The final episode of Teachers’ Voices season 3 opens with Sister Zeph, winner of the 2023 Global Teacher Prize, talking directly to teachers. “You are a future maker”, she says. These words inspired the rest of this mini-episode, which explores futures literacy. What is futures literacy? What do students gain from futures literacy? How can teachers incorporate it into their classrooms?Former teacher Michelle Blanchet, co-author of the Startup Teacher Playbook and Co-Founder of The Educators’ ...

Why is it important to make sure children have words to name their emotions? How can teachers promote mental health and wellbeing? Is it possible to remove academic pressure from school?In this episode, Nina first meets Sarah Griffiths, a Senior Research Fellow at University College London and Co-Director of the Wellbeing and Language Lab in UCL’s department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology. “Language, particularly words for emotions, are critical for understanding emotions,” Sa...

What types of physical activity benefit students? Can bringing movement and play into different academic classes help children learn? How can spaces and classes for movement be inclusive? Nina first meets Fotini Vasilopoulos, a Postdoctoral researcher at the University of Sydney in Australia. “Physical activity is important for physical health, for mental health, and it also can drive behaviours for learning.” Fotini suggests giving children different types of experiences - not just sports,...

In what ways do students differ from each other in their learning? How does one student vary in their own learning from day to day? How can schools embrace these types of learning variability? In this episode, Nina talks to Julia Leonard, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Yale University. Learning variability, Julia explains, is both “my learning might be different than your learning” and “my learning one day might be different from the other day”. It is also that “my learning in one class...

How can teachers help students make a positive change in their communities? How can schools better connect education with the future of work? In this bonus mini episode of Teachers’ Voices, Nina hears practical tips from last episode’s guests Alison Yang, Barbara Bilgre, Maud Seghers, and Larisa Akrofie. Nina is also joined by Tanya Sheckley, an edupreneur and host of the podcast Rebel Educator. All share their tips and inspiring resources for instilling an entrepreneurial mindset and...

What is an entrepreneurial mindset? Why should educators nurture entrepreneurial mindsets in young people? What entrepreneurial projects have teachers developed in classrooms around the world? In this episode, Nina first speaks to Maud Seghers. Maud is a global education advisor at VVOB in Belgium, an international organisation devoted to education development. An entrepreneurial mindset is not just about starting and managing projects, programs, and businesses that generate wealth, Maud...

What barriers keep girls from fulfilling their potential in STEAM – science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics – subjects?  Nina first meets Maliha Fawzia, the interim Global Head of Girls’ Education at Teach For All. Maliha joins Nina from Bangladesh. Maliha explains that the first barrier for girls studying maths and science is feeling welcome in the classroom as girls. “It's first and most important to feel safe, to be seen, to feel confident, to share their opinion”, she...

What is neurodiversity? How does it differ from neurodevelopmental disorders? How can schools make sure all children feel like they belong? In this episode, Nina meets Alyssa Alcorn, lead researcher for the Learning About Neurodiversity at School (LEANS) project at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Alyssa explains that neurodiversity concerns everyone, because everyone has a brain. Neurodiversity is a biological fact. “We are all different in how we think and feel and learn because our...

In this bonus episode, Nina celebrates International Day of Education with former science teacher, Sarah Horley. Sarah is Programme Manager from Teachers for the Planet, a program that aims to improve climate change education. Teachers for the Planet are showcasing teacher-led climate change education solutions. Three of the teachers showcased in the Teachers for the Planet repository share their solutions with Nina. First, secondary school teacher Astrid Hugli in Switzerland explains how she...

Why is education important for conflict-affected children? How are teachers in conflict zones using EdTech? Can EdTech adapt to children’s changing learning conditions and help them to thrive? In this episode, Nina talks to Jasmine Turner and Olena Onyshchenko from War Child about the EdTech solution Can’t Wait to Learn. Talking to Nina from Uganda, Researcher Jasmine explains that Can’t Wait to Learn is a digitized adaptive self-paced personal learning program, aligned with the national...

In this episode, Nina talks to two experts from International Baccalaureate (IB) in Washington DC. Nicole Bien, Chief Schools Officer at IB, tells Nina that since the start of the pandemic, the IB has ensured wellbeing is at the core of the learning experience in their schools. “Wellbeing is so central to learning. Without it, there’s little space in a student’s mind and body to focus on learning”, Nicole says. Jennifer Merriman, Global Director of Research, Policy & Design at IB, tells...

What are children around the world learning about looking after finances and other resources? What should be in a financial and social education curriculum? How can teachers involve parents in discussions on these topics? In this episode, Nina talks to two experts from Aflatoun, an international organisation based in the Netherlands that brings financial and social education to children worldwide. Cristina Peña, Programme Manager for the Americas, believes that “now more than ever, we need to...

In episodes 2 and 3 of Teachers’ Voices season 3, Nina explored lots of questions about AI in the classroom. What are teachers’ concerns about AI, and what opportunities do they see? How can AI adapt to individual students? And how can teachers take a human-centred approach to AI? This special mini episode briefly introduces some AI resources that might help in the classroom. Nina hears from Harvey Spencer, ex-teacher and host of the podcast AI for Teachers based in Australia. Harvey...

How can AI adjust learning materials and feedback to the needs of individual students? How can teachers make sure that the human element is kept? In this episode, Nina speaks to Inge Molenaar, director of the National Education Lab AI in the Netherlands (NOLAI). Inge is a Professor in Behavioral Science who specialises in the interface between education and technology. Inge tells Nina how AI can help to personalise students’ learning. “The technology is being used to adjust the learning...

What are the main concerns that teachers have about artificial intelligence in the classroom? What opportunities does AI open up for students? How can AI focus on automation while helping humans do what they’re best at? In the second episode of Teachers’ Voices season three, Nina speaks to Stefania Druga, Principal Researcher at the Center of Applied AI Research at the University of Chicago. Stefania is the founder of Cognimates, an AI education platform for building games, programming...

Welcome to the first episode in the third season of Teachers’ Voices. In this episode, Nina talks to Stefania Giannini, the UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education, in Paris. Stefania tells Nina that “education must be protected from all the threats around it, including climate change.” Education is also part of the solution, she says. Hear Stefania describe the four pillars of UNESCO’s Greening Education Partnership. Nina also meets Jimmy Brian Kayangue, a former teacher now...

Teachers are one of the most influential and powerful forces for equity, access and quality in education. They provide children with the knowledge, skills, attitude and tools needed to reach their full potential. Join Nina Alonso for the third season of the podcast in which she shares powerful stories from teachers around the world, talking in their own words about their own experiences. Every episode, Nina invites international experts on learning and child development to give their thoughts...

Join educational researcher Nina Alonso for this podcast series as she shares powerful stories from teachers around the world, talking in their own words about their own experiences.  In the previous episode of Teachers’ Voices, Nina heard from four inspiring guests about connecting children to nature so that it becomes more central in their learning and development. In this special mini episode, Nina ends the season with recommendations and tips from those guests. Hear from Luis Alberto...

What is the role of nature in children’s learning and development? How are schools around the world connecting children to nature? In this episode, Nina talks to Luis Alberto Camargo, a social entrepreneur who specialises in nature-based education. Luis tells Nina about the scientific research exploring the role of nature in children’s wellbeing. Nina also speaks to Joaquin Leguia, the founder of an approach that promotes healthy relationships between children and the Earth.  Nina also meets...

How can educators take some of the stress and anxiety out of mathematics? In this episode, Nina talks to Lindsey Richland, Associate Professor at the University of California, Irvine. Lindsey talks about the importance of teaching methods that incorporate reasoning skills. Nina also speaks to Dror Dotan, Head of the Mathematical Thinking Lab at Tel Aviv University, who describes the different knowledge processes that mathematical learning entails. Dror explains how understanding this can help...

How can education be transformed so that all children, including the most underprivileged, have access to learning?  In this episode, Nina talks to Armando Ali in Kenya about organisations promoting children’s foundational learning across Africa, South Asia, and South America. Nina also hears from Francis Bizoza about accelerated learning interventions that help children catch up with foundational learning in a refugee camp in Uganda. Finally, Nina speaks to Koen Verrecht about his...

In this special mini episode, teachers from Qatar, Mexico, and Nigeria share resources and recommendations for other educators. Guests Aljawhara Aladba from Teach For Qatar Isaac Galindo from Enseña por México Ganiyat Muritala Wuraola from Teach For Nigeria Resources and recommendations Teachers Pay Teachers Twinkl Socrative Kahoot! Freedom Writers The Ron Clark Story Contact Join us on social media: https://twitter.com/BOLD_insights and https://twitter.com/VoicesTeachers Listen to all...

How can educators develop leadership mindsets in the classroom? What impact does this have on student agency, wellbeing, self-confidence, connections with others and also academic mastery? In this episode, Nina talks to Robbie Dean, Director of Research, Evaluation, and Network Learning at Teach For All. Robbie explains how Teach For All developed a framework to support teachers to develop leadership mindsets among students in the classroom. Nina also speaks to three teachers to understand...

How can educators and caregivers better understand the needs of students who particularly struggle to stay engaged in a world full of distractions? Does allowing choice in the classroom better support the differing needs of all students? Why is teacher-family communication and collaboration so crucial for children who need extra support? In this episode, Nina talks to teachers around the world about helping students who may find it difficult to stay on task, thrive in the classroom and...