Meet the trailblazing Founder and CEO of Inventorium, a beacon of innovation in the field of education. Eddie‘s journey is a testament to the power of disruption in the realm of schooling, where tradition intersects with transformation. She champions the idea that every student’s individual rhythm, environment, and interests in learning should not only be acknowledged but embraced and celebrated.

Eddie observes that education systems often struggle to adapt, despite the well-meaning intentions of those within them. She believes this is because they prioritize pushing the current system forward rather than critically evaluating its needs and redesigning it accordingly. She advocates for a foresight methodology that envisions future needs and then works backward to enact necessary changes.

Eddie notes that various stakeholders, such as universities, schools, governments, and accreditation bodies, have vested interests in maintaining the status quo, making it challenging to align them toward meaningful change. Unfortunately, these interests often conflict with what’s best for students. Her mission is to prioritize students’ needs above all else, recognizing that each student is unique. By doing so, she believes education can better prepare individuals to contribute meaningfully to society.

Passion for Improvement

Eddie didn’t enjoy high school back then, but looking back, it played a big part in shaping her views on education. She attended a large school in central London, but budget cuts meant she had to take some classes at other schools. This led to a lot of travel, bullying, and skipping classes.

After high school, Eddie went through various colleges and universities, doing okay but not outstanding. It wasn’t until she worked in administration for a training organization that she decided to become a teacher. This decision sparked a realization: she hadn’t been taught how to learn effectively or how to pass exams. This made her wonder how many other students were in the same boat.

She believes that her journey led her to teach at Derby University, where she noticed many students struggling to progress. Together with a colleague, she created a learning tool to help these students catch up over the summer break. It focused on basic learning and exam skills, using real-world business examples. The results were remarkable, with many students not only catching up but excelling.

This experience fueled Eddie’s passion for improving education to better meet students’ needs. She later joined Hertfordshire University, where she led the doctoral program in Education, swapping out supervisors halfway through to bring in fresh perspectives. This change significantly improved the program’s completion rate.

Upon moving to Australia, Eddie found it challenging to drive change in university bureaucracies. Reflecting on her own high school experience and seeing students entering higher education without essential learning skills, she founded the Inventorium. This organization focuses on finding innovative solutions for students who struggle in traditional education settings.

Now in its sixth year, the Inventorium is growing rapidly and expanding internationally, making strides in addressing the issue of school dropouts and students who don’t fit into the traditional education system.

Control Over Pace and Focus of Learning

Eddie believes that mainstream education, whether in high schools or universities, often claims to prioritize students but actually revolves around institutional timetables and material delivery rather than student needs. She argues that true student-centered education should allow students to dictate the pace and focus of their learning.

According to Eddie, two primary reasons why students lose interest in education are the lack of control over the pace and the focus of their learning. For instance, submission deadlines are often set arbitrarily or based on institutional convenience rather than enhancing students’ skills and capabilities.

Challenges within Traditional Education Structures

Eddie recognizes that within traditional education structures, there are individuals striving to enact positive changes. However, she believes that these efforts typically result in only small, incremental improvements rather than fundamental transformations. She points out that the education system is deeply entrenched in its current form, with various vested interests at play, often overlooking the needs of students.

As an example, deadlines for submissions may seem arbitrary to students but hold significance for teachers and schools. Eddie highlights the rigid structures of exam boards, which prioritize institutional convenience over student well-being. She emphasizes that success shouldn’t be measured by how many students conform to the system’s pace but rather by how many students thrive overall.

At Inventorium, the approach diverges from the traditional model by prioritizing the individual student as the central stakeholder. Inventorium tailors educational pathways to meet each student’s unique needs and interests, offering a genuine alternative that fosters real opportunities for success.

A Student-Centric Approach

In a student-centric learning environment, Eddie emphasizes the importance of not just accommodating but celebrating individual student needs. She believes this is fundamental to the purpose of education. While acknowledging the necessity for students to demonstrate certain knowledge and skills to attain qualifications, she critiques traditional grading systems for fostering comparison rather than focusing on personal progress toward the intended goals.

Eddie highlights that students engage in education for their own reasons: to comprehend the world, explore their interests, and develop confidence in societal engagement. In her approach, the determination of when a piece of work is complete lies with the student, not external judgment. Although guidance and feedback are provided, students ultimately decide when they are satisfied with their work.

Interestingly, Eddie suggests that refraining from passing judgment on student work can enhance their sense of satisfaction. She argues that grades often detract from this satisfaction by fostering comparison and external benchmarks. By allowing students to set their own benchmarks, Eddie believes motivation is cultivated in a more meaningful way, aligning with individual aspirations and driving personal growth.

Prioritizing Individual Needs

Eddie outlines four key innovative teaching methods implemented at Inventorium to enrich the learning experience for students:

• Unique Pedagogic Approach: Rather than simply transferring traditional lessons to online platforms, Inventorium embraces the full potential of online learning. Their platform presents ideas and provides resources, such as TED Talks, for students to explore and apply these ideas to their own lives and futures. This approach encourages students to take ownership of their learning journey and fosters excitement and growth in this dynamic environment.
• Personalized Teacher-Student Relationships: Teachers at Inventorium are assigned to specific students for at least a year, often longer. Regardless of where students choose to take their learning, their teacher accompanies and guides them. This prioritization of the student-teacher relationship ensures that students’ individual needs and progress are central to the educational experience. At Inventorium, the focus is on teaching students first, then delivering content.
• Assessment for Learning: Inventorium adopts an assessment for learning approach, where assessments are formative until the student determines they are ready for summative evaluation. This empowers students to engage actively in their own assessment process, promoting continuous improvement and personalized learning experiences.
• Flexibility and Contextual Learning: Inventorium recognizes that every student’s journey is unique and embraces the diversity of individual contexts.

Inventorium integrates learning from various life events that traditional education models might consider distractions.

Rethinking Social Media

Eddie believes that while technology has made education more accessible and versatile, it should be viewed as a tool rather than a gimmick. She emphasizes the importance of engaging content to keep students attentive, rather than relying on constant interaction prompts. Eddie observes that teenagers today mature at a faster pace due to technology’s pervasive influence. She points out the ubiquitous nature of the internet and social media in young people’s lives, which leaves little room for private growth. Eddie expresses concern about the lack of opportunity for teenagers to switch off and develop privately, as everything seems to be public and open to criticism. This constant exposure to public scrutiny can lead to feelings of being bullied, contributing to disengagement from learning.

Additionally, Eddie highlights the negative impact of social media on young people’s self-esteem and identity. She notes that social media often perpetuates unrealistic standards and fosters a culture of conformity rather than celebrating individuality. The anonymity of online interactions also leads to a different moral code, where people feel emboldened to say hurtful things they would never say face-to-face.

In Eddie’s view, there is a need to rethink the role and influence of social media, ensuring it fosters positive interactions and celebrates diversity rather than perpetuating harmful norms and behaviors.

Technology Scalability

Eddie considers the fact that the Inventorium has not only survived but doubled in size each year for over five years despite facing systemic barriers as a significant measure of success. While there is still work to be done to improve their technology for broader scalability, the concept has been thoroughly validated. One remarkable achievement is their impressive retention and completion rate of 95%, indicating that the vast majority of students remain with the Inventorium until they achieve their desired outcome, whether it’s pursuing higher education, entering the workforce, or vocational training.

In addition to these quantitative indicators of success, Eddie values the personal stories that highlight the profound impact the Inventorium has on students and their families. She mentions receiving heartfelt thank-you emails from parents, some of which move them to tears. These stories illustrate the transformative journey of students who may have initially struggled but ultimately found success and fulfillment through the Inventorium program, even if their achievements may not align with traditional measures of success in mainstream education.

Online Learning with a Social Touch

The Inventorium operates entirely online, acknowledging the social aspect that students might miss out on compared to attending a physical school. Eddie emphasizes the importance of partnering with schools and other providers to ensure students have opportunities to engage in extracurricular activities like sports and drama if they wish. In line with their student-centric approach, the Inventorium respects and facilitates students’ choices in all aspects of their program.

Eddie highlights that they rarely work with a student in isolation, recognizing the proverbial saying that “it takes a village to raise a child.” The Inventorium sees itself as just one part of this village, collaborating with other stakeholders to support students comprehensively in their educational journey.

A Vibrant and Diverse Education Ecosystem

In the future, Eddie envisions a vibrant and diverse education ecosystem that offers a wide array of options for parents and students to choose from based on their evolving needs. She advocates for powering students with the choices and agency necessary to remain engaged in their education, regardless of their interests or life circumstances. Eddie believes that age should not be the sole determinant of opportunity; starting from the age of 15, students should have the autonomy to determine their educational path, whether it involves academics, vocational training, or work experience. They should also be afforded the time and support needed to explore and find their direction.

In addition, Eddie emphasizes the importance of a “right of return” to secondary education for students who were unable to complete it initially. She warns against arbitrary rigidity in education, as it can exacerbate social exclusion, leading to dire consequences for economic and social sustainability. Eddie believes that providing opportunities for all young people to access education, regardless of their circumstances, is essential for fostering inclusive and thriving societies.

To know more, please visit: https://inventorium.com.au/