The hottest Education Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Education Topics

How to count

Infinitely More β€’ 20 implied HN points β€’ 22 Feb 23
🚌 Education Mathematics
  1. Ordinal numbers extend natural numbers beyond infinity.
  2. The first infinite ordinal is Ο‰, pronounced as omega.
  3. To understand ordinals, focus on their own order structure rather than embedding them into our perception of time.

Sal Khan, Serial Education Revolutionary

Freddie deBoer β€’ 11 HN points β€’ 11 Jan 24
🚌 Education Technology Society Inequality Reform Schooling
  1. Sal Khan's past promises about revolutionizing education with Khan Academy videos have not come true.
  2. Educational outcomes are heavily influenced by inequalities in society and students' inherent academic potential.
  3. Acknowledging the limitations of formal schooling is important for understanding the reality of closing academic gaps and erasing social inequality.

Colleges need to improve teaching to earn public trust

Science Forever β€’ 1 HN point β€’ 12 Mar 24
🚌 Education Teaching Higher education Faculty Students Administration
  1. Colleges should prioritize teaching above research and other activities to regain public trust.
  2. There is a discrepancy between public expectation of universities focusing on teaching and the actual allocation of resources to research and unrelated activities.
  3. Improving teaching quality requires collaboration among faculty, administrators, and trustees to adjust incentives and prioritize education.

The Prisoner's Dilemma is All Around Us

Metarational β€’ 19 implied HN points β€’ 28 Apr 21
🚌 Education Social Status Standardized tests
  1. The concept of the Prisoner's Dilemma can be observed in various social and economic situations where individual incentives may lead to suboptimal outcomes for everyone involved.
  2. Unaligned incentives, where individual actions aimed at maximizing personal benefit can result in inefficiency for the group as a whole, are prevalent in scenarios like the tragedy of the commons and pollution.
  3. In addressing issues related to unaligned incentives, analogical solutions from economic situations, such as taxes or permits, can be applied to social contexts, like imposing luxury taxes or restricting financial aid based on college major signaling.
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Meta-knowledge

Metarational β€’ 19 implied HN points β€’ 26 Apr 21
🚌 Education Logic Puzzles Thinking Knowledge
  1. Meta-knowledge involves the understanding of other people's knowledge, leading to concepts like meta-meta-knowledge and common knowledge.
  2. Puzzles, like the blue eyes puzzle, are great examples to demonstrate the complexity and power of different levels of meta-knowledge.
  3. Understanding meta-knowledge is crucial in various contexts, helping to make sense of social customs and intuitions that may otherwise seem arbitrary or senseless.

Mathematical induction

Infinitely More β€’ 10 implied HN points β€’ 30 Jan 24
🚌 Education Mathematics Proofs Induction
  1. Mathematical induction is a fundamental principle in mathematics, used to prove many fundamental facts in arithmetic and number theory.
  2. The common induction principle states that if a set of natural numbers contains 0 and whenever n is in the set, n+1 is also in the set, then every natural number is in the set.
  3. Strong induction allows the induction step to use multiple smaller numbers to prove a statement, and can be proven from the least-number principle.

A blog for those teaching and learning web literacy

The End(s) of Argument β€’ 19 implied HN points β€’ 11 May 21
🚌 Education
  1. The blog focuses on teaching web literacy to students through examples found on the internet and in emails
  2. It is aimed at educators but may offer insights to those studying misinformation as well
  3. The concept of 'taking bearings' in online literacy is mentioned, originating from the work of Sam Wineburg and Sarah McGrew

VSRF LIVE TONIGHT: Episode 189- Sam Sorbo: Escaping Institutional Indoctrination

Steve Kirsch's newsletter β€’ 1 implied HN point β€’ 07 Aug 25
🚌 Education Parental Rights Homeschooling Child development
  1. Sam Sorbo advocates for parental rights and educational freedom, emphasizing that parents should be in charge of their children's learning. She believes that the current school system often limits independent thinking.
  2. Homeschooling is presented as a powerful way for families to reclaim educational control and empower children to become resilient thinkers. It allows parents to tailor learning to their child's needs.
  3. The importance of community support and financial contributions is highlighted as essential for initiatives like VSRF, which seeks to promote health freedom and truth in education.

Fostering Free Expression in Higher Education

Natural Selections β€’ 4 implied HN points β€’ 10 Dec 24
🚌 Education Free speech Higher education Academic Freedom Social justice Civic engagement
  1. Universities should adopt the Chicago Principles, which support free speech and allow everyone to express themselves without fear of backlash. This helps create a safer space for open discussion.
  2. Administrators and faculty should encourage respectful disagreement and avoid ruling with fear. They should treat students as partners in learning, allowing for mistakes and corrections.
  3. Students should embrace diverse ideas and experiences, rather than seek comfort in familiar beliefs. Engaging with different perspectives helps broaden understanding and growth.

Planning based on where the puck is gonna be

Joshua Gans' Newsletter β€’ 19 implied HN points β€’ 22 Feb 21
🚌 Education Planning Vaccination Pandemic Decision-making
  1. Universities should plan for a Fall reopening based on forecasts of the pandemic and vaccination progress.
  2. It is reasonable to expect that Canada will reach its Summer vaccine goals, indicating potential for substantial improvement in the situation.
  3. Planning for a Fall reopening offers benefits of being prepared for a favorable outlook and maintaining option value, as opposed to planning to remain closed.

Textbooks

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients β€’ 79 implied HN points β€’ 05 Aug 17
🚌 Education Nutrition Biochemistry Chemistry Biology
  1. To truly master nutrition, understand it from the ground up by gaining competence in the sciences it's based on and selecting the right textbooks.
  2. Top recommendations for nutrition textbooks include 'Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism' by Gropper and 'Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease' by Ross.
  3. Essential background education for nutrition includes chemistry, organic chemistry, biology, anatomy and physiology, and molecular and cellular biology.

The Legal Megalomania of Intersectionality

Year Zero β€’ 13 implied HN points β€’ 23 Aug 23
🚌 Education Legal analysis
  1. Intersectionality, once niche, has spread widely in policy discussions, even into hard sciences and medicine.
  2. Challenges the assumption that discrimination claims solely fall within single-axis frameworks, highlighting legal cases that refute this.
  3. Asserts that broad claims about intersectionality's implications for discrimination and oppression lack empirical evidence and nuanced discussion.

The Antidebate: Experiments in the Art of Sensemaking for a World Gone Slightly Mad.

The Joyous Struggle β€’ 1 HN point β€’ 20 Feb 24
🚌 Education Teaching Learning Research Innovation Collaboration
  1. The antidebate focuses on speaking differently rather than arguing well to enhance meaningful communication by changing the setting, process, and permission.
  2. It is a conversational innovation recognizing varying power dynamics in conversations, embodying a collaborative and competitive inquiry.
  3. The antidebate emerged as a response to the lack of efficacy of traditional debate and aims to prefigure new ways of thinking, talking, and living together.

Against Education

Logos β€’ 19 implied HN points β€’ 14 May 21
🚌 Education Policy Debate Learning Theory
  1. Education mainly acts as a signal for employers to identify smart, hardworking individuals rather than actually teaching useful skills. This means that just having a degree doesn't guarantee better job performance.
  2. Caplan argues that education is a poor investment for society because it doesn't enhance productivity enough to justify its costs. He suggests that we might benefit from reducing education funding and directing efforts towards vocational training instead.
  3. While some ideas in Caplan's arguments are strong, there are valid concerns about the impact of reducing education opportunities, particularly for those who might excel in it. We should look at improving the education system instead of scrapping it altogether.

The Palindrome is Growing

The Palindrome β€’ 1 implied HN point β€’ 02 Aug 25
🚌 Education Math Machine Learning Writing Publishing Content creation
  1. The Palindrome is expanding its team, starting with Alberto Gonzalez, who will help improve the publication's overall quality. He aims to make math and machine learning more accessible to everyone.
  2. The founder is looking to add more content creators to the team, focusing on educational content in math and engineering. This is a great chance for aspiring writers to showcase their skills.
  3. The goal is to double the value provided to readers and strengthen the community around The Palindrome, making it a more organized and valuable resource.

Live Critical Mass Interactive Zoom Q&A: March 3rd @ 11 AM Pacific Time

Critical Mass β€’ 8 implied HN points β€’ 27 Feb 24
🚌 Education Live Q&A Science
  1. Join a live Critical Mass interactive Zoom Q&A on March 3rd at 11 AM Pacific Time hosted by Lawrence M. Krauss.
  2. The event will cover topics like previous Critical Mass posts, upcoming events, podcast episodes, books, and general science questions.
  3. Paid subscribers can access the event and get a 7-day free trial to read the full post archives.

Lecture 06

Quantum Formalism β€’ 19 implied HN points β€’ 23 Oct 20
🚌 Education Math YouTube Learning
  1. Session 6 of the lecture series is now available on YouTube with a corrected slide on GitHub, focusing on advanced topics in quantum formalism.
  2. New participants are encouraged to have an advanced undergraduate level knowledge or should review previous sessions to follow the live sessions effectively.
  3. Those confident in their understanding can fill out a form to attend the next live session for the lecture series.

How to Teach Textual Criticism To Fifth-Graders

Nephew Jonathan β€’ 1 implied HN point β€’ 22 Jul 25
🚌 Education Teaching Methods Curriculum Development Student Engagement
  1. Teaching textual criticism to fifth-graders can be fun and engaging. Using creative methods helps students understand complex topics.
  2. It's possible to teach historical concepts using simple activities, like recreating manuscript copying. This hands-on approach encourages participation and learning.
  3. While students may question the relevance of what they learn, introducing unique subjects helps them appreciate history and critical thinking skills.

BREAKING NEWS (that isn’t depressing or scary): My new book, Think Again

Granted β€’ 19 implied HN points β€’ 07 Oct 20
🚌 Education Psychology Self-Improvement Social Skills Gender Dynamics
  1. 2020 has forced us to reconsider our beliefs and be open to challenging our thoughts.
  2. Thinking like scientists seeking truth can help us cultivate the humility to accept we don't know everything and adapt to changes.
  3. Learning to sit with cognitive dissonance can be crucial for personal growth and evolution.

Lecture #1

Quantum Formalism β€’ 19 implied HN points β€’ 19 Sep 20
🚌 Education Mathematics Quantum Computing Lectures
  1. The foundation module of the lecture series will focus on finite-dimensional complex Hilbert spaces, aligning with standard quantum computing textbooks.
  2. The mathematics session in Lecture #1 included topics like natural numbers, integers, maps between sets, and discussion on cardinality of sets.
  3. Attendees are encouraged to participate in the live sessions for interaction and asking questions rather than solely watching replays.

Practical Tips

Quantum Formalism β€’ 19 implied HN points β€’ 17 Sep 20
🚌 Education Tips
  1. Don't be scared of mathematical abstraction when learning about quantum concepts.
  2. Taking a lot of notes can be helpful to retain and understand the material better.
  3. If you're stuck on a particular concept, do online research after the lecture for clarification.

Rules, Rules Rules

Trying to Understand the World β€’ 7 implied HN points β€’ 13 Mar 24
🚌 Education Management Institutions Rules Organizations Common Sense
  1. Organizations often create more rules and regulations when they lack a clear sense of purpose and long-term goals, leading to a focus on detail rather than overall objectives.
  2. The abundance of rules and bureaucracy, especially in modern society, can hinder problem-solving and practical decision-making, as well as replace traditional customs with overly complex regulations.
  3. The Professional and Managerial Caste (PMC) proliferation of rules can result in controlling mechanisms rather than fostering productive environments, ultimately leading to dysfunctional organizations and discontent among staff.

2x2 games will change your life

Wyclif's Dust β€’ 7 HN points β€’ 24 Feb 24
🚌 Education Game Theory Mathematics Social Sciences Economics Theory
  1. Mathematics can change the way you think by showing how words correspond to underlying structures.
  2. 2x2 games, like the Prisoner's Dilemma, are simple models that offer powerful insights into cooperation, trade, and decision-making.
  3. Understanding game theory, particularly 2x2 games, can help in analyzing real-world scenarios such as economics, politics, and social interactions.

The Covid-19 Grading Mess

Joshua Gans' Newsletter β€’ 19 implied HN points β€’ 24 Aug 20
🚌 Education Assessment Algorithm Covid-19 Impact
  1. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the challenges of grading students became pronounced, resulting in significant issues with assessment and grading strategies in educational institutions.
  2. The UK's Ofqual algorithm for adjusting predicted grades and translating them to final grades during the pandemic resulted in unfair outcomes, with significant disparities in grading and allocation of University places.
  3. Utilizing algorithms for student grading during crisis situations should incorporate considerations for bias and adjust predicted grades accordingly, to avoid harmful outcomes and ensure fair assessment.

Live Lectures: Tuesdays or Fridays?

Quantum Formalism β€’ 19 implied HN points β€’ 05 Aug 20
🚌 Education Online Learning
  1. The upcoming quantum formalism course will have live lectures on either Tuesdays or Fridays.
  2. Initially, live lectures were planned for Tuesdays, but there may be a switch to Fridays based on feedback.
  3. A live Q&A session is scheduled for August 14 to present the course program and answer audience questions.

Great facilitation relies on making many, deliberate choices

PeopleStorming β€’ 19 implied HN points β€’ 25 Aug 20
🚌 Education Facilitation
  1. Great facilitation relies on making many deliberate choices to support a group effectively.
  2. Facilitators need to be conscious in their decision-making, considering the specific needs of the group they are working with, whether it's a simple or complex situation.
  3. Facilitators must constantly assess and adjust their approach, like turning buttons and dials, to ensure the group's conversation is productive and constructive.

The golden oldies

Theory Matters β€’ 7 implied HN points β€’ 20 Feb 24
🚌 Education Theory Teaching Learning
  1. It's important to study the foundational thinkers of political theory like Plato, Hobbes, and Locke, even if we don't always agree with them, as their ideas continue to shape contemporary debates about justice and freedom.
  2. Shortcuts in learning and work can lead to a lack of foundational knowledge and reduced quality in outcomes, affecting areas from education to construction.
  3. Putting in the hard work to learn the fundamentals is essential, even in a society where speed and quantity are often prioritized over quality, to avoid producing individuals who lack true understanding and depth of knowledge.

Reassessing the Confirmation Bias

Optimally Irrational β€’ 11 implied HN points β€’ 14 Jun 23
🚌 Education Psychology Behavior Bias Decision-making
  1. Confirmation bias is a widely acknowledged cognitive bias where we tend to seek information that supports our existing beliefs.
  2. In today's world of political polarization, confirmation bias contributes to escalating tensions as people isolate themselves in echo chambers.
  3. Seeking confirmatory information aligns with an optimal information acquisition strategy, especially when considering costs and efficiency.

Why I Switched from Software Engineering to Teaching

The CS Classroom β€’ 10 implied HN points β€’ 06 Aug 23
🚌 Education Teaching Entrepreneurship Personal Growth
  1. The transition from software engineering to teaching was driven by a desire for more impact and challenge.
  2. Teaching provided a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment that was missing in software engineering.
  3. Despite considering returning to software development at times, teaching was found to be more engaging and rewarding.