Episode 2 asks whether, in a world where people with means so often have an advantage over others, the test prep business is fair. This is an existential question for Ted, who loves and believes in his career but also thinks prep should be freely available to every student. Podcast guest Ryan Harrison agrees with Ted and suggests that everyone does have the tools and opportunity to prep on their own but it is the rare person that has the discipline to do so. They discuss the goals and aims of professional tutors that go beyond imparting pure strategy. (2:00)
Ted and Ryan compare content knowledge to pedagogical content knowledge (CK vs. PCK, for those in the know). They discuss their own teaching methods and what has been effective for their students. (17:28)
The last topic of the show is the recent change to the ACT essay. This alteration came as a surprise to test-takers when confronted with the prompt, again offering a potential advantage to students who worked with a tutor that was familiar with the shift. Ryan and Ted share their advice for dealing with the new essay, specifically discussing how to display critical thinking skills to the graders. (33:00)
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