James Nottingham is the creator of the Learning Pit, one of the most widely used models for teaching to emerge in the last 20 years. He is also the author of 12 books, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and is listed in The Future 500, a "definitive list of the UK’s most forward thinking and creative innovators."

James is driven by the desire to make education a better experience than the one he encountered. Having attended four primary schools and been expelled from two high schools, he was a student who fell through the gap. He also failed at his first two jobs – pig farming and factory work. However, when volunteering at makeshift schools in South African squatter camps, he saw a different possibility for education; one that could inspire and transform lives.

Since then, he has been on a mission to discover and share the very best that education has to offer. Along the way, he has worked closely with professors Carol Dweck (Growth Mindset) and John Hattie (Visible Learning); been a teaching assistant in a school for deaf children; taught across the 3-19 age range; and held a range of leadership positions in schools. At the end of the nineties, his work featured in a BBC documentary, leading to an invitation to design a new approach to teaching and learning that would raise the aspirations and achievements of students in low-SES schools. The success of this project was noticed way beyond the UK and so, in 2006, James started an independent company to share his approaches further afield. Over the course of the next 15 years, James built his company into an organisation employing 30 staff in seven countries working with pre-K-12 schools and community groups.

Today, James has returned to being an independent author-consultant once more. (He feels a little like a principal returning to the classroom!) He is a sought-after keynote speaker, workshop leader and in-school consultant. He also runs demonstration lessons: give him any class, any age and he will be delighted to show you any of the techniques he has written about working in situ with your students.

James lives on the border between England & Scotland, has three children and, at the last count, five mini-dachshunds and four frizzle hens.

Dr. Katie Martin is the CIO of Learner-Centered Collaborative, the author of Learner-Centered Innovation, and Evolving Education, and an internationally recognized educator and coach for her approach to educator and student learning. She has worked directly with thousands of teachers and administrators in diverse contexts to learn, research, and support deeper learning. As an education leader and mom she wants all kids to have learning experiences that build on their strengths and interests and empower them to develop the knowledge, skills, and mindsets to thrive in a changing world. As the co-founder of Learner-Centered Collaborative, she shapes the professional learning experiences schools and districts need to make this happen.

You can read more at LearnerCentered.org and connect on all social @katiemartinedu