Sora Learning Lab

In this episode, Garrett sits down with the VP of Learning and Curriculum Bozena Pajak to learn about how Duolingo thinks about making language learning accessible to the global general public. A trained linguist, Bozena touches on motivating language learners, using data to guide product iterations, and what’s on the horizon for Duolingo.

In this episode, Garrett sits down with venture capitalist, author, and filmmaker Ted Dintersmith to talk about the need for evolving performance assessments in schools. Ted also gets into student motivation in learning environments and the effect of access to technology on the curriculum that we teach.

What would it look like to have a global community of founders building the future of education and the future of work? One where founders support each other and are provided with the resources and connections to help them thrive? That’s the idea that pushed Alberto Arenaza, recently named one of Forbes 30 under 30, to start Transcend Network.

CEO of Mastery Transcript Consortium Mike Flanagan joins Garrett to take a look at how we measure learning. Why isn’t the traditional grades system a good model and what innovative ideas are behind MTC’s work?

In this episode, I sat down with Hailey Maffett, one of our Sora Students who joined us in September 2021. Before coming to Sora, Hailey attended many different schools from private schools to public to online. These school experiences left her feeling unmotivated, unintelligent, and lost. Since finding Sora she has found a new perspective on education, the world, and herself. In this episode, we get into how Sora has changed her feelings toward school and what she is capable of.

Brandon is the Director of Project-based learning at Khan Lab Schools, the famous laboratory school founded by education and Khan Academy founder Sal Khan. Brandon's educational experience started at Tuft University where he studied child development, with a focus on incorporating engineering into the elementary classroom. After getting his MA in Education at the University of Massachusetts Boston. He launched Boston Public Schools' first Engineering Program. He moved to San Diego to lead the engineering program at High-Tech Elementary school. Now Brandon leads curriculum and instructional design in his current role at Khan Lab Schools.

Dr. Christian Bell Onyemali is the director of evaluation and learning at 4.0 schools an organization that connnects, coaches, and invests in people; to test new learning spaces and tools within their community. Prior to 4.0 schools, Christian worked at Austin Independent School District, Teach for America, and Kipp in Texas. Providing Data and Evaluative Support to increase student achievement. She is a firm believer in the power of education and achieving educational equity.

Jennifer Carolan is the Co-founder and General Partner at Reach Capital, a venture capital firm that invests in education companies that expand the reach of education. Jennifer grew up in Chicago and attended two different high schools in the city and the surburbs. Jennifer taught in traditional public schools for 7 years, pursued an MA in Education from Stanford, then went on to learn the craft of venture capital for almost a decade before co-founding Reach Capital. She found venture to be a powerful lever to remove the obstacles that stand in the way of opportunity, especially for those without a voice.

Thomas Gaffey is the Chief Instructional Technologist at Building 21, a nonprofit organization that is reimagining secondary schooling to meet the needs of all learners. Prior to his current work, Thomas studied computer engineering and was a math teacher for a number of years. Thomas is nicknamed "Mr. Pedagogy", as he has always stressed to his colleagues the importance of pedagogy coming first and how his organization should be training teachers on not just on technology tools, but good pedagogy and teaching.

Esther Wojcicki is no stranger to the concept of innovation. She's the famous parent of the Wojcicki sisters, all of whom have achieved tremendous professional success: one is now the CEO of Youtube, the other the CEO of 23andMe, and the last a leading researcher currently at UCSF. She has written two books, one on parenting called "How to Raise Successful People" and one on pedagogy called "Moonshots in Education". Esther herself has an impressive resume. As a former high school teacher that has earned multiple teaching awards, she has a long career in education, journalism, and technology. Now, Esther is the co-founder of Tract, a peer to peer learning platform where kids ages 8 to 14 watch videos created by inspiring and ambitious teenagers.