If you’re a regular listener, you may have noticed that this is the second podcast in a month rather than the usual 1. This is because I was lucky enough to interview both Andy Sprakes, and Gwyn Ap Harri , the co-founders of XP School in Doncaster, England.
Now, I was initially going to release these episodes as 69 part a, and 69 part b, but this chat with Gwyn was just so good that I had to release it as its own episode, ERRR, episode 70!
Gwyn is one of the coolest humans I’ve met. His thinking and his writing are crystal clear, and they cut to the heart of complex issues. Gwyn exemplifies what some have called first principles thinking. That is, a refusal to follow the crowd, or do things in a certain way because, ‘that’s how everybody does it’, and instead an approach that allows us to to see new issues with fresh eyes and with assumptions stripped away. First principles thinking is hard, but when we’re willing to do it, it has the potential to open new ways to solve problems, new answers to question, and new questions to answer.
This was a completely unplanned interview. I was in an empty classroom at XP Doncaster, packing up my recording equipment and about to leave and get on a train back to London when Gwyn came into the room for a quick chat and and, after 15 minutes, I asked if I could start recording. We talked, and we talked, and then we just kept on talking, and we finished our conversation five hours later! What you’re about to hear is about the first hour and a half of that phenomenal discussion.
This is a wide-ranging interview, covering everything from leadership, to culture, to Gwyn’s upbringing at the creation of XP, and even to the solving of Rubik's cubes! And I’m sure that through it, you’ll get a real sense of just what a fantastic thinker Gwyn is.
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Links/resources mentioned in the show
- To get a summary of this episode, sign up at www.patreon.com/errr
- Here's Gwyn solving a Rubik's cube
- The XP School website
- The XP documentary, Above all, CompassionBooks:
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- An Ethic of Excellence by Ron Berger
- Leaders of their own Learning by Ron Berger and Colleagues
- How we XP – by Gwyn ap Harri and Andy Sprakes
- Why Fly That Way? – Kathy Greeley
- Shape Up – Basecamp and Ryan Singer
- Rework – Basecamp
- Work on Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander
- The Infinite Game – Simon Sinek
- Business for Punks – Brewdog
- Comic series, 2000AD (where Gwyn got his moral compass from)
- Also see Ollie's Books, Cognitive Load Theory in Action and Tools for Teachers
This episode of the ERRR Podcast is brought to you by John Catt Educational. Use this link along with the code provided within the podcast to get 30% off all books from John Catt Educational! https://www.johncattbookshop.com/books/errr
This episode of the ERRR podcast is brought to you by Catalyst. Catalyst transforms students' lives through learning by developing excellent teachers and Leaders through evidence-based professional learning programs. Find out more at https://catalyst.cg.catholic.edu.au/
Listen to all past episodes of the ERRR podcast here.