Global Tech, Local Impact: Unlocking Classroom Bottlenecks with Emma Dorn

How can we let data drive student success? On this episode, host Jeremy Singer talks with Emma Dorn, a Senior Knowledge Expert at McKinsey & Company, about how school systems improve and sustain progress at scale. While the US debate focuses on whether to use technology, the Global South innovates out of necessity due to resource constraints. From solar tablets in Malawi to WhatsApp coaching in Pakistan, Emma shares how to solve the core instructional bottleneck.

Emma outlines five case studies from around the world where technology solves real instructional problems: 

• First, design for the instructional bottleneck, not the tech. In Malawi, where class sizes reach 150, Imagine Worldwide deploys offline, solar-powered tablets running adaptive software, doubling literacy and math fluency. 

• Second, technology designed for teachers can be more transformative than direct-to-student devices. McKinsey's analysis of global PISA data shows tech in the hands of teachers adds a year or two of learning, while student devices reduce outcomes due to distraction. New Globe utilizes teacher tablets to deliver structured lesson plans offline. 

• Third, technology works better when aligned with the curriculum. Mentu's AI assistant in Colombia and the Dominican Republic maps to local curricula to scaffold lower-skill teachers. 

• Fourth, technology is most powerful when scaling proven interventions like teacher coaching. In Pakistan, Talimabad created a WhatsApp-native digital coach analyzing classroom audio to give immediate feedback. 

• Fifth, think beyond the Scantron. Using the Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) methodology, Pratham and Wadhwani AI developed oral reading fluency assessments operating on $50 cell phones, reducing assessment time by 50% across millions of learners.Listen in to learn how a global perspective can provide unique insights into how to leverage emerging technologies to solve real world educational challenges at scale.

Research and Links:

Malawi Scale-Up: globalpartnership.org/blog/malawi-strengthening-edtech-evidence-community-perspectives

McKinsey PISA Study: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/education/our-insights/drivers-of-student-performance-insights-from-europe

Structured Pedagogy: https://www.wwhge.org/resources/implementing-structured-pedagogy-programmes-effectively-at-scale/

New Globe Impact: https://newglobe.education/impact/

Taleemabad Profile: https://taleemabad.com/

Mentu AI: https://mentulabs.com/en/

Pratham TaRL: https://www.pratham.org/about/teaching-at-the-right-level/

Wadhwani AI: https://www.wadhwaniai.org/

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Time Stamps:

00:00 Show Introduction

00:38 Meet Emma Dorn

02:03 Why Look Globally

04:14 Constraints Drive Innovation

06:20 Lesson One Bottlenecks

12:21 Lesson Two Teacher Tech

19:00 Lesson Three Curriculum Alignment

23:37 Lesson Four Scaling What Works

29:28 Lesson Five Oral Assessments

34:18 Big Picture Takeaways

35:42 Rapid Fire Questions

37:40 Five Year Vision

38:51 Closing Thanks