Edufuturists

In this episode of the podcast, we reflect on another rich run of recent conversations from across the series in Review #14.We revisit key ideas from episodes featuring Nici Foote, Rita Bateson, Iain MacRitchie, Dr Emily Musil, Dr Robin Harwick, Danielle Finlay, and a wide range of voices captured at BETT.

Across the discussion, a number of themes begin to emerge clearly: the value of messy learning, the growing importance of AI literacy, the need to focus on meaningful uses of technology rather than superficial adoption, and the enduring importance of human connection in education.

The conversation also explores democratic schooling, pedagogy, lifelong learning, inclusion, mentorship, and the challenge of creating more time and space for curiosity, compassion, and deeper thinking in schools and colleges.As ever, this review episode is a chance to step back, spot the patterns, and reflect on what these conversations might be telling us about the future of education.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:20 Nici Foote and Messy Learning
04:45 Rita Bateson and AI Literacy
07:55 Iain MacRitchie and Human Intelligence
12:50 BETT Reflections and Meaningful AI
17:45 Dr Emily Musil and Lifelong Learning
20:10 Dr Robin Harwick and Democratic Schooling
23:20 Danielle Finlay and Pedagogy
26:35 Final Reflections
Thanks so much for joining us again for another episode - we appreciate you.Ben & Steve xChampioning those who are making the future of education a reality.Want to sponsor future episodes or get involved with the Edufuturists work? Get in touch Get your tickets for Edufuturists Uprising 2026

In this episode of the Edufuturists podcast, we are joined by Danielle Finlay, former headteacher, senior leader and now Head of Operations, Client Delivery and Change Management at Progress Teaching. Danielle reflects on her journey through education leadership, her deep commitment to pedagogy, and the difficult decision to step away from headship in order to prioritise family life without stepping away from her impact on the sector.

The conversation explores the relationship between pedagogy, leadership, behaviour, feedback and data, with Danielle making the case that better teaching starts with better insight rather than more judgement. We discuss why pedagogy remains the beating heart of great schools, why relationships matter more than compliance, and how leaders can use data intelligently without becoming overwhelmed by numbers that tell them very little.

Danielle also shares thoughtful reflections on Ofsted, trust accountability and the difference between feedback as insight and feedback as judgement. It is a rich conversation about courage, clarity and the importance of building school cultures where challenge is humane, evidence-informed and rooted in genuine care for both staff and students.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction And Welcome
03:17 Danielle Finlay’s Background And Journey Through Education Leadership
06:38 Moving From School Leadership Into The Commercial Sector
12:25 Choosing Family, Leadership And A Different Kind Of Impact
15:09 Why Pedagogy Still Matters Most
19:15 Challenge, Change-Makers And The Limits Of Compliance
21:12 Behaviour, Relationships And Partnership In Schools
24:51 Why Culture Starts With Care And Clarity
29:09 Radical Candour, Feedback And Leadership Judgment
33:23 Ofsted, Accountability And The Problem With Snapshot Judgments
38:16 Trust, Support And What School Improvement Should Really Look Like
43:15 Why Data-Rich Schools Make Better Decisions
48:06 Data-Rich Versus Data-Heavy Thinking
52:08 Lessons In Leadership, Courage And Conviction
55:45 Quickfire Questions
Thanks so much for joining us again for another episode - we appreciate you.Ben & Steve xChampioning those who are making the future of education a reality.Want to sponsor future episodes or get involved with the Edufuturists work? Get in touchGet your tickets for Edufuturists Uprising 2026

In this episode of the Edufuturists podcast, we are joined by Dr Robin Harwick, educator, research scientist and founder of the Pearl Remote Democratic High School in central Mexico. Robin shares her journey into education, her frustration with the long gap between research and classroom practice, and why she felt compelled to build a school that puts democracy, inclusion and student agency at its core.

The conversation explores what it really means to create a democratic school, from co-creating curriculum with students to building classrooms where voice, choice and critical thinking are non-negotiable. Robin argues that too much of mainstream education is still built around control, compliance and conformity, rather than helping young people become informed, engaged and competent citizens.

We also discuss why student voice is so often reduced to tokenism, how schools can move beyond rigid planning, and why educators need to relearn how to listen. The episode is a powerful challenge to inherited assumptions about schooling and a reminder that if education is meant to prepare young people for democracy, it cannot continue to be run like an authoritarian system.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction And Welcome
01:24 Robin Harwick’s Background And Route Into Education
05:16 Introducing The Pearl Remote Democratic High School
05:43 The Origins Of The Pearl And Art Pearl’s Influence
07:53 Democracy, Inclusion And Informed Citizenship
08:39 Why This Work Matters In The World Today
11:37 Civic Participation, Responsibility And Student Voice
15:25 What A Democratic School Looks Like In Practice
17:41 Co-Creating Curriculum And Following Student Curiosity
22:03 Relearning How To Teach In A Democratic Model
25:17 Supporting Teachers To Let Go Of Control
29:31 Why Most Schools Still Prioritise Compliance
31:44 Moving Beyond Tokenistic Student Voice
37:20 Autism, Masking And Resisting Unjust Systems
39:21 Quickfire Questions
Find out more about the Pearl Remote Democratic High School Robin also references The Democratic Classroom

Thanks so much for joining us again for another episode - we appreciate you.Ben & Steve xChampioning those who are making the future of education a reality.Follow us on XFollow us on LinkedInCheck out all about EdufuturistsWant to sponsor future episodes or get involved with the Edufuturists work?Get in touchGet your tickets for Edufuturists Uprising 2026 at: edufuturists.com/uprising26

In this episode of the Edufuturists podcast, we are joined by Dr Emily Musil from the Milken Institute to explore how education, philanthropy and technological change are colliding in powerful ways. Emily shares her journey through higher education, EdTech and global learning projects, before unpacking her current work helping philanthropists and institutions invest in the future of education.The conversation explores why AI literacy and computational thinking now need to be seen as part of the core learning experience, not as optional extras or specialist subjects. We discuss the growing pressure on higher education to rethink old models, the importance of lifelong learning, and the role of philanthropy in funding experimentation, innovation and system change.Emily also reflects on the balance between high tech and human-centred learning, arguing that the future of education should combine personalised digital support with collaboration, empathy and real-world problem solving. It is a conversation about imagination, urgency and the need to build learning systems that are more flexible, more equitable and more fit for the world ahead.Chapters00:00 Introduction02:15 Emily Musil’s background in Education and EdTech05:09 The Milken Institute and Strategic pPhilanthropy07:33 Global Trends, Regional Priorities and Systems Thinking10:11 AI Disruption and the Need for Future-focused Thinking14:51 Why AI Literacy Must Become a Core Skill16:01 Personalised Learning and What Schools Can Do Differently19:26 Higher Education, Business Models and Resistance to Change24:15 New University Models and Experimental Approaches26:46 Lifelong Learning and Education as a Continuum30:08 How Philanthropy can Catalyse Change in Education35:47 Computational Thinking, AI+ and Human-Centred Learning40:11 Competition, Global Opportunity and Prize-based Innovation45:22 Quickfire QuestionsFind out more about Emily here
Download the Milken Institute's latest AI Report
Hear about Milken's latest partnershop with Drew University
Thanks so much for joining us again for another episode - we appreciate you.Ben & Steve xChampioning those who are making the future of education a reality.Follow us on X: https://www.twitter.com/edufuturistsFollow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/edufuturists/Join the WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/IWXj4PvbvvI5frLGVUj6ih?mode=ems_copy_h_cCheck out all about Edufuturists at https://www.edufuturists.comWant to sponsor future episodes or get involved with the Edufuturists work?Get in touch: [email protected] your tickets for Edufuturists Uprising 2026 at: edufuturists.com/uprising26

In this episode of the podcast, we have mashed together all of our interviews from Bett 2026. We aren't going to lie...putting this together has been a nightmare and we almost didn't put it out. We lost footage, some of the audio tracks haven't transcribed and it's not really our best work.But, we thought it's important we don't always have to be polished AND the audio content here with some incredible folks is just magical. Let's focus on that eh?! Don't judge; be kind!Chapters 00:00 Andrew Sliwinski, Lego14:21 Gavan Vetesse-Wilson, Salamander Soft31:38 John Roberts, Oak National Academy41:07 Taryn Sullivan, Google01:16:38 Mark Hadley, Blackout Technologies01:19:58 Simon Blower, Pobble01:24:41 Jon Neale, Kahoot01:39:14 Polly Morgan, IDEA.org01:49:40 James Weatherill, Arbor01:58:49 Aanya Niaz, AWS02:14:45 Alison Clark-Wilson, UCL02:27:00 Bett Awards02:33:40 Christian Turton02:36:53 Louisa & Yash, BeyondThanks so much for joining us again for another episode - we appreciate you.Ben & Steve xChampioning those who are making the future of education a reality.Follow us on XFollow us on LinkedInCheck out all about EdufuturistsWant to sponsor future episodes or get involved with the Edufuturists work?Get in touch
Get your tickets for Edufuturists Uprising 2026