How AI and Project Based Learning Can Save our Education System

About this episode

The episode discusses how AI and project-based learning can transform the education system to better engage students and prepare them for the future.

What should school look like in an age of AI, anxiety, disengagement, and rapid social change? In this episode of NOW and NEXT, Dave Trafford speaks with educator and author Dr. Cinde Lock about redesigning education for a generation that needs more than standardized testing and rigid curriculum structures. Drawing on innovative programs developed at Pickering College, Dr. Lock explains how schools can connect academics to purpose, community engagement, entrepreneurship, creativity, and real-world problem solving. The conversation explores why traditional education models are struggling to keep students engaged, how AI could help personalize learning, and why the future of school may depend on giving students greater ownership over what and how they learn. Dave and Dr. Lock also discuss: Student mental health and absenteeism Project-based and experiential learning AI-assisted curriculum design Civic engagement and community partnerships Entrepreneurship, creativity, and resilience The future role of teachers Why education systems must evolve beyond industrial-age thinking The episode also features remarkable examples of students working on homelessness awareness campaigns…

People in this episode

Host: Dave Trafford

Guest: Dr. Cinde Lock

Topics covered

• education reform
• AI in education
• project-based learning
• student engagement
• mental health
• community involvement

Keywords

• AI
• education
• project-based learning
• student engagement
• mental health
• community engagement
• entrepreneurship
• creativity

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Pickering College

Books & works: Connections, Academics and Purpose: Designing the Future of School

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