Lesson: Impossible - An Exploration of Educational Innovation

Agent Christine Primomo (Science for Girls?)

Your lesson, should you choose to accept it, is to examine how science curriculum for female-identifying students can go beyond clichéd ideas in order to facilitate an informed exploration of their world. The Special Agent assigned to help you with this task is Christine Primomo from Lake Washington Girls’ Middle School in Seattle, Washington.

 Episode links:

• For more about the Lake Washington Girls’ Middle School: http://www.lwgms.org
• For more about Islandwood on Bainbridge: https://islandwood.org/school-overnight-program/
• For more about the IBM Hack a Hair Dryer Campaign: https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-35027902
• For the teaching guide for “Salmon vs. Dams:
The Dam Removal Debate on the Elwha River”: https://www.k12.wa.us/sites/default/files/public/indianed/tribalsovereignty/elementary/uselementary/uselementary-unit3/unit3materials/lesson7/americanfieldguide.pdf 
• For more on how women are othered in science research and elsewhere: Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez
• For more on Henrietta Lacks, including teaching resources: http://rebeccaskloot.com/the-immortal-life/ 
• For more on the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment: https://www.history.com/news/the-infamous-40-year-tuskegee-study 
• For more on teacher self-care: Onward: Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Educators by Elena Aguilar
• For more on Christine’s frequent collaborator, and former Lesson: Impossible guest, Lewis Mayday-Travis: https://www.lessonimpossible.com/#/episodesix/ 

BONUS EPISODE: Agent Rebeca Rubio (Censorship)

Your bonus lesson, should you choose to accept it, is to consider whether a problematic book still deserves space in a school library, and whether the same rules apply in the classroom. The special agent assigned to help you with this task is Rebeca Rubio, coordinator for libraries and information services in the Richmond School District.

Don’t forget to mark your calendars in 2020 for Canadian Freedom to Read Week (www.freedomtoread.ca) from February 23 – 29 or the American Banned Books Week (https://bannedbooksweek.org) September 27 - October 3.

Mentioned in the episode was the Educational Resource Acquisition Consortium (ERAC) that provides guidance to teachers as a new, incorporated not-for profit society called Focused Education Resources, and can be found at https://bcerac.ca

I personally recommend this article when considering beloved books that, as the author tactfully puts it, “haven’t aged well”: www.tor.com/2018/08/27/problematic-classics-four-questions-to-ask-when-beloved-books-havent-aged-well/ 

You can follow Rebeca on Twitter @rebecarubi0 and check out our longer conversation about the changing role of the school librarian; how to thoughtfully purchase and integrate technology; why libraries are, at their core, democratic spaces; why ‘weeding’ a collection is a good thing; how to integrate Indigenous content in authentic ways; and why the future of libraries are ‘learning commons’ at https://lessonimpossible.podbean.com/e/agent-rebeca-rubio-school-libraries/ or on your preferred podcasting platform.

Agent Rebeca Rubio (School Libraries)

Your lesson, should you choose to accept it, is to create busy, multi-modal, and democratic libraries where students see themselves represented and feel welcome. The special agent assigned to help you with this task is Rebeca Rubio, coordinator for libraries and information services in the Richmond School District.

In this interview we discuss: the changing role of the school librarian; how to thoughtfully purchase and integrate technology; why libraries are, at their core, democratic spaces; why ‘weeding’ a collection is a good thing; how to integrate Indigenous content in authentic ways; and why the future of libraries is the ‘learning commons’.

For more inspiring library ideas:

• Follow Rebeca on Twitter @rebecarubi0
• Check out an example of a book list, like the one Rebeca built her SOGI book bundle from: https://teach-educ.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2018/01/SOGI-Top-Books-List-2018.pdf 
• Watch this inspiring video about the exciting things Rebeca and SD38 are doing in their libraries: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sadWGKFs4k#action=share

For more information about the podcast, check out www.lessonimpossible.com  If you, or an educator that you know, would make a great Lesson: Impossible agent, please contact me at aviva.levin@gmail.com.  

Agent Jillian Gordon (Inquiry)

Your lesson, should you choose to accept it, is to use inquiry in your classroom so that students can be engaged, make meaning from their learning, and integrate important skills. The special agent assigned to help you with this task is Jillian Gordon, a grade 4/5 teacher and vice-principal in North Vancouver, British Columbia.

Some further links about inquiry:

• https://www.teachingchannel.org/blog/2016/01/15/teaching-through-an-inquiry-stance 
• https://inquiry.galileo.org/ch5/an-inquiry-stance-on-practice/ 
• http://nvsd44curriculumhub.ca 
• https://www.wabisabilearning.com/blog/teachers-parents-independent-thinking
• http://theconversation.com/why-your-child-will-benefit-from-inquiry-based-learning-97245

You can follow Jillian on twitter at @msgordonclass or visit her class website at msgordonclass.weebly.com 

If you, or an educator that you know, would make a great Lesson: Impossible agent, please contact me at aviva.levin@gmail.com.  

BONUS EPISODE: Agent Lewis Maday-Travis (Sex Ed)

Your bonus mission, should you choose to accept it, is to rethink how we teach sex education. The special agent assigned to help you with this task is middle school science teacher Lewis Maday-Travis, of Seattle, Washington, and last week’s guest.

 Sources from the intro:

• https://www.cdc.gov/std/stats17/adolescents.htm
• http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/state-policies-on-sex-education-in-schools.aspx
• https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/world-us-canada-44812833

 Lewis’ recommended links:

• Inclusive sex ed language checklist - originally AIDS Community Care Montreal & SextEd
• Tips for talking with your kid about sex & relationships - Planned Parenthood
• Scarleteen - Inclusive sex ed resources aimed at young adults

You can contact Lewis at fishyteaching@gmail.com and check out his blog at https://fishyteaching.com. You can hear last week's full episode with Lewis here.

Agent Lewis Maday-Travis (Inclusive Science)

Your lesson, should you chose to accept it, is to create relevant, body-centered, and inclusive lessons that give students opportunities to feel optimistic for the future.

The Special Agent assigned to help you with this task is Lewis Maday-Travis, a middle school science teacher currently taking time off to write curriculum and provide professional training around inclusive classrooms, from Seattle, Washington.

Links mentioned in the episode (chronological):

• More "Ambitious Science Teaching" information and Lewis' lessons
• The photo of the dalmatian (from blog post "Think like an expert: teaching kids to see the big picture, Part 1")
• Brave Conversation Skills Handout (from blog post "Holding brave conversations, in and outside the classroom")
• Note to educators: hope required when growing roses in concrete by Jeffrey M. R. Duncan-Andrade
• "How one transgender teacher came out to his students" (KUOW article)
• Inclusive sex ed language checklist (originally AIDS Community Care Montreal & SextEd)

You can contact Lewis at fishyteaching@gmail.com and check out his blog at https://fishyteaching.com. 

Agent Eugene Harrison (Special Education)

Your lesson, should you choose to accept it, is to make the Special Education classroom a welcoming and intellectually creative space for students of all levels.  The special agent assigned to help you with this task is Eugene Harrison, of Richmond Secondary School, in British Columbia, Canada.

You can find out more about what Eugene is doing by taking a look at "The Inclusion Project":  https://portal.sd38.bc.ca/class/6v8igit/Pages/default.aspx?ID=2#/=

Update: According to Eugene, "Biennale went really great! The tough kids actually wrote really meaningful and thoughtful reflections."

BONUS EPISODE: Agent Connaughton (New Teachers)

Your lesson, should you choose to accept it, is to consider ways to support teachers as they begin their careers. The agent assigned to help you with this task is last week's guest, Lauren Connaughton, in a special bonus episode.

For more information on teacher attrition, I recommend this article: https://tinyurl.com/y4ykgtgf 

Agent Lauren Connaughton (Peace Circles)

Your lesson, should you choose to accept it, is to make the classroom a community where students feel welcomed, supported and challenged.  The special agent assigned to help you with this task is Lauren Connaughton, of Tukwila Elementary School, in Washington, USA.

Agent Nate Bowling (Cultivating Citizens)

Your lesson, should you choose to accept it, is to view the job of the teacher as a farmer of nerds, curator of resources, and transformer of communities.  The special agent assigned to help you with this task is 2016 Washington Teacher of the Year Nathan Bowling, formerly of Tacoma, and now Abu Dhabi. 

You can find out more about Nate and the work he does at www.natebowling.com and http://nerdfarmpod.com

You can follow Nate on Twitter at @nate_bowling and @nerdfarmpod.

You can read more about his choice to leave Tacoma at www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/matt-driscoll/article229043484.html