#93: O-Based Education: How to Build Smarter, Freer, More Adaptive Humans

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In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University revisit two of their most powerful ideas about the future of education: “We teach humans, not subjects,” and “What if we taught thinking through content, not content through thinking?”

They explain how O-based education—rooted in the DSRP patterns of thought and the Love Reality Loop—can transform learning by putting the focus on how students think, not just what they know. Instead of cramming kids with facts that quickly become outdated, O-based learning trains students to build mental models that adapt to reality, preparing them for an unpredictable world filled with misinformation, technology, and change.

From the classroom to AI to the dinner table, this episode explores what it really means to teach humans how to think, discern, and grow. It’s a bold new vision for education—one that prepares students for life, not just tests.