From Crisis to Quest: Rethinking Teacher Recruitment with Professor Rob Klassen

Why are we still trying to solve a 21st-century teacher recruitment crisis with 20th-century solutions? In this episode, Professor Rob Klassen from the University of Oxford argues that the problem isn't just structural - it's psychological. Young people don't choose teaching because they don't really know what teaching is. And the tools we use to tell them about it aren't working.Rob shares the thinking behind TeachQuest - a persuasive game designed to give undergraduates an immersive, honest simulation of life in the classroom. The conversation covers motivational matching, the illusion of choice in game design, and why the feedback loop matters as much as the experience itself. Episode LinksProfessor Rob Klassen Robert Klassen - Department of EducationTeachQuest project page, University of Oxford, Department of Education Gamifying teacher recruitment: TeachQuest - Department of EducationFull Tilt by Dervla Murphy - Rob's book recommendation Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle by Dervla Murphy | Goodreads