Statement of the Whole: Research this! The dust clouds billow up and the sneezing begins. Most students unfortunately have been taught to despise the task of research. Jason and Steve beg to differ, viewing it as inquiry into the unknown, the natural result of wonder and questing for truth. Join them for some thoughts on how to turn this task into a life-long pursuit. No Googling going on here!
Statement of the Whole: Steve and Jason look at the last 250 years of education in America in a brief survey format. Gleaning a few lessons only whets the appetite to dig in deeper. Join them for this quick flight through the fancies of American education and where all the past might be taking us in the future.
Notes:
Coming soon: Steve’s full presentation of A History of Education in America. A series of monologues in which Steve outlines the history of education in America and traces the roots of where we are today. This will be available behind our paywall soon, once we open up our shop, The Sideporch.
Black·board /ˈblakbôrd/ noun. a large board with a smooth, typically dark, surface attached to a wall or supported on an easel and used for writing on with chalk, especially by teachers in schools.
Books mentioned:
Marrou, Henri Irenee, and Henri Irénée Marrou. A History of Education in Antiquity. Univ of Wisconsin Press, 1982.
Quote: by G.K. Chesterton — “The difference between the poet and the mathematician is that the poet tries to get his head into the heavens while the mathematician tries to get the heavens into his head.”
Statement of the Whole: There are moments in Jason and Steve’s lives when something is said and they think, “that has to go on the podcast.” This is one of those moments taking form. Steve’s boss shows up to tell a story about his studies in math during college and then discusses some of the ideas coming from the story with Steve. In the end, it all adds up.
Statement of the Whole: Good reading is a good work. It is not simple. Many have experienced the sinking feeling of reading something, and shortly thereafter not remembering what they read.
