Episode 56: Having richer and more meaningful conversations with children

With Rebecca Rolland of Harvard Graduate School of Education and Harvard Medical School

What is “rich talk”? Why is the outdoors such an ideal setting for having meaningful conversations with children? How can we discuss with kids weighty topics like climate change without overwhelming them? Drawing on research and insights detailed in her book The Art of Talking with Children, Rebecca Rolland connects the dots to outdoor and environmental educators in this lively discussion that also touches on the importance of embracing moments of silence, the characteristics of a global citizen, engaging with people who have different perspectives, and meeting young learners where they’re at when it comes to temperament.   

Guest:

Rebecca Rolland is a lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and serves on the faculty at Harvard Medical School. She also served as an oral and written language specialist in the Neurology Department of Boston Children's Hospital. As a nationally certified speech-language pathologist, she has worked clinically with populations ranging from early childhood through high school and has provided teacher professional development. She has an Ed.D. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, an M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology from the MGH Institute of Health Professions, an M.A. in English from Boston University, and a B.A. in English from Yale.

*Episode edited by M. Angel Goñi Avila