Edufuturists

Edufuturists
  • 3.7 (3)
  • Education
  • Updated Biweekly

We are led to believe that the education system will continually evolve to meet the needs of learners and society. This has not happened. We need a revolution!

  1. 5d ago

    Caught between the AI hype and the AI fear with Trudi Barrow (#361)

    What if the real danger of AI in schools isn't plagiarism, it's your own child telling you off for not saying "thank you" to Alexa?In this episode, Ben and Steve sit down with Trudi Barrow - Edufuturist of the Year 2026 - to talk about the messy, brilliant middle ground between traditional craft and generative AI. From a late-night Midjourney experiment for a Year 10 design class to co-authoring the DfE's national AI toolkit now reaching over 30,000 schools and colleges, Trudi explains why she refuses to pick a side in education's most polarising debates.About our guest:Trudi Barrow is a former Head of Design & Technology turned AI and creativity specialist, trained at RADA in theatre design before moving into the classroom. She co-authored the Department for Education's national AI toolkit with Chiltern Learning Trust and Charter College, coined the concept of "creative fidelity," and was crowned Edufuturist of the Year 2026 in June.We cover:- How a rushed exemplar for a Year 10 D&T class led Trudi into her first real experiment with AI image generation- Why she refuses to be labelled an "AI evangelist" and how she holds two opposing truths at once- What it's really like being a woman walking into a D&T workshop- Inside the DfE's national AI toolkit: reaching 30,000+ schools, and the subjects still being left out of the conversation- Why anthropomorphised AI - and her daughter telling Alexa to say thank you - worries her more than most classroom AI use- Safeguarding in the AI era: "same risks, different vectors"- The truth about AI and sustainability, beyond viral "one image = boiling a kettle" stats- What it actually felt like to be named Edufuturist of the Year 2026Why you should listenIf you've ever felt caught between the AI hype and the AI fear, or wondered how creativity, craft and technology can genuinely coexist in the classroom, this conversation offers a rare, grounded middle ground from someone who has lived both sides.Chapters0:00 Highlights1:14 Welcome back and Wolfpack community updates2:40 Introducing Trudi Barrow, Edufuturist of the Year 20263:52 From RADA and theatre design to Head of D&T6:35 Discovering Midjourney and Discord as a non-gamer8:06 The Year 10 keyring exemplar that changed everything13:46 Holding two truths: neither AI evangelist nor AI sceptic15:34 Being a woman in a Design & Technology workshop18:29 Pottery wheels and AI awards: why both fit20:37 Knowledge vs skills, and finding a third way23:55 Co-writing the DfE's national AI toolkit27:27 The subjects still missing from the AI conversation30:06 Creativity isn't just for the "creative subjects"31:58 Inside the toolkit: reaching 30,000+ schools35:55 The Alexa story: anthropomorphising AI at home39:03 Safeguarding: same risks, different vectors42:27 Why sustainability has to be part of the AI conversation48:05 What winning Edufuturist of the Year 2026 really meant53:17 Quick-fire questionsConnect with TrudiFind out more about herCheck out the DfE AI Toolkits she co-authoredThanks so much for joining us again for another episode - we appreciate you.Ben & Steve xCheck out all about Edufuturists Want to sponsor future episodes or get involved with the Edufuturists work?Get in touchGrab your copy of the new Pick 'n' Mix Education bookJoin the Edufuturists Wolfpack

  2. Sep 7

    Why One Size Fits All Education means One Size Fits None - guest hosted by David Cameron (#360)

    What if the biggest problem in education isn't too much choice but not enough of it, for the people who need it most? In this episode, we sit on the other side of the mic as David Cameron puts our new book, Pick 'n' Mix Education, under the microscope. Built around the analogy of choosing sweets at Woolworths, the book argues that education shouldn't be something done to parents and young people - it should be something they actively navigate. David pushes back hard, and the conversation ranges from school choice and social mobility to "place not politics," community regeneration, and why the book ends up working more like a permission slip than a manifesto. We cover: The Woolworths "pick and mix" analogy at the heart of the bookWhy we wrote it for parents, not educatorsParental choice vs. parental choices and why the distinction mattersHow supplementary education (tutoring, enrichment) favours families with moneyTurning choice into an engine for equality rather than inequalityWhy the book isn't proposing a new pathway, just permission to choose oneThe link between active parenting and continuous, revisable choice"Place not politics": rethinking education around community, not just the individual"It takes a village" - why schools can't carry social care and mental health aloneA real-world regeneration case study rebuilding a whole community at onceThe Open School concept and expanding access beyond your local catchmentVouchers, online learning, and rethinking who gets access to what Why listen? If you've ever felt like education choices are something that happen to your family rather than decisions you get to make, this conversation reframes the whole picture. David Cameron doesn't let Ben and Steve off easy - he opens by saying he fundamentally disagrees with the book's premise - and what follows is a genuinely challenging, well-argued debate about choice, community, and what parents are actually entitled to ask for. Chapters 0:00 Intro 2:21 A Birthday, the Fringe, and a Lifetime Achievement Award 6:11 What Is Pick 'n' Mix Education? The Woolworths Analogy Explained 10:06 Parental Choice vs Parental Choices: Why the Distinction Matters 14:18 Turning Choice Into an Engine for Equality, Not Inequality 19:04 Active Parenting: Why Choice Should Never Be a One-Off Decision 23:40 Place Not Politics: Rethinking Education Around Community 25:46 "It Takes a Village": Why Schools Can't Fix Everything Alone 32:26 Accrington, Regeneration, and Rebuilding a Whole Community 37:22 The Book as a "Permission Slip," Not a Manifesto 40:50 The Open School Vision and the Girl Who'd "Never Been to Edinburgh" 44:51 Coffee Shops, Vouchers, and Rethinking Access to Learning 49:11 Bringing It Together: Choice, Compassion, and Community Thanks so much for joining us again for another episode - we appreciate you.Ben & Steve xFind out more about Crown House Publishing Check out all about EdufuturistsWant to sponsor future episodes or get involved with the Edufuturists work? Get in touchGrab your copy of the new Pick 'n' Mix Education book Join the Wolfpack Community

  3. Aug 31

    Stop calling it personalisation - The Truth About AI in Education with Laura Knight #359

    What if the biggest risk in AI and education isn't the technology at all, but the questions we've stopped asking?In this episode of the Edufuturists podcast, Ben and Steve sit down with Laura Knight, former teacher and leader turned AI and digital education consultant, to pull apart what "human-centred AI" actually means when you strip away the marketing gloss.Laura doesn't do easy answers. She talks about the innovation fatigue hitting schools right now, why nobody quite owns AI strategy in most organisations, and why the "personalisation" narrative sold by EdTech might be quietly building a two-speed education system. Ben and Steve push back throughout, including a proper debate on whether education was ever really less competitive than the tech sector in the first place.The conversation covers the teacher recruitment crisis, whether AI tutors are filling genuine gaps or replacing human relationships that matter, and what "joy" in the teaching profession could look like if schools stopped treating change as a race. It closes with quickfire questions that get properly reflective: what myth stops educators from changing, and what you'd actually tell a ten-year-old about why they have to go to school.Laura Knight is a former teacher and school leader who now runs her own consultancy working on digital and AI strategy in education. She works with schools, trusts, and systems around the world, alongside a growing body of work with parents and families. She is currently writing a book for Hachette on helping parents navigate AI and technology, and is soon launching her own podcast, Switched On Parents.We cover:- What a genuinely "human-centred" approach to AI in schools actually looks like- Why innovation fatigue is hitting teachers and leaders so hard right now- Who really owns AI strategy in a school, and why that's often nobody- Whether education was ever less competitive than the tech sector- Why "slice teams" with diverse voices build better innovation than one appointed lead- The problem with AI and "personalisation" as it's currently being sold- What schools and teachers add to the mix when information is a click away- The difference between AI replacing teachers and AI filling genuine capacity gaps- Whether AI can meaningfully help the teacher recruitment and retention crisis- Using AI to build more joy and professional satisfaction into teaching- Advocacy versus evangelism, and why being in the room matters- What today's AI debates might look ridiculous in five years' timeChapters00:00 Highlights00:46 Welcome to the episode01:47 Edufuturists community news (Uprising 2027 & Wolfpack)02:59 Introducing Laura Knight03:59 What "human-centred AI" actually means07:31 Innovation fatigue and the noise around AI in schools10:36 Who actually owns AI strategy in a school?14:30 Education vs EdTech: who's really competition-driven?17:24 Building diverse "slice teams" for real innovation20:00 The truth about AI and personalised learning22:58 What schools add when knowledge is a click away24:18 Replacing teachers vs filling real gaps with AI27:44 Can AI solve the teacher recruitment crisis?29:42 Using AI to bring joy back into teaching32:47 Advocacy, not evangelism: why being in the room matters38:56 What will look ridiculous about AI in five years?42:05 Quickfire Questions45:06 Laura's new book and upcoming podcastFind out more about LauraThanks so much for joining us again for another episode - we appreciate you. Ben & Steve xCheck out all about EdufuturistsWant to sponsor future episodes or get involved with the Edufuturists work? Get in touchGrab your copy of the new Pick 'n' Mix Education bookJoin the Wolfpack Community

  4. Aug 24

    Smart + Heart: Why Character Beats Control in Leadership with Stephen Klemich & Dave Jones (#358)

    In this episode of the Edufuturists podcast, Ben and Steve sit down with Dave Jones and Stephen "Klem" Klemich to unpack Heart Styles, the character development framework built on 18 years of research into what really drives effective leadership, teaching and learning.Dave Jones is the founder of Uplift, a coaching and leadership consultancy based in High Wycombe, UK. He is an accredited Heart Styles practitioner whose career has spanned youth work, church leadership, and running a school hub for Oasis UK's multi-academy trust in South London, before moving into full-time leadership consultancy.Klem is the co-founder of Heart Styles, a global character development methodology now used across corporate, education and sporting organisations. Based in Sydney, Australia, he spent over 40 years in people development and 18 years researching the principles behind effective and ineffective leadership behaviour.We cover:- What Heart Styles is and the 18-year research behind it- Why fear and ego-driven pride quietly sabotage classrooms and leadership teams- The shift from fight and flight into flow, and what it does to the brain- Why humility, not control, is what actually builds trust and results- Moving schools and organisations from a parent-child dynamic to adult-to-adult culture- The "smart plus heart" model for raising a whole person, not just a result- Why celebrating mistakes builds nimble, high-performing teams- Klem's own story of undiagnosed dyslexia and the teacher who nearly broke himWhy listen? If you lead a team, a classroom or a school and you've ever wondered why "getting tough" only works for so long, this conversation reframes leadership and teaching around humility and love as performance drivers, not soft add-ons. It's a direct challenge to fear-based, exam-obsessed culture in education, backed by two decades of research and lived experience.Chapters00:00 Highlights00:40 Introductions03:06 Meet Dave Jones03:47 Meet Stephen "Klem" Klemich04:53 Klem's origin story: moving schools, undiagnosed dyslexia, and finding purpose07:28 Dave's path from youth work to Heart Styles11:15 What is Heart Styles?11:57 18 years of research: fear, ego, humility and love17:53 Fight, flight and flow explained26:59 Why leadership is shifting toward vulnerability28:01 From parent-child to adult-adult culture34:26 The energy of humility vs ego37:17 Why control-based leadership fails long term40:14 Bringing love into work and education41:39 Klem's dyslexia story: the power of encouragement45:18 Quickfire QuestionsRead Dave's blog post about the Heart Styles ModelFind out more about Heart StylesGrab a copy of Klem's book, Above the LineThanks so much for joining us again for another episode - we appreciate you.Ben & Steve xCheck out all about EdufuturistsJoin the Wolfpack CommunityWant to sponsor future episodes or get involved with the Edufuturists work?Get in touchGrab your copy of the new Pick 'n' Mix Education book

  5. Aug 17

    Best Bits Part 17: The Conversations Still Bothering Us Weeks Later (#357)

    Seven episodes, one big question: are we still having the same education arguments in 2026 that we were having a decade ago? In this episode, we sit down for our bi-monthly review, running back through seven recent Edufuturists conversations, pulling out the best bits, the sharpest provocations, and the ideas that are still bothering us weeks later. From AI governance and permanent exclusion to kind leadership and adaptive teaching, this is the highlight reel of the highlight reel. We cover: - Why higher education keeps struggling to translate research into real technology decisions (Sara De Freitas) - Teaching computing without a single computer in the room, and why "play" is doing a lot of heavy lifting as a word in education (Shahneila Sayeed) - How one FE college built an AI agent to solve an admin problem nobody asked it to solve (Chris Loveday) - The permanent exclusion pipeline, and the long-term cost of putting a child "out of sight, out of mind" (Stephen Steinhaus) - Whether youth unemployment is a skills problem, a work-experience problem, or something education needs to own (Alex Lovitt and Stephanie Loeck) - AI literacy for students, teachers and parents and whether your school is quietly breaking the EU AI Act (Matthew Wemyss) - Why "adaptive teaching" might be the most honest description of what good teachers have always done (Andrew Young) - A late detour into Joanna Povall's Kind Leadership, and the real difference between being kind and being nice Why listen? If you only have time to catch one Edufuturists episode this month, this is it. Ben and Steve compress seven full conversations into 45 minutes of the arguments, contradictions and best lines, so you can decide which full episodes are worth your time, and walk away with the throughlines connecting all of them: too much curriculum, not enough trust, and an AI conversation education still hasn't caught up to. Chapters 00:00 Highlights 01:56 Welcome and Intros 05:23 Is HE ready for education technology? 08:51 Teaching computing without computers 16:02 AI beyond teachers and students 21:26 Blowing up the permanent exclusion pipeline 28:14 Is youth unemployment a crisis? 30:35 AI literacy, governance and the EU AI Act 36:05 Is school worth getting out of bed for? 40:23 Kind leadership vs nice leadership 43:33 Recommended reads and the Edufuturists Wolfpack 46:46 Close Thanks so much for joining us again for another episode - we appreciate you.Ben & Steve xCheck out all about EdufuturistsWant to sponsor future episodes or get involved with the Edufuturists work?Get in touchGrab your copy of the new Pick 'n' Mix Education book Join the Wolfpack Community

  6. Aug 10

    The Hardest Part of Teaching Isn't Workload with Grant Wootten (#356)

    What if the biggest problem in schools isn't teachers resisting change, it's that they're never given enough safety to try it? In this episode, Ben and Steve are joined by Grant Wootten, founder of Edusfere, to unpack why so much of a teacher's best work disappears the moment they leave a classroom and what it would take to stop the cycle. Grant spent a decade teaching in Southeast Asia, first with a nonprofit in rural Thailand and then at an international school in Bangkok, before founding Edusfere: a platform built to capture and preserve the instructional knowledge teachers create every day. He's recently relocated to the UK to lead Edusfere's expansion into the UK market. We cover: - Why teachers become "islands" and how decades of instructional knowledge gets lost every time someone leaves the profession - The real reason schools resist change and why psychological safety, not disruption, has to come first - What Grant believes is genuinely the hardest part of being a teacher today - Why EdTech should meet teachers where they already are instead of chasing flashy new features - A live debate: should the teacher or the learner sit at the centre of EdTech design? - Whether human-to-human "formation" is automatically better than a machine's and a story that complicates the answer - Why fear of conflict is quietly holding back adoption in education - How to bring your most resistant, most experienced teachers along for the ride Why listen? If you've ever watched brilliant teaching disappear into a filing cabinet or a departing colleague's laptop, this conversation names the problem precisely and makes the case that fixing it isn't about ripping up what works, but about giving teachers the safety net to build on it. Expect a genuinely sharp disagreement about whether AI or humans should sit at the centre of education, and a story from Ben that will make you think twice about assuming human-led always beats machine-led. Chapters 00:00 Highlights 01:30 Welcome back and the Wolfpack community update 03:25 Meet Grant Wootten: from Thai classrooms to EdTech founder 05:25 What is Edusfere and why target the UK market 07:53 Teachers are islands: the knowledge that gets lost every year 08:48 Ben's story: planning in silos at school 10:26 The hardest part of being a teacher today 15:51 Creating psychological safety before disruption 23:51 The role of EdTech in driving culture change 29:27 Should the teacher not the learner be at the centre? 33:26 Is human formation always a force for good? 38:36 Why we're afraid of conflict, and what it costs education 41:42 Bringing veteran, resistant teachers along 46:36 Three quick-fire questions with Grant Find out more about Edusfere Thanks so much for joining us again for another episode - we appreciate you. Ben & Steve x Check out all about Edufuturists Want to sponsor future episodes or get involved with the Edufuturists work? Get in touch Grab your copy of the new Pick 'n' Mix Education book Join the Wolfpack Community

  7. Aug 3

    Is kindness a weakness in school leadership? with Joanna Povall (#355)

    Is kindness in school leadership a weakness, or is it the one thing that actually stops your best teachers walking out the door? In this episode of the podcast, Ben Whitaker and Steve Hope sit down with Joanna Povall, principal, COBIS lead improvement partner, and author of Kind Leadership: Leading Schools with Empathy, Honesty and Impact. Joanna has spent 30 years in education across the UK, France and the UAE, including running a school through genuine crisis conditions in Abu Dhabi, and now carries out school accreditation visits everywhere from Tokyo to Ascension Island. We cover: - Why Joanna wrote Kind Leadership after coming close to burnout in a school that turned toxic almost overnight - The difference between being nice and being kind, and why people confuse the two - - The Al Capone quote that shaped the whole book, and what it reveals about legacy and leadership The CHASE framework: Communication, Honesty, Accountability, Self-esteem and Ego - What COBIS accreditation actually looks like when it's done as a relationship, not an inspection - Whether leaders can be both liked and respected - Why teacher and headteacher retention is a leadership problem before it's anything else - Being kind to yourself, and the story behind the now-famous red jacket If you lead people, manage a team, or have ever worried that being kind makes you look weak, this conversation will change how you think about it. Joanna makes a compelling, funny, and occasionally uncomfortable case that kindness and accountability were never opposites. Chapters 00:00 Highlights 02:20 Welcome to the Edufuturists Podcast 04:14 Meet Joanna Povall: from Manchester to Abu Dhabi 06:11 Moving into international school leadership 08:53 A melting pot of cultures and communities 11:14 Inside COBIS: what accreditation really looks like 14:23 Why accreditation should build relationships, not fear 20:10 Introducing the book: Kind Leadership 20:41 The toxic experience that inspired the book 25:38 Kindness vs weakness: the Al Capone question 32:41 The CHASE Framework explained 37:31 The red jacket story: kindness to yourself 39:11 Can leaders be liked and respected? 48:48 Being kind to yourself as a leader 54:00 Quickfire Questions Grab a copy of Joanna's book Thanks so much for joining us again for another episode - we appreciate you. Ben & Steve x Check out all about Edufuturists Want to sponsor future episodes or get involved with the Edufuturists work? Get in touch Grab your copy of the new Pick 'n' Mix Education book Join the Edufuturists Wolfpack

  8. Jul 27

    Is school actually worth getting out of bed for? with Andrew Young (#354)

    In this episode of the Edufuturists podcast, we chat with Andrew Young, social sciences teacher, co-director of a Teaching School Hub in York, and author of Adaptive Teaching: Culture to Classroom, published by Crown House. Andrew has spent 14 years in education, from an unexpectedly early stint as deputy head of sixth form in London to his current role co-leading a hub supporting 250 schools a year across coastal, rural and urban North Yorkshire.We cover:- Why adaptive teaching depends on the local context a school sits in, not a one-size-fits-all playbook- What an inclusive classroom actually looks like when you strip away the jargon- Why high challenge has to be matched with high support, and how "we" beats "me"- The exam overload facing GCSE students and what it's doing to cognitive load- Why the curriculum needs more breadth: arts, dance, computing, AI and citizenship- The hidden financial barriers that stop disadvantaged pupils accessing enrichment- Why success shouldn't be measured by grades alone, and what schools can do instead- The four ingredients of adaptive teaching: culture, brains, teaching and curriculum- The danger of deficit language and labelling pupils by what they can't doIf you've ever wondered why some pupils switch off from school entirely, or you want practical ways to make classrooms work for every learner regardless of the label attached to them, this conversation gives you a genuine framework rather than another vague call to "differentiate more."Chapters00:00 Highlights01:53 Welcome to the podcast04:46 Andrew Young joins the show05:26 Andrew's journey into teaching08:12 Life as a Teaching School Hub co-director10:20 Why context matters for adaptive teaching15:57 Socialisation, homeschooling and alternative paths22:24 What does an inclusive classroom actually look like24:46 High challenge, high support and the power of "we"31:13 Rethinking a one-size-fits-all curriculum32:37 "Too many vegetarians dining in steakhouses"35:02 Assessment overload and broadening the curriculum37:21 Enrichment, disadvantage and hidden barriers41:34 Alternative pathways and shifting what success means44:03 Milestones, character and personal development47:23 The four ingredients of adaptive teaching53:37 Labels, deficit language and cognitive load55:19 Quickfire questions57:31 Wrap up and where to find the bookGrab a copy of Andrew's bookThanks so much for joining us again for another episode - we appreciate you.Ben & Steve xCheck out all about EdufuturistsWant to sponsor future episodes or get involved with the Edufuturists work?Get in touchGrab your copy of the new Pick 'n' Mix Education bookJoin the Edufuturists Wolfpack

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3.7
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About

We are led to believe that the education system will continually evolve to meet the needs of learners and society. This has not happened. We need a revolution!

Information

  • Creator
    Edufuturists
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    419
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Edufuturists
  • Show Website
    Edufuturists

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