Podcast: The IDEMS Podcast

With Santiago returning to teaching this year, he and David discuss the contrasting dynamics between personalised teaching and scalable educational solutions. They explore the benefits and challenges of working directly with students, especially in an inclusive school environment, versus the impact of implementing large-scale academic solutions like STACK.

In this IDEMS podcast episode, Lily and David discuss the journey and challenges of Angela, the first African to win the Internet Math Off competition. David shares insights from his time teaching Angela at AIMS Ghana and highlights the barriers African female mathematicians face joining the international maths community. They talk about initiatives like the…

As a large language model, I can’t summarise this episode… Lily and David delve into the topic of AI summaries, considering issues of misinformation, the impact on organisational reputations, and the complexities of determining responsibility.

What is the importance of communities in international development? In this episode, Lucie Hazelgrove Planel and David Stern explore how communities function as a critical support structure, with established roles and leaders, and compare the ways that communities work in low-resource environments vs high-resource environments. The conversation considers the compromise that communities demand, and the…

In this follow-up to Episode 112, Lucie Hazelgrove Planel and David Stern explore the complexities behind the question posed in that episode: “Why don’t we just give money?” Through interrogating the assumptions of the question, they explore the nuances of direct monetary aid versus structured development activities, discussing personal experiences, the impact on local economies,…

Santiago Borio and David Stern discuss Santiago’s return to teaching in Argentina, and his initiatives to integrate technology into education, focusing on the use of STACK for formative assessments. They consider the potential for scaling these technologies and discuss the exciting parallel projects in Kenya, the complexities of school database systems, and the responsible use…

Social impact scientist Lucie Hazelgrove Planel and IDEMS co-founding director David Stern discuss their recent trip to Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali. They reflect on the series of workshops they conducted for the Global Collaboration for Resilient Food Systems, focusing on innovative and conceptual research methods. They consider the challenges of integrating qualitative and quantitative…

In this New Year special of the IDEMS podcast, David and Santiago reflect on their journey with IDEMS, starting from Santiago’s official employment in early 2020. They discuss their initial projects and the disruptions caused by COVID-19, which led to shifts in their work approach. They share insights on the growth of the IDEMS team,…

In this special New Year’s edition of the IDEMS podcast, David, Lucie, Lily, and Santiago reflect on a year of episodes. They discuss the challenges and rewards of recording, their focus on complex and transparent discussions, and the podcast’s role within IDEMS’ broader work. Looking ahead, they explore ideas for involving more team members and…

In this episode, David and James discuss the intricacies of charitable giving within the Kenyan educational system. They share experiences about university scholarships, their impact, and challenges like ‘tarmacking’, graduates struggling to find their first employment opportunities. Emphasizing the need for strategic and collaborative funding, they explore how diverse initiatives, while beneficial, can create new…