Why are so many young people disengaged from learning — and what can parents and educators do about it?
That’s the question that journalist Jenny Anderson seeks to answer in her book, The Disengaged Teen. Alongside co-author Rebecca Winthrop, Jenny unpicks why so many teenagers have switched off from school and presents evidence-based strategies to help reignite their love of learning.
In this episode, Jenny joins Kai to share:
What ‘student engagement’ really means beyond grades or behaviour
The four modes of student engagement and how to identify them
Why 50% of teens spend most of their time at school in one mode - and why this presents a huge challenge
How agency and the “zone of proximal development” support real learning
Simple strategies for parents and teachers to increase student engagement
In this episode, Kai and Jenny discuss:
05:30 What student engagement really means — beyond behaviour
07:41 Why disengagement is one of the biggest challenges facing schools
10:13 The four modes of engagement: passenger, achiever, resister, explorer
17:28 Passenger mode: the “invisible middle” of the classroom
23:24 Achiever mode and the hidden costs of perfectionism
27:32 The challenges and opportunities of Resister mode
32:21 Signs a student is in Explorer mode and how to cultivate it
35:06 Practical strategies for parents and educators to foster agency and increase engagement
43:04 How AI is creating more passengers — and what to do about it
About Our Guest
Jenny Anderson is a journalist and co-author of The Disengaged Teen with Rebecca Winthrop. A former finance reporter for the New York Times, Jenny now writes about education, parenting, and human development. Her work explores how families and schools can support adolescents in moving from compliance or resistance into curiosity, agency, and meaningful engagement.
Resources
The Disengaged Teen — book website
Jenny’s Substack: How to Be Brave
Rebecca Winthrop’s LinkedIn newsletter: Winthrop’s World of Education
KaiPod News
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Related episodes:
Episode 24 — Inside the Fastest Growing School in the UK (with Hugh Viney)
Episode 17 — Why have Children Stopped Reading (with Daisy Christodoulou)
Credits
Hosted by Kai Vacher
A BSM BSS production
Post-production by Communicating for Impact