The hottest Education Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Education Topics

I don't like ice-breakers

Soaring Twenties • 100 implied HN points • 15 Jan 25
🚌 Education Teaching Learning Social Skills Courses Personal Development
  1. Ice-breakers often feel pointless and waste time during meetings or courses. People usually don't get to know each other better through these activities.
  2. Sharing personal stories can be uncomfortable for many, especially if they're private. It might feel better to focus on course-related topics instead.
  3. Instead of typical ice-breakers, it might be better to discuss why everyone is there. This helps people connect meaningfully and saves time.

Dropping Out

Comment is Freed • 125 implied HN points • 16 Nov 24
🚌 Education School Policy Parental involvement Mental health
  1. England's schools have greatly improved over the last few decades, becoming some of the best in Europe. This success is partly due to effective policies and the integration of immigrant students.
  2. However, since the pandemic, schools have faced serious challenges with increased behavior issues and poor attendance among students. Many children are missing more classes, leading to worries that they might drop out.
  3. To sustain the progress in school standards, the government needs a focused approach that addresses the interconnected issues of attendance, behavior, and mental health. Otherwise, the gains made in education could be lost.
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A crisis in epistemology

Sunday Letters • 59 implied HN points • 20 Nov 23
🚌 Education Curriculum Epistemology AI Impact Critical Thinking Learning methods
  1. We need to rethink what to teach as AI becomes more capable. It's important to understand the basics of how things work, not just rely on AI to do it for us.
  2. Trust is becoming harder in our knowledge sources. With the rise of fake evidence and statistics, we must be careful where we get our information.
  3. The future of learning should focus on teaching people how to learn effectively. This includes critical thinking skills, understanding biases, and the scientific method.

Novice Teachers and Study Strategies

The Science of Learning • 79 implied HN points • 07 Aug 23
🚌 Education Teaching Methods Learning Strategies Student learning Educational Research
  1. Novice teachers often don't know the best study strategies and can recommend less effective ones when asked spontaneously.
  2. They tend to recognize effective study methods when given a list, indicating they have some knowledge but struggle to apply it in real situations.
  3. Teaching new teachers about effective study strategies could help them give better advice to students, leading to improved learning outcomes.

Edu-Snippets

The Science of Learning • 99 implied HN points • 15 Jun 23
🚌 Education Learning methods Teaching Strategies Cognitive Psychology Educational Technology
  1. Taking notes by hand helps students remember lectures better than just taking photos of the slides. It encourages more focus and understanding of the material.
  2. Teaching others about a topic can improve a student's own learning. Even explaining to an imaginary audience can help deepen their understanding.
  3. Using flashy animations in PowerPoint slides can make it harder for students to remember important information. It's better to keep slides simple and focused on the main points.

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 Student Rights
  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.

How STEM is Sleepwalking into Wokery

Heterodox STEM • 270 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
🚌 Education STEM Academia Science Identity politics
  1. STEM education is facing challenges with the introduction of ideologies like 'Indigenous science', leading to a shift in traditional approaches.
  2. University environments are becoming increasingly focused on equity, diversity, and inclusion, which can sometimes lead to conflict with academic freedom and rational discourse.
  3. There is a concern among some STEM professors about the impact of ideological pressures on teaching quality, mental health, and innovation within academic environments.

Why PhDs aren't easy

Theory Matters • 9 implied HN points • 29 Nov 25
🚌 Education Higher education Research Student experience
  1. PhDs require a lot of hard work and persistence, not just high intelligence. Many people think it's easy, but it takes years of focus on a single problem.
  2. Funding and support for PhD students can be difficult to find, making the journey even tougher. Many students struggle with financial challenges while balancing their studies.
  3. Completing a PhD is complicated, with many potential setbacks along the way. It's not just about finishing; it's about the journey and the effort put in to achieve that goal.

Introducing QF Cities

Quantum Formalism • 39 implied HN points • 20 Jan 24
🚌 Education Mathematics Community Building
  1. QF Cities is an initiative by Quantum Formalism to create local hubs for learning math and quantum information science.
  2. They are looking for volunteers to run QF programs in their cities and require proof of at least ten participants to request sponsorship.
  3. The timelines for the QF Cities program include an application deadline of March 22 and a kickstart date of June 21.

Lowering Costs and Increasing Value for Students, Institutions, and Taxpayers

The Future of Education • 99 implied HN points • 16 Aug 23
🚌 Education Policy Market Innovation Regulation Outcomes
  1. The current higher education system lacks incentives for institutions to focus on student outcomes and financial returns.
  2. Accreditors play a gatekeeper role for federal financial aid, but are not incentivized to focus on student outcomes.
  3. Policy should shift focus to student outcomes, transparency in pricing, and requiring colleges to share in the risk of student loan repayments.

Coming soon

Scholar's Stage Updates • 119 implied HN points • 18 Nov 22
🚌 Education
  1. The post is about a newsletter called Scholar's Stage
  2. It allows readers to keep up with content published at the Scholar's Stage blog
  3. The newsletter will be coming soon

The opposite of school

Thoughts on Writing • 419 implied HN points • 07 Oct 21
🚌 Education Alternative Education Neurodiversity Unschooling
  1. The family chose 'unschooling' as a way for their child to follow his interests and instincts, rather than sticking to traditional schooling.
  2. The decision to unschool was influenced by their child's diagnosis of autism, which made the school system challenging for him.
  3. Reading a book on self-directed education played a significant role in convincing the family that unschooling was a hopeful alternative to traditional schooling.

Building Resilience, Tackling Cancel Culture, Catalyzing Change

The Future of Education • 79 implied HN points • 29 Sep 23
🚌 Education Mental health Academics Student outcomes Higher education
  1. Colleges are focusing on building resilience as a proactive approach to mental health challenges.
  2. Schools should integrate habits of success like agency and perseverance with academic knowledge.
  3. Higher education is facing disruptive changes due to unsustainable financial trajectories and declining demographics.

7 valuable life lessons from successful people.

Jon’s Newsletter • 179 implied HN points • 27 Nov 22
🚌 Education Personal Development Career Advice Life lessons Public Speaking Success Stories
  1. Failure is part of life and can teach us valuable lessons. Embracing failure helps us grow stronger and more determined.
  2. Having a vision or plan for your life is important. It helps guide your decisions and keeps you in control of your journey.
  3. It's okay to take risks and follow your passions, even if it means leaving a secure job. Sometimes taking chances leads to great rewards.

Education Isn’t What It Used To Be

Cremieux Recueil • 253 implied HN points • 17 Feb 24
🚌 Education Reform Impact Results Comparison
  1. Education systems have changed, resulting in complex impacts on intelligence and educational outcomes over time.
  2. The duration and intensity of schooling play crucial roles in student performance, with balanced effects observed when intensity increases with reduced school lengths.
  3. Reducing time in school can give young adults back time to start their careers, form relationships, and enjoy their adult lives.

Announcing Aristotle in Your Pocket

What Is Called Thinking? • 29 implied HN points • 29 Jul 25
🚌 Education Learning Literature Philosophy Digital Classics
  1. There's a new digital library that has over 4,000 great books all in one place. It makes reading and learning easier and more enjoyable.
  2. This library connects different books, letting readers explore ideas and themes across various texts.
  3. The goal is to help people discover the joy of learning and make classic literature accessible to everyone.

Social Distancing For Skills

Day One • 798 implied HN points • 15 Apr 20
🚌 Education Skill development Online Communities Entrepreneurship Learning Strategies Personal Growth
  1. Focus on learning one skill at a time instead of overwhelming yourself with multiple choices. Don't get distracted by trying to learn everything at once.
  2. Taking action and earning from the skill you have is more important than acquiring numerous skills. Make sure to put your skills to use.
  3. Devote time to mastering a chosen skill and figuring out how to earn from it. Building expertise in one area will lead to success.

Abused Words

David Friedman’s Substack • 260 implied HN points • 29 Jan 24
🚌 Education Language Grammar Logic Statistics
  1. Words like 'exponential' and 'organic' are commonly misused with meanings different from their actual definitions.
  2. Terms like 'guarantee' and 'literally' are often used incorrectly causing confusion in communication.
  3. Understanding technical terms like 'statistically significant' is crucial to avoid misinterpretation in discussions.

📚 3 hours left till our Tidy First book club kickoff

🔮 Crafting Tech Teams • 39 implied HN points • 08 Jan 24
🚌 Education Book Club Learning Reading
  1. Joining a book club can be a great way to set intentions, learn, and apply new knowledge.
  2. The goal of this book club is to help members apply impactful learning quickly, potentially sparking "a-ha" moments before finishing the book.
  3. Consider subscribing to receive more content and access to the full post archives, especially if you're looking to continue learning and growing.

Links to Consider

In My Tribe • 258 implied HN points • 14 Jan 24
🚌 Education Parenting
  1. Emily Oster discusses a reader's second thoughts on parenting.
  2. Lorenzo Warby examines the issue of accountability in democracies.
  3. Dan Williams explores the dynamics of human cooperation and social networks.

What Happens When You Use a Biased Test for Admissions?

Cremieux Recueil • 241 implied HN points • 24 Feb 24
🚌 Education Standardized tests Education system
  1. Standardized tests can play a crucial role in admissions, as other evaluation criteria like interviews and extracurriculars tend to be biased.
  2. Grade inflation can lead to biases in GPAs, impacting underrepresented students and creating disadvantages based on school demographics or parental education levels.
  3. Using biased tests, like the English listening section of China's Gaokao exam, can inadvertently disadvantage certain groups and impact college admissions, forcing a balance between bias correction and maintaining test significance.

Links to Consider, 2/6

In My Tribe • 243 implied HN points • 06 Feb 24
🚌 Education Philosophy Schooling Unschooling
  1. Mark Mills raises concerns about the environmental impact of electric vehicles.
  2. Zvi Mowshowitz advocates for grade skipping in education for better outcomes.
  3. Peter Gray argues for reducing the role of coercive schooling to promote children's passionate interests.

Liberal Arts Will Save The World!

Polymathic Being • 85 implied HN points • 19 Jan 25
🚌 Education Liberal Arts Critical Thinking Curriculum Development Civic engagement
  1. The Liberal Arts include important subjects like grammar, logic, arithmetic, and music. These subjects are key to helping us think critically and communicate well.
  2. Many modern education systems have stopped teaching these fundamental arts, which affects how we think and understand the world around us. This gap can lead to confusion and polarization in society.
  3. By reintroducing the Liberal Arts into education, we could improve our discussions, mental health, and understanding of complex topics like technology and ethics.

The evening class institute

Soaring Twenties • 100 implied HN points • 04 Dec 24
🚌 Education Adult Learning Teaching Methods Literacy Student behavior Course design
  1. Evening classes can be a mixed bag, with some students really passionate but also a bit much at times. It's important to balance enthusiasm with respect for the class and the teacher.
  2. Some students have a tendency to show off their knowledge or manage the classroom, which can be distracting. Teachers usually know what they're doing, and students should give them space to lead.
  3. Despite some annoying personalities, adult education classes are a great opportunity to learn new skills and meet interesting people. The overall experience can be really rewarding.

Eschew Obfuscation

Sunday Letters • 79 implied HN points • 09 Jul 23
🚌 Education Teaching Learning Writing Communication Critical Thinking
  1. Using complicated terms can create barriers in conversations and make others feel excluded. It's important to communicate in a way that everyone can understand.
  2. If you can't explain something simply, it might mean you don't fully understand it yourself. Writing things out can help clarify your thoughts.
  3. Taking time to explain clearly is more valuable than using jargon. It's better to focus on clear communication than to impress others with 'smart' language.