LEARN Podcasts

Just 10 minutes. That's how much time the average child spends outside each day — and it's not enough. In this episode, outdoor education advocate and author Lauren McLean joins us to explore why getting kids into nature isn't just a nice-to-have, it's essential. From risky play to nature journals, Lauren shares practical ways teachers and parents can bring learning outside, and why the research is clear: fresh ...

In this episode of ShiftEd Podcast, Chris Colley sits down with Dr. Louise de Lannoy, Executive Director of Outdoor Play Canada, to explore why getting kids outside is more urgent than ever. They unpack the barriers keeping children indoors — from screen time to overprotective instincts — and make a compelling, evidence-based case for embracing risky, unstructured play. Louise shares the research, the policy wins, and the growing m...

Québec’s proposed Bill 1 – the Québec Constitution Act, 2025 would create a provincial constitution, redefine Québec’s constitutional autonomy, and amend numerous existing laws. 

Chris Colley sits down with Joe Ortona, chair of the English Montreal School Board and president of the Quebec English School Boards Association, to unpack what the bill could mean for minority language rights, English school governance, and access to const...

Is the Classroom Big Enough?

What if attention, regulation, and real academic growth aren’t just about strategy—but setting?

We sit down with Rachel Tidd, founder of Discover Wild Learning and author of Wild Learning: Practical Ideas to Bring Teaching Outdoors, to explore a realistic path for making outdoor learning part of everyday teaching. No gimmicks. No Pinterest pressure. Just field-tested routines, literacy and numeracy strate...

What if math was hiding in your laundry basket?

Research suggests early math play at home may be one of the strongest predictors of long-term school success—yet it's where families feel least equipped to help. In this episode, Dr. Chris Wright, CEO and founder of Early Family Math, reimagines what "doing math" with young children actually looks like: joyful, accessible, and woven into everyday life.

From counting orang...

What happens when you trade screens for streams and let kids rediscover what’s just outside the door? We sit down with Steve Leckman, director and lead instructor at Coyote Programs, to explore how immersive outdoor education builds focus, resilience, and real connection—especially for students growing up in urban environments.
Steve shares how a reluctant first canoe trip sparked a lifelong commitment to nature-based learning,...

What if the fastest way to help kids learn is to stop rushing their growth? In this episode, we sit down with Catherine Korah from the Centre of Excellence for Behaviour Management to unpack a deceptively simple idea: when children feel secure with adults and have space for real play, learning and maturity emerge naturally.

We explore what true play actually looks like, why well-intentioned praise and goals can shut down creativity,...

The early years fly by, and they shape more than we often realize. In this episode, we talk about what actually makes a difference in the first five years of life—reading together every day, leaving room for real play, and creating simple, safe spaces for kids to grow. Anne-Marie from CHSSN joins us to connect the research on brain development and language to what families and schools are seeing on the ground in Québec. We also loo...

What if a 110-year-old textbook company decided it wasn’t in the textbook business anymore?

We sit down with Steve Brown, CEO of Nelson Education, to talk about how a legacy brand chose to blow itself up—on purpose. From a “great bowl of vanilla” to a bold new flavour, Steve walks us through Nelson’s reinvention and the birth of Edwin, a curriculum-aligned platform built to put everything teachers and students need in one trusted sp...

Imagine a classroom where students don’t just use AI—they question it, improve it, and build with it. That’s the world we explore with Indra Kubicek, CEO of Digital Moment, a national charity bringing digital literacy, coding education, and social innovation labs to young people across Canada. We talk frankly about what it takes to raise confident learners in a world where AI is everywhere: not more hype or bans, but durable skills...

What if a school was more than a school—what if it was the beating heart of its community? We sit down with longtime CLC leader Debbie Horrocks to trace how Quebec’s Community Learning Centers grew from a bold idea into a 90-school network that strengthens English education while weaving families, services, and culture into daily learning. From the early vision to today’s realities, we explore why this approach succeeds where top-d...

Most people quietly believe they’re “not a math person,” yet they plan trips, compare prices, rearrange furniture, and decode ads with sharp logic every week. We pull that thread with Dr. Laura Tuohilampi from The University of New South Wales to ask why everyday confidence evaporates at the classroom door—and how to stitch it back together.

We talk about the moments that shape a learner’s identity, from being punished for...

A single moment on a New York train set Mitch on a path from early Apple II hacks to a lifelong mission: teach people how to think in ways that unlock action. ShiftED sit down with Mitch Weisburgh, creator of Mind Shifting with Mitch, to explore how small, repeatable techniques can move us from the brain’s fast, fearful survival mode into a calmer, creative sage mode—where choices widen, mistakes become feedback, and collaboration ...

The ground is shifting under education, and pretending otherwise won’t help. We sit down with Dr. Sabba Quidwai to map a path that begins with people, not platforms: clarifying strengths, building agency, and using AI as a true teammate with defined responsibilities. Saba shares how a rocky start to her teaching career during the recession led to a powerful reframe—know your value, share your work, and let curiosity drive serendipi...

Action Now: A Developmental Reset for Anxious Classrooms

The state of our schools demands urgent action. We are seeing students who are consistently anxious, aggressive, or shut down. This is a developmental crisis, and our focus must be on the child’s reality, not our wish list.

That is the powerful throughline from our conversation with educator Hannah Beach. She helps us decode the forces short-circuiting a child’s capacity for re...