A special episode: Steve reports on a passion of his. Most high-school math classes are still preparing students for the Sputnik era. Steve wants to get rid of the “geometry sandwich” and instead have kids learn what they really need in the modern era: data fluency. Originally broadcast on Freakonomics Radio, this episode includes an update from Steve about ... Show More
Oct 24
45. Leidy Klotz on Why the Best Solutions Involve Less — Not More
When we try to improve things, our first thought is often: What can we add to make this better? But Leidy, a professor of engineering, says we tend to overlook the fact that a better solution might be to take something away. He and Steve talk about examples from Leidy’s book Subt ... Show More
40m 10s
Oct 17
44. Edward Glaeser Explains Why Some Cities Thrive While Others Fade Away
An expert on urban economics and co-author of the new book Survival of the City, Ed says cities have faced far worse than Covid. Steve talks with the Harvard professor about why the slums of Mumbai function so well, high-quality housing in China sits empty, and declining cities h ... Show More
45m 32s
Mar 2023
Episode 105: The impact of STEM sentences and mathematical vocabulary on pupils’ understanding of mathematics
<p>Shakespeare’s sonnets, Accepting maths as a language, and more. In this episode, Andy and Adam are joined by Jo Sawyer, this time to look at the impact of STEM sentences and mathematical vocabulary on pupils’ understanding of mathematics. What’s a STEM sentence? Can wrong lang ... Show More
19m 15s
Apr 2025
EP322 A school framework where learning feels different and students thrive
<p>What if school was designed around student agency, real-world learning, and deep relationships—instead of compliance and test scores? In this episode, I take you inside Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School, a Big Picture Learning school in the South Bronx that is reimagining w ... Show More
32m 39s