

Future Learning Design Podcast
Tim Logan
We are stuck in an old paradigm, with institutional structures that were built for a world that no longer exists. Within education, passionate entrepreneurs & committed citizens are no longer waiting for these broken formal institutions to be reformed. All over the world, they're designing & building their own local responses with relationships at their core. These are the education ecosystems that our young people need and out of which new institutions will emerge. This podcast is an inquiry into these fundamental changes and an invitation to join the movement to help nurture positive change.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 15, 2020 • 30min
Agile Transformations - A Conversation with Gidion Peters
Gidion Peters is the co-founder of the Dutch training & consultancy company Organize Agile specialized in organizational change, agile transformation, business agility and Agile HR. They serve their clients; wide-ranging and including Fortune 500 retail, finance, pharma, telecommunications and engineering organizations as well as the public sector. Their offices are located in New York and The Netherlands.
Gidion defines himself as an 'Organizational change specialist and entrepreneur' with a focus on applying Agile and Scrum outside of IT. He leads and consults on Agile transformations worldwide and frequently speak and publish on topics like Agile HR, Agile Portfolio Management, Agile Auditing, Agile Strategy and Agile Marketing & Sales.
He is the co-author of books Agile HR – the (un)missable role of HR in agile organizations, nominated for Management Book of the Year 2018, and Scrum in Actie (2015). In collaboration with HU University of Applied Sciences, Gidion and Organize Agile also published The 1st International State of Agile HR 2020, an overview of innovative practitioners of Agile HR across the globe.
He believes that everyone can be a changemaker, stable teams are the engine of innovation and the future belongs to flexible organizations.
In this episode, we discuss a cultural values map, which you can find here: Inglehart–Welzel cultural map of the world
Social Links:
LinkedIn: @GidionPeters
Twitter: @gidionpeters

Dec 9, 2020 • 26min
Innovating to Close the Disadvantage Gap - A Conversation with Joysy John
Joysy John is an entrepreneur, digital consultant, advisor and speaker. She is a global connector and a collaborator who makes things happen. She wants to inspire others, especially women and those from low-income backgrounds, to achieve their potential. She mentors startups and high potential leaders.
Until very recently, Joysy was the Director of Education at Nesta and led their work in education across innovation programmes, research and investment.
She is the former Chief Industry Officer of Ada, the National College for Digital Skills where she led the College’s industry engagement and Ada. Advance, online learning website. Prior to this, Joysy headed up international strategic development for EF Learning Labs, led business development for Emerge Venture Lab, Europe’s first education technology accelerator and advised Level 39, technology incubator based in Canary Wharf.
Joysy is passionate about technology education, entrepreneurship and women’s empowerment. She helped launch three non-profits focused on education: Flow (to develop essential qualities), STIR Education (to identify and scale micro-innovations) and Startup Leadership Program (to train entrepreneurial leaders). She founded Founders Fit to help people find the right cofounders based on interests, skills and stage of venture.
Joysy has over a decade of experience in technology, business management, strategy and sales roles with JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley in Singapore, US and UK. She was the youngest person selected into the Future Leader Development Programme at JP Morgan Chase.
She holds a Computer Engineering (Honours) degree from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore and an MBA with Distinction from London Business School where she was the President of the Women in Business Club and a Forte Scholar.Social Links:
LinkedIn: @JoysyJohn
Twitter: @joysyj

Dec 4, 2020 • 39min
Rebuilding an "Inadequate" System - A Conversation with Priya Lakhani
Priya Lakhani OBE is the Founder CEO of CENTURY Tech, the award-winning artificial intelligence education technology company. CENTURY is the global leader in AI-powered learning tools for schools and families, working in dozens of countries across the world.
In 2008, Priya left her career as a barrister to launch a successful cooking-sauce business, which through its charitable foundation provided millions of meals and thousands of vaccinations to the underprivileged in India and Africa, and funded several schools.
Priya was awarded Business Entrepreneur of the Year by the Chancellor in 2009 and Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2014. She was a business advisor to the UK’s coalition government, was appointed to the UK government’s AI Council in 2019 and is a regular commentator on global news for the BBC.
In 2018, Priya co-founded the Institute for Ethical AI in Education. In 2018, CENTURY won a prestigious MIT SOLVE (Education) award, and in 2019, Priya was named Economic Innovator of the Year by The Spectator. In 2020, she was awarded an honorary doctorate by Coventry University’s engineering faculty and appointed Honorary Vice President of the Council of British International Schools.
Social Links:
LinkedIn: @priyalakhani
Twitter: @priyalakhani; @thisiscentury

Nov 27, 2020 • 29min
Educational Ecosystems - A Conversation with Christophe Menagé
Chris Menagé is an interdisciplinary educational leader, consultant, public speaker and the driving force behind e².
Chris has over 20 years’ international experience across private enterprise, government administration and education sectors. For the past 15 years, Chris has successfully applied his critical and systems thinking to educational contexts both in Australia & abroad.
Chris’ wide ranging experience, combined with living with different cultures around the world, is reflective of the transformative competencies educational systems seek to instil in students. He has first had knowledge of how interdependent networks create new possibilities and real opportunities. This unique perspective is ideally suited for our ever-changing world, allowing Chris to bring his fresh insight of future-focused, real world, engaging learning cultures to life – for schools, educators and students alike. His award winning track record at systems level, including a State board, NFP committees and local community groups as well as other practical initiatives, have all contributed to sustained industry wide learning and educational change through collaborative innovative practice.
Through e², Chris now activates partnerships, empowering others to focus on what they do best: co-creating transformative cultures of learning and practice.
Social Links:
Twitter: @EducationalEco1
LinkedIn: @Christophemenage

Nov 20, 2020 • 38min
Fearless Inquiry - A Conversation with Will Richardson
Will Richardson has an international reputation as someone who effectively challenges traditional thinking about schools. A former classroom teacher of 22 years, Will is an author, as well as a blogger, podcaster, leadership coach, and serial entrepreneur. Last year, he co-founded The BIG Questions Institute with Homa Tavangar, which was created to help educators use "fearless inquiry" to make sense of this complex moment and an uncertain future.
Will has spent the last 15 years developing an international reputation as a leading thinker and writer about the intersection of social online learning networks, education, and systemic change.
In 2017, Will was named one of 100 global "Changemakers in Education" by the Finnish site HundrED, and was named one of the Top 5 "Edupreneurs to Follow" by Forbes. He has given keynote speeches and provided coaching services in over 30 countries on 6 continents. He has also authored six books, most recently Freedom to Learn, that have sold over 200,000 copies worldwide, and given TEDx Talks in New York, Melbourne, and most recently Vancouver.
Social Links
LinkedIn: @willrichardsonspeaks
Twitter: @willrich45

Nov 13, 2020 • 45min
[RE]LEARN Conference Special 2 - Conversations with Will Richardson, Kirti Diwan, Blessing Akpan, Sandeep Hooda and Christophe Menagé
Will Richardson has an international reputation as someone who effectively challenges traditional thinking about schools. A former classroom teacher of 22 years, Will is the author of six books, most recently "Freedom to Learn," as well as a blogger, podcaster, leadership coach, and serial entrepreneur. Last year, he co-founded The BIG Questions Institute (bigquestions.institute) with Homa Tavangar. [RE]LEARN Session: We're Not Disrupted Enough Yet: Why Real Change in Schools Will Take More Than a Pandemic, Monday, November 9 • 20:15 - 20:45 (CEST)
Kirti Diwan, currently a Skilling and Capability Lead at Google . She's also a research student and a champion of women's diversity, education and wellbeing. Passionate about supporting SMEs, she loves white spaces where she can apply her problem solving and interpersonal skills to drive change, growth and transformation. [RE]LEARN Session: Learn with a latte, not with a blackboard, Monday, November 9 • 12:15 - 12:45 (CEST)
Blessing Akpan is an educator, social entrepreneur and the Founder of The Innovative Child Network, a not-for-profit organization leveraging mentorship, and training to raise innovative children through skill-based learning. As an Ambassador for HundrED.org, Theirworld, and Xtalks.org, she seeks and shares innovation in inclusive K12 education, promotes literacy among children, and amplifies the voices of young people throughout Africa and beyond. [RE]LEARN Session: Reimagining Asynchronous and Synchronous Delivery for Low-income communities, Monday, November 9 • 15:45 - 16:00 (CEST)
Sandy Hooda is a first-generation entrepreneur who has created successful technology and hospitality ventures. To better understand whether anyone had solved the education puzzle, he spent three years travelling around the world, identifying and visiting the most progressive schools, and galvanising some of the superstar education Leaders behind these schools to create Vega Schools. [RE]LEARN Session: Parenting for the future - timeless skills, Tuesday, November 10 • 15:15 - 15:30 (CEST)
Christophe Menagé is an interdisciplinary educational leader with over 20 years’ experience across private enterprise, government administration and most recently education. Chris offers a unique perspective and fresh insight, bringing future-focused, real world learning experiences to reality – for educators and students alike. Having now founded e2 educational ecosystems, Chris activates partnerships, empowering others to co-create transformative initiatives. [RE]LEARN Sessions: Learning about meaning, not things, Thursday, November 12 • 10:30 - 11:15 (CEST) and Unshackling the elephant in the room. Thursday, November 19 • 11:00 - 11:45 (CEST)

Nov 11, 2020 • 44min
[RE]LEARN Conference Special 1 - Conversations with Yong Zhao, Jennifer Groff, Barack Habumugisha, Rahmatullah Arman and Gahmya Drummond-Bey
Yong Zhao is a Foundation Distinguished Professor in the School of Education at the University of Kansas and a professor in Educational Leadership at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education in Australia. He previously served as the Presidential Chair, Associate Dean, and Director of the Institute for Global and Online Education in the College of Education, University of Oregon, where he was also a Professor in the Department of Educational Measurement, Policy, and Leadership. [RE]LEARN Session: In conversation with Yong Zhao: learning beyond 2020, Thursday, November 12 • 20:15 - 20:45
Jennifer Groff, PhD is an educational engineer, designer, and researcher, whose work focuses on redesigning learning environments and systems. Currently, she is the Innovation Fellow at WISE (Qatar Foundation), where she is leading the development of their Global Innovation Hub. Previously, she was the Chief Learning Officer for Lumiar Education, and earned her PhD from the MIT Media Lab. [RE]LEARN Session: Designing Learning Futures: Helping Schools Catalyze Deep Change to Support Modern Learners, Monday, November 9 • 21:30 - 21:45 (CEST)
Jean (Barack) Habumugisha is passionate about innovative learning. He is member of the Learnlife Alliance and previously spoke at the Thought Leaders Summit in Barcelona. Barack is currently pioneering the creation of Learnlife’s Kigali hub, the first of its kind in Africa. [RE]LEARN Session: The impact of COVID-19 on developing countries’ education sector; case of Rwanda, Tuesday, November 10 • 15:45 - 16:15 (CEST)
Rahmatullah Arman leads Teach For Afghanistan, Afghanistan’s largest youth led organization, as its President and Founder. Arman was selected as an inaugural member of the Malala Fund’s Gulmakai Network of champions for girls’ education. [RE]LEARN Session: Providing Equal, Quality and Safe education in a state of emergency, Thursday, November 12 • 17:30 - 18:15 (CEST)
Gahmya Drummond-Bey is a TED-speaker, global instructional designer, author, educator and CEO of Evolved Teacher. She has redesigned learning programs in more than 30 countries and taught through 2 pandemics. [RE]LEARN Session: This is my 3rd pandemic: Let's Redesign your Remote Learning approach together, Thursday, November 12 • 08:15 - 09:00 (CEST)

Nov 6, 2020 • 27min
Habits of Mind in Personalizing Learning - A Conversation with Bena Kallick
Bena Kallick is the co-founder and co-director of the Institute for Habits of Mind with Art Costa and program director for Eduplanet21, a company dedicated to online professional learning and curriculum development based on the Understanding by Design® framework. She is a consultant providing services to school districts, state departments of education, professional organizations, and public agencies throughout the United States and abroad.
Bena received her doctorate in educational evaluation from Union Graduate School. Her areas of focus include group dynamics, creative and critical thinking, and alternative assessment strategies in the classroom.
Formerly a teachers' center director, Bena also created a children's museum based on problem solving and invention. She was the coordinator of a high school alternative designed for at-risk students.
Bena has taught at Yale University School of Organization and Management, University of Massachusetts Center for Creative and Critical Thinking, and Union Graduate School. She served on the board of Jobs for the Future and was a cofounder of Performance Pathways.
Social Links
LinkedIn: @benakallick
Twitter: @benakallick

Oct 30, 2020 • 33min
Leading Systemic Change in Education - A Conversation with Kevin Bartlett
Kevin Bartlett has held leadership positions in the UK, Tanzania, Namibia, Austria and Belgium, where he was the Director of the International School of Brussels from 2001-2015. Kevin currently leads the Learning Design Team at Escuela Internacional Sampedrana in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, where he is based.
Kevin is Founding Director of the Common Ground Collaborative (CGC), which he established with Gordon Eldridge in 2014. CGC is a nonprofit, global community of sense-makers, innovators, educators and partners who share a common goal to co-create a compelling alternative to traditional ‘curriculum’ designs: a coherent Learning Ecosystem that connects learning, leading, teaching and assessing into one simple, systemic approach.
Kevin has co-designed accreditation systems for European Council of International Schools (ECIS), Council of International Schools (CIS) and New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) and was part of the small team under the leadership of Peter Mott, who developed ACE Learning, an innovative new NEASC accreditation protocol.
Kevin is a regular author of articles on a range of topics, a keynoter/workshop leader at multiple international and national conferences, and on-site consultant on a wide range of topics.
He is a writer and trainer in the field of curriculum design and leadership for learning for the Principals’ Training Center. As a curriculum designer he was the initiator and early leader of the IB Primary Years Programme.
Social Links
Email: kevin@thecgcproject.org
LinkedIn: @kevinbartlett
Twitter: @CGCKevin

Oct 22, 2020 • 38min
A New Paradigm for Lifelong Learning - A Conversation with Christopher Pommerening and Stephen Harris
LearnLife's [RE]LEARN festival is coming up on November 9th - you can find out more and register here: https://relearnfestival.com/
Christopher Pommerening is the Founder and Chief Empowerment Officer of Learnlife. Christopher is an entrepreneur and learning visionary on a journey in which he has evolved from an internet entrepreneur and venture capitalist, into a high impact entrepreneur on a mission to change education positively worldwide.
Christopher has engaged a global team of more than 100 learning experts and thought leaders to build an open ecosystem for a new lifelong learning paradigm. His impact goal is to empower 100 million learners to experience the new paradigm for learning that is suited to the rapid and evolving changes in our world and societies by 2030. Learnlife launched the first Learning Hub in Barcelona and is currently in the process of building a 10.000m2 lighthouse for lifelong learning in Germany. In the next 10 years more than 2,000 Learning Hubs will be launched in every country around the world to inspire and show-case the future of learning.
Christopher started his professional career in Spain in 1998, when he co-founded AutoScout24 Spain. In 2002 he founded the venture capital company ACTIVE Venture Partners, one of Europe’s few entrepreneurial-driven VC companies. He has founded 10 companies and organisations and invested in more than 30 start-ups. In 2017, after two years of preparation and research, he started Learnlife, his “once in a lifetime” adventure aiming to change the world's learning landscape.
Dr. Stephen Harris, after 40 years as an educator within existing systems (government & independent), has chosen to work now outside, but alongside, traditional education.
From 1999 to 2017 Stephen was Principal of Northern Beaches Christian School in Sydney. In 2005, Stephen founded the Sydney Centre for Innovation in Learning.
Stephen has completed his doctorate in education focused on the role of collective envisioning in educational leadership and change. He also received recognition at the 2011 Australian Awards for Outstanding Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL), as the Australian Secondary Principal of the Year (NSW). Stephen was also recognised in 2017 as a recipient of the prestigious John Laing Award by Principals Australia Institute (PAI) presented to exceptional school leaders.
Social Links
Twitter: @ChristopherPomm; @Stephen_H; @wearelearnlife
LinkedIn: @christopherpommerening; @stephenharris; @learnlife


