James interviews Dr Scott Crider, Professor of English at the University of Dallas where he has taught for thirty years. His book, The Office of Assertion: An Art of Rhetoric for Academic Essay, is one of James' favourite...

In another short FAQ episode, Difff and James discuss why history is such an important and central focus of Classical Education.

In this interview, Difff speaks to Dr Hugh Chilton from The Scots College, Sydney. They discuss ways that Scots is rediscovering elements of classical and liberal arts education through reclaiming the reality of teachers as scholars and academi...

For the first episode of 2025, Difff and James ask why schools should read the 'Great Books'. What even are the great books, and what makes them so great? Schools have to read something (though that's perhaps not universally ...

For our fiftieth episode, and the last for 2024, we interview Andrew Kern, president of the CIRCE Institute. Answering the question of what are the essential components for a classical education, Andrew discusses the four pillars of coherence, ...

Attempting the impossible, Difff answers the question 'What is classical education?' in less than fifteen minutes. This episode aims to be a brief, succinct snapshot, so if you're worried there is a lack of nuance and depth, may I recommend to ...

What is it like to teach in a classical school? As teachers, we are by default telling our students that what we're teaching is worth loving. We're also telling them that learning itself is worth doing. Teachers, therefore, should love learning...

In the final of the four part series about what is wrong with modern or progressive education, Difff and James discuss anthropology. As James KA Smith says, every pedagogy assumes an anthropology.  Without realising it, anthropology - what...

Having discussed the metaphysical and epistemological ruptures that have impacted education, Difff & James move to ethics. If all education points students towards some conception of good, what is good? How can we come to understand good, e...

In the second episode asking the question of what is wrong with modern progressive education, Difff & James discuss epistemology - the branch of philosophy that deals with questions of what is knowledge, what is knowable, and how we come to...

In the first of four episodes attempting to detail some of the major differences between classical and modern or progressive education, Difff and James discuss metaphysics. Rather than going after specific particular elements of modern educatio...

Difff and James have another amiable argument about a contentious issue in education. This time, we're asking how much say teachers should have over what and how they teach in the classroom?  Does a top-down approach stifle teacher autonom...

What role does the concept of harmony play in education? This episode is a talk that was presented by Difff at the Brisbane Classical Education Conference in June 2024. Focusing on the work of St John Henry Newman, Difff discusses how true educ...

Difff adopts his real name - Kenneth Crowther - and discusses St John Henry Newman College with James. Newman College is a new classical school starting in 2026 in Brisbane, and Kenneth is the school's first principal. In this episode, he expla...

Difff & James are joined by Ben McCabe, who runs the Augustine Academy. The Academy offers a Certificate IV for students between 16 and 19 years of age. Primarily designed for homeschoolers as a way for them to gain an accredited certificat...

You've probably heard the saying before, that parents are the primary educators of their children. In fact, it has been said on this very podcast. But are they?  And if they are, what does this really mean?  Difff and James engage in ...

The Paideia Approach is a theory and practice of education proposed by a number of luminaries including Mortimer Adler. In this episode, James discusses the Paideia way to think about curriculum design, such as anchoring subjects of study in Th...

C.S. Lewis' 'On the Reading of Old Books' is the topic of discussion in this episode of Educating Humans. James reads most of the excerpt unabridged, and then the conversation ensues, touching on various topics based upon Lewis' main point that...

Can the Australian National Curriculum be redeemed? The question itself implies that there might be something wrong with the curriculum provided by ACARA, and indeed listening to the pundits and commentators, apparently there may be. For propon...

Difff & James read and discuss Josef Pieper's short essay Learning How to See Again. As the essay begins: "Man's ability to see is in decline."  Why is this?  Pieper, writing in the 1950s, suggested that one of the r...

And we're back for 2024! Difff and James chat about what has been happening in classical education in Australia, including updates from new schools starting up, a visit from Andrew Kern and Katerina Hamilton, and Difff's upcoming presentation a...

Difff is joined by Heidi White, a classical education consultant with the CIRCE Institute to discuss, well, a whole lot of good stuff. Beginning with some foundational questions about the classical education renewal, Heidi talks about the forma...

In our short series on conversation topics for things we're reconsidering: subjects - yes, we're even reconsidering subjects. Something as foundational to the structure of schools is often overlooked, but what are the pitfalls that can sneak in...

In another short conversation starter, James and Difff chat about the place of homework, specifically in relation to the classical classroom. As usual, the conversation comes back to considering first principles of purpose. Often homework is gi...

What is assessment?  What is its purpose, and how do we know if we're achieving it? This episode is a shorter discussion starter, aimed at provoking some questions in listeners' minds about the purpose of assessment; ways that it can be he...