The Collective Is Growing - Thinkering Weekly
New episodes, Fellowship breakthroughs, and the next wave of educator-led innovation.
Behind the Scenes at Thinkering Collective
Another week of Thinkering—and we’re not slowing down. Here's what's happening across the Collective:
We are currently sitting down with Fellows and Mentors to record their Capstone presentations and discuss their projects in podcasts - coming soon!
Discussions with the Thinkering mentors and fellows provided our team with awesome insights into further building upon our Fellowship program, evolving it into a full-year with four official cohorts.
ThinkerBot designs are entering final stages - we are excited to demo what the tool will look like and how its functionality will improve the experience for educators looking to innovate. Big reveals are coming at the next partnership meeting!
We are in the process of overhauling the website to include Fellowship Capstone portals where we can share the awesome projects our fellows are building.
We’re also thrilled to announce new community events — from public livestream AMAs and panel discussions to quarterly gatherings and private partner “Power Ups,” where industry experts join us to strengthen our work through fresh outside mentorship.
Our first community event will be August 6th and will feature Rae Hughart of Teachers Deserve It - this will be your chance to come hang out and ask Rae anything!
This Week at Thinkering Media
Funding the Mission, Not the Machine: 42 Lessons from a Human-First Fellowship
Everyone’s racing to automate learning. And this school year will be flooded with new tools promising to do just that.
A Different Kind of Intelligence
While many AI models are designed as reactive tools—pattern recognizers built on data sets and historical trends—we built Thinker-Bot with something more radical in mind: collaboration.
Latest Thinkering Podcast and Media Releases
InnovateHer: Culture, Code, and the Fight for Belonging with Jihan J
At Thinkering Media and the Thinkering Collective, we believe that innovation is not just about what you build — it’s about who you build it for. And too often, the stories of Women of Color driving transformative change in education, technology, and community spaces are overlooked or under-resourced.
Episode 2 - Tom Coyle, Founder @ Adventures in Leadership
On this episode, we talk to Tom Coyle about the future of learning, AI, soft skills, and of course the big question to Tom, what is smart?
Upcoming Thinkering Events
August 6th, 1pm EST on Substack (and other Thinkering socials)
of Teachers Deserve It.
Livestream AMA withAdd it to your calendar - don’t miss it!
Partnership Highlight
At Thinkering Collective, we seek out partners who are redefining what support looks like in schools. That’s why we’re proud to spotlight our collaboration with #SameHere Global—a movement committed to normalizing mental health through practical, human-centered tools.
Their groundbreaking #SameHere Scale and accompanying app help students, teachers, and entire school communities move beyond binary thinking ("okay" vs. "not okay"). Built on the science of the nervous system, the scale invites daily check-ins using simple, honest language—not grades or labels. Over time, it helps identify patterns, track emotional shifts, and open the door to authentic conversations.
The result? A culture of care, communication, and connection—without stigma.
This is what innovation looks like when it's rooted in humanity.
Learn more at samehereglobal.org/programs/schools
Get Involved at Thinkering
Ways to connect, build, and learn with us.
Join the Fellowship
You’ve been building toward this moment — where educators become the architects of what’s next. Apply to join our Fellowship program
Partner with Us
Looking to amplify your work or co-create something that pushes the boundaries of what’s possible in education? We build partnerships that go beyond collaboration — they create shared impact. Learn more
Be Featured on a Podcast
We are always excited to interview innovators and changemakers who are working to humanize learning and make an impact. Fill out our form
Stay tuned as we continue to build a community movement around humanizing education for learners worldwide. Interested in mentoring the next group of Thinkerers? Listen to Garrett Wilhelm’s experience!