Sugata Mitra
Educational Researcher & Professor of Educational Technology, Newcastle University
Sugata Mitra’s “Hole in the Wall” experiments showed that children in extreme impoverished areas could teach themselves without formal instruction, highlighting critical examples of self-directed learning. Mitra’s Self-Organized Learning Environment (SOLE) model emphasizes the importance of curiosity-driven, autonomous, and collaborative learning environments for students. Mitra has received numerous accolades, including the $1 million TED Prize in 2013 and the 2022 Brock Prize for Education Innovation, and his work inspired the novel, Q&A and the Oscar-winning film, Slumdog Millionaire
Peter Gray
Research Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College
Peter Gray asserts that children educate themselves through play and exploration when given the freedom to do so, marshaling evidence from behavioral biology, anthropology, developmental psychology, education, and other research literature. His book, Free to Learn, argues that unleashing children’s instincts to play, tinker, and explore leads to happier, more self-reliant, and better students for life. He is a founder of the nonprofit Let Grow, which aims to renew children’s freedom to play and explore independently of control, as well as the founder for the Alliance for Self-Directed Education.
Cost: $195/ person
Includes materials and lunch
Questions?
Contact Mike Nicholson at mnicholson@learninspired.org or 614-815-6608.