Mind the Gap, Episode 12 — Design Thinking with Jethro Jones

Jethro Jones, award-winning school leader and host of the Transformative Principal Podcast, is the guest on this episode of Mind the Gap. Jethro is author of the new book SchoolX: How principals can design a transformative school experience for students, teachers, parents – and themselves.

In the interview, Jethro discusses his passion for focusing on the students who often feel “invisible” and shares stories from his school, where staff and faculty were able to make this happen. He also explains how he personalizes the learning experience by responding to each student in a unique way rather than individualizing lesson plans, how he brings the design thinking process – including “prototyping” – to school leadership, how to make decisions that are based on the primary goals of your school, and more.

To find all video episodes featuring additional segments from Tom and Emma, subscribe to Mind the Gap with Tom & Emma on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MindtheGapwithTomEmma 

To listen to the audio version, subscribe here on your preferred podcast app: https://anchor.fm/mindthegap-edu 

About the participants:

Jethro Jones is a consultant who helps schools and districts in the U.S. to find simple solutions to complex problems. He is author of the new book SchoolX, published by John Catt. Named a Digital Principal of the Year in 2017 by the National Association of Secondary School Principals, Jethro has served students as a teacher, district coach, media and distance learning specialist, and principal, with experience at every level of public education. He has been hosting the Transformative Principal podcast since 2013. Follow him on Twitter @jethrojones and learn more at www.jethrojones.com 

Tom Sherrington has worked in schools as a teacher and leader for 30 years and is now a consultant specializing in teacher development and curriculum & assessment planning. His books include Teaching WalkThrus, Rosenshine’s Principles in Action and The Learning Rainforest Fieldbook. He regularly contributes to conferences and CPD sessions locally and nationally and is busy working in schools and colleges across the UK and around the world. Follow Tom on Twitter @teacherhead

Emma Turner joined Discovery Schools Academy Trust as the Research and CPD lead after 20 years in primary teaching. She is the founder of ‘NewEd – Joyful CPD for early career teachers’, a not-for-profit approach to CPD to encourage positivity amongst the profession and help to retain teachers in post. Turner is author of Be More Toddler: A Leadership Education From Our Little Learners. Follow Emma on Twitter @emma_turner75