
Season 1
Episodes
Play Is Essential (Nancy Carlsson-Paige)
Play is a powerful way to learn ... so why is it disappearing from children's lives? Our guest, Nancy Carlsson-Paige, professor emerita of early childhood education at Lesley University (where she trained teachers...
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Child-Centered Teaching in Any Setting (Julie Bennett)
Is it possible to have a child-centered approach in any classroom? Julie Bennett describes how she's done this throughout her career and the importance of a child-centered approach for every educational...
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Risky Play (Rachel Larimore)
How can we stop shielding kids from nature and help them explore it safely? Nature-based educator/author/consultant Rachel Larimore, of Samara Early Learning, explains how to better manage beneficial risky play.
As a...
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Why Is the Reggio Approach So Popular? (Jennifer Azzariti)
Why is the Reggio Approach So Popular?
Jennifer Azzariti, an artist, studio teacher and atelierista, began her career at the Model Early Learning Center (MELC) in Washington, DC … a landmark school in the history of...
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Who Speaks for Froebel? (Helge Wasmuth)
Does anyone really know what Froebel intended his Kindergarten to be? How much of that survives today, who changed it ... and why? Helge Wasmuth, Associate Professor in the Department of Childhood Education at...
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Pandemic Pods vs. Micro Schools (Mara Linaberger)
What are parents and teachers going to do about school this year? Many are talking about starting pods or micro schools. After decades in the Pittsburgh public schools, from the classroom to upper administration, Mara...
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Power to the Profession (Rhian Allvin)
What can we do to empower those working in early childhood to ensure all children get a quality education?
Our guest today is Rhian Evans Allvin, CEO of NAEYC https://naeyc.org, the largest organization of early...
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The Power of Hands-On Learning (Doug Stowe)
Powerful learning happens through creative hands-on activities. How can schools better promote learning beyond eyes and ears? Doug Stowe, an expert in both Sloyd and Froebel methods, shows us how.
Doug, master...
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Clearing the Air (John, Jay & Scott)
In the first of several “behind the scenes” episodes, John, Jay and Scott discuss the history and motivation behind the Garden of Children documentary series and Path to Learning podcast. With all the talk about...
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Fostering Wonder and Inquiry in Children (Paul Andersen)
Paul Andersen, an educational consultant and YouTube creator based in Bozeman, MT, reflects on the differences in good and bad teaching. He explains how parents and educators can move away from dumping information...
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A Natural Way to Assess Learning (Stacey Wellman)
Stacey Wellman, a speech/language pathologist with Winnetka public schools, describes how the Froebel method helps her identify and assess a child's learning profile. This natural play-based approach often avoids the...
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Assessing the Value of Standardized Testing (William Jeynes)
In this episode we speak with Dr. William Jeynes, Professor of Education at California State University, Long Beach about standardized testing in America. How did testing and our industrial model come about, and is...
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