Recess is often thought of as an “extra” activity in the school day. Sometimes it’s even taken away from students as a punishment. In this episode recorded for De Facto Leaders, host Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan talks to Elizabeth Cushing, CEO of Playworks, to understand why recess is actually an integral part of the school day. In fact, it can help students feel connected and reduce chronic absenteeism.

The conversation covers:

• Simple ways educators can set expectations and rules to create structure and a sense of safety around recess
• How to use play as a reset and a preventative measure, instead of something that’s taken away from kids as a punishment
• How training kids as peer coaches can help decrease disruptive behaviors and help kids discover their own leadership potential

Learn more about Playworks on their website at: https://www.playworks.org/

Resources mentioned in this interview include:

Comprehensive Game Guide that Outlines Games Across Grade Levels: https://www.playworks.org/indiana/game-guide/

The sister website for Playworks with tools for assessing the health of your school’s recess: https://www.recesslab.org/

This week, we're sharing a special episode from The Learning Experience powered by CAST, part of the Be Podcast Network.

You'll hear from Matt Winters, a leader from the Utah State Board of Education, discussing how artificial intelligence is shaping the future of teaching and learning. The conversation explores Utah’s statewide approach to AI, what it means for educators and students, and how schools can balance innovation with responsibility. The episode offers practical insights and big-picture thinking for anyone curious about the role of AI in education. This episode is brought to you by ReadSpeaker. Learn more about how ReadSpeaker aligns with UDL.

Transcript

Resources:

• USBE Artificial Intelligence
• ReadSpeaker and UDL

Listen and subscribe to The Learning Experience powered by CAST: https://www.cast.org/connect/learning-experience-podcast

In this episode from the Be Podcast Network original series, The Learning Bridge with Richard Gerver, bestselling author, global speaker, futurist, researcher, and consultant Chloe Combi shares her expertise on Generation Z and Generation A.

Combi has interviewed over 20,000 young people globally and utilizes that expertise to help schools, brands, companies, governments, and institutions understand and prepare for the present and future.

Her expertise, research and data has her in huge demand with global companies, brands and governments and whether they want insight pieces, future-proofing, coaching, high level and entertaining talks, TV or radio work or transformational creative input. In light of the recent Netflix series, Adolescence, this is a timely conversation about supporting young people in incredibly complex times.

Subscribe to The Learning Bridge wherever you get your podcasts: https://thelearningbridge.bepodcast.network/subscribe

About the host

Richard Gerver is a sought-after speaker, world-renowned thinker, and bestselling author of books including Change and Simple Thinking. His career began in education, first as a teacher and then as a school principal, when he turned the fortunes of a failing school and its pupils around in just two years.

Now regarded as one of the world's leading thinkers on human leadership and organizational transformation, Richard has worked with an extraordinary range of people, from elite athletes to former US President Barack Obama. Named UK Business Speaker of the Year three times, Richard has been invited to speak on the world’s most recognized stages, including TED, the RSA and the BBC.