Narrating the Learning Journey using Self-Assessment & Portfolios (w Katie White)

Natalie Vardabasso#EduCrush Podcast

Too often, self-assessment is treated as a capstone, rather than a catalyst, and portfolios as a scrapbook, rather than a learning tool. On this episode, we go beyond the mistakes we’ve made with self-assessment and portfolios to discover how they can help students tell the story of their learning. Katie White is a Canadian author, consultant, and leader, and she … Read More

Going Gradeless (w Charlotte Nixon)

Natalie Vardabasso#EduCrush Podcast

Description: Going gradeless is a phrase that can create excitement or dread. It’s intimidating just to take a chance and dive in. Charlotte Nixon, a seasoned teacher and playwright, has done just that. On this episode Charlotte explores with us the lessons she learned going gradeless in her ELA class.   Show Notes:  Charlottes teaching style 2:41  The projects inspirations 3:15  … Read More

How Principals Build Trust (w Tim Carlson)

Natalie Vardabasso#EduCrush Podcast

Teaching has always been a profession that demands a lot from its practitioners. Between the global health crisis, political unrest, and helping students navigate what the world is and is becoming, teachers need support from principals who are supportive and reliable. Tim Carlson is a School Principal and PhD candidate who embodies what it means to show teachers that they … Read More

Reclaiming Inquiry-Based Learning through Co-Design (w Trevor MacKenzie)

Natalie Vardabasso#EduCrush Podcast

Inquiry-based learning is often misunderstood as leaving students to “discover” the curriculum on their own. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Trevor MacKenzie is a high school teacher, author, and speaker who is internationally recognized as a thought leader in inquiry-based education. On the episode, we talk about what inquiry is, and isn’t, to better understand how to partner … Read More

Disruption, Storytelling, and Values in a Thinking Classroom (w Peter Liljedahl)

Natalie Vardabasso#EduCrush Podcast

Many of our institutional norms are causing “studenting” behavior that stifles thinking. Dr. Peter Liljedahl’s research aims to disrupt this behavior through “contrarian experimental methodology” and he has discovered 14 practices that liberate thinking in the classroom. Though his research took place in Mathematics, his findings are applicable for any educator that wants to tap into the emotional experience through … Read More