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How can we help young people find their voices through activism and collaboration? And why is this an important element of education? In this episode, Nina explores the many benefits that come from supporting youth activism – from building leadership skills to promoting empathy.  While each guest has a different international perspective – they are based in India, Canada and Trinidad – all three work collaboratively with schools and students at a local, regional and international level to support young people in their mission to build a more sustainable future. Episode...

Why is it so important to take a holistic approach to young people's sense of self? Nina explores how educators can be the connection between children, nature and the wider society with the aim of creating a community of learning. In this episode, two teachers, from Portugal and Japan, share how their work enables them to support collaborations between students, schools and communities to help protect the environment.  Nina also talks to Ross Hall about the tools and actions needed for educators, schoolchildren and the wider community to learn...

Teachers' Voices, the podcast in which teachers tell their own stories, in their own words, is back for season two.  No matter the learning context - from Stockholm, to Uruguay - teachers are one of the most influential and powerful forces we have for equity, access and quality in education. And they’re an important part of sustainable global development. Join Nina Alonso for inspiring interviews with experts about learning and child development. Guests come from all over the world and discuss topics such as neurodiversity, youth activism, curiosity and...

As adults we take it for granted that we have the ability to choose. But for children, they don’t always have the awareness that they have choices available to them.  Yet having agency, i.e. making choices based on active engagement in decision making, plays a vital role in developing a child’s self esteem as well as enabling their learning.  In this episode, we hear from Natalia Kucirkova, Professor of Early Childhood Education and Development about the role of children as independent agents of action.  “It is really about making sure that...

Good school practices are the key to helping build better educational systems, says Renaud Comba, research manager at UNICEF, but detecting exemplary school practices is easier said than done: “For the first time we are paying attention to the already created, contextualized, cost effective local solutions that local stakeholders have created through practice and through understanding where they live and their context to really address global education challenges.” - Renaud  We also hear from three teachers trying to develop good creative practices in their daily work with children. First off...

Investing in children’s foundational educational skills is key to their learning and development, as these skills are the building blocks for other life skills and further education, says Professor Ricardo Sabates, a researcher dedicated to equipping out-of-school children in the global south with basic numeracy, reading and writing skills. “One of the challenges that we have is that when children are not able to reach these foundational skills, when the curriculum that the teachers are trying to teach is further advanced than the capabilities and understanding of concepts of...

We all remember that one teacher from school who had a long lasting positive impact on us. In this episode, we hear once more from a variety of educators around the world, each one sharing why they’re so passionate about preparing children for their future. First we hear from Nadia in New York:  “The long impact that teachers have is we do things that we are passionate about, from our heart we pour into the lives of children not knowing where that would lead and we will not often have...

Our world is evolving so quickly and the skills that students needed to thrive just a few years ago are fast becoming obsolete. So what 21st century core competencies do students need to learn to succeed in our modern world? In this episode we are joined by two inspiring teachers, Enzil and Samaya, who, despite working in very different places – The Bahamas and Nepal - and teaching very different subjects - drama and technology –  both prioritize strategies that develop 21st century skills. Our special guest today, framing the...

One key aspect of children’s lives and development which many of the teachers we have spoken to for this podcast have mentioned, regardless of who they’re teaching and where they are, is the relevance of parental and family engagement in children’s education.  Their observations mirror the findings of today’s guest Sharon Wolf, an applied developmental psychologist interested in how young children’s social environments - specifically their families and schools - shape their development. “Parents' involvement really can enhance the children’s academic outcomes. Not just how they engage in school, but...

Over the last 18 months teachers have had to find innovative ways to not only teach, but engage with students. For many, they’ve relied on technology to help them educate their students. But how do technology and play contribute to learning? In today’s episode, we explore the intersection between learning through play and technology. First we speak with Bo Stjerne Thomsen, Chair of Learning Through Play and the Vice-President of the Lego Foundation, about the increasing role technology has in learning through play.  “When we look at how technologies are...