As practitioners of a learning-centered approach, we have much to learn from the physical discipline of jiu-jitsu, a grappling-based martial art derived from Judo. Professor Stewart Carroll owns Grail Jiu Jitsu in Carmel, NY and has been a practitioner of jiu jitsu and traditional Chinese medicine for many years. In this episode, he shares insights […]
At ideas42, brain and behavioral science are not theoretical or abstract. In this episode, Cassie Taylor, Principal Behavioral Designer, shares how she uses human-centered design to apply and scale behavioral insights in post-secondary education. Cassie highlights how context is key – everything from systemic racism to the seemingly innocuous ‘default’ options can hinder adults in […]
Professional facilitators bring people together to discover creative solutions and resolve differences in ways that value inclusion while saving time, money and morale. The International Association of Facilitators (IAF) believe that there are some core competencies that hold true no matter where in the world (or on the web) you are. On this episode, we’re […]
In adult learning settings, we’ve seen that “sit and get” rarely works to help adults gain the knowledge they need to succeed. To understand what the latest in brain science tells us about why a traditional approach often fails adults, we talk to LaDonna Pavetti, Vice President for Family Income Support Policy at Center on […]
GLP Chief Business Officer Rebecca Hutchins was accepted as a scholar to the 10,000 Small Businesses program through Goldman Sachs and Babson College. Rebecca noticed that Manuel Alexander, National Lead Faculty, facilitated in ways that felt very familiar to our learning-centered approach. In this episode, Manuel shares stories of entrepreneurship, including his own family’s legacy. These […]
As a long-time facilitator, improv actor, therapist and social entrepreneur, Andres Marquez-Lara, is in the business of healing. He channels this passion as Founder and CEO of UFacilitate where he helps purpose-driven leaders create spaces for deep connection, collaboration and transformation. In this episode, Andres and Tyler explore some of the key points of effective […]
Parker J. Palmer is a celebrated author, activist, and Founder of the Center for Courage & Renewal. Parker created the Circle of Trust® approach after a decade of living and learning at Pendle Hill, a Quaker community and retreat center. The approach is a social technology of time-tested principles and practices to create a safe […]
Troi Bechet founded the Center for Restorative Approaches in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. For Troi, a restorative approach offered an alternative to the culture of punitive justice systems – a way to resolve conflict and build equity through dialogue. Through their creativity, innovation, and a vision of peace at the center, restorative circles and […]
Bill Baker, Founder and Principal of BB&Co Strategic Storytelling, knows the value of a good story. Whether you’re garnering support in your organization for a new strategic plan or teaching parents about child healthcare, stories help people make meaning that sticks. In this episode, Bill shares key insights on how to pick and tell the […]
At the end of the violent dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet in 1990, Chileans united for a newfound democracy. The short interview you are about to hear picks up at this historic time, when primary care doctors at Chile’s leading medical school called for a revolutionary approach to their own learning, and that of the communities […]
On this final episode of Simply True, Jane is joined by all her co-hosts – Rebecca, Val, and Peter – to reflect on the axiom, “Learning is in the doing and deciding.” Val and Peter share similar stories – they met Jane over two decades ago, early on in their careers working in international development. After experiencing the […]
Dr. Jane Vella and Val Uccellani are joined by Tonjala Eaton, Career Coach and GLP Partner, to reflect on the axiom “foster ‘ah-ha’ moments, not ‘gotcha’ moments”. Tonjala was inspired by Jane’s writing many years ago and set her sights on becoming a learning-centered practitioner. In 2019, Tonjala joined the GLP team as a Partner […]
Dr. Jane Vella and Rebecca Hutchins talk with Dan Haase, Associate Lecturer at Wheaton College, about the axiom “Hold the opposites” (aka “Fold the opposites”). Dan first learned about Jane’s work years ago when his book group decided to read “Taking Learning to Task”. He became a quick convert to the principles and practices of […]
Dr. Jane Vella and Peter Noteboom are joined by Marian Darlington-Hope, community organizer and former co-owner of GLP, to discuss the axiom, “Begin with the end in mind.” In 1986, Marian read about a workshop at Tufts University and was immediately drawn to its focus on how to avoid all the things she was trying […]
Dr. Jane Vella and Rebecca Hutchins talk with Dr. Paula Berardinelli about on of Jane’s personal favorite axioms: “No laughing, no learning!” Jane and Paula have known each other since the last century at UNC Chapel Hill, and they are still very close friends and neighbors to this day. Paula introduces a new “indicator of […]
Dr. Jane Vella and Val Uccellani talk with Ellen Turgasen RN about the axiom “Don’t do for the learners what they can do for themselves.” Ellen met Jane in 1985 when she took a Popular Education ‘bootcamp’ prior to flying off to Peru to work as a nurse for Maryknoll. From then on, Ellen was […]
Dr. Jane Vella and Rebecca Hutchins chat with Adriano Pianesi – Founder of ParticipAction Consulting and Adjunct Professor at Johns Hopkins University – about the axiom “classrooms can be radical spaces of possibilities.” Like many others, Adriano read Learning to Listen, Learning to Teach and was inspired to reach out to Jane. Since then, he has […]
Dr. Jane Vella and Peter Noteboom chat with Christine Little, Certified Dialogue Education Teacher, about the axiom “Affirmation is like oxygen – we all need it to survive.” Christine first met GLP nearly twenty years ago through her work with Habitat for Humanity International – one of the first organizations to broadly apply a learning-centered […]
Dr. Jane Vella and Rebecca Hutchins chat with Michael Gibbons – ITEP Scholar in Residence at the School of Education, American University – about the axiom “Dialogue is not among teacher and learner, but among learners, of whom the teacher is one.” We often center experts and expertise in training events. This axiom explains how […]
Dr. Jane Vella and Peter Noteboom – President of GLP – talk with Dwayne Hodgson, a longtime member of GLP’s Certified Network about the axiom “How do they know they know? They just did it.” Listen as they talk about how designing for accountability in learning helps build capacity in community initiatives. The unique focus on achievement-based objectives helps organizations make critical decisions on investing resources in training and understanding why some projects don’t achieve goals. Listen on Apple […]
Jane and Val – Owner and Senior Partner at GLP – talk with Alex Ciconello from International Budget Partnership (IBP) about the axiom “Less is More”. Alex was introduced to GLP through his work with IBP in Brazil – his roots with Paolo Freire’s Popular Education made him eager to embrace a learning-centered approach. Together, Jane […]
GLP Founder Dr. Jane Vella and Rebecca Hutchins, Owner and Chief Business Officer of GLP, chat with Sister Janet Srebalus about the axiom “A design is like a lectern: you can lean on it!” Jane met Sister Janet more than 50 years ago during her time in Tanzania, and they have been dear friends and […]
Welcome to a new Global Learning Partners podcast: Simply True with Dr. Jane Vella. On this limited series, GLP Founder Jane Vella explores the simple truths behind some of her favorite axioms about how adults learn with friends and colleagues. We can’t wait to share these veritable “fireside chats” with you all! In the […]
With the recent rise in remote work, many of us are faced with the challenge of designing and facilitating engaging and inclusive meetings while in a virtual setting. Today we’re joined by Andrea Van Liew – GLP Consultant and leader of our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Team – to talk about how we can […]
Over the last year, as more and more learning is moving to an online or virtual setting, we have begun fully embracing the importance of “blended learning” within GLP. Today we are going to talk to GLP Consultant Claudia Quinonez about what we mean by “blended learning” and why we think this should be […]
First 5 Alameda County funds innovative programs and advocates for policies that produce better futures for children up to age 5. Beth Hoch from First 5 Alameda and Shawn Bryant from the Teaching Excellence Center talk about adapting “Mind in the Making”, an impactful training on children’s brain development, to a virtual setting. GLP consultant […]
New Moms positioned themselves as a leader in the field of workforce development through their science-informed social enterprise, Bright Endeavors. In 2019 GLP had the opportunity to document insights from their work through a learning-centered case study. These insights were later incorporated in a toolkit for other organizations involved in workforce development and employment social enterprise. Gabrielle Caverl-McNeal and Dana Emanuel from New Moms join us to share the impact of the case study one year later – within New Moms and in the broader […]
Sometimes our learning designs go off without a hitch… and sometimes, they don’t! We’ve all been there – you’ve thoughtfully planned out your learning tasks and facilitation techniques, but when you get in the room it’s just not working for one (or more) of your learners – the resistance is palpable! GLP Consultant Tonjala […]
Sinapis Group started in 2010 in Kenya as an accelerator program for entrepreneurs. Since then, they have grown to operate in 9 different countries. Scaling up meant stepping back to take a hard look at their training design. Sylvie Somerville, Director of Training for Sinapis Group, and GLP Senior Partner Jeanette Romkema talk with us about their collaborative effort to re-design Sinapis’ training program to maximize impact for their entrepreneurs. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or virtually anywhere podcasts are found! This […]
During a year infamous for Zoom fatigue, the annual Right Horse Summit went virtual – and the results were surprising. GLP Consultant Val Uccellani and Christie Schulte Kappert from The Right Horse Initiative – the ASPCA’s equine adoption program – share the unique strategies they used to design a virtual summit that had participants engaged – on and away from the screen. The virtual summit fostered […]
How to design for learners who just don’t have the time. Most of us share at least one workday challenge: finding time and capacity to fit all the meetings and events we need into our workload. It can be a challenge to convene and design meetings that will successfully engage people who are stretched thin. GLP Consultant Sylvia Saenger shares three key strategies she swears by when designing for people with […]
Jon Baratta from the Summer Jobs Connect (SJC) Program at Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund and GLP‘s Tyler Phillips talk with us about their recent experience moving SJC’s annual convening to a virtual space. They talk about how encouraging relationship-building, highlighting participants’ expertise and creating a flexible space for meaningful exchanges increased engagement and strengthened the learning community. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or virtually anywhere podcasts are found! This show is produced by Global Learning Partners and Greg […]
Christian MacKinnon with Elanco, an international animal pharmaceutical company, and GLP’s Jeanette Romkema speak with us about how Elanco came to embrace a learning-centered approach throughout their organization. They share the story of how a “learning-centered spark” ignited a years-long journey of organizational change within every level of Elanco – from the veterinarians, to the sales […]
Ahead of the holiday season, Shift the Power co-host Peter Noteboom got a call from Prime Minister Trudeau’s office. The ask: to convene a virtual conversation between the Prime Minister and faith leaders across Canada about responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Listen to the bonus episode today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen […]
Dr. Jane Vella, Founder of Global Learning Partners, is loving what she calls “The School of the 80’s” – not the 1980’s… her 80’s. Jane shares how in the last decade she has discovered a new way of learning that is rooted in leisure, experience and vulnerability. Listen to how her thinking about her original teachings on Dialogue Education™ has expanded through these insights. Read Jane’s full blog post here. You can find the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google […]
Cindy Stover used to say her engaging style, appealing PowerPoints, dynamic videos, and great jokes made her feel like a workshop rockstar! We share her reflections on how Dialogue Education™ led to her “aha moment” about the importance of seeing your learners as rockstars too. Listen for tips on moving from a teaching-centered to a […]
Applying a learning-centered approach within the context of international development comes with its own unique set of challenges. In this episode we talk to Julia Rosenbaum, GLP Board Member and self-described midwife of change, and Dina Shafaqouj, Certified Dialogue Education Teacher from our Dialogue Education hub in Jordan. They share insights on navigating the tensions between funder goals and learners’ needs, and tips for shifting traditional education practices and power dynamics before the learners even step into the room. Follow […]
Paulo Freire framed education as a pathway to liberation in his seminal work “Pedagogy of the Oppressed.” His work has influenced generations of educators, including GLP Founder, Dr. Jane Vella. In this episode we talk with Robb Davis of California and Alex Ciconello of Brazil – two long-term Dialogue Education™ practitioners who hold the legacy of Freire’s principles dear to heart. They share stories of how this revolutionary approach to education is still alive today around the world, from city governments to grassroots social justice movements. You […]
GLP Founder Dr. Jane Vella joins us to read a passage from a book that has stuck with her through the years: The Art of Changing the Brain by James Zull. We’ve talked a lot about the principle of “Safety” this season and its importance to learning. In this episode we reflect with Jane on the biology behind this […]
Guests Jeanette Romkema and Andrea Van Liew share how the 3C Model – Connecting to Content, Connecting to Self and Connecting to Others – is crucial to engaging the whole person in a virtual setting. They share their recent revelations with clients about the surprising benefits of shifting to remote meetings and trainings – including increased connections and equalized […]