The future of education with TiLT Parenting and Outschool Co-Founder

For Parents • Aug 17, 2022

In this week’s episode of TiLT Parenting, Debbie talks with Amir Nathoo, the Co-founder, and Head of Outschool, about where Outschool started, how it’s growing and innovating, and the future of education.

Check out the podcast here and the key moments below.

What is TiLT Parenting?

But first, what is TiLT Parenting?

Created by Debbie Reber, TiLT Parenting is an online community that offers memberships, a podcast, a book, courses, and a multitude of resources aimed at families with “differently wired (™)” children. Here, Debbie offers her readers and listeners a place where they can come together with others to connect on their experiences of raising a neurodivergent child.

Each week, TiLT Parenting’s podcast listeners hear fantastic conversations between Debbie and her guests. They share helpful information and resources “aimed at inspiring, informing, and supporting parents raising differently-wired kids (giftedness, ADHD, Asperger’s, 2e, learning differences, sensory processing issues, anxiety, and more)."

We love TiLT Parenting and are inspired by their incredible work. If you want to learn how to better support neurodiverse kids, TiLT is for you. We dare you to read their manifesto without getting teary!

Podcast key takeaways

If you’re short on time, jump to these key moments of the podcast conversation:

5:45 - “Outschool is all about enabling kids to pursue their interests outside of regular school.” - Amir
8:30 - It’s an interesting time for online education. Learn about where Outschool is today versus where it started.
9:28 - Listen as Amir discusses how homeschooling was a key influence as there was no secular homeschool platform available for those families.
10:22 - Discover how COVID affected online learning and the challenges families face with traditional schooling.
11:10 - Understand how families are rethinking the philosophy of education and realizing that what they thought was the default may not work for everyone.
12:00 - Explore the future of education and the importance of self-directed education.
12:40 - “I don’t think there has ever been a time that there are more options in terms of educational philosophy [and] access to teachers and subjects.” - Amir
14:19 - Why the social and community piece on Outschool is important. Specifically, getting to know people from different backgrounds and perspectives from around the world in small groups.
15:41 - “That connection between learners and a teacher, kind of live, is core to what we do, and I believe that it is the future of education. I don’t see a world where families are happy to have their kids learn from an AI. I think that the core value in education is kids coming together with other kids [...] to develop together.” - Amir
17:05 - Individuality and supporting different types of learners on Outschool.
18:45 - “Unusual topics, presented in interesting ways for age ranges or environments where they’re not typically offered. That’s the real strength of both the marketplace model, where teachers are free to experiment in meeting those unique needs and the strength of the live online format, where it would be very hard to meet all those unique needs, kind of locally and whereas when you have the whole world at your fingertips, it becomes much easier.” - Amir
19:49 - “By intentionally seeking to serve communities who are underserved and who have unique needs you’re actually developing the capability to serve everyone better, and that’s why we have always focused on serving underserved communities including kind of neurodivergent families and kids, and that’s intrinsic to how we operate.” - Amir
20:38 - Find out about “The G Word,” an upcoming documentary, supported by Amir, that challenges how people think about “giftedness.”
23:00 - How does Outschool find and vet teachers? Hint: Community is important to all areas of Outschool.
24:25 - Learn where teachers come up with their class ideas, including those for life skills, ADHD, executive functioning, and many more!
28:58 - How to find programs for anyone new to online learning that are a good fit for your child.
30:43 - Where is Outschool headed? You won’t want to miss this!

Thank you to our friends at TiLT Parenting for hosting this incredible conversation. Most importantly, thank you for everything you do to help families with differently wired kids. Let’s keep celebrating that “different is not a deficit.”

Outschool

With thousands of options for classes, camps, and tutors, learners are inspired to connect with inspiring teachers, build new skills, develop new passions, and forge new friendships from home.