In this thought-provoking episode of Joining the Dots, Al Kingsley and Matt Jessop are joined by global education innovator and learner-centred strategist Carla Aerts. With decades of experience in EdTech, AI, and digital learning, Carla brings a passionate, challenging, and compassionate lens to the big question: what is education really for?
🧠 From soft skills (or rather, “power skills”) to digital equity, learner agency, neuroplasticity, and the troubling persistence of high-stakes testing, this episode is a tour de force through the most pressing issues facing education today. The trio tackle:


Why education should be the catalyst for children’s potential, not just a pathway to employment


The hidden dangers of retrofit EdTech and surface-level AI use in schools


Why teachers must be supported to experiment safely with AI, not excluded by fear or poor infrastructure


The critical need for curriculum reform beyond political cycles — and why tweaking around the edges won’t do


How teaching kids about how their brains work can supercharge motivation and learning


The growing assessment crisis, and why we should stop trying to monitor broken systems with new tech


The risks of inequity if we fail to provide digital access as a basic right


💬 Carla calls for a new kind of education—adaptive, co-created, scaffolded for safe experimentation, and deeply human. Expect challenging takes, energising provocations, and plenty to reflect on long after the episode ends.
🔁 As ever, grab a notebook – or better yet, gather your team – because this one’s packed with ideas to take back to your school or trust.

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