'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' with Trevor Muir
Release Date: 01/29/2025
'Stand and Deliver' with Don Baus
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In this episode of the Better Learning Podcast, host Carla Cummins is joined by co-host Victoria Morlan as well as architect and education advocate Don Baus for a powerful conversation around the 1988 film Stand and Deliver. With decades of combined experience in designing and supporting student-centered environments, the two explore how the true story of Jaime Escalante continues to challenge and inspire today’s educators, designers, and school leaders. Set in a struggling East L.A. high school, Stand and Deliver follows math teacher Jaime Escalante as he empowers his students to defy...
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'High School Musical' with Candace Seda & Stephanie Seda
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In this episode of the Better Learning Podcast, Carla Cummins is joined by her daughter Jennifer Cummins and special guests Candace Seda and Stephanie Seda for a fun and thought-provoking dive into Disney’s 2006 cultural phenomenon High School Musical. With a multigenerational panel of educators, designers, and education advocates, the group explores how the film’s catchy tunes, teen drama, and feel-good message intersect with real-life high school experiences. Set at the fictional East High School, High School Musical follows Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez as they challenge stereotypes,...
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'Mean Girls' with Steven Shapiro & Nancy Shapiro Rapport
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Mean Girls, directed by Mark Waters and written by Tina Fey, is a cult classic teen comedy based on Rosalind Wiseman’s book Queen Bees and Wannabes. The film humorously yet accurately portrays the harsh realities of high school social dynamics, focusing on cliques, peer pressure, and the impact of popularity on self-identity. The story follows Cady Heron, a homeschooled girl navigating the cutthroat social hierarchy of public high school life after moving from Africa. As she infiltrates "The Plastics," the school’s most popular clique, Cady faces a moral dilemma that tests her values,...
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'Top Gun' with Stacey Waxtan
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Few movies capture the essence of leadership, teamwork, and adaptability quite like Top Gun. While it’s a high-octane film about elite fighter pilots pushing their limits, the lessons it offers extend far beyond the cockpit—straight into the world of education. Just like Maverick and his fellow aviators must embrace continuous learning, mentorship, and resilience, educators and school leaders face the challenge of preparing students for an ever-evolving future. In this review, we’ll break down the powerful parallels between Top Gun and education, exploring what it means to...
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Revisiting the Origins of Our Movie Review Format and Future Films
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'The Incredibles' with Mercedes Johnson & Katie Riley
Better Learning Podcast
What Do The Incredibles and Educators Have in Common? In our latest Better Learning Podcast episode, we dive into The Incredibles (2004) and uncover powerful insights for educators. Just like Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl face lawsuits that restrict their powers, teachers often feel held back by red tape and policies that limit their ability to innovate in the classroom. We explore how educators can break free from these constraints, unlocking their creativity, adaptability, and empathy to make a bigger impact. Plus, we break down fun film moments that mirror real-life school experiences....
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'Battle Royale' with BrandonToksMovies & Ben Treadway
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'Summer School' with Mark Greenberg & Eric Stoller
Better Learning Podcast
It’s 1987. The surf’s up, the sun’s out, and high school teacher Freddy Shoop is about to have the summer of his life… until he’s roped into teaching remedial English to a group of students who would rather be anywhere else. In this episode of the Better Learning Podcast, Kevin, Eric, and Mark crack open Summer School, the cult classic that blends outrageous 80s comedy with a surprisingly insightful take on teaching, student motivation, and the eternal struggle between fun and responsibility. We break down what makes Mark Harmon’s Mr. Shoop one of the most unexpectedly relatable...
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'October Sky' with Michael Duncan
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Can one teacher change the course of a student’s life? Can curiosity survive in a system that prioritizes conformity? October Sky is more than just a heartwarming story about a boy and his rockets—it’s a powerful look at the impact of education, ambition, and the struggle between dreams and expectations. But how accurately does it reflect today’s schools? Are students still discouraged from pursuing unconventional paths? Do educators still have the power to ignite change? In this review, we’ll break down what October Sky gets right (and where it misses the mark) when it comes to the...
info_outlineTrevor Muir, an inspiring keynote speaker who celebrated the power of storytelling in education and an avid Harry Potter fan, sits down with host Kevin Stoller and co-host Carla Cummins to dive into the real-world connections between education and the beloved book series. They explore the different teaching styles depicted in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the importance of building strong relationships with students, and how elements of the wizarding world can inform and inspire today’s learning environments.
At last year’s LearningSCAPES conference, we had the pleasure of connecting with Trevor Muir, an inspiring keynote speaker who celebrated the power of storytelling in education. His keynote emphasized how authentic engagement empowers students, even through challenging times, by integrating real-world projects. From screening interviews with WWII veterans to creating helpful guides for recent immigrants, his approach demonstrated the impact of learning beyond the classroom. Now, we just need to provide agile spaces to support this type of transformative learning.
Tune in to this magical conversation as we explore how the world of Harry Potter can inspire real-world educational practices.
Takeaways:
- Everyone has their own superpowers
- It's important to be intentional when sorting students
- Caring for your students is one of the most impactful things you can do
About Trevor Muir:
Trevor is a teacher, author, creator, and co-founder of the New Teacher Academy. His books The Epic Classroom, The Collaborative Classroom, and New Teacher Mindset have helped teachers worldwide to create purposeful and dynamic learning experiences. Trevor has taught in middle, high school, and college classrooms, as well as pre-service teachers at Grand Valley State University. He was a national faculty member for the Buck Institute for Education and his work has been featured in the Huffington Post, Edutopia, EdWeek, and WeAreTeachers. Trevor's inspiring and informative videos have been viewed over 30 million times. At the heart of Trevor’s work is the conviction that every student has the potential for greatness, and that every teacher can be equipped to unlock that potential.
Connect with Trevor Muir:
Website: https://www.trevormuir.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theepicclassroom
Twitter: https://x.com/TrevorMuir
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/epicclassroom/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TrevorMuir
Connect with co-host, Carla Cummins:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carla-cummins-01449659/
Connect with host, Kevin Stoller:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinstoller/
Episode 217 of the Better Learning Podcast
Kevin Stoller is the host of the Better Learning Podcast and Co-Founder of Kay-Twelve, a national leader for educational furniture. Learn more about creating better learning environments at www.Kay-Twelve.com.
For more information on our partners:
Association for Learning Environments (A4LE) - https://www.a4le.org/
Education Leaders' Organization - https://www.ed-leaders.org/
Second Class Foundation - https://secondclassfoundation.org/
EDmarket - https://www.edmarket.org/
Catapult @ Penn GSE - https://catapult.gse.upenn.edu/
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