David Bong, CEO & co-founder of Avant Assessment
Introduce yourself in three words or phrases.
Innovative, empathetic, determined
What do you like most about your job?
Every day brings a new experience with a language or language community in the US or somewhere else in the world for the 150 languages we assess. It never gets old exploring creative ways to expand opportunities for learners, teachers, and test-takers through innovative assessment, learning technologies, and pedagogies.
Best work trip/Worst work trip?
Best: This June, I attended EdTech Week in London – a full week of thought-provoking sessions on how entrepreneurs are reshaping learning and teaching. Conversations with fellow innovators from all over the world, including The PIE’s own CEO Amy Baker, sparked countless ideas for growing our services. The weather was glorious, and staying on London’s vibrant East Side showed me a whole new incredibly rich and diverse face of the city.
Worst: I’ve had a few challenging trips, but I genuinely love travel. Even the tough ones offer valuable lessons.
If you could learn a language instantly, which would you pick and why?
Brazilian Portuguese – it feels like the voice is dancing with every word. It’s such a contrast to my second language, Japanese, which I deeply love. It would be wonderful to have the ability to speak two such different and beautiful languages. Brazil’s fast-growing economy and strong demand for both English and Spanish learning and assessment make Portuguese not only beautiful, but strategically valuable for business.
What makes you get up in the morning?
Our remarkable global team. They amaze and inspire me every day.
Champion/cheerleader which we should all follow and why?
In a world without many inspiring political leaders, I admire the courage, determination, and leadership of Volodymyr Zelensky. As far as a leader in reporting on technology and how it impacts global society, business, and education: Azeem Azhar consistently provides the most insightful analysis I have found.
Worst conference food/beverage experience
I won’t comment on the worst, but if I could humbly say, the best was the spread of Polish food our company put on for our party at the Polish Museum of America in Chicago during the US national language conference in 2023.
Book or podcast recommendation for others in the sector?
AI is the biggest topic out there everywhere, including EdTech. Although it was written before ChatGPT exploded on the scene, I found this book incredibly helpful in understanding both the fundamental principles of AI, and the history of how it has evolved since it was first discussed in 1954 at Dartmouth College. ‘Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans’ by Melanie Mitchell. As a history major in college learning the context of where it started to where it is today gave me a good feel for the trajectory of this powerful technology.
A classic book on EdTech I would recommend is Clayton Christensen’s 2008 book ‘Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns’. A personal lesson for me from the book: even proven technologies take years to gain traction in education, and that the change will only come from around the margins. As the developer of ELPA in 2004, the first online test of English for English Language Learners for the Oregon Department of Education, we assumed that departments across the US would quickly adopt online testing given the many advantages that it provided. Instead, it took the Covid crisis to finally push online testing to be used throughout the US education system.
Describe a project or initiative you’re currently working on that excites you.
In 2022 we created Mira, our AI-powered language learning and assessment platform. This summer we launched Mira Stride, a formative assessment that uses AI to instantly analyae English Language learners’ use of language, provide individualised reports on the strengths and challenges for the learners, and identify concrete measures that teachers can use to address each learner’s challenges. I am constantly amazed by the power of properly harnessed AI technologies to personalise and accelerate language learning.
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