Insights Into Education Podcast
44 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 3 years ago - ★★★★★ - 5 ratingsAmerican education is caught at a cross roads. While there is no shortage of discussion about how to educate children moving forward, much either lacks historic insight into the fundamental building blocks that got us here, or is based by policies funded and dictated by private interests.
In Insights Into Education Dan and Ed informally discuss the concerns of parents and teachers about the state of American education. They focus on what they have collectively learned in almost 100 years of experiences as teachers and administrators. Dan and Ed believe education must be focused on each individual child. They share a wealth of knowledge about experiential education. As parents, and having dealt with parents' concerns on many levels, they share insights into what parents need from teachers and the education system.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Rosemary Agneessens - The Leadership We Need
December 07, 2020 16:43 - 54 minutes - 25 MBRosemary Agneessens is a proven community organizer and leader. She joins Dan and Ed for a refreshing and much-needed discussion of where we are now and where we are going. The pandemic will pass. Many of the players at the state and national level will try the old way of holding power. They will face energized leaders who see a clear path to the future. Rosemary has stayed focused on the battlelines, cherishing small victories that open the paths for our students and help build our states a...
Richard Parkhouse - Evolving Education
July 13, 2020 18:30 - 1 hour - 37.2 MBDan and Ed introduce a highly respected educator, Richard Parkhouse. Richard is uniquely qualified to help evolve education so that schools are student-centered and address changes necessary if America is to flourish. Richard is an author, speaker, and is committed to creating “school cultures of significance, where everyone matters.” He has had the opportunity to inspire greatness in thousands of students. His work includes collaborating with schools to surface and clearly communicate the...
Galen Englund - Humanitarian Consultant
June 29, 2020 19:30 - 1 hour - 35.4 MBDan’s and Ed’s guest is Galen Englund, a remarkable and very accomplished young man. This podcast highlights the educational paths that led to his successful career and the ability to make a contribution to himself and to society. Galen is open, factual, and freely discusses his family background, and his educational travails as a challenging and misunderstood student. His early education ranged back and forth between Alaska, New Mexico, Arizona, and Costa Rica. Galen pays special tribute to...
The Impact of Slaying Goliath
April 29, 2020 17:51 - 1 hour - 30.7 MBDan and Ed are deeply impressed with Diane Ravitch’s critically acclaimed new book. Inspired by her insights and leadership – and the past and present corruption of public education by people who call themselves reformers, but are really deformers – they begin an unscripted and very frank dialogue which includes thoughts from Ed’s new book about the future of education and how we need to evolve our educational system.
Interview With David Nathaniel Berger Part 2
March 03, 2020 20:22 - 1 hour - 31.5 MBPart two. Interview with David Nathaniel Berger. Dan and Ed continue to document the preparation necessary for our graduates to make a contribution to themselves and to society. David’s deep commitment to The International Work Group For Indigenous Affairs, located in Denmark, is the result of his education and his self-directed quest for knowledge. This podcast gives an insight into how the Danish Government, the European Union, and the United Nations support the work of native populations...
Interview With David Nathaniel Berger
February 09, 2020 21:16 - 1 hour - 29 MBWhat preparation is necessary to make a contribution to yourself and society? In Part 1 of this two-part episode, Dan and Ed interview David Nathaniel Berger who is currently in Denmark working with the International Work Group For Indigenous Affairs. We ask David to identify the pivotal experiences he had growing up, his middle and high school preparation, his time at Arizona State University and the Barrett Honors College, his internship at the American Consulate in Milan, Italy, his exper...
Understanding Human Competence
December 02, 2019 21:52 - 29 minutes - 40.3 MBDan Kenley interviews Ed Berger about his recent book, Human Competence. What was the thinking behind this unique approach to education reform? Why write an education book that avoids edubabble and academic gamesmanship? How is this book an indicator of education for the future? Why stress 'no education without immediate and practical application'? Dan probes and exposes the students’ role in dealing with issues that will define their future and perhaps the future of our species. He draws Be...
Teaching Abroad with Dan Miles
September 03, 2019 18:25 - 1 hour - 48.5 MBSome of the best and brightest young USA students, faced with debt, damaged school districts, and poor pay, especially as educators, venture into other lands and find meaningful work and decent remuneration for their efforts. Our guest, Dan Miles, a vibrant and exciting music and mathematics educator went into the unknown and took charge of his future. He shares the pathways he followed to teach in Abu Dhabi - the United Arab Emirates. After several years he moved to Kuala Lumpur (KL) Malays...
Courageous Parenting with Holli Kenley
August 04, 2019 17:02 - 1 hour - 47.1 MBDan and Ed bring Holli Kenley back to update us on positive things that are happening for parents and kids. Holli gives updates on the latest breakthroughs on screen dependence, game addiction, depression disorders, and many other challenges facing today’s families. She introduces us to good research about the importance of play, and how play gives children skills to deal with stress release and even develop empathy. Perhaps the most valuable qualities of this podcast, are the sources of inf...
Teaching for Human Competence
June 18, 2019 21:23 - 56 minutes - 47.1 MBDan and Ed focus on current education practices and highlight both problems and strengths they have observed in schools. Dan shares his recent experiences working as an administrator in a California middle school; Ed shares information about his research and writing about how we must evolve our education systems to deal with AI and the effects of climate change. He introduces his new book, Human Competence, out in June 2019.
Education for the Future with Alex Berger
March 31, 2019 11:36 - 48 minutes - 41.3 MBWith special guest, Alex Berger calling in from Denmark, Dan and Ed engage in a lively discussion of critical issues that must be addressed to enhance public education and free it from standardization and data-focused testing. This unscripted exchange ranges from preparing students to delve into the root causes of current events, to changes in the way we teach. Throughout the conversations, the major focus is on what we must do to prepare students for their future, not our past.
Organize and Get Involved with Nicky Indicavitch
July 22, 2018 16:56 - 43 minutes - 59.7 MBDan and Ed bring back Nicky Indicavitch because she is one of the most eloquent and knowledgeable spokespersons for what has become a National Model for grassroots civic involvement and change. In a state where the voice of the citizens has been ignored, and where representative government has been intentionally misled, a breakthrough occurred that is moving the state away from the control of a small minority of ideologues and profiteers and giving the power back to the people. Nicky expla...
The Fight For Charter School Accountability Part 2 with Jim Hall
July 12, 2018 16:24 - 57 minutes - 79.5 MBDan and Ed asked Jim Hall to return to continue reporting on his work for Charter School Accountability. In episode 29, April 11, 2018, Jim explained his motivation and his research into how taxpayer money is given out with little or no accountability. In Arizona, millions of taxpayer dollars have gone into privatizer’s pockets. Part of this theft is allowed by an ideology that that is labeled “School Choice”. A significant part is due to elected representatives who have done away with confl...
Pilates for Parents with Holli Kenley
July 04, 2018 22:30 - 48 minutes - 67.1 MBDan and Ed welcome Holli Kenley back to Insights Into Education. Holli is a highly experienced marriage and family therapist and noted author. Based on her years of research and observations, Holli shares vital parenting information and principles. Parenting is a tremendous responsibility. Everything we say and do or don't say and do deeply affects our children and their futures. Contrary to popular thought, it is not enough just "to be" in our children's lives; "how we show up" has l...
The Power of Red For Ed with Rosemary Agneessens
June 23, 2018 10:05 - 54 minutes - 75.2 MBDan and Ed welcome back Rosemary Agneessens, one of the most knowledgeable and energetic ladies we have the privilege of having as our guest. Rosemary shares insights into the amazing things happening for civic involvement and representative change in Arizona. She explains the Red For Ed movement that has activated educators, parents, and citizens in this Republican right to work state. Arizona, like too many other states where the will of the majority is not respected, is a state controlled...
Arizonans For Charter School Accountability with Jim Hall
April 11, 2018 20:33 - 1 hour - 86.8 MBDan and Ed are still reeling from this remarkable and informative visit with Jim Hall, educator and investigator of charter school finance in Arizona. Charter school finance? Sounds boring? Well, hold on to your grip on reality and prepare for information that will help you fight for teachers and students against a state government that is not honest or above board and has hidden the facts about the tens of millions of dollars that have been stolen from Arizona taxpayers. Fraud and abuse of ...
The Power of Parents, Teachers and Students with Beth Simek and Nicky Indicavitch
April 10, 2018 22:00 - 36 minutes - 50.5 MBEd and Dan believe the American education system can recover from the destructive work of privatizers, profiteers, and those who claim they can force solutions without identifying the problems. There is no more potent group than the PTA (PTSA) as they know what is happening to our children and how to support our public schools. We are very fortunate to have Beth Simek, the State President of the Arizona PTA, and Nicky Indicavitch, Northern Arizona Region Director of the PTA, and the Parent C...
Expect More Arizona with Jennifer Hernandez
April 03, 2018 20:58 - 42 minutes - 58.1 MBEd and Dan have a special guest, Jennifer Hernandez, Community Engagement Manager for Expect More Arizona, one of the increasingly effective groups educating citizens about what it will take to regain support for public schools. Citizen’s groups like Expect More Arizona are working to help communities organize to fight for quality education. Among the tools that Jennifer talks about is the Education Progress Meter which provides metrics and information documenting where we are and where we w...
Early Care and Education with Vickey La Motte
February 27, 2018 23:10 - 1 hour - 85.9 MBDan and Ed welcome Vickey La Motte, an accomplished educator, visionary, developer, and the first director of the Family Enrichment Center (FEC), a lab school model for Early Care and Education Programs. The Center is located on the Prescott campus of Yavapai Community College. Through her work, and the contributions of those she has attracted, the most critical needs of child rearing parents, and early childhood development are being addressed. Vickey explains why the need for early chi...
How Strong Educators Are Created
February 14, 2018 17:05 - 42 minutes - 58.7 MBIn this podcast Ed and Dan answer a listener’s question: Who are you guys and what are some of the most important things you have done? Ed shares adventures as a high school teacher in a frank discussion of the why and how of his approaches to meeting the needs of approximately 150 kids a day in 42 minute classes. Dan shares the help he had from mentors and his experiences as a beginning elementary school teacher. These stories that Ed and Dan share are insights into the experiences that cre...
A Global Perspective with Alex Berger
October 16, 2017 23:06 - 1 hour - 88.3 MBDan and I have striven to learn about the insights of graduates of American K-12 schools and American universities who have gone on to study in other countries. Our guest for this Podcast graduated from Prescott High School and the Barrett Honors College at Arizona State University. He did his graduate work in Denmark at the University of Copenhagen. He has lived in Denmark for six and a half years. Alex is a millennial driven by curiosity who is a well-known travel blogger and who has im...
Activism in Education
July 17, 2017 20:23 - 32 minutes - 45.1 MBActivism In Education: Dan and Ed expose their deepest concerns about teacher apathy and lack of professional responsibility. The discussion is vibrant and opinionated. As they discuss their insights into the damage done to public education they share the concerns of many highly competent professionals. Some of the questions that drive this podcast: The information is out there, why has it been ignored? Have you read Diane Ravitch’s books? Do non-professionals follow her blogs? Why support t...
Screen Kids Part V with Holli Kenley - The Final Chapter
May 15, 2017 19:35 - 51 minutes - 70.4 MBThis episode concludes the 5-part series about Screen Addiction. In these episodes, Holli Kenley provides parents and educators with resources and information about what screen use and abuse is doing to our children. This final episode focuses on what parents need to know, and need to do, to keep their children healthy and free of an addiction that is compared to opium addiction by many brain development specialists. Dan and Ed share this information in the belief that once they know the ri...
Screen Kids Part IV with Holli Kenley
April 20, 2017 15:39 - 51 minutes - 70.3 MBIn episode 21, Screen Kids Part IV, Dan and Ed continue our interviews with Holli Kenley, a lady who is reaching thousands of people of all ages through her books, presentations, school assemblies, and radio talks. Her messages are clear and very helpful. She has been a teacher, marriage counselor, and leader in helping us all understand human needs and human development. This is the fourth part of a five-part series addressed directly to parents and teachers which presents information ab...
Screen Kids Part III with Holli Kenley
April 14, 2017 09:39 - 23 minutes - 32.2 MBIn episode 20, Screen Kids Part III, Dan and Ed continue our interviews with Holli Kenley, a lady who is reaching thousands of people of all ages through her books, presentations, school assemblies, and radio talks. Her messages are clear and very helpful. She has been a teacher, marriage counselor, and leader in helping us all understand human needs and human development. This is the third part of a three-part series addressed directly to parents and teachers which presents information a...
Screen Kids Part II with Holli Kenley
April 05, 2017 16:04 - 28 minutes - 39 MBIn episode 19, Screen Kids Part II, Dan and Ed continue our interviews with Holli Kenley, a lady who is reaching thousands of people of all ages through her books, presentations, school assemblies, and radio talks. Her messages are clear and very helpful. She has been a teacher, marriage counselor, and leader in helping us all understand human needs and human development. This is the first part of a three-part series addressed directly to parents and teachers which presents information ab...
Screen Kids with Holli Kenley
February 17, 2017 07:31 - 40 minutes - 55.1 MBIn episode 18, Screen Kids, Dan and Ed continue our interviews with Holli Kenley, a lady who is reaching thousands of people of all ages through her books, presentations, school assemblies, and radio talks. Her messages are clear and very helpful. She has been a teacher, marriage counselor, and leader in helping us all understand human needs and human development. This is the first part of a three-part series addressed directly to parents and teachers which presents information about the ...
Early Childhood Education
January 29, 2017 09:35 - 31 minutes - 43.3 MBDan and Ed invite Wendy Watson, an early childhood education expert, to share her views and experiences. Wendy dispels any ideas that early – even pre-natal – experiences are not major, critical factors in human development. She presents factual information about the benefits of early childhood education. She explains why brain development before the age of 8 is critical to human success and well being. After age 8 the damage done do to a lack of human interactions may be dealt with, but o...
Peter Pierson: Public Support for the Public Good
January 13, 2017 19:02 - 1 hour - 85.5 MBIn this episode, Public Support For The Public Good, Dan and Ed spend time with Peter Pierson, a talented and active citizen who ran in 2016 for a seat in the AZ House representing Legislative District 1, which is a gerrymandered, sprawling district which includes Prescott. As Ed notes, “Peter lost the election, but won the respect of our communities.” Peter explains the effects of the dynamics of negativity and anti-government rhetoric that defeated the voice of the electorate, not...
The Damage Tech Does To Developing Brains
November 17, 2016 18:37 - 19 minutes - 26.9 MBThis 19 minute episode introduces parents to the essentials of brain development in children who are allowed to play and develop naturally, without technology. No tablets. No smart phones. No electronic programs should be introduced at home or at school which are falsely touted as educational until major brain development can overrule their limited educational value and their addictive qualities. Ed and Dan urge parents to read: Glow Kids. How Screen Addiction Is Hijacking Our Kids - And Ho...
Cashing in on Kids
October 23, 2016 10:53 - 26 minutes - 36.9 MBCashing In On Kids. Dan and I attempt to look at education from the reformer’s point of view. What is their thinking? Why destroy public schools? Are their approaches good for your child? For our communities? For our country? In our minds, we do not accept the argument that individuals can take profits from the tax dollars citizens pay for education. We reject education scams that build Real Estate empires for individuals and corporations. We reject experiments that damage children. We ...
Cyber Bullying and the Risk of Bullycide
October 04, 2016 18:43 - 1 hour - 85.2 MBThis episode is a continuation of Episode 12 with Holli Kenley. Dan and Ed ask Holli to give us more detail about her work on bullying, and particularly on methods schools, organizations, families and all of us can use to create empathy. She enlightens us of the dangerous practices of institutional bullying often used to stop bullies from hurting others. Holli gives us specific information about of how to stop the thoughtless cruelty that makes life hell for so many and may even result in b...
Another Way with Holli Kenley
September 19, 2016 20:27 - 1 hour - 87.8 MBIn this episode, Dan and Ed have a great visit with Holli Kenley, a lady who is reaching thousands of people of all ages through her books, presentations, school assemblies, and radio talks. Her messages are clear and very helpful. She has been a teacher, marriage counselor, and leader in helping us all understand human needs. Dan and Ed focus on Holli’s book, Another Way, which is a proven aid to students, parents, and teachers.
Engaging Your Community - Round II with Rosemary Agneessens
September 12, 2016 17:09 - 49 minutes - 68.5 MBThis is the second time we have been fortunate to have Rosemary Agneessens, an experienced community organizer and facilitator, as a guest. Rosemary shares insights into empowering local community groups to identify and organize to save the best parts of our communities. If we lose the power to lead, as many communities have, then the last best hopes for positive change in our country will be gone. Rosemary Agnessens has a diverse and wonderful background. Born and raised in Detroit, MI s...
Engaging Your Community
August 21, 2016 20:37 - 57 minutes - 79.6 MBThe beating hearts of America are its communities and at their core are our schools. Our special guest for this episode, which is focused on building community effectiveness, is Rosemary Agneessens, an experienced and accomplished educator, community development leader, and a powerhouse when it comes to vitalizing and strengthening communities. Dan and Ed define what they see as a major weakness in America today as communities are too often disjointed and not effective in preserving the ...
Know the Difference: Teaching vs Learning
July 11, 2016 19:29 - 49 minutes - 68.1 MBIn this episode Dan and Ed examine the dynamics behind teaching and learning. They rely on first-hand experiences to explain how the structure of our schools often places the teacher in a Sage-On-The-Stage role rather than as an education facilitator and mentor. They share examples of programs that work and issues faced by teachers working in the system. Both share observations of how learning accelerates when children start taking responsibility for their own learning. An important part ...
Hands-on Education - Interview With Judy Querry
June 25, 2016 10:16 - 1 hour - 125 MBIn this episode Ed and Dan feature Judy Querry, a recently retired elementary school teacher from Colorado. Judy shares how experiential, hands-on education experiences gave her insights into learning that helped her reach children and become super-effective. 40 years ago, Judy worked with Ed and Jo Berger in a program that accelerated learning through motivation and involvement. At Crow Canyon, in the Mesa Verde region of Southwest Colorado, Judy participated in community service programs a...
Successful Models for Experiential Education
June 14, 2016 16:45 - 1 hour - 86.9 MBDan and Ed share their personal experiences as educators searching for ways to improve our public schools. They share examples, such as creating a variety of experiential programs both within the public school system and outside of it, like the immersive programs Ed developed which later became Crow Canyon. They touch on many of the key insights common among teachers and educators about what needs to be done to improve our schools and how we can remove antiquated structures that limit teachi...
Education and the Resegregation of America
June 06, 2016 16:51 - 15 minutes - 14.4 MBIn this episode, Dan and Ed discuss the re-segregation of America’s schools through the use of the school choice movement. Charter schools and vouchers-type programs are being used to separate white middle class students who achieve from students of color and, what is perceived to be lower achievement. Dan and Ed discuss the “cherry picking” (siphoning off students who achieve and make the school look good) and leaving public schools to deal with students who need special help. By starving t...
Tearing the Fabric of Public Schools
May 24, 2016 15:23 - 25 minutes - 23.2 MBIn this episode Dan and Ed explore the origins of public education and the original intent of those who worked to create "One Nation" out of myriads of different cultures. They explore the concept of “Americanization” which, through the 1940s, was a large part of what schools focused on. By the mid-1990s forces began to rise out of other philosophies that worked to divide American by ripping apart communities and their most important heart, the public schools. The so-called “reformer’s” wri...
The Teacher's Dilemma
May 10, 2016 16:03 - 21 minutes - 20 MBOur education programs are damaged by external forces that have by-passed professional teachers, and the needs of children, to force standardization and forms of inculcation on education. Luckily, most teachers are doing what is right for kids. Most teachers are protecting children from the guaranteed failure and humiliation which is part of the education reform movement. This episode gives parents and teachers another look at the reasons for the Opt Out movement.
Standards and Standardization
April 26, 2016 19:48 - 18 minutes - 16.6 MBIn episode three, Dan and Ed explain their objections to the cookie-cutter (standardization) approaches corporations and many high profile non-educators have forced on education. These groups intentionally bypass the proven advances of the past which revolved around educators spending time with students, learning how they learn, and working to understand the progression which best drives student engagement and retention. They are damaging children and replacing the concept of education w...
Transforming the System
April 19, 2016 17:27 - 11 minutes - 10.2 MBIn this episode, Dan and Ed identify forces hurting children. Forces at work in America that are not based on what is best for the child. These forces are driven by ideologues who have little or no experience as educators. Many are looking at ways to personally profit from the money taxpayers pay for education. The movements they have started are called Education Reform, or Corporate reform. Most boil down to little more than complex efforts to kill or forever alter public schools. In this e...
Tackling Parent and Teacher Concerns About American Education
April 17, 2016 20:14 - 7 minutes - 6.5 MBIn this introductory episode, Dan and Ed informally discuss the concerns of parents and teachers about the state of American education. They focus on what they have collectively learned from almost 100 years of experiences as teachers, researchers and administrators. They believe education must be focused on each individual child and back this up through a wealth of knowledge about experiential education. They further bolster these observations and lessons with knowledge drawn from both sid...