21 Gurus from 2021

A blog from Osiris Educational

21 Guru's

21 Gurus from 2021

The World Education Summit 2021 was made up of over 400 amazing speakers and innovators. A diverse group of educators from all over the globe came together to bring learning to the very forefront of our minds. Everyone that participated worked extremely hard and we couldn’t get enough of their sessions (for those of you that attended, don’t forget you can catch up on Summit Central). 

Next year we will be bringing you more content, speakers, topic, themes and so much more but for now, we would like to highlight 21 gurus from WES 2021!

Professor Carol Ann Tomlinson      

You would struggle to find anyone on Earth who knows more about differentiated instruction than Professor Carol Ann Tomlinson. As a prolific best-selling author (with her books translated into over 15 languages) and as an internationally acclaimed expert on mixed-ability classes, Carol Ann is first and foremost focused on responding to the needs of ALL learners. She has been working across the U.S and the world for the better of two decades, instilling the values of strong, responsive and heterogeneous classrooms wherever she has gone.          

Professor Daniel Willingham

A world-class cognitive scientist, best-selling author and esteemed professor of Psychology, Daniel Willingham is one of the leading voices in applying cognitive psychology to classroom practice. Appointed by President Barack Obama in 2017 to the National Board for Education Science in the U.S, Daniel is a fervent advocate of science-based approaches to learning, teaching and educational policy, informed by what we know about brain function. Witness first-hand the power of his award-winning research on the biological and cognitive basis of learning. The future of effective teaching is here.                   

Professor John Hattie  

World-renowned, award-winning education researcher and best-selling author, Professor John Hattie has been closely examining what works best in student learning and achievement for the better part of 30 years. All of this has culminated in his ground-breaking research masterpiece, Visible Learning, a data-driven meta-analysis of 90,000 studies and over 300 million students, that proves once and for all what actually works for learners. His list of accolades and awards is almost as exhaustive, but John is more than deserving of every bit of that praise.  We are delighted to work with him once again, in 2022.                                      

Dr Debra Kidd

Dr Debra Kidd is a rare, revolutionary sight in education. Her extensive experience at every level of the industry, from the ins and outs of national policy to the everyday workings of classrooms everywhere, is garnered from her sterling work at every phase of schooling, in countries on every continent. From the onset of learning in nursery through to further education. Debra has a well-earned, international reputation of knowing what truly matters for learners, and champions this truth in her own passionate, empathetic and inspiring training style.  

Giulia D’Amico

Giulia has expertise in technology, education, social transformative projects and government relations, with a special focus on emerging and developing countries. Giulia started her journey at OLPC Foundation in Cambridge, MA and in late 2008 was appointed VP of Development and relocated to the OLPC European Foundation in Brussels, Belgium. Prior to joining OLPC, Giulia was the Coordinator for International Partnerships at the Youth Agency of the Italian Government. Previously she has worked as Deputy Director of the Peacebuilding Department at the Glocal Forum out of the Rome office.                      

Professor Ger Graus OBE 

Professor Ger Graus OBE is an iconic figure in the field of education. A renowned expert on educational innovation and community engagement, he is the first Global Director of Education at the world-famous children’s entertainment-education company, KidZania. With his extensive experience at the very highest level of the learning industry, Professor Graus is a much sought-after advisor for organisations globally on the future direction of education. Driven by his famous mantra that “Children can only aspire to what they know exists” Professor Graus champions the cause of creativity, progress, equity, and innovation in children’s learning. We are honoured by his presence at the summit.                

Professor Kalwant Bhopal MBE

Professor Kalwant Bhopal MBE is one of the world’s leading authorities on social justice and equity in education, as well as an acclaimed author. As Professor of Education and Social Justice, as well as the Director of the Centre for Research in Race & Education at the University of Birmingham, the focus of Bhopal’s work is on the experiences of minority ethnic groups at every level of education with particular attention to how the processes of racism and exclusion take hold in mostly white learning spaces and how to mitigate this. No one knows better than Professor Bhopal that radical change is required immediately to bridge the equity gap for black and minority ethnic students worldwide.  

Maggie MacDonnell

Maggie MacDonnell has always been committed to supporting the Canadian Indigenous people and redressing the economic and social inequality they have suffered. For six years, Maggie taught in a fly-in Inuit village, Salluit, in the Canadian Arctic (population just over 1,300). It cannot be reached by road, just air. Due to the harsh conditions, there are very high teacher turnover rates – a significant barrier to education. Maggie wanted to improve the lives of all her students there. In 2017 Maggie was awarded the coveted Global Teacher Prize by the Varkey Foundation to honour her work in Quebec.                       

Dr Maha Bali  

Dr Maha Bali is a rejuvenating force at the forefront of social justice and equity in online education. As Associate Professor of Practice at the Centre for Learning and Teaching at the American University in Cairo, her main focus is faculty development, digital literacies & intercultural learning, and open education. A keen writer and educational theorist, Maha specialises in designing and promoting an equity-focused, open, and connected intercultural curriculum. Armed with her expertise in digital learning environments and her passion for promoting a fairer educational world for a fairer tomorrow, Dr Bali is the tonic for 2020.                                         

Professor Michael Fullan      

The full extent of Michael Fullan’s influence on global education will perhaps never be fully known. What we do know is that he is the worldwide authority on educational leadership and whole-system reform and a prolific, award-winning, best-selling author. Driven and inspired by the strength of the moral imperative of all children learning, Michael works with governments, policymakers, research institutes and local leaders around the world, instilling policies and establishing sustainable networks of growth and development for leaders, teachers and learners alike.            

Professor Pak Tee NG 

Internationally acclaimed educational policy and leadership expert, and best-selling author, Professor Pak Tee NG is the future of pedagogy personified. With the lessons that he has learned and the educational successes that he has inspired in his home nation of Singapore, Pak Tee is deeply involved in pushing global education toward a kinder, more successful horizon.                                        

Professor Pasi Sahlberg 

Professor Pasi Sahlberg is one of the world’s most celebrated pioneers of educational reform. A product and continued architect of the best national schooling system on the planet in Finland, Pasi is also an award-winning best-selling author and former educational advisor for the World Bank, the European Commission and more than 50 governments across the globe. Aside from his current role as Professor of Education at UNSW, Pasi operates as the unofficial global educational ambassador for the Finnish Way and is a strong advocate against the use of big data in education reforms.                              

Professor Paul Kirschner      

Professor Paul A. Kirschner is one of the most prolific and celebrated educational scientists in the world of education, as well as a best-selling author. Internationally recognised for his expertise in the fields of educational psychology and instructional design, Paul also champions digital collaborative learning environments and resources. His seminal paper: “Why minimal guidance during instruction does not work: an analysis of the failure of constructivist, discovery, problem-based, experiential and inquiry-based teaching” revolutionised teaching in the mid-2000s. To this day, it remains one of the most cited works in education.                             

Sadhguru     

Man. Mystic. Visionary. Sadhguru.

A world-famous yogi, best-selling author, and internationally acclaimed speaker and advisor, Sadhguru has touched the lives of millions of people around the globe through his transformational programs and his sage teachings. His unique approach to living, learning, leadership, and spirituality has made him an influential voice at some of the world’s leading global forums, including the United Nations, the World Economic Forum, Harvard, Stanford, MIT and Oxford. Dedicated to the physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing of humanity and gifted with utter clarity of perception, Sadhguru possesses a perspective on life that always intrigues, challenges and surprises all those he encounters.

Professor Thomas Guskey

Professor Thomas Guskey is one of the world’s most successful educational authors. An internationally renowned researcher and educational policy expert, Thomas has written 25 award-winning books and over 250 critically important research chapters, articles and papers on student measurement, evaluation, assessment, and professional learning. He has a global influence, with his work helping teachers and school leaders around the world effectively use quality educational research to support the needs of their students. With over 50 years at the very forefront of learning and teaching, Professor Guskey is a force to be reckoned at the cutting-edge of innovation.                               

Tim Oates OBE

Tim Oates is the Director of Assessment Research and Development at Cambridge Assessment, and one of the world’s leading experts on curriculum, assessment, and leadership. A prolific writer Tim is most famous for leading the review of the UK’s National Curriculum in 2010. The results of his sterling work earned Tim a CBE for services to education and prompted an international review of the quality of available learning materials. His global status as one of the most forward-thinking minds on assessment and curriculum leads him to regularly advising governments and presenting his research around the world.                                    

Tyrone Howard

Tyrone C. Howard is a professor of education at UCLA in the Urban Schooling Division of the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. He is also the director of Center X, a consortium of urban school professionals working toward social justice and educational equity in transforming Los Angeles schools. Professor Howard’s research is concerned primarily with the academic achievement of youth in urban schools. His work has centred on the achievement gap facing African Americans and other culturally diverse students, and the importance of providing teachers with the skills and knowledge to assist them in reversing persistent underachievement.                                

Professor Sanjay Sarma 

Professor Sanjay Sarma is the Vice President for Open Learning at the Massachusetts Institute for Technology and an acclaimed author. A world-leading authority on the science of learning and the future of education, Professor Sanjay is a multi-award-winning educator and scientist at the very cutting-edge of learning research, practice, and theory. In his role as Vice President, he oversees the operation of MIT’s ground-breaking digital initiatives, constantly pushing the barriers of learning to their next limit.         

Dr Abdulla Al Karam      

Dr Abdulla Al Karam is one of the biggest names in education in the Middle East. As Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director-General of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority, Dr Abdulla is responsible for a wide spectrum of education in Dubai’s private sector, spanning early learning, school, and higher education, and Training Institutes. Serving on the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Education in 2010, he is an internationally recognised authority on education and interested in readdressing traditional methodologies to prepare for future challenges.                                      

Dr Todd Whitaker

Dr Todd Whitaker is recognised as a leading presenter in the field of education, whose message about the importance of teaching has resonated with hundreds of thousands of educators around the globe. Todd is a professor of educational leadership at the University of Missouri, USA. Previously, he was a maths teacher and basketball coach. Todd has spent his life researching and studying effective teachers and principals, making him one of the world’s leading authorities on staff motivation, teacher leadership and principal effectiveness. Todd has written over 50 bestselling books.  

Leslee Udwin

Leslee Udwin is an award-winning world-renowned campaigner for systematic educational change and a critically acclaimed former filmmaker. Her ground-breaking documentary ‘India’s Daughter’ won over 32 international awards and sparked a global movement to end violence against women and girls. This searing experience led Leslee to found Think Equal, a ground-breaking global initiative calling for an end to discrimination and violence in education, a task that she champions to this day. 

Continue your learning journey with the World Education Summit 2022. Be part of innovation, learning and legacy. Join more speakers and expand your education knowledge. See you next year!  

Leave a Reply