Ben Mali Macfadyen: Triple WellBeing in and out of the classroom
About this episode
Ben Mali Macfadyen discusses the importance of creativity and play in education and his journey as a teacher and activist.
Ben has always tried to make sense of the world through his relationships with the people around him. As a young activist, he threw himself into climate and social justice campaigns, driven by urgency but also carrying the weight of the world. The intensity nearly burned him out. Teaching became the place where he could channel that energy differently through children, stories and the small daily practices of belonging. In the classroom, Ben discovered that the most powerful learning doesn’t come from what’s written in a lesson plan, but from what emerges when imagination is given space. He remembers building a cardboard time machine with his pupils. By the next day it had transformed into a rocket ship, a castle, a den. For Ben, this was learning at its best: when play is trusted to lead the way, and children surprise even themselves with their creativity. He worries about the arts and creativity being squeezed out of schools, treated as extras rather than essentials. For him, they are what keep us human. “Play,” he says, “is not a luxury but a foundation.” What matters most is not content delivery, but the conditions for joy, connection and independence to flourish. The…
People in this episode
Guest: Ben Mali Macfadyen
Topics covered
- education
- creativity
- play
- social justice
- climate activism
- belonging
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: ThoughtBox Education
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