Brad Kershner Talks Systems, Complexity, and Hope

This week’s episode of Conceptually Speaking features educational researcher and school leader Brad Kershner. This was a special episode for me, as a few weeks prior to recording, I’d purchased his book Understanding Educational Complexity, and was absolutely blown away by its depth and clarity. I was thrilled when he agreed to join us. There are few people in the field who can parallel Brad’s ability to tend to both the micro and macro of education with his level of discernment and nuance. His book, and our dialogue, range from cultivating individual meditative practices to analyzing the thoughts, feelings, and emotions of school communities, to conceptualizing the ways modernity’s values and frames shape how we view the process of education. It is a sobering reminder that everyone, not just students, will need to embrace a journey of lifelong learning if we’re to develop the cognitive and cultural tools for our complex times. Despite the complexity involved and the ways we have to go, Brad’s message is one of hope. We were only able to scratch the surface of the ideas explored in his book, so we encourage you to check it out for yourself. A link, as well as information on his weekly meditation sessions, are in the show notes. Enjoy!

Understanding Educational Complexity 

Brad’s Patreon