Join Ryan and Howie as they look at the educational topic of “Design Thinking”.  Howie and Ryan share some practical applications of Design Thinking as well as resources that they have found helpful in learning about Design Thinking. 

Howie shares a discussion he caught on tape with educator Thomas Riddle and one of the curators of Starwarsintheclassroom.com  Thomas talks about how design thinking is used in his classroom and why he feels that it is important to develop these critical thinking skills with students. 

Listen as Thomas shares how he develops empathy in his students through projects like building a prototype home for the homeless in their community. 

Like always we hope you enjoy the show as much as we enjoyed bringing it to you and we hope you learned a little about design thinking along the way.

Howie and Ryan welcome a very special guest, Disney Historian and author Jim Korkis.

Jim has had a connection to Disney since very early on when his elementary teacher was none other than Mrs. Disney! 

Jim shares his journey from Mrs. Disney’s classroom all the way to his own classroom, where he taught English and Drama.  He then shares with us how he incorporated Disney in his teaching as well as how he now incorporates what he learned from the classroom in his Disney work today.  

We then take a closer look at 4 of Jim’s 33 books, that he has authored.  Jim is one of Ryan and Howie’s favorite Disney authors and it’s not just because he’s a great storyteller, which he is, but also because he is someone we can trust for accurate Disney history and facts

Howie and Ryan discuss two more of their favorite attractions, “Space Mountain” and The “Pirates of the Caribbean”. 

 They discuss the history of these attractions they also share lessons ideas that these classic attractions have inspired. 

 Journey through a Space Station on our way to board a rocket.  The attraction Is packed with learning opportunities and inspirations that you can bring into your classroom.  Learn how to bring new ideas to the table about how you can use Space Mountain in education. 

 Next we grab his sword and parrot and heads to the high seas as the captain of our own educational ship. From History to Communication Arts, Pirates of the Caribbean has all the educational ties you need to fill your lesson plans with adventure and engagement. 

 Enjoy our inspirations from these attractions as well as find inspiration yourself for use in your classroom.