Schools and Religion

Avi and Eric get into a discussion about values and how schools impart them. Schools aren’t just teaching content, they provide a model to live, whether we want them to or not. Surprisingly, there is a lot of theory and research that has gone into how this happens, and we explore some of this and why you should care.

Until very recently, all schools, including universities were almost invariably religious. This fact and the gradual move away from it has had real implications for how schools function today. Join Eric and Avi as they discuss the history and future of religion in schools.

John Dewey ushered in a new era of thinking about school, specifically one that was open to exploration and a more personal approach. Join Eric and Avi as they explore the roots of his thinking and how his ideas are still used in contemporary schools.

Eric goes back in time to ancient Greece and the School of Athens to talk about the roots of all education, explaining how Socrates, Plato and Aristotle set the foundation for teachers and students and Avi points out how it relates conceptually and philosophically to the Lesson Plans podcast.Find out more about the The School of Athens:https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Raphael_School_of_Athens.jpg

Eric and Avi kick things off by discussing the life and work of education reformer, slavery abolitionist and US Congressman Horace Mann, the 19th Century architect of modern North American schooling, exploring how he came to his ideas and how much of what he instituted is still in use in schools today. Lesson Plans is hosted by Eric Grossman and Avi Finegold and is a project of the Akiva School in Montreal Produced by Avi Finegold for the Jewish Living Lab Podcast Network with technical production by Andre GouletTheme Music: Canada (I.J. Rosenblatt) by Jump Babylon

Ever wonder how school got to be the way it is? Like, why lockers exist, or why they teach what they do in math class? Lesson Plans is a new podcast about all this and more. Join Eric Grossman, Head of School at the Akiva School in Montreal and Avi Finegold, a Podcaster and former high school teacher, as they break down some of the big theories of education and show how these ideas shape the school environment for better, or for worse. Whether you are a parent looking to know more about their child's education, a teacher looking to understand how school got to be the way it is, or a former student desperately trying to forget the quadratic equation, Lesson Plans hopes to be the answer key to all your school questions. Listen and subscribe to Lesson Plans wherever you get your podcasts.