20 episodes
YORK Talks The York School
-
- Education
-
-
1.0 • 1 Rating
-
YORK Talks is a podcast for families wanting to learn more about The York School, Toronto's leading co-ed independent school delivering the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12. Established more than 50 years ago, The York School provides 730 JK to Grade 12 students a world-leading academic programme within a diverse, inclusive, and caring environment. The York School is a place where students thrive, faculty and staff inspire, and parents are supportive and engaged members of the community. In Season 1, host Natasha Estey spoke with school leaders, teachers, students, and parents in The York School community about different aspects of the school including topics like what choice, voice, and ownership means in the context of the Primary Years Programme, whether the IB Diploma Programme is worth it, and the role of athletics in learning. One of the reasons families choose The York School is its teachers. In Season 2, Natasha will speak with teachers from the Junior, Middle, and Senior Schools about their call to teaching, their craft, what a day in the life of their classroom is really like, teaching during a pandemic, and their views on the future of education among other things. A new episode will be released every two weeks or so and can be found wherever you get your podcasts.
-
Creating Art
An education in the arts teaches students to perceive and think in new ways. At The York School, creativity, reasoning, imagination, intuition and art-specific skills are all developed as students learn to build bridges between verbal and nonverbal communication, and logic and emotion.
In this episode, Natasha Estey speaks with Music Teacher Cody MacFarlane, Visual Arts Teacher Daniel Neville, Drama Teacher Mary Wood, and Film Teacher Otino Corsano, about why the arts are so important in an IB education.
You can see the arts at The York School in action on Twitter by following the hashtag #YorkLearns. Here are links to some videos of the arts in action at The York School:
Harmony Concert
Vocal Music (Cool Moon)
Concert Band (Crocodile Rock)
Senior School Theatre
Senior School Theatre
Art Battle
IBDP Film
IB Film Promo Video
YORK Connect YouTube Channel
Written and Produced by Natasha Estey
Audio Editing by Andrew Scott -
Learning Another Language
Nǐ hǎo! Hola! Bonjour! What are the benefits of learning a second or third language? Why is this a key component of the IB experience? IB French teacher Andrew Torres, IB Spanish teacher Emily Cunningham, and IB Mandarin teacher Connie Zhao, help host Natasha Estey unpack how learning another language can help students increase their understanding of several cultures, including their own, and explore globally significant ideas and issues through different languages.
Learn about the philosophy of language acquisition as part of an IB education by visiting the International Baccalaureate website. Follow the hashtag #YorkLearns on Twitter to see additional language learning in action.
Written & Produced by Natasha Estey
Audio Editing by Andrew Scott -
Designing the Future
Design class is part of the Middle Years Programme at The York School. Join host, Natasha Estey, in conversation with MYP Design teacher, Tim Cooper, about how this class challenges students to apply practical and creative thinking skills to solve design problems using the Design Cycle.
You can find Tim Cooper on Twitter. Follow the hashtag #Yorklearns to see MYP Design in action at The York School. Learn more about Grade 6 Design, Grade 7 Design, and Grade 8 Design. Learn more about all the cool things students can do with micro:bits. Learn about what's special about Minecraft: Education Edition. Finally, watch the trailer for the award-winning documentary, Coded Bias.
Written & Produced by Natasha Estey
Audio Editing by Andrew Scott -
Navigating Middle School
The bridge years between primary school and secondary school are a pivotal time for young adolescents, whose bodies and minds are developing more rapidly than at any stage other than the first two years of life. Middle School can be tumultuous but it can also be a lot of fun! It’s a time when students really start to frame their future in terms of identity and interests.
Join host, Natasha Estey, in conversation with teachers that bookend the Middle School experience - Grade 6 homeroom teacher, Teresa MacDonald, and Grade 8 homeroom teacher, Shelley Gopal - about how they bring joy into learning along with problem-solving and real-life applications, focus on how students learn as well as what they learn, and help students understand their positionality in the world.
Follow the hashtag #Yorklearns on Twitter to see more of the Middle School in action. You can find Shelley Gopal on Twitter @shelleygopal and Teresa MacDonald @mstmacdonald.
Books in Shelley Gopal's Grade 8 Book Club include:
Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazemian
Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson
All American Boys by Jason Reynolds & Brendan Kiely
The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin
You can read more about the Harkness Method here.
Written & Produced by Natasha Estey
Audio Editing by Andrew Scott -
Integrating Indigenous Education
The York School’s Indigenous Education Committee is a response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action # 62 through 65 that have to do with Education for Reconciliation. In this special Bonus episode, host Natasha Estey speaks with Indigenous Education Comittee leaders, Sean Rand and Sara Akbari, about what they are doing to advance Race, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion work at The York School and to integrate indigenous education.
Follow the hashtag #Yorklearns on Twitter to see this work in action. You can find Sara Akbari on Instagram @mssara.416.
You can find the book Seven Fallen Feathers at your local independent bookstore. Learn more about the work of Indigenous Education Consultant, Pamela Rose Toulouse. The York School has partnered with Equity Connections for its DEI work. Look at The York School's Interim Strategic Plan.
Written and Produced by Natasha Estey
Audio Editing by Andrew Scott -
Prioritizing Wellbeing
Academic success is intrinsically linked to social and emotional wellness. Wellbeing is a priority at The York School. Our teachers are committed to providing our students with a safe space to acquire the life skills they will need to manage in today’s fast-paced and turbulent world and help them nurture meaningful relationships with others.
In this episode, join host Natasha Estey in conversation with Junior School Counsellor, Amy Faba, about social and emotional learning (or SEL), the RULER approach, mindfulness, and how parents can see themselves as emotional scientists rather than emotional judges.
You can learn more about wellbeing at the Junior School by visiting our website. Information about the RULER approach for parents can be found in this past issue of The Flash. Visit the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence to learn more about RULER and tools like the Mood Meter and creating a Charter.
You can reach Amy Faba at afaba@yorkschool.com. Follow the hashtag #Yorklearns on Twitter to see the RULER approach and social-emotional skills education in action.
Written and Produced by Natasha Estey
Audio Editing by Andrew Scott