PIS(A) Off (or how to fix a broken education system)

#EducationPerspectives?

A few days ago the results of the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) study came in showing a slight decline in overall abilities across European educational outcomes. I'm not an expert in this matter so can't comment on the minute details or influences, but my visit to Barcelona 2 weeks ago was a stark reminder that if we make a little effort to look around, we will probably find organisations that have already been working on solutions and that the "only" real challenge they have is one of discoverability.

I am sharing this article with 2 aims:

1. To demonstrate the entrepreneurial steps of how someone can turn research into action and into a business and in the process learn a bit more about how entrepreneurship works.
2. To give you a peek behind an organisation that is truly turning the concept of education on its head.

As always, apologies for any spelling/formatting mistakes. Am writing this while on a moving bus, on my phone, on my way to a meeting. I've included as I often do various pics I took while there to make you completely envious :-)

Let's start with making you envious... Random pic moment :-)

The education system is broken.

But first a caveat: you should know that - on the whole - I find the educational systems across the world absolutely outdated, especially in the 5-18 age bracket. They are a relic of a completely out date approach to teaching that is wholly unsuited for preparing people for a modern world, putting children through an educational system that forces kids to learn the 'answers' but spending surprisingly little time on honing their ability to ask the questions and have the skills to research and act on the questions.

I see it in the entrepreneurship landscape constantly, with hordes of well meaning individuals completely unequipped to roll up their sleeves (very easy to spot one: they are the ones asking for funding based on just an idea they had). There are a few individuals I am aware of that are doing incredible work behind the scenes ( Fabio Monti in Italy who is reshaping Italian education in one of Europe's oldest schools, is one of them, and Stacey Brewer Brewer in South Africa, whose SPARK schools I think teach some 15.000 kids every day in their classrooms).

Coffee in Barcelona...

So while in Barcelona 2 weeks ago for a meeting I found myself with a spare morning before my onward connection to Rome. As luck would have it, LinkedIn showed me a post by someone I went to university with in London 24 years ago and it turned out that he lives in Barcelona. A few messages later and he invited me to come and see what he's doing.

It was one of the most eye opening mornings I've experienced in a long time.?

(And I have been around the block)

What has he/they done?

Christopher Pommerening and his team have completely turned the educational system around, delivering an educational process that takes children from 5 to 18 (circa) - for less than it costs government to deliver education to an individual in a publiic school - and creating young people that are truly ready for a modern VUCA world (VUCA stands for Volatile, Uncertain, etc - google it). Today they have a few LearnHubs (schools to you and me) and are in the process of licencing their innovative approach to organisations around the world.

How did they get to where they are today? The entrepreneurial angle

Sharing this to show aspiring entrepreneurs the practical steps an entrepreneur goes through (if you want to understand how the entrepreneurial lifecycle works do this 10 min free course I filmed in Johannesburg a while back!).

1. Make it personal! He took something that is personal to him, namely the future of his kids. He felt frustrated at how bad the current education system is in preparing kids for a modern world.
2. Base it on research! He (and his team) spent 2 years researching the real science of learning, engaging with universities, research centres, specialists etc. Not looking at actual schools but at the actual science of learning.
3. Test your ideas and assumptions! They setup a hub in Barcelona where they took what they learned and devised a framwork around it (see section of what makes them different below for practical examples). They tested, tweaked and monitored constantly... they realised fundamentally that the only way to know how something will work for real is to actually try it out. The whole "school" is a learner centered innovation design center, constantly learning, improving and adapting in real time.?
4. Stay open to change! You get the feeling that nothing is sacred in terms of ideas and suggestions if it is in the interest of their mission of helping their kids not just be prepared for a modern chaotic world but actually thrive (their approach funny enough is now being licenced to a number of large companies that realised that how they guide is actually also suited to adults and creates much more critical roll-up their sleeves employees than the classic hired hands).
5. They focused on the outcomes. This is very important. Too often we entrepreneurs fall in love with the vessels we create (i.e. the business model) and then just try and push that into our client's faces. They have realised that the vessel is not important but rather the destination (i.e. children that are empowered to think critically and have the empirical confidence to actually get shit done). This has huge implications for us entrepreneurs: when you are focused on the outcome you will be less resistant to change your business model, which in turn means you start listening more (and start searching less for what you want to hear).
6. They grew (relatively) slowly, focusing on ensuring they really understand what they are doing, how they are doing it and how to address the operational challenges (e.g. it is easy to daydream of growing internationally, but try and find the right people, monitor them, etc etc. It is a huge drain on energy and resources). They are growing on the back of a really strong foundation. I can't stress this enough: a good business TAKES TIME to grow. You can't hurry a tree to grow.
7. They stay close to the core of their value. He himself is based in their "innovation hub", the first school they setup and the place where the train new learning guides (you'll understand later why they don't call them teachers) as well as test new ideas. He doe not have a fixed desk (open plan) rather he works literally next to where the children learn or create

A few caveats:

• He is an experienced entrepreneur (he co-founded autoscout24 spain and sold it, etc etc) plus sits on a lot of boards and is deeply involved in the VC ecosystem (this is important to keep your finger on the pulse and to remember that everyone faces challenges, despite what social media posts give the impression of).
• He has access to some capital or resources to allow him to start an initiative (though I argue that this is something many less experienced entrepreneurs use as an excuse: I know many entrepreneurs who didn't have any capital who went to organisations with space capacity and partnered with them in a win-win outcome - think rent, deposits, furniture, wifi, etc).
• He has fantastic reputation which he lends to the business so when he shares something there is the reputational factor that helps (this is a tip to fellow startups: in the initial phase people will trust you more than your company so don't become too corporatish too soon... there is value in putting your reputation behind your company's promises and committments)

The learning angle - or what makes their "school" so incredible?

Please understand that I see a ridiculous amount of businesses in my work and committments. For me to say that if I didn't love so much what we are working on at The 1583 Sustainability Academy and The StartUp Tribe I would have joined them immediately is paying them a huge compliment. It has been a while since I've been this impressed.?And I'm saying this without any angle (I really do not need to promote him)...

Let's start with a short video tour by yours truly (amateur as I may be) of their centre (obviously I tried not to film any children hence the odd video angles sometime). If you want to find out more their linkedin page with all the details is here: Learnlife :

Here's some examples that really impressed me about how they turned the term "education" around. I only had an hour so would have loved to see and hear much more!

1. Children at different ages need different wake up times otherwise you are destroying the child's health. So they start school at different times for different age brackets.
2. They don't have classic teachers. Instead they bring what they called learning guides. These are experts in their field who are helping - not teaching - the child to understand whatever the child is actually interested in. So if a child is interested in robotics, they have a studio where the child is guided in understanding circuits, welding, sourcing chips and parts, engineering, software coding, etc. They learn by DOING and working on what they are interested in. The guides help to teach the child how to ask the right questions or prompts, how to find the knowledge, how to translate that knowledge into practice and actually working on real life projects. This happens across a whole bunch of topics (they are literally multi purpose spaces designated to these topics). Learning by doing. Does that ring a bell in how you learned best?
3. They empower the children to take on responsiblity. So as the child demonstrates maturity in handling tools, etc they grow in autonomy and responsibility to the point that they are allowed to use different equipments on their own and supervise other children.
4. They engage with each other, listen and discuss. For example, when Christopher was showing me around the various creative studios where the kids where working on things, instead of telling me what the kids are working on, he asked the kid to explain their projects to me but also explain the why they were working on a specific problem. The kid was showing me that they understood the why and not just the what. I am talking about 12 year olds.?
5. Children aren't just taught formal educational skills (critical thinking, etc) but heavy emphasis on communication, empathy, responsible citizenship, positive impact etc. They really learn what it means to cope with life? as part of a community, as responsible citizens, etc.
6. I got the impression that the whole feel is around real things and not the appearance of things. So for example, there is no formal dress or look, inviting the youth to be themselves and be comfortable in being themseves.?
7. There is a heavy emphasis on not just learning but also understanding context. That goes also for the? use of laptops and phones. There isn't a ban per se, but rather a fair use policy realising that technology is a major part of life, so the? children are guided to understand how to set boundaries with technology.?
8. There is no separation between children of various ages and adults in the common areas. To explain: everywhere you walk there are desks and tables, couches, chill zones etc. Very much a dynamic co-working space along the lines of wework etc. Stylish, inviting, exciting. But it is a place that everyone can occupy. So you don't get the feeling of them and us, but rather of everyone is part of the family and everyone takes responsibility for each other.
9. They understand pricing. It is all very well offering one of the most innovative learning approaches? I've seen but if the pricing is not sustainable or competitive it will struggle to get traction in the public sector. They deliver all of the above per month at virtually the same if not a little less than it costs for government to provide public schooling per child per month.The list could go on to 50-60 points. I hope you get the gist.

Let's get personal...

On a personal note I also experienced something very interesting... I felt scared. The education system that we are brought up to accept is structured, formalised, and predictable. You know exactly what you have to do when to achieve what. This of course is exactly contrary to how life works, but this false sense of security is what we grew up with.

While listening to Christopher Pommerening I sensed (and had to fight) an urge to be scared about an open learning framework that actually welcomes change, critical thinking and uncertainty. It actually transforms humans towards a self-transforming mindset. I had to bite my lips to stop myself from asking negative questions and instead focus on its potential.

If ever there was a great idea then my reaction is the best confirmation of it's importance and potential.?

I hope you found this post useful, both in terms of helping you in your own? joentrepreneurial journeys as well as a glimpse into the future of learning.?

Here's to coffee, the great enabler of conversations and opener of doors!