Great Minds on Learning

Recorded live at Online Educa Berlin, this episode of Great Minds on Learning explores AI and the Global South through history, hard lessons, and contemporary debate. John Helmer and Donald Clark examine early techno-utopian experiments, the ethics wars around AI, and newer perspectives rooted in language, power, and lived experience. From Negroponte and Mitra to Gebru, Arora, Manyika, and Mugane, the conversation asks who AI is really for—and who gets to decide. Timestamps 00:57 – Intro 01:58 – Introduction to AI & the Global South 14:11 – Nicholas Negroponte 17:38 – Sugata Mitra 24:11 – Global South takes on AI 28:11 – Timnit Gebru 32:27 – Payal Arora 37:39 – James Manyika 43:12 – John Mugane 54:49 – Summing up 58:41 – Q&A About the Show Great Minds on Learning explores 2,500 years of learning theory—from the Greeks to the geeks. Hosted by John Helmer and Donald Clark, the podcast connects historical ideas to today's debates in education, technology, and society. Connect LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/johnhelmer X: @johnhelmer Bluesky: @johnhelmer.bsky.social Website: https://learninghackpodcast.com

In this final episode before the summer break, Donald Clark and John Helmer explore the rise of happiness and wellbeing as central themes in psychology, education, and policy. From Seligman's Positive Psychology to Nussbaum's Capabilities Approach, they examine the thinkers who defined the science—and pseudo-science—of flourishing. Is wellbeing a universal human right, or a set of scantly-evidenced models that has somehow become an industry? And what happens when AI becomes your therapist? ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00:00 - Start 00:01:24 - Intro 00:02:25 - Introducing Wellbeing 00:09:07 - Martin Seligman (1942–) & Richard Layard (1934–) 00:21:47 - Ed Diener (1946–2021) 00:29:57 - Carol Ryff 00:41:22 - Corey Keyes 00:51:01 - Amartya Sen (1933–) & Martha Nussbaum (1947–) 00:58:37 - Lucy Foulkes 01:09:03 - Summing up 🔗 Contact LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnhelmer X: @johnhelmer Bluesky: @johnhelmer.bsky.social Website: learninghackpodcast.com

Learning at Scale, from Theory to Action. This episode explores the thinkers who shaped organizational learning—how institutions learn, adapt, and evolve. From Herbert Simon's decision theory to Argyris and Schön's double-loop learning, Peter Senge's "learning organization," Japanese knowledge creation, and Finnish activity theory, we trace how learning moved beyond individuals to become a strategic force for change. A must-listen for anyone in leadership, workplace learning, or change management. Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Start 00:01:24 - Intro 00:02:23 - Introducing Organizational Learning 00:06:29 - Herbert A. Simon (1916–2001) 00:18:38 - Chris Argyris (1923–2013) & Donald Schön (1930–1997) 00:30:14 - Peter Senge (1947–) 00:43:17 - Ikujiro Nonaka (1935–2025) & Hirotaka Takeuchi (1946–) 00:57:01 - Yrjö Engeström (1948–) 01:07:20 - Summing up Connect: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnhelmer X: @johnhelmer Bluesky: @johnhelmer.bsky.social Website: learninghackpodcast.com

The surprising modernity of medieval minds. This episode explores the medieval thinkers known as the Schoolmen—philosophers who fused logic, faith, and classical learning to shape what would become the modern university. From Anselm's ontological argument to Ockham's razor, Donald Clark and John Helmer examine the enduring legacy of scholasticism on how we teach and learn today. Timestamp 00:01:24 - Intro 00:02:23 - Introducing The Schoolmen 00:07:27 - Anselm of Canterbury (1033–1109) 00:14:53 - Peter Abelard (1079–1142) 00:28:02 - Hugh of St Victor (1096–1141) 00:38:41 - Albertus Magnus (c. 1200–1280) 00:44:02 - Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) 00:50:15 - Duns Scotus (1266–1308) 00:59:54 - William of Ockham (c. 1287–1347) 01:05:32 - Summing up Connect LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnhelmer X: @johnhelmer Bluesky: @johnhelmer.bsky.social Website: learninghackpodcast.com

Who is higher education really serving? In this episode of Great Minds on Learning, John Helmer and Donald Clark examine prominent critics of higher education. Economist Bryan Caplan, linguist and activist Noam Chomsky, and tech entrepreneur Peter Thiel offer powerful critiques of the academy. Meanwhile, Harold Wilson, Jennie Lee, and Paul LeBlanc present alternative visions for more inclusive and effective systems. Is higher education broken—or just in need of reinvention? TIMESTAMPS · 00:00:00 - Start · 00:01:54 - Intro · 00:02:55 - Introducing Critics of Higher Education · 00:07:19 - Bryan Caplan (1971–) · 00:20:10 - Noam Chomsky (1928–) · 00:31:41 - Peter Thiel (1967–) · 00:44:06 - Harold Wilson (1916-1995) & Jennie Lee (1904-1988) · 00:57:11 - Paul LeBlanc · 01:06:15 - Summing up Connect with us: · LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnhelmer · X: @johnhelmer · Bluesky: @johnhelmer.bsky.social · Website: learninghackpodcast.com

Education's Ideological Battleground. Education is never entirely neutral. In our own time it has been increasingly seen as deeply ideological. However, whose ideology is being promoted – and does unpicking one set of biases only serve to replace it with a different, opposing set? Donald Clark and John Helmer explore the provocative ideas of influential theorists Paulo Freire, Allan Bloom, Henry Giroux, Judith Butler, Camille Paglia, and Jonathan Haidt. This episode dives into critical pedagogy's role in shaping today's contentious educational culture wars, examining how these thinkers challenged traditional perspectives, ignited fierce debates, and reshaped our understanding of education's relationship to power, politics, and identity. Episode timestamps: 00:01:54 – GMoL intro 00:03:00 – Introducing Critical Pedagogues 00:07:37 – Paulo Freire (1921-1997) 00:18:23 – Allan Bloom (1930-1992) 00:34:06 – Henry Giroux (1943–) 00:43:21 – Judith Butler (1956–) 00:59:48 – Camille Paglia (1947–) 01:14:41 – Jonathan Haidt (1963–) 01:35:15 – Summing up Contact: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnhelmer X: @johnhelmer Bluesky: @johnhelmer.bsky.social Website: learninghackpodcast.com The Blog that started it all: https://donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.com/2021/09/these-were-written-as-quick-readable.html Contact Donald X: @DonaldClark Blog: http://donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.com/

From Babbage to Turing: the roots of AI. In this first episode of Season 7, Donald Clark and John Helmer trace the roots of modern computing and AI through six foundational figures—Babbage, Lovelace, Hollerith, Bush, Newman & Flowers, and Turing. Exploring their machines, insights, and visionary ideas, they uncover surprising links between early data technologies and the digital learning landscape of today. Expect Steampunk vibes, deep dives, and a speculative look at how history shaped learning innovation. 00:01:54 - Intro 00:02:58 - Donald & John catch up - Donald's new tattoo 00:05:42 - Introducing Roots of AI: Early Computing 00:13:41 - Charles Babbage (1791-1871) 00:24:14 - Ada Lovelace (1815-1852) 00:36:31 - Herman Hollerith (1860-1929) 00:50:43 - Vannevar Bush (1890 - 1974) 01:02:50 - Maxwell Newman (1897-1984) & Thomas Flowers (1905-1988) 01:10:25 - Alan Turing (1912-1954) 01:28:20 - Summing up Great Minds on Learning comes from the Learning Hack team and is produced by John Helmer. The podcast is based on a series of blog posts written by Donald Clark, who kindly collaborates on this project. LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnhelmer X: @johnhelmer Bluesky: @johnhelmer.bsky.social Website: learninghackpodcast.com The Blog that started it all: https://donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.com/2021/09/these-were-written-as-quick-readable.html Contact Donald X: @DonaldClark Blog: http://donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.com/

Revisiting Learning Theories: Insights and Challenges for the Future In this special live episode of Great Minds on Learning, recorded at Online Educa Berlin 2024, Donald Clark and John Helmer tackle listener questions about learning theory's relevance, biases, and practical applications. They reflect on three years of the podcast, exploring 2,500 years of educational thought, and discuss the future of learning, including the transformative impact of AI. Engaging and insightful, this episode is a must-listen for learning professionals and enthusiasts alike. 00:00 - Start 00:59 - Introducing GMoL Question Time 08:17 - Why this podcast? 30:52 - What are the 'lessons learned'? 47:48 - What next? AI and the future of institutional learning The Blog that started it all: https://donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.com/2021/09/these-were-written-as-quick-readable.html Contact Donald X: @DonaldClark LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donald-clark-04553022/ Blog: http://donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.com/ Contact John Helmer X: @johnhelmer Email: john@learninghackpodcast.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnhelmer/ Website: https://learninghackpodcast.com/

Send in your questions for the Great Minds on Learning Q&A! Donald Clark and John Helmer will answer them at Online Educa Conference in Berlin, which will be recorded for a podcast episode to be issued before Christmas 2024. Email them in to john@learninghackpodcast.com or reach out on social media.

Deconstructing Continental Philosophy's Impact on Modern Education. At the end of the 19th Century, a split in Philosophy emerged that persists today. The Analytic tradition, led by Frege, Russell, and Wittgenstein, emphasized clarity, logical rigour, and formal methods in language analysis. By contrast, Continental theorists such as Husserl and Heidegger went to a very different place. They focused on human experience and took on broader cultural and political themes, giving us terms like existentialism, structuralism, post-structuralism, and postmodernism. In this final episode of the season, we explore the impact of Continental Theorists. What influence have these radical thinkers, whose writings often seem almost wilfully obscure, had on education and learning? 00:00:00 - Start 00:00:46 - Intro 00:01:59 - Introducing the Continental Theorists 00:09:01 - Martin Heidegger (1889-1976) 00:24:28 - Paul-Michel Foucault (1926-1984) 00:41:11 - Jean-François Lyotard (1924-1998) 00:52:42 - Jacques Derrida (1930-2004) 01:09:54 - Summing up The Blog that started it all: https://donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.com/2021/09/these-were-written-as-quick-readable.html Contact Donald X: @DonaldClark LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donald-clark-04553022/ Blog: http://donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.com/ Contact John Helmer X: @johnhelmer Email: john@learninghackpodcast.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnhelmer/ Website: https://learninghackpodcast.com/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/LearningHack/