124: Classroom Changemakers with Theo Knott
Theo manages the fairer strand of Nesta’s Education work which looks at how we can enable women, minorities and those from disadvantaged backgrounds to have better access to education and careers in technology and innovation.
Theo is especially passionate about equality of opportunities and how we can give everyone the chance to reach their goals and potential irrespective of their upbringing.
There is broad consensus that skills such as creativity and problem-solving will be vital in ensuring young people from all backgrounds are well-prepared for life and work in the 21st century. At Nesta we’re launching Classroom Changemakers, an award programme to unearth, celebrate and share great ideas from teachers and teaching assistants which aim to give young people the opportunity to be creative and solve problems in maths and computer science. We will award 15 teachers, or teaching assistants, £5,000 each to their school or college to celebrate their work.
Through these awards Nesta aims to:
- Reward and celebrate the great work of teachers and teaching assistants.
- Better understand how teachers and teaching assistants are giving young people the opportunity to be creative and solve problems in maths and computer science.
- Share this understanding and the bright ideas unearthed by the awards with other educators.
We are looking to award teachers and teaching assistants who have developed and tried out an idea in their classroom which aims to give young people the opportunity to be creative and/or solve problems in maths or computer science.
https://www.nesta.org.uk/project/classroom-changemakers/
@theodoreknott
- Complete the short online application form by 2 March 2020. The application form involves three questions and will take up to 30 minutes.
- If shortlisted complete a 30 minute call with Nesta between 9-13 March.
- W/C 16 March 2020: shortlisted applicants informed of the final decision
- 24 April 2020: celebration event in London.
- If selected as a winner take part in a case study phone interview with Nesta on your idea late March/early April
- We estimate that the total time commitment is 1.5 days.
- Nesta will reimburse reasonable travel and supply cover costs for participants to attend the final event.
Show Sponsor
The National Association for Primary Education speaks for young children and all who live and work with them. This includes parents, teachers, governors and all those interested in primary education. NAPE is a non-political charity and works tirelessly to support teachers in the classroom as expressed in their ‘Value of Membership’ Document. NAPE leads the Primary Umbrella Group of thirty primary subject associations and unions and gives teachers and schools a voice at governmental level at consultative meetings with ministers for schools.
For full details of how they can support you please visit their website at nape.org.uk
123: C.H.A.M.P.S. Mentoring with Vondale Singleton
Today we start to combine our 2 podcasts into 1. This is a bonus episode previously released on the Learning on Fire Podcast to show how education is not about being taught in silos. Schools, parents and community can work in harmony to create the whole picture for our children.
Vondale Eugene Singleton Sr. was born on the Southside of Chicago. After overcoming the death of his mother due to crack-cocaine, an incarcerated father throughout high-school, and the negative influences of the Ida B. Wells Housing projects he beat the odds becoming a first-generation college student earning his Bachelors of Science Degree in Elementary Education and his Master’s Degree in Marital and Family Therapy from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, OK. He credits his mentor, Steven Robertson as the person who invested sacrificially his time and resources to help him become the man he is today.
The last 16 years he has worked as an advocate in primary, secondary, and higher education, as both a teacher and administrator. He believes that “salvation plus education is an unbeatable combination.” He started C.H.A.M.P.S. for young men in an effort to mentor young men with similar circumstances. He helped organize the Award Winning Music Video at the White House Film Festival, which landed the C.H.A.M.P.S. a visit to the White House with President Obama.
Vondale has won numerous awards and received many recognitions for his work with C.H.A.M.P.S. He was recently named the “Father of the Year” for the State of Illinois by the Illinois Fatherhood Initiative, a Walmart Community Playmaker through the coveted Chicago Blackhawks as well aa MLK Community Champion. He is married to his College sweetheart, Dr. Patrina Singleton. They reside in Chicago, Il with their two beautiful children, Promise Singleton (9), and Vondale E. Singleton, Jr, (4).
Questions asked on the Learning on Fire Podcast Interview
- Who are you?
- What does your life look like now and how is it different from when you were growing up?
- What was valuable about your school experience?
- Which teachers do you remember and why?
- Who did you admire when you were young?
- What was it about that person that had such an impact?
- What was the best piece of advice you have ever been given and who gave it to you?
- What advice would you give your younger self?
- What does your future look like?
- What podcast, book, video, film, song or other resource has had the biggest impact on your life and why?
Resources mentioned
The Bible
Believe to Achieve by Howard H White
Contact information
Social Media – @champsmentoring
Show Sponsor
National Association for Primary Education
Our aim is to achieve a higher priority for the education of children from birth to 13. High quality learning in the early years of life is vitally important to the creation of an educated society. Young children are not simply preparing for the future, they are living a never to be repeated time of life and the best way to learn is to live.
122: Fan the Flames
We continue our journey in creating an Education on Fire community. On todays show Mark gives details of how he will share the wisdom from the Learning on Fire Podcast as we start to merge both shows.
We continue our journey in creating an Education on Fire community.
On todays show I give details of how I will share the wisdom from the Learning on Fire Podcast as we start to merge both shows.
Our focus is joining together to support children to live their best authentic lives. Understanding who we are and how we see the world around us is very important.
Therefore surrounding ourselves with people who can be a positive influence is very important and yet we must realise that schools are part of a system that – like it or hate it – can be less than positive for many children who have to be part of it.
Navigating this and being true to ourselves is the key to the future of a thriving planet.
‘Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire’.
Join us around the campfire and help guide Education on Fire to positively affect the way children feel about life, learning and their future.
121: A New Spark
Mark explains how this is the dawn of a new era for Education on Fire. We are going to build and connect a community of firelighters who support children to live an authentic life using their talents and passion.
‘Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire’.
Join us around the campfire and help guide Education on Fire to positively affect the way children feel about life, learning and their future.
120: Thank you and Merry Christmas
Thank you so much for listening during 2019. Have a very Merry Christmas and we look forward to continuing our journey in 2020.