The Back of the Class

In this episode, we discuss whether the Thomas Jefferson High School in Northern Virginia (called the "Best High School in America") is actually a model of good education.

This show revolves around the concept of a library without any books. This is a process that a school outside of Boston is undertaking, where the concept is to replace all of the books in a traditional library with electronic means of data collection (e.g. Kindles).

This show, after a short discussion of which topic to cover, leads into a discussion of what types of educational settings can spark a student's desire to learn

This show discusses the topic of the Rubber Room - used in New York City as a temporary (or permanent, depending on your view) solution to poor teachers who cannot be fired without an arbitration hearing.

This episode discusses the nature of learning and the purpose of school. The discussion focuses on a Seth Godin blog post about whether education should be scarce or abundant, free or expensive, and about schooling or learning.

This episode focuses on the need for building time into the system that would allow teachers and students to think. This includes a discussion of what kinds of specific programs could be implemented to allow this time.

This show centers on the teaching of culture and how that can change the focus of education away from traditional models and towards more practical applications of knowledge.

This is the inaugural episode of the Back of the Class, a series of musing on education from the kids at the back of the class. In this episode, we discuss whether it's appropriate to train teachers on the skills that are necessary for becoming a comedian.