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)
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