In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. John Sweller discuss the decline in student preparedness for college and how the modern education system, which has shifted from knowledge acquisition to inquiry-based learning, is at the root of that decline. Dr. Sweller explains his Cognitive Load Theory, breaks down the differences between working memory and long-term memory, and why ineffective teaching methods continue to survive. Finally, they talk about the changemakers in education and how political and bureaucratic intervention can drive educational reform.

Key Takeaways:

• Education changed about 1-2 decades ago. The emphasis switched from the acquisition of knowledge to how to acquire knowledge itself. We need to emphasize the acquisition, not the discovery, of knowledge in education.

• Students who are subjected to inquiry-based educational approaches do substantially worse on international tests than students who are exposed to a knowledge-rich curriculum. The more emphasis your education system places on inquiry learning, the worse the students do.

• If you don’t show students how to do something and they don’t figure it out themselves, it cannot go into long-term memory.

• The best way to obtain information is to obtain it from somebody else. If you want to efficiently have somebody learn something, the best way to do it is to have somebody explicitly explain it.

"An educated person who can do things, think about things, solve problems, which otherwise they couldn't dream about solving, is somebody who's got enormous amounts of information in long-term memory, and that immediately tells us what education should be about. You need to have lots of information in long term memory, and an educated person is different from an uneducated person because of that and solely because of that." — Dr. John Sweller

Episode References:

• Greg Ashman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-ashman-phd-790b59ab/

Connect with Dr. John Sweller:

Professional Bio: https://www.unsw.edu.au/staff/john-sweller

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Threads: @critically_speaking

Email: theresemarkow@criticallyspeaking.net

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Hussam Mahmoud discuss the vulnerability of bridges to climate change. When we think about climate-related disasters, hurricanes, floods, and wildfires come to mind. Probably the last thing we think about is a bridge collapsing, but we should. With over half a million bridges in the US, each with a life expectancy of 75 years, it is more important than ever to consider the role of climatic factors on bridge stability. Dr. Mahmoud discusses how flooding, extreme temperatures, erosion, and extreme heat are affecting the bridges and he emphasizes the need for proactive inspection and maintenance to mitigate these risks.

Key Takeaways:

• There are approximately 600,000 bridges across the US. Of the long-span bridges, there are about 6,000. Many of these bridges are old, some are in poor condition, and all are affected by climate change.

• Owing to the passenger and huge amount of industrial traffic crossing bridges, a collapse could cost trillions of dollars to the economy.

• Bridges are built for a life span of about 75 years, with proper maintenance and care. There was a bridge-building boom in the 1960s and earlier - and the majority were built over 50 years ago.

"Generally speaking, bridges are relatively very safe. Even if you lose an element or something that is carrying the load ends up breaking or cracking, bridges are phenomenal in being able to redistribute the load and figure out how to carry the load with the remaining elements." — Dr. Hussam Mahmoud

Connect with Dr. Hussam Mahmoud:

Professional Bio: https://www.engr.colostate.edu/~hmahmoud/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hussam-mahmoud-4b16754

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Threads: @critically_speaking

Email: theresemarkow@criticallyspeaking.net

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Ximena Lopez discuss the challenges faced by transgender youth, emphasizing the importance of gender-affirming care. Dr. Lopez explains the difference between sex and gender, noting that gender dysphoria is distress caused by a mismatch between one's gender identity and sex assigned at birth. She describes treatment options, including puberty suppression and hormone therapy, which can significantly improve mental health and reduce suicidality, particularly in teens. Dr. Lopez also criticizes state bans on gender-affirming care for minors and cites numerous studies showing its benefits, as well as discusses the inconsistencies in hormonal therapy for children and teens.

Key Takeaways:

• In medicine and psychology, gender and sex are two different things. While aligned in most people, they are not aligned in those individuals on the transgender, nonbinary, or intersex spectrum.

• Adults who transitioned later in life typically knew they were different when they were young, but didn’t have the language or awareness.

• When a child comes out as transgender, most parents are typically in denial. It is not until their child or teen is depressed and often suicidal, that the parents are willing to take the next steps with their child.

• Gender-affirming care at the beginning of puberty can help to pause the puberty of the incorrect gender where changes happen that cannot easily, if at all, be reversed later in life.

• Puberty suppression can be reversed on the off chance the individual changes their mind.

"Most of the stress comes from the adult world, and if the adults are transphobic and influence their kids to be transphobic, then we can also see kids who are transphobic, and then they can bully and discriminate. If it's a very affirming school where there are policies to protect transgender students, and the teachers and all the staff are on board, then that promotes well-being." — Dr. Ximena Lopez

Episode References:

• TEDMED Talk: How one pediatrician is supporting transgender youth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViqvPknY4HE

Connect with Dr. Ximena Lopez:

Professional Bio: https://profiles.ucsd.edu/ximena.lopez

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Threads: @critically_speaking

Email: theresemarkow@criticallyspeaking.net

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.