The Student-Centered Shift: Empowered International Schools and Classrooms Through Project-Based Learning

Want more Curious Learners? Start with Yourself

Aug 6, 2025

Austin Levinson, Director of Learning at Megaminds, is a passionate advocate for student agency and curiosity. He shares how modeling vulnerability and collaborative projects can inspire student risk-taking and genuine learning. The conversation dives into the transformative use of AI in education, emphasizing its role in enriching critical thinking rather than replacing it. Austin also discusses engaging parents and maintaining authentic connections, highlighting that curiosity can be the driving force in classrooms when educators embrace messiness and co-design learning experiences.

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ANECDOTE

Modeling Curiosity Through Projects

Austin Levinson modeled curiosity by doing a travel blog project alongside his students.
He showed his real frustrations openly, like learning about baklava's origin, inspiring student risk-taking.

ADVICE

Cultivate a Culture of Curiosity

Build a culture of curiosity by asking questions at all levels: teachers, students, and leaders.
Shift from teacher-led to learner-driven by encouraging questioning and interaction.

ADVICE

Engage Parents Transparently

Involve parents early by sharing open-ended learning goals and inviting dialogue.
Connect parents' aspirations for their children with project-based, curiosity-driven learning.

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Feel like curiosity is getting lost in content coverage, deadlines, or disengaged classrooms? What if our own vulnerability was the key to unlocking it?

In this episode, I speak with Austin Levinson, Director of Learning at Megaminds and long-time champion of student agency, curiosity, and connection. From macro photography projects to travel blogs and AI-powered adventures, Austin shares how he models curiosity based learning alongside his students, and why doing so flips the traditional dynamic in transformative ways.

You’ll learn:

Why “getting messy” and showing your own struggle inspires student risk-taking
How co-designing projects creates ownership, purpose, and curiosity
How to bring parents and administrators along when you don’t have all the answers
How AI can be used to scaffold—not shortcut—critical thinking and real-world inquiry

Trade control for connection, and rediscover curiosity as your classroom’s driving force

Learn more about Megaminds: www.gomegaminds.com

Connect with Austin on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/austin-levinson-innovator

Get the 12 Shifts Book: https://www.amazon.com/Where-Teacher-Kyle-Wagner/dp/1032484713

Austin's Bio: From a young age, Austin was a soccer referee, running alongside the students on the field, not standing in the center calling the shots. His early teaching roles in Oakland and Richmond, California taught him the power of connection, voice, and risk-taking in learning.Later, while designing STEM and gifted programs in international schools, he focused on deeper learning through questioning, critical thinking, and real-world purpose. Whether leading workshops for parents on constructivism and board games or offering enrichment classes in ikebana, macro photography, and juggling, he kept learning joyful and human.

Back on the school soccer field, he noticed that values like empathy and leadership were best taught through shared experience, not lectures. He brought this mindset into his PBL work, discovering that students take bigger risks when they see their teacher right there with them, learning too. In one project, students used AI tools to co-design film imagery and lead their own discussions. They selected the materials, chose the protocols, and reflected on their facilitation moves—building voice, confidence, and metacognition in the process.

Now as Director of Learning at MegaMinds, Austin is scaling that same spirit of agency and curiosity. Through immersive 3D environments and AI-powered challenges, he’s helping tens of thousands of students think critically, take ownership, and find meaning in their learning.