2019 EdTech Insights Hub Header - Individual Page Header ET 19 - Insight Hub Jacqui O'Hanlon

Royal Shakespeare Company| UK |rcs.org.uk

Share a short description about your company:

The RSC is a registered charity Shakespeare with a mission to inspire and captivate audiences and  transform lives through amazing experiences  of Shakespeare's plays and of great theatre.  Relevant, resonant and accessible, made in  Stratford‐upon‐Avon, shared across the UK  and around the world.

How does your current role allow you to make a difference to the education and learning space?

Shakespeare’s work is part of our cultural inheritance and a curriculum requirement for students in England, Wales and many countries across the world. We estimate up to 50% of school children around the world are studying his work in any given year.School is where first encounters with Shakespeare are guaranteed to happen, from a teacher in a classroom or seeing our first performance of a Shakespeare play on a school trip or engaging with the work online. These formative experiences can define how we feel about Shakespeare and the arts for the rest of our lives. We still hear far too many reports that young people and those closest to them feel scared of and intimidated by Shakespeare’s work. We have compelling evidence, built over the past ten years, that shows how Shakespeare’s plays and RSC rehearsal room approaches raise aspirations and attainment as well as develop resilience, creativity, confidence and a sense of belonging in individual children, parents and across whole school communities.

What are the key trends you believe have the power to transform the way we learn?

Fundamentally it's about a combination of disciplinary knowledge and the pedagogy used to engage young people in a subject and scaffold their learning in it. We have found the real world nature of our work is key. The work we do - the pedagogy we employ - is not something that we've made up for students. It's based on real world creative work in a rehearsal room. That changes the way young people engage with it.

Why is it important for all players in the EdTech ecosystem to continuously connect, network and learn from each other?

There are some key ethical issues facing the tech industry and particularly EdTech. How are the technologies we open up for young people enabling and building their collaborative as well as creative capacities. Being in dialogue with each other about that issue, learning from each other for the good of the industry, but most importantly for the good of the young people we aim to reach, is imperative.

What should the rest of the world learn about EdTech innovation in your country?
 
There is so much innovation happening here in terms of combining the arts and technology in education. If we want to develop creative capacities, agency, confidence and resiliance in young people, that combination will be critical.
 

When you think about joining London EdTech Week and EdTechXEurope Summit this year, what are you looking forward to?

The dialogue we can have about how to work collectively for the good of young people and therefore wider society.

Who would you like to meet at the event?

EdTech Influencers

Join Jacqui and our 150+ thought leader speakers at EdTechXEurope 2019 on 18 June 2019 - reserve your place now >>