The English Teacher & The Scientists

A few months ago, some of the good people at ISTE asked if I’d be interested in co-hosting a new grant-funded podcast they were producing.

In conjunction with their new learning sciences initiative – Course of Mind – the podcast would be an investigation of the learning sciences from a school- and classroom-based perspective.

I signed on with the inimitable Shana White to co-host, and we started talking. More precisely, we started listening. Imagine if you could corner your favorite professor immediately after class to shower them with all the burning classes they just inspired. Now, imagine each of their answers worked to directly chart a path to improving your teaching practice. That’s the Course of Mind podcast.

Four of our episodes are out in the world with four more coming this season. I’ve listened to the finish project a couple times. Each time I get the sense of excitement that leads me to backchannel Shana during each conversation with something akin to, “I can’t believe we get to do this.”

You can find our episodes via Apple Podcasts here or Stitcher here or here or here.

So far, we’ve learned about general and personal teaching efficacy, reflective practice, what the learning sciences are, and how learning works. So, you know, just the little things.

The thing that is most thrilling on the whole endeavor is we’re making a podcast I’d want to listen to. In the uneven and rocky soil of education podcasts, that feels like a win.

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