🚌 “We should do a school… or something?”

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Well, hello. It’s Howard here, coming at you from a positively sweltering NYC.

There’s a certain vibe in the air right now, and it’s not just the distinct parfum of hot trash.

Summer means school’s out, and the annual vibe shift is in full effect.

But while the kids are kicking back, adults seem to have school on their minds.

I'm not surprised.

Brandon Busteed notes that in the US, education is now more politically polarised than the presidency. (yes, you read that correctly).

And AI is turning everything upside down - from acing all sorts of exams, to walloping the stock price of EdTech company Chegg.

Meanwhile, UK music star Stormzy is flipping the script on literature festivals, and Allbirds are open sourcing their production processes for others to learn from.

The future of learning is getting hot.

The Unusual Suspects

Over the past few weeks we’ve had a bunch of conversations about this - but not with the usual suspects.

Marketers, talent agents, artists, product managers, and CEOs have all been eager to jam with us on how they can be part of what's next in education.

Many conversations start around the Creator Economy, online courses, that kind of thing. But they nearly always end up somewhere else.

Underneath the extrinsic motivations, we keep hearing a growing desire for something more.

These people all want to empower others, leave a legacy for the next generation, learn more about how we learn, and create offerings that are genuinely remarkable and transformative. For real.

Adjacent Possibles

During these chats we’ve heard a few different versions of: “We should do a school… or something?!”

It’s a great prompt. But the answer probably isn’t starting a school. Not in the traditional sense, anyway.

The place to really start exploring is in that tantalising ending: “…or something”

As Steven Johnson points out, the real breakthroughs happen at the adjacent possible - an edge that captures “both the limits and the creative potential of change and innovation”.

There’s so much scope to create exciting new 'or something' businesses and projects in this realm. They won’t come from within the current system. They'll come from those edges: blending new & old, art & science, education & entertainment.

And we suspect they'll come from unusual and unexpected people and places.

If you have a hunch about a certain something, we’d love to hear about it. Just hit reply.

Until next time, keep it wavy.

Howard

Also in this Exchange:

🏋🏽 How to do great work

🏄🏽‍♂️ Why edutainment is a springboard for learning

Instruments

The tools, methods, and inspiration fueling great work and organizations.

How to do great work

The latest essay from Paul Graham, founder of Y Combinator. It's good, but long, but good. But you probably already knew that.

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Edutainment is not learning, but...

This is a great bit from Gian Segato on how we learn, and why edutainment is especially powerful as preparation for learning.

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School is not enough

The value of studio apprentices, and why pastries are first businesses better than lemonade stands.

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@WTHQ

What’s going on at Wavetable HQ…

Work in progress: Skill Badges

We're currently building a skills discovery app & community for teenagers - including a set of bespoke badges, and an unusual adventuring hero...

When you're ready, here's how we can help you:

📦 Create educational courses, products and experiences that increase connection, engagement, and revenue [E3 Studio]

🪄 Build the systems, content and culture to supercharge learning within your organization [E3 Studio]

🔈 Develop your skills in storytelling, communication and content creation [Courses & Tools]