Future Learning Design Podcast Tim Logan

Over the last decade, there has been a surge of interest in the evidence and research-backing that support choices that educators and leaders are making in schools. In an effort to prove “what works” they reach for the Cognitive and so-called learning sciences. Personally, I’ve always felt a bit uncomfortable about how narrow these discussions are, focusing only on memory, cognitive load, retrieval and other terms that will be familiar to you if you’ve been involved in these discussions. As you’ll hear in this conversation with Dr Laura Desirèe Di Paolo, our brains are not simply memory machines! In fact, our mind-brain-bodies are incredible production machines performing active inference constantly in order to make sense of and act in the world

Dr Laura Desirèe Di Paolo is a researcher, Philosopher of Cognitive Science at the University of Sussex, UK and in the Moritz-Stern-Institut at the University of Göttingen, Germany. Her research is focused on the   material world in education, development, and evolution and she is currently working in Andy Clark’s team on XScape. Material Minds: Exploring the Interactions between Predictive Brains, Cultural Artifacts, and Embodied Visual Search - https://www.sussex.ac.uk/research/centres/media-arts-humanities-institute/research/project/science/xscape 

Doctor of Philosophy, Philosophy of Life and Cognitive Sciences, “Sapienza” - University of Rome (April, 14th 2014), cum Laude: “Culture Under Construction. The Role of Learning in Reading Others’ Mind and  Building a Cultural Niche”, supervisors: Prof. Elena Gagliasso, Prof. Roberto Cordeschi, Prof. Enrico Alleva; Commettee: Prof. Ines Crispini, Prof. Massimo Dell’Utri, Prof. Francesco Ferretti. (https://sussex.academia.edu/LauraDesir%C3%A9eDiPaolo/CurriculumVitae)

She has an academic background in social learning, the evolution of culture in humans and animals and comparative psychology. She is the co-editor of the book, Evolution of Primate Social Cognition. Most recently, and the thing that brought Laura’s brilliant work to my attention was her paper published in January, ‘Active Inference Goes to School: The Importance of Active Learning in the Age of Large Language Models’. January 2024 by Laura Desirèe Di Paolo, Avel Guénin--Carlut, Axel Constant and Andy Clark - https://www.researchgate.net/publication/377634490_Active_Inference_Goes_to_School_The_Importance_of_Active_Learning_in_the_Age_of_Large_Language_Models 

Other useful resources on Active Inference:

Andy Clark's book 'The Experience Machine: How Our Minds Predict and Shape Reality' - https://www.amazon.fr/Experience-Machine-Minds-Predict-Reality/dp/B0BFGK2KX4

Anil Seth's 2017 TED Talk 'Your brain hallucinates your conscious reality' - https://www.ted.com/talks/anil_seth_your_brain_hallucinates_your_conscious_reality?language=en

And if you're ready for something stronger, check out Karl Friston's co-authored book 'Active Inference: The Free Energy Principle in Mind, Brain, and Behavior' - https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262045353/active-inference/

Subscribe to the Active Inference Institute channel on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@ActiveInference/featured

Social Links

Instagram: @lauraddp - https://www.instagram.com/lauraddp/ 

LinkedIn: @lauradesireedipaolo - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauradesireedipaolo/

X: @LauraDesiree_DP - https://twitter.com/LauraDesiree_DP 

Eric Dozier (https://www.ericdozier.com/) is not only an incredible musician and, as he calls himself, itinerant blues preacher, but also a cultural activist and anti-racism educator. 

We talk about the power of music as a social force that brings people together to learn, builds community and holds space for transformation, in particular in Eric’s critical work challenging white supremacy culture and racial injustice.

Eric is former musical director for the World Famous Harlem Gospel Choir and the award winning Children’s Theatre Company of NYC, co-founder and former National Director of Arts and Education for One Human Family Music Workshops, Inc., an organization devoted to eradicating discrimination by ‘Uniting the World.. One Song at a Time"; and one-half of the duo Moanin' Sons, which develops a creative context, through music, to address racial inequality. Through his insightful lyrical stylings, soulful melodies, and interactive workshops, he continues to dedicate his musical, spiritual, and intellectual talents to welding the hearts and minds of a divided humanity into one loving fellowship.

Eric is also the co-founder of the Oneness Lab with Homa Tavangar a previous guest on the podcast (https://www.onenesslab.com/). And the co-composer of ‘Henry Box Brown - A Musical' a music about the true story of Henry Box Brown, an 1850’s enslaved Virginia man who shipped himself to freedom in a box with the help of African American and white abolitionists. Hopefully soon to be opening on Broadway!: https://www.henryboxbrownthemusical.com/ In this episode you can hear Eric perform his stunning song 'Cotton and the Cross' that he wrote, with Ketch Secor from Old Crow Medicine Show.



Social Links

Instagram: @ericdozier - https://www.instagram.com/ericdozier/

LinkedIn: @ericdozier - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericdozier/

What does it mean to help our young people understand all of the forces that have brought us to where we are, and also to take real responsibility for all of the benefits and harms that that has caused, in particular to indigenous communities around the world?

What kinds of education might 'enable healthier possibilities of (co)existence that are viable, but are unthinkable/unimaginable within our dominant cognitive and affective frames of reference.' (GTDF Collective, Global Citizenship Otherwise, p3)

An education of the gut and the heart, not just the head!

This week, it was an honour to chat to the amazing Dr. Vanessa de Oliveira Andreotti.

Vanessa is the Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Victoria. She is a former Canada Research Chair in Race, Inequalities and Global Change and a former David Lam Chair in Critical Multicultural Education.

Vanessa has worked extensively across sectors internationally in areas of education related to global justice, global citizenship, critical literacies, Indigenous knowledge systems and the climate and nature emergency.

Vanessa is the author of Hospicing Modernity: Facing humanity’s wrongs and the implications for social activism⁠: https://www.northatlanticbooks.com/shop/hospicing-modernity/

You can find links to her Gesturing Towards Decolonial Futures Arts/Research Collective⁠: https://decolonialfutures.net/

Global Citizenship Otherwise Study Program, created by Gesturing Towards Decolonial Futures: https://decolonialfutures.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/decolonial-futures-gce-otherwise-1.pdf

Vanessa is also one of the designers of the course 'Facing Human Wrongs: Climate Complexity and Relational Accountability'⁠: https://continuingstudies.uvic.ca/teaching-learning-and-development/courses/facing-human-wrongs-2-0-climate-complexity-and-relational-accountability/

Social Links

LinkedIn: @vanessa-andreotti

GTDF Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DecolonialFuturesCollective

With so much talk about 'systems thinking' in education, sometimes it can become framework overload! Which one should I pick? What's the difference between them anyway?! This week, it is a huge privilege to chat to someone who has been doing this longer than most! Professor Ray Ison has been teaching systems practice for the Open University for the last 4 decades. He shares his wisdom to cut through the jargon!

Ray is a cybernetician, systems scientist, and Professor of Systems at the Open University in the UK. He is currently President of the International Federation for Systems Research (IFSR). He was also Professor Systems for Sustainability at Monash University, and fellow at the Centre for Policy Development, and President of the International Society for the Systems Sciences in the year 2014-15. He is known for his work on systems praxeology within rural development,[1] sustainable management,[2] systemic governance and the design and enactment of learning systems.

An incredibly useful and practical overview of many ofthe topics discussed in this episode can be found in Ray's book, Systems Practice: How to Act. In situations of uncertainty and complexity in a climate-change world. (2017): https://oro.open.ac.uk/51143/ 

For a full overview of Ray's life and work you can read his Wikipedia page here: ⁠https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Ison⁠ 

Social Links

LinkedIn: @ray-ison

This week I’m chatting with Jamilah Pitts, whose incredible work challenges us to root our educational practices in activism, healing and love. This is so that we tell the truth about the deep biases and harms that continue to persist within our societies and many of our educational settings. Jamilah’s work follows in the incredible tradition of bell hooks, Audre Lorde, James Baldwin and many others.

Jamilah is an educator, writer, social entrepreneur and yoga teacher whose work centers the liberation, healing and holistic development of communities of the global majority. She has served in various roles and spaces to promote racial justice and healing as a teacher, coach, assistant principal and as a dean. 

As the Founder and CEO of Jamilah Pitts Consulting, Jamilah partners with schools, communities and organizations to advance the work of social and intersectional justice through an emphasis on wellness and educator training. Jamilah is also the Founder of  She, Imprints, an organization designed to support the unique wellness needs of women and girls of color through advocacy, coaching programs, curriculum design, training and wellness retreats.  

Jamilah’s written work has appeared in the Huffington Post, Learning for Justice, and Edweek. 

Jamilah’s amazing book, Toward Liberation: Educational Practices Rooted in Activism, Healing and Love, was published in November.

She can be found at ⁠jamilahpitts.com⁠. 

In this week’s conversation, with Professor Rex Li and Dr Clara Cheng, we take a wide-ranging look at how we can take inspiration and ideas from past educational projects, such as those of John Dewey and Howard Gardner, as we develop education into the future. But also learning from their experience at GT College in Hong Kong, how can we use research and inquiry themselves as practices to enable students and educators to deepen their own learning and growth as individuals, but also as part of a broader learning community.

Professor Rex Li (https://www.profrexli.com/ ) is a psychologist and a prominent educator of the gifted in Hong Kong. He is the Founder and Curriculum Director of GT (Ellen Yeung) College, Hong Kong and founder of the Gifted Education Council. He is the author of ‘Rediscovering John Dewey: How His Psychology Transforms Our Education’ (2020): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rediscovering-John-Dewey-Psychology-Transforms/dp/9811579407  and many other books on gifted education and multiple intelligences: https://www.gtcollege.edu.hk/books-publications/ 

Dr Clara M. L. Cheng is the Head of Research and Training, English Language Panel Head (Senior Form) and Vice Head of International Exchange Group at GT (Ellen Yeung) College: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clara-cheng-632aa7a1/ 

Social Links
GT (Ellen Yeung) College - ⁠https://www.gtcollege.edu.hk/⁠
Contact Prof. Li at https://www.profrexli.com/