Philosophy of Education

This week, Byran Caplan, author of The Case Against Education and Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids, joins us to discuss the causes of bloat in education, and why we might be better off with less of it. You can find Bryan on Twitter (@bryan_caplan) or check out his website at http://www.bcaplan.com/.

What will education look like in a century? Piecemeal and unbundled, or integrated? Eaten by tech—and how, if so? Where is pedagogy headed? EC? K12? College? This week, we are joined by Yusuf Ahmad, researcher, developer, and member of the Lifelong Kindergarten group, to discuss the future of education. You can learn more about Yusuf's wide-ranging and innovative work at https://www.yusufsa.com/, or check out his blog, Samba, at https://samba.substack.com/.

This week, we are joined by Bobby McDonald, founder of Parlay Ideas, to talk about what makes classroom discussions difficult and how to overcome these challenges. Parlay Ideas is an instructional technology platform aimed at helping teachers facilitate, measure, and assess student-driven discussions. Learn more at https://parlayideas.com/.

Dr. Jason Rheins, historian and philosopher, joins us to discuss ancient Greek education during the Socratic Era. Listen to learn about the ancient Greek approach to mathematics, moral edification's role in ancient education, and more. Dr. Rheins is a Montessorium Senior Research Fellow; you can find more of his work on our website, https://montessorium.com/initiatives/history-of-education.

Louise Livingston (@LouLiv1), an AMI Montessori Trainer at the Maria Montessori Institute joins Ray Girn (@raygirn) and Matt Bateman (@mbateman) for a discussion about the distinct virtues and mindsets required to become a Montessori educator.

Staci Hill and Dr. Laura Mazer join Matt Bateman to discuss the value of adolescents "doing something real" during their middle and high school years. Staci Hill is the head of academics at Polygence, an online academy that supports students with independent research and passion projects alongside expert mentors. Dr. Laura Mazer is the Vice President of Academic Programs at Higher Ground Education, which operates schools for students from birth through adolescence, provides training to educators, and more.

In this special episode, Montessorium’s pedagogy and identity team shares their radical approach to DEI, one that centers around respect for individual agency and emphasizes direct, individualized interventions grounded in deep personal relationships. This panel is led by Matt Bateman, Executive Director of Montessorium. He is joined by Ray Girn (CEO of Higher Ground Education), Kmele Foster (Partner at Freethink Media), Chloe Valdary (Founder of the Theory of Enchantment) and Dr. Gregory Salmieri (Philosopher at the Salem Center at UT Austin).

Montessorium Senior Research Fellow Kerry Ellard joins Matt Bateman to discuss education in the 19th century. Kerry Ellard writes pieces for the Montessorium History of Education Initiative, focusing on education in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Kerry regularly publishes on her blog, (https://ke.substack.com/), and you can find her on Twitter, @kerry62189.

Ray Girn, CEO of Higher Ground Education, and Joel Mendes, Executive Director of The Prepared Montessorian Institute, join Dr. Matt Bateman for a Q&A about Higher Ground Education. They discuss challenges and solutions in education, growth and expansion plans, the potential of technology in active learning, attracting talent and rethinking traditional education, creating a real alternative to the education system, and optimism and challenges in education.

Dr. Andrew D. Wilson (@PsychScientists) and Dr. Laura Flores Shaw (@lflorshaw) join Dr. Matt Bateman to discuss ecological psychology as a framework for education.