Do you ever feel stuck trying to make learning relevant, but tied to the four walls of your classroom? What if the place students learn became the curriculum itself—full of stories, problems, and people to learn from?

In this episode, I sit down with Jen Buchanan, principal at Think Global School—one of the world’s only fully traveling high schools—to explore how place-based learning transforms education. Jen shares how students immerse themselves in local contexts like Japan, Botswana, and Greece, tackling real-world issues through interdisciplinary projects with community partners. You’ll hear how this approach fosters global citizenship, critical thinking, and lasting impact—and how any school can get started.

You’ll learn:

• Why local and global contexts ignite deeper inquiry and empathy

• How students co-design learning through place-based, changemaker modules

• Simple ways to embed community, geography, and culture into your curriculum

• How to overcome common constraints like time, standards, and logistics

Ready to turn your surroundings into stories and your students into global problem-solvers? This episode is your first step toward place-based transformation.

Connect with Jen: (LinkedIn), (Website)

Learn more about ThinkGlobal: https://thinkglobalschool.org/think-global-school-welcomes-jen-buchanan-as-its-next-principal/

Get the 12 Shifts Book, 'Where is the Teacher?': https://www.amazon.com/Where-Teacher-Kyle-Wagner/dp/1032484713

Jen's Bio: Jen Buchanan is the principal of Think Global, the world's first traveling high school. SJen has cemented her career as a future-focused educator and leader in Australia, holding roles such as Head of Secondary at Preshil School and Head of Tay Creggan at Strathcona Girls Grammar. She also served as a consultant with Future Schools Alliance and Director of Engagement at Future Anything, supporting innovative teaching and learning nationwide. Known for her commitment to creating positive, equitable, and engaging learning environments, Jen is a passionate advocate for student agency and creative potential. Her work is grounded in a belief that education should ignite curiosity, support wellbeing, and empower all students to thrive, and she brings a deep understanding of implementing meaningful change from her "on-the-ground" experience in progressive schools.

Jen is also a dedicated lifelong learner, holding a Master of Education from The University of Melbourne and a second Master's degree from Deakin University, where her research focused on topics like student engagement ("flow") and the experiences of graduate teachers. Outside of her professional life, she is a self-confessed adventure-seeker and creative spirit. She loves to be off the grid, hiking and camping, or discovering new corners of the world. At home in Melbourne, she is a part-time artist, creating everything from wheel-thrown ceramics to quirky short films, bringing the same sense of wonder and creativity that defines her work in education to her personal projects.

Do you feel like every classroom activity depends on you to keep things running? What if one small shift could hand that responsibility to your students, and spark more energy and accountability than you imagined?

In this episode, I share a classroom story of empowering a student to take on the role of project manager. What began as a way to distribute responsibilities in a café project quickly expanded into labs, group work, and even whole class discussions. The result? Students who not only stepped up but often outperformed expectations, building ownership, collaboration, and confidence in the process.

You’ll learn:

• How student managers transform ordinary activities into opportunities for leadership

• Why peer accountability increases honesty, authenticity, and deeper engagement

• Simple ways to introduce the role during group work, labs, and discussions

• How this small shift improves work quality and frees you to mentor instead of manage

Ready to stop managing every activity and start mentoring leaders? This episode shows you how student managers can change the classroom dynamic.

Get the 12 Shifts Book: www.transformschool.com/whereistheteacher

Schedule a Training Strategy Call: kylewagner@transformschool.com

What does it really take to lead a student-centered shift, especially in exam-driven environments? In this conversation, I sit down with Rikke (pronounced like reggae), an international school leader who is transforming her 600-student campus in Portugal to align with her bold vision: "Together, we educate for change."

Rikke shares the small but intentional moves that created momentum for whole-school innovation, from restructuring timetables to redefining the role of middle leaders. Her story proves that student-centered change doesn’t require perfection. It takes persistence, clear purpose, and the courage to start.

You’ll hear how she:

• Built teacher buy-in by anchoring everything in a powerful “why”
• Designed low-stakes spaces for teachers to experiment with projects
• Structured time for interdisciplinary, SDG-driven experiences without compromising academic outcomes

This episode is a must-listen for curriculum leaders, coordinators, and change agents looking for realistic and replicable strategies to move from good intentions to genuine transformation.

Bio: An actionist creating social change through education, Nordic leadership, and a focus on asking why, connecting ideas, and driving impact.

Get the 12 Shifts Book: https://www.amazon.com/Where-Teacher-Kyle-Wagner/dp/1032484713

Take The 12 Shifts Scorecard to Identity Areas for Growth: https://transformschool.com/12shiftsscorecard/

Why do most student teams fail, and what can you do to change it?

In this re-published episode, I sit down with Kristin Damburger, Associate Division Head at Avenues, to explore the common pitfalls that prevent student teams from thriving. Kristin shares three simple shifts you can make in your classroom to turn disengaged or unproductive teams into high-functioning, collaborative groups. From redefining roles to giving students the tools to take ownership of their learning, these shifts will help foster deeper collaboration and student agency.

You’ll learn:

• Why most student teams fail and how to avoid those traps

• How giving students a voice in their team roles leads to greater ownership and success

• Simple collaborative structures for project work

• Why feedback loops, rather than grading, are key to accountability in group work

Kristin's Bio: Kristin Damberger is a Learning Coach at the International School Nido de Aguilas in Santiago, Chile. She has spent the last 12 years of her 15 year career in education working overseas in international schools in China, Brazil, and now Chile. She started her career teaching 6th grade English and Social Studies at a Title I school in California, where she began her experimentation with inquiry and PBL. Soon after starting a masters degree in global studies in education, she wanted to pursue a life overseas and moved to Beijing. Over the course of her international career Kristin has served in many roles, including teacher, facilitator, curriculum coordinator, Associate Division Head, and now Learning Coach. In all of these roles Kristin has had the opportunity to continue in her pursuit to redefine the traditional structures of "school" and continue to deepen and expand her work in inquiry, PBL, and design thinking.

Feel like curiosity is getting lost in content coverage, deadlines, or disengaged classrooms? What if our own vulnerability was the key to unlocking it?

In this episode, I speak with Austin Levinson, Director of Learning at Megaminds and long-time champion of student agency, curiosity, and connection. From macro photography projects to travel blogs and AI-powered adventures, Austin shares how he models curiosity based learning alongside his students, and why doing so flips the traditional dynamic in transformative ways.

You’ll learn:

• Why “getting messy” and showing your own struggle inspires student risk-taking
• How co-designing projects creates ownership, purpose, and curiosity
• How to bring parents and administrators along when you don’t have all the answers
• How AI can be used to scaffold—not shortcut—critical thinking and real-world inquiry

Trade control for connection, and rediscover curiosity as your classroom’s driving force

Learn more about Megaminds: www.gomegaminds.com

Connect with Austin on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/austin-levinson-innovator

Get the 12 Shifts Book: https://www.amazon.com/Where-Teacher-Kyle-Wagner/dp/1032484713

Austin's Bio: From a young age, Austin was a soccer referee, running alongside the students on the field, not standing in the center calling the shots. His early teaching roles in Oakland and Richmond, California taught him the power of connection, voice, and risk-taking in learning.Later, while designing STEM and gifted programs in international schools, he focused on deeper learning through questioning, critical thinking, and real-world purpose. Whether leading workshops for parents on constructivism and board games or offering enrichment classes in ikebana, macro photography, and juggling, he kept learning joyful and human.

Back on the school soccer field, he noticed that values like empathy and leadership were best taught through shared experience, not lectures. He brought this mindset into his PBL work, discovering that students take bigger risks when they see their teacher right there with them, learning too. In one project, students used AI tools to co-design film imagery and lead their own discussions. They selected the materials, chose the protocols, and reflected on their facilitation moves—building voice, confidence, and metacognition in the process.

Now as Director of Learning at MegaMinds, Austin is scaling that same spirit of agency and curiosity. Through immersive 3D environments and AI-powered challenges, he’s helping tens of thousands of students think critically, take ownership, and find meaning in their learning.

Is Your Classroom Built for Student Thinking? 4 Design Shifts to Spark Shared Ownership

Ever walk into a classroom and instantly feel the energy? Not from the teacher—but from students leading the work. That’s not an accident. It’s the result of intentional design choices that turn passive learning into shared ownership.

In this episode, I walk you through four practical spatial shifts to transform your classroom into a hub for student-led collaboration. These aren’t high-budget maker spaces—they’re reimagined learning environments where thinking becomes visible and shared. Whether you’re planning for your next project-based unit or reworking the layout of your room, these provocations will help you support deeper dialogue, better teamwork, and more student agency.

You’ll explore:

• Why table clusters can make or break group work
• How to equip students with shared tools—and why visibility matters
• The role of vertical thinking spaces in making ideas public and iterative
• How to create distinct studio zones that support diverse learning tasks

This is part two in a four-part series on designing student-centered learning environments. If you're ready to move from controlling learning to cultivating it, this episode offers a practical next step.

Get more ideas in my 12 Shifts Book for Student-Centered Environments: 'Where is the Teacher?'

Still stuck in the same classroom setup year after year? You’re not alone. Too many classrooms signal teacher control before a single word is spoken—and that design choice shapes everything about how students engage.

In this episode, I take you inside the transformation of an old office into a vibrant Montessori adolescent hub—and unpack what it means to move from “classroom” to “co-working space.” You’ll learn how even small space shifts can foster agency, collaboration, and creative thinking.

You’ll discover:

• Why subtracting furniture may be the boldest design move you make

• How to create learning “zones” for different kinds of student work

• Why your teacher desk might be sending the wrong message

• How co-working models can inspire fluid, student-led learning

• Practical design tweaks—from flexible seating to portable whiteboards—that invite movement and autonomy

Whether you’re working with a blank slate or reimagining a familiar room, this episode gives you the mindset and strategies to build a learning environment that empowers—not controls—your students.

Even after shifting to student-centered learning, it’s easy to fall into familiar routines: sparking a project, guiding students along, and quietly doing the heavy lifting ourselves. But what does it take to fully hand over the reins—and trust students to direct their own learning?

In this episode, inquiry-driven educator Robynne Esther shares how she made that shift herself, and the practical tools she now uses to support real student independence, without sacrificing structure. From co-creating checklists to guiding expert research and using visible thinking strategies, Robynne walks us through how to scaffold agency without oversteering it.

You’ll hear:

• How inquiry provocations can open up—not narrow—student-led direction
• What expert groups and feedback loops look like in project-based units
• Why the right checklist isn’t about control, but about clarity
• How thinking routines help students reflect, take risks, and follow their curiosity
• The subtle mindset shifts that allow teachers to lead by stepping back

Whether you’re refining your role as facilitator or looking for ways to help students take the next leap in self-direction, this conversation offers inspiration—and strategy—you can put to use right away.

Connect with Robynne: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robynne-esther-24990771/

Dive Deeper into Student-Centered Environments: Get the 12 Shifts Book

Robynne's Bio: Ever wonder how to spark genuine curiosity in your students? Robynne Esther has spent 15 years, including seven within the PYP, unlocking that secret through inquiry-based and project-based learning. She has empowered teachers across Hong Kong, Guangzhou, and Shanghai to adopt 21st-century learning through engaging IBL/PBL & AI workshops. Currently inspiring young minds at DSHK, Robynne leads Grade 6 Project-Based Learning and teaches Grade 4 Inquiry, fostering classrooms buzzing with collaboration and community. But her journey's even richer than that! She's an AFHEA-accredited mentor who has guided aspiring teachers at Sunderland University and has even spent time as a pastry chef in Hong Kong's Soho district. Robynne brings this uniquely diverse background to her exploration of the fascinating intersection of PBL and IBL. Join her as she shares her insights on their similarities and differences.