World Teacher Podcast

Gareth chats with Rajesh Nair, who has worked at both the Asia School of Business and MIT and is the founder of EnCube Labs, about his work in developing entrepreneurial mindsets and skills in young people around the world.

Gareth speaks with Jerry Mintz, Founder and Director of the Alternative Education Resource Organization (AREO), who has helped found more than 100 alternative schools in 25 countries. 

Gareth speaks with Jim Garrison, Founder, President, and Chief Academic Officer of Ubiquity University. Jim discusses his public diplomacy with Mikhail Gorbachev, his time at the Esalen Institute, the current state of US-Russia relations in the context of the Ukraine Crisis, racism in the US, spirituality, and his transformative approach to education via Ubiquity University and the global online forum, Humanity Rising.

Gareth speaks with Terrence Ho, a high school art teacher and intrepid global adventurer, who uses art education to open minds, develop local communities, and to deepen global sister city relationships. Tensions between art and capitalism, and the pitfalls of elite education are also discussed. 

Gareth speaks with Simone Ellin, writer and Associate Editor at Jmore, about the impacts bullying has had on her life -- and how reaching out to her bullies years later has helped her and others heal.  Gareth also talks about his own bullying and healing journey.

Gareth talks with Noreena Hertz, economist, activist, UCL professor, and author of The Lonely Century: Coming Together is a World That’s Pulling Us Apart. Topics include the loneliness pandemic, the impacts of loneliness on health, innovation, and democracy, and how to incentivize compassion and kindness.

Gareth chats with Yong Zhao, author, speaker, thought leader, and professor at two universities (Kansas and Melbourne) about his vision for evolving education through self-determined learning. Gareth also discusses his next steps in life.

Gareth talks with AJ Bond, creator of the Shame Academy Bootcamp and host of the Discomfortable Podcast, about shame -- how it shapes us, how we can manage it, and why educating about shame can help kids and adults alike live better lives.

Gareth speaks with Jordyn Feingold, a medical student at Mount Sinai NYC and co-founder of the Positive Medicine Program, about how to use the REVAMP model to help doctors, students, and other professionals to avoid burnout, build resilience, and thrive.

Gareth speaks with Gina Riley, an educational psychologist, Clinical Professor, and Program Leader of the Adolescent Special Education Program at CUNY – Hunter College, about self-directed learning, self-determination theory, and the challenges and benefits of unschooling or homeschooling children.

Gareth speaks with Steve Joordens, Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto, Scarborough, and Director of the Advanced Learning Technologies Lab, about the relationship between memory and learning, the challenges and opportunities of learning online, his Coursera course on mental health during COVID, and a cool EdTech tool he co-created to develop critical thinking skills, PeerScholar.

Gareth is joined by Polly Akhurst and Louie Barnett from Amala Education to discuss the ongoing global refugee crisis, barriers to educational access, and Amala’s transformative learning model and high school diploma program designed to empower refugee youth.

Gareth speaks with Jeffrey Ansloos, Canada Research Chair and Assistant Professor in Indigenous Health and Social Policy at the University of Toronto (OISE), about the historical and structural roots of Canada’s indigenous suicide epidemic and how it can be overcome through educational transformation.

Gareth speaks with Daniel Nettle, Professor of Behavioural Science at Newcastle University about neoliberalism, inequality and insecurity, stress and aging, the case for creating a Universal Basic Income (UBI), and the importance of interdisciplinary education and research.

Gareth talks with Traci L. Scheepstra, a professor, teacher trainer, researcher, and entrepreneur, about the importance of centering the body and cultivating embodied awareness in education.

Gareth chats with Nandini Chatterjee Singh, a neuroscientist from the UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP) about the scientific case for centering Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) in education and schooling.

Gareth talks with Dave Sweeney, an anti-nuclear campaigner with the Australian Conservation Foundation, who was honored with the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize for helping launch the International Campaign Against Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). Topics include the relationship between nuclear energy and anti-Aboriginal environmental racism, how to build an effective activist campaign for social, economic, and environmental justice, and what it feels like to win a Nobel Peace Prize!

Gareth speaks with Jess Pegram, a 19 yo gender non-conforming, nonbinary-identifying person (and former student of his!), about sexuality, gender, identity, and the ongoing battle for rights and respect faced by transgendered people and the LGBTQ community.

Gareth speaks with Dr. Özlem Sensoy, professor of education at Simon Fraser University, about identity, power, oppression, White Privilege, and how to build a better world through critical social justice education.

Gareth talks with Ellen Mahoney, an expert in building Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) programs and Founder of Sea Change Mentoring. about the powerful impacts of having (or being) a mentor.

Gareth talks with Scott Darlow, a Yorta Yorta descendant and Aboriginal Australian singer-songwriter, performer, and social justice activist about racism in Australia, the Black Lives Matter movement, Aboriginal Justice, and anti-racist activism and education.

Gareth speaks with Dr. Min-Huei Hsu, Dean of the Big Data Institute at Taipei Medical University, and Dr. Ryan Engen, a diplomat with the US State Department about how Taiwan leveraged both Big Data and past lessons learned to lead the world in combating COVID-19.

Gareth talks with Melody Pannell, a peacebuilder and changemaker who has taught at Eastern Mennonite University, and has worked as a social worker, activist, and social innovator, about deep racism in the criminal justice system, possibilities for police reform, and the transformative power of an alternative approach to problems in schools and society, restorative justice.

Gareth speaks with Carolyn Acker, the Founder of Pathways to Education, an innovative community-based social program that has been proven to help marginalized youth graduate high school. Topics explored include social justice, community development, systems thinking, human-centered design, social entrepreneurship, and a lot more

Gareth chats with Dr. David Gleason, a developmental and clinical psychologist, author of the book, At What Cost?, and founder of Developmental Empathy, LLC. The conversations focuses on the teen mental health crisis, how schools are compounding it, and what needs to happen to support the holistic needs of all kids.

Gareth speaks with Rebecca Warren of the United World Colleges (UWC) Schools International Organization about better educational possibilities and what some amazing educators out there are already doing to humanize schools.