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Special episode – We’re all homeschoolers now
The COVID-19 crisis has suddenly and unexpectedly made homeschoolers out of all Americans. In this episode, we take a look at the history of homeschooling, as well as present an interview with one local mom who has been homeschooling for the last six years.
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Season 1, Episode 13: The insane secret history of the SATs, Part II
We conclude Season One with part two of the bizarre, epic saga of the SAT test.
Watch this website for updates as to when Season Two will start publishing, on our usual biweekly schedule…probably some time this summer.
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Season 1, Episode 12: The insane secret history of the SATs, Part I
The origins of the infamous SAT exam are worthy of epic movie treatment: Nazis! Communists! Hot dog vendors! Sharpen your number two pencil, then sit down and listen to part one of our season finale.
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Season 1, Episode 11: They called me mad (Pestalozzi and Montessori)
We discuss the lives of two rebels who fought against insurmountable odds to promote teaching methods that changed the world: Johann Pestalozzi and Maria Montessori. Prepare for a wild ride!
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Season 1, Episode 10: Help! How do I manage the students?
Classroom management is one of the most difficult elements of the teaching profession for new teachers, and even for veterans. While there’s no magic solution, I can at least share some best practices.
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Season 1, Episode 9: The Utopian we’ve all forgotten about
Not many people outside of education scholars have heard of John Amos Comenius, but school as we know it today owes a great deal to this 17th century utopian thinker whose ideas, even today, might seem radically progressive.
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As health experts and city governments advise us all to minimize social contact to slow the spread of COVID-19, I want to encourage everyone to do what they can to help support your neighbors who are most at-risk (elderly, immunocompromised, etc) — join, or form, a support organization to help those folks get groceries and other supplies, to help folks find child care, financial support, etc. Keep yourself informed with accurate, reliable information: The CDC’s covid-19 page and the WHO’s covid-19 page are great resources here.
And please don’t hoard toilet paper.
Ed Infinitum is doing its small part to help the bored housebound of the nation and the world by publishing the rest of our season now, over these next few days, to give you more stuff to listen to when you’ve got nowhere else to go. Enjoy!
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Season 1, Episode 8: The penguin vs. the red tailed hawk
Some schools just can’t break out of traditional “factory” models no matter how hard they try, while others attempt to re-shape schooling by scrapping everything traditional, jettisoning even valuable practices. Is there a middle path? (this podcast is adapted from an article of mine that was published in Edweek last year)
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Season 1, Episode 7: Why tracking has to go, and what could take its place
Grouping students by “ability level” remains the dominant practice in US schools despite over 30 years of research attesting to its negative effects on all students. In this episode we explore the question of why this practice persists, and what alternate practices could, or should, take its place.
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Season 1, Episode 6: Should schools assess students, or grade them?
American public education is at a crossroads where we need to decide, is it more important to measure student learning, or to rank it? We may not always be able to do both.
Next episode will post on Sunday, March 15th