Best Bildung Podcasts (2025)

1
#23 Nancy Sherman | Stoic Wisdom and the Soul of Moral Life 39:10

8d ago39:10

39:10

Our guest in this episode is Nancy Sherman, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Georgetown University and a leading expert on ancient ethics and modern moral psychology. Drawing on Aristotle and the Stoics, Nancy explores what it means to live well, to cultivate resilience without emotional suppression, and to nurture our capacity for connecti…

1
Ivey Patton - Gap Year Launchpad 52:38

9h ago52:38

52:38

Ivey Patton, founder of Gap Year Basecamp, is a passionate advocate for transformative travel experiences. As a dedicated gap year counselor helping young adults plan and thrive on travel adventures around the world, she guides young people through the complexities of independent travel and helps them choose from the vast number of amazing gap prog…

1
Ezra Fradkin, Liz Jordan - Kroka Expeditions, Adventure Education, Wilderness and Consciousness 1:00:46

12d ago1:00:46

1:00:46

Kroka Expeditions is a non-profit wilderness expedition school and organic farm that fosters a living relationship with the natural world and the development of skilled, compassionate, and community-minded young people. Working with youth ages 9 to 19, Kroka provides unique wilderness programs centered around the cultivation of consciousness and al…

1
#22 Peter Singer | Utilitarian and Buddhist Ethics 34:40

22d ago34:40

34:40

Our guest in this episode is Peter Singer, one of the most influential moral philosophers of our time. Known for works like Animal Liberation, Practical Ethics, and The Life You Can Save, Singer has spent his career challenging us to rethink how we live and how we can reduce suffering for humans and animals alike. In his recent book The Buddhist an…

1
#21 Tone Kvernbekk | Evidence-based Practice? 34:07

29d ago34:07

34:07

In this episode, we talk with Tone Kvernbekk, Professor of Education at the University of Oslo, about how teachers think, reason, and act wisely in complex educational contexts. Drawing on her work on the nature of evidence, theory, and practical judgment, she discusses why educational practice cannot simply be based on evidence, but must be inform…

1
Jennifer DeCoste - LifeSchoolHouse, Folk School Networks, Community Development 59:33

21d ago59:33

59:33

Jennifer is dedicated to work that builds strong and connected communities. She is the Founder of a non-profit network of barter-based folkschools called LifeSchoolHouse that began n Nova Scotia, Canada. This platform for grassroots skills sharing creates stronger mor interconnected neighborhoods and reduces the impact of social isolation by offeri…

1
Chris Higgins - Philosophy of Formative Education 1:08:42

1M ago1:08:42

1:08:42

Chris Higgins is Professor and Chair in the Department of Formative Education in the Lynch School of Education and Human Development at Boston College where he co-directs the BA program in Transformative Educational Studies and the Ph.D. program in Formative Education. A philosopher of education, he has written on the existential dimensions of teac…

1
#20 Lou Marinoff | The Practical Power of Philosophy - in Education, Professions and Life 58:37

2M ago58:37

58:37

In this episode of the ResponsAbility Podcast, we speak with philosopher Lou Marinoff, professor at City College of New York and founding president of the American Philosophical Practitioners Association. Marinoff shares his journey from physics to philosophy, and how he became a pioneer of philosophical practice. We talk about his well-known book …

1
#19 Nicola Ulibarri | Creativity in Research 32:30

2M ago32:30

32:30

In this episode of the ResponsAbility Podcast, we speak with Nicola Ulibarri, Associate Professor at UC Irvine and first author of Creativity in Research. Drawing on her experience at Stanford’s d.school, Nicola shares how creativity can be cultivated as a deliberate practice in academia through mindfulness, emotional intuition, structured exercise…

1
Episode #67: Ezra Sullivan - Threefold Educational Foundation Youth Co-Lab 59:23

3M ago59:23

59:23

For this episode of the Microcollege podcast we welcome Ezra Sullivan, of the Threefold Education Foundation in Chestnut Ridge, New York, one of the major centers of anthroposophical work and study in North America. This fall, Ezra will be leading an innovative new semi-individualized learning program called the Youth Co-Lab. This program aims to "…

1
#18 Lars Løvlie | Philosophy of Bildung and Pedagogy 33:34

3M ago33:34

33:34

In this episode of the ResponsAbility Podcast, we are honored to welcome Professor Lars Løvlie—philosopher of education and long-time advocate for a reflective, humane, and relational approach to schooling and teacher education. Drawing on decades of experience and a deep engagement with thinkers like Hegel, Kant, Gadamer, and Dewey, Løvlie shares …

1
#17 Ambrogio Bongiovanni | Interfaith Dialogue 27:17

3M ago27:17

27:17

In this episode of the ResponsAbility Podcast, we speak with Professor Ambrogio Bongiovanni—director of the Center for Interreligious Studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University—about the transformative role of dialogue in education, peace-building, and global responsibility. Drawing from decades of work across religious, academic, and internati…

1
Episode #66: Julia Buskirk, Benjamin Bernard-Herman - Thoreau College Residencies 59:06

3M ago59:06

59:06

Over the past several months, Thoreau College has marked several milestones in our growth and development. As of this year, we are now able to offer transferable college credits for our summer and gap semester programs through a new partnership with Prescott College. And this summer we will be welcoming several students from Oberlin College and Sta…

1
#16 Alfried Längle & Eva Maria Waibel | Existential Pedagogy and Existential Analysis 38:31

5M ago38:31

38:31

In this episode of the ResponsAbility Podcast, we are joined by Prof. Dr. Alfried Längle and Prof. Mag. Dr. Eva Maria Waibel—two leading voices in existential therapy and pedagogy. Alfried Längle, a close collaborator of Viktor Frankl and founder of the International Society for Logotherapy and Existential Analysis, shares his insights into the fou…

1
Episode #65: Stanton Davis - The Living Voice, Breath, Vitality, Theater, Viroqua Shakespeare Festival 1:06:12

5M ago1:06:12

1:06:12

Stanton Davis is the Head of Voice and Speech at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois, where he serves as speech and dialect coach for the graduate and undergraduate actors. Previously, he served in similar roles at Temple University's Theatre Department and SUNY New Paltz where he taught voice, acting, Shakespeare, dramatic literature,…

1
#15 Carol Gilligan | Democracy - The Opposite of Patriarchy 52:46

6M ago52:46

52:46

The Time Magazine listed our guest today among America’s 25 most influential people in 1996. And with that, we are truly honored to welcome Professor Carol Gilligan in this episode! Carol is one of the most influential psychologists and ethicists of our time. She is the author of the groundbreaking book In a Different Voice, which not only reshaped…

1
#14 Helgard Mahrdt | Hannah Arendt and the Double Responsibility of Educators 22:55

6M ago22:55

22:55

Our guest in this episode is Dr. Helgard Mahrdt from the Center for Gender Research at the University of Oslo. She was also Associate Professor at the Department of Literature, Area Studies, and European Languages and Visiting Professor at the University of Ljubljana. Furthermore, she served as a Senior Researcher at the Danish Institute for Advanc…

1
#13 Monika Ardelt | How can you measure wisdom? 35:39

8M ago35:39

35:39

The guest of our episode today is the internationally acclaimed wisdom researcher, Monika Ardelt. Monika is Professor of Sociology at the University of Florida and a Founding Faculty Member and serves on the Advisory Committee of the University of Florida’s Center for Spirituality and Health. She is widely recognized in the global wisdom research c…

1
#12 Bernadette Flanagan | Why Spirituality and Contemplative Studies Matter for Today's Professionals 31:04

8M ago31:04

31:04

Our guest in this episode is Bernadette Flanagan, an internationally recognized researcher in the fields of spirituality, contemplative studies, and professional education. Bernadette was Director of Research at All Hallows College, Dublin City University, and is now Director of the Spirituality in Society and the Professions research group at Sout…

1
#11 Shaun Gallagher | On Astronauts in Awe, Phenomenology & Self-knowledge 35:05

9M ago35:05

35:05

Our guest in this episode is Shaun Gallagher, a leading thinker and scholar in the fields of phenomenology, hermeneutics and the cognitive sciences, with several internationally acclaimed contributions. Shaun is the Lillian and Morrie Moss Professor of Excellence in Philosophy at the University of Memphis and he also has a secondary research appoin…

1
#10 Martha C. Nussbaum | Not for Profit - The Silent Crisis in Higher Education 51:46

10M ago51:46

51:46

In this episode we have one of the most distinguished and well-known thinkers of our times with us: Martha C. Nussbaum. She is currently Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics at the University of Chicago, appointed in the Law School and the Philosophy Department. As a philosopher she published on a wide range of topics like…

1
#9 Hilary Bradbury | Action Research, Dialogue and Spirituality 43:30

10M ago43:30

43:30

Hilary Bradbury is our guest in this episode. She is a key figure in the vast international movement of action research and editor of The Sage Handbook of Action Research, which is without doubt a cornerstone of action research. Furthermore, she is one of the founders and editors in chief of the Action Research Journal as well as curator of the Act…

1
#8 John Hattie | Visible Learning and Intentional Alignment – Purposes and Problems 39:41

11M ago39:41

39:41

The guest of this episode is John Hattie, one of the world’s best-known and most widely read education experts. In our conversation with him, he explains the cornerstones and intentions of his Visible Learning approach. We also discuss several points of criticism that he received for his approach and how he developed it further based on the critiqu…

1
#7 James McGuirk | The Wise Practitioner 40:01

1y ago40:01

40:01

The guest of this episode is professor James McGuirk, Director of the Center for Diaconia and Professional Practice at VID Specialized University and professor II at Nord University, both in Norway. As a philosopher, James gives account of what he means by the notion of “the wise practitioner” and how students of professional studies can develop to…

1
Episode #64: Craig Holdredge, Ryan Shea - Goethean Science, Nature Institute, Ghent, NY 1:07:29

1y ago1:07:29

1:07:29

For this episode of the podcast I spoke with Craig Holdrege and Ryan Shea of the Nature Institute in Ghent, New York about the theory and practice of a very different way of doing science, informed and inspired by the work of the great German poet, scientist, and statesman, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. In contrast to the reductionist paradigm of sci…

1
Episode #63: Grace Greenwald - Pedagogies to Address the Meaning Crisis 57:25

1y ago57:25

57:25

On this episode of the podcast we talk with Grace Greenwald, Research Director at the Springboard Foundation for Whole Person Learning about the white paper she recently researched and wrote entitled "Distinctive Pedagogies that Address the "Meaning Crisis' in Higher Education:" Case Studies from Microcolleges and Living-Learning Institutes." This …

1
Episode #62 - Drs. Rutger Engels, Ginie Servant-Miklos - Bildung Climate School, Rotterdam, NL 1:09:24

1y ago1:09:24

1:09:24

This week on the podcast we spoke with Drs. Rutger Engels and Ginie Servant-Miklos, who recently staged the "Bildung Climate School," a part-type summer pilot program in Rotterdam, the Netherlands that draws inspiration from the model of the Danish folk high school as described by Lene Rachel Andersen in The Nordic Secret as well as from the microc…

1
#6 Cheryl Hunt | Reflective Practice and Spirituality 39:43

1y ago39:43

39:43

The guest of this episode is Cheryl Hunt, Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University of Exeter/UK, Director and Trustee of the International Network for the Study of Spirituality (INSS) and the founding editor of the Journal for the Study of Spirituality. Cheryl gives an in-depth account of Reflective Practice and how it developed historical…

1
#5 Finn Thorbjørn Hansen | Wonder-based Research and Learning to Stand in the Open 40:04

1y ago40:04

40:04

In this episode we welcome Finn Thorbjørn Hansen, professor in applied philosophy at Aalborg University. Finn published extensively on the phenomenology of wonder and assumes it a key-dimension in higher education, professional studies and existential pedagogy in general. By means of the question “What would happen if we in the curriculum of higher…

1
Episode #61: Felipe Medina, Jakob Seidler - Suna Barichara, Colombia 54:10

1y ago54:10

54:10

In this episode of Microcollege, we speak with Felipe Medina and Jakob Seidler, two of the co-founders of Suna Barichara, an aspiring microcollege and educational center located in a remarkable rural community and dry tropical forest biome in the mountains of Colombia. According to their website, Suna Barichara is "a living education platform creat…

1
Episode #60: Hannah Schwartz - Riverflow Community, Monkton, VT 48:43

1y ago48:43

48:43

Join us this week for a conversation with Hannah Schwartz about her life devoted to the service of community and people with disabilities in the context of the Camphill Movement. She was a founder and longtime leader of the Heartbeet Lifesharing Camphill Village in Hardwick, VT and is now engaged with the founding of a new community called Riverflo…

1
#4 Catrine Torbjørnsen Halås | Practical Knowledge and Practice Research 33:27

1y ago33:27

33:27

In this episode, prof. Catrine Torbjørnsen Halås, former head of the Center for Practical Knowledge at Nord University, reflects on the relevance of practice research for professional studies like teacher education, social work or nursing. By means of personal experiences, she gives an elaborated account of what practical knowledge is and outlines …

1
#3 Anders Lindseth | Bildung and Reflective Practice Research 33:49

1y ago33:49

33:49

In this episode prof. emeritus Anders Lindseth talks about his work in the committee for Bildung in higher education (“Dannelsesutvalget - om dannelses perspektiver i høyere utdanning”, 2009) and the fundamental perspectives that this committee brought forward. Furthermore, he discusses the intention of The Research Council of Norway to have more p…

1
Episode #59: Patrick Doyle - Wendell Berry, Metamorphosis, Theater 54:53

1y ago54:53

54:53

Patrick Doyle is a theater-maker, director, writer, poet, and dancer, who has spent a life time turning old buildings into theaters. Patrick is also a certified Waldorf teacher and thrilled to be bringing a new rendition of this production of GIVEN to Viroqua with the Thoreau College students. RSVP on Facebook for the event here: https://www.facebo…

1
#2 Steen Nepper Larsen | Bildung and the Purposes of Education 45:45

1y ago45:45

45:45

Steen Nepper Larsen is associate professor at the Department of Education Sciences at the Danish School of Education at Aarhus University. He is a renowned Danish intellectual and author of many publications. Among them is book together with John Hattie in which Steen challenges the Visible Learning approach. How this book came into life and what S…

1
#1 Gert Biesta | Virtuosity in Professional Studies? 36:49

1y ago36:49

36:49

In this episode we welcome professor Gert Biesta as our guest. Gert is author of the book “The Beautiful Risk of Education” and a well-renown scholar in the field of educational theory. In our talk with him, he explicates why the shift of focus from teaching to learning is unfortunate and why a world-centered approach in education is to be chosen o…

1
Episode #58: Megan Durney, Kim Vaughan - Threefold Community Farm, Chestnut Ridge, NY 1:01:19

1+ y ago1:01:19

1:01:19

This week on the podcast I speak with Kim Vaughan and Megan Durney of the Threefold Community Farm in Chestnut Ridge, NY, just outside of New York City. Threefold Community Farm is one of the key centers for the practice of biodynamic agriculture, as well as the training of biodynamic farmers through the Pfeiffer Center. Biodynamic agriculture is a…

1
Episode #57: Dr. Dan McKanan: Camphills, Intentional Communities, and the Spiritual Roots of Radical Change 1:06:56

1+ y ago1:06:56

1:06:56

This week's guest on the Microcollege podcast is Dr. Dan McKanan, a professor at the Harvard Divinity School who is one of the foremost American scholars of biodynamic agriculture and the Camphill communities, two influential movements applying the ideas of Rudolf Steiner in practical fields. In our conversation, we learn about Dan's own formative …

1
Episode #56: Dr. Richard Kyte - Finding Your Third Place 1:06:02

1+ y ago1:06:02

1:06:02

On today's episode we discuss the concept of "third places" with Dr. Richard Kyte, author of the forthcoming book Finding Your Third Place: Building Happier Communities (and Making Great Friends Along the Way). What is a "third place"? According to Dr. Kyte: "Your first place is home, your second place is work, and your third place is where you go …

1
Episode #55: Eric Schwarz - College for Social Innovation, Boston, MA 1:02:18

1+ y ago1:02:18

1:02:18

In this episode of the Microcollege podcast, join me for a fascinating conversation with Eric Schwarz, Co-Founder and CEO of the College for Social Innovation (CFSI), which offers semester-long immersive service learning internships in partnership with community organizations in the Boston area, as well as on college campuses throughout the northea…

1
Episode #54: Andrea de la Cruz, Nathaniel Williams - The Goetheanum, Dornach, Switzerland 1:02:27

1+ y ago1:02:27

1:02:27

Today's guests are Andrea de la Cruz and Nathaniel Williams, leaders in the area of educational courses and the youth movement at the Goetheanum, located in Dornach, Switzerland. The Goetheanum is a remarkable building, a masterpiece of modern architecture nestled in the green foothills near Basel. It is also an organization that lies at the heart …

1
Episode #53: Blake Boles - Unschool Adventures 57:52

1+ y ago57:52

57:52

Blake Boles is one of the leading voices in the world of unschooling and a passionate advocate for alternative approaches to education of all kinds. He is the founder and director of Unschool Adventures, a travel program for self-directed learners, and is the author of Why Are You Still Sending Your Kids to School?, The Art of Self-Directed Learnin…

1
Episode #52: Christine Deck - Deck Family Farm, Willamette Valley, Oregon 45:00

1+ y ago45:00

45:00

This week on the Microcollege podcast we explore the deeply important and little discussed question of who the farmers of the future will be and how they will be educated. Our guest is Christine Deck, co-owner of the Deck Family Farm in Oregon's Willamette Valley. Together with her husband John and their 5 kids, Christine runs a diversified organic…

1
Episode #51: Philip Francis - Seguinland Institute, The Good Life Gap Year, Maine 1:10:31

1+ y ago1:10:31

1:10:31

Philip Francis is the Director and Co-Founder of the Seguinland Institute, an innovative gap year program provider located in beautiful Georgetown, Maine. Philip is a native son of the region, where his parents settled to become homesteaders under the influence of Scott and Helen Nearing, authors of the early 20th century back-to-the-land classic L…

1
Episode #50: Lene Rachel Andersen - The Nordic Secret for Cultivating Beauty, Freedom, Democracy, and Prosperity 1:12:49

2y ago1:12:49

1:12:49

For the 50th Episode of the Microcollege Podcast, we checked back in with one of our favorite guests from the first few months of the show. Lene Rachel Andersen is one of the stimulating and ambitious thinkers we have met during this remarkable journey. A native of Denmark, Lene is an economist, futurist, Bildung activist, and author of many books …

1
Episode #49: Jill Nephew - Inquiry, Education, Artificial Vs. Natural Intelligence 1:12:57

2y ago1:12:57

1:12:57

Jill Nephew, technologist and founder of Inqwire, joins the podcast for a thorough discussion on different forms of intelligence, questions of meta-crisis in the modern world, and solutions. Inqwire: https://www.inqwire.io/ Some books mentioned in this episode: The Art of Memory by Frances Yates The Book of Why by Judea Pearl Western Estoericism: A…

1
Episode #48: Liz Rog, Amy Arnold - Community Singing 56:31

2y ago56:31

56:31

Liz Rog believes in singing together as an ancient technology for belonging, a simple and powerful tool for restoring our connection in community. She sings with all ages, teaching simple songs that can be woven into the seasons of the year and the changes and challenges of our lives in play, at bedsides, at rallies and in rituals. Liz delights in …

1
Episode #47: Philippe Mesly, Julia Henderson - Great Lakes Institute, Canada 1:05:23

2y ago1:05:23

1:05:23

Philippe Mesly is a writer and translator whose work examines intersections of political economy, religion, and environmental issues. He is also a trained horticulturalist and craftsperson. Julia Henderson is a writer whose work examines the intersections of religion and philosophy, with particular emphasis on Christian mysticism. She currently liv…

1
Episode #46: Chris Barlow - High Mountain Institute, Leadville, Colorado 54:27

2y ago54:27

54:27

Chris Barlow joins the podcast to talk about the High Mountain Institute in Leadville, Colorado and wax poetic on the importance of gap year experiences and alternative educational opportunities for young people in our time. Chris hails from Tennessee and has held myriad roles at HMI dating back to 2005 when he worked as a Spanish apprentice and En…

1
Episode #45: Keri McWilliams - Gap Year Association 59:37

2y ago59:37

59:37

Keri McWilliams joins the podcast for Gap Year Exploration Month, October 2023, to talk about the breadth and variety of Gap Year experiences a young person can find! Keri McWilliams joined the Gap Year Association as the organization’s Executive Director in January 2022. Born and raised in Montana, Keri currently resides in Missoula, MT where she …

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Bildung Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Quick Reference Guide