Education Perspectives

Grammar as Art: Patty McGee’s Transformative Approach to Teaching Language

PODCAST Season 6 EPISODE 9 Patty McGee Author, Educator, and Consultant  Quotes of the Podcast: That is a wildly difficult question for a literacy person. So, I have narrowed it down to my favorite quote from the last book I read. “And when you open your heart to rewilding a landscape, the truth is, you’re opening your heart to rewilding yourself.” Once We Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy Introduction of Guest BIO –   Patty McGee is a nationally recognized literacy consultant, speaker, and educator passionate about transforming classrooms into spaces where language and learning come alive. With decades of experience as a teacher, coach, and advocate for delightful literacy practices, Patty has worked alongside educators across the country, partnering to unlock the full potential of their students through innovative and practical teaching strategies. Not Your Granny’s Grammar is her third book. Connect with Patty at www.pattymcgee.org Interview Agents of Change: Leaders/Innovators  * 30,000 Ft. View – Why so we, as a society invest in education? * What drew you to education? * A whole new approach to grammar instruction * What are the biggest challenges to you? * What would you like decision makers to know?” Podcast/ website/ book shoutouts Not Your Granny’s Grammar [https://www.amazon.com/Not-Your-Grannys-Grammar-Instruction/dp/1071941674/ref=sr_1_1?crid=V1Y9L9KIL002&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Iu4cRE1XTe_ET4mBhrUgi8cxgzj6CzcIPx5kde91WPYm6acsh3qwtjJDi51r6QSTSkPHoaJgkR958_JImGWcLaAIpV5Glegw2umyl_r6g5MQyS0m6GXk-zIPkWOp3HUB0E58DKRBxKn0LFKWIRVq8g.lX7PXCo5ZylotYaLiXPjDWXATVPpnq5IJbG27oH7RX0&dib_tag=se&keywords=Not+Your+Granny%E2%80%99s+Grammar&qid=1775070457&sprefix=not+your+granny+s+grammar%2Caps%2C204&sr=8-1]   Education Perspectives is edited by Shashank P [https://www.linkedin.com/in/shashankp1/] Intro and Outro by Dynamix Productions [https://www.dxaudio.com/]   Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2038558/support] Education Perspectives is edited by Shashank P athttps://www.fiverr.com/saiinovation?source=inbox [https://www.fiverr.com/saiinovation?source=inbox] Intro and Outro by Dynamix Productions [https://www.dxaudio.com/]

How Yes-And Thinking Can Transform Teaching Neurodiverse Students with Mandy Ralston

Amanda "Mandy" Ralston Founder of NonBinary Solutions  CEO of KidsChoice Therapy Quotes of the Podcast: “Wisdom is like frequent-flyer miles and scar tissue; if it does accumulate, that happens by accident while you're trying to do something else.” Barbara Kingsolver  Introduction of Guest BIO –  Amanda “Mandy” Ralston, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA, is a CEO, behavior analyst, and serial founder with more than 25 years of experience at the intersection of autism services, applied behavior analysis, and technology-driven innovation. She currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of KidsChoice Therapy, leading multi-site pediatric therapy and autism service operations with a focus on clinical excellence, scalable systems, and equity-centered care. Known for her signature nonbinary thinking framework, Ralston speaks nationally on compassionate care, cognitive flexibility, and the future of behavioral health, bringing a pragmatic yet creative voice to conversations about ethics, outcomes, and neurodiversity-affirming practice. Interview Agents of Change: Leaders/Innovators.  30,000 Ft. View – Why so we, as a society invest in education? * What drew you to education? * How nonbinary thinking can help educators move beyond “compliant vs. noncompliant” and really understand student behavior in context.  * What truly neurodiversity-affirming classrooms look like and how schools, families, and clinicians can partner so kids don’t have to be three different people in three different settings.  * Using nonbinary thinking to rethink “behavior problems” in schools   * What neurodiversity-affirming practice actually looks like in real classrooms   * How schools, families, and clinicians can work together instead of in silos  * How we move past binaries like “good/bad kid” or “compliant/noncompliant” and into more flexible, compassionate ways of understanding behavior. That ties into neurodiversity-affirming classrooms and better partnerships between educators, families, and therapy providers. * What are the biggest challenges to you? * What would you like decision makers to know?”   Podcast/ website/ book shoutouts Thanks to Dr. Karly Kordvoa and the RBT Textbook that I was recently asked to contribute to. We also just talked about it on her podcast The Grey Area [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-gray-area-with-sean-illing/id1081584611].  Dr. Genevieve Leonard Series by Estelle Ryan [https://www.amazon.com/Genevieve-Lenard/dp/B074CH3BJL/ref=books_amazonstores_desktop_mfs_kss_ap_sba_0?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=OrN47&content-id=amzn1.sym.a9b2f790-2337-4bd0-92a6-d6faa77cb826&pf_rd_p=a9b2f790-2337-4bd0-92a6-d6faa77cb826&pf_rd_r=137-0581596-2460350&pd_rd_wg=FUCEO&pd_rd_r=1e431c94-a7e4-4837-a458-d8812db6a8e4] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2038558/support] Education Perspectives is edited by Shashank P athttps://www.fiverr.com/saiinovation?source=inbox [https://www.fiverr.com/saiinovation?source=inbox] Intro and Outro by Dynamix Productions [https://www.dxaudio.com/]

Rethinking Education Systems: David Cook on Changing Educational Paradigms

David Cook Lead Strategist, Learning Ecosystems Design Consulting Quotes of the Podcast: "The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn." — Alvin Toffler Introduction of Guest BIO –  With three decades working with schools, school systems, regional and state agencies and national education organizations David Cook, Principal Strategist at Learning Ecosystems Design, is an expert on what it takes to make change happen in education systems. David is a nationally respected voice in the transformation conversation. He retired in 2024 from the state agency level after 27 years at the Kentucky Department of Education, the last 15 as Director of Innovative Learning. During his tenure he has: · Oversaw a statewide initiative to shift assessment, accountability and the credentialing of learning from a one size fits all state level approach, to one where communities design Local Accountability Models that measure the competencies found in a Portrait of a Learner/Graduate and provide a public facing dashboard for those local indicators. (2021-2024).   ·   Directed Kentucky's development of a competency-based education system including the initial efforts in developing a Portrait of a Learner · Co-authored and implemented the first district level innovation zone program in the country, Kentucky's Districts of Innovation Program (2013).  · Designed and implemented the longest continuously operating statewide remote learning system in the country, Kentucky's Non-Traditional Instruction Program (2011). · Authored Kentucky's award-winning Education Recovery Program (2010). · Has authored and co-authored numerous pieces of legislation and Kentucky Board of Education administrative regulation.  Interview Agents of Change: Leaders/Innovators. * 30,000 Ft. View – Why so we, as a society invest in education? * What drew you to education? * The Driving Test, * The Need for A NEW Education System * The AI Telescope * What are the biggest challenges to you? * What would you like decision makers to know?” Podcast/ website/ book shoutouts What School Could Be [https://www.amazon.com/What-School-Could-Be-Inspiration-ebook/dp/B0795BFPM3/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0] - Dintersmith The End of Average [https://www.amazon.com/End-Average-Succeed-Values-Sameness-ebook/dp/B00R1JU7P6/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2JPLRXPSC1C35&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.qedg-y8ebwBAJ53accNQvGZ03hUF0ydyu4bD98fk-37Bf6pljgX_IsJJTk5c_tparGJX3QV_fSs42JDSQbOfNhQthLVCsOkDABuMaGPLRpR-Jt90QAgH2fil7GFXOGmT7OPvusbP85cy-e18vDSEaAIvQN-5H4lP8XtjTt-ttSvyGIGnjLp2iMaKTFBmzXSZg46_B7kWKebCCVUTW4MNX6vT2cE5_KwvNw8pgJ7e3dA.LIc8pMaji5TcWcjU_JAYIRql4UZ2PGpJT5ERVmgRaTk&dib_tag=se&keywords=The+End+of+Average&qid=1774043065&s=digital-text&sprefix=the+end+of+average+%2Cdigital-text%2C168&sr=1-1] - Rose Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2038558/support] Education Perspectives is edited by Shashank P athttps://www.fiverr.com/saiinovation?source=inbox [https://www.fiverr.com/saiinovation?source=inbox] Intro and Outro by Dynamix Productions [https://www.dxaudio.com/]

The Imagination Project: Investing in Human Connections in Modern Education

Bradley Scheel  Imagination Project Quotes of the Podcast:  All failures of the future will be failures of the imagination.  Introduction of Guest BIO –  Wylde Scott is a Sultan, Matador, and Knight through and through, who has lived in Shanghai, Bangkok, and Timbuktu and still keeps a house on the bright side of the moon… When not living in his imagination, Wylde is an award-winning children’s author and founder of The Imagination Project and Wylde Scott Entertainment. In addition to dreaming up fantastic tales for young readers, Wylde spends his time in elementary schools, bookstores, and libraries creating fun-filled events for children, parents, and teachers alike. His mission is to ignite imaginations worldwide and empower children with the mindset that anything is possible. On his YouTube channel for kids, Wylde is committed to creating safe, educational, and exciting content for young children based on imagination and play. His many years spent studying storytelling, the imagination, and creativity, combined with his extensive experience applying those lessons in live environments, are the foundations of this book. Interview Agents of Change: Leaders/Innovators.  * 30,000 Ft. View – Why so we, as a society invest in education? * What drew you to education? * Why is Imagination the most important skill for the age of Artificial Intelligence.  * Imagination is not a mystery. It is a very buildable skill set everyone can utilize. - we just need time and attention. Our current scaffolding for education will not work in the 21st Century. We must adjust to meet the circumstance. Those who don't will be left behind.  * We can reframe and rework education so that both Children AND teachers come to school excited, energized and ready to learn and build.  * Should we have AI in Education?  * Why are the years of 5-10 so important to develop these skills?  * What should a typical day look like for a developing child? * What are the biggest challenges to you? * What would you like decision makers to know?” Podcast/ website/ book shoutouts Jonathan Haidt's book The Anxious Generation is the first to seriously discuss what technology is doing to our youth.  Biggest Fan of Sir Ken Robinson- can't believe twenty years later little has changed. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2038558/support] Education Perspectives is edited by Shashank P athttps://www.fiverr.com/saiinovation?source=inbox [https://www.fiverr.com/saiinovation?source=inbox] Intro and Outro by Dynamix Productions [https://www.dxaudio.com/]

Bridging Education and Industry: Exploring Durable Skills with Michael Crawford

Michael Crawford VP of Strategic Initiatives, America Succeeds Quotes of the Podcast: "We know more than we can tell" - Michael Polanyi Introduction of Guest BIO –  Michael Crawford is the Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at America Succeeds, where he leads efforts to advance durable skills. Prior to this role, Michael held positions in research, strategy, and partnerships at organizations including VELA, WGU, Real World Scholars, and the Kauffman Foundation. He is a frequent speaker, mentor, and facilitator on topics like human development, entrepreneurship, and the future of learning. Michael holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Michigan, an MS in Sport Psychology from Michigan State University, and a PhD in Educational Psychology from the University of Kansas. Outside of work, he enjoys time with loved ones, traveling, and reading voraciously across a wide range of topics. Interview Agents of Change: Leaders/Innovators. * 30,000 Ft. View – Why so we, as a society invest in education? * What drew you to education? * Speaker on the Future of Learning * Durable skills  - Pathsmith * implications of AI on Durable Skills  * Research Practice Collaborative [high school research]) * What are the biggest challenges to you? * What would you like decision makers to know?”  Podcast/ website/ book shoutouts (podcast) 'Your Undivided Attention' by The Center for Humane Technology   Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2038558/support] Education Perspectives is edited by Shashank P athttps://www.fiverr.com/saiinovation?source=inbox [https://www.fiverr.com/saiinovation?source=inbox] Intro and Outro by Dynamix Productions [https://www.dxaudio.com/]