The hottest Education Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Education Topics
Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality β€’ 253 implied HN points β€’ 22 Jan 25
  1. The course will focus on American economic history without trying to create a single, simple story. Instead, it will look at different themes and questions week by week.
  2. An important question will be whether America is exceptional and in what ways. This can help us better understand history and economics.
  3. Students will not only learn about historical events but also get a taste of data science to analyze economic models and improve their analytical skills.
Sunday Letters β€’ 79 implied HN points β€’ 04 Mar 24
  1. Many people are shy about asking for mentorship, but it's important to overcome that fear. Asking for help is a good move, and usually the worst that can happen is a 'no.'
  2. When reaching out for mentorship, have specific and thoughtful questions ready. It shows you're serious and helps the mentor know what to expect.
  3. Mentoring should be beneficial for both parties. Prepare to make the conversation valuable, not just for yourself, but for the mentor too.
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The Leadership Lab β€’ 196 implied HN points β€’ 19 Mar 23
  1. Feedback is projection: Feedback you give others reflects aspects of yourself. What you judge in others can reveal your own traits.
  2. New paradigm of feedback: Move away from the old feedback model based on objective truth. Embrace the idea that feedback is a story and an opinion.
  3. Learning from feedback: By asking how feedback is true about yourself, you open up growth opportunities and deepen connections with others.
Scaling Knowledge β€’ 196 implied HN points β€’ 29 Mar 23
  1. Objectives vs. Open-endedness: Consider if clearly-defined objectives help or hinder impactful discoveries.
  2. Education and Research: Question whether standardized curricula or open-ended curiosity leads to more success in children and scientists.
  3. Novelty Search: Embrace exploration of novel solutions in problem-solving, rather than just following objective-based approaches.
sebjenseb β€’ 196 implied HN points β€’ 16 Jun 23
  1. The post shares various sources for iceberg memes related to race and intelligence.
  2. The sources include information on IQ, brain size, income, and other factors related to race.
  3. There are discussions on IQ testing, heritability of IQ, and the relationship between IQ and various aspects like honesty and job performance.
The Future of Education β€’ 158 implied HN points β€’ 13 Dec 23
  1. Education research needs to move beyond just identifying 'best practices' and look for nuanced insights that work for specific individuals.
  2. Researchers should focus on deductive research to identify anomalies that can lead to a better understanding of interventions.
  3. Acknowledging anomalies in research can help in providing actionable insights that actually benefit educators and students.
Heterodox STEM β€’ 85 implied HN points β€’ 03 Aug 25
  1. Departments should be ranked based on their contributions to education and research, using a clear and simple scoring system. This approach helps avoid favoritism when deciding which departments to close.
  2. A score function can measure teaching and research impact in monetary terms, making it easier to understand for the public and to justify budget decisions.
  3. It’s important for the score data to be open to the public, ensuring transparency in how department performance is evaluated and making it clear why certain decisions are made.
This Week in MCJ (My Climate Journey) β€’ 176 implied HN points β€’ 26 Oct 23
  1. Climate change education can significantly reduce carbon emissions when implemented at scale, similar to the impact of rooftop solar or electric vehicles.
  2. Many educators lack confidence, time, and resources to teach climate change effectively, leading to limited coverage of the topic in schools.
  3. SubjectToClimate provides vetted, interdisciplinary, and free resources to help all teachers incorporate climate change education into their lessons, promoting action and hope.
Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality β€’ 238 implied HN points β€’ 28 Jan 25
  1. Students today need basic data science skills to succeed after graduation. It's like letting them leave school without knowing how to read or write.
  2. Teaching data science can be tricky because students have different backgrounds. Some find it confusing, while others think it's too basic.
  3. It's important to keep trying to teach data science. Finding the right way to do it is necessary for better education and understanding.
Sex and the State β€’ 101 implied HN points β€’ 02 Jul 25
  1. Boys perform worse in school not mainly because of sexism, but rather due to societal pressures and expectations around masculinity. Many boys think focusing on school is not 'manly' and this affects their effort and engagement.
  2. The environment at home plays a big role in how boys do in school. Boys tend to do better in stable, low-stress homes, and they struggle more in difficult situations compared to girls.
  3. Having more female teachers doesn't hurt boys' performance; instead, boys often feel they can't connect with them because they associate success in school with femininity. This shows that changing how we view education could help boys succeed.
The Science of Learning β€’ 219 implied HN points β€’ 24 Jul 23
  1. Retrieval practice helps all students remember what they learned better, whether they know a lot or a little about a topic. It involves recalling information, like through quizzes, and boosts memory retention.
  2. Studying over spaced intervals is more effective than cramming all at once. Mixing up different subjects or topics during study sessions can also improve learning by making it more engaging.
  3. Many college students don't realize how beneficial spacing and mixing subjects can be for their studying. Teaching them about these techniques can help them study smarter and remember better.
Bram’s Thoughts β€’ 98 implied HN points β€’ 26 Jan 24
  1. Teaching juggling effectively involves using stepping stones for gradual progression.
  2. Using a collaboration between a beginner and an expert can make juggling easier and more motivating.
  3. Starting with simpler patterns like four balls and three hands can lead to successful juggling skills.
Heterodox STEM β€’ 206 implied HN points β€’ 23 Feb 25
  1. Academic freedom is under threat, with many professors feeling censored by current identity politics. This makes it hard for them to express differing views openly.
  2. Modern universities are focusing more on adhering to policies rather than encouraging innovation and critical thinking. This shift is harming the quality of education.
  3. There is a call for a return to objective truth and open discussions in academia. Without diverse opinions and debates, intellectual growth is stunted.
Bet On It β€’ 1132 implied HN points β€’ 13 Jun 23
  1. Success often requires ten times more effort than what is considered normal.
  2. Quality practice matters, but putting in ten times the effort is crucial for fluency in skills or knowledge.
  3. Prioritize your goals and focus on a few, putting in ten times more effort to increase your chances of success.
Day One β€’ 2116 implied HN points β€’ 13 May 20
  1. Focus on growth as the number one priority, and reading is a key step towards it.
  2. Extract the most value from books by identifying and focusing on the key 20% of content that brings 80% of the value.
  3. Reading and learning are important, but taking action based on what you learn is crucial for progress and success.
Technology Made Simple β€’ 259 implied HN points β€’ 08 Jan 23
  1. Balancing hobbies, family commitments, health, and career with self-study is achievable with proper time management.
  2. Setting aside time for consistent study while juggling various obligations requires actionable steps to avoid burnout.
  3. Creating a life structure that fosters continuous growth and learning involves implementing strategies to find time for self-improvement.
Technology Made Simple β€’ 179 implied HN points β€’ 11 Sep 23
  1. The Law of Large Numbers states that as the number of trials increase, the average of results will get closer to the expected value.
  2. This law is crucial in scientific fields, allowing predictions on chaotic events, leading to industries like gambling and insurance.
  3. Misunderstanding the Law of Large Numbers can lead to the Gambler's Fallacy, as it deals with the convergence of infinitely many experiments, not individual ones.
Science Forever β€’ 179 implied HN points β€’ 28 Sep 23
  1. Changes in university rankings have led to improvements for some public universities at the expense of some private universities who prioritize rankings above other aspects of their missions.
  2. Despite the impact of university rankings, students and families consider various factors when choosing a college, with rankings not always being the deciding factor.
  3. Private universities' reactions to rankings changes and public universities' focus on educational equity and social mobility highlight important differences in the higher education landscape.
imperfect offerings β€’ 179 implied HN points β€’ 14 Jul 23
  1. Universities are emphasizing AI literacy and ethical use of AI tools for students and staff in education.
  2. There is a call for the development of independent codes of ethics and practices in universities to address the unique risks and challenges posed by AI in education.
  3. The responsibility falls on teaching staff to navigate the complex decisions around AI use, considering ethical implications and potential harms.
The Recovering Academic β€’ 178 implied HN points β€’ 19 May 23
  1. Young faculty members, like Sarah Trocchio, are facing challenges with work-life balance and feeling undervalued in academia, leading some to consider leaving the field.
  2. Sarah Trocchio's experience highlights the importance of aligning personal values with professional standards in academia to prevent burnout and disengagement.
  3. The future of higher education may depend on early-career faculty like Sarah Trocchio advocating for clearer work/life boundaries and self-care to prevent exploitation and burnout.
Harnessing the Power of Nutrients β€’ 219 implied HN points β€’ 12 May 23
  1. The post emphasizes the need for more votes to break a tie in a voting scenario. The top two questions are very close, and additional votes are crucial to determine a clear winner.
  2. Voting is ending soon at noon, and there's a call for new votes to generate a decisive outcome.
  3. The post content is directed towards paid subscribers, encouraging engagement through voting and providing a link for subscription.
The Palindrome β€’ 3 implied HN points β€’ 15 Feb 26
  1. The focus this year is on deep technical teaching: finishing a hands-on machine learning book and publishing algorithm implementations, with more explainer and animated videos alongside written posts.
  2. Paid subscribers will get exclusive, intensive 4-6 hour workshops that compress course content into single-day sessions, starting with a mathematics of machine learning workshop and later a neural networks course.
  3. The operation is scaling by hiring regular contributing educators and investing in tooling like the open-source nb2wb to automate publishing Jupyter Notebooks and speed up production.
Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality β€’ 199 implied HN points β€’ 20 Feb 25
  1. The midterm exam will focus on the readings, so doing them is key to doing well. It's designed to be easy if you're prepared.
  2. The course looks at American economic history through various significant episodes instead of a continuous timeline. This approach highlights important events and their impacts.
  3. Upcoming weeks will cover topics like immigration, feminism, and the rise of Silicon Valley. Each week connects historical discussions to current economic issues.
The Bell Ringer β€’ 59 implied HN points β€’ 22 Mar 24
  1. Understanding how people learn is crucial for effective teaching. Teachers need to know learning styles to help students better.
  2. There are new resources and issues focusing on how novices learn. This can guide both educators and parents in supporting students.
  3. The importance of evidence-based approaches in education is growing. Relying on research can improve teaching strategies and student outcomes.