Dr. Sugata Mitra
Dr. Mitra's work is at the forefront of a new approach to education which challenges how we teach children in the technological age.
Professor of Educational Technology at Newcastle University, UK and previously a Visiting Professor at MIT, Dr. Mitra is currently working on the School in the Cloud, which is the culmination of over a decade of research and observations from all over the world. His “Hole in the Wall” experiments have shown that in the absence of supervision or formal teaching, children can teach themselves and each other if they’re motivated by curiosity and peer interest. His recent pioneering study found that use of the Internet can allow eight- and nine-year-olds to perform at more than seven years above their expected academic level.
At TED2013, he was honored with the TED Prize -- a $1 million award given to an individual with a creative, bold vision to spark global change.
Prior to Dr. Mitra's discussions with the School and local communities, St. Anne's-Belfield School students took the stage to deliver short, TED Talk-style speeches on a variety of topics. Kayli Wren '16 discussed her ideal service-oriented school, while eighth grade student Abril Tingey spoke on student-selected curricula, and Jerry Yao '18 delivered his thoughts on access to nature in formal education.