Episodes

  • Technology Round Table Discussion
    Nov 4 2024

    How are the opportunities and challenges that come with the future of technology being felt in schools? This episode, we’re joined by three educators, Rachael Thrash, Yasmine Aslam-Hashmi and Rory Douglas, to discuss futures focussed technology in education.

    Rachael Thrash is the CEO and Co-Founder of Belong Hub, student leadership kits and services that guide adults and students to collaboratively create a belonging-centered school culture. Rachael is a school leader and master teacher with 20+ years experience in the field of education. With a Masters from Brown University, she has taught and led initiatives in independent US schools, public community colleges, and international IB schools, most recently the International School of Helsinki in Finland.

    Yasmine Aslam-Hashmi is an international school educator with over 18 years of experience. She has taught in Canada, South Korea, Vietnam and Switzerland where she currently resides. Having taken on multiple roles within schools as a teacher, department head, curriculum developer, instructional coach, and an academic and action researcher – Yasmine is an inclusive and equitable schools' specialist, with additional specialist in learning support and teaching English to multilingual learners. She has taught middle school Mathematics, Science, Learning Support, English as an Additional Language, and Grade 11 and 12 Theory of Knowledge. She is currently a co-facilitator for the ECIS DEIJ Leadership Development Cohort, and is teaching at an international school in Zurich, Switzerland.

    Rory Douglas currently serves as the Innovation and Learning Coach at Kennedy School in Hong Kong. He has been working with the ESF schools group in Hong Kong for the past 6 years, 3 at Beacon Hill School and 3 at Kennedy, as a Year 5 & 6 teacher. Before that he worked as Head of Early Years in East London, before making the move to Hong Kong. He is an ESF Centre for Research Fellow and also spends time supporting classes across the school in STEM subjects.

    Our guests shared the following resources -

    "We are in the midst of a historical transformation. Current times are not just part of normal history." Sohail Inayatullah, ed., The Views of Futurists. Vol 4, The Knowledge Base of Futures Studies. Brisbane, Foresight International, 2001.

    Jonathan Haidt: The Anxious Generation

    The Right Question Institute https://rightquestion.org/

    10 to 25: A Groundbreaking Approach to Leading the Next Generation—And Making Your Own Life Easier by David Yeager

    Technology & Ethos - Vol. 2 Book of Life by Imamu Amiri Baraka (LeRoi Jones)

    The TIM - Technology Integration Matrix - https://fcit.usf.edu/matrix/

    Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation by Steven Johnson

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    Find out more about MSB and download our paper, Futures-Focused Leadership for International Schools, at www.makingstuffbetter.com

    You can find us on Linked in at

    Matt Hall: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-hall-msb/

    Naomi Ward: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naomi-ward-098a1535/



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    35 mins
  • The Technological Domain, with Tricia Friedman
    Oct 20 2024

    For many, contemplation of the technological domain, the massive swift growth of generative AI, for example, comes with fear and trepidation. So we’re delighted to be joined today by Tricia Friedman, who brings calm, inspiration and fun to the challenge of imagining future technologies.

    In this conversation we talk about not just generative AI, but also cross species communication, mobile phone bans in schools, and how to involve everyone in the conversation about technological change.


    Tricia Friedman (she/her) is a long-time educator who has worked in the US, China, Thailand, Morocco, Ukraine, Indonesia, Switzerland, Singapore and now currently lives in Canada. She’s founder of Allyed.org and Director of Learning and Strategy with Shifting Schools. Tricia is an avid podcaster, you can catch her on Be a Better Ally, Unhinged Collaboration, Shifting Schools, and if you listen closely you might occasionally hear her dog weigh in too.

    Connect with her on LinkedIn where you’ll catch her talking about the intersection of #AILiteracy #InformationLiteracy #MediaLiteracy and how #DEIJ is integral to those literacies and leadership.https://www.linkedin.com/in/tricia-friedman-allyed


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    Find out more about MSB and download our paper, Futures-Focused Leadership for International Schools, at www.makingstuffbetter.com

    You can find us on Linked in at

    Matt Hall: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-hall-msb/

    Naomi Ward: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naomi-ward-098a1535/

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    35 mins
  • Exploring Futures-Focused Leadership for International Schools, with Patrick Alexander
    Oct 7 2024

    For our introduction to season 3, we’re delighted to be joined by Patrick Alexander from Oxford Brookes University. Over the summer we’ve been working with Patrick to research and create a new collaborative paper, Futures-Focused Leadership for International Schools.

    We intend this to be a provocation to leaders, to think differently about the future of education and their role in the creation of this future.


    Today we’ll be talking through the key concepts and tools within the paper, and posing some questions for you to ponder as you listen to season three.

    In this volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world, how can you develop the future literacies needed to lead the school of today into tomorrow?


    Dr. Patrick Alexander is Professor of Education and Anthropology at Oxford Brookes University, where he is also Research Lead for Education and Chair of the Children and Young People’s Research Network. Patrick’s research focuses on the anthropology of schooling, concepts of the future, and the professional learning of school leaders and teachers.

    Find him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-alexander-1082803/

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    Find out more about MSB and download our paper, Futures-Focused Leadership for International Schools, at www.makingstuffbetter.com

    You can find us on Linked in at

    Matt Hall: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-hall-msb/

    Naomi Ward: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naomi-ward-098a1535/

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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • S2Ep13: How We Can Help Students To Become Global Citizens with Dee Lanier
    Feb 28 2024

    Welcome to the Principled podcast.


    In this episode, Matt Hall and Naomi Ward of Making Stuff Better are joined by Dee Lanier, Lead Learning Designer at Lanier Learning and Education Coach for Samsung Education. Award winning TEDX speaker and author of Demarginalising Design, Dee Lanier is dedicated to co-designing equitable learning experiences for school leaders, staff, and students, and helping schools to implement technology in meaningful ways.


    They discuss design thinking as a mindset, the importance of empathy, and solving the problem ‘with’ versus ‘for’.


    How can we find out what really matters to the communities in and around schools to create an environment of change and development? Might there be a disconnect between what leaders and administrators recognise as challenges, and what the community they lead recognise as challenges? How can we begin to bridge that gap?


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    To get in touch with Dee, you can find him online here:


    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deelanier/

    Demarginalising Design: https://www.amazon.com/Demarginalizing-Design-Elevating-Problem-Solving/dp/0578286556

    Lanier Learning: https://www.lanierlearning.com/

    The Liberated Educator podcast: https://wavve.link/LiberatedPod/episodes

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    To get in touch, please find us online here:

    Website: https://makingstuffbetter.com/

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/makingstuffbetterltd/

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Makstubet/

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makingstuffbetter/?hl=en

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/stuff_better?lang=en


    Additional links to follow:


    Matt Hall: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-hall-msb/

    Gill Kelly: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gillkelly/

    Naomi Ward: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naomi-ward-098a1535/

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    36 mins
  • S2Ep12: How To Just Be: Unfreezing Our Leadership Potential with Nicholas Janni
    Feb 14 2024

    Welcome to the Principled podcast.


    In this episode, Matt Hall and Naomi Ward of Making Stuff Better are joined by Nicholas Janni, renowned speaker, coach, and co-founder / programme director at Matrix Development.


    Nicholas is also the author of Business Book of the Year 2023 Leader as Healer, a new paradigm for 21st Century leadership - an unflinching call for leaders to leave the old paradigm and move towards a new mode of "leader as healers".


    They discuss the role of reverence, intuition, and connection; the two paths to development’ and the power of a simple question.


    Does our leadership style originate from childhood? And with this understanding, how can we truly ‘let go’ of frozen trauma and unlock connected, intentional leadership? What impact will this have on organisational health and the way generations lead those behind them?


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    To get in touch with Nicholas, you can find him online here:


    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-janni-976b3817/

    Website: https://www.nicholasjanni.com/

    The Matrix Development: https://www.thematrixdevelopment.com/

    Leaders as Healers book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Leader-Healer-paradigm-21st-century-leadership/dp/1911687069

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    To get in touch, please find us online here:

    Website: https://makingstuffbetter.com/

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/makingstuffbetterltd/

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Makstubet/

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makingstuffbetter/?hl=en

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/stuff_better?lang=en


    Additional links to follow:


    Matt Hall: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-hall-msb/

    Gill Kelly: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gillkelly/

    Naomi Ward: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naomi-ward-098a1535/

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    35 mins
  • S2Ep11: Nurturing The Cultural Richness Of International Schools with Shane Leaning
    Jan 31 2024

    Welcome to the Principled podcast.


    In this episode, Matt Hall and Naomi Ward of Making Stuff Better are joined by Shane Leaning, international school leadership and organisational development coach, and creator and host of the Global Ed Leaders podcast for leaders shaping education on a global scale.


    They discuss cultural differences in communication, decision making, authority and criticism; lessons from a valuable and little-known resource; and the power of a coaching-style approach to leadership.


    How can we foster organisational health in international schools where cultural differences might result in vastly different approaches to crucial elements such as decision making or authority? What measures can we implement to overcome barriers presented by these differences? And how powerful can adaptability and curiosity really be?


    Resource mentioned in episode:

    Autobiography of Intercultural Encounters: https://www.coe.int/en/web/autobiography-intercultural-encounters

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    To get in touch with Shane, you can find him online here:


    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leaningshane/?originalSubdomain=cn

    Website: https://www.shaneleaning.com/

    Global Ed Leaders Podcast: https://www.linkedin.com/company/globaledleaders/

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    To get in touch, please find us online here:

    Website: https://makingstuffbetter.com/

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/makingstuffbetterltd/

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Makstubet/

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makingstuffbetter/?hl=en

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/stuff_better?lang=en


    Additional links to follow:


    Matt Hall: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-hall-msb/

    Gill Kelly: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gillkelly/

    Naomi Ward: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naomi-ward-098a1535/



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    34 mins
  • S2Ep10: Respect, Reflection, And Culturally Responsive Leadership with Ryan Persaud
    Jan 17 2024

    Welcome to the Principled podcast.


    In this episode, Matt Hall and Naomi Ward of Making Stuff Better are joined by Ryan Persaud, school leader at VERSO International School, a “school of the future” in Thailand.


    They discuss overcoming barriers and leading with courage, authenticity, and purpose; the importance of returning to the vision; and the power of mentorship.


    What is culturally responsive leadership and how can leadership teams in international schools foster it? What role does our bias and our privilege play in how we lead and influence others?



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    To get in touch with Ryan, you can find him online here:


    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-persaud/

    VERSO International School: https://www.verso.ac.th/

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    To get in touch, please find us online here:

    Website: https://makingstuffbetter.com/

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/makingstuffbetterltd/

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Makstubet/

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makingstuffbetter/?hl=en

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/stuff_better?lang=en


    Additional links to follow:


    Matt Hall: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-hall-msb/

    Gill Kelly: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gillkelly/

    Naomi Ward: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naomi-ward-098a1535/



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    31 mins
  • S2Ep9: How To Truly Listen: Nurturing A 'Thinking Environment' with Candice Smith
    Jan 3 2024

    Welcome to the Principled podcast.


    In this episode, Gill Kelly and Naomi Ward of Making Stuff Better are joined by Candice Smith, meeting & workshop facilitator, coach, and founder of The Thinking Field, through which she helps leaders to “create cultures of collaboration, inclusion, belonging and innovation.”


    They discuss the responsibility we have to acknowledging the influence of previous generations, the importance of intentionality in setting up organisations that help our bodies and minds to thrive, and the tension between building profit and building a culture of thinking.


    What is a ‘thinking environment’ and how can we actively create one? What is the role of collaboration, deep listening, and connection in this mission? How much damage can interrupting someone really do?


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    To get in touch with Candice, you can find her online here:


    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/candice-smith-a76944a/

    The Thinking Field: https://www.thethinkingfield.com/

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    To get in touch, please find us online here:

    Website: https://makingstuffbetter.com/

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/makingstuffbetterltd/

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Makstubet/

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makingstuffbetter/?hl=en

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/stuff_better?lang=en


    Additional links to follow:


    Matt Hall: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-hall-msb/

    Gill Kelly: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gillkelly/

    Naomi Ward: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naomi-ward-098a1535/



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    36 mins