Today, Maria talks with Christina Oliver, Executive Director at Classroom, Inc, an EdTech nonprofit founded by Lewis Bernard from Morgan Stanley to bridge the learning gap between middle school and the workplace. Through Read to Lead, their digital learning games platform, they put middle school students in charge of their learning by becoming the boss in a virtual workplace. They read closely, think critically, and solve real-world problems, all while balancing the hectic demands of an exciting workplace. Most importantly, these middle schoolers build critical literacy and leadership skills to help them thrive in school, life and career. The impact of Read to Lead is transformational. Students, especially those struggling with literacy and engagement increase reading achievement, find motivation in being the leader and see - often for the first time - a real connection between learning, career and their future Middle school teachers and educators can join the Read to Lead platform at rtlgames.org for free to access their digital learning games and curriculum as well as a plethora of development tools and resources to help them build skills and increase their impact on their students. Tune in to learn from a leader who believes that hands-on game-based learning can empower middle school students to build 21st-century skills and develop the confidence to thrive in school, college, career and life.
Production team:
Host & Producer: Maria Xenidou
Introduction Voice: David Bourne
Contact us:
impactlearningpodcast(at)gmail.com
Music credits:
Like Lee performed by The Mini Vandals
Transition sounds: Swamp Walks performed by Jingle Punks
Where to find more about Christine Oliver:
Mentioned in this episode:
Listen to this episode and explore:
Christina’s childhood: playing hide & seek and experiencing the joy of learning (4:50)
How her parents inspired Christina’s interest in education and reading (7:00)
Her love for history and humanity and her preference for hands-on learning in biology (8:00)
The person who inspired Christina to become a teacher (9:05)
What Christina learned about herself in her first job at a rifle club at the age of 13 (10:00)
Why Christina delayed her teaching career and got involved in politics at the NY State Assembly (12:00)
The role of representation in politics and how power can often lead to corruption (14:00)
How working at the NY State Governor’s office and visiting NYC led Christina to become a teacher in the Bronx (15:12)
Why teaching is the hardest job on the planet and why Christina loved it (16:45)
How life took Christina out of teaching when family illness sent her back to NY state (17:40)
How Christina started working on the intersection of politics and education in Washington, DC (18:25)
Why Christina decided to pursue her Masters in Education at Columbia SIPA in NYC (19:15)
How Christina’s interest in education reform led her to join the Urban Assembly (20:00)
Her decision to join Classroom, Inc and her current role as Executive Director (22:45)
The vision and mission of Classroom, Inc and their Read to Lead learning games platform (24:25)
How game-based learning helps bridge the skills gap between middle school and career (24:58)
How middle schoolers get exposure to over 30 different careers while building literacy skills (27:52)
What the Read to Lead games reminded Maria of during her former corporate career (31:04)
How the Read to Lead games, curriculum and resources develop and empower teachers to become more effective educators (32:45)
How adaptive learning is built in the Read to Lead games design to help struggling readers (35:70)
The three main Read to Lead learning games (39:65)
How the students build skills and confidence to be the boss at work (41:75)
The mission of Read to Lead: serving communities that lack resources and access to education (45:00)
How educators can access the free Read to Lead games, curriculum and resources (47:70)
What teachers love about Read to Lead: its unique value and impact on society (49:98)
What Christina wants to leave her mark on during her lifetime and Maria’s reflection (54:64)