Beyond One Size Fits All Learning. A Conversation with Yong Zhao.

Dr. Yong Zhao challenges us to keep children at the center of education by acknowledging their uniqueness and building learning systems around that core idea. His approach aims to give kids the skills they need for meaningful future work instead of the synthetic tasks often imposed throughout traditional K-12 education.

•  Education should build on student strengths, not force mastery of every weak spot
•  Meritocracy fails by judging all kids with the same yardstick instead of honoring diverse talents
• Schools lost the race with tech by neglecting to prepare students to use it well
•  “Personalizable education” means kids drive their learning journey, not just receive “personalized” lessons
•  Real learning happens through solving authentic problems, not completing artificial assignments
• Humans are natural learners who need autonomy to discover strengths and interests
• Tech isn’t good or bad—what matters is how we teach kids to use it productively
• Systems should avoid one-size-fits-all and give schools more freedom
• Nothing works for every child—education must adapt to differences
• We should help kids create the future, not just prepare for it

About our guest
Dr. Yong Zhao is a Foundation Distinguished Professor in the School of Education at the University of Kansas. He previously served as the Presidential Chair, Associate Dean, and Director of the Institute for Global and Online Education in the College of Education, University of Oregon, where he was also a Professor in the Department of Educational Measurement, Policy, and Leadership. His works focus on the implications of globalization and technology on education. He has published over 100 articles and nearly 40 books, including: Duck and Cover- Confronting and correcting dubious practices in education, Teaching students to become self determined learners, What works may hurt -side effects in education, Never send a human to do a machine’s job.

Connect with Yong
zaolearning.com

About the podcast
The KindlED Podcast explores the science of nurturing children's potential and creating empowering learning environments.

Powered by Prenda Microschools, each episode offers actionable insights to help you ignite your child's love of learning. We'll dive into evidence-based tools and techniques that kindle young learners' curiosity, motivation, and well-being.

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