Leading Voices in Education

On the podcast this week, we are joined by the wonderful Monique Gray Smith, award-winning author, speaker and consultant, for a conversation about belonging, resilience, relationships and the lasting impact educators have on the lives of children.
Monique shares powerful insights into her Four Blankets of Resilience — self, family, community and culture — and reminds us of the importance of creating spaces where every child feels seen, valued and connected.
We explore the idea of being a “cookie person” in a child's life, the importance of unlearning the hurrying, nourishing our own spirits and making room for the relationships that allow meaningful learning to happen.
This conversation is a beautiful reminder that sometimes the smallest moments of kindness and connection can change the trajectory of a young person's life.
A must-listen for educators and anyone who believes in the power of relationships, belonging and hope.

On this episode of Leading Voices in Education, we’re joined by Dr. Leyton Schnellert to explore inclusive education, student diversity, and how educators can create learning environments where every student can thrive. We discuss practical ways to honour learner variability, build on student strengths, and ensure all learners have meaningful opportunities to participate, belong, and succeed.

What does it take to create a classroom where students are thinking, not just completing the work?
This week on Leading Voices in Education, we sit down with Peter Liljedahl, the creator of Building Thinking Classrooms, to explore how we can transform mathematics and numeracy learning by rethinking traditional classroom practices.
From getting students actively engaged in problem-solving to creating opportunities for collaboration, perseverance, and deeper mathematical thinking, Peter challenges us to consider what happens when we shift the focus from teaching students how to solve problems to creating the conditions for them to think for themselves.
Because being busy isn't the same as thinking, and thinking is where learning begins.
Join us for a conversation full of ideas to take back to your classroom and put into practice.
Listen to the latest episode of Leading Voices in Education, wherever you get your podcasts.

What happens when we move beyond simply teaching content and start thinking about how the brain learns?
In this episode of Leading Voices in Education, we’re joined by Zaretta Hammond, author of Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain, for a powerful conversation about learning, culture, relationships, and the science behind how students learn.
Zaretta explores what it really means to create classrooms where students are challenged, supported, and given the tools to become more independent learners. We talk about cognitive development, productive struggle, culturally responsive teaching, and why building strong relationships is so important—but isn’t the end goal.
It’s a conversation that will challenge educators to think differently about what we do in classrooms and, most importantly, why we do it.
Listen to the full episode of Leading Voices in Education wherever you get your podcasts.

What if we changed the way we think about teaching math?
In this episode of Leading Voices in Education, we sit down with Janice Novakovski to talk about building confident, capable mathematicians and creating classrooms where students have the opportunity to truly think, wonder, explain, and make sense of mathematics.
Janice reminds us that every student comes to math with a math story — experiences, beliefs, successes, struggles, and ideas that shape how they see themselves as mathematicians.
We talk about the power of math talks, rich mathematical conversations, listening to student thinking, and moving beyond simply getting the “right answer” to understanding the reasoning behind it.
This conversation is full of practical ideas for teachers who want to develop numeracy, mathematical thinking, and confidence in their students.
And perhaps one of the biggest takeaways?
Math is about so much more than answers. It’s about thinking.
🎧 Listen to our conversation with Janice Novakovski on Leading Voices in Education.