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Tanya Sheckley embodies what it means to be a "rebel educator"—someone who looks at traditional systems, identifies what isn't working, and takes bold action to create something better. As founder and president of California's Up Academy, she's built an educational model that truly embraces diverse learners through project-based approaches and mixed-age learning communities.

Her journey began with deeply personal motivation. When her daughter, born with cerebral palsy, needed an education that would honor her intelligence while accommodating her physical needs, Tanya found existing options inadequate. This sparked the creation of Up Academy—though tragically, her daughter passed away before the school opened its doors. Through profound grief, Tanya persevered, eventually launching a school that now serves as a model for inclusive education.

What makes Up Academy distinctive? Small class sizes foster genuine relationships between students and multiple trusted adults. Mixed-age groupings create natural opportunities for differentiation and peer mentoring. And perhaps most remarkably, the school fully embraces failure as learning through weekly "fail-abrations" where students proudly share mistakes and what they learned from them.

Tanya's latest innovation is the Rebel Project Literacy Curriculum, designed to integrate project-based learning with literacy skills, creating cohesive learning experiences where reading, writing, and hands-on projects reinforce each other. This solves the common teacher dilemma of "finding time" for projects by weaving them into existing literacy blocks.

Whether you're an educator seeking practical strategies for inclusion, a school leader questioning outdated systems, or simply someone who believes in education's transformative potential, Tanya's vision of creating "a generation of learners who see all things as possible and all people as capable" will inspire you to become a rebel in your own context. Listen, learn, and join the educational revolution!

You can find Tanya here: 

projectup.us

tanyasheckley.com

upacademysf.com

rebeleducator.com

Tanya Sheckley, Founder

650-796-3848

UP Academy - Where Curiosity Thrives

Open an UP Academy

Book me for speaking events

Projects and Professional Learning

"Let us remember: One book, one pen, one child, and one teacher can change the world...."

— Malala Yousafzai

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Adebayo Alomaja

Chief Learning Designer @Eazy-Digi | International educator | Education futurist | Board Member | Speaker | "On a mission to convert 100k African teachers to Authentic Learning Designers by 2030"

Web: https://eazydigi.net/courses-for-education-leaders-and-professionals/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alomaja-adebayo/

Adebayo Alomaja, in his words, an African (from Nigeria) by birth but a global citizen by tech. 

He leads an education consulting firm (Eazy-Digi) in Nigeria that uses research, technology and networking to transform education in Africa, one teacher at a time with "DESIGN THINKING" as the foundation. Eazy-Digi utilizes research and evidence-based models to help k-12 schools to move from a traditional and exam-pull system to a more authentic and skill-based system which is future-led by design, agile and capable of addressing the "Skills Gap" on the African continent. 

Eazy-Digi is on a mission to convert 100k teachers in Africa to authentic learning designers by 2030. They are doing this through our courses (self-paced and instructor-led), webinars and on-site training. 

In Africa, our advantage is our young people because we are the youngest continent but our disadvantage is "how we educate our young people", Adebayo says. So we train teachers to teach "Skills" and not "Subjects and topics in isolation".

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Today’s guest is one of the learners, students we met on our way as learner guides, teachers,  of international education. 

The one thing that stood out with him already as a 9 year old was his brilliant math and coding skills. 

In this episode we have a conversation with him about intrinsic motivation and what impact it has in a young person’s life!

We unbox what was driving him in the early years when it came to math and coding, and what is driving him now.

We were curious about what motivates  Archisman to come to Hetch ( Helsingborg Tech Hub ) on an afternoon after school! 

We discuss innovation and how  age doesn’t matter! 

We were eager to know Archisman’s answer to the question: If you could design a school, what would we find? How would content and skills be taught and learnt? 

Check out our conversation  with Archisman Das, a 15 year old student. 

His own words: 

My name is Archi and I'm currently 15 years old, and I am a student in the 9th grade at the International School of Helsingborg. I personally enjoy mathematics, computer science, and STEM in general due to the opportunities it offers us, and the way it forms everything in the world. I like to experiment and try out new things in these fields and in general, and am completely self-taught for nearly everything I do. I'm very interested in being able to learn things fast and learn new things, as I see not being able to understand something as a challenge for me. I started going deeper into STEM because of my sudden interest, which only happened about a year ago, but I always had a passion for it. In this episode, I talked a bit about my perspective on mathematics and the ways in which we see it vs the other ways there is to see it, why I became so interested in these kinds of things, and what I believe education should be like today. 

Instagram: archi.the.coder

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Märt Aro has been an Education Advisor to the United Nations, the European Commission, OECD, and numerous governments worldwide, including Estonia, the UK, Lithuania, Malta, Romania, Colombia, Latvia, Germany, Holland, and Turkey. He has established -  and helped to establish - numerous NGOs and companies, including N8 and the European EdTech Alliance, and contributed to the creation of EdTech organizations in Iceland, Finland, Lithuania, Ireland, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Colombia. He remains on the board of EdTech Estonia. He has initiated several movements, such as TeachMillions to support teachers and learners during COVID and a cross-European campaign to support Ukrainian teachers and learners. He has mentored over 50 EdTech companies and education initiatives and founded several education startups, with DreamApply being the most impactful. Supporting his work by purchasing DreamApply services helps him continue contributing to education development.

Web: https://www.dreamapply.com/

LinkedIn 

Article

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{ HundrED } Welcome to another exciting episode of "Unboxed"! Today, we’re thrilled to share the  conversation we had in June this year with  Lasse Leponiemi, the Executive Director and co-founder  of Finland-based HundrED, a global organization dedicated to identifying and sharing innovative educational projects that are impactful and scaleable.

With a background in both education and leadership, Lasse has been transforming how we think about education innovation worldwide, building on an idea started locally in his native Finland. 

Lasse’s work has not only impacted countless students but has also inspired educators to embrace new and creative ways of teaching.

During the HundrED summit that just took place in Helsinki, educators from across the globe networked and learn from each other. It’s about the power of ideas and how they can become reality. 

From his early days at Tampere University in Finland to his impactful role at HundrED he has continually pushed the boundaries of what's possible in education. 

His passion for creating a positive change in educational systems is so inspirational, and we can't wait to hear more about his experiences.

In our conversation we speak about challenges and how innovation solutions can make learning and the world better.

Links:
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/lasseleponiemi

Company:
https://www.hundred.org/

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Drew Cortese 

Director of Global Partnerships at AEON Learning Sciences, NewYork, USA.

He was a founding faculty member at AEON, formerly Avenues Global School, New York  in 2012, where he was also a Head of grade and a Dean of students & college counselling. 

Within the Research & Development team, Drew specializes in identifying and securing opportunities to expand the school's global community, now spanning three continents and 46 countries. 

Earlier, he helped launch their experience design practice, focusing on instilling pride among students, families, and staff affiliated with the school. Nevertheless, Drew's favorite role was and is teaching - whether in a physical classroom or online - and matching wits with AEON’s students from around the world.

”With AEON Online now its own entity I am part of a growth team that's laser-focused on what we're calling  "School-as-a-Service.".  

By taking the core academic offering that we've honed at AEON over the last decade and making it available to schools worldwide, we can provide innovative pathways to learning anywhere there's an internet connection.  

Right after this episode, I'll head to Columbus, OH, for the fencing Summer Nationals, supporting student-athletes from around the US and the world, as Avenues Online continues its partnership as the Official School of USA Fencing.”

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewcortese/

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Barry Cooper
Educational Leadership
Global College, Madrid, IB school

Barry Cooper’s educational career spans 20 years, 3 continents, and 5 prestigious schools in London, Edinburgh, Shanghai, Dubai and now Madrid where he is the founding principal of The Global College.

He is passionate about working with families to create strong school communities, AI and new ways of teaching, entrepreneurship, and languages from an early age.

Barry is hands on, sometimes too hands on, and still teaches every day. But believes it is the only way to understand your students, your school, and your community.

Linkedin

Global School Madrid

https://www.project47.org/

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Meet Alva Hennigor, a fierce 18-year-old creative student from the LBS Gymnasium , Skåne, Sweden, who's turning her ADHD challenges into superpowers. 

As a Game graphics student, she digs deep into world-building in Dungeons & Dragons, crafting epic stories and intricate maps that blend magic and science. 

Diagnosed with ADHD at the end of 9th grade, Alva’s journey has been one of resilience and self-discovery. 

Now, she’s here to share how she transformed her obstacles into fuel for her artistic vision—and what she’s dreaming up next. 

Curious? 

Don’t miss her story on unboxED today!

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Claire Evans  has over 20 years of experience working in education, in the UK, Belgium, Chile and globally online, in many different roles from teacher to learning experience designer, consultant and teacher-trainer. 

She is an active player in the progressive pedagogy movement and is the Chief Learning Officer at School of Humanity, an award-winning online high school reinventing education.  

She aims to help learners develop their talents and interests while channeling their creativity, inspiring them to search for solutions to real-world problems, and developing the confidence to know that they can be agents of change in their communities and the world.

Prior to joining the School of Humanity, Claire founded Yo Invento, an invention education program, initially in Chile and later in 6 other countries in Latin America. 

She also founded the Academia Icubico, an online STEM academy for learners in Chile. Claire is also a founding member of Invent Future Global, a community of innovative educational organizations from around the world who work together to create opportunities for young people to shine. 

Claire is keen to see education systems around the world become more effective, ensuring that young people learn the skills they need to thrive. 

Her work reflects her drive to provide learners with the personalized learning experiences and opportunities they need to become globally competent and well-rounded citizens.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-evans-education/

School of Humanity: https://sofhumanity.com/

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Meet the Power Duo Behind Techship! 🌟

In a world where complexity demands innovative solutions, learning to collaborate and push boundaries is crucial for young minds. 

At Techship/ Hetch, Aliya Sabir and Dragos Cruceat empower  the next generation to do just that. 

🎙️ From a seed, from an  idea, they've transformed it into a thriving program for young entrepreneurs and tech enthusiasts. -Something the world needs more of, entrepreneurial learning that develops the whole human being! 

👩‍💼 Aliya brings her award-winning social entrepreneurship experience to the table. Having met the Swedish king and now serving as Head of Sustainability at HETCH, she is a true leader in boosting and developing  sustainable innovation and working with youth and their self leadership development. Her background as a game changer starts early in life when her principal at school giving Aliya the trust to borrow the keys to school to be able to work on her projects! Aliya is about kindness as an essential skill, and emphasises how much that  is needed in the world we live in now. 

🎥 Dragos is a master storyteller with a decade of experience working with international brands. His content has reached  over 65 million views, showcasing his expertise in capturing attention and driving growth. What is so striking with Dragos is his passion and his drive to make the world better, he is impatient and wants real; real conversations, real solutions! He is the type of person who will unlock potential in everyone he meets. 

Let’s check in to Techship  and learn from these trailblazers and get inspired how they're shaping the future of entrepreneurship, technology and learning for  youth in Skåne - and beyond!


Links:

Hetch: https://hetch.se/

Techship:  https://www.techship.nu/

Dragos on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dragos-cruceat-732065101/

Aliya on LinkedIn
http://linkedin.com/in/aliya-sabir-77aa82201