PODCAST · education
Point of Learning
by Peter Horn
A podcast for anyone curious about what and how and why we learn.
Episodes
-
AMERICAN SHAKESPEARE
A special re-release of the 2019 episode “Love’s Labour’s Lit” dedicated to Saul Elkin (1932-2025)
-
WE ARE THE CAVALRY with DREW WARSHAW
Peter talks with Drew Warshaw about his campaign for NYS Comptroller, the most powerful office too many of us know nothing about.
-
HOUSE OF DIGGS with MARION ORR
Peter talks with Marion Orr, the Frederick Lippitt Professor of Public Policy at Brown University, about his book House of Diggs: The Rise and Fall of America’s Most Consequential Black Congressman, Charles C. Diggs Jr.
-
VALENTINE FROM MINNEAPOLIS
Peter talks with a friend in Minneapolis about living in his beloved city during a period of state-sponsored terror and what can be learned about pulling the U.S. back from the brink.
-
COMMIT TO CONNECT: THE PROJECT ON CIVIC DIALOGUE
Peter talks with Lara Schwartz, Founding Director of the Project on Civic Dialogue (PCD) in the School of Public Affairs at American University, as well as three PCD facilitators: Grace Manson, Arjun Mishra, and Khushi Ramnani.
-
DEEP READING with JUSTIN McDANIEL
Peter talks with Justin McDaniel about two of the very unusual courses he teaches at Penn.
-
HUMAN-CENTERED AI IN SCHOOLS with ERIC HUDSON
Peter talks with Eric Hudson about his work in schools on Human-Centered AI.
-
THE FIRST 100 DAZE with JONATHAN RAUCH
Peter talks with Jonathan Rauch about two of his books, The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth and Cross Purposes: Christianity’s Broken Bargain with Democracy.
-
THE CERTAINTY TRAP with ILANA REDSTONE
Peter talks with Ilana Redstone about her book The Certainty Trap: Why We Need to Question Ourselves More—and How We Can Judge Others Less.
-
FREEMAN’S CHALLENGE with ROBIN BERNSTEIN
Peter talks with Robin Bernstein about her new book Freeman’s Challenge: The Murder That Shook America’s Original Prison for Profit, an explosive, moving story about the entangled origins of prison for profit and anti-Black racism.
-
CARING FOR MIGRANTS with John WEBB
Peter talks with John Webb about his new book Molyvos: A Greek Village's Heroic Response to the Global Refugee Crisis, including resonances with John's own experience caring for Haitian migrants in the 1970s.
-
“UNTIL THEY KNOW YOU CARE” with Greg Jackson
Peter talks with Greg Jackson of Action J Productions about their new project focusing on how and why to have respectful conversations. (Graphic by Roy Chambers)
-
MOSTLY MAJOR CHORDS with SHAYFER JAMES
Shayfer James discusses his songwriting process. And, you know, lots of other things.
-
UNPACKING WHITE PRIVILEGE with PEGGY McINTOSH (2019)
On 5 March 2024, Peggy McIntosh was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame. In honor of this momentous occasion, I’m re-sharing our 2019 conversation.
-
Dickens Lessons and Carols (2001)
One hundred and eighty years ago, on 19 December 1843, the first edition of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol was published. To celebrate, I’m releasing a special version of the story produced in 2001 with William R. Mathews and The Westfield Chorale.
-
"Of surpassing worth" —Marcus Foster (1923-1973)
The heart of this special episode is the Back-to-School Address to Oakland, CA faculty and staff by Superintendent Dr. Marcus A. Foster, given in the fall of 1973. You will hear a singular voice in U.S. education urging teachers, administrators, and support staff to keep students at the center of...
-
EXCELLENCE UNDER PRESSURE with John Havlik
Capt. John Havlik knows a thing or two about stress. He retired in 2014 after more than 30 years of distinguished military service, nearly all of them as a Navy SEAL. He graduated from West Virginia University as the first swimmer in school history to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials....
-
9 Ways to Engage Students as Citizens
My remarks from the Winter Institute of the New York State Council of School Superintendents in March 2023.
-
Dancing Badly with Rinde Eckert
Rinde Eckert is a celebrated writer, composer, librettist, musician, performer and director, but I'm not sure even this list of roles captures his extraordinary versatility. This episode focuses on his recent project of rebuilding his piano technique from the ground up.
-
BATTER DOWN THE WALLS with JONATHAN KOZOL
For nearly 60 years Jonathan Kozol has been one of the most widely read and highly honored education writers in the nation. Ready for a sneak preview of his next book?
-
Dad's Last Sermon (1998)
My dad’s last—and maybe best—sermon, preached the day he died, 25 years ago this week.
-
A Graycliff Christmas Carol (classic episode)
Created in 2020 as a benefit for the Graycliff Conservancy, this very condensed performance of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol was filmed in various locations on the spectacular Graycliff Estate designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
-
How to Write the College Essay
A departure from the usual Point of Learning format, this episode is basically the audio version of one segment from a new video series for high school English teachers that I’m putting together with Greg Jackson. Here’s 22 minutes about how to approach the college essay—for writers and their...
-
ANCIENT GREEKS on WAR with ELLEN McLAUGHLIN
As a playwright, Ellen McLaughlin has breathed new life into ancient Greek texts. Today we focus on her versions of classic plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, exploring the questions they once raised for ancient audiences, and still raise for contemporary audiences. For instance, the...
-
Leading with Mind and Heart: Errick L. Greene (classic episode)
In this classic episode (recorded 11 August 2020 and released 2 September 2020), I talk with Dr. Errick L. Greene, Superintendent of Jackson [MS] Public Schools about contending with a public health crisis, systemic racism, and effective organizational leadership: it’s really three episodes in…
more -
Baby, Unplugged with Sophie Brickman
Sophie Brickman focuses on the intersection of parenting and technology in her book Baby, Unplugged: One Mother’s Search for Balance, Reason, and Sanity in the Digital Age (HarperOne, 2021), which we’ll be discussing on this episode. Brickman is a writer, reporter and editor based in New York…
more -
SUPERVISION, POETRY, and FEMINISM with PAULA ROY (classic episode)
I believe this conversation with Paula Roy from July 2017 is well worth revisiting in this moment where book-banning seems to be edging out baseball as the national pastime here in the Home of the Free, and too many legislators and governors have convinced themselves that they know more about...
-
Twelve Steps to Religionless Spirituality with Ward Ewing
The Very Reverend Ward B. Ewing is former Dean and President of The General Theological Seminary in New York City. Dr. Ewing has met in and with Alcoholics Anonymous groups as a non-alcoholic for more than four decades, also serving as Trustee and Chair of the General Service Board of Alcoholics...
-
Leading in Sync with Jill Harrison Berg (classic episode)
A January 2022 survey conducted with over 3600 teachers who belong to the National Education Association found that 90% believe teacher burnout is a serious issue. Fifty-five percent indicated that they are more likely to leave or retire from education sooner than planned because of the pandemic,...
-
This Is Radio (Dammit!) with Bill Siemering
Bill Siemering is a radio visionary. Sixty years ago, he was hired to transform WBFO from a student-run college radio club into a professional station. Because of the experiments in radio that he led at WBFO throughout the 1960s, Siemering was invited to serve on the first board of what would...
-
A Christmas Carol 2017 (classic episode)
Originally podcast in December 2017 as the holiday special for the first season of Point of Learning, this 75-minute version of the Dickens tale was recorded before a live audience at First Baptist Church in Westfield, NJ.
-
On Photography with John Opera
Assistant professor and head of the photography program at the State University of New York at Buffalo, John Opera has exhibited his critically acclaimed photographs for over two decades in dozens of galleries, from New York to LA, from Mexico City to Basel, Switzerland. His work has been…
more -
REPORT FROM CENTRAL ASIA with Duane Lacey and Faryal Haidary
Point of Learning presents a special double episode: 1) a philosophy professor who in August 2021 became the unofficial liaison for Afghan students at the American University of Central Asia (AUCA) in Kyrgyzstan amid the chaotic U.S. withdrawal, and 2) an Afghan grad student who earned two…
more -
No Bad Food with Britt Schuman-Humbert
How is a nutritionist better than a diet book? What are signs that your not-yet-10-year-old may be developing an eating disorder? How does drinking the night before affect a morning workout? To answer these and many more questions, I met up with Britt Schuman-Humbert, a clinical dietitian with…
more -
Civil Discourse 101 with Peter Horn
This bonus episode is a departure from my usual format in several ways. First, I answer more questions than I ask. Second, I’m the guest. Third, I didn’t really make the show—or at least, not the way I usually do! Courtesy of the Pingry Politics Podcast, this show features me doing a brief…
more -
Crystallizing Coronavirus with Sarah Bowman
Dr. Sarah EJ Bowman is Director of the High-Throughput Crystallization Screening Center at the Hauptman-Woodward Institute in Buffalo, New York. Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in the U.S., Sarah’s lab has been studying key components that make up the novel coronavirus. At the Crystallization…
more -
A Graycliff Christmas Carol
A very special version of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, set in Frank Lloyd Wright’s magnificent Graycliff Estate (Derby, New York)
-
Maestro JoAnn Falletta
JoAnn Falletta is a Grammy Award-winning artist who has been compared to some of the greatest conductors of the 20th century—legends like Arturo Toscanini, Bruno Walter, Leopold Stokowski, and (one of her former teachers at Juilliard) Leonard Bernstein. In this episode we talk about why everyone...
-
Leading with Mind and Heart: Errick L. Greene
Dr. Errick L. Greene is Superintendent of Jackson (MS) Public Schools. My conversation with him on 11 August 2020 afforded the rich opportunity to produce three episodes in one: a look at some of the complications of starting the school year in the time of COVID-19; select reflections on public...
-
US + THEM with Jonathan Haidt
Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt is the Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership at New York University’s Stern School of Business. Haidt’s research examines the intuitive foundations of morality, and how morality varies across cultures—including the cultures of progressives…
more -
Shakti Yoga 2.0 with Michelle Gigante
Master teacher Michelle Gigante has been guiding people toward energetic openings through a blend of yoga, breathing, and mindfulness techniques for nearly 25 years. The founder and director of Shakti Yoga in Buffalo, Michelle has an extensive background in theatre and dance, which contributes to...
-
The Case for Contention with Jonathan Zimmerman
Jonathan Zimmerman is one of the foremost education historians working today. His work examines how education practices and policies have developed over time, and the myths that often cloud our understanding of teaching and learning. We sat down in his office in late February to discuss the...
-
S.E.E.D. Folk
On today’s show, the National SEED (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity) Project. For over 30 years, this unique teacher-led professional development program has cultivated multicultural teaching and learning across the globe and around the U.S.
-
Love's Labour's Lit
Forty-four seasons in, Shakespeare in Delaware Park is one of Buffalo, New York’s great public art traditions. As a little kid, some of my first memories of my hometown were family outings seeing old plays in this beautiful green space. As fortune had it, I returned this summer as a performer,...
-
Windows and Mirrors with Emily Style
Emily Jane Style is a “relational scholar.” She appreciates the intellectual dimension of ideas, but also knows that ideas matter relationally, because there are real flesh-and-blood people in any given room, people with real and complex life stories involved in any given discourse. My favorite...
-
Unpacking White Privilege with Peggy McIntosh
The U.S. cultivates a belief in meritocracy: People get what they deserve. Whatever we have, we earned. The problem, of course, is that it’s not true. In this episode, I talk with with Dr. Peggy McIntosh, the scholar who has done more than anyone else in the past 30 years to advance the concept…
more -
Learning from Cuba
According to the April 8, 2019 edition of The Nation, U.S. college students who graduated in 2017 averaged $28,700 in student loan debt. According to this podcast, Cuban college students averaged 0. But that’s just the beginning of what we can learn from Cuba! Episode features highlights of my...
-
Epic Citizens with Melissa Friedman (019)
Epic Theatre Ensemble a collaborative of teaching artists and students in New York City who believe that participation in theatre is essential to a healthy democracy, and that this kind of engaging theatre experience should be a hallmark of U.S. education for all students. This episode features...
-
Listening Room with Jonathan Hiam (018)
Listening matters for every relationship, from loved ones at home to civil discourse in community and country. This new year’s episode honors a very cool experiment in listening undertaken at the Library for the Performing Arts in New York City for six weeks at the end of 2018. Dr. Jonathan Hiam,...
-
On Moose River Farm with Anne Phinney (017)
For 25 years, Anne Phinney was a teacher who believed firmly in the power of connecting with animals to influence kids' empathy, compassion, and ideas about teamwork. For all her life, she's been crazy about horses! She now spends full days living her dream life on Moose River Farm in the...
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
Loading reviews...
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Point of Learning have?
Point of Learning currently has 66 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Point of Learning about?
A podcast for anyone curious about what and how and why we learn.
How often does Point of Learning release new episodes?
Point of Learning has 66 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Point of Learning?
You can listen to Point of Learning on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Point of Learning?
Point of Learning is created and hosted by Peter Horn.
URL copied to clipboard!