The hottest Education Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Education Topics

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.

CodeChella Madrid 2024

Scott's Substack • 746 implied HN points • 07 Jan 24
🚌 Education Workshop Training Event Learning Travel
  1. CodeChella Madrid 2024 is a four-day workshop in Madrid focused on diff in diff, featuring various speakers.
  2. The workshop aims to be fun, supportive, and educational, providing practical exercises and hands-on coding experience.
  3. Costs for attending are kept reasonable, with discounted rates for students and faculty, along with affordable hotel options.

The Smith-Rogers Error

So Here’s a Thing • 1219 implied HN points • 04 Mar 23
🚌 Education Learning Strategies
  1. Tricking yourself into learning by finding clever shortcuts can lead to a deeper understanding of the material.
  2. Sometimes unconventional approaches, like creating fictional data with a margin of error, can help in grasping complex subjects.
  3. Discovering personal tricks or strategies to overcome obstacles or resistance can be beneficial in achieving goals and tasks efficiently.
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Introducing a New Saturday Series: The Prophets

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 4382 implied HN points • 02 Mar 24
🚌 Education Technology Literature Philosophy History Media
  1. Marshall McLuhan's insights into the impact of electric technology on society were ahead of his time, making him a visionary from the past.
  2. McLuhan believed that new electronic media changes the way people use their senses, affecting how they think and respond, leading to new identities and societal forms.
  3. Despite not being universally understood, McLuhan worked to empower people to understand and choose how they engage with technology in their lives.

Why isn't every child using Mastery Learning?

In My Tribe • 455 implied HN points • 12 Aug 25
🚌 Education Teaching Methods Learning theories School Systems Curriculum Development
  1. Mastery learning is a teaching method that focuses on ensuring students truly understand a skill before moving on to the next one. By mastering each part of a subject, students learn faster and perform better.
  2. Many schools do not fully adopt mastery learning, possibly due to traditional teaching methods and pressures for students to enjoy learning. This resistance might mean students are missing out on effective educational strategies.
  3. There's a debate on whether mastery learning is beneficial or if it only works in motivated environments. Some believe it’s undervalued in education, while others think its success is limited to certain settings.

AI Education: Understanding the Hype

ChinaTalk • 504 implied HN points • 01 Aug 25
🚌 Education EdTech Digital learning Teaching Methods Educational Policy Inequality
  1. China's education system is very focused on exams, which means students spend a lot of time preparing for tests instead of using new technologies for learning.
  2. The government is trying to improve education by using AI and digital tools, especially to help rural schools catch up with urban ones.
  3. Without proper investment and access to technology, AI might not equalize educational opportunities, and families with more money may still find ways to get ahead.

What I Wish I Knew When I Was In College

Castalia • 879 implied HN points • 02 Dec 23
🚌 Education Writing Tips Personal Growth Life lessons
  1. Everything around you is interesting. If you want to be a writer or creative, take notes on your life and thoughts because they can inspire your work later.
  2. You are enough just as you are. It's important to love yourself for who you are now, not who you hope to become.
  3. Success often comes from confidence. People are attracted to positive energy, so believe in yourself and keep pushing through challenges.

Things Worth Remembering: Winston Churchill’s Gracious Farewell

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 4340 implied HN points • 18 Feb 24
🚌 Education Public Speaking Speeches Learning Communication
  1. Listening to, reading, or watching great speeches of the past can help improve public speaking skills.
  2. Great speaking aims to persuade, charm, and move the audience.
  3. Studying rules of public speaking is important, but it's equally crucial to focus on the essence of persuasion, charm, and emotional impact.

On the transformative power of teaching first

Rebecca Birch - On Education • 687 implied HN points • 10 Jan 24
🚌 Education Teaching Methods Student Engagement Learning Strategies
  1. Teaching directly at the start of a lesson can be more effective than starting with questions or exploratory methods.
  2. Using a structured approach like TAPPLE can help teachers ensure students understand the material and reduce workload.
  3. Approaches like TAPPLE can benefit all students, including gifted learners and those with anxiety, by providing clear direction.

Secret Query Tips

Agents and Books • 1139 implied HN points • 21 Sep 23
🚌 Education Writing Tips
  1. Agents may overlook minor details in a query letter if they really like your book.
  2. It's important to include key information about your book in a query, such as title, genre, and word count.
  3. Including your email but not your phone number won't necessarily lead to rejection by agents.

Follow Curiosity

Play Permissionless • 299 implied HN points • 19 Apr 24
🚌 Education Learning
  1. Following curiosity is key - it leads to better outcomes and energizes you.
  2. Avoid overcomplicating decisions - following curiosity beats elaborate planning.
  3. Excitement guides you in the right direction and fuels your projects.

Feminisation has consequences: I

Not On Your Team, But Always Fair • 1120 implied HN points • 13 Apr 23
🚌 Education Evolutionary Psychology Gender Roles Social Behavior
  1. Human societies have presumptive sex roles that stem from transferring risks away from, and resources to, child-rearing.
  2. Men and women exhibit cognitive and physical dimorphisms due to different reproduction strategies.
  3. The evolution of pair-bonding in humans has shaped societal roles, emphasizing male dominance and the importance of male teams.

Experiment 1: Daily earnest learning

Public Universal Friend • 19 implied HN points • 02 Sep 24
🚌 Education Learning Self-Improvement Creativity Mastery Mindset
  1. Focusing on learning without distractions can help you improve faster. It's important to set aside time just for practice, away from everyday interruptions.
  2. Having hope while learning makes it more exciting and keeps you motivated. Even if your goals seem unrealistic, believing you can improve is really valuable.
  3. Instead of just learning new things, aim for mastery in what you already know. Realizing that there's always more to learn helps keep your passion alive.

Sensible Diversion #4

Sensible Medicine • 530 implied HN points • 10 Feb 24
🚌 Education Puzzle
  1. Group 16 words into 4 groups of 4 for a puzzle that will reveal the answer at 4 PM CST.
  2. Subscribe to Sensible Medicine for a 7-day free trial and access to full post archives.
  3. Paid subscribers can sign in to access the content immediately.

Why This Israeli Dance Professor Is Suing Berkeley

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 421 implied HN points • 20 Aug 25
🚌 Education Higher education Academic Freedom Social Issues Legal issues Cultural Studies
  1. A dance professor at Berkeley, Yael Nativ, is suing the university after her application to teach was rejected. She had previously taught a successful class and was invited back.
  2. The university's rejection was reportedly due to tensions among graduate students, which made it uncomfortable for them to host her class.
  3. Nativ claims the school acknowledged discrimination against her and promised to address it but then failed to follow through.

Conformity and Education

In My Tribe • 516 implied HN points • 16 Jul 25
🚌 Education K-12 Higher Ed Teaching Methods Curriculum Student Success
  1. Many parents actually prefer a conforming and safe school environment for their kids rather than a strict focus on academic excellence.
  2. Colleges often fail to teach effectively because they don't measure or reward good teaching, focusing instead on research credentials.
  3. Active learning is known to be more effective, but many colleges still stick to old lecture methods because most people value conformity over true learning.

Are Great Teachers Born or Made?

Mathworlds • 550 implied HN points • 31 Jan 24
🚌 Education Teaching AI Student learning
  1. Research suggests emergency-hired teachers during COVID may not differ significantly from traditionally licensed teachers.
  2. Education is complex and difficult to measure, making it challenging to understand teacher influence on student learning.
  3. Great teachers may be born, but good teachers can be made through diverse experiences and supportive tools.

CROSSPOST: DAVID DEMING: Using generative AI to learn is like Odysseus untying himself from the mast

Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality • 38 implied HN points • 20 Jan 26
🚌 Education EdTech Pedagogy Higher Ed Educational Research Lifelong learning
  1. Generative AI frees learners to explore ideas actively, like Odysseus untying himself from the mast. It lets people test, iterate, and learn by doing instead of just passively consuming information.
  2. Real progress in economic history comes when we stop treating the past as isolated anecdotes and instead treat it as a measurable, modelable system. Measuring, modeling, and running counterfactuals reveals how historical forces worked and why outcomes happened.
  3. Combining generative AI with system-focused methods promises new ways to analyze and experiment with historical and economic questions. That mix could let researchers and learners poke at counterfactuals and build richer, testable theories.

Two-Parent Families Are More Important Than College

Rob Henderson's Newsletter • 3920 implied HN points • 19 Feb 24
🚌 Education Family Dynamics Social Mobility Book Reviews Life experiences
  1. The focus on education as a sole solution for social mobility overlooks the importance of nurturing and support before age 18.
  2. It's crucial to gather data from communities directly rather than relying solely on self-proclaimed leaders to bridge gaps.
  3. Encouraging two-parent families is emphasized over college attainment, highlighting the significance of family structure.

Artificial Demand for College

In My Tribe • 561 implied HN points • 25 Jun 25
🚌 Education Higher education Policy
  1. Many students don't really care about their subjects in college. Professors often feel like they are just going through the motions of teaching because most students are not naturally excited about learning.
  2. There's a lot of artificial demand for college from people who have different reasons to attend, like meeting job requirements or following social expectations, rather than a genuine interest in academics.
  3. Colleges are propped up by outside funding, which allows them to focus on non-academic perks instead of adjusting to real demand. If this artificial demand disappeared, colleges would likely have to downsize and offer more relevant experiences.

Early math is not on parents' radar, but it should be

The Bell Ringer • 179 implied HN points • 24 May 24
🚌 Education Parental involvement Teaching Methods Learning Science
  1. Early math education is important but often overlooked by parents. Parents should pay more attention to how foundational math skills set the stage for future learning.
  2. Building a strong math foundation in early years can boost children's confidence. When kids understand basic math concepts, they are more likely to enjoy the subject later.
  3. Parents can engage their kids with simple math activities at home. Everyday experiences can be used to teach and reinforce basic math skills in a fun way.

Seek the desert and hear its voice

Jeff Giesea • 319 implied HN points • 24 Apr 24
🚌 Education Wisdom Technology Philosophy Self-governance Literature
  1. The desert symbolizes a place for deep reflection and self-discovery, helping individuals to gain wisdom. Spending time away from distractions can foster personal growth and understanding.
  2. Wisdom is important for navigating modern challenges, especially with advances in technology like AI. We need to combine technological progress with a focus on wisdom to ensure it serves humanity well.
  3. Institutions that promote wisdom, like Deep Springs College, show how education can blend hard work and learning. Investing in wisdom is crucial for developing future leaders who can guide society.

Notes on Reading: Who Gets What and Why (Part 1)

Nonsense on Stilts • 79 implied HN points • 13 Jul 24
🚌 Education Economics Markets Decision-making Behavioral Science Book Reviews
  1. Matching markets are about people choosing each other rather than just buying and selling. This can include markets for jobs, schools, and even dating.
  2. In these markets, people's choices depend on each other's preferences, which can lead to complex situations. For example, if one person wants to team up with another, their choice might rely on who that second person prefers.
  3. People often lie about their preferences in matching markets to seem more appealing. This can lead to a situation where no one believes what others say, but it's a common behavior to improve chances of getting good matches.

My Number One Issue

In My Tribe • 1655 implied HN points • 07 Nov 24
🚌 Education Higher education Intellectualism Social Issues Cultural critique Critical Thinking
  1. Higher education is facing an anti-intellectual trend. Many students are taught to think simply about identity, rather than critically.
  2. The growth of colleges and universities has led to a decline in intellectual quality. More students don't necessarily mean better thinking; it can create mediocrity.
  3. There's a need for new educational institutions for young people. Current colleges may not be fixable, and we need alternatives to support thoughtful learning.

Fixing Universities

The Honest Broker Newsletter • 1413 implied HN points • 23 Dec 24
🚌 Education Higher education Policy Analysis Public Trust University Governance 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.

Media School Research: Sedatives, Politics, Somatic Healing, and Racial Justice

Heterodox STEM • 120 implied HN points • 27 Nov 25
🚌 Education Higher education Academic Research Campus politics Media Studies Journalism Academic Freedom
  1. Researchers are examining somatic healing and so-called “sedative technologies” that soothe and regulate bodies in response to racial trauma. While these practices can calm individuals, they may also limit more disruptive, collective ways of responding to ongoing racial violence.
  2. A best-selling book popularized body-focused trauma therapies and helped spark widespread interest in somatic approaches. Many scientists, however, criticize the book’s claims as pseudoscientific, so its authority is contested.
  3. Media schools increasingly study topics like bodily regulation and trauma using qualitative case studies rather than traditional experiments, blurring lines with humanities and social science. Institutional shifts can also lead to conflicts over student journalism and administrative censorship when reputation is prioritized over reporting.

Listen to “The Math Wars”

The Bell Ringer • 139 implied HN points • 07 Jun 24
🚌 Education Math education Teaching Methods Child development
  1. It's important to listen to research about learning methods. Many people have different views on how students learn best.
  2. The debate around teaching math shows how divided opinions can be. Understanding these differences can help improve education.
  3. Podcasts like 'The Disagreement' can be a fun way to explore complex topics. They encourage thinking about different sides of an issue.

Friday Thread: Can a PhD be "just a job"?

The Recovering Academic • 435 implied HN points • 16 Feb 24
🚌 Education Academia University Jobs Transition
  1. Academia being viewed as a business can help job seekers transition to industry with a new mindset.
  2. The perception of a PhD as 'just a job' and academic institutions as commercial entities is crucial for adapting academic experience to industry expectations.
  3. For many faculty members, especially non-tenure track ones, the idea of a PhD as merely a job no longer aligns due to low pay and challenging work conditions.

How to be a farmer like you mean it

Figs in Winter: New Stoicism and beyond • 530 implied HN points • 19 Jan 24
🚌 Education Ancient Wisdom Life philosophy Literature Agriculture
  1. Ancient wisdom from farming communities can offer valuable insights on life and work.
  2. Hesiod contrasts the benefits of cultivating land with the destructiveness of war, highlighting the value of peaceful, agricultural pursuits.
  3. Considering a return to nature-based lifestyles, even for city dwellers, can offer a sense of renewal and connection to the earth.

Thoughts Upon A Journey

Glenn’s Substack • 943 implied HN points • 12 May 23
🚌 Education AI Law
  1. The author reflects on taking a break after the semester
  2. The author mentions grading exams for Constitutional Law and Law of Outer Space
  3. Readers can access the full post archives with a 7-day free trial