Building Blocks For Learning Mentioned on Getting Smart Podcast With Diane Tavenner

Summit Public Schools’ Diane Tavenner was a featured guest on episode 224 of the Getting Smart podcast, where she talked about her new book Prepared. During her chat with Getting Smart CEO, Tom Vander Ark, Tavenner and Vander Ark referenced Turnaround for Children’s Building Blocks for Learning framework. Below is an excerpt:

Tom Vander Ark:  You used the Building Blocks that Brooke Stafford-Brizard developed at Turnaround. She’s now a partner of yours at CZI. It really is a beautiful, thoughtful framework that has the foundational elements, that culminates in self direction, curiosity and purpose. What else would you add about the success habits, and why they’re important, and how you develop them at Summit?

Diane Tavenner: I think that so many people have done such incredible work and I think a lot of people don’t realize how much science that we have about learning and how much we know about learning and the skills that people need to develop… We love the Building Blocks and the framework because it really, for us as practitioners, simplified and allowed us to see a developmental progression that we can support kids through. I think the biggest “aha” for us has been that these are all skills that can be developed…

Tom Vander Ark: Two weeks ago, we had Dr. Pamela Cantor from Turnaround on and she also talked about these building blocks. She talked specifically about the effects of trauma and dealing with chronic stress produced by trauma and she talked about how the antidote is relationships. So, it goes back to the reflection and mentorship that is such an important part of your model.

Listen to the full podcast HERE.

Listen to Dr. Cantor’s episode HERE.