Could you please warn me?
The challenge of attracting and retaining student attention in schools and universities was the topic of some of the most popular episodes of the EdSurge podcast last year.
Part of that includes the question of whether schools should ban smartphones, one of the year’s biggest policy debates in K-12 education. But listeners were also drawn to episodes that addressed larger issues, such as how cell phones have changed students’ attention even when their devices are put away.
As we begin 2025, we’re looking back at the top podcast episodes chosen by listeners like you. You can see the top 10 countdown below.
Topics around how AI fits into education continue to draw listeners this year, including an interview with Sal Khan, founder of the nonprofit Khan Academy, about his group’s new AI chatbot tutor. Ta.
And two episodes of our story series about growing skepticism about universities were selected. Both focused on how students’ thinking about what to do after high school is changing.
A key theme in most of these is how educators struggle to make students feel connected to the material in today’s classrooms. This is a complex issue that we will continue to investigate over the next year.
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10. Is it time for a national discussion on abolishing performance evaluation?
Is it time to give the traditional letter grade system an F and replace it with an alternative system that focuses on getting more students to master the material? It turns out that a massive re-education effort will be needed, argues Joshua Eyler, who has led education centers at several universities, in a new book.
9. Rising skepticism about college is making students more educated and more educated shoppers (Doubting College, Episode 2)
In part two of Doubting College, a podcast series exploring the growing skepticism of higher education, we spoke to public high school students and counselors about how students think about their post-graduation options.
8. How does the “university is a fraud” narrative affect those who attend campus? (Doubting College, Episode 3)
A popular meme on social media saying “university is a scam” is spreading, increasing skepticism about higher education. Policy and marketing experts have some suggestions for how to counter this narrative. This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at the SXSW EDU conference in Austin.
7. What if banning smartphones at school is just the beginning?
As momentum grows to restrict smartphone use in schools, some education officials argue that education systems can do more to combat the negative health effects of social media. One award-winning teacher changed her lessons and teaching methods to help her students focus better, and also set aside quiet reading time during class to avoid the distractions of cell phones.
6. New research findings on fostering a sense of belonging in the classroom
There are critical junctures in education that are particularly important for students to feel like they belong in their school or university. And new research shows better ways to strengthen student-teacher relationships and a sense of belonging, argues Greg Walton, a psychology professor at Stanford University.
5. Should chatbots tutor? Analyzing the viral AI demo with Sal Khan and his son
Should we use AI chatbots as tutors? Sal Khan, founder of Khan Academy, has been one of the most vocal proponents of this idea, and he and his son are the latest authors of ChatGPT. version has appeared in recent demos. But some education experts say tutoring should only be done by people who can motivate and understand the students they work with.
4. What if myths, metaphors, and riddles were the key to reimagining K-12 education?
Have the educational theories that drive today’s schools and educational practices gone off track? Also, do we need a reset that goes back to early oral storytelling? This is the argument of Kieran Egan, a philosopher whose educational ideas have recently attracted attention.
3. AI is disrupting jobs that require a college degree. How should higher education institutions respond?
A recent study ranks ChatGPT and other new AI technologies among the top jobs likely to be disrupted, most of which require a college degree. How will higher education need to change what it teaches to respond?
2. How did students’ attentiveness change even without smartphones?
Capturing your students’ attention may be more difficult than ever. Even if educators get students to put away their smartphones, Georgetown University professor says connected devices are changing the way people interact with others and making it harder to be present. insists.
1. Inside the efforts to bring AI literacy to schools and universities
There is a growing movement to add AI literacy as a subject in schools and universities. But what exactly is AI literacy? And can educators foster curiosity about the subject amid concerns and even fear about ChatGPT and other generative AIs?