In today’s fast-evolving education landscape, equipping teachers with innovative tools and global best practices is more crucial than ever. Recognising this need, SAAR Education launched GLOW 2025 — a free, two-day international webinar that brought together over 6,000 educators and 13 experts from around the world.

The theme, “Empowering Learners for Life: Building Strong Foundations through Creativity, Connection and Smart Innovation”, captured the spirit of the event: nurturing future-ready learners through inspired teaching.

The Spark Behind GLOW

GLOW 2025 was born from a moment of inspiration—a session with renowned math educator Christina Tondevold, whose “Global Math Odyssey” emphasised the power of international learning communities. Her vision struck a chord with Abhishek Goel, co-founder and director of SAAR Education, who set out to build a high-impact, accessible platform for Indian teachers to learn from the world’s best.

Planning began in March 2025. Despite the challenges of coordinating across time zones and formats, the SAAR team curated a diverse speaker line-up and created post-event resources to ensure GLOW’s impact would extend far beyond the live sessions.

Speakers and Topics

Indian Experts:

Swati Popat Vats – Brain Development and Its Impact on Learning

Willibrord George – AI in Education: Reimagining the Role of Teachers

Sharani Ponguru – Mindset Shift: Emotional Strength and Clarity in Classrooms

International Experts:

Christina Tondevold (USA) – Unlocking the Power of Number Sense: Building Confident and Flexible Young Mathematicians

 Debbie Hepplewhite, MBE (UK) – The ‘Embracing-All’ Vision for Phonics

Gavin McCormack (Australia) – Education for the 21st Century – Building Purpose-Driven Classrooms

Faye Berryman AM (Australia) – Inside Fitzroy Community School: Cultivating Character, Confidence and Curiosity in Learners

Lisa Vitarisi Mathews (USA) – Growing Early Learners Through STEM and STEAM Activities

Michaela Epstein (Australia) – Two Powerful Routines for Serious Impact in the Maths Classroom

Yvonne Dalorto (UK/Spain) – The Heart of Learning: Early Years Education and Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)

Mark William Barnett (Thailand) – What can you learn about yourself while using AI?

Dr. Raj Shah (USA) – Making Math Irresistible: What Teachers Can Learn from the Psychology of Video Games

Christopher Geary (UK/Hong Kong) – Empowering Youth for an AI Future

Each speaker brought a unique perspective—offering fresh ideas and strategies across foundational literacy, numeracy, social-emotional learning, mindset, and AI in education.

Highlights of the webinar 

● Pan-India Reach: Teachers from across states joined to form a vibrant national learning community.

● Free and Inclusive: All sessions, resources, and recordings were provided at no cost.

● Interactive Sessions: Live Q&A and real-time discussions made learning dynamic and participatory.

● Practical Resources: Attendees received downloadable tools and activity ideas for immediate classroom use.

● Certificates of Participation: Recognised the time and effort teachers invested in their professional growth.

Voices from the community

“The workshop was very informative and engaging. I noted down many key points that I’ll be applying in my teaching style. Thank you SAAR for always bringing us new information.”

— Participant Feedback

“The session was well-structured and easy to follow. The instructor’s explanations were clear and concise. I appreciated the interactive examples—it helped me understand the concepts better.”

— Participant Feedback (AI and Number Sense sessions)

What made GLOW 2025 unique

● Global Ideas, Local Context: International strategies adapted to the realities of Indian classrooms.

● Real-World Focus: Sessions emphasised usable tools and methods over abstract theory.

● Diverse Perspectives: Experts from the UK, USA, Australia, Thailand, Spain, and Hong Kong brought varied insights.

● Focus on Early Years: Literacy, numeracy, and emotional development were key pillars throughout.

The Impact

Even in its early aftermath, GLOW 2025’s impact is clear:

● Global Exposure: Teachers discovered new pedagogical models and mindsets.

● Practical Resources: Resources helped educators implement ideas right away.

● Renewed Motivation: Many teachers reported feeling energised and inspired to innovate.

● Stronger Community: For many, GLOW was their first interaction with a global teaching community.

GLOW 2025 wasn’t just an event—it was a catalyst for growth, energy, and professional transformation.

Buoyed by the success of GLOW 2025, SAAR Education is already working on GLOW 2026–27, with plans for expanded content, deeper interactivity, and wider reach.

Explore sessions and recordings at https://www.saareducation.com/glow/

The completed version of the Jotter—originally shared as a reflective tool during GLOW 2025—is now available in an easy-to-browse flipbook format at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PR-XcHPsul2kuo5YxgBEA25VHpGPAN-h/view?usp=sharing for you to revisit and use as an ongoing reference.

GLOW 2025 marked a new chapter—one of empowered teachers, stronger classrooms, and globally connected learners.

Also read: ANSR Foundation launches Prarambh to offer youth career-ready training