He asks the 80 students to respond based on their ‘gut feeling’. Again, students are given five options, ranging from ‘less than 1%’ to ‘above 40%’. … - David Franklin

There is also something powerful in the concept of an ‘airport idea’. On the surface, it links with Dan’s plea for what students should do if they meet him in an airport in five years’ time. But there are hidden suggestions too: the airport carries an association of being high-level, and fits in with the course’s aim of empowering the students with the tools they need to effect change. Once the course is over, they will disperse to airports across the world and put these ideas into practice in their home countries.

The inclusive atmosphere of the class was the key driver of allowing the class to be eager to learn. The focus really shifted away from grades and points, and towards understanding concepts and learning.” The key link is between inclusivity and the shift of focus away from test scores. When students are given the responsibility to support each other, their own score falls down the list of priorities.

The Google team at Project Aristotle concluded that there were five main traits of a successful team. Psychological safety was the most important, and their research suggested that it underpinned the other four[xxvi]. The five traits were as follows: (1) Psychological safety: team members feel safe to take risks and be vulnerable in front of each other. (2) Dependability: team members get things done on time, and meet Google’s high bar for excellence. (3) Structure and clarity: team members have clear roles, plans, and goals. (4) Meaning: work is personally important to team members. (5) Impact: team members think their work matters and creates change.