“Standing at the Lincoln Memorial, where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, was a powerful reminder of the importance of leadership and the difference it can make.”
For Emma, representing Truro and Penwith College at the USA Festival of Education, the historic setting was particularly fitting following her keynote speech to educators from around the world on human-centred leadership.
Invited to speak at the prestigious festival, Emma, Head of Teaching & Learning Development, shared the work and thinking taking place at the College with an international audience of education leaders and practitioners.
“It was an incredible opportunity and privilege to share some of the work and thinking taking place at College with an international audience.”
Emma’s keynote focused on Ted Lasso and Human-Centred Leadership, exploring the importance of relationships, trust and belonging, and how creating the right culture can help both staff and learners thrive.
The festival also provided an opportunity to connect with leading educational thinkers from across the world, including Doug Lemov and Rebecca Winthrop, whose work reinforced the importance of remaining curious, engaging with research and embracing innovation, while never losing sight of the people at the heart of education.
Emma said the experience highlighted the shared challenges facing educators:
“The festival was a fantastic reminder that, wherever we are in the world, many of the challenges we face in education are shared.”
Her invitation to speak at the festival provides a significant opportunity to raise the profile of Truro and Penwith College internationally, while demonstrating that the innovative work taking place in Cornwall has relevance far beyond the region.
Looking to the future, Emma believes the importance of human connection will only grow as education continues to evolve, particularly with the rapid development of artificial intelligence.
“For me, one of the biggest takeaways was that as the world of education changes, particularly with the growth of AI, the importance of human connection, relationships and belonging only becomes greater.”
