“They can tell you where to sit. They can tell you where to swim. They can tell you where to eat, my boy. But they can never take away what you know. Don't stop learning.”

This is the advice St. Claire Adriaan received from his mum who raised him in a marginalised community under the apartheid regime in South Africa.

As one of the first graduates of colour from what was then known as the University of Port Elizabeth (now Nelson Mandela University) in South Africa, St. Claire has built his 35-year teaching career on the principles of restoration, inclusivity, and diversity. Today, he holds eight degrees, and is the head of Encore Junior/Senior School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Hesperia, California.

Growing up in apartheid South Africa shaped his approach to teaching

“The colour of my skin meant that I couldn’t attend certain schools or universities. I know what it’s like to be excluded and marginalised and I never want my learners to feel like they don't belong, that they are inferior, or that people from marginalised communities can’t achieve success.”

St. Claire’s approach to education is focussed on building positive relationships, and empowering learners from all walks of life. Having attained a master’s degree from the International Institute for Restorative Practices, he’s implementing these methods to help transform education.

The aim of restorative practices, according to the IIRP, is to “develop community and to manage conflict and tensions by repairing harm and building relationships.”

How restorative practices helped transform an entire school

In 2008, St. Claire was appointed as head of Success Preparatory Academy in New Orleans. The school was in an impoverished neighbourhood and had the lowest student test results in the state.

Through St. Claire’s restorative approach, it was named one of the top 10 performing schools in Louisiana just three years later. He believes that the first step to turning a school around, is to employ passionate teachers.

“I hire teachers from diverse religions, race and sexuality because we serve a diverse range of learners. Having teachers from different backgrounds means there’s more opportunity to build relationships, be more empathetic, and become more successful mentors to our learners.”

This approach to equity and inclusion is supported by the 2020 Global education monitoring report which discusses how diverse teachers can serve as role models and have a positive effect on student performance, especially those from minority backgrounds.

Offering opportunities for creative expression

“Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the learners were left with a lot of trauma,” recalls St. Claire. “And with that trauma came anger. So I had a muralist paint a big outline of the word UBUNTU on one of the school walls. Ubuntu is a South African philosophy about relying on each other to overcome difficulties. Whenever a learner was acting out, I gave them a paintbrush, and let them paint until the anger had subsided.”

St. Claire also invested in a school music programme to help learners express their feelings. “There’s nothing like a strong music programme to help learners change their mindset and attitude.”

Music has been shown to help students increase their performance in mathematics and languages. It also helps them develop perseverance and better study habits.

Building confidence through affirmation

“We had affirmations every morning, where learners recited positive characteristics about themselves to remind them of who they are, their capabilities, and how their values should be lived out.”

[YouTube video of learners at the school reciting their affirmations]

“We also celebrated every milestone. Whether a learner improved from 95 to 97, or 35 to 37, we celebrated together. It’s not about the test score, it’s about getting better every day.”

Closing the opportunity gap

When St. Claire moved from New Orleans to New York, he brought these interventions with him. In his new school, he also focussed on closing the ‘opportunity gap’. This is defined by the glossary of Education Reform as "the unequal or inequitable distribution of resources and opportunities.".

Making sure learners’ basic needs are met gives them the opportunity to thrive in the school environment.

“Some of the learners in New York were wearing the same clothes every day, so we installed a laundry at the school. We also had a clothing bank, and a food pantry for anyone who was in need.”

“When our learners are out in the world one day, they should feel like there’s a space for them in every situation. They should never feel like they ‘don’t belong’ just because of their background. So we bridge the ‘opportunity gap’ by taking them to restaurants, hotels, and on school trips which they might not experience outside of school.”

By employing passionate teachers, investing in cultural programmes, and building a diverse, inclusive and nurturing learning environment that focuses on restoration and affirmation, St Claire Adriaan's example shows us how teachers can develop powerful tools to transform the lives of learners, even in difficult circumstances.

Learn more about the #TeachersTransform campaign as part of the Transforming Education Summit.

Photo credit:  St. Claire Adriaan

“Teaching is always evolving, changing, transforming. I can’t think of any other job where you’re constantly asked to improve and learn new things. And then you still have the privilege of sharing that knowledge with young people.” 

Throughout his 12-year career, Steven Kolber has embraced technology as a fundamental teaching tool to help transform his classroom into an interactive, inclusive learning environment. This led to his nomination as a top 50 finalist for the Global Teacher Prize in 2021.  

As an English Language, EAL and History teacher at Brunswick Secondary College in Melbourne, Australia, Steven is also passionate about sharing his knowledge and empowering other teachers around the world. 

“When used efficiently, technology can transform education by giving teachers the time they need to be more human, more present, more empathetic, more collaborative, and create a better learning environment for all.” 

This idea is supported by UNICEF's State of the World's Children report,  which states: "If leveraged in the right way and made universally accessible, digital technology can be a game changer for children being left behind – whether because of poverty, race, ethnicity, gender, disability, displacement or geographic isolation – connecting them to a world of opportunity and providing them with the skills they need to succeed in a digital world."  

Helping teachers improve their tech skills  

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Steven was more than prepared for the world of remote teaching. He had over 700 lessons on his YouTube channel, and was familiar with several tools that he could use to enrich his online lessons.  

To help other teachers adapt to online teaching during the pandemic, he created an extensive catalogue of free training videos on YouTube. Steven also ran online gatherings called ‘Teach Meets’ where educators shared their innovations and adaptations for remote learning.  

Recognising the need for teachers to have better access to scalable solutions for professional development, the World Bank Group and HundrED (a global education non-profit) teamed up to develop the Teachers for a Changing World Spotlight. The platform identifies and shares access to leading solutions from around the world that are helping teachers thrive in an ever-changing classroom. 

Helping teachers collaborate and share innovative ideas with their peers 

Contributing to peer-to-peer support, Steven co-hosts a bimonthly podcast, the Teachers' Education Review. He discusses various teaching practices, and transformational solutions with a range of education experts from diverse backgrounds. 

To help teachers access quality research, and share their knowledge of teaching innovations, Steven also established an interactive online reading group for teachers called #Edureading.  

“Every month, we discuss a different academic article on education. It’s not about who’s right and who’s wrong, it’s about building connections with fellow educators, and collaborating with them,” says Steven. 

Helping teachers embrace tech to create a more inclusive environment for learners 

“When teachers feel more confident in their personal tech skills, they feel more empowered to experiment with digital tools, and use them in their classrooms,” says Steven.  

“Technology makes learning more accessible to our students, and it helps us do our work more quickly and effectively. It gives us more time to do the ‘fun stuff’ including interacting with learners face-to-face and getting them to interact meaningfully with each other.” 

A paper commissioned for the 2020 Global Education Monitoring Report, Inclusion and education, confirms this idea. “ICT can be used to support inclusion by providing different ways of representing information, expressing knowledge and engaging in learning, including assessment.” 

The paper also notes the importance of using technology to help make learning more accessible to students with learning difficulties. “ICT tools can be used to support creative and cooperative learning environments where disabled students are included in learning activities and have class or group roles or responsibilities.” 

Steven uses a number of assistive technologies to strengthen the learning experience for students and teachers both in the classroom and online.    

“I use a lot of assistive technology in my classroom including transcription and text-to-voice software to ensure learners with dyslexia or other disabilities are able to share their thoughts, and participate in the learning process.”  

“Instructional videos are a great way for teachers to supplement their lessons. For example, when we cover Macbeth, I have face-to-face lessons in the classroom, but I also have a whole lot of video summaries of each act and scene that my learners can access on my YouTube channel.” 

“Learners with hearing disabilities can access the subtitles and transcripts. And those who have attention difficulties can go back and rewatch the video as many times as they need to.” 

Steven even uses video to provide feedback to his learners. He records his comments on video while reading through an essay or project that a learner has submitted. “It saves me a lot of time.” 

Transforming education to keep up with the ever-changing world  

“Teachers notice the small things. They can see when a learner is struggling with something beyond the classroom. As teachers who genuinely care about our learners and their overall wellbeing, COVID made us realise just how critical those face-to-face social interactions in the classroom actually are,” says Steven.  

“While technology can transform the way teachers share their knowledge, it can’t replace them. There’s no substitute for a great teacher who can establish a solid relationship with their students and deliver content in a way that makes kids excited about learning. Technology, by itself, simply can’t do this.” 

Steven’s top recommended resources for teachers and learners: 

Videos to help teachers build their skills: 

• How to Make and Publish a Video 
• How to make a Lightboard video  
• What is a green screen effect & how to set one up 
• Using Video Feedback for Formative Assessment Online 

Top sources for free audio books for learners: 

• Libby App: Free ebooks & audiobooks from your library | by OverDrive  
• BorrowBox – Your library in one app  
• LibriVox | free public domain audiobooks 

For discussions on education, and connecting with other teachers around the world: 

• Teachers' Education Review | The Australian podcast for teachers the bridges the gap between research, policy and practice. (terpodcast.com)  
• The Edu Salon on Apple Podcasts  
• empowerED Podcast with Francis Jim Tuscano on Apple Podcasts  
• ‎Game Changers on Apple Podcasts  
• ‎Education Research Reading Room on Apple Podcasts 

Assistive technologies: 

Steven recommends software such as ClaroRead, Dragon Speak, Pen Readers, Read-aloud settings within documents, enabling subtitles within Zoom and PowerPoint. 

Learn more about the #TeachersTransform campaign as part of the Transforming Education Summit. 

Photo credit: Steven Kolber

“Technology is as destructive or constructive as the people who use it. So, if teachers, educators, and parents use technology with clear purpose, and model constructive behaviours, I believe it can have a positive impact on education.”

Nana Gulic spent a decade of working with government, schools, and teachers to help create a learning environment that supports children’s social-emotional needs as well as their educational needs. Now through SEed (Social and Emotional Education), an ed-tech start-up that empowers non-profits like schools, Nana implements character and leadership development programmes that help learners increase self-confidence, motivation, physical and mental health and build positive relationships with their parents and peers.

According to a report by UNESCO and the International Academy of Education, “Social-emotional learning, or SEL, is sometimes called ‘the missing piece’, because it represents a part of education that links academic knowledge with a specific set of skills important to success in schools, families, communities, workplaces and life in general.”

“By combining my B.A. in Child and Youth Care and M.A. in Social Justice and Equity Studies, I am able to identify innovative ways to empower my students in the classroom, and help them become active participants in their own lives and homes,” says Nana.

Using tech for parent & learner counselling during the pandemic

The critical role that psychosocial support plays in the learning environment was highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic. A report noted that it would not be enough for schools to simply reopen their doors after COVID-19. Students will need tailored and sustained support to help them readjust and catch-up after the pandemic. Teachers are being encouraged to incorporate remedial education approaches and social-emotional learning into their pedagogy.

This is exactly what Nana is doing in her school. After initiating online social and emotional learning workshops for students and their parents during the pandemic, she continues to host them now that schools have reopened.

“One of the biggest benefits of online counselling is that we can have group discussions, but then we can turn our microphones on mute, and have private internal chats between family members. You can’t do this in an in-person group setting. And there were some amazing things that came out of those private moments. Some major breakthroughs between parents and their kids.”

Technology can create a space for struggling learners to communicate

Teachers and child and youth workers can use digital tools to support the socio-emotional development of learners both inside and outside the classroom. “Technology doesn’t replace a good teacher or counsellor. It just adds an extra layer, it’s an extra tool that we can use to communicate with our learners.”

One of Nana’s roles is to help struggling students develop the skills they need to talk about, and deal with various challenges in their lives, like the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to a report on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education, “Many students felt lonelier, a vast majority, missed contact with their classmates, many were worried about how the disruption impacted their learning and will affect their future education.”

To help her learners process their experience of the COVID-19 lockdowns, she invited them to build their ‘ideal post-COVID world’ in Minecraft. Four 10-year-old learners from Canada and four from Croatia were tasked with working together to create a digital space that met all of their wants and needs.

“They might not have been able to verbally express how much they missed social interaction, but their Minecraft world clearly showed this,” says Nana. “It included a flying van to travel with family and friends, a portal that allows you to travel wherever you want, an amusement park, and a school cafeteria with lots of space to have fun and spend time with friends.”

Polls, YouTube, and instant messaging to develop ‘social and emotional literacy’

According to a report on social and emotional learning in education systems, the main purpose of ‘emotional literacy’ – a skill that involves being able to name and understand one’s own emotions and the emotions of others – is to improve relationships and facilitate more cooperative functioning between individuals, within communities and throughout society as a whole.

In the classroom, students are often afraid to reveal how they really feel in case they are ridiculed. So Nana uses an app to allow learners to respond to a digital poll anonymously. When the poll shows that “everyone” feels nervous on their first day of school, or over 90% of the respondents have anxiety about exams, it helps learners feel less vulnerable.

Nana has also created a fictional YouTube character called Dolly Ghostsmith who enlists the help of the students to track down four escaped ghosts called "Denialy", "Doubty", "Worry Anne", and "Fearan". The ghosts help Nana’s elementary school learners develop their social and emotional literacy by identifying their unique characteristics.

Research shows that by implementing SEL in schools, students can begin to recognise and manage emotions, develop caring and concern for others, establish positive relationships, make responsible decisions and handle challenging situations.

When it comes to encouraging learners to share their struggles, Nana has even turned to texting.

“Over the years, I’ve found that some students would rather communicate by typing than by talking. I really struggled to get through to them until I offered the option to text rather than to chat in person. Some of the learners even use a second language to express themselves emotionally.”

Using apps to give students with learning difficulties more independence

There are also several tools which Nana uses to help those with learning difficulties integrate into the classroom. For those with dyslexia, she uses text-to-voice apps and transcription apps which give learners who struggle to read and write more freedom to work independently.

For those with attention difficulties, Nana uses digital cognitive training apps together with in-person therapy sessions. One of her favourite tools is Lumosity which features games that are scientifically designed to help improve memory, processing speed, and problem-solving skills.

“Technology is such a natural environment for kids. It is a place where their voices can be heard, and where they can meet with other students around the world and engage with them.”

“In the future, I hope that we can all work together to build a teacher-led collaborative and empowering environment that focuses on sustainability, equity and social justice.”

Learn more about the #TeachersTransform campaign as part of the Transforming Education Summit.

Photo credit: Nana Gulic