Morgan Whitfield - What is Challenge for All? - Ho Chi Minh

In this episode, I’m talking with Morgan Whitfield. Morgan is an author, consultant, CPD trainer and senior leader. Her recent book, Gifted?, advocates for challenging all students through an inclusive approach to teaching, whereby every student is given the opportunities to reach mastery.

I really wanted to chat with Morgan having read her book, which is possibly the most robustly researched piece of writing I’ve ever come across, as well as the global trend towards personalised learning through technology.

We discuss:

1. Why terms like 'most able' and their devoted interventions are so problematic

2. Morgan’s experience in teaching and why it led her to this topic

3. What ‘Challenge for All’ is theoretically and what it looks like practically

4. Oracy, the Harkness model and PBL’s part in challenge for all, respectively

5. And finally, what Morgan makes of Alpha Schools and their apparent attempts to challenge all students through AI driven instruction? 

Thank you so much to Morgan for speaking with me as well as leading the way on an issue that has its roots in centuries old problems around equity and social justice.

If you’d like to be kept up to date on when chat like this happens, feel free to subscribe to the podcast and follow me on X @chrisjordanhk

Additionally, if you would like a head start on how to prioritise your middle years English curriculum, head to the bottom of this podcast’s show notes or the top of my stream on X to find a beta copy of my forthcoming book: Make Middle Years English Matter. You can read as much as you want and even highlight elements that you like, dislike or find confusing.

Links:

Morgan’s book: Gifted?

Beta version of Make Middle Years English Matter