PODCAST · education
Free Range Humans
by Jal Mehta, Rod Allen
Free Range Humans is a podcast that explores "how we can make schools fit for human consumption." Hosted by Jal Mehta, professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Rod Allen, former district superintendent and Assistant Deputy Minister with the BC Ministry of Education.
Episodes
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Gardens, Not Factories – Designing Schools for Human Flourishing
Caleb Collier is the co-founder of The Forest School and The Institute for Self-Directed Learning in Fayetteville, Georgia. He is also a co-founder of Story Arts, a creative storytelling collective of schools in Atlanta, Georgia, has a PhD in Language and Literacy (Georgia State University), and...
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The Promises We Make to Children
Susan L. Engel is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology and Founding Director of the Program in Teaching at Williams College. She is the author of several books, including her latest American Kindergarten: Dispatches from the First Year of School, and her essays on education have appeared in The New…
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Belonging Is the Foundation of Great Schools
Dr. Leyton Schnellert is a Professor in the University of British Columbia's Department of Curriculum & Pedagogy and Co-Director of the Canadian Institute for Inclusion and Citizenship. Dr. Schnellert is also the Pedagogy and Participation research cluster lead in UBC’s Institute for Community...
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Are Schools Preparing Kids for a World That No Longer Exists?
Ted Dintersmith is an education advocate, author, filmmaker, and former venture capitalist whose work focuses on preparing young people for a rapidly changing world. After a successful 25-year career as a partner at Charles River Ventures and service on the U.S. delegation to the United Nations...
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What Latvia Can Teach Us About Deeper Learning
Zane Olina is passionate about creating meaningful learning opportunities for both young people and adults. She has an MEd and PhD in Learning and Instructional Technology from Arizona State University, and her career spans classroom teaching, curriculum reform, leadership development,...
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Lose the Bubble Wrap – Making a Case for Self-Directed Learning
Dr. Tyler S. Thigpen has worked in innovative district, private, and charter schools in Georgia, as well as national and regional nonprofits. Tyler is co-founder of The Forest School: An Acton Academy in south metro Atlanta, founder and executive director of the Institute for Self-Directed...
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Teaching Power: What Schools Communicate About Authority and Democracy
Jason E. Glass. Ed.D., has more than 25 years of leadership experience in public education, spanning classroom teaching, district and state-level leadership, and executive roles in higher education, and currently holds the title of Superintendent of the Laguna Beach Unified School Distrirct.…
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Why Context Matters More Than Ever - A Conversation with Amelia Peterson
Amelia Peterson is a social scientist with a background in policy and consulting. She is currently leading the development of an entirely new MBA program at the London Interdisciplinary School. In her previous role as Head of Learning and Teaching at LIS, she has led on developing many of the...
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Courage is Contagious: Leading for Equity in a Time of Backlash
LaShawn Routé Chatmon is the founding CEO and President of the National Equity Project, leading the organization’s transition from the Bay Area Coalition for Equitable Schools (BayCES). Under her leadership, the National Equity Project has catalyzed a movement to revitalize our country’s approach...
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Real World Swirl: When the City is the Classroom
Dov Stucker is a co-founder and Lead Teacher of Burlington City & Lake Semester (BCL) – a partnership between the Burlington School District and Shelburne Farms. He taught Social Studies at Burlington High School from 2011-2021, including School Innovation Seminar, a course that engaged students…
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Transformation in the Age of AI: Education for Human Flourishing
Anthony Mackay is the immediate past CEO and current Co-Chair of the Washington DC-based National Center on Education and the Economy, while also serving as Deputy Chancellor, Swinburne University, Melbourne, Australia; Honorary Senior Fellow of the Graduate School of Education at the University…
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The Potential Pitfalls of Progressive Education (And How to Avoid Them)
Alisa Berger is now a Free Range Humans regular, making her fourth appearance on the podcast. She was the founding co-principal of the New York City iSchool and is the author of How To Innovate: The Essential Guide for Fearless School Leaders, among many other accomplishments. Jal was very...
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Rooted in Respect and Reciprocity: Exploring Land-Based Learning
Kyle Peruniak is a former wildland firefighter and current land-based educator in British Columbia. He is focused on creating inclusive experiences that promote empathy for the land, respect and appreciation for indigenous perspectives and ways of knowing, and provide youth with healthy, rich,...
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Beyond the Report Card: Teaching with Heart and Kindness
Paige Fisher is an associate professor at Vancouver Island University with 18 years of experience in teacher education and leadership development. Her work has included embedded teacher ed programs, Indigenous teacher education initiatives, and explorations of non-traditional grading and...
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A School that Feels Like Family - Welcome to SMASH
SMASH isn’t new — it’s been doing things differently for over 50 years, emphasizing multi-age classrooms, social-emotional learning, looping, and strong adult-child relationships. Jessica Rishe (principal) and Malika Boyer (6th grade teacher) share how the school cultivates trust, responsibility,...
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Human Schools - A Sneak Peak at Jal Mehta and Libby Woodfin's New Book
Libby Woodfin is a writer and educator from western Massachusetts. She has authored or co-authored nine books for teachers and published numerous articles and blogs for educational outlets such as EdWeek, Middleweb and Educational Leadership. Libby began her career as a fifth and sixth-grade...
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Blue Sky Thinking - A Conversation with Ginger Spickler and Erin Johnson
Crosstown High is a learner-centered public charter school that engages students in meaningful, project-based work and authentic relationships that will prepare them to be self-directed, lifelong learners. Erin Johnson is the Head of School and an an art teacher, while Ginger Spickler carries the...
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Weaving Compassionate Systems with Deeper Learning - A Conversation with Jill Jensen and Peter Senge
Peter M. Senge is the founding chair of SoL (Society of Organizational Learning), a global network of organizations, researchers, and consultants dedicated to the “interdependent development of people and their institutions”, a Senior Lecturer at MIT's Sloan School of Management, and cofounder of...
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Back from Break - A Short Promo to Resume Season Four
Rod and Jal make a plug for their upcoming "Deeper Learning Ed Camp," an off-the-grid summer camp for school-based educators seeking inspiration, rejuvenation, and connection with like-minded colleagues from around the country who believe in the power of deeper learning for students. The camp...
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Seeing People in Their Full Complexity - A Conversation with Jessica Nordell
Jessica Nordell holds degrees in physics from Harvard and poetry from the University of Wisconsin, where she was the Martha Meier Renk Distinguished Graduate Fellow in Poetry. Her unique blend of experience allows for a writing style that combines rigorous science with a poetic compassion for...
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The Artisan Teaching Model - Is it the Key to Great Classrooms?
David Krulwich is principal and T’Keyah Robinson is vice principal of South Bronx Early College Academy. They both previously worked at the Urban Assembly School for Applied Math and Science in the Bronx, and together with Kenneth Baum, have developed the Artisan Teacher Model. This new model...
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Challenging Injustice - The Role of Education in Strengthening Democracy
Scott Seider is a professor at Boston College, Aaliyah El-Amin is a faculty colleague of Jal's at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Julia Bott is a longtime principal and now coaches principals on leading for equity. Highlights from their conversation include: an opening dialogue…
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Rethinking Teacher Education - A Conversation with Sarah Fine and Tori Theisen-Homer
Sarah Fine and Victoria (Tori) Theisen-Homer both got their doctorates from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Tori is the Founding Director of the Arizona Teacher Residency, and Sarah ran the San Diego Teacher Residency program before becoming an assistant professor at the University of...
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Welcome to Season 4: Doom, Gloom and Glimmers of Hope
Before the amazing guests join season four, our hosts reflect on all that has happened since we signed off on season three this past spring. They dive into personal updates, changing perspectives on education, and the challenges teachers and students face in a suddenly unstable and unpredictable...
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The Weeds of Curriculum Reform - A Conversation with Ben Jensen
Dr. Ben Jensen is the CEO of Melbourne-based consultancy Learning First. Ben has advised governments in Australia, North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia on education strategy and reform. Before founding Learning First in 2014, he was director of the Grattan Institute’s School Education...
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From Student to Teacher to Leader - A Conversation with Dr. Michele Shannon
Michele Shannon is the Executive Director of the Deeper Learning Districts. Previously, she was a National Designer and Facilitator for the Leadership Academy, where she built the capacity of educational leaders through leadership training to confront inequities & create conditions for students…
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Harnessing AI in Education - A Conversation with Chris Kennedy and Eric Xie
Chris Kennedy is the Superintendent of Schools/CEO at West Vancouver Schools. He has taught secondary English and Social Studies, and been both an elementary and secondary school principal. One of the most progressive voices in BC education, Chris has been featured by Macleans Magazine as one of...
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Parallels in Policing and Education - A Conversation with Dr. Neil Gross
Neil Gross, a sociologist best known for his work on policing, higher education, politics, and pragmatism, is the Charles A. Dana Professor of Sociology at Colby College in Maine. A frequent contributor to the New York Times, Gross holds a bachelor’s degree in legal studies from UC Berkeley and...
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The Importance of Purpose and Values - A Conversation with Shanna Peeples
Shanna Peeples is the Dr. John G. O’Brien distinguished chair in education at West Texas A&M university. In 2015 she was awarded USA National Teacher of the Year for her work at Palo Duro High School, which earned her an opportunity to meet and be personally lauded by President Obama. She now has...
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Generative AI in Schools: Adopted vs. Arrived - A Conversation with Justin Reich
Justin is an associate professor of digital media in the department of Comparative Media Studies/Writing at MIT and the director of the Teaching Systems Lab. He is the author of Iterate: The Secret to Innovation in Schools and Failure to Disrupt: Why Technology Alone Can’t Transform Education…
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Craftsmanship as a Model for Education - A Conversation with Ron Berger
Ron Berger is Chief Academic Officer for EL Education, an organization that partners with districts and charter boards to found public schools in low-income communities. EL Education’s core work is building teacher capacity in schools and districts through professional coaching, resources and...
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The Bad Educational Innovations Draft - A Conversation with Alisa Berger
Alisa Berger was the founding principal at both the NYC iSchool, a New York City public high school, and the Mott Hall II school, a NYC public middle school. She currently teaches at the Harvard Graduate School of Education in the Professional Education Program, and is Co-Director of The Deeper...
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Why Politics Doesn’t Have to Be a Dirty Word - A Conversation with Diana Hess
Diana Hess has been dean of University of Wisconsin–Madison’s School of Education since Aug. 1, 2015. She is only the ninth dean of the School of Education since its founding in 1930. Since 1997, Hess has been researching how teachers engage their students in discussions of highly controversial...
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The Power of Tension and Hope - A Conversation with Jo Chrona
Jo Chrona is an education consultant, speaker, and author, supporting professional learning opportunities in the areas of Indigenous education and anti-racism. She has more than 25 years teaching in both K-12 (secondary) and post-secondary education, and played a vital role in developing First...
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From Hero to Host - Women as Change Agents in Education
Cresta Mcintosh is the Associate Superintendent for the Monterey Public Schools in California, and Jocelyn Fletcher Schuech is the Associate Director of Teaching and Learning in Burlington Vermont. Alisa Burger currently teaches at the Harvard Graduate School of Education in the Professional...
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Fish Out of Water - Preserving Creativity with James Thompson
James Thompson is the designer behind Black Badger, a creative design agency that specializes in using advanced materials in new and exciting ways. He's previously done special edition pieces with luxury watch brands De Bethune and MB&F. He’s mucked about with everything from McLaren supercars to...
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The Culture of Yes - Encouraging New Ideas in Education
Chris Kennedy is the Superintendent of Schools/CEO with the West Vancouver School District (West Vancouver, British Columbia). He has taught secondary English and Social Studies, and been both an elementary and secondary school principal. In addition, he runs a blog entitled "The Culture of Yes"...
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Finding Clarity - Working Outward While Looking Inward
Shawn Ginwright is a leading innovator and scholar of African American youth, youth activism, and youth development. He currently holds the title of Professor of Education in the Africana Studies Department at San Francisco State University, and starting this fall, will join Jal as a Professor of...
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The Importance of the Land - Learning from Indigenous Cultures
This powerful conversation features four guests from the Nisga’a Nation and the Nisga’a School District: Sayt Gibuu (Lydia Stephens) - Nisga’a Lisims Language and Culture Program Manager, Luu-MisMaakskw (Esther Adams) - Nisga’a Lisims Director of Language and Culture, Galksi-De'entkw (Peter…
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Open vs. Closed? - A Battle for Which System Belongs in Education
Doannie Tran was a middle and high school teacher, and was assistant superintendent for academics and professional learning for Boston Public Schools, and currently is a partner at the Center for Innovation in Education. Landon Mascareñez describes himself as educator, writer, and democracy...
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Snakes Out of the Bag - It's Okay to Make Mistakes
Dr. Pam Moran is a recently retired superintendent of thirteen years and has also worked as a teacher, staff developer, elementary principal, and assistant superintendent. She was the 2010 president of the Virginia Association of School Superintendents and the 2016 Virginia Superintendent of the...
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The Harvard Professor - Jal Mehta's Origin Story
Jal Mehta is a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and also holds the title of faculty co-chair for the Learning Design, Innovation, and Technology program. His research explores the role of different forms of knowledge in tackling major social and political problems…
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Transforming Education for Holistic Student Development - Looking at Systems Around the World
Amanda Datnow is Professor and Chancellor’s Associates Endowed Chair in the Department of Education Studies and Associate Dean of the Division of Social Sciences at the University of California, San Diego. Amelia Peterson is currently part of the founding faculty at the London Interdisciplinary...
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India Embraces the "Happiness Curriculum" - How to Make Revolutionary Change Under Adverse Circumstances
Dream a Dream empowers children and young people from vulnerable backgrounds to overcome adversity and thrive in a fast-changing world. Since 1999, they have helped over 3 million young people thrive in the 21st century through innovation labs and strategic partnerships with governments in five...
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The Locus of Change: Schools vs. Districts - A Debate with Alisa Berger
Alisa Berger was the founding principal at both the NYC iSchool, a New York City public high school, and the Mott Hall II school, a NYC public middle school. She currently teaches at the Harvard Graduate School of Education in the Professional Education Program, and is Co-Director of The Deeper...
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Examining the Intersection of Education and Politics - A Conversation with Shanna Peeples
Shanna Peeples is the Dr. John G. O’Brien distinguished chair in education at West Texas A&M university. In 2015 she was awarded USA National Teacher of the Year for her work at Palo Duro High School, and also found her way to Harvard where she attended classes taught by our co-host, Jal Mehta!...
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United We Learn - Reflections on a Recent Trip to Kentucky
During their trip to Kentucky, our hosts sat down with Lu Young, Jason Glass, Justin Bathon and Caleb Bates, of Kentucky's United We Learn Coalition. This group is building a vision for the future of public education in Kentucky, with the goal of everyone in the commonwealth – educators…
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"No one wants to go first." - A Conversation with Charles Leadbeater
Charles Leadbeater is a self-proclaimed “intellectual odd-job man,” with a background in journalism, entrepreneurship, and most recently, large-scale systems change. As the co-director of the System Innovation Initiative at the Rockwool Foundation in Copenhagen, he is helping to develop practical...
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Lessons from Apartheid - A Conversation with Timothy Knowles
Timothy Knowles is the 10th president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Prior to joining Carnegie, he served as founder and managing partner of the Academy Group, an enterprise designed to prepare extraordinary young people from under-resourced communities to own and...
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Canadian Education Reform in the United States? - Rod and Jal Debate
As season two gets underway, Rod and Jal leverage their own knowledge and experience to debate the merits of bringing Canadian school reform to the United States. Highlights from their conversation include: a history of Canadian reform processes dating back to Rod's work with the Ministry of...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Free Range Humans is a podcast that explores "how we can make schools fit for human consumption." Hosted by Jal Mehta, professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Rod Allen, former district superintendent and Assistant Deputy Minister with the BC Ministry of Education.
HOSTED BY
Jal Mehta, Rod Allen
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How many episodes does Free Range Humans have?
Free Range Humans currently has 79 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Free Range Humans about?
Free Range Humans is a podcast that explores "how we can make schools fit for human consumption." Hosted by Jal Mehta, professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Rod Allen, former district superintendent and Assistant Deputy Minister with the BC Ministry of Education.
How often does Free Range Humans release new episodes?
Free Range Humans has 79 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
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You can listen to Free Range Humans on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Free Range Humans?
Free Range Humans is created and hosted by Jal Mehta, Rod Allen.
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