The hottest Education Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Education Topics

Not the Right Kind of Provocation

Freddie deBoer • 5971 implied HN points • 02 Dec 24
🚌 Education Pedagogy Literacy Education reform Equity
  1. In education, there's a big debate about the best way to teach reading. Some say phonics is better, but it's not as clear cut as people think.
  2. Many believe that teaching methods can completely change students' success, but individual talent and background often play a bigger role in how well they do.
  3. The media and education discussions often ignore important questions about ability differences among students, focusing instead on minor teaching method fights.

'Screen Schooled': Kids Should Learn to Use Brains, Not iPads

The Analog Family • 919 implied HN points • 09 Sep 24
🚌 Education Digital learning Child development Teaching Methods Technology impact Educational Policy
  1. Kids are spending a lot of their time on screens, often 9 hours a day, and mostly consuming content instead of creating it. This means they miss out on learning opportunities.
  2. It's important to recognize that technology sometimes distracts kids from actually learning. Just giving them gadgets doesn’t mean they will use them for education; they often just want to play.
  3. Basic skills are being lost because kids rely on technology for instant answers. They need to build knowledge and skills first, instead of just Googling everything.

PhD students in biology are cheap, exploited labor & sold a false promise

Vinay Prasad's Observations and Thoughts • 82 implied HN points • 25 Feb 25
🚌 Education Higher education
  1. PhD students in biology often face long, uncertain timelines for completing their degrees, which can lead to a lot of stress and anxiety.
  2. The pay for these students is very low, making it feel like they are doing tough work for little reward, often working long hours without fair compensation.
  3. Many people who get biology PhDs end up in jobs outside of academia, and the system is criticized for producing too many graduates with too few opportunities.

The Seminar Continues

In My Tribe • 182 implied HN points • 03 Jun 25
🚌 Education Psychology Personality Sociology Learning Communication
  1. Personality psychology helps us understand people better. It looks at how we predict and explain behaviors, which is important for our relationships.
  2. The Big Five model is a more reliable way to measure personality than older methods like Myers-Briggs. It uses continuous traits instead of strict categories.
  3. While personality traits can be stable over time, we can develop skills that help us function better, even if our core traits don't change much.

Childhood and Education #8: Dealing with the Internet

Don't Worry About the Vase • 2060 implied HN points • 06 Jan 25
🚌 Education Childhood Internet Technology Social media Bullying
  1. Smartphones in schools are a big distraction, and many people think they should be banned. Too many notifications from social apps during class just makes it hard for kids to focus.
  2. Social media can harm kids, especially girls, by exposing them to things like cyberbullying and unwanted advances. Many parents want more safety and protection for their children online.
  3. There's a scary trend called sextortion where scammers take advantage of kids online. It's important for parents to talk to their kids about it so they know how to handle such situations.
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Designed Interactions

arg min • 257 implied HN points • 15 Oct 24
🚌 Education Statistics Optimization Mathematics Machine Learning
  1. Experiment design is about choosing the right measurements to get useful data while reducing errors. It's important in various fields, including medical imaging and randomized trials.
  2. Statistics play a big role in how we analyze and improve measurement processes. They help us understand the noise in our data and guide us in making our experiments more reliable.
  3. Optimization is all about finding the best way to minimize errors in our designs. It's a practical approach rather than just seeking perfection, and we need to accept that some questions might remain unanswered.

First, Do Not Suck: A Video Presentation on Which Writing Advice to Take (and Which Not To) for Subscribers

Freddie deBoer • 2908 implied HN points • 16 Dec 24
🚌 Education Writing Skills Teaching Methods Literary Analysis Content creation Pedagogy
  1. Not all writing advice is helpful; some common tips can actually hinder writers. It's important to find advice that really benefits your style and needs.
  2. Tools like pronouns and the passive voice can be useful in writing, contrary to popular belief. Embracing different writing styles can enhance your work.
  3. Improving as a writer involves a lot of practice and feedback. It's normal to struggle with gaining an audience or making money, even if you see your writing getting better.

The Willpower to Care About Academic Debates

Living Fossils • 31 implied HN points • 12 Feb 25
🚌 Education Psychology Research Methods Cognitive Science
  1. Ego depletion, the idea that willpower decreases after making tough choices, has been largely debunked. Many studies found that there is no strong evidence to support this theory.
  2. The ego depletion debate shows how important solid theories are in science. Without a strong theory, even widely accepted ideas can lead researchers astray.
  3. Psychology needs to be more disciplined in building ideas that align with what we know about the human mind and evolution. This helps avoid wasting time on false concepts.

Convex Optimization at the Midpoint

arg min • 198 implied HN points • 17 Oct 24
🚌 Education Optimization Programming Statistics Algorithms
  1. Modeling is really important in optimization classes. It's better to teach students how to set up real problems instead of just focusing on abstract theories.
  2. Introducing programming assignments earlier can help students understand optimization better. Using tools like cvxpy can make solving problems easier without needing to know all the underlying algorithms.
  3. Convex optimization is heavily used in statistics, but there's not much focus on control systems. Adding a section on control applications could help connect optimization with current interests in machine learning.

Why I Don’t Homeschool

The Analog Family • 1458 implied HN points • 19 Aug 24
🚌 Education Public Schools Homeschooling Child development Curriculum Parenting
  1. The public school system in Ontario can be good enough for many families. It offers physical activities, creative learning, and outdoor experiences, unlike some more extreme examples seen elsewhere.
  2. The author loves her job and doesn't want to pause her career for homeschooling. She feels it's important to balance work and family life while still providing education.
  3. Education is about more than just school. The author believes in filling learning gaps with real-life experiences, discussions, and activities at home, emphasizing ongoing education outside of the classroom.

If You Missed the First All-IPAK Webinar Conference...

Popular Rationalism • 198 implied HN points • 16 Oct 24
🚌 Education Online Learning Webinars Health Education Public Health
  1. You can still watch the first All-IPAK Webinar Conference online if you missed it. It's available for four hours, so you have plenty of time to catch up.
  2. Registration for the courses mentioned at the webinar has been extended. This is a great chance to participate in some learning opportunities.
  3. The webinar aims to spark a learning revolution, so it might inspire new ideas and methods in education. Checking it out could be worthwhile for anyone interested.

I am offering mentoring

DYNOMIGHT INTERNET NEWSLETTER • 1062 implied HN points • 16 Jan 25
🚌 Education Mentoring Self-Improvement Academia Personal Development Statistics
  1. A mentoring program is being offered to help people achieve their goals. It's open to anyone, regardless of age or career stage.
  2. The mentor will have three 30-minute video sessions with chosen participants, focused on helping them with their specific challenges.
  3. This program is free and based on an application process to select three people that the mentor believes they can assist most effectively.

Adiós Duolingo, hello Anki

De Novo • 88 implied HN points • 05 Jun 25
🚌 Education Learning Technology AI Languages Methods
  1. Anki is a flashcard app that helps with memorization using spaced repetition. It's great for learning detailed information and can share decks for team learning.
  2. Using AI to make Anki cards can be helpful, but it's important to check for errors. It's best for reinforcing knowledge rather than learning completely new topics.
  3. After years of using Duolingo, switching to Anki seems more effective for real learning. You can create a system to track your progress similar to Duolingo's streaks.

Fixing Universities

The Honest Broker Newsletter • 1413 implied HN points • 23 Dec 24
🚌 Education Higher education Policy Analysis Public Trust Academic Freedom
  1. Universities need to focus more on their main jobs: teaching and research. It's important for them to prioritize these roles over sports and other activities.
  2. They should take institutional neutrality seriously, meaning universities shouldn't push political views. Instead, they should let students and faculty discuss and debate these issues freely.
  3. Expanding access to education for all kinds of students is crucial. Universities should aim to serve everyone in society and help improve American democracy.

New head of children's services investigates ‘growing trend’ in home education

NN Journal • 218 implied HN points • 11 Oct 24
🚌 Education Policy Issues Community Response
  1. More families are choosing to homeschool their kids, with a big increase in the number of children learning at home. This is being noticed especially in the North area, where the rate is one of the highest in the country.
  2. The council is looking into why so many parents are withdrawing their children from schools, especially to see if kids with special needs are affected. They want to understand if families feel their children's needs aren’t being met in traditional schools.
  3. Covid-19 seems to have pushed more parents to consider home education as a safer option for their children. The local children's services are now focusing on addressing this situation.

An Inversion Cookbook

arg min • 297 implied HN points • 04 Oct 24
🚌 Education Mathematics Statistics Optimization Regression Data science
  1. Using modularity, we can tackle many inverse problems by turning them into convex optimization problems. This helps us use simple building blocks to solve complex issues.
  2. Linear models can be a good approximation for many situations, and if we rely on them, we can find clear solutions to our inverse problems. However, we should be aware that they don't always represent reality perfectly.
  3. Different regression techniques, like ordinary least squares and LASSO, allow us to handle noise and sparse data effectively. Tuning the right parameters can help us balance accuracy and manageability in our models.

Behavioral Interview Question Bank Categorized into 8 Themes

Behavioral OS for Techies • 419 implied HN points • 05 Sep 24
🚌 Education Career development Interview Preparation Skills Training Job Searching Professional Growth
  1. There are 40 behavioral interview questions split into 8 themes, which can help you prepare for interviews.
  2. For each theme, think of your personal experiences or create hypothetical scenarios to practice your answers.
  3. Identifying areas where you lack experience can focus your personal development and improve your interview skills.

In Data Science for Non-STEM Majors, Is Learning-by-Watching Live Calculating Possible? Likely? Reasonable to Expect?

Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality • 238 implied HN points • 28 Jan 25
🚌 Education Data science Pedagogy Economics Analysis Learning methods
  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.

Take The 2025 ACX Survey

Astral Codex Ten • 7157 implied HN points • 20 Dec 24
🚌 Education Surveys Psychology Research Findings Incentives
  1. There's a reader survey available that helps understand who reads the blog and explore psychological findings. It's like a fun way to learn more about people's interests.
  2. Taking the survey will take around 20 to 30 minutes, and participants have a chance to win a free one-year subscription. It's a nice incentive to get more people involved.
  3. The survey closes on January 5, so it's important to fill it out before then to make your voice heard.

IPAKIANS UNITE! ALL-IPAK WEBINAR/CONFERENCE - "FIRELIGHT" - THIS SATURDAY 10/12 6PM - 10PM ET

Popular Rationalism • 158 implied HN points • 11 Oct 24
🚌 Education Learning Health Public Health Personal Development
  1. There's a webinar called 'Firelight' happening on October 12th from 6 PM to 10 PM ET. You can join either through a live audience on Zoom or watch it online.
  2. The event features various speakers who will discuss important topics around knowledge, critical thinking, and personal empowerment. It's aimed at those feeling disillusioned by traditional education.
  3. Attending could help you learn about holistic health, public health insights, and more, all while being part of a community that values truth and intellectual freedom.

America's Internal Brain Drain

The Permanent Problem • 15 implied HN points • 09 Jun 25
🚌 Education Literacy Cognition Reading AI Impact Curriculum
  1. There's a growing concern that American students are struggling with basic reading and writing skills. Many students can't handle complex texts, which affects their ability to think critically.
  2. The shift away from deep reading and literature in schools, combined with distractions like TV and smartphones, is hurting our literacy. This decline in reading habits might be making society less capable overall.
  3. As more students lean on AI tools to do their thinking for them, there's a risk that they won't realize their potential. Learning requires effort, and using AI in the wrong way could stunt their cognitive growth.

25 Useful Ideas for 2025

The Prism • 877 implied HN points • 02 Jan 25
🚌 Education Learning Psychology Critical Thinking Personal Development Cognitive Science
  1. Being too focused on what we hate in politics makes us unhappy. Instead, we should think about what we stand for and what we can support positively.
  2. Markets and services can start off great for users but may turn worse as they become more focused on profits over their customers. We should be aware of this shift in priorities.
  3. To truly learn something well, we should try to teach it. Teaching others helps deepen our understanding and makes information stick better.

The BIG GUIDE to teaching LITTLE PEOPLE how to sound out words

The Intrinsic Perspective • 7162 implied HN points • 05 Dec 24
🚌 Education Teaching Parenting Literacy Child development Learning methods
  1. Teaching kids to read can be done much faster at home than in traditional schools. A few minutes of one-on-one tutoring each day can help them start reading within a year.
  2. Many current reading methods are too complicated for young kids. It’s better to make learning fun and game-like instead of following strict rules and lessons.
  3. The process of teaching reading should begin with simple sounds and slowly progress to full sentences, focusing on what interests the child. This makes reading enjoyable and engaging.

Stolen Youth at Sarah Lawrence

Disaffected Newsletter • 999 implied HN points • 06 Aug 24
🚌 Education School System Pedagogy Cultural Studies
  1. A documentary called 'Stolen Youth' explores how a toxic adult created a harmful cult at Sarah Lawrence College.
  2. The college's approach to education is criticized for promoting extreme ideologies, which some believe contributed to the cult's formation.
  3. The conversation highlights the importance of understanding the effects of educational philosophies on students' lives.

My School Experimented with ‘Education Equity.’ It Failed.

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 1381 implied HN points • 10 Dec 24
🚌 Education Equity Teaching Learning STEM
  1. Mixing high-achieving and low-performing students in the same classes didn't work as intended. It led to negative outcomes for students who were doing well.
  2. The idea behind the 'multilevel classrooms' was to help students transition easily between different levels of difficulty. However, it was challenging to teach when students had very different skill levels.
  3. Though the mixed-class approach had some success in certain subjects, it struggled in STEM and language classes where a strong foundation is needed. Teachers found it hard to meet everyone's needs.

My Next Decision Making Class is Launching on November 18th!

Thinking in Bets • 138 implied HN points • 11 Oct 24
🚌 Education Teaching Learning Courses Skills Workshops
  1. A decision-making class starts on November 18th and will run for three weeks with live zoom sessions. It’s designed to help people make better decisions using a structured process.
  2. You'll learn what makes decision-making hard, like cognitive biases, and how to work better as a team when making choices.
  3. The course includes interactive sessions and projects, and past students found it transformative and beneficial for both personal and career growth.

How I Write Posts

Construction Physics • 21087 implied HN points • 19 Feb 24
🚌 Education Writing Research Reading Editing Tools
  1. The author's writing process involves mainly two types of posts: explanation-driven and exploratory. They often write to understand complex topics themselves and then share their findings.
  2. Extensive research is a crucial part of the author's writing process. They gather information from a variety of sources like books, dissertations, and online resources.
  3. The author follows a structured approach starting from research, reading, and thinking, then moves on to compressing and structuring content, before finally drafting, editing, and posting their work.

The EdTech Revolution Has Failed

After Babel • 2486 implied HN points • 12 Nov 24
🚌 Education EdTech Learning methods Student Performance Classroom Management Digital Tools
  1. Using too many digital devices in schools doesn't seem to help students learn better. In fact, it might be making their test scores worse.
  2. Students often get distracted by things like social media when they're supposed to be learning, which can hurt their ability to focus and remember what they've learned.
  3. Some schools are starting to move away from using devices in the classroom and focus more on traditional teaching methods, which might lead to better outcomes for students.

College-for-All Means Homework-for-All

Five’s Substack • 1358 implied HN points • 22 Jul 24
🚌 Education Higher education Student life Work-life balance Time management Critical Thinking
  1. Many college students have a lot of work and study to do outside of class, making their schedule very busy. It's common for students to work part-time or even full-time jobs while studying.
  2. Homework is really important for truly understanding subjects in college. Doing the readings and assignments helps students think on their own and learn more effectively.
  3. It's vital to protect students' time for learning, not just to earn degrees. Education should be about more than just getting a job; it should allow for real thinking and personal growth.

American Economic History: Introduction

Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality • 253 implied HN points • 22 Jan 25
🚌 Education History Economics Teaching Analysis Data science
  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.

School is Not Enough

The Map is Mostly Water • 2214 implied HN points • 27 Oct 24
🚌 Education Learning Child development Parenting Teaching Methods Skill acquisition
  1. Learning happens best when you actually do things, not just sit in school. Kids should have chances to explore and work on real tasks to gain skills.
  2. School can trap kids in a routine that doesn’t prepare them for the real world. It’s important to let children explore opportunities that help them learn outside the classroom.
  3. Parents play a big role in helping kids find meaningful activities. Encouraging children to dive into projects they are passionate about can build confidence and lead to mastery.

5 Actions to Reduce Smartphones in School

The Analog Family • 319 implied HN points • 30 Aug 24
🚌 Education School Policy Parenting Student Engagement Technology Use
  1. Schools should encourage families to delay giving their kids smartphones until high school. This helps kids focus better on their education.
  2. Parents can help by communicating through school offices instead of texting their kids during class. This keeps kids from being distracted by their phones.
  3. Activities and teams should not require smartphones for participation. Schools can find other ways to share information that includes all students.

Calling All Future Medium Superstars: Medium School Opens Its Doors

Kristina God's Online Writing Club • 1059 implied HN points • 20 Jul 24
🚌 Education Writing Online Courses Content creation Community Building Coaching
  1. Medium School is a new course that helps people write on Medium and earn money. It's designed to build confidence and make writing fun.
  2. The course is only $9 a month and gives access to a community of fellow writers and helpful resources. It's great for anyone wanting to improve their writing skills.
  3. You'll also get access to a Substack School for extra support on that platform. Both platforms can work together without doubling your work.

Maybe EdTech is the answer? (feat. Noam Gerstein, CEO and founder of Bina School)

State of the Future • 7 implied HN points • 12 Jun 25
🚌 Education EdTech Curriculum Online Learning
  1. Online education models like Bina School can lower costs by removing the need for physical buildings and administrative overhead that traditional schools have. This could push regular schools to rethink their business models.
  2. Instead of just preparing students for specific jobs, education should focus on helping them become adaptable, decision-making individuals. This means measuring success in new ways, beyond just test scores.
  3. The merging of education and publishing will change how content is delivered. Schools could become more responsive ecosystems, using real-time data to tailor learning experiences to students' needs.

Skills for the Modern World

David Friedman’s Substack • 278 implied HN points • 24 Jan 25
🚌 Education Digital Literacy Critical Thinking Social Skills Information Management
  1. In today's world, it's really important to know how to find good information online and tell what's true from what isn't. Being able to filter through all the noise is a skill we need to learn.
  2. AI is a big part of our lives now, and we need to understand how to use it effectively and recognize when we're interacting with it. It’s also important to know how to protect ourselves from scams online.
  3. Learning how to navigate online spaces for socializing and education has become essential. Whether it's finding friends, dating, or learning new things, being savvy with technology and online interactions is key.

With Indigeneity, Universities Aren’t Following the Science

Heterodox STEM • 334 implied HN points • 12 Jan 25
🚌 Education Higher education Academic Freedom Decolonization
  1. Universities should promote free inquiry and have open discussions about all ideas, including Indigenous ways of knowing. Avoiding these conversations can lead to a lack of understanding and legitimate critique.
  2. If an idea cannot be tested or questioned, it cannot be considered scientific. This means that theories presented without detailed evidence fall outside of scientific discourse.
  3. The push for indigenization and decolonization in universities may replace established scientific methods with other belief systems. This could undermine the core mission of universities to pursue truth and knowledge.

My Next Decision Making Class is Launching on November 18th!

Thinking in Bets • 99 implied HN points • 10 Oct 24
🚌 Education Online Learning Decision-making Career development Personal Growth Workshops
  1. A new decision-making class starts on November 18th, running for a month with interactive sessions.
  2. Students will learn a 6-step process for better decision making and how to overcome cognitive biases.
  3. The course includes nine live sessions, projects, and access to a community of peers for networking.

What if societies were (deliberately) built to learn? (part one)

Brain Pizza • 794 implied HN points • 10 Dec 24
🚌 Education Learning methods Social Issues Public Policy Behavioral Science
  1. An 'experimenting society' uses real-life experiments to solve social problems. Instead of guessing solutions, we can test ideas to see what really works.
  2. Complex issues like poverty and health don’t have easy answers. We often need deep expertise and careful study to find effective solutions instead of relying on common sense.
  3. Learning from mistakes is important. If societies are built to learn, they can adapt and improve over time by evaluating what strategies succeed or fail.