What's the Big Idea?

In which Dan chats with Jesse Hagopian about the urgent need to teach truthful history in America's classrooms. Jesse is the author of the excellent book Teach Truth: The Struggle for Antiracist Education and he's an eloquent speaker on the need to push back against right-wing whitewashing. Jesse and Dan talk about the return of colorblindness, the gentrification of history, and why grassroots action is the only way out.  As always I welcome comments and questions on BlueSky @dankearney and on Instagram @_dankearney_ If you're in or near Los Angeles this summer, check out Learning Adventures Workshop [https://learning.constructingmodernknowledge.com/la/] with Dr. Gary Stager on June 30. New podcast alert! Tune into But I Won't Do That [https://open.spotify.com/show/3G0d163PbUqI8TwFjWGcF4?si=417f85b505c348a1], an irreverent look at the music, lyrics, and videos of some favorite pop hits. Mentioned in the episode: Teach Truth: The Struggle for Antiracist Education [https://www.amazon.com/Teach-Truth-Struggle-Antiracist-Education/dp/B0CT83DSR3/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0] by Jesse Hagopian "Oklahoma education standards say students must identify 2020 election 'discrepancies'" [https://www.npr.org/2025/05/14/nx-s1-5384282/oklahoma-education-standards-2020-election], NPR, May 14, 2025 Zinn Education Project [https://www.zinnedproject.org/] -- lots of incredible resources and lessons for teaching truth Music: "Sunflower" by Soyb (Youtube Audio Library)

In which Dan chats with Dr. Gary Stager, teacher, professor, author, and consultant (among other things) and a true constructivist. Gary is the founder of the Constructing Modern Knowledge summer institute for educators and the co-author of Invent To Learn – Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom. Dan and Gary talk about Gary's dear friend, the late Seymour Papert, and the meaning of a computer in a classroom, phones in schools, Gary's experience teaching in a prison in Maine, and why reading from actual books is so vital. As always I welcome comments and questions on BlueSky @dankearney and on Instagram @BigIdeaEd Mentioned in the episode: Invent to Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom [https://www.amazon.com/Invent-Learn-Tinkering-Engineering-Classroom-ebook/dp/B07MSGRDWX?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=hum7w&content-id=amzn1.sym.cf86ec3a-68a6-43e9-8115-04171136930a&pf_rd_p=cf86ec3a-68a6-43e9-8115-04171136930a&pf_rd_r=141-2782339-9218521&pd_rd_wg=gKBZn&pd_rd_r=354c3bd3-7217-4c27-b784-a4a324dd987c&linkCode=sl1&tag=garysocialmedia-20&linkId=6c9edf687c01de69464dc2f6d933bb6b&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl] by Gary Stager Twenty Things to Do with a Computer Forward 50 [https://www.amazon.com/Twenty-Things-Computer-Forward-Education/dp/1955604002?crid=2LY4HEIV6PASW&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.EGQz190DbVIcgjkh7TiPYgC9N2tj8UJ4uISbxNUKueY2SiS7MW8eMzjg_vibs8pFa3Y98MDsj0y8hBalwC5WBw.5BlxzVVC1jZlfYnc6yief9ImpiMHPy-ogpYNNkfzS9Y&dib_tag=se&keywords=gary+stager&qid=1705019646&sprefix=gary+stager,aps,140&sr=8-2&linkCode=sl1&tag=garysocialmedia-20&linkId=1c10783213cf6f7653846de6e7bc8f0f&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl] by Gary Stager The Children's Machine: Rethinking School in the Age of the Computer [https://lcl.media.mit.edu/resources/readings/childrens-machine.pdf] by Seymour Papert Seymour Papert Obituary [https://news.mit.edu/2016/seymour-papert-pioneer-of-constructionist-learning-dies-0801] from MIT News Torture in a Maine Prison [https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/news/2006/jun/15/torture-in-maines-prison/] from Prison Legal News Mathworlds [https://danmeyer.substack.com/], the Substack from Dan Meyer From Lunchboxes to Laptops: How Maine Went One-to-One [https://hackeducation.com/2015/03/02/maine-laptops] by Audrey Waters The Anxious Generation [https://www.amazon.com/Anxious-Generation-Rewiring-Childhood-Epidemic/dp/0593655036] by Jonathan Haidt The Most Compelling Argument Against Tech in Schools [https://www.afterbabel.com/p/sophie-winkleman-tech-schools] from Haidt's After Babel Substack Music:  SPEAKEASY STRUT royalty free Music by Giorgio Di Campo for @FreeSound Music http://freesoundmusic.eu [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa3kza2FaR0tud1FDUlg5THhBdjQ4dG5BQnhCUXxBQ3Jtc0trOGh4bl9TVWg3TWVSRmJIU2hUYVlwU2tzajdjY3dfVE5WQjNLN1pFMkhtZkd1SzFyUWFGb0g0d3dqNTVuQkRiTTI2enROMFotVzB0Y3hFQllaR1VjYVBlcWhqOWh0R1J5cWFGSE9hUGxBMDRSaXRxMA&q=http%3A%2F%2Ffreesoundmusic.eu%2F&v=x0cJaKVcpxo]

In which Dan chats with Anya Kamenetz, an author, speaker, and reporter who's done lots of big thinking on the most important issues facing our world. Anya writes The Golden Hour Substack; she covered education for many years for NPR; and her newest book is The Stolen Year: How Covid Changed Children’s Lives, And Where We Go Now. Dan and Anya talk discuss capitalism, measurement in education, climate change as school curriculum, Wikipedia, AI, and more.  As always, I welcome comments and feedback on Bluesky (@dankearney) and Instagram (@BigIdeaEd). Mentioned in the episode: The Golden Hour [https://thegoldenhour.substack.com/] on Substack The Stolen Year: How COVID Changed Children's Lives, and Where We Go Now [https://www.amazon.com/dp/1541700988/?bestFormat=true&k=the%20stolen%20year%20how%20covid&ref_=nb_sb_ss_w_scx-ent-pd-bk-d_de_k0_1_15&crid=3T4BU9F6OYXRI&sprefix=the%20stolen%20year] by Anya Kamenetz The Test: Why Our Schools are Obsessed with Standardized Testing–But You Don't Have to Be [https://www.amazon.com/Test-Schools-Obsessed-Standardized-Testing-ebook/dp/B00N02RB2K/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=BfQkB&content-id=amzn1.sym.bc3ba8d1-5076-4ab7-9ba8-a5c6211e002d&pf_rd_p=bc3ba8d1-5076-4ab7-9ba8-a5c6211e002d&pf_rd_r=144-1572506-4404106&pd_rd_wg=uz3SJ&pd_rd_r=aecbd4b0-70c0-4501-bdf0-1c6ff05e144d&ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk] by Anya Kamenetz The U.S. Economy Is Racing Ahead. Almost Everything Else Is Falling Behind [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/04/briefing/the-us-economy-is-racing-ahead-almost-everything-else-is-falling-behind.html?searchResultPosition=1] by David Leonhardt, NY Times How to Raise Kids to Identify Misinformation [https://www.tipaz.org/latest-news/jmnt3t2rfk5mkha-n7g56-n9z3l-g3b8g-79dss-zyj8b-cxgm9-4f4r5-dwm4c-2k59k-kpjmy-3fmx9-wepb9-k3jlr-gp5nk-3w8fy-fkaaa-bk2zb-wwn9s-m7tw2-sm5bm-3jmj9-wz276-rdtal-7r78s] by Anya Kamentez, The Integrity Project NJ Climate Change Education Resources [https://www.nj.gov/education/climate/learning/gradeband/] An Educator's Guide to Climate Emotions [https://www.climatepsychology.us/educators-guide-climate-emotions] Tech Won't Save Us [https://techwontsave.us/], a podcast from Paris Marx The Generative AI Con [https://www.wheresyoured.at/longcon/] by Ed Zitron

In which Dan chats with Cindy Blackburn, Director of Learning and Engagement at Toddle, about curriculum, that "dirty word" at many progressive schools. Cindy is also the host of the School Leaders Project podcast, where she interviews leading minds in progressive education. Dan and Cindy talk about why curriculum design and mapping can be so so sticky in schools, lessons from the International Baccalaureate, and the future of artificial intelligence in schools. Mentioned in the show: Toddle [https://www.toddleapp.com/], a leading learning management system for IB and progressive schools School Leaders Project [https://slp.toddleapp.com/], a podcast from Toddle and hosted by Cindy Blackburn Streamlining the Curriculum: Using the Storyboard Approach to Frame Compelling Learning Journeys [https://www.amazon.com/Streamlining-Curriculum-Storyboard-Approach-Compelling/dp/1416632204/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1E0GJUVA2I30K&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.suI6XyN3h7wy2D_SgpZ0URIVlVJSHH7ZoRDEq8Y8BfQ.rbQY0WFw80NvfWIHo0Xsat4UfK0unN8JBYFEfCassUc&dib_tag=se&keywords=streamlining+the+curriculum+using+the+storyboard+approach&qid=1736283498&sprefix=streamlining+the+cu%2Caps%2C151&sr=8-1], by Heidi Jacobs Hayes and Allison Zmuda 11th Grader Takes An AI Tutoring Deep Dive [https://www.educationnext.org/11th-grader-takes-an-ai-tutoring-deep-dive/], from Education Next Two-Sigma Tutoring: Separating Science Fiction from Science Fact [https://www.educationnext.org/two-sigma-tutoring-separating-science-fiction-from-science-fact/] from Education Next Connect with Dan on Instagram @BigIdeaEd and Blue Sky @dankearney Music: Sunflower by Soyb (Youtube Audio Library)

In which Dan chats with Olina Banerji, a reporter for EdWeek who recently wrote a great article [https://www.edweek.org/leadership/schools-are-eerily-quiet-about-the-election-results-educators-say/2024/11], "Schools Are Eerily Quiet About the Election Results, Educators Say." Dan and Olina talk about why "the impact never came" following Donald Trump's election, how different stakeholders are processing the results, and what Olina and her colleagues could be reporting on in the weeks leading up to inauguration day. See also: * EdWeek [https://www.edweek.org/] - The public education paper of record * "Teachers toss their lesson plans, give students the floor to grapple with Trump win" from Chalkbeat [https://www.chalkbeat.org/2024/11/06/trump-wins-teachers-toss-lesson-plans-give-students-space/] * "Moreno Valley teacher on administrative leave after making anti-Trump remarks in class" from ABC7 [https://abc7.com/post/moreno-valley-school-district-places-view-high-teacher-administrative-leave-after-anti-trump-remarks/15536438/] Music: Gingersweet from Massobeats