Dr. Phil Hickman joins host Mike Palmer for a wide-ranging conversation on education, technology and the future of work. Dr. Phil explains how his diverse background led him to found Plabook, an edtech company using AI to teach reading and literacy. He provides a vision for preparing youth with skills like critical thinking, creativity, and the adaptive ability to continually learn in a fast-changing world.
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Jean Eddy, President and CEO of American Student Assistance (ASA) joins host Mike Palmer in a conversation about empowering students through career exploration beginning in middle school. Jean highlights the ideas touched on in her new book, Crisis-Proofing Today’s Learners: Reimagining Career Education to Prepare Kids for Tomorrow’s World.
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Professor Natalia Kucirkova joins Mike Palmer to talk about her fascinating research exploring how engaging children’s senses can impact learning. Originally from Slovakia, Natalia found inspiration from her grandfather, who nurtured her love of reading and storytelling. This passion led Natalia to Norway, where she now researches children, technology, and literacy.
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The rapid emergence of AI tools like ChatGPT is sending shockwaves through education. Host Mike Palmer talks with Alex Kotran, Founder and CEO of nonprofit The AI Education Project, about this technology tidal wave and what it means for education.
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Dr. Mark Windschitl, Professor of Science Education at the University of Washington, joins host Mike Palmer to discuss his new book Teaching Climate Change: Fostering Understanding, Resilience, and a Commitment to Justice. Drawing from his experience as a teacher and researcher, Dr. Windschitl advocates for more support to equip K-12 teachers to teach this interdisciplinary topic. You can learn more at Mark’s companion site The Climate Change Educator.
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Kareem Farah is the CEO and Co-Founder of The Modern Classrooms Project. He joins host Mike Palmer in a conversation about innovative approaches to teaching and learning.
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Jim Hollis founded Calculus Roundtable to make higher level math classes like calculus more accessible, especially for minority students who face barriers. His hands-on, experiential approach aims to change the perception that math is intimidating or only for some people.
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Mike Palmer and Robin Naughton explore coding and robotics for kids with Michelle Acaley, Senior Director of Product at Sphero. They discuss how Sphero’s coding toys teach critical thinking, collaboration, and grit through play. Michelle shares how products like Sphero’s Indi allow kids 4-8 years old to learn coding concepts by directing a robot car activated by colored tiles. She explains how Sphero’s modular robotics kit for high schoolers aims to make engineering feel approachable and easy to use.
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Inspired by architect Buckminster Fuller and the Kindergarten movement, Mike Acerra designed Lux Blox to reimagine the building blocks of learning. Co-founder and President of Lux Blox, Acerra brings an interdisciplinary background spanning art, architecture, physics, and education. His unique system aims to develop children’s spatial skills, creativity, and confidence through intuitive play with forms based on nature.
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Mike shares his thoughts coming out of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Education Summit that was recently held in Washington, DC. We hear what it’s like to bring a 4-year-old to an education conference and learn more about the Palm Court Podcast whose launch is coinciding with the release of this episode!
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Alan Safran is the CEO and Chair of Saga Education and AJ Gutierrez is its Chief Policy and Public Affairs Officer. They join Mike Palmer in a conversation about the work they are doing at Saga to bring evidence-based high-impact tutoring interventions to students who need them.
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