Leading Voices in Education

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.

What if challenging behaviour isn’t about a student choosing not to cooperate, but about a student struggling with the skills needed to meet an expectation? In this episode of Leading Voices in Education, we sit down with Dr. Ross W. Greene, creator of the Collaborative & Proactive Solutions approach, to rethink how we understand challenging behaviour in schools. We explore what it means to look beyond the behaviour, identify the unsolved problems underneath it, and work collaboratively with students to find solutions rather than relying primarily on consequences or behaviour management. It’s a conversation that challenges us to shift our lens from “What’s wrong with this student?” to “What’s getting in the way?”