The Learnit Podcast

As founder of GoStudent, a 1:1 video tutoring platform operating in 17 countries, Felix Ohswald believes the biggest problem in education is a lack of access to great teachers. Having raised €291M, the platform connects 7000 tutors to 18,000 students. We discuss whether online 121 tutoring is more effective than in-person, whether tutoring can reduce equity gaps rather than exacerbate them and how GoStudent analyzes its data to understand what makes for effective learning.This episode is sponsored by SMART Technologies: https://www.smarttech.com/education/profileShow Notes:More about GoStudent: https://www.gostudent.org/en Favourite ‘book’ about learning: the Richard Feynman Lectures, https://www.feynmanlectures.caltech.edu/

As Co-founder and Co-CEO of MeeToo, Suzi Godson has built an app that allows young adults aged 11 to 25 to anonymously seek and offer advice from peers in their age range. With real life moderators making sure the advice is sound and signposted, 50k students now use MeeToo and they’ve recently launched a mirror version, for teachers. We discuss what different age groups are worried about and the support teachers need, for themselves and to better aid their students.This episode is sponsored by SMART Technologies: https://www.smarttech.com/education/profile Show Notes:MeeToo app via the NHS site: https://www.nhs.uk/apps-library/meetwo/MeeToo Connect App (for teachers): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=co.uk.meetwo.connect&hl=en_GB&gl=USMore about Suzi Godson: http://suzigodson.com/about-the-site/Details of their data on mental health stats in the UK: https://www.youngminds.org.uk/about-us/media-centre/mental-health-statistics/Favourite books: ‘Girl, Woman, Other’ by Bernadine Evaristo, https://bevaristo.com/girl-woman-other/. ‘Shuggie Bain’, by Douglas Stuart https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52741293-shuggie-bain ‘Detransition, Baby’ by Torrey Peters, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48890225-detransition-baby

As Principal of rural comprehensive Ansford Academy, Shonogh Pilgrim spent the last 7 years designing for and around student agency. We discuss how the pandemic accelerated the move toward giving students independence, why every school should have a flexi schooling option and an entirely different approach to student exclusion. This episode is sponsored by SMART Technologies: https://www.smarttech.com/education/profileShow notes:More about Ansford Academy: https://www.ansford.org.uk/ More about Whole Education: https://www.wholeeducation.org/about-us/ More about Ansford’s coaching model: https://www.wholeeducation.org/watch-how-ansford-academy-develops-student-agency-and-independence-with-coaching/ More about Kunskapsskolan: http://kunskapsskolan.com/aboutus.4.1d96c045153756b0c14d5714.html Favourite book about learning: ‘Craft of the Classroom’, Michael Marland https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/3272096-craft-of-the-classroom Favourite book: ‘Start With Why’, Simon Sinek, https://simonsinek.com/product/start-with-why/

Omega Schools is a network of 35 low cost, pay as you go, private schools in Ghana, serving 8,500 students. Joining as interim CEO in 2014, Alain Tanefo was brought in to turn around the business. Last year, Rising Academies bought Omega. We discuss the challenges with the low fee private school model, ways they stay committed to the most marginalized kids, and how Omega managed to increase its enrolment after the pandemic.This episode is sponsored by SMART Technologies: https://www.smarttech.com/education/profile Show notes: More about Omega Schools: https://omega-schools.com/ More about Rising Academy Network: https://www.risingacademies.com/ Rise of expenditure on education: https://thedocs.worldbank.org/en/doc/507681613998942297-0090022021/original/EFWReport2021219.pdf Favourite book about learning: James Tooley, ‘The Beautiful Tree: A Personal Journey Into How the World's Poorest People Are Educating Themselves’ https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6147197-the-beautiful-tree

At 3:30pm every day, thousands of teachers answer three multiple choice questions via the Teacher Tapp app, about their day or their opinions on teaching. Teacher Tapp then analyses and shares the resulting real time data from frontline education workers. Co-founder Laura McInerney shares their reasons for starting the app, what she’s learned from listening to teachers and how we might improve schools as a result.This episode is sponsored by SMART Technologies: https://www.smarttech.com/education/profile Show notes:More about Teacher Tapp, https://teachertapp.co.uk/More about Laura McInerney, https://lauramcinerney.com/Weekly Teacher Tapp blog, https://teachertapp.co.uk/blogs/Sutton Trust research on lockdown learning, https://www.suttontrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Remote-Learning-The-Digital-Divide-Final.pdfParent Ping, https://parentping.co.uk/Nuffield Research, https://teachertapp.co.uk/teacher-anxiety-alcohol-stress-christmas/Favourite book about learning, Seymour Sarason, ‘The Culture of the School and the Problem of Change’ https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2334063.The_Culture_of_the_School_and_the_Problem_of_ChangeFavourite book John Irving ‘World According to Garp’ https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7069.TheWorldAccordingtoGarp

The Circulus Institute offers the first competency based, adult social and emotional learning certification; a set of courses and coaching built around teacher well being. As CEO and Co-founder, Ellen Mahoney’s work supports teachers in order to better support children. We discuss the motivations behind their work, navigating resistance and the impact of Covid-19. This episode is sponsored by SMART Technologies: https://www.smarttech.com/education/profile Show Notes: More about Circulus Institute - www.circulusinstitute.orgMore about Sea Change Mentoring - www.seachangementoring.comMentoring work by Dr Carla Herrera - https://greatlifementoring.com/team/dr-carla-herrera/The Hemingway scale, Dr Michael Karcher - http://adolescentconnectedness.com/The work of Michael J. Nakkula - https://www.gse.upenn.edu/academics/faculty-directory/nakkulaThe abuse of Devonte Hart - https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/27/us/hart-family-crash.htmlAdultification of Black girls - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/17/parenting/adultification-black-girls.htmlTeacher well being index - https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/resources/research-reports/teacher-wellbeing-index-2020RAND Corporation, report on teacher related stress - https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1108-1.htmlMore about CASEL - https://casel.org/

Opening in September 2021, the London Interdisciplinary School radically challenges a lot of assumptions within higher ed. As the first new university (with degree awarding powers) in Britain since the 1960s, their curriculum is designed around solving real-world problems. With faculty from Oxford and Harvard, Co-founder and CEO Ed Fidoe discusses the need to teach skills employers want and their attempt to dismantle the traditional system - or at least offer an alternative to it.Show notes: More about LIS: https://www.londoninterdisciplinaryschool.org/Importance of studying everything: https://www.independent.co.uk/independentpremium/long-reads/london-interdisciplinary-school-omniscience-study-b1800801.htmlTeaching the skills employers want: https://qz.com/1781574/the-london-interdisciplinary-school-takes-a-new-real-world-approach/More about School21: https://www.school21.org.uk/Favourite book about learning: ‘Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge’ by Edward O. Wilson, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55981.ConsilienceFavourite book not about learning: ‘The Years of Lyndon Johnson’ by Robert Caro, https://www.robertcaro.com/the-books/Binge-watching: 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills', https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1720601/

Money is pouring into edtech. In 2010 there was $500 billion of venture funding; last year it was 32 times that. As Co-founder and Managing Partner of Juvo Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on early stage technology-enabled education companies, Maia Sharpley makes a compelling case for why this acceleration is here to stay. We discuss everything from how frothy the upskilling and corporate market is, to the tutoring and test prep market, to why she left an established firm to start her own venture.Show notes:- More about Juvo Ventures: https://www.juvovc.com/- Global edtech unicorns: https://www.holoniq.com/edtech-unicorns/- Growth of edtech market: https://www.holoniq.com/notes/global-education-technology-market-to-reach-404b-by-2025/- Portfolio companies: Onramp, https://www.onramp.io/ NewCampus, https://www.newcampus.co/ SchooLinks, https://www.schoolinks.com/- Favourite book about learning ‘Grasp: The Science of transforming how we learn’, Sanjay Sarma, Luke Yoquinto https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49348224-grasp’- Favourite book not about learning: ‘ Cleopatra: A Life’, Stacy Schiff https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7968243-cleopatra

Renowned for being progressive, Elvebakken VGS is one of Oslo’s biggest public schools. As Rector, Camilla Leirvik shares their approach to building skills such as collaboration and time management, and how this approach generates success for all students, not just high achieving ones. We also unpack her claim that Elvebakken is a “not a regular school, it's an environment.”Show notes:- More about Elvebakken VGS: https://elvebakken.vgs.no/- More about Camilla Leirvik: https://www.linkedin.com/in/camilla-hauren-leirvik-605191104/?originalSubdomain=no- Favourite book about learning: ‘Dybdelæring’, Michael Fullan, Joanne Quinn, Joanne Mceachen https://www.ark.no/boker/Michael-Fullan-Dybdelaering-9788202595746?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuaX1y-ij8AIVwxB7Ch1UoACWEAQYBCABEgKAIPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds- Binge-watching: 'Eventyrlig oppussing' / 'Adventurous renovation' https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10373928/

India’s new education policy proposes huge changes for the country's 472M children. As Director-Principal at Nehru World School and part of the Central Board of Secondary Education, responsible for setting the standards of national education policy, Arunabh talks about the required shift in mindset, the previous attempts to reform India's curriculum and what needs to happen to get this policy from paper into reality.Show notes:- Twitter: @SinghArunabh- More about Nehru World School: https://www.nehruworldschool.com/- Anganwadi Functions: https://womenchild.maharashtra.gov.in/content/innerpage/anganwadi-functions.php- Continuous & Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ContinuousandComprehensive_Evaluation- Wren & Martin: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/71722.High_School_English_Grammar_and_Composition- Favourite book about learning: The Third Teacher, http://www.thethirdteacher.com/- Favourite book: Made In Japan, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1008101.MadeinJapan- Binge-watching: The Blacklist, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2741602/