratively in a virtual environment?• How will I be able to work with my colleagues to plan and be part of my PLC?• Why should I have my learners work collaboratively?• How can I assess my learners if I can't see them work together?• My students work in groups in the classroom, how can I have them do that while we are outside the classroom?