My guest, Barbara Heller , and I discuss how to integrate mindful meditation into your class routine to help your students feel centered, more focused and open up their channels to creativity, which can benefit all subjects. Barbara is not only a thoughtful and passionate educator but also a published author, voice over artist, award winning film writer, director, playwright, and songwriter who also writes an original and evolving curriculum infusing mindfulness and creativity called “Meditate a...
Feb 07, 2022•51 min•Ep. 67
My guest is educational leader Matthew Woods, host of the podcast Leading Out of the Woods . Our discussion covers a lot of different important and timely issues – including how to address and ease teacher and educational leader burn-out, and how to cultivate and also be strong leaders. We also play a very wacky, and very different kind of The 5-Minute Game Show. And Matthew definitely earns his Overthrowing Education mug. You don’t even have to be subjected to my game show to get your own Overt...
Jan 24, 2022•52 min•Ep. 66
As educators and parents, we need to listen more to what students are voicing about education. While I hope to have more students share their thoughts, I’m starting with my guest on this episode, 17-year-old student, Kayhan Ali , who shares important ideas about what’s missing in education today and how a company he’s starting with friends, Dream It Youth, plans to fill in those gaps. He also lets us in on a huge change in education he would make (a change I have been advocating for extensively)...
Jan 09, 2022•46 min•Ep. 65
Tara Raju , of the Mountain Region of the Anti-Defamation League , tells me all about an incredible resource for schools to create empathetic, tolerant learning environments for all students that work toward eliminating prejudice, implicit bias and bullying called No Place for Hate. We also discuss ways that individuals – whether teachers or students -can try to combat these issues even when they don’t have the support they need from their school. One of the keys to eliminating inequities in our...
Dec 27, 2021•57 min•Ep. 64
This is the first in a series of mini-episodes that share ideas about the creative and authentic assessments I call DISCOVER assessments. In each short episode, I'll share an idea that will help students express not only what they know, can do and understand, but also synthesize the content, and express it using multiple intelligences. And enjoy it. Tests and quizzes can't do that! Need help getting started? Wanna share something cool your students have done? Any questions? DM me on Twitter @Bat...
Dec 20, 2021•5 min
In this episode, I address a major problem all educators can attest to: Cheating. It’s always been a serious issue, but the solutions are right in front of us. I talk about 3 key things we can do that will eliminate cheating, and also promote real learning. I also share my very favorite, true and hilarious plagiarism stories. If you are looking for laughs, here they are. Also, I realized that if I am “the guest” on this episode, I should also have to play The 5-Minute Game Show, so I borrowed th...
Dec 12, 2021•24 min•Ep. 63
On this episode, Rachel Creeger , a passionate parent and stand-up comic who has been advocating for better education in the UK, joins me to talk about what makes great learning. We discuss the importance of, cross -curricular and experiential education, integration of art, relationship building, getting rid of standardized test and much more. Rachel also shares insights about the similarities between teaching and doing stand-up, and some great lessons that educators can learn from stand-up come...
Nov 28, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 62
Matt Barnes, podcast host and founder of started the Global Education Movement, so that educators and parents can team up to create and implement a whole new vision of learning that will benefit every student. Our conversation has many great take-aways for both parents and educators. Please share this episode with every parent you know! Matt hit it out of the park for The 5-Minute Game Show. And I announce a contest for a listener to get their own Overthrowing Education mug! Special thanks to Ma...
Nov 15, 2021•58 min•Ep. 61
On this episode, Zaynab Baalbaki joins me. She is a passionate educator who is truly working on and supporting others in overthrowing education and creating amazing and equitable learning spaces joins. She talks about an incredible public school, Escuela Verde, where she worked in and I also talk about Qualia: The School for Deeper Learning, another example of education at its best. And we also discuss how more traditional schools and districts can start slowly to incorporate elements of both th...
Oct 31, 2021•48 min•Ep. 60
In this episode amazing educator and Ed Tech sage Jake Miller , host of the podcast Educational Duct Tape , and I discuss some great tech tools and how to make sure they enhance, not distract from, your lessons. We also laugh. A lot. In our chat, Jake talks about his new book, Educational Duct Tape: An EdTech Integration Mindset. And you won’t want to miss him play The 5-Minute Game Show, because not only does he nail it, but it’s also pretty funny. And if that isn’t enough, the multi-talented J...
Oct 18, 2021•43 min•Ep. 59
I have a pretty radical guest today, Nadav Zeimer, an educator with a strong background in education and digital media, who is definitely doing his part in trying to overthrow education. He talks about how to completely overhaul our flawed transcript system that particularly effects high school students, and he has a plan for eradicating standardized testing that pretty much effects all students. I had really high hopes that when we moved to predominantly remote learning in 2020, and it became c...
Oct 03, 2021•39 min•Ep. 58
In this really informative and fairly goofy episode, I chat with my Edu podcaster friends, William Mealey and Christopher Tudisco about how important collegial relationships are for educators and how to make them happen. It’s a perfect topic for this very collegial team behind one of my favorite education podcasts out there, Unprofessional Development . Below is a link to when I was on their show ages ago. They also star in my commercial parody for the fake product “Create-a-Colleague”. When the...
Sep 20, 2021•53 min•Ep. 57
In this episode, veteran educator and podcast host Charles Williams and I have a great conversation about the work we need to do to create true equity in education and the importance of challenging our current narratives. We also talk about problematic intrinsic biases that we all have and how to change them. Even though the topics we discuss are serious and important, along with all the practical ideas, we do get very silly (and not just on The 5-Minute Game Show, although he slays his food the...
Sep 06, 2021•57 min•Ep. 56
This episode celebrates Overthrowing Education’s 2nd anniversary with Universal Design for Learning expert educator and author Loui Lord Nelson . Our conversation explores what UDL is and how to incorporate this important framework into lesson designs. Play The 5-Minute Game Show along with Loui and see if you can do as well as she did, cause she slayed it! My special thanks to Loui and to my fauxmercail helpers Tuvia and Yossie Frankel. I also want to thank all of the wonderful guests and fauxm...
Aug 23, 2021•46 min•Ep. 55
My guest on this episode is Clement Townsend who helps schools and teachers integrate media arts into their programs and lessons. In this time of media saturation, using media arts as a means for learning is even more important. Clement and I discuss how we can integrate media arts into all subjects. We also talk about how to help students tell stories, including their own, to inform, inspire and impact the world around them. At the end of the interview, I subjected Clement to one of the hardest...
Aug 09, 2021•38 min•Ep. 54
This bonus episode is just for fun! This radio comedy, " The Last Day of School " was performed live online during Edupodlooza back in June. I joined a talented group of education podcasters to write and perform this brief glimpse at a very unique last day of school. We poke fun at ourselves, ed podcasts in general and some of the crazy things that educators endure . . . like Zombies (??!!) Edupodlooza was the brainchild of Mealy who, along with Tudisco host the awesome and hilarious podcast Unp...
Aug 03, 2021•20 min
Today’s episode with educator and author Connie Hamilton is so near and dear to my heart. We have a great conversation about the importance of not only how to ask powerful, more focused questions, but also how students can do the same. Connie also shares how to respond to the “I don’t know” answer that we often get from students. She offers so much solid, applicable advice in this episode! At the end of the interview. Connie plays a “pop songs with questions in the title” The 5-Minute Game Show ...
Jul 26, 2021•40 min•Ep. 53
In this episode, I have a great conversation with the wise and wonderful educator, Mike Kaechele , who clearly lays out why Project-Based Learning is such a natural partner for growing Social Emotional Learning skills and how to combine them together to create a better education for all students. Mike provides lots of great examples and tools (not just tech tools, either) to design incredible PBL units, with great SEL opportunities. We top off this important discussion with an acronym based The ...
Jul 12, 2021•40 min•Ep. 52
On this episode, my wonderful guest is educator and co-author of The Startup Teacher Playbook, Darcy Bakkegard. We have an in-depth conversation about why so much of traditional professional development for educators isn’t working and how teachers can take charge of and design their own PD. She also talks about why teachers are natural leaders even if they don’t see themselves as such. There are so many great takeaways in this episode. And at the end of our chat, Darcy plays a special musical th...
Jun 27, 2021•42 min•Ep. 51
My guest is educator and podcast host of Lesson Impossible , Aviva Levin, who joins me to discuss why teacher transparency is so important, and how to make it happen. The Bonus of this episode is that we also include a little bit about how to incorporate improvisation games into your classes. Both Aviva and I have performed and taught improv, so I surprised her with an improv twist to The 5-Minute Game Show. And then she turns the table on me! Aviva and I co-wrote and performed the fauxmercial f...
Jun 13, 2021•54 min•Ep. 50
My awesome guest on this episode is educator, author, and lovely, charming human being Lindsay Portnoy who joins me today to talk about why playing games, and playing in general are the best way to learn and how to incorporate games and play into any subject or grade. Lindsay has so many inspiring and wise approaches to education and we really geek out together on this favorite topic for both of us. As for the 5-Minute game show, Lindsay racks up lots of imaginary points as she slays it! And spe...
May 31, 2021•53 min•Ep. 49
On this episode, I have a really insightful and inspiring conversation with master educator and author, Tara Martin. She digs deep in talking about her motivations for creating her books, Be R.E.A.L. Educate from the Heart and Cannonball In , and she shares so much wisdom for all educators. Learn about the acronym R.E.A.L and how much better education would be if everyone followed Tara’s charge. Also, we talk about how teachers can cannonball in, and why it matters. At the end of our conversatio...
May 16, 2021•53 min•Ep. 48
My guest today is Lorraine Connell . She first caught my attention with some great blog posts on her site Peers Not Fears and now she has a new podcast that features voices of students, as well as teachers called Unimagined . Among other things, she has been working with all students to help develop their leadership skills. It’s a great conversation that includes questioning our pre-conceived ideas of what student leadership looks like to include all learners, dealing with implicit bias and goin...
May 03, 2021•49 min•Ep. 47
Chelsea Robberson joins me on this episode for an entertaining and inspiring conversation. It’s a lot fun, but within all the laughs that we have on this episode, Chelsea drops some serious wisdom and help for all educators to move education forward. She asks some great questions that all administrators and teachers should be thinking about, including examining how schools can actually fulfill their mission statements. Chelsea has been a great fan of this show, so she’s well familiar with The 5-...
Apr 19, 2021•52 min•Ep. 46
On this episode, I chat with the hilarious, charming, passionate educator and professional comedian, Joe Dombrowski . We talk about not only why teaching with humor and playfulness is crucial for deeper learning, but also how to make it happen in your classes and lessons, even if you don’t consider yourself naturally funny. You might know Joe from his many hysterical, viral YouTube Videos , or maybe you saw him on one of his appearances on The Ellen DeGeneres Show , which I made him tell me all ...
Apr 05, 2021•43 min•Ep. 45
Prolific author and passionate educator, Starr Sackstein, is my guest again, this time for a great conversation about why and how to go gradeless and move beyond tests and quizzes for better assessments. After our chat, Starr plays another awesome round of The 5-Minute Game Show. Don’t miss the special code I give out just to listener’s to save 20% on my Lenses of Questioning course. See below for more information. Special thanks to Starr Sacktein and my fauxmercial helpers, Ami Korn, Naphtali B...
Mar 22, 2021•46 min•Ep. 44
Prolific author and passionate educator Starr Sackstein is my guest for a great conversation about the power of questions and the importance of cultivating students’ curiosity. We had so much to talk about that I have a second episode with Starr about better assessments and going gradeless on my next episode. She also slayed the super hero-themed The 5-Minute Game Show at the end of our discussion. On this episode, I also debut my new course, Lenses of Questioning, an approach I created to help ...
Mar 08, 2021•38 min•Ep. 43
In today’s episode I have a great conversation about unconventional teaching with passionate educator, Rachelle Dene Poth . I spend a little time at the beginning of our discussion talking about some of her books which are helpful to all teachers. Then we dig into some practical ideas for unconventional teaching including loads of tech tools to make those ideas happen. Even if you aren’t so into tech, there are lots of ideas you can scoop. At the end of our conversation, I subject Rachelle to a ...
Feb 22, 2021•52 min•Ep. 42
My guest is Don Goble , and he is an awesome media specialist educator. Not only do we have a great conversation, but we give tons of tips and ideas for how you can incorporate film and video into your classes no matter what you teach. If you aren’t already incorporating media into your lessons, this should inspire you to give it a shot. And if you are, I would LOVE to hear what you are doing! Please go to OverthrowingEducation.com and put a brief description of what you do into the comments of ...
Feb 07, 2021•56 min•Ep. 41
Long-time educator Jared Magee, from the very cool The Winchendon School , shares what Impact Learning is, why it’s important, and how to make it happen for all educators. Jared and I discuss ways to take what he has learned from his experiences there and mine working for another non-traditional school, Arete Preparatory Academy , and apply them to other, more traditional school situations.
Jan 25, 2021•51 min•Ep. 40
