The hottest Education Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Education Topics

Successive approximation

Splattern • 19 implied HN points • 31 Aug 23
🚌 Education Psychology Personal Development Behaviorism Learning Strategies Mindset
  1. Success is not always a straight line; it often involves small steps and gradual improvements. Just like a pigeon learns to peck a target by getting rewarded for getting closer, we can make progress by celebrating small wins.
  2. It's important to recognize and celebrate your efforts, even if the outcome isn't perfect. Starting a conversation or trying something new are achievements worth acknowledging.
  3. Taking the initiative, even without clear rewards or support, is valuable. Doing things the right way can build your skills and confidence over time, even if results aren't immediate.

How I once won the lottery

inexactscience • 19 implied HN points • 06 Sep 23
🚌 Education Mathematics Psychology Probability Statistics
  1. Sticking to one choice in a lottery doesn't change your odds, which stay at 1 in 24 no matter what. It seems like it should matter, but it really doesn't.
  2. If a lottery is unfair and avoids streaks, choosing the same number can actually be a better strategy because it decreases your risk of never winning.
  3. Many people fall for the gambler's fallacy, thinking just because a number hasn't won in a while, it should win soon. But in a fair lottery, each draw is independent and has the same odds.
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Student assignments in a time of language modelling

imperfect offerings • 19 implied HN points • 21 Apr 23
🚌 Education Teaching Curriculum Writing Technology Critical Thinking
  1. Educators can design accountable writing assignments to help students develop critical thinking skills and focus on aspects of human writing that large language models struggle with.
  2. Encouraging students to write from different positions or points of view, reflecting on personal experiences, and engaging in writing as part of a community can enhance accountability and support the development of writing skills.
  3. Using language model tools critically involves questioning their accuracy, biases, and potential impacts, while utilizing them creatively should be balanced with considering the limitations and risks associated with these tools.

The Camel Principle: Why Adding Zero is the Most Powerful Trick in Mathematics

The Palindrome • 1 implied HN point • 12 Jan 26
🚌 Education Mathematics Machine Learning Linear Algebra Optimization Workshops Data science Programming
  1. The camel principle is the idea that you can add zero in clever ways to transform problems, and that tiny trick can unlock big simplifications.
  2. Adding zero is essential because it helps rewrite expressions, simplify derivations, and connect different methods across mathematics and machine learning.
  3. A practical workshop can teach these foundations by building linear regression from scratch, covering vectors, vectorized code, optimization, and gradient descent with notebooks and recordings for practice.

Diversity and Inclusion Statement

20th Century Musings in the 21st Century • 39 implied HN points • 02 May 23
🚌 Education Diversity Inclusion Teaching Mentoring Scholarship
  1. The author has taught at universities in Kyrgyzstan, Ghana, and Iraq, with a diverse student body including various ethnic groups from different countries.
  2. The author actively promotes historical understanding and constructive dialogue among different ethnic groups in the places where he has taught.
  3. The author emphasizes the importance of embracing the truth of the past without bias and has worked to support women's scholarship in underrepresented societies.

There’s a 110 Percent Chance That Our Discomfort With Statistics Is Costing Us

I Might Be Wrong • 10 implied HN points • 08 Jul 25
🚌 Education Statistics Critical Thinking Public Safety Communication Risk Assessment
  1. Many people struggle to understand statistics and probability, which can lead to poor decision-making. For example, weather forecasts often misrepresent low probabilities to avoid backlash from confused audiences.
  2. Vague language used in warnings, like 'possible' or 'could', can create misunderstanding and result in people ignoring important alerts. It would be better to provide specific probabilities so that people can respond appropriately.
  3. Improving statistical education could help people make better choices and improve communication between authorities and the public. Clear numbers would be more useful than unclear descriptions.

Learning to learn, playing slowly

Sunday Letters • 119 implied HN points • 10 Oct 21
🚌 Education Learning Teaching Music Technology Mental health
  1. When learning something new, it's easy to procrastinate or feel overwhelmed. Taking a slower approach can actually help you learn better.
  2. Playing slowly is key to mastering skills, like music or coding. It allows you to understand the basics without getting frustrated.
  3. Don't be afraid to make mistakes when learning. Embracing the messiness helps you improve and learn faster in the long run.

The Hardest Part

CTOrly • 39 implied HN points • 05 Aug 22
🚌 Education Writing Motivation Self-Improvement Learning
  1. Starting is always challenging, but it's not the only difficult part; other complexities follow.
  2. Success depends on evolving definitions, simplification, and finishing well, not just starting.
  3. Knowing how to finish and what to start are crucial; consistently starting without finishing may reveal underlying issues.

Fire, rebirth, and pace layers

The Jolly Contrarian • 59 implied HN points • 24 Jun 22
🚌 Education Complex Systems Legal Services Professional Services
  1. The Great Fire of London in 1666 presented a unique opportunity to reimagine and optimize the city but ultimately, London was rebuilt exactly as it was, showing how persistent and resilient systems can be.
  2. Complex adaptive systems, like cities, operate on different time scales with layers such as nature, culture, governance, infrastructure, commerce, and fashion, each dependent on the layers below.
  3. Lasting change in a complex system requires either a new shock it has not yet experienced or a transformative opportunity that existing layers cannot exploit, showing the need to understand the depth at which change must occur.

A fun no-calculator Problem [Math Monday]

Technology Made Simple • 39 implied HN points • 23 Aug 22
🚌 Education Math Learning Tutoring Problem Solving Interview Preparation
  1. The newsletter shared a fun math problem that doesn't require advanced knowledge, great for problem-solving practice.
  2. The author offered a limited-time 50% discount to celebrate almost 50 questions completed in the newsletter.
  3. There was a special request for readers to fill out a form to recommend the newsletter to Substack for more visibility.

Why writing = thinking

Devansh’s Newsletter • 10 implied HN points • 18 Jun 25
🚌 Education Writing Thinking Communication Skill development Learning
  1. Writing helps us organize our thoughts, making it easier to solve complex problems. It's like having a tool to keep track of many small ideas that add up to a bigger solution.
  2. Our short term memory can be a barrier to deep thinking, but writing lets us externalize our thoughts. When we put ideas on paper, it frees our mind to focus on bigger concepts.
  3. Writing can be a personal journey and may change over time. It's important to find what feels right for you, rather than feeling pressured to perform.

Welcome, and what this is

The Counterfactual • 59 implied HN points • 17 Jul 22
🚌 Education Cognitive Science Statistics Artificial Intelligence Research Writing
  1. The newsletter will cover topics like language, statistics, and AI, mixing research with personal thoughts. Expect both solid research reviews and imaginative columns about the future.
  2. Posts will be written in a clear, clean format using Substack. This platform helps catch mistakes easily and connects with a larger community of writers and readers.
  3. The author aims to write about things that are interesting and useful, hoping to share knowledge and insights that spark curiosity in readers.

Top 5 Skills to Have in The Age of AI

The Renaissance Man • 1 HN point • 24 Jul 24
🚌 Education Skills Development Lifelong learning Critical Thinking Interpersonal Skills
  1. Empathy is key. It's important to understand how others feel and think, even if you don’t agree with them.
  2. Critical thinking helps you form your own opinions. Don't just accept things as truth; question what you hear and think deeply about it.
  3. Curiosity drives innovation. Asking the right questions can lead to new ideas and better understanding of the world.

What does it mean to be human in the age of intelligent machines?

The Global Jigsaw • 19 implied HN points • 25 Sep 23
🚌 Education Technology Philosophy Emotions Curriculum Innovation
  1. Our educational system needs to adapt to the presence of AI and focus on nurturing human emotions and creativity
  2. Human uniqueness lies in emotional experiences, imagination, and empathy
  3. Schools should consider teaching courses in emotional intelligence, empathy, and situational awareness to prepare students for the age of intelligent machines

Let's cut some cake

Sunday Letters • 79 implied HN points • 20 Mar 22
🚌 Education Decision-making Mathematics Team Dynamics Problem Solving Collaboration
  1. To share something fairly, one person should cut it while the other picks their piece. This way, both care about fairness.
  2. In team discussions or disagreements, break down decisions into parts to find common ground and make it easier for everyone to agree.
  3. Using a math-based approach can help settle arguments quickly and fairly, showing that cooperation can work better than fighting.

Ramanujan, The Langlands Project, and Fermat's Last Theorem [Math Mondays]

Technology Made Simple • 39 implied HN points • 25 Jul 22
🚌 Education Math Research Learning
  1. The Langlands Project seeks to connect Geometry with Algebra, which is a significant development in mathematics.
  2. Connecting Geometry with Algebra has helped solve important problems like Fermat's Last Theorem, leading to substantial recognition and rewards.
  3. Even if you're not into math research, being aware of projects like Langlands can impact various aspects of the world and help you benefit from advancements in the field.

Demise of the Pac-12, Campus Spending, and DeSantis at Yale

The Future of Education • 19 implied HN points • 14 Sep 23
🚌 Education Higher Ed Innovation Schools Parenting
  1. Colleges are facing financial challenges as federal funding decreases and there's pressure to bring in more revenue, even impacting athletic programs like the Pac-12.
  2. Many colleges are criticized for excessive spending that doesn't align with providing value to students, contributing to the overall cost crisis in higher education.
  3. It's important to rethink incentives and challenge the idea that spending more equates to delivering a better education at colleges.

Problem 24: Sentence Checker[Nest]

Technology Made Simple • 59 implied HN points • 09 Feb 22
🚌 Education Coding Problem Solving Learning Interviews Newsletter
  1. Create a basic sentence checker that validates sentences based on specific rules like capitalization, punctuation, and spacing.
  2. The sentence must start with a capital letter, have proper lowercase letters, separators, and terminal marks, and contain single spaces between words.
  3. Validation criteria include starting with a capital, having proper case usage, correct punctuation, and spacing. The sentence must end with a terminal mark following a word.

Derivatives in One, Two, and Billion Variables

The Palindrome • 2 implied HN points • 25 Nov 25
🚌 Education Mathematics Machine Learning Neural Networks Differentiation
  1. Derivatives help us understand how a function changes. They're key to training models, especially in machine learning.
  2. To minimize errors in models, we use gradient descent, which relies on finding the gradient using derivatives.
  3. Computational graphs represent our mathematical models visually, making it easier to track how inputs lead to outputs.

What's on your mind?

Kids Who Love Math • 83 implied HN points • 16 Aug 23
🚌 Education Mathematics Learning
  1. The author is curious about your thoughts and questions related to teaching math to kids
  2. The author shares information about their kids' math education and current activities
  3. The author is open to sharing book highlights and is interested in knowing if you'd like to read about them

Rough Drafts Instead of Resolutions

polymathematics • 39 implied HN points • 10 Jan 23
🚌 Education Personal Growth Goal setting Self-Improvement Motivation Mindfulness
  1. Think of your yearly goals as rough drafts, not strict resolutions. This way, you can be flexible and adapt as the year goes on.
  2. Imagine the kind of experiences you want to have throughout the year. Consider what activities excite you and whom you want to share them with.
  3. Focus on the journey instead of the end result. It's all about enjoying the process and learning along the way.

From Procrastination to Productivity: The Pre-Coding Checklist

Weekend Developer • 19 implied HN points • 12 May 23
🚌 Education Productivity Routine Preparation Success Habit formation
  1. Having a pre-coding routine can help you focus and get started on your tasks more effectively.
  2. Visualizing and planning your tasks the evening before can help your subconscious start working on solutions.
  3. Creating cues, like setting reminders and writing down intentions, can help you establish productive habits and reduce the need for constant motivation.

How seemingly 'unrelated' concepts can be helpful when solving complex problems [Math Monday]

Technology Made Simple • 39 implied HN points • 04 Jul 22
🚌 Education Math Problem Solving Coding Learning
  1. The solution to complex problems often combines ideas from multiple domains, similar to how problem-solving in software engineering works.
  2. When faced with intimidating problems, remember that breaking them down into smaller components and using various techniques is key to finding the solution.
  3. Techniques used in math and coding interviews are often similar, such as using small test cases, analyzing functions, and reducing problems to previously solved cases.

LL #44 | Making Mountains out of Molehills

The Leadership Lab • 19 implied HN points • 11 Dec 22
🚌 Education Leadership Intuition Coaching
  1. As a leader, embracing your intuition can greatly enhance performance by uncovering hidden opportunities for improvement.
  2. Instead of suppressing your inner nitpicker, consider how it can actually liberate your team and lead to significant progress.
  3. Shift your focus from criticism to creativity by asking yourself about the 10x opportunity in a situation, bringing that energy to your team and projects.

Practical Advice for a Better You

Anima Mundi • 20 implied HN points • 28 Dec 24
🚌 Education Personal Growth Decision-making Productivity Leadership Learning Strategies
  1. When making a decision, find one strong reason for it. If you can’t identify a solid reason, reconsider your choice.
  2. Focusing on one task at a time leads to better results than multitasking. It reduces stress and improves the quality of your work.
  3. Look for people who show potential and the ability to learn quickly rather than just those with experience. They can surprise you with their growth.

What I wish I knew earlier

JR’s Newsletter • 19 implied HN points • 01 Jan 25
🚌 Education Personal Growth Decision-making Career development Life lessons Self-reflection
  1. Being passive can hurt you. It's better to take action and ask questions than to sit back and miss opportunities.
  2. Focusing on what you love is key. Don't just follow what everyone else is doing; dive deep into your passions instead.
  3. Success matters, but balance is important. Make sure your career, health, and family don't suffer for the sake of ambition.