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© 2019 David Nurenberg
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Lesley University Associate Professor of Education, Dr. David Nurenberg, explores anything and everything related to the world of education -- from the history and structures of public schooling, to important educational theorists, to hands-on advice for teachers.
62 Episodes
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Season 3, Episode 9 - "What life we can make for our children" : Reclaiming Education for Native Americans
This Thanksgiving, our show highlights both the hideous experiences indigenous people suffered in US schools, and the successful Native American resistance to, and growing cultural reclamation of, the educational institutions that enroll their children.
Sources for this episode.
Next episode will post on Dec 11th
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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!
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)
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.
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
Didn't we solve this problem? Why American schools are still segregated by race.
As we celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and his dream that "former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood," we need to pause and take a long, hard and honest look at the current state of racial segregation in American schools. School segregation is now at its most extreme since the 1960s, and growing more pronounced each year. Didn't Brown vs. the Board of Education settle this issue in 1954? This podcast will detail the very real, legal, de jure (as opposed to "de facto," as it is often erroneously taught) reasons why MLK's dream has not yet been realized in American schools, as well as some ideas for changing that for the better.
Season 5, Episode 1 - A more perfect union?
We kick off our new season with a look at this history, victories, drawbacks and challenges of teachers unions over the last century and a half in US public education.
Sources for this episode.
S4E13 - Tough times for teaching and learning
Even before the Omicron variant reared its ugly head, teachers were resigning in unprecedented numbers this fall. This episode, our season finale, explores some of the reasons why.
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Watch this space for information on when Season 5 will begin!
Season 4, Episode 12: Do we actually have the right to an education?
The United States prides itself on being the first country to institutionalize and make mandatory free, taxpayer funded public education -- but is that education something to which all children in the US actually have a right? The answer's not as simple as it may seem.
Sources for this episode.
Next episode will post on Oct 22, 2021
Season 4, Episode 11: Suspension and Disbelief
How and why do schools suspend students from classes? What is the impact, and what are the alternatives?
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Next episode will post on Friday, October 8th.
Season 4, Episode 10 - Woman with a plan: The story of Helen Parkhurst and Dalton
This episode describes the dynamic career of teacher and school reformer Helen Parkhurst, whose life's mission was to replace the dull, factory-style structures of American public education with student-centered learning experiences tailored to individual children's needs. What can we learn from Parkhurst's experience, especially her famous "Dalton Plan," that might inform the present moment, where schools may have a chance to re-define themselves post-COVID?
Sources for this episode.
Next episode will post on Sept 17th, 2021
S4E9 - The Great Homework Debate
Is homework a vital tool for learning, a useless exercise in child torture, or something else entirely? This episode explores that question!
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Next episode will post on September 3rd
S4E8 - Lost and Found: Addressing COVID "Learning Loss"
Schools nationwide are grappling with this Fall's expected challenges of "learning loss" due to the past year of pandemic-affected learning. But what exactly do we mean by "learning loss," what are the remedies, and what are the questions we're not asking but should be?
Sources for this episode.
Next episode will post on Friday, August 20th
S4E7 - Food fight! The surprisingly contentious history of school lunch
Behind the pizza boats and tater tots lies an epic saga of conflict. Grab your tray and settle in as we explore the history of school lunch!
Sources for this episode.
Next episode will post on Aug 6th, 2021
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