On 21st January 2026 I travelled to London to support Our Shared World’s in-person event at UCL: Our Shared Ground. This was an opportunity to celebrate and respond to the publication of the Transformative Learning for a Sustainable Future paper, and work with like-minded people to explore our common soil – the need for transformative change in education for a sustainable and just world.
On various rainy January Wednesdays over the last couple of decades, I would have been travelling to the London edtech show BETT so it was particularly meaningful to be heading into a completely different educational space. Just like attendee Candela Delgado Marin, “I left with oxygen.”
This was no passive report launch and mingle – this was deep thinking, where we worked respectfully and honestly as a team to go deep into the issues we all wrestle with. We listened and reflected on the learnings from three of the four report authors, focusing on the commonalities evident in transformative learning: critical reflection and self-awareness; sustainability values and competences; collaboration; and agency and authentic action. The report was underpinned with case studies which brought the theory alive, several of which were the work of people in the room.
Delegates at the Our Shared Ground event at UCL
Delegates discussed the challenges of decolonising the curriculum; how to respond when knowledge systems clash with teacher values; and the tension of trying to shift the paradigm while caught within a system which doesn’t want to flex. We were reminded of the need to keep influencing and find that ‘hook of hope’ to create an engaging narrative of positive action for young people and adults.
After lunch, we started to consider how the pedagogies and values of our organisations are similar, to start to weave a narrative of our common approaches. The 35 delegates were quickly able to post over a hundred stickies naming the educational approaches they use in their work, the “wall of hugeness” highlighting the challenge of speaking clearly with one voice. The approaches were grouped into eight main themes:
- Values
- Justice
- Critical thinking
- Dialogic
- Systems thinking
- Creativity
- Participatory approaches.
Our Shared World Co-Chair, Cathy d’Abreu (left) and OSW Member, Candela Delgado-Marin (right)
Delegates discussed the one they were most interested in and worked to distil the essence of these highly nuanced and layered pedagogies.
The group then delved into more personal reflections on transgressive, third-order learning to think about a time when we experienced this transformation ourselves, and how we moved through it. This prepared us to discuss the challenges in realising transformative learning in education, and the barriers for this for those we seek to influence with our approach.
Launching the Transformative Learning Report
Being honest in these conversations meant being vulnerable, which is entirely resonant with the ‘disorientating dilemmas’ that often accompany transformation. The room reflected on Paul Vare’s words: “We need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable and uncomfortable with being comfortable” (2019). The discussion that followed covered the challenges of operating in an environment of fear; the ever-increasing impact of AI, for example in undermining student confidence in their voice; and the need to find space to play and to fail, at odds with the punitive accountability systems of our schools.
Looking beyond schools to those we work to influence, we discussed the difficulty of speaking in a common language in an environment of unbearable saturation. We were reminded of the need to stay humble and curious and continue learning ourselves. How do we communicate our work and our impact in a culture where simple is valued over complex?
As we rounded up a powerful day, we looked to the future. We see an opportunity to influence the purpose of education which is values-led and creates responsible, active, critical citizens. The energy and commitment in the room was palpable and, I hope, the start of a powerful movement for change.
by Claire Gilbert, SEEd Young Changemakers Programme Manager and Our Shared World Member
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