On this episode of Wide Walls, I’m joined by Dr. Gary Stager — educator, author, jazz lover, and one of the most outspoken champions of constructionism and learning-by-doing in classrooms.

Gary has spent decades reimagining how children learn, championing hands-on, creative, and learner-driven approaches inspired by the work of Seymour Papert and Reggio Emilia philosophy.

In this episode, we discuss:

Jazz as a Model for Learning

Jazz blends mastery, collaboration, and deep listening. Excellence emerges from practice, tradition, and co-creation — not shortcuts. Classrooms should aspire to that same standard.

Reanimating the Art of Teaching

Teaching is not curriculum delivery. It’s designing environments where powerful ideas can flourish. Empathy and intuition matter as much as content.

High Ceilings Matter

Creativity without ambition is shallow. Students need real complexity and meaningful standards to grow.

Computers as Intellectual Laboratories

Programming is a way of thinking, not just a skill. When students model ideas with code, they engage deeply with concepts. Making with bits expands what’s possible.

Love Over Duty

Dignity and meaningful work reduce discipline better than rules. Students remember relationships, not worksheets. Love is a better master than duty.

Find more about Gary and his work:

* Personal Website -> https://professorgarystager.com/

* LinkedIn -> https://www.linkedin.com/in/garystager/

* Invent to Learn -> https://inventtolearn.com/

* Seymour Papert Archives -> https://dailypapert.com/

* The Language of Computation - CMK in Reggio Emilia -> https://reggio.constructingmodernknowledge.com/

* Cymbal Press -> https://cymbalpress.com/

In this episode, I discuss with the fantastic Dr. Tessa Forshaw, a cognitive scientist, educator, and innovation leader researching and shaping how we learn and work in an age of rapid change.

Tessa is the co-founder and research lead at Harvard’s Next Level Lab, where she explores learning transfer, creative cognition, and how humans and AI can work together. She also teaches design thinking and creativity at Harvard and previously served on the faculty at Stanford’s d.school. Before academia, she worked at IDEO CoLab and Accenture, bringing together strategy, design, and human-centered innovation.

In her recent book Innovation-ish, Tessa distills her experience and insights into a practical guide for tackling challenges and sparking creative solutions across both personal and professional contexts.

Here are some takeaways from the conversation:

🌀 Get Comfortable with Ambiguity — Tessa’s #1 skill for kids and adults: learn to sit with the unknown and move anyway.

🧪 Innovation Is Everywhere (Not Just Gadgets) — From a child’s DIY monster-detector to a philanthropy’s NLP-powered outreach, process innovation can be just as world-changing as products.

🧭 Mindset · Moves · Metacognition — Tessa’s innovation stack: adopt the right mindset, use small repeatable moves, and steer with metacognition (your inner compass when there’s no map).

🤖 AI: Starter, Not Substitute — Great for jump-starting ideas and surfacing options; risky if it replaces productive struggle, deep schemas, or your own judgment.

🎓 Explore Before Explain — Tessa teaches creativity by letting learners do first, then naming the patterns—so ambiguity becomes a practice ground, not a panic zone.

❤️ Design School Around Love of Learning — If we nurture curiosity and resilience, the rest follows.

Find more about Tessa and her work:

* LinkedIn

* ”Innovation-ish” book

* “Innovation-ish” website

* Next Level Lab @Harvard

In this episode of Wide Walls, I’m particularly excited to welcome Dr. Jody LeVos, a true champion for early childhood and play-based learning.

Jody currently serves as Chief Learning Officer at BEGiN, where she leads curriculum design and pedagogy across a family of beloved learning products, including HOMER, codeSpark, Little Passports, and Learn with Sesame Street. With over a decade of experience designing early learning experiences across digital apps, toys, books, and other media, she’s brought her expertise to some of the most iconic brands in the industry, such as LeapFrog and Mattel.

Jody is also a dedicated advocate for parents and educators, having contributed to major platforms like CES Kids@Play, Psychology Today’s “Science of Play” series, and the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Screen Time Summit.

In this episode, we discuss:

🌟 Jody’s Purpose-Driven Career — Jody’s shift from research to industry as a model for aligning expertise, mentorship, and impact at scale.

🎲 Play as a Learning Paradigm — Why play is foundational (not decorative) to early development and genuine understanding.

🌎 Designing for Diverse Learners — Building inclusive experiences through real-world kid testing, family insights, and evidence of transfer.

📱AI’s Role in EdTech Research and Parenting — Using AI to accelerate prototyping and feedback while guiding families toward thoughtful, balanced tech use.

Find more about Jody and her work:

* LinkedIn

* BEGiN

* Psychology Today

* Children’s Media Association

* Instagram