Season 2
July 4, 2022
Season 2 reflection (...and a season 3 REVEAL!)
In the final episode of season 2, Nat and Alex come together to look back on the highs, lows, and learnings from the past year and reveal the season 3 theme. #conceptbasedpodcasting Show Notes: Checking-in on our rose/thorn moments this past school...
June 27, 2022
47 – Managing Ambiguity to Unlock the Joy of Creativity (w Dr. Caroline Brookfield)
If you were to scroll through most job postings today, you will likely see creative thinking listed as a required skill. And yet, many workplaces do not have the psychological safety for this skill to thrive. On the episode, Natalie is joined by Dr....
June 20, 2022
Project Feature: Sustainability Summit
This week a passionate teacher team talks about taking bold steps to innovate in their own classrooms to give students hope through a project they called the Sustainability Summit. Charlotte Nixon, Mark Schuegraf and Neil Frail bring their experience...
June 13, 2022
46 – Leading Adult Learners with a Lens of Inquiry (w Jessica Vance)
How might school leaders apply inquiry-based learning in their work? If we know that inquiry can inspire curiosity, connections, and agency for our students, how might it transform the professional learning culture of a school? Jessica Vance is an...
June 6, 2022
Why Being a Bad Student Made Me a Good Teacher!
How was school for you? What were you like as a student? How does that impact how you show up as a teacher? For Alex, it was a bit rough at points. That said, he would not trade the experiences he had as a student. They made him who he is and showed...
May 30, 2022
45 – Cultivating Education in a Correctional Facility (w Dawn Matthews-Nichols)
Have you ever wondered if one of your students is capable of murder? Well, what if you knew that your entire class had committed violent crimes? How would you build a positive classroom culture!? Dawn Matthews-Nichols has been teaching since 1987 in a...
May 23, 2022
Strategy Hack: Developing Confident Writers (w Karri Johnson)
I don’t remember learning writing strategies. Not that no one tried to teach it to me, it didn’t sink in. More than that though, I was and am still struggling to find my voice as a writer. Recently, I’ve learned that I’m not alone in this....
May 17, 2022
BONUS – Why I quit my job...
Nat is coming to you solo in this bonus episode because she quit her job last week... but it's not for the reasons you might think! Email the Podcast: Podcast on Twitter: Natalie on Twitter: Podcast on Instagram: Podcast Website:
May 9, 2022
Project Feature: Cross Curricular Courses (w Jessica Bates)
This week’s project feature is about breaking down the barriers between the siloed subjects that we’ve all become comfortable with. Jessica Bates is a 17-year teaching veteran who has made her career about asking the questions “what are the...
May 2, 2022
44 – Identity-Affirming Curriculum for Black Youth (w Kaya Henderson)
Traditional curriculum does not situate Black youth in a positive light and Kaya Henderson is on a quest to do something about it. Kaya is perhaps best known for serving as Chancellor of DC Public Schools from 2010-2016 and as the co-host of “Pod...
April 25, 2022
Strategy Hack: Civil Engagement and Digital Literacy (w Meagan Heard)
Today’s controversial topics tend to center around truth. Discussions can become so heated that many simply choose not to engage. Meagan Heard is a teacher who seeks a world where students have the skills to navigate difficult topics. This week,...
April 18, 2022
43 – Activating Agency to Grow Readers (w Penny Kittle)
Why do so many teenagers hate reading? Renowned author and Literacy advocate Penny Kittle believes it has everything to do with a lack of “book love” and that teachers have the capacity to ignite it. On the episode, she connects with Natalie to...
April 4, 2022
42 – Intergenerational Learning, Sustainability, and Space at Mill Bay Nature School - Pt. 2 (w Cayla Brown & Kim Ondrik)
We’ve all heard the adage “with age comes wisdom” but what does it mean to be wise? If we view our work as educators through the lens of sustainability and legacy, the wisest thing we might do is lift up those younger than us to continue our...
April 4, 2022
42 – Decolonization, Love and Witnessing at Mill Bay Nature School - Pt. 1 (w Cayla Brown & Kim Ondrik)
In the simplest of terms, decolonization means moving from a triangle to a circle. From a hierarchy to a community. In the episode, Natalie joins the Head Learner of the Mill Bay Nature School, Kim Ondrik, and the Smuqw’a’ (middle years) Clan...
March 21, 2022
Strategy Hack: Processing Speed (w Erin Ellis)
This week we’re talking strategy. How we can we best help students who struggle with processing speed? When our students encounter difficulties, it can be heart breaking but how can we help students to reach their potential? Our guest Erin Ellis...
March 14, 2022
41 – Narrating the Learning Journey using Self-Assessment & Portfolios (w Katie White)
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...
March 7, 2022
Project Feature: Going Gradeless (w Charlotte Nixon)
Going gradeless is one of those terms that generates excitement or dread, depending on your interpretation. It’s a scary notion as a teacher to just take a chance and dive in. Charlotte Nixon, a seasoned teacher and playwright, has done just that....
Feb. 28, 2022
40 – How Principals Build Trust (w Tim Carlson)
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...
Feb. 23, 2022
39 – Reclaiming Inquiry-Based Learning through Co-Design (w Trevor MacKenzie)
A misconception about inquiry-based learning is that it means 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...
Jan. 31, 2022
38 – Disruption, Storytelling, and Values in a Thinking Classroom (w Peter Liljedahl)
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...
Jan. 17, 2022
37 – How can Assessment Cultivate Equity, Learning & Community? (w Adelee Penner)
Assessment has many negative emotions attached to it due to the history of the word, yet it has so much potential to cultivate the equitable learning communities we all dream of. Adelee Penner has experienced the school system in a wide range of...
Jan. 3, 2022
36 – The Learning Diamond: A Mentor, a Champion, a Coach, and Ourselves
Though we are learning more about the importance of human connections in schools and workplaces, which are the relationships that actually drive learning? In this solo episode, host Natalie Vardabasso explains how our relationships with a mentor, a...
Dec. 13, 2021
35 – Elevating Sex Ed in the Curricular Hierarchy (w Alex Noel)
We all have memories of Sex Ed that are filled with embarrassment and shame. How might we change our collective experience of this topic? What structural barriers create this problem? How might we reimagine Sex Ed as relationship education? Alex Noel...
Dec. 6, 2021
34 – Reimagining Education with Passion, Purpose, and Projects (w Loni Bergqvist)
In nearly every field of work, we are quick to jump on the latest and greatest strategy leading to a habitual focus on what we do, rather than a deeper analysis about why we do it. Project-based learning (PBL) threatens to fall into this trap, but not...