Listeners to the EdSurge Podcast like to learn about brains—and what research shows can best reach and teach them.
Our two most popular episodes of 2022 addressed just that subject, exploring fresh findings in learning science and how educators can apply them.
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Every January we look back at what listeners responded to the most in the past 12 months, and below we count down the top 10. The list includes some new things we tried this year, like an episode where the author of an investigative EdSurge article read the feature aloud, and an episode recorded in front of a live audience as a session at the SXSW EDU conference. Also making the list was the finale of our narrative Bootstraps series, this one exploring the history and equity issues of the Rhodes Scholarship.
The mental health of students and educators drew attention this year in a big way, as schools and colleges continue to struggle as the global COVID-19 pandemic lingers on.
Just like last year, a couple of popular episodes explored emerging technologies. While last year the new big thing was NFTs, this year it was the metaverse.
We’ll be out with a new episode every week, and we hope you’ll make listening a habit.
10. Guiding Young People Not to Colleges or Careers — But to Good Lives
By Rebecca Koenig
The false choice between personal growth or a decent paycheck isn’t serving teenagers well. Young people want more than good livelihoods. They want good lives. On this podcast extra, we bring you the results of a year-long research project into how to better design college-to-career pathways.
9. Power, Prestige and the World’s Most Famous Scholarship. Bootstraps, Ep. 6
By Jeffrey R. Young
The Rhodes Scholarship was designed to forge a network of people who would go on to rule the world. So who gets this opportunity? And how is the oldest and best-known graduate scholarship dealing with the legacy of its founder, who used ruthless and racist practices to build the diamond empire that funded the effort? This was the finale to our Bootstraps series on who gets what opportunities in education.
8. Who Will Pay for ‘Inclusive Excellence’ at Universities?
By Rebecca Koenig
There are universities aiming to do top-notch research and serve large numbers of students of color and low-income students. This goal—what some campus leaders call ‘inclusive excellence’—challenges common assumptions about prestige in education. And according to the authors of the book “Broke,” it’s hard to accomplish in a time of reduced state support for public colleges.
7. What Role Should AI Play in Education? A Venture Capitalist and an Edtech Critic Face Off
By Jeffrey R. Young
What happens when a venture capitalist who funds edtech companies faces off with an edtech critic about what role AI should play in education? We found out, in this discussion between professor Neil Selwyn and venture-fund founder Ryan Craig.
6. Educators Have Pointed Advice for Tech Companies Building the Metaverse
By Jeffrey R. Young
Even though the metaverse is not really here yet, some educators are already trying to get ahead of the curve to help influence what kinds of education products and services emerge in this new, more-immersive internet.
5. Educators Are Demoralized. What’s the Way Forward?
By Jeffrey R. Young
Burned out, tired, demoralized, at a breaking point. Spend time with educators these days in K-12 or higher ed and phrases such as these will come up often. For those in classrooms and for school leaders, the challenge is how to meet the many needs of educators during this time—social, emotional, intellectual and ethical. This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at SXSW EDU.
4. Remote School Meltdowns? A Closer Look at Student Well-Being During the Pandemic
By Jeffrey R. Young
A group of researchers at Harvard University have a unique window into student well-being during the pandemic, following a couple thousand families with young children in Massachusetts. They’re seeing more behavior issues in kids during remote learning, and they have advice for educators on how to manage shifts back and forth between online and in-person teaching.
3. Clay Shirky Wants to Reframe the Conversation About How Colleges Are Changing
By Jeffrey R. Young
Clay Shirky has long been an influential voice on how technology is impacting society. These days the NYU professor has been weighing in on where higher ed is headed, with a newsletter called “The (Continual) Transformation of Higher Education.”
2. A New Perspective on ‘Supercharging’ the Brain
By Jeffrey R. Young
An evolutionary biologist who studies the physiology of aging has some surprising advice about brain health. And it has implications for schools and colleges—and anyone interested in learning.
1. Students Have Different Thinking Speeds and Styles. Inclusive Teaching Means Realizing That
By Jeffrey R. Young
Many classroom environments favor a certain kind of thinker, usually the students who are quick to recall a fact when the instructor asks a question. But that’s not the only type of mind, and it’s not even always the best kind of mind for learning, says Barbara Oakley, a professor of engineering at Oakland University who works at translating the latest brain research into practical advice for teachers and learners.
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