Matt Bateman is the Vice President of Pedagogy at Higher Ground Education. We talk about a pedagogy, Montessori, capability and agency in children, experimentation in education, how young education is as a science, the importance of work, and a conception of the good life.
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(00:42) Leaving academia
(02:35) Why Montessori & seeing a classroom for the first time
(09:24) Children are capable
(12:27) We underestimate children because they’re alien to adults
(15:28) Creating an environment for children to thrive
(19:38) Agency is not just about picking from the menu, but also about how you eat
(25:52) Teaching backflips & the expert decomposition of tasks
(29:46) Can most things be learned through systematized instruction?
(35:03) Lots of things are instructional design problems, but education as a field is young
(37:51) Experimentation & innovation in education; conservatism
(44:03) Homeschooling
(48:48) The role of the parent vs teacher
(52:11) The importance of work
(57:27) The good life
(01:02:54) Matt’s final question for listeners
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Matt’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/mbateman
Higher Ground: https://www.tohigherground.com/
Montessorium: https://montessorium.com/
Spencer’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/SP1NS1R
Spencer’s Blog: https://spencerkier.substack.com
