105: The Socratic Experience with Michael Strong

Michael Strong is the most experienced developer of innovative educational programs in the US and the Founder of The Socratic Experience, an online school based on Socratic dialogue that emphasizes personalized and purpose-driven education for students in grades 3-12. His remarkable career in education spans over three decades, and includes creating many high-performance school programs that promote critical thinking, creativity, and entrepreneurship in students across the country. Some of Michael's notable projects include a public school program in which minority female students gained four years' worth of critical thinking gains in four months (on the Watson-Glaser) and Moreno Valley High School, a Paideia charter high school, which was ranked the 36th-best US public high school by Newsweek. He also created The Winston Academy, where middle school students passed Advanced Placement (AP) exams, making it the most academically advanced school in the US at the time. Thousands of his students have been admitted to top universities, including Harvard, Stanford, Georgetown, and many other post-secondary institutions. Michael's impact on education extends beyond the classroom, as he is also the author of The Habit of Thought: From Socratic Seminars to Socratic Practice and Be the Solution: How Entrepreneurs and Conscious Capitalists Can Solve All the World's Problems, which includes a foreword by John Mackey, the Co-Founder and former CEO of Whole Foods Market, with whom he has collaborated on initiatives related to conscious capitalism and entrepreneurship. He has spoken at Harvard, Columbia, Dartmouth, Cornell, the University of Chicago, and dozens of other universities, and his work has been featured in academic journals (The Journal of Business Ethics, Economic Affairs, Critical Review, etc.), specialty publications (Microfinance Insights, Policy Innovations, Carnegie Ethics, etc.), and popular media (The New York Times, Bloomberg, The Huffington Post, RealClearPolitics, Barron's, etc.).Tune in to learn more about the Michael’s approach to education including personalized learning paths, entrepreneurial projects, and how it caters to students' diverse needs and interests.IN THIS EPISODE, WE DISCUSS:Michael’s  journey from traditional brick-and-mortar schools to founding a virtual school during the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing the effectiveness of Socratic dialogue online.An in-depth look at the school's daily schedule, including two-hour blocks dedicated to humanities and STEM, self-paced math, and elective courses in digital and soft skills.The importance of tailoring education to each student’s strengths, interests, and abilities, with examples of how the school supports diverse learners, including those with learning differences.The school's pragmatic approach to assessments, including options for accredited and non-accredited programs, narrative evaluations, and strategies for college admissions.Insights into how educational innovators worldwide are moving away from traditional models to foster creativity, entrepreneurship, and purpose-driven learning in students.RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:Connect with Michael and The Socratic Experience on LinkedIn, Facebook, X, and YouTubeSend Michael an email at michael@socraticexperience.comVisit www.socraticexperience.com to learn more about The Socratic ExperienceCheck out Michael’s book The Habit of Thought: From Socratic Seminars to Socratic PracticeGet your copy of Rebel Educator: Create Classrooms Where Impact and Imagination MeetLearn more about Rebel Educator, explore our professional development opportunities for educators and students, and check out our project library.Visit us at UP Academy to learn more about our personalized and inclusive learning environment.Connect with Tanya and UP Academy on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram and learn more about her journey here.Enjoying the show? Leave us a rating and review and help more people find us! bit.ly/RebelEducatorApplePodcastsWe’d love it if you could take a few minutes to fill out this survey to let us know how we can bring you the best possible content: forms.gle/JcKHf9DHTZnYUmQr6 Interested in being on the Rebel Educator podcast? Fill out this form and we'll reach out to you if we think you'd be a great fit for an upcoming episode. https://forms.gle/CZJXLQDdevPh22ZN7Want to learn more about opening your own UP Academy? Check out the Rebel Educator Accelerator:www.rebeleducator.com/courses/the-acceleratorMORE ABOUT THE REBEL EDUCATOR PODCAST:In each episode of the Rebel Educator podcast, I deconstruct world-class educators, students, and thought leaders in education to extract the tactics, tools, and routines that you can use as teachers and parents. Join me as we discuss how to shift the classroom, the learning environment, the mindset, and the pedagogy, to resist tradition, reignite wonder, and re-imagine the future of education.This podcast is dedicated to all of the educators who work thankless hours to make our next generation the best it can be.  It was designed to begin conversations on how we can redesign education for the future of work and the success of our students.  It is meant for teachers, students, administrators, homeschoolers and anyone who interacts with and teaches youth. 
We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL and MyFlexLearning. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you simplify and streamline technology, reliably meet Tier 1 standards, improve assessment performance, and more. Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.MyFlexLearning is the scheduling platform that helps middle and high schools meet the individual needs of all students. Create and manage time for flex blocks, WIN time, activity periods, RTI, counselor and teacher appointments and much more. And with a built-in accountability tool and re...