ButterCup

This is Buttercup where we talk about Play.

Dr Demet Gulaldi 06/18/2025

Ep 70 Denise Luscombe 05/20/2025

Ep 69 Dr. Anna Maria Serrano 04/08/2025

Ep 68 Prof. Dr. Isabel María Gómez Bareto & Dr. Carlos Montoya Fernández 03/25/2025

Ep 68 Prof. Dr. Isabel María Gómez Bareto & Dr. Carlos Montoya Fernández Prof. Dr. Isabel María Gómez Bareto. PhD in Education. Associate Professor and Coordinator of the Pedagogy department, area of Didactics and School Organization in the Faculty of Education of Albacete (University of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain). Member of the research group LabinTic (Laboratory for the Integration of Technology in the Classroom). Her lines of research are based on intercultural education, initial teacher education and professional development, teaching-learning processes, and socioemotional development. Her scientific production is based on the participation in numerous regional, national and international congresses, as well as on the publication of 4 books and more than 25 articles indexed in high impact indices (JCR and SJR). Dr. Carlos Montoya Fernández. PhD in Education. Postdoctoral researcher in the Pedagogy department, area of Didactics and School Organization in the Faculty of Education of Albacete (University of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain). Member of the research group LabinTic (Laboratory for the Integration of Technology in the Classroom). He began his academic career four years ago, and his lines of research are based on the fields of Early Childhood Education, learning and development processes, play, authentic assessment, teacher professional development, and interculturality. To date, he has won two awards associated with the research quality of the doctoral thesis, at the regional and national levels. His scientific production is based on the participation in more than 20 regional, national and international congresses, as well as on the publication of 5 book chapters and 5 articles indexed in high impact indices (JCR and SJR). In addition, he has acted as a reviewer for IGI Global Publishing, the journal Early Years, the European Early Childhood Research Journal, and the Revista Complutense de Educación. /episode/index/show/buttercup/id/35862465

EP 67 Early Childhood Practices in Norway with Dr. Kine Melfald Tveten 02/23/2025

Ep 66 Parents as Teachers 01/30/2025

Ep 65 Dr. Ehi Edokhamhen 01/22/2025

Ep 64 Sarah Browne 12/28/2024

Ep 63 Dr Junlei Li 11/19/2024

Ep 62 Dr. Scott Chamberlin 10/29/2024

Ep 61 Anne Hillerman 08/17/2024

Ep 61 Anne Hillerman Things you could learn from this BUTTERCUP episode: The role of mentorship in her career as a writer. What a diary with a lock did for her during childhood. How her Mom and her Dad, Tony Hillerman, inspired her reading and writing life. What it means to Anne to be seduced by research. Her connections to the American western landscapes, Navajo nation, and mystery genre. Role of mentorship in her stories with strong and powerful female character Bernadette Manuelito (Navajo Nation police office), retired lieutenant Joe Leaphorn, and office Jim Chee. The way Anne sets up her daily routine to write. How a mentor changed her life when she was an intern at a news service job for 90 days for a news service as a copy editor then later a reporter to work at the New Mexican. More from Anne Hillerman here: Website: https://annehillerman.com/ Facebook: @authotannehillerman Anne Hillerman is the author of best-selling mystery novels and executive producer of the Dark Winds television series on AMC. Her 10th mystery, tentatively titled Solstice of the Shadows, will be released in 2025. All of her novels have been New York Times Best Sellers. Anne moved to the Southwest with her parents as a toddler, and has happily lived in Santa Fe and Tucson ever since. The eldest of author Tony Hillerman’s six children, she began her career as a journalist. Her non-fiction book Tony Hillerman’s Landscape, on the Road with Chee and Leaphorn led to the exciting world of mystery fiction. After her father’s death, Anne decided to continue the Jim Chee/Joe Leaphorn mystery series with her debut novel, Spider Woman’s Daughter. The book elevated a minor character, Officer Bernadette Manuelito, to the role of major crime solver. It received the Spur Award from Western Writers of America as the best first mystery. Anne has been honored with many other awards including several New Mexico/Arizona book awards for best mystery, New Mexico Book of the Year, the Frank Waters Awards, The Mountains and Plains Booksellers Award, The Rounders Award, the Will Rogers Medallion, the Wrangler Award (for Dark Winds), and many others. AMC’s Dark Winds series grew from stories and characters by Tony and Anne Hillerman. The production stars Zahn McClarnon, Kiowa Gordon, Jessica Matten and Deanna Allison among others. The show has been honored with two Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globes, a Western Heritage Awards for the best fictional television drama of 2023 and 2024, and several Vision Awards from the National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications. In 2024 it was nominated for an Edgar award for best screen play from Mystery Writers of American. Dark Winds is one of the most watched shows on AMC and AMC + When Anne’s not working, she loves to walk with her dogs, read, cook, travel and enjoy the night sky. She lives in Santa Fe and Tucson. /episode/index/show/buttercup/id/32621917

Ep 60 Dr. Micki Ostrosky 05/04/2024

Ep 59 Mentoring with Dr. Ilene Schwartz 04/29/2024

Ep 58 Dr. Ann Anderson Berry 04/19/2024

Ep 57 Zaentz Early Childhood Initiative 03/10/2024

Ep 56 Dr Alessandra Landini 08/12/2023

Ep 55 Dr. Robin McWilliam 06/09/2023

Ep 54 Dr Scott McConnell 01/24/2023

Ep 53 Dr Edward Melhuish 01/12/2023

Ep 52 Dr. Emer Ring 12/06/2022

Ep 52 Dr. Emer Ring Prof Emer Ring is Dean of Early Childhood and Teacher Education at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick. Prof Ring leads and manages one of the largest education faculties in Ireland, which provides a wide range of programmes from early childhood to post-primary level at undergraduate and post-graduate levels. She is a Lecturer in the area of Early Years Education, Inclusion and Education Policy on the Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Care and Education (BA ECCE) and the Bachelor of Education (BEd) programmes. Prof Ring’s previous experience includes Head of Department of Reflective Pedagogy and Early Childhood Studies (2011-2019). She engages in, and has led a wide range of national and international research in education related to early childhood, primary, post-primary, and special school contexts, including presenting at conferences and seminars and publishing widely. Prof Ring has also been District and Senior Department of Education Inspector with responsibility for inspection of education provision for children in early years,’ primary, post primary and special school settings (2001-2011), with a particular focus on special education. Her teaching experience spans the role of early years education and shared teacher of children with special educational needs (1981 – 2001). Prof Ring engages in supervision of students on practicum experiences and supervises a wide range of undergraduate and post-graduate research at Masters’ and PhD levels. Prof Ring led the design, development and evaluation of the multiple-award winning Leadership for INClusion in the Early Years (LINC) Programme focused on supporting inclusion in early childhood settings. She has extensive experience in the development of inclusion across the education system and has recently completed a publication for the National Council for Special Education focused on charting the development of special education in Ireland 1922-2022. Other publications include Leading Inclusion from the Inside Out: A Handbook for Parents and Early Childhood Teachers in Early Learning and Care, Primary and Special School Settings; Autism from the Inside Out: A Handbook for Parents, Early Childhood, Primary, Post-primary and Special School Settings and The Contemporary Relevance of John Dewey’s Theories on Teaching and Learning: Deweyan Perspectives on Standardization, Accountability, and Assessment in Education. Together with Dr Lisha O’Sullivan, Prof Ring is co-authoring a further publication for Peter Lang: Play from the Inside Out: A Handbook for Students, Teachers and Parents, which is due for publication in 2024. /episode/index/show/buttercup/id/25240329

Ep 51 Michelle Kang CEO NAEYC 11/08/2022

Ep 51 Michelle Kang CEO NAEYC Michelle Kang serves as the Chief Executive Officer for the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), a global association advocating for high quality early learning for all children. Prior to becoming CEO, Michelle served as NAEYC’s inaugural Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer, in which she oversaw the strategy and daily operations for Membership, Early Learning Program Accreditation, Publications, Conference, Market Solutions and Global Engagement. During her tenure, the organization dramatically pivoted to serve the field through the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, including successfully conducting virtual conferences serving thousands of educators, the first-ever Symposium on Developmentally Appropriate Practice and a virtual Professional Learning Institute that delivered more than 235,000 certificates of professional development. She has guided the substantial system adjustments necessary to support child care and preschools attaining and maintaining accreditation through the pandemic and shepherded the development and launch of the fourth edition of NAEYC’s Developmentally Appropriate Practice book, a critical text used widely as the basis for quality early learning. Prior to joining NAEYC, she served in leadership roles at Bright Horizons, an international provider of early education, most recently as Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Operational Strategy. Her 16-year tenure at Bright Horizons included building partnerships with leading global employers to develop and implement dependent care supports–child care, back-up care, and educational advising services. In building these partnerships, she gained a deep appreciation for the life-changing work that early educators do every day. Drawing on her experiences as the daughter of Korean immigrants, Michelle is committed to creating belonging within organizations and developing inclusive leadership and mentoring opportunities. Also an ardent supporter of higher education student development, Michelle has served as a Resident Tutor and Scholar at Harvard University and as a member of the Student Engagement and Leadership Advisory Board for The College of William & Mary. Michelle holds a Bachelor’s degree from the College of William and Mary, a Masters of Education in Leadership and Policy from the University of Virginia and a Masters of Science in Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management from Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford (UK). She and her husband live in Maryland with their three children. /episode/index/show/buttercup/id/24943053

Ep 50 Dr. Iheoma U. Iruka 10/16/2022

Ep. 49 Al Spain Co-Founder of jetBlue 10/08/2022

Ep. 49 Al Spain Co-Founder of jetBlue Al Spain has over 50 years of operations leadership. His background reflects a career spanning general aviation, military, airline, and corporate aviation operations. Most recently, Captain Spain served as a founder and Senior Vice President Operations of JetBlue Airways Corporation in New York. He retired from JetBlue in 2006 and prior to JetBlue, he was Vice President Flight Operations for Continental Micronesia Airlines, a subsidiary of Continental Airlines. Captain Spain retired from Continental Airlines in 1998 after serving in Flight Standards and Training Division as well as a Captain in line flight operations. He was the FAA designated Director of Operations for both Continental Micronesia and JetBlue. He was domicile Chief Pilot for Oceanic Contractors, a privately owned airline operating in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Most recently, Captain Spain served on the Board of Directors of Pinnacle Airlines, Inc. He has recently served the US Federal Government’s Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO) as an Independent Assessment Team member. He also was a member of the National Academies of Science, National Research Committee on Research and Development for Wake Turbulence and NAOMS review committee. He recently served on the FAA Safety Team (FAAST) as a Safety Representative. He is currently involved with Civil Air Patrol at the Wing and National levels, is working with Unmanned Aircraft System development, and is also a member of the Association of Unmanned Vehicles International. Mr. Spain holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Louisiana Tech University and a Master of Business Administration from Concordia University (Montreal, Canada). He is a Senior Member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, has served as a member of the Industry Advisory Board of MIT’s Global Aviation Industry Program, and was a member of the Aviation Department Advisory Committee of the State University of New York at Farmingdale. Captain Spain served on the board of The Low Country Economic Development Alliance and the Beaufort County Airports Board. He previously served on the Aviation Management Advisory Board of Auburn University and is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors. Captain Spain flew as a combat pilot in Vietnam (Forward Air Controller) and among his awards are the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and Air Medal for Valor. His last military assignment was as Chief, Flight Evaluation Branch, USAAVNS. /episode/index/show/buttercup/id/24628185

Ep. 48 Dr. Timothy Almon Askew 08/31/2022

Ep. 48 Dr. Timothy Almon Askew Dr. Timothy Almon Askew holds a B.A. degree from Morehouse College, Summa Cum Laude with Phi Beta Kappa distinction as a junior-year inductee. He received the master’s degree at Yale University. Dr. Askew was an NCEA Doctoral Fellow in the English Department at the University of South Florida. Pursuing an interdisciplinary degree in American Studies and focusing on American Literature and American Music, he received the Ph.D. degree at Emory University and had the distinction of being the first Ph.D. Marshal at the University. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including a 4-year Academic Scholarship, Morehouse College; Readers Digest Foundation Scholar, Morehouse College; University Fellowships, Yale University; National Consortium for Educational Access Doctoral Fellowship, The University of South Florida; University Fellowships, Emory University; The United Negro College Fund Dissertation Fellowship; Teacher of the Year, Clark Atlanta University; The N.A.A.C.P. Image Award for Excellence in Teaching English, Clark Atlanta University; National Endowment for the Humanities Scholar. Dr. Askew was the Atlanta Public Library “Lift Every Voice and Sing” Centennial Celebration Speaker at Georgia State University and has been featured in the Atlanta Constitution and the Houston, Texas newspaper African American News for his research on the song, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Dr. Askew is a tenured Full Professor of English and Humanities at Clark Atlanta University. He is the Founding President of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society at Clark Atlanta University and a Sustaining Member of Phi Beta Kappa. He is the author of the following books: Cultural Hegemony and African American Patriotism: An Analysis of the Song, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and Refreshing The American Literary Canon, both by Linus Publications, New York. Dr. Askew is the 2017 C. Eric Lincoln Scholar at Clark Atlanta University, one of the highest honors bestowed on a professor at the university. On May 22, 2019, Dr. Askew received the highest honor bestowed on a faculty member at Clark Atlanta University, the Aldridge/McMillan Award for overall excellence in teaching, research, and service. Dr. Askew was named a Mellon Scholar, February 2020. /episode/index/show/buttercup/id/24229554

Ep 47 Dr Walter Gilliam 07/08/2022

Ep 47 Dr Walter Gilliam Dr. Walter S. Gilliam is the Elizabeth Mears & House Jameson Professor of Child Psychiatry and Psychology at the Yale Child Study Center and Director of Yale’s Edward Zigler Center in Child Development and Social Policy. Dr. Gilliam is Vice President of ZERO TO THREE, a past president of Child Care Aware of America; board Treasurer for the Irving Harris Foundation, and a board director for First Children’s Finance, and All Our Kin; and a former Senior Advisor to the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Dr. Gilliam is co-recipient of the prestigious 2008 Grawemeyer Award in Education for the coauthored book, A Vision for Universal Preschool Education. Dr. Gilliam’s research involves early childhood education and intervention policy analysis (specifically how policies translate into effective services), ways to improve the quality of prekindergarten and child care services, the impact of early childhood education programs on children’s school readiness, and effective methods for reducing classroom behavior problems and preschool expulsion, as well as issues of COVID-19 transmission, vaccination, and health and safety promotion in early childhood settings. His scholarly writing addresses early childhood care and education programs, school readiness, and developmental assessment of young children. Dr. Gilliam has led national analyses of state-funded prekindergarten policies and mandates, how prekindergarten programs are being implemented across the range of policy contexts, and the effectiveness of these programs at improving school readiness and educational achievement, as well as experimental and quasi-experimental studies on methods to improve early education quality. His work frequently has been covered in major national and international news outlets for print (e.g., New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Chicago Tribune, LA Times), radio (e.g., NPR), and television (e.g., CNN Headline News, NBC TODAY Show, CBS Early Show, ABC Good Morning America, ABC World News Tonight, FOX News). Dr. Gilliam actively provides consultation to state and federal decision-makers in the U.S. and other countries (such as the People’s Republic of China and the United Arab Emirates) and frequently provides U.S. Congressional testimony and briefings on issues related to early care and education. /episode/index/show/buttercup/id/23689229

Ep 46 Chrisanne Gayl 05/24/2022

Ep 45 Dr. Natalie Danner 05/24/2022

Ep 44 Dr. Bo Stjerne Thomsen 05/13/2022

Ep 44 Dr. Bo Stjerne Thomsen Dr. Bo Stjerne Thomsen is Vice-President, Chair of Learning Through Play, and member of the Leadership Team at the LEGO Foundation. As Chair and senior expert on how children and adults learn through play, he provides consultation at a bilateral, regional and multilateral level to international partners and leaders. He represents the LEGO Foundation and the LEGO Brand Group at international forums, and advises leadership teams across the LEGO entities, to attain the overall LEGO Brand Vision of becoming a global force for Learning Through Play. Over the years, Bo lead the international research agenda and organizational expertise on children’s development, play and learning for the LEGO Foundation and supporting the LEGO Group. In his previous roles as Director of the LEGO Learning Institute, Head of the Centre for Creativity, Play and Learning, and Global Head of Research, he built more than 15 international research partnerships and supported the implementation of evidence into projects across 20+ countries, to raise awareness around the role and impact of play on creativity and lifelong learning. Bo Stjerne has published widely on Creativity, Play and Learning, most recently on the integrated role of technologies in everyday life, and the systems change needed in schools and education to achieve equitable outcomes with learning through play. He is a frequent contributor and advisor to international forums like OECD, WISE, UNGA and WEF, and provides research directions for projects worldwide, to bring attention to the quality of childhood and the power of learning through play. He holds a master’s degree in design, architecture and engineering, and a PhD on performative technologies and learning environments. He has been a visiting scholar at the MIT Media Lab in Boston, studied research management and leadership at Copenhagen Business School and IMD in Switzerland, and an advisor to various international research organizations including the Torrance Centre for Creativity, the University of Cambridge PEDAL Research Centre, WISE, OECD, Design for Play in Denmark, World Innovation Summit for Education, and the Lifelong Learning Lab at Tsinghua University. You can follow him on Twitter: @BoStjerne /episode/index/show/buttercup/id/23105345

Ep 43 Dr. Rhian Evans Allvin 10/03/2021

Ep 43 Dr. Rhian Evans Allvin Rhian Evans Allvin Chief Executive Officer National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Rhian Evans Allvin serves as the chief executive officer of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), a position she has held since August 2013. She is responsible for guiding the organization’s as well as overseeing daily operations. NAEYC is the largest national professional association for early childhood educators. Its mission is to promote high-quality early learning for all children, birth through age 8, by connecting practice, policy, and research. NAEYC advances a diverse and dynamic early childhood profession and supports all who care for, educate, and work on behalf of young children. During Rhian’s tenure, NAEYC has successfully completed a dramatic structural transformation to: better serve members nationally and at the state and local levels; exert strong policy and advocacy leadership; and streamline NAEYC’s early childhood program accreditation system to decisively and accessibly define early childhood program quality. Before joining NAEYC, Evans Allvin was a guiding force in Arizona’s early childhood movement for more than 15 years. In 2006, she cowrote the citizens’ ballot initiative that created First Things First (FTF), which set aside $130 million in annual Arizona tobacco tax monies to support the health, development, and education of children birth to age 5. FTF also created a state agency to ensure that all Arizona children start kindergarten prepared to succeed in school and in life. Then-governor Janet Napolitano appointed Evans Allvin to FTF’s inaugural state board, on which she served for three years before becoming FTF’s chief executive officer. During her tenure, the organization led and participated in a variety of Arizona statewide early childhood systems-building efforts, including panels that adopted the Arizona Model Early Childhood System Framework; the development of FTF’s 10 School Readiness Indicators; the FTF National Research and Evaluation Advisory Panel; and the development and rollout of Quality First, Arizona’s quality rating and improvement system. Earlier experiences also helped prepare Rhian for her role at NAEYC. As a founding partner in the Brecon Group, she specialized in public policy, philanthropy, and community engagement. As senior advancement officer at the Arizona Community Foundation, she used her knowledge in community organizing, communications, fundraising, and nonprofit management to help donors connect their philanthropic interests with community needs. Additionally, she served in leadership roles with Libraries for the Future, a national nonprofit promoting the important role of public libraries in American life, and Children’s Action Alliance, Arizona’s state-based child advocacy organization. Rhian has authored a number of white papers, articles, policy briefs, and reports, and she regularly serves as a presenter for diverse international, national, state, and community conversations. Rhian Evans Allvin holds a bachelor’s degree from Northern Arizona University and a master’s degree in business administration from Arizona State University. She has earned various honors and widespread recognition for her work on behalf of children, including being inducted into the Northern Arizona University College of Education Hall of Fame in 2016 and being given the Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center’s Excellence in Early Education Award in 2015, the Southern Arizona AEYC’s Board Award in 2014, and the Junior League of Phoenix Valley’s Impact Award in 2011. Rhian is married to Paul Allvin, and they live in Falls Church, Virginia, with their three children. /episode/index/show/buttercup/id/20690153

Ep 42 BizKids 07/29/2021

ButterCup

TOPICS