GMoL S7E41 Schoolmen with Donald Clark
Great Minds on Learning
The surprising modernity of medieval minds. This episode explores the medieval thinkers known as the Schoolmen—philosophers who fused logic, faith, and classical learning to shape what would become the modern university. From Anselm’s ontological argument to Ockham’s razor, Donald Clark and John Helmer examine the enduring legacy of scholasticism on how we teach and learn today. Timestamp 00:01:24 - Intro 00:02:23 - Introducing The Schoolmen 00:07:27 - Anselm of Canterbury (1033–1109) 00:14:53 - Peter Abelard (1079–1142) 00:28:02 - Hugh of St Victor (1096–1141) 00:38:41 -...
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GMoLS7E40 Critics of Higher Education with Donald Clark
Great Minds on Learning
Who is higher education really serving? In this episode of Great Minds on Learning, John Helmer and Donald Clark examine prominent critics of higher education. Economist Bryan Caplan, linguist and activist Noam Chomsky, and tech entrepreneur Peter Thiel offer powerful critiques of the academy. Meanwhile, Harold Wilson, Jennie Lee, and Paul LeBlanc present alternative visions for more inclusive and effective systems. Is higher education broken—or just in need of reinvention? TIMESTAMPS · 00:00:00 - Start · 00:01:54 -...
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GMoLS7E39: Critical Pedagogues with Donald Clark
Great Minds on Learning
Education's Ideological Battleground. Education is never entirely neutral. In our own time it has been increasingly seen as deeply ideological. However, whose ideology is being promoted – and does unpicking one set of biases only serve to replace it with a different, opposing set? Donald Clark and John Helmer explore the provocative ideas of influential theorists Paulo Freire, Allan Bloom, Henry Giroux, Judith Butler, Camille Paglia, and Jonathan Haidt. This episode dives into critical pedagogy’s role in shaping today’s contentious educational culture wars, examining how these thinkers...
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GMoLS7E38 Early Computing with Donald Clark
Great Minds on Learning
From Babbage to Turing: the roots of AI. In this first episode of Season 7, Donald Clark and John Helmer trace the roots of modern computing and AI through six foundational figures—Babbage, Lovelace, Hollerith, Bush, Newman & Flowers, and Turing. Exploring their machines, insights, and visionary ideas, they uncover surprising links between early data technologies and the digital learning landscape of today. Expect Steampunk vibes, deep dives, and a speculative look at how history shaped learning innovation. 00:01:54 - Intro 00:02:58 - Donald & John catch up -...
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GMoLS6E37 Question Time with Donald Clark
Great Minds on Learning
Revisiting Learning Theories: Insights and Challenges for the Future In this special live episode of Great Minds on Learning, recorded at Online Educa Berlin 2024, Donald Clark and John Helmer tackle listener questions about learning theory’s relevance, biases, and practical applications. They reflect on three years of the podcast, exploring 2,500 years of educational thought, and discuss the future of learning, including the transformative impact of AI. Engaging and insightful, this episode is a must-listen for learning professionals and enthusiasts alike. 00:00 - Start 00:59 -...
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GMoLS7E37 Question Time
Great Minds on Learning
Send in your questions for the Great Minds on Learning Q&A! Donald Clark and John Helmer will answer them at Online Educa Conference in Berlin, which will be recorded for a podcast episode to be issued before Christmas 2024. Email them in to or reach out on social media.
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GMoLS6E36 Continental Theorists with Donald Clark
Great Minds on Learning
Deconstructing Continental Philosophy's Impact on Modern Education. At the end of the 19th Century, a split in Philosophy emerged that persists today. The Analytic tradition, led by Frege, Russell, and Wittgenstein, emphasized clarity, logical rigour, and formal methods in language analysis. By contrast, Continental theorists such as Husserl and Heidegger went to a very different place. They focused on human experience and took on broader cultural and political themes, giving us terms like existentialism, structuralism, post-structuralism, and postmodernism. In this final episode of the...
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GMoLS6E35 Psychoanalysts with Donald Clark
Great Minds on Learning
Learning in the post-Freudian age At the beginning of the 20th Century, fundamental assumptions about the nature of the mind and how it learns were completely overturned by a new set of ideas. Pre-eminent among the thinkers and practitioners who spearheaded a new field of study called psychoanalysis was the Austrian neurologist, Sigmund Freud. Following his death in 1939, Freud’s followers continued and developed his ideas, and psychoanalysis grew ever more influential, not just in the treatment of mental illness, but in government, business, philosophy and education. Though most of...
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GMoLS6E34 Connectionists with Donald Clark
Great Minds on Learning
Is the mind flatter than we thought? This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at the ‘Performance Journey Goes Dutch’ conference in Ermelo, The Netherlands, organised by Xpertise Learning. Donald and John explore a group of theorists who are giving us a new picture of how we think and learn that is distinctively different from what came before. They’re the Connectionists, and they see the brain as flatter than was previously thought, constantly trying to predict what will happen next, and to improvise a response. But what are the implications for learning of this New...
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GMoLS6E34 Connectionists with Donald Clark
Great Minds on Learning
Is the mind flatter than we thought? This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at the ‘Performance Journey Goes Dutch’ conference in Ermelo, The Netherlands, organised by Xpertise Learning. Donald and John explore a group of theorists who are giving us a new picture of how we think and learn that is distinctively different from what came before. They’re the Connectionists, and they see the brain as flatter than was previously thought, constantly trying to predict what will happen next, and to improvise a response. But what are the implications for learning of this New...
info_outlineWe don't need no education?
This episode explores the transformative ideas of three influential late 20th-century educational theorists. Each began with a flourishing career in teaching but ultimately left the classroom behind, driven by a growing disenchantment with the educational system. Their collective experiences culminated in an incisive critique of conventional schooling, sparking calls in some quarters for comprehensive educational reform. But compelling as their arguments were, did they achieve any enduring impact on the landscape of education?
- 00:00:00 - Intro
- 00:01:02 - Introducing Critics of Schools
- 00:09:09 - Ivan Illich (1926-2002)
- 00:28:47 - John Taylor Gatto (1935-2018)
- 00:42:59 - John Holt (1923-1985)
- 01:00:08 - Summing up
The Blog that started it all: https://donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.com/2021/09/these-were-written-as-quick-readable.html
- Illich bit.ly/2yacZKs
- Gatto bit.ly/34zStPx
- Holt bit.ly/3zzkHrp
Contact Donald
- X: @DonaldClark
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donald-clark-04553022/
- Blog: http://donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.com/
Contact John Helmer
- X: @johnhelmer
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnhelmer/
- Website: https://learninghackpodcast.com/
- Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/LearningHack/