Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators

Jeff Utecht & Tricia Friedman

Shifting Schools is a thought-provoking podcast that explores the latest trends, strategies, and tools in K-12 education. Hosted by educators Jeff Utecht and Tricia Friedman, the podcast provides a platform for teachers, administrators, and education thought leaders to share their experiences and insights on how to improve teaching and learning. From innovative approaches in classroom management to leveraging technology for personalized learning, Shifting Schools tackles the most pressing issues facing K12 educators today. Whether you are a seasoned teacher or a new educator, this podcast will inspire you to think outside the box and shift your educational approach. Tune in to Shifting Schools to gain new perspectives, share ideas, and join a community of passionate educators who are committed to making a positive impact in the lives of their students.

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S9 · E372
Monday · 28 min
Never Underestimate a Young Reader
What do young people understand that adults mistakenly believe they have hidden from them? Award-winning author Tiffany D. Jackson returns to the podcast to discuss Ghost in the Night, her haunting middle-grade novel set against the ghost tours, buried histories, and complicated beauty of Savannah, Georgia. Tiffany invites educators to take young readers—and their capacity to confront difficult subjects—seriously. We explore why children sometimes attach themselves intensely to a particular interest while processing grief, and what educators might discover if they look beyond the fascination and ask what need it may be meeting. We also discuss the importance of grief literacy, the trust created when adults acknowledge what children already know, and the difference between protecting young people and underestimating them. The conversation moves beyond the ghosts of Savannah to examine whose histories become tourist attractions, whose stories remain untold, and how literature can inspire students to investigate the overlooked histories of their own communities. Tiffany also shares why young characters need opportunities to form friendships without constant adult choreography, how she calibrates horror for middle-grade readers, and the deceptively simple practice she recommends to every aspiring writer: read closely enough to notice how a story works. This episode explores: Why educators need to take children's inner lives seriously How intense interests can sometimes help young people process grief The role of grief literacy in schools and classrooms How honest conversations can build trust between adults and children Why young people need agency in friendship and problem-solving Whose histories are preserved, promoted, ignored, or buried How place can function as a character in a novel What horror offers middle-grade readers How students can learn the craft of writing by reading like writers At its heart, this conversation asks educators to consider what becomes possible when we stop assuming young people cannot handle the truth—and begin giving them stories that honour their intelligence, curiosity, and humanity.
S9 · E371
Friday · 57 min
The Humanoid Robot, the Headlines, and What Really Happened
When Salamanca City Central School District announced plans to bring a humanoid robot into its robotics program, the story quickly became something else entirely: "A school is replacing teachers with robots." That was never the plan. In this episode, Jeff Utecht speaks with Superintendent Mark Beehler about what the district was actually trying to build—and what happened when an AI-generated image, alarming headlines, and social media outrage overtook the facts. Mark explains how students helped shape the project, why the district saw the robot as an opportunity to explore emerging technology, and how a locally controlled AI platform could give students in an underserved rural community greater access to personalized academic support. The conversation also examines a harder question: What does it cost a school leader to pursue responsible innovation when public fear moves faster than the truth? You'll hear about: Why Salamanca invested in a humanoid robot for its advanced robotics students How students influenced its appearance, identity, purpose, and safeguards The difference between the physical robot and the district's customized AI learning platform How the technology was designed to scaffold learning—not provide answers or replace teachers What happened when an AI-generated image distorted the story Why even some edtech leaders helped spread the misinformation How students who initially wanted AI banned became some of the project's most thoughtful contributors The leadership lessons Mark learned about communication, control, and public trust How the backlash gave him a new understanding of what young people experience when social media turns against them This is not simply an episode about a robot. It is a candid conversation about educational risk-taking, media literacy, rural equity, and what it means to prepare students for a future that many adults are still struggling to imagine.
S9 · E370
August 24 · 49 min
Game Design Could Transform Assessment in the AI Era
What if students didn't simply complete an assessment—but designed an experience for someone else? In this episode of Shifting Schools, Tricia Friedman pitches Jeff Utecht a new approach to assessment for the AI era: invite students to become game designers. Games are memorable, social, challenging, and full of consequential choices. Designing one asks students to think about systems, understand an audience, establish meaningful constraints, gather feedback, solve problems, and defend the decisions they make. Those may be precisely the capabilities that matter most when AI can help produce a polished final product. Tricia introduces the GAMES learning-design framework: • Goal: What should players understand, practise, or accomplish? • Audience: Who is the game being designed for? • Mechanics: What rules, choices, and constraints make it work? • Engagement: When do players experience agency, challenge, or frustration? • Show It: How did testing and revision improve the game? Check it out: https://shifting-schools-games.netlify.app/ Jeff and Tricia also explore how teachers and students can intentionally decide where AI belongs in the design process—and where the thinking should remain entirely human. Along the way, they discuss centaur chess, systems thinking, authentic audiences, collaborative games, playtesting, vibe coding, and why assessment should increasingly examine a learner's judgment and reasoning rather than only the finished product. You'll also hear about Bark Park, Tricia's AI-assisted dog-park simulator, where limited budgets, overflowing bins, rainy weather, unhappy visitors, and a neighbouring pickleball court turn one small public space into a surprisingly complex systems challenge. In this episode: • Why games often remain in our memories longer than individual lessons • How game design develops systems thinking and executive function • Why creating for a real audience builds empathy • How playtesting makes feedback, failure, and revision feel natural • What human-only and AI-supported stages might look like • Why students need to explain and defend their design choices • How AI can expand what students are capable of creating • Why play may bring greater joy and meaning to assessment Explore the GAMES framework, student design kit, research, standards connections, printable resources, and Bark Park through the links accompanying this episode. We would love your feedback. Could this approach work in your classroom, course, or curriculum? Better yet, send us the unit you believe could never become a game. We would love to test the framework at its edges. Thank you to our show sponsor: Unfurl Learn more with Unfurl: https://unfurl.sh/ Connect with us: Tricia Friedman: tricia@shiftingschools.com General inquiries: info@shiftingschools.com
S9 · E369
August 19 · 44 min
What will be your anchor for wellness this school year?
The beginning of a school year often arrives with a familiar message: do more, organize more, and somehow become a brand-new person before the first bell rings. This episode offers a different invitation. Instead of attempting a total wellness overhaul, we explore four small anchors that can help educators, students, colleagues, and families start the year feeling a little more grounded: sleep, movement, attention, and connection. We talk about the habits that quietly shape how we show up—including where our phones sleep, how we build movement into an ordinary day, what helps us recover our attention, and the small acts of connection that make a school community feel human. Along the way, we share some of the tools we've been trying to support better rest, breathing, mobility, focus, and time together. The goal isn't to add another obligation to your list. It's to notice what genuinely helps—and choose one small place to begin. In this episode, we explore: Why educator wellness shouldn't become another performance metric The relationship between our own habits and what we ask of students Simple ways to make sleep feel more restorative "Movement snacks" that don't require a gym or workout plan Screen-free tools for breathing, focus, and nervous-system regulation Small, playful ways to strengthen connection with students, colleagues, and family A four-week challenge that adds one manageable anchor at a time You don't need to reinvent your life before school begins. Pick one category, make one small choice on purpose, and start there. Explore the complete Start the Year Well guide, product recommendations, listener discounts, reflection prompts, and printable four-week tracker: https://www.shiftingschools.com/start-the-year-well A big thanks to the following brands for offering us a chance to test out their products, and offering listeners a discount: SLEEP Loftie Clock — code SHIFTINGSCHOOLS for 20% off https://byloftie.com/discount/SHIFTINGSCHOOLS Slip Silk Sleep Mask https://slipsilkpillowcase.ca/collections/sleep-masks TUO Fara Circadian Bulb https://www.thetuolife.com MOBILITY Backpod https://buybackpod.com Naboso — Standing Mat + Neuro Ball — code SCHOOL for 20% off https://www.naboso.com Gokhale Stretchsit Cushion https://shop.gokhalemethod.com/bbhqox ATTENTION Komuso — The Shift — code SCHOOL15 for 15% off https://www.komusodesign.com Pso-Rite — code SHIFTINGSCHOOLS for 30% off https://pso-rite.com/shiftingschools Moonbird & Moonbuddy — 20% off applied automatically at checkout (or code SHIFTING10 for 10% off) https://moonbird.life/discount/?ref=wusymhxf&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=goaffpro CONNECTION Global Grub — code ShiftingSchools for 40% off (first 10 orders, through Sept 7) https://globalgrub.com eat2explore — code EE10 for 10% off https://eat2explore.com A note on transparency: Brands featured in this episode provided samples, and some of the links may be affiliate links or include listener discounts. We only share tools we genuinely use and would recommend to a friend.
S9 · E368
August 17 · 27 min
Lisa Gardner on Creativity and Curiosity
What can ELA teachers learn from a bestselling suspense novelist who begins writing without knowing who the villain is? In this episode of Shifting Schools, Tricia Friedman speaks with Lisa Gardner about the habits, questions, and research behind her novels. Their conversation offers ELA teachers a fresh way to think about character development, suspense, inquiry, and the creative conditions young writers need. Lisa explains that she does not begin with characters divided neatly into heroes and villains. She gives each person layers, contradictions, motivations, and a moral code. As the story develops, she allows the characters to reveal who they are. That process offers a useful alternative to writing instruction that asks students to plan every part of a story before they have had a chance to discover it. Lisa also shares how she researches fictional crimes by speaking with police officers, medical examiners, and other specialists. She does not ask only what would happen. She asks what highly capable people would notice, what they would try, and why their best efforts might still fail. For ELA classrooms, her process models research as part of imaginative writing rather than something reserved for essays and reports. The conversation also considers the role of walking, daydreaming, reading, games, puzzles, and unstructured time in creative thought. Lisa describes writing as an individual craft supported by a community of other writers, researchers, readers, and even her three dogs. In this episode, ELA teachers will hear ideas for helping students: Create characters with competing motives and believable moral codes Move beyond simple hero-and-villain categories Use research to make fictional worlds more convincing Treat unanswered questions as fuel for writing Experiment with discovery writing before committing to an outline Build suspense by asking why an obvious solution would not work Use walking, conversation, and time away from screens to generate ideas Give and seek feedback while preserving an individual creative voice See reading, games, and puzzles as part of a larger writing practice Lisa also introduces her latest novel, You'll Be Sorry, a suspense story involving a family that vanished 30 years ago, a small town filled with secrets, a mysterious couple who purchases the abandoned crime scene, and a dog who may know more than anyone else. This episode invites ELA teachers to consider a different starting point for writing instruction: What might students create if they were not required to know exactly where their stories were going before they began? Learn more about Lisa https://www.lisagardner.com/ Thank you to our show sponsor: Unfurl Learn more with Unfurl: https://unfurl.sh/ Are you subscribed to AI Forward? One lucky listener can win a pro account, be sure to subscribe to AI Forward to learn more: https://k12aileadershipbrief.substack.com/
S9 · E367
August 10 · 26 min
How to Raise a Reader from Birth with Sandra Magsamen
What can a board book offer a baby who cannot yet speak or even hold it independently? Award-winning author, illustrator, and art therapist Sandra Magsamen joins Tricia to discuss Hello, Baby, her new board book created for children from birth to age three. With bright illustrations, melodic language, playful terms of endearment, and a mirror that places the baby inside the story, the book is designed to support far more than early literacy. Sandra explains how reading with a baby can build connection, vocabulary, attention, curiosity, and a growing sense of belonging. She also shares practical advice for parents, grandparents, and caregivers who may feel unsure about reading aloud: hold the baby close, play with the words, welcome the giggles, and do not worry about delivering a perfect performance. The conversation also considers what happens when adults treat books as objects children may freely touch, explore, drop, and even chew. Sandra and Tricia discuss why a home filled with accessible books and a healthy tolerance for "uh-oh" moments can help children associate reading with pleasure, discovery, and agency. Sandra closes by reflecting on her own growth as an artist. After more than 25 years of creating for children and families, she explains why successful artists still need to experiment, how becoming a grandmother is opening new creative directions, and why our work should be allowed to change as we do. In this conversation: What babies notice in illustrations How reading aloud supports bonding and early development Simple ways to make board books playful and interactive Why babies benefit from seeing themselves in a book The connection between reading, safety, and belonging Why children should be allowed to handle and explore books What mistakes and mess can contribute to creativity How Sandra continues to grow after a long creative career Hello, Baby is written and illustrated by Sandra Magsamen and published by Cartwheel Books, an imprint of Scholastic. It is intended for babies from birth to age three and includes an embedded mirror on its final spread. Learn more from Scholastic. Thank you to our show sponsor: Unfurl Learn more with Unfurl: https://unfurl.sh/ Are you subscribed to AI Forward? One lucky listener can win a pro account, be sure to subscribe to AI Forward to learn more: https://k12aileadershipbrief.substack.com/
S9 · E365
August 3 · 39 min
Who Gets to Lead? Expanding Student Voice with Rachel Thrash
When schools picture a student leader, they often imagine the confident speaker, the high achiever, or the student who already understands how to succeed within existing systems. But what about the students who are rarely invited to lead? In this episode, Tricia speaks with educator and author Rachel Thrash about expanding student leadership beyond the familiar few. Her book, Let the Learners Lead: Empowering Student Voice to Co-Create School Culture, presents leadership as something every young person can practice, not a privilege reserved for students who already fit a traditional leadership profile. Rachel explains how educators can move from simply asking for student input to genuinely co-creating with learners. She discusses why adults need the courage to admit they do not have every answer, what students gain when educators resist solving every problem for them, and how shared responsibility can strengthen student agency, belonging, and school culture. The conversation also offers practical tools schools can use to make student voice more authentic and inclusive. In this episode: Why traditional student leadership models leave many learners out The difference between student voice, student agency, and student leadership How co-creation changes the relationship between educators and students Why adults should resist rushing in to solve every student problem How uncertainty can become part of authentic leadership Practical ways to create more inclusive leadership opportunities How shared responsibility supports belonging and school culture What it means to treat leadership as a practice rather than a title This conversation is for teachers, school leaders, instructional coaches, and anyone seeking practical ways to increase student voice, agency, belonging, and participation in school decision-making. Featured guest: Rachel Thrash, educator and author of Let the Learners Lead: Empowering Student Voice to Co-Create School Culture https://www.routledge.com/Let-the-Learners-Lead-Empowering-Student-Voice-to-Co-Create-School-Culture/Thrash/p/book/9781041155713 Thank you to our show sponsor: Unfurl Learn more with Unfurl: https://unfurl.sh/ Are you subscribed to AI Forward? One lucky listener can win a pro account, be sure to subscribe to AI Forward to learn more: https://k12aileadershipbrief.substack.com/
S9 · E364
July 27 · 23 min
How do we teach students to sit with evidence longer?
What happens when historical research uncovers a truth you are not sure you want to know? In this episode of Shifting Schools, Tricia speaks with author Christine Kuehn and her husband and research partner, Mark Schiponi, about Family of Spies: A World War II Story of Nazi Espionage, Betrayal, and the Secret History Behind Pearl Harbor. Christine's investigation began with a startling discovery: members of her family had been deeply involved with the Nazi Party, and her grandfather had been convicted for his role connected to the attack on Pearl Harbor. What followed was a 30-year search through family testimony, declassified FBI files, National Archives records, historical accounts, photographs, and long-buried memories. Christine and Mark describe the emotional strain of researching a painful family history and the many times the project was packed away because the discoveries became too difficult to face. They also explain how they compared official records with family stories, handled contradictions, organized years of handwritten notes, and decided what evidence could be trusted. The conversation also examines the craft of making history readable. Christine and Mark wanted the book to reach people who might never choose a conventional work of World War II history. They discuss weaving the past together with Christine's present-day investigation, writing nonfiction with the momentum of a novel, and removing compelling material when it no longer served the larger story. For educators, the episode offers a useful exploration of historical inquiry, source evaluation, inherited narratives, memory, and the role storytelling plays in keeping difficult history visible. It raises questions that belong in history, humanities, media-literacy, and ELA classrooms: How do we respond when evidence challenges the stories we have inherited? What responsibilities come with uncovering painful history? How can writers make complex historical research accessible without weakening its accuracy? What can students learn by comparing personal testimony, archival documents, photographs, government records, and published histories? Christine also reflects on secrecy, shame, and the realization that people are not responsible for their ancestors' actions. They can, however, decide how honestly they will confront that history and what choices they will make in their own lives. In this episode: • The emotional cost of investigating a family's Nazi past • Using declassified FBI files and National Archives records • Comparing family memories with documentary evidence • Turning 30 years of research into a coherent narrative • Writing history for readers who do not consider themselves historians • Confronting inherited shame and family secrecy • Deciding what to remove when it no longer serves the story • Teaching difficult history through human stories • Responding to historical denial and misinformation Timestamps: 00:00 The emotional and practical challenges of the research 03:49 Organizing decades of evidence and handwritten notes 07:20 Why confronting painful truths can matter 11:36 Sharing a private family history with the public 15:15 Historical storytelling and what comes next 18:55 Creating the book's past-and-present structure 21:48 Knowing when a powerful passage must be removed About the book: Family of Spies by Christine Kuehn combines memoir, archival investigation, World War II history, Nazi espionage, and the secret history surrounding Pearl Harbor. The book follows Christine's effort to understand her family's involvement and the effects that secrecy had on later generations. Content note: This conversation discusses Nazism, antisemitism, the Holocaust, Pearl Harbor, family trauma, and inherited shame. Resources mentioned: Family of Spies by Christine Kuehn Christine Kuehn's Politics and Prose conversation The United States National Archives Declassified FBI records and Freedom of Information Act research Subscribe to Shifting Schools for conversations about education, historical and media literacy, emerging technology, storytelling, and the questions shaping how young people understand the world.
S9 · E363
July 22 · 13 min
How Nolan's Odyssey and Cover Songs Help Us Talk About AI
Christopher Nolan's Odyssey just earned nearly $300 million retelling a 3,000-year-old story — so what actually separates imitation from transformative interpretation? In this episode, Tricia makes the case that cover songs are the perfect entry point into the AI and creativity conversation for educators. You'll trace how Aretha Franklin re-authored Otis Redding's "Respect," why translator Emily Wilson's critique of Nolan's film proves that interpretive choices matter, and how three human skills — reflect, re-envision, rework — map directly onto UNESCO's vision of students as AI co-creators rather than passive users. Tricia also shares a new free resource, "What Exactly Is Human Nature?," an interactive timeline that lets you listen backwards through the many renditions of one iconic song. If you've been looking for an invitational, art-first metaphor to bring colleagues into the AI conversation, this one's for you. 00:00 – Nolan's Odyssey: 2 a.m. sold-out screenings for a 3,000-year-old story 02:22 – Can a cover ever beat the original? Aretha Franklin re-authors "Respect" 04:23 – Emily Wilson's critique + three skills: reflect, re-envision, rework 06:27 – The skills in practice, and UNESCO's students-as-co-creators framework 08:47 – New resource: "What Exactly Is Human Nature?" interactive timeline 10:43 – Your debate homework, and an invitation to email the show: info@shiftingschools.com Check out the resource: https://triciafriedman.com/what-exactly-is-human-nature/ Learn more about our incredible show producer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sagheer-m/
S9 · E362
July 20 · 19 min
Ted Lasso's Cristo Fernández: Fútbol Is Life, and It's Never Too Late to Dream
You know him as Dani Rojas on Ted Lasso. He's also a professional footballer with El Paso Locomotive FC, a filmmaker, and now the author of a bilingual picture book, Fútbol Is Life! / ¡Fútbol es vida!, illustrated by James Rey Sanchez. But before all of that? He was a life insurance salesman who sold nothing for a year. This conversation is about what happens between the dream and the arriving. About injuries that turn out to be redirections. About why "be curious, not judgmental" might be the most useful thing we can teach — and keep learning ourselves. In this episode: (00:01) The gotcha question: is Cristo actually a superhero? (01:27) The family example: why "the more you give, the more you receive" (03:32) What team sports teach us about not being the star (04:19) Injuries, rejection, and becoming a hustler: "I love when someone tells me no" (09:22) The market scene: remembering to pause and notice (10:31) What Dani Rojas reminds Cristo about joy (12:55) Embracing where you come from as a superpower (14:09) Collaboration, and never thinking you know everything (16:30) Why a children's book is the perfect format for dreaming big Quotes worth stealing: "I love when someone tells me no. It might not be no here, but it might be yes somewhere else." "Aim for the moon. If you don't hit the moon, you hit a star. And if you don't hit a star, you hit some space dust — and that's fine too." "There's not one single way of being Mexican or being American or being Latino. We all bring something great to the table." Links: The book (Barnes & Noble): https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/futbol-is-life-futbol-es-vida-cristo-fernandez/1148772346 More episodes: https://pod.shiftingschools.com
S9 · E361
July 18 · 32 min
When Students Go After Real Problems
When Alex Campbell set out to teach sociology through true crime, he wasn't trying to catch a murderer. He was trying to make the stakes real. Nine years later, his high school students in Appalachia have restored names to victims of the "redheaded murders," helped families, and become the subject of a limited series with a perfect critic score. But as Alex tells it, the thing that mattered most was never on the syllabus: how much his students came to care. In this conversation, Alex and Tricia dig into what it actually takes to hand young people a real problem — and why that's the whole point. In this episode: Why sociology and murder aren't apples and oranges — and how high stakes bring out the best in students The surprise Alex didn't plan for: students connecting with victims who died decades before they were born Schools as "the institution best at separating people" — and how project-based learning breaks down the walls His three-part test for a real project: passion-driven, community-focused, interdisciplinary Practical, permission-giving advice for teachers who find this exciting and scary — start small, start with a partner, use the resources that already exist "You don't work for me": how buy-in reframes classroom management and reaches the students who've stopped believing in school's promises Civics you can feel — freedom-of-information requests, and why John Benet Ramsey has a thousand websites and Lori Pennell had almost none The creative gamble behind the series: victim-forward, not offender-forward, and a true-crime story that doesn't end tied up in a bow Portraying Appalachia and teenagers with authenticity instead of stereotype Using the series for professional development — what to watch for, and why it might matter more than you'd expect Building a house, powerlifting, and teaching yourself: Alex on learning as a lifelong series of real problems to solve Watch: Murder 101 is streaming now.
S9 · E360
July 15 · 14 min
Do you want to better understand your team?
Every team has communication habits, but how many of those habits have ever been discussed out loud? In this episode, Tricia introduces The Shared Kitchen, a free reflection and facilitation tool designed to help teams understand how each person prefers to communicate, receive feedback, make decisions, ask questions, and work through a project. Using stories about getting fired from a bartending job and accidentally adding unwanted sriracha to breakfast, she shows how easily we can mistake our own habits for shared expectations. The tool begins with individual reflection before helping a team create its own shared "recipe" for collaboration. Participants consider questions such as how much context they prefer, when they like others to check in, what helps feedback land well, and what makes them feel trusted. Tricia also shares how she built the interactive page using Claude Code and OpenAI Codex, including an experiment in asking the two coding tools to compete against one another. The result is both a practical resource for teams and a look at how generative coding tools can support educators and leaders who want to turn an idea into something others can use. Access the page here: https://triciafriedman.com/the-shared-kitchen/
S9 · E360
July 13 · 21 min
The perfect middle grade book for readers during The World Cup
Award-winning author Christina Diaz Gonzalez joins Tricia to discuss Offside, her new bilingual middle-grade graphic novel about soccer, friendship, ambition, identity, and finding the courage to use your voice. Although soccer brings the characters together, Offside is also a story about young people learning to form their own opinions rather than simply inheriting the assumptions of the adults around them. Christina explains why she wanted her characters to have real agency, including the ability to challenge gender stereotypes, rethink competition, navigate conflict, and sometimes help their parents see the world differently. The conversation also examines how much may be happening beneath a young person's behaviour. A student who appears selfish, overly ambitious, withdrawn, or uncertain may be responding to pressures at home, shifting friendships, injury, loneliness, or the fear of no longer knowing who they are. Christina shares the thinking behind writing a graphic novel in which English and Spanish appear together as part of the characters' lives rather than as separate translations. She also discusses Palmer, a young athlete who must reconsider his identity after an injury keeps him from playing. Through writing and journalism, he discovers another way to participate in the game and another way to create change. Tricia and Christina also talk about the literary complexity of graphic novels, Christina's highly improvisational writing process, her earlier career in law, and the habit that continues to fuel her creativity: asking "What if?" about the people, stories, and possibilities she encounters. In this episode: • Why young people should be trusted to navigate conflict and form their own views • How Offside challenges gender stereotypes and inherited assumptions • The complexity behind students' choices and behaviour • Why bilingual graphic novels can support belonging and language learning • What happens when an athlete can no longer define himself through sport • Writing and journalism as tools for participation and change • Why graphic novels deserve recognition as complex literary works • Christina's "pantser" approach to writing without a traditional outline • How curiosity and "what if" questions generate new stories This conversation will interest educators, librarians, families, coaches, and anyone looking for books that help young people think about identity, friendship, fairness, and the many different ways they can contribute.
July 7 · 13 min
AI Literacy Is Problem-Solving Literacy
Tricia Friedman shares a real-life story about a flooded basement, an insurance claim, and what it revealed about AI literacy. After a major storm in Ottawa caused basement flooding, Tricia found herself facing the kind of problem many people recognize: too many damaged items, too many documents, too many decisions, and a process that can quickly become overwhelming. But this time, compared with a similar flood two years earlier, the experience felt different. Using AI tools, Tricia organized photos of damaged belongings, created an insurance-ready inventory, reviewed policy details, searched for replacement costs, identified relevant local supports, and built a project plan for the weeks ahead. She also used AI to think through communication with the insurance company, plan around disruption at home, and even create a small family recipe resource in the middle of the chaos. The point is not that AI made the flood easy. It did not. The point is that AI changed Tricia's capacity to respond. For educators, that distinction matters. Too often, school conversations about AI focus on shortcuts, cheating, prompt-writing, or which tool to use. This episode asks us to widen the frame. AI literacy is also about helping students become stronger problem solvers. That means knowing how to break down a complex situation, gather evidence, ask better questions, compare options, verify claims, communicate clearly, and decide what to do next. This kind of AI literacy belongs across the curriculum. A flood insurance claim can become a math problem, a media literacy problem, a civics problem, a consumer rights problem, a writing problem, a design problem, and a wellbeing problem. That is the real invitation here: bring AI bigger problems, not just cleaner prompts. In this episode: Tricia explains how AI helped her organize a flood-related insurance claim. She reflects on the difference between using AI for a task and using AI to manage a complex problem. The episode explores why AI literacy should include verification, judgment, documentation, and communication. Tricia makes the case that schools need to help students practice using AI in realistic, interdisciplinary situations. She also raises an equity question: if AI can help people navigate systems like insurance, consumer rights, city services, and legal language, then every student deserves to understand how to use it responsibly. For educators, this episode asks: What kinds of real problems are we inviting students to bring to AI? Are students learning how to check AI outputs against evidence, policy, data, and lived context? How might AI help students see connections across math, language, civics, research, and design? What does it mean to teach AI literacy as a form of agency, not just technical skill? Big idea: AI literacy is not mainly about knowing how to use a chatbot. It is about knowing how to think with a tool when the problem is complicated, consequential, and real.
S9 · E359
July 6 · 17 min
Jerry Spinelli: What Young Writers Need to Know About Stories
Newbery Medal-winning author Jerry Spinelli joins the podcast for a conversation about writing, perseverance, childhood, and the stories that stay with young readers. Known to many elementary and middle school teachers through books such as Maniac Magee, Stargirl, Wringer, and his latest book, Fifth Grade Top Dogs, Spinelli reflects on the long road to becoming a published author. Before his first book found a home, he wrote four novels that were rejected and spent nearly twenty-five years working toward publication. His story offers a useful reminder for K–12 classrooms: writing is not only about talent. It is also about patience, attention, revision, and staying with the work when it gets difficult. In this episode, Spinelli talks about why stories matter, why a writer's first job is to pay attention, and why childhood remains so recognizable across generations. Haircuts, clothes, slang, and games may change, but children's feelings about friendship, fear, belonging, rivalry, and being understood remain deeply familiar. For educators, this conversation connects directly to writing instruction, read-aloud culture, social-emotional learning, and the classroom power of books. Spinelli shares how he begins with noticing, moves into pages of notes, and then faces what he calls the difficult middle of a story. That process gives teachers a practical way to talk with students about creative stamina and the normal struggle of shaping an idea into finished writing. The conversation also includes a moving story about a teacher whose students chose to keep listening to one of Spinelli's books instead of going outside for recess. For anyone who has seen a read-aloud transform the energy of a classroom, that moment will feel familiar. Listen for: Jerry Spinelli's twenty-five-year path to publication. Why perseverance matters for young writers. How noticing becomes the foundation of storytelling. What teachers can say to students about the hard middle of a writing project. Why books help students understand themselves and one another. How classroom read-alouds can create lasting reading memories. Featured book: Fifth Grade Top Dogs by Jerry Spinelli. Optional chapter markers: 00:00 — Jerry Spinelli on rejection, resilience, and becoming a writer 02:37 — Why stories matter 04:15 — Fifth Grade Top Dogs, siblings, and understanding childhood 08:07 — Paying attention as the first job of a writer 13:00 — The Newbery Medal, reader letters, and the classroom power of read-alouds
S9 · E358
July 5 · 18 min
Colin Woodard on Civic Identity, Trust, and the American Story
In this Fourth of July weekend episode, Tricia Friedman speaks with Colin Woodard, director of Nationhood Lab at Salve Regina University's Pell Center, about national identity, civic trust, polarization, and the stories that shape how people understand belonging. Woodard's work asks a question that belongs in every civics and history classroom: What story holds a nation together? Drawing from his background as a historian, journalist, and researcher, he explains why national identity is not abstract. It shapes how people understand who belongs, what freedom means, how communities make decisions, and what kind of future they believe is possible. The conversation explores two competing visions of the United States: one rooted in civic ideals and the promise of equal freedom, and another rooted in exclusion, hierarchy, and inherited identity. For K–12 educators, this framing offers a powerful way to help students examine founding ideals without simplifying the conflict, contradiction, and struggle embedded in the American story. Woodard also discusses polarization and why Americans may agree on more than they realize, even while political systems and media environments often push people into opposing camps. The episode closes with a look at social capital: the local relationships, associations, clubs, faith communities, civic groups, and shared spaces that help people know and trust one another. This episode is especially useful for history teachers, civics teachers, humanities educators, curriculum leaders, and school communities preparing for America 250. It invites educators to help students think about national stories not as slogans, but as living civic questions: Who belongs? What do we owe one another? What makes trust possible? What kind of community are we trying to build? Suggested classroom connections include civic identity, polarization, primary source inquiry, constitutional ideals, national myths, media literacy, local community research, social capital, civil discourse, and student reflection on belonging and responsibility.
S9 · E357
July 5 · 23 min
Teaching the Declaration Beyond the Fourth of July
In this Fourth of July weekend episode, Tricia Friedman speaks with historian and author Katie Kennedy about her new book, The Declaration Decoded, and the stories behind America's foundational documents. For history and civics educators, this conversation offers a timely reminder: founding documents are not static artifacts to memorize. They were written by real people, shaped by conflict, compromise, risk, contradiction, and imagination. Kennedy helps bring those documents back into the realm of human storytelling, where students can see both the courage and complexity behind the words that continue to shape civic life. This episode is especially relevant for K–12 educators looking for ways to make history feel alive without flattening it. Rather than treating the Declaration and other founding texts as finished products, Kennedy invites us to examine the conditions, debates, choices, and tensions that produced them. That approach can help students move beyond dates and quotations into deeper questions about power, voice, evidence, freedom, belonging, and responsibility. Listeners will come away with ideas for helping students read historical documents with curiosity, care, and critical attention. The conversation also offers a useful entry point for educators preparing lessons around Independence Day, civic identity, primary source analysis, or the upcoming America 250 conversations. This episode is a strong fit for history teachers, civics teachers, humanities educators, librarians, curriculum leaders, and anyone interested in helping young people understand how the past continues to shape the choices we make in the present. Suggested classroom connections include primary source inquiry, civic discussion, historical thinking, document analysis, media literacy, and student reflection on how national stories are created, preserved, questioned, and revised.
S9 · E356
June 29 · 28 min
What 600 Letters Can Teach Us About WWII
In this episode, Tricia speaks with Jan Cress Dondi about the years-long research journey behind her USA Today bestselling WWII book. What began with the discovery of hundreds of family letters became a much larger act of historical reconstruction, combining personal correspondence, military records, National Archives research, firsthand family memory, and deep attention to the emotional lives of the people who lived through war. Jan shares how she pieced together the stories of two young airmen connected to the Ploesti campaign, one of the most dangerous Allied efforts to disrupt Nazi Germany's fuel supply. She explains how her background in legal research helped her organize evidence, verify details, and shape a true story with the pace and emotional pull of a novel. Along the way, she reflects on why letters mattered so deeply to servicemen, how small clues can open major research paths, and why war becomes too abstract when we lose sight of individual human lives. This conversation is especially rich for educators, history lovers, family historians, and anyone interested in how primary sources can help us understand the past. As schools and communities prepare for the U.S. 250th, Jan's work offers a powerful reminder that history is not only found in textbooks. It can also live in letters, family stories, archives, unanswered questions, and the persistence to follow a clue wherever it leads. In this episode: Jan's discovery of 500–600 family letters and how they shaped the book Why the Ploesti campaign mattered during WWII How personal letters and official military records can work together
S9 · E355
June 22 · 17 min
AI in Schools Is Changing: What Leaders Need Now
In this episode of Shifting Schools, Jeff and Tricia reflect on the 2025–2026 school year and what they are seeing as schools move into a more mature phase of AI work. The conversation moves beyond tools and prompt tips into the deeper questions now facing educators and school leaders: AI companions, student wellbeing, shadow AI use, schoolwide expectations, sustained professional learning, and the need to rethink pedagogy for a world shaped by information overload. Jeff and Tricia discuss why AI support in schools can no longer be limited to one-off workshops. They share what they are hearing from school leaders, counselors, teachers, support staff, and districts that are beginning to ask for longer-term help. The episode also explores why honest, nonjudgmental conversations matter, especially when students and adults are already using AI in personal, social, and emotional ways. 00:00 — Opening reflection on the 2025–2026 school year Jeff welcomes listeners and invites Tricia to reflect on the year in AI and schools. 00:37 — AI companions become a serious school conversation Tricia shares why this was the year more school leaders became open to talking about AI companions. 02:39 — Companionship, loneliness, and parasocial relationships Tricia connects AI companion use to broader human patterns of connection, including parasocial relationship theory. 04:54 — Why school counselors need to be part of the AI conversation Jeff and Tricia discuss students turning to AI for advice and support, and how counselors can respond without dismissing students' experiences. 06:23 — Shadow AI use in schools Jeff explains why schools need to name the AI use already happening among staff, students, and support teams. 08:58 — Honesty, openness, and nonjudgmental conversations Tricia highlights what has not changed: the need for trust, honesty, and open dialogue. 09:18 — The "large breed puppy" problem Tricia explains why waiting to address AI is risky, using the analogy of training a large dog while it is still small. 10:00 — From one-off PD to sustained AI support Jeff describes a shift in what districts are asking for: longer-term cohorts, yearlong support, and multi-year planning. 11:49 — What can schools retire now? Tricia and Jeff discuss the chance to move away from outdated practices and ask more complex questions. 12:57 — From information scarcity to information overload Jeff argues that schools were built for a world where information was scarce, but students now need to be assessed on sense-making. 15:00 — New possibilities for learning Tricia points to opportunities for students to tell familiar stories in new ways and work with more complex problems. 15:28 — Summer episodes and favorite replays Jeff previews upcoming summer reflections and replays from the past year.
S9 · E353
June 19 · 19 min
The Father's Day Gift of Curiosity: Brian Boone on Trivia, Memory, and Connection
Looking for something thoughtful, funny, curious, and conversation-starting for Father's Day weekend? This episode may be just the thing. We are welcoming back Brian Boone, a writer, researcher, and storyteller whose work reminds us that trivia is not really about random facts. It is about memory, meaning, surprise, and the pleasure of sharing something unexpected with someone else. That makes this conversation especially fitting for Father's Day weekend. Trivia has a way of bringing people together across generations. It can turn into a car ride conversation, a dinner-table debate, a story you have heard before but somehow still want to hear again, or the kind of small shared fact that becomes part of a family's language. In this episode, Brian talks about the research behind his work, the fandom that has gathered around it, and why his latest book could make a particularly good Father's Day gift for the dad, granddad, uncle, mentor, or curious person in your life who loves facts, stories, pop culture, puzzles, or simply knowing things no one else in the room knows. This is a Father's Day weekend episode for anyone who has ever bonded over a weird fact, a favorite movie, a sports stat, a music memory, a book, a question, or the sentence: "Wait, did you know this?" In this episode, we discuss: Why trivia is not trivial How curiosity becomes connection Why odd facts often carry personal meaning The research and storytelling behind Brian Boone's work The fandom around his books and writing Why trivia makes such a good Father's Day weekend gift How shared knowledge can spark family stories, laughter, and conversation Featured Guest: Brian Boone, writer, researcher, and author Check out his book: https://bathroomreader.com/

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