Cultural Context of Knowledge

This is part 1 of the 7-part series of  Learning Is a Struggle (Learner Edition).  In this foundational episode, Dr. Donald Easton-Brooks explains why learning naturally feels difficult, and why that struggle is not a sign that something is wrong with you. Using a simple “mental storage room” metaphor, you’ll learn how the brain tries to fit new information into what you already know, why confusio...

In this episode of  The Cultural Context of Knowledge , host Donald Easton Brooks challenges one of the most common assumptions in education: that STEM is neutral. If we say “math is objective” and “data speaks for itself,” what gets hidden is the cultural design of many STEM classrooms—speed, linear reasoning, abstraction-first instruction, individual performance, and language-heavy explanations....

In this episode of  The Cultural Context of Knowledge , host Donald Easton-Brooks asks a foundational question most schools rarely name: What counts as knowledge—and who gets to decide? Moving beyond the myth that curriculum and assessment are neutral, this episode examines how knowledge is shaped by history, culture, and power, and how “standard” definitions of intelligence can privilege some way...

In this episode of  Cultural Context of Knowledge , Dr. Donald Easton-Brooks compares Episode 1's use of NotebookLM with his narrated work to examine the central truth about learning: genuine learning is a productive struggle that moves us from uncertainty to understanding through a sequence of steps. Using Bloom’s Taxonomy as a frame, the episode explains why foundational concepts must be built b...

In this episode, Learning is a Struggle AI Must Not Skip , the AI tool NotebookLM was used to create a fully AI-narrated podcast. The episode explores Dr. Donald Easton-Brooks’ perspective that learning is a productive struggle: a process of moving from confusion toward clarity until the mind reaches a new equilibrium. Drawing on Easton-Brooks’ work on the conceptual and cultural context of knowle...

Welcome to The Cultural Context of Knowledge: a narrative podcast hosted by Dr. Donald Easton-Brooks, exploring how culture, history, institutions, and power shape what counts as knowledge and what that means for learners, classrooms, and the U.S. education system. The show is organized around a single conviction. What we call knowledge is never neutral. And the way we learn , whether in a classro...