Episode 27: Inquiry-led Learning. A Conversation with Amir Nathoo
Dec 12, 2023
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Amir Nathoo, CEO of Outschool, talks about inquiry-based learning. They discuss equipping children with necessary skills, rise of alternative education like homeschooling, future of education, unbundling education, benefits of teacher passion. Reimagine education where personalized learning and the joy of discovery takes center stage.
Outschool empowers learners to follow their own paths and explore their interests through a student-centered approach.
Outschool provides a marketplace for teachers to offer live online classes, giving them the freedom to design and teach in ways that align with their teaching styles and students' needs.
Outschool emphasizes inquiry-based learning, creative problem-solving, and critical thinking, offering a wide range of classes that foster these skills and promote deep engagement.
Deep dives
Creating Learners Who Follow Their Own Path
Outschool aims to create learners who are accustomed to following their own paths and have the opportunity to explore their identity and interests from a young age. This student-centered approach is seen as deeply disruptive in a positive and necessary way to society globally, empowering learners to exercise their autonomy and unleash their potential.
Empowering Parents and Teachers with Choice and Autonomy
Outschool provides a marketplace for teachers to offer live online classes that match their expertise and passion. Teachers are given the freedom to design and teach their classes in ways that align with their individual teaching styles and students' needs. This autonomy not only benefits teachers but also enables parents to have greater choice and control over their child's education, allowing for a more tailored and engaging learning experience.
Facilitating Personalized and Inquiry-Based Learning
Outschool offers a wide range of classes that foster creative problem-solving, critical thinking, and inquiry-based learning. Teachers leverage various strategies to promote these skills, with some classes explicitly targeting them. The marketplace allows parents to select classes that align with their child's interests and encourage deep engagement. Students receive feedback and constructive guidance, creating a continuous learning cycle that supports growth and personalized development.
Closing the Feedback Loop and Redefining Assessment
Outschool emphasizes providing meaningful feedback to students rather than relying on traditional letter grades. Teachers actively engage with students and offer customized feedback through tools like AI teaching assistance. This feedback loop gives parents insight into their child's progress and provides suggestions for further support, empowering students to take ownership of their learning journey and cultivate growth mindsets.
The Burning Man Connection and Inspiring Alternative Education
Amir cites the founder of Burning Man, Larry Harvey, as an inspiring figure who has affected the alternative education movement. The values promoted by Burning Man, such as radical self-expression, self-reliance, and communal efforts, resonate with the principles seen in the alternative education and micro-schooling space. These values inspire creativity, individuality, and community building, creating correlations with the core values of Outschool.
On Episode 27 of The KindlED Podcast, Kaity and Adriane chat with Amir Nathoo, CEO of Outschool. We talk about inquiry-based learning, and Amir shares his inspiring journey to creating Outschool and offers insights about the power of out-of-school learning.
This episode also explores: 🔥 how we can equip our children with the skills they need to thrive 🔥 the rise of alternative education movements like homeschooling and microschooling 🔥 the future of education 🔥 the potential of unbundling education and providing a marketplace for teachers and students 🔥 the benefits of letting teachers teach what they're passionate about 🔥 and so much more!
So, join us on this episode to reimagine education for a new era, where personalized learning takes center stage, and the joy of discovery is at the heart of every child's learning experience.
ABOUT THE GUEST: Amir Nathoo is CEO of Outschool, a marketplace for live online classes for K-12 learners. Amir worked at Square, leading the development of Square Payroll. Previously, he served as CEO and co-founder of Trigger.io, a development platform for creating native mobile apps. He holds an MEng in Electrical and Information Sciences from The University of Cambridge. Amir lives in San Francisco with his wife, Kirsty, and their two children.
✨ P.S. If this conversation sparks you to find a class on Outschool, use the code LEADERSHIP20 to get a $20 credit toward your first class. ✨
About the podcast The KindlED Podcast explores the science of nurturing children's potential and creating empowering learning environments.
Powered by Prenda Microschools, each episode offers actionable insights to help you ignite your child's love of learning. We'll dive into evidence-based tools and techniques that kindle young learners' curiosity, motivation, and well-being.
Got a burning question? We're all ears! If you have a question or topic you'd love our hosts to tackle, please send it to podcast@prenda.com. Let's dive into the conversation together!
Interested in starting a microschool? Prenda provides all the tools and support you need to start and run an amazing microschool. Create a free Prenda World account to start designing your future microschool today. More info at ➡️ Prenda.com or if you're ready to get going ➡️ Start My Microschool
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