Innovativeed

A couple of weeks ago, we had the chance to take part in a collaboration between the Vermont Agency of Education and Vermont Public Radio (VPR), celebrating the strange and wonderful ways this year's graduation differs from those in years past. The hourlong program featured students and educators from around the state, performing music, giving speeches and simply musing on the ways in which the class of 2020 made. It. Work. So as an excerpt, and leading us towards the end of the podcast's fourth season, here's the piece we produced for the show. We spoke with students, educators and families from two schools who approached graduation very differently: The Warren School, in Warren VT, and Poultney Elementary School, down in Poultney VT. This is a tale of two sixth grades.

"It feels really weird, because in some ways it's kind of cool to see how you can be homeschooled. But then in other ways you're like, "Ohhhhh, it’s kind of scary." Because we are staying home because of the virus that’s going around and for our safety and other people's safety and everything. So it’s mixed feelings I guess." Today on The 21st Century Classroom we're going to explore quarantine homeschooling in the age of COVID-19: What are we learning during it? And what are we learning *from* it? A full transcript is available at https://wp.me/p4r2oE-6sm

In Vermont, fishing and hunting license sales have taken off since the beginning of the COVID pandemic. Turkey hunting license sales increased by 26% for the recent start of the spring turkey season. Combination hunting & fishing  licenses are up 24%. It seems like since the Stay At Home order, where our work, school and social spheres got smaller, Vermonters have been heading outdoors to hunt. Not just adults but whole families. Which bring us to two questions: 1) What does it take for a young adult in Vermont to get a hunting license? And 2) what do young Vermonters find so engaging about hunting? Especially as it’s an activity they do with their families? A full transcript is available at https://wp.me/p4r2oE-6GW

For this episode, we're in the Two Rivers Supervisory Union, in southern Vermont. Ace podcaster and #vted Reads host Jeanie Phillips visited the Mount Holly School, in Mount Holly, Vermont. We'll hear from Aubrey, Alyssa and M., three sixth graders entering their final semester at this K-6 school. Next year, all three move up to one of the nearby middle schools. So what have these three students learned from their time at Mount Holly? Let's find out. A full transcript is available at https://wp.me/p4r2oE-6kg

On this episode of the 21st Century Classroom, we hear from three students from Champlain Valley Union High School, in Hinesburg Vermont -- a sophomore, a junior, and a high school senior. They tell us about what makes school meaningful, along with the way they see the roles of students and teachers changing as schools evolve. We also talk about equity in schools, as well as spending some serious time discussing what proficiency-based learning has looked like. Does it work? Is it an improvement over the traditional grading system, and how does it affect how these students apply to college? Full transcript at https://wp.me/p4r2oE-5Oe

This past fall, educator and parent Emily Hoyler, took part in the Youth Climate Strike, along with her three children. They visited various protests in Vermont, and Emily interviewed some of the students she met at the protests. She asked them why they were there, what they hoped to achieve, and how this day of action related to their in-school lives. "I'm here because every morning I wake up afraid. And so knowing that so many other people feel the same thing? It makes me hopeful, for the first time in a long time." A full transcript is available at https://wp.me/p4r2oE-5Bc

Today we're going to listen in on a conversation between three students from Orleans Elementary School in Barton, Vermont. These students talk about about the importance of community, the empowerment of student voice and choice, and offer some brilliant insights about how and why schools can adapt to serve the needs of so-called “troublemaker” students. Transcript available here: https://wp.me/p4r2oE-5pc

Welcome back to The 21st Century Classroom! Educator Lindsey Halman muses over a decade spent on The Edge, an experimental academy at Essex Middle School. She interviews former students and their families to try to figure out what made The Edge work for learners. (Hint: it involves building strong relationships, empowering learners and involving your whole community). Transcript: https://wp.me/p4r2oE-5p4

Usually we ask students to talk about a specific project or experience that we are featuring. But what if we left it open ended? We wanted to find out what students would talk about in a free-flowing conversation about what is meaningful for them about school. We learned a lot, and we hope you do too. A full transcript of this episode is available at https://wp.me/p4r2oE-4yN

Legendary librarian Jeanie Phillips is back on the podcast talking about what else but books! Not just any books, but graphic novels. Joining her this time around is Peter Langella, Vermont librarian, educator and former minor league hockey player and coach! They’re discussing Ngozi Ukazu's Check, Please! Book 1: #Hockey. Plus the larger genre of comics and how to use them in the classroom.

From real and relevant to what to do in the event of a mountain bike accident, the last predators in Middlesex, and the all-important question of who is responsible for the pizza at your exhibition of learning. That's right: librarian Jeanie Phillips talks all about service learning with author and educator Katy Farber. A full transcript is available here: https://wp.me/p4r2oE-4eq Music is "Sunrise (Argofox Release)" by Meizong & Yeeflex, used with permission.

We had a chance to hear from student digital audio producers at Randolph Union High School, in Randolph VT. They, along with innovative educator Raymond Coles, shared what makes this project-based learning class such a hit. A full transcript is available at https://wp.me/p4r2oE-3Ps Music in this episode is "Skipping Dragons" by The Galloping Circus (soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/tgcruhs) and "Sunrise [Argofox Release]" by Meizong & Yeeflex (soundcloud: bit.ly/2Hzwz6H).

Legendary Librarian Jeanie Phillips is back on the podcast talking about what else but books! Not just any books, but how books can help educators unpack some of their privileges and connect with students. Joining her this time around is Jory Hearst, Vermont educator and six-time Green Mountain Book Awards committee member. They're discussing Renée Watson's Piecing Me Together, and what they learned from it about identity, racial microaggressions and teaching around deficit theory. A full transcript is available at https://wp.me/p4r2oE-4eo

We kick off our fourth season with legendary librarian Jeanie Phillips!  She'll be sitting down with a series of guests from around the #vted ecosphere and ...reviewing books. Not just any books, but books that can help educators as they make meaning from the wonderful, complicated and challenging jobs they have of saving the world. First up, Jeanie talks with Vermont educator and consultant Bill Rich. Bill is a longtime-classroom teacher who now works with schools, providing guidance on brain-based learning. Jeanie and Bill sat down to talk about Daniel Coyle's book, The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups. A full transcript of this episode is available here: http://go.uvm.edu/a-92n Music for this episode is "Meizong & Yeeflex - Sunrise", by Argofox. youtu.be/-GurRvqxg3I

To launch a school-wide identity project, behavior interventionist Connor Umsted shared his own "identity poem" with fellow staff members at Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School, in South Burlington VT. Full transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aAoZ99IEGYMQpj8bIYdwpJWHPFXz4L59xsckaVMWmcA/edit

Integrating food studies into schools leads to thinking about interconnectedness in other ares of study. But don't take my word for it: meet some amazing students from The Cornwall School, in Cornwall VT, who definitely won't be surviving on Pop Tarts, ramen or mac and cheese when they grow up. Our theme music is, as always, by dirtwire. Additional music in this episode appears courtesy Diana Gruber, Kabbalistic Village, and Nicolai Heidlas. Thank you, as always, for listening.

The three Essex Middle School students who delivered the keynote address at the 2nd annual Cultivating Pathways to Sustainability conference spoke from the heart. They also spoke from experience, having spent the previous year using the #GlobalGoals to address hunger in their communities. A full transcript of this episode is available at this link: https://wp.me/p4r2oE-3H3

Londonderry, VT-based non-profit The Collaborative is in its 14th year of "Refuse to Use", a substance abuse-prevention program that creates community conversations about alcohol, tobacco and drugs. They base their curriculum off hyper-regional data and depend on community members -- parents, educators and students -- telling them what to talk about next. Full transcript: http://tiie.w3.uvm.edu/blog/refuse-to-use/ Photo by Famartin - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62467207

At the Queer-Straight Alliance (QSA) at Crossett Brook Middle School in Duxbury, Vermont, young adolescents have carved out a space where they can be their authentic selves. While that's critical during middle school, it's especially crucial for LGBTQ students. As we kick off the third season of our podcast, let's hear more about Crossett Brook's QSA by listening to one of the students instrumental in its formation, as well as some of the educators who support them.

We meet six of the graduating class of 2017 educators, and hear about their hopes, their dreams, and what their middle school selves have to tell them about teaching. Full transcript available here: http://tiie.w3.uvm.edu/blog/pre-service-educators-podcast/#.WSQ3KjOZOHo