A School in the Jungle With No Walls & Lessons Every Teacher Needs to Hear
Schoolutions: Curious Educators. Evidence-Based Strategies. Classrooms Where Every Child Thrives.
04/06/26
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In part one of my S5E32 Schoolutions conversation, Dr. Benjamin Freud, Head of Upper School at Green School Bali, challenges conventional beliefs about education. This conversation explores the philosophy of education, questioning whether traditional approaches truly foster learning. We discuss the future of education, focusing on sustainable living and environmental education as pathways to deeper understanding and innovation.
We cover:
→ Why "learning through doing" is not the same as learning and doing, and why that distinction matters for instructional strategies and lesson planning
→ How low engagement and disengaged students aren't behavior problems but design problems
→ Why global citizenship is one of the most dangerous phrases in a school mission statement
→ The difference between regenerative design, sustainability, and what it means for inspiring students and thriving schools
→ The case for philosophy in K–12 as a tool for student participation, critical thought, and whole child development
→ What biomimicry reveals about inclusive classrooms, anti-bias teaching, and a pro-kid mindset that actually scales beyond the jungle
Some Episode Mentions:
- Regenerative Education: Quality Emerges Through Community Voices
- Bruno Latour
- A Thousand Years of Nonlinear History by Manuel De Landa
- The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker
- Coconut Thinking
- The Bird Lab
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction — Meet Dr. Benjamin Freud
1:45 From Paris to Bali: Ben's arc into education
3:30 Bruno Latour and the power of assemblages
5:00 Green School Bali — what makes it different
7:00 Learning & doing (not learning through doing)
9:00 Why skills-based education can be dangerous
11:00 Preparing students for an unknown future
13:00 The sixth mass extinction — education's missing priority
15:00 AI, outputs are dead — it's all about inputs now
18:00 The bio collective and what "we" really means
19:30 The Bird Lab — biomimicry for regenerative design
22:00 Why inclusion always involves exclusion
24:30 Lightning round begins
25:00 Why "global citizenship" is a dangerous phrase
26:30 Stop teaching world history — teach global history
27:30 More philosophy in schools
28:30 History should be taught backward
29:30 What's coming in Part 2: rubrics and assessment
🎧 New episodes every Monday & Friday with bite-sized Wednesday reel bonus content.
📧 Connect with me as a thought partner to help you cultivate curious learners who advocate for what they believe in.
🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl
When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.
Previous Episode
This month, @schoolutionspodcast focuses on cultivating student confidence through insightful conversations. Dr. Benjamin Freud discusses the principles of regenerative agriculture, emphasizing that learning by doing is essential for true understanding. Following this, Colleen O'Brien, Ed.D., highlights the critical role of civic education in fostering informed citizens and strengthening democracy.
Muriel Summers speaks to why we need to believe in children, even before they believe in themselves. And science busker extraordinaire, David Price, shows why science busking is a brilliant way to spread STEM knowledge and education.
🌱 Dr. Benjamin Freud | @greenschoolbali
Discover regenerative education: a philosophy where active learning and real-world doing are inseparable. A must-hear for anyone rethinking instructional strategies and innovative teaching.
🗳️ Colleen O'Brien, Ed.D. | Civics for Colorado
Civics education is more urgent than ever. Colleen unpacks the difference between student apathy and a lack of confidence; a distinction every educator working on student motivation and student participation needs to hear.
⭐ Muriel Summers | @LeaderinMeChannel
Co-creator of the Leader in Me resources, Muriel, reminds us why believing in kids before they believe in themselves is at the heart of a pro-kid mindset and whole-child education. Essential listening for mentor teachers, instructional coaches, and anyone focused on school culture.
🔬 David Price | Science Made Simple UK Science Busker
A science busker with @ScienceMadeSimpleUK , who travels the world, David brings STEM education to life through wonder and curiosity a masterclass in attention in class and empowered educators in action.
Join us this April. We can't wait to see you. 💙
CONNECT & SUBSCRIBE:
👍 Like if you're ready for education transformation
💬 Comment: Which guest are you most excited to hear?
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📱 Share Wednesday reels with your teaching team
📚 Chapters
0:00 - April theme: cultivating student confidence
0:12 - Dr. Benjamin Freud | Regenerative education at Green School Bali
0:30 - Colleen O'Brien, Ed.D. | Civics education & student confidence
0:50 - Muriel Summers | Believing in kids before they believe in themselves
1:10 - David Price | STEM education & the science busker
1:30 - Join us this April
#TeacherPodcast #StudentEngagement #ClassroomBelonging #StudentMotivation #ActiveLearning #InspiringStudents #EffectiveTeaching #InstructionalCoaching #TeacherSupport #MentorTeachers #ProfessionalDevelopment #SchoolLeadership #EducationLeadership #SchoolCulture #EquityInEducation #CulturallyResponsiveTeaching #InclusiveClassrooms #ProKidMindset #WholeChild #StudentSuccess #EmpoweredEducators #EducationTransformation #TeacherImpact #STEMEducation #CivicsEducation #RegenerativeEducation #LeaderInMe #NewTeachers #HomeschoolPodcast #InstructionalLeadership
When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.
Next Episode
This short with Benjamin Freud, Ph.D., of Green School Bali explores how the learning process is intrinsically linked to active participation. Benjamin highlights the profound connection between learning by doing and contributing to community building. Discover how a trajectory focused on community engagement shapes a meaningful learning journey.
This isn't just a school in the jungle; it's a radical reimagination of why we learn, how we grow, and who we learn for. Most traditional schools, through the way they measure learning, keep students individualized and disconnected. But what if student engagement, student motivation, and active learning were rooted in relationships with other people, with nature, with purpose?
This is what inspiring students really looks like. Not through more instructional strategies or lesson planning tricks, but through a shift in school culture and a pro-kid mindset that honors the whole child. Whether you're an educator looking for innovative teaching ideas, an instructional coach exploring coaching strategies, a school leader focused on school improvement and instructional leadership, or a parent seeking a deeper home-school connection, this one's for you.
Real student participation. Real student success. Real education transformation.
🌿 Save this if you believe in empowered educators and thriving students.
💬 Drop a comment: What would change in your classroom or school if learning were about community, not just individual progress?
Watch, reflect, and share Part 1 & Part 2 of our @schoolutionspodcast S5E32 interview.
📌 Subscribe for more tools for empowered educators, teacher mentors, school counselors, instructional leaders, and anyone committed to thriving students and school change.
📚 Chapters
0:00 — School in the jungle: a different kind of learning
0:08 — Learning as process, not collection
0:18 — The trajectory: contribution to community
0:30 — Co-constitutive learning — doing and learning together
0:42 — How traditional schools keep us individualized
1:00 — Nature as teacher: spiders, snakes, bamboo, and belonging
1:15 — It's not about me, it's about the relationship
📧 Connect with me if you’d like a thought partner to help you cultivate curious learners who advocate for what they believe in.
🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl
#Schoolutions #SchoolutionsPodcast #ForeverGettingBetter #CuriosityDriven #EvidenceBased #EducationTransformation #TeachingTips #StudentEngagement #SchoolCulture #InclusiveTeaching #EmpoweredEducators #WholeChild #InstructionalCoaching #EquityInEducation #ActiveLearning #InnovativeTeaching #ProKidMindset #TeacherSupport #SchoolLeadership #ThrivingStudents #ClassroomBelonging #StudentMotivation #CulturallyResponsiveTeaching #TeacherImpact #effectiveteaching
When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.
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