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! The lion’s share of tape today comes courtesy of the Pingry Politics Podcast, hosted and edited by the Politics Club president at the Pingry School in NJ, Marcus Brotman. When I showed up (via Zoom) to lead a session on civil discourse sponsored by the club just a few days after the January 6th Insurrection at the Capitol, Marcus asked me if it was okay to record the show for the club’s own podcast. Well of course, he had me at “podcast”! After I listened to it, I thought he’d done such a nice job that I asked permission to share it here, which he kindly granted. Despite the unusual origin of this episode, it very much aligns with the project of my podcast: sharing the best ideas I know about what and how and why we learn. In this case, it’s on one of my favorite topics that I get to work on with faculty and students, one that schools so often overlook as they prepare young citizens: civil discourse, or how we practice talking respectfully with one another about topics of shared concern.

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

Select Slides from my Powerpoint presentation for the politics club

After some intro and explanation about the episode, the civil discourse session begins with a 17-minute overview of concepts I thought were important, based on students’ preliminary questions that Marcus shared with me as I was preparing for the session. The remainder of our time is spent in Q & A with the approximately 25 students who chose to attend this after-school event. There won’t be a YouTube companion for this bonus episode, so below are some of the slides and images I refer to throughout the overview and Q & A.

Civil discourse is a specialized kind of conversation, not the kind of thing you can engage in by turning to a stranger behind you in line at Panera. It’s not a debate, and it’s not about “winning.” It’s about seeking the truth on complex issues of shared concern.

This poster, designed by former Westfield (NJ) High School colleague and friend Roy Chambers, is an example of the kinds of ads we would regularly produce for Agora, a forum for open discussion for students and faculty at WHS.

The Greek root of “politics” means “city,” as in Indianapolis. The root of “idiot” is self-serving.

It’s important to remember there are some conversations you just won’t be able to have. There has to be a level of respect and trust—but also openness, and a willingness to risk changing one’s mind—from all parties wishing to engage in civil discourse.

One way to invite everyone in is to remind progressives and conservatives that all places along the political spectrum have value in thinking and making decisions about complex issues.

Jonathan Haidt quotes another social psychologist, Thomas Gilovich, who says, “For desired conclusions, we ask ourselves ‘Can I believe this?’ but for unpalatable conclusions, we ask, ‘Must I believe this?’” We’re wired this way, along with our individual biases, prejudices, and cognitive distortions. Sometimes attributed to Ayn Rand, the wisdom “We see the world as we are, not as it is” comes from the Talmud. (Image: Roy Chambers)

In the conversation highlighted in episode 027, “US+THEM,” Jonathan Haidt observed that we didn’t really evolve to be particularly adept at parsing logical arguments. It was a matter of survival, however, to become adept at staying a member our group or tribe.

Civil discourse requires that we agree on reliable sources of information, or at least that we agree on standards for critiquing sources of information.

Former Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY) famously opined, “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.” He died in 2003.

A little bit busy in the design, this infographic reminds readers of ideological bias in online reporting. Begun by a progressive and a conservative who believe we can get better at hard conversations, the website AllSides.com is a good starting point for researching controversial issues.

SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS

I mentioned the conversational harness known as Serial Testimony developed by Dr. Peggy McIntosh (featured in episode 021) and used by her colleagues at the National SEED Project (featured in episode 024). The notes that I condensed are available below.

SERIAL TESTIMONY

SPECIAL THANKS

Thanks to the outstanding high school students at Pingry who welcomed me in January. The Pingry Politics Podcast is hosted and edited by Marcus Brotman, the co-host is Sean Lyons, with intro and outro music by Max Brotman. The advisor to the Pingry Politics Club is Dr. Zachary Wakefield. Thanks again to Tim Lear for connecting me with all of them. Shayfer James provided intro, outro, and supplemental music for today’s episode. Hear and buy his music at shayferjames.com.

Point of Learning is now a member of Patreon, so if you’re interested in helping me share important ideas about what and how and why we learn, punch the button below. Cool stuff happens for as little as 10 cents per day! My great thanks to those who have already joined. Patrons include: Aaron Bartley, Gilberto Belaval, Gretchen & David Brand, Patty Cruice, Ryan Daly, David Davis, James Duggan, Dave Eisenberg, Anna Falicov, Errick L. Greene, Jonathan Hiam, Gregory Horn, Janice & John & Ava & Brooke Horn, Robyn Lee Horn, Greg Jackson, Tim Lear, Janet & Robert Lee, Kristen Lee, Tom Loughlin, Linda B. Matt, J. W. Gregg Meister, Miriam Meister, Sarah & Peter Meister, Julia Olff, John Opera, Gail & Frank Richeson, Stacy Rodgers, Elizabeth & Terry Rowlands, and Keith Zemsky.

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Dr. Sarah EJ Bowman earned her PhD in Chemistry at the University of Rochester, and then worked as a postdoctoral fellow at MIT as well as Los Alamos National Laboratory. For the last year, she has focused on SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Dr. Bowman is Director of the High-Throughput Crystallization Screening Center and Associate Research Scientist at the Hauptman-Woodward Institute (HWI) here in Buffalo, where I was fortunate to get to know her a little bit in recent years as I helped to support the Institute’s education programs. 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 Center, a facility that over the past 21 years has supported over one thousand labs around the world, crucial non-infectious elements of the virus are coaxed into crystals that can help researchers see the otherwise invisible structure of the virus. Knowing what these extremely small viral parts look like helps researchers understand how new or existing existing drugs might be effective in fighting the virus. (Photo: James P. McCoy / Buffalo News)

YouTube Edition

The High-Throughput Crystallization Screening Center is based at Hauptman-Woodward Institute (HWI), part of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus in downtown Buffalo. For over 60 years, HWI has worked to find cures for diseases like COVID-19, cancer, and others that impact us today. HWI’s renowned researchers study proteins in normal and diseased states, and what they learn provides a foundation for developing medicines, therapies, and cures. For updates, follow @HWMRI on Twitter.

Episode Transcript

Between conducting crystallization experiments and other research, advising postdocs, and writing grants, Dr. Bowman still finds time for the occasional photobomb, as demonstrated here in December 2019. (Photo: KC Kratt Photography)

Supplementary Materials

Want to know more about x-ray crystallography? For an excellent 3-minute introduction, check out this animated video produced by The Royal Institution, a 200-year-old independent charity based in London and dedicated to connecting people with the world of science through events and education.

X-Ray Crystallography

Here’s the feature on Sarah’s lab from the Buffalo News (2/7/21) that I mention in the episode. If you want to follow the lab on Twitter, the handle is @getacrystal.

High-Throughput Crystallization Center article

To see the basic diffraction pattern produced by a green laser, a thin wire, and a paper screen, here’s the video for teachers I describe in the episode sidebar. In this 4’30” video from the British Institute of Physics and the National STEM Learning Centre and Network, Michael de Podesta explains how a laser can be used to show the diffraction and interference of light.

Diffraction Pattern Video

Toward the end of our conversation, Dr. Bowman and I discuss the impact of the pandemic on women in STEM fields. The NPR science podcast Short Wave released an excellent 13-minute update on 5/19/21. (The extra ‘M’ is for Medicine.)

The Pandemic & Women in STEMM

Special Thanks

DJ Sluggy inspirits the soundtrack for this episode. Growing up on punk, hip-hop, and classic rock, Sluggy currently listens to lots of house or “four on the floor” music. She is a versatile creator based in the Denver area who was pleased to contribute to this episode showcasing another remarkable woman who discerned her mission in Denver. I am proud to share that once upon a time, Sluggy was my student for 11th- and 12th-grade English. To find her music on Soundcloud, here’s the link.

Point of Learning is now a member of Patreon, so if you’re interested in helping me share important ideas about what and how and why we learn—including structural biology—please hit the button below. My great thanks to those who have already joined. Patrons include: Aaron Bartley, Gilberto Belaval, Gretchen & David Brand, Patty Cruice, David Davis, James Duggan, Dave Eisenberg, Anna Falicov, Errick L. Greene, Jonathan Hiam, Gregory Horn, Janice, John, Ava & Brooke Horn, Robyn Lee Horn, Greg Jackson, Tim Lear, Janet & Robert Lee, Kristen Lee, Tom Loughlin, J. W. Gregg Meister, Miriam Meister, Sarah & Peter Meister, Julia Olff, John Opera, Gail & Frank Richeson, Stacy Rodgers, and Elizabeth & Terry Rowlands.

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If you’ve been listening a few years, you may recall that I shared a Dickens’ A Christmas Carol three years ago (episode 008). That was the fuller version that I read for 20 years at First Baptist Church in Westfield, NJ, essentially the version that I grew up hearing my father perform as a special Christmas Eve service for the church congregations he served. The Rev. Gilbert J. Horn developed his adaptation (replete with rich vocal characterizations) in the 1960s, and I started doing it in 1996. Dad’s version was already quite condensed as compared with Dickens’ original text, but the one I’m doing here is only about half as long as that. (Photo: John Opera)

A Graycliff Christmas Carol (film)

But that’s not the only difference! It may be sacrilege for a podcaster to urge you to watch instead of listen to an episode, but I’m going to make that case. This special performance was conceived as a benefit for Graycliff Conservancy here in Western New York, the organization charged with taking care of Graycliff, the magnificent summer home that Frank Lloyd Wright designed for Darwin and Isabelle Martin in the 1920s. Executive Director Anna Kaplan asked me if I’d be willing to do a videotaped performance as a holiday offering. As soon as I prevailed upon my oldest best friend, UB photo professor John Opera, to help me out, we started on a wild ride dreaming of how to do this in the coolest way possible. Graycliff provided for us to bring in Full Circle Studios (who filmed episode 029) to record sound and video, and we were fortunate that four members of Buffalo’s Vocalis Chamber Choir volunteered to serve as our Graycliff Carolers. You’ll hear Mike Alessi (bass), Claudia Brown (soprano), Maria Parker (alto), and Vocalis founder and director James Burritt (tenor) throughout the production.

Episode Transcript

From left, Maria Parker (alto), Mike Alessi (bass), James Burritt (tenor), and Claudia Brown (soprano), members of Vocalis Chamber Choir

Before and after each stave of the story, the carolers sing in the driveway just outside the garage door. If you’ve visited Graycliff, you may notice that the colors in this video pop a little brighter than you recall. Professor Opera, who did visual design for the project, wanted to warm up the exterior shots and cool down everything inside, so he processed all of Full Circle’s raw video digitally, using state-of-the-art techniques to achieve a distinct visual profile for every scene.

From Stave 2, Marley

The look of the section where Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his old partner Marley recalls Louis Daguerre’s daguerreotypes from the 19th century. Dickens himself was photographed in daguerreotype at various points throughout his career.

From Stave 3, Christmas Past

Another form of photography growing popular in the time between Dickens and Frank Lloyd Wright was the cyanotype process developed by British polymath Sir John Herschel, with its characteristic blue tone. Compare the image at the top of the page to see how Opera’s treatment transforms the feel of the hall completely as we explore Scrooge’s past.

From Stave 5, Christmas Yet to Come

Here’s a scene shot within the garage (you’ll recognize the diamonds on the door from the caroler sequences) and made to look like Kodak’s gelatin silver black-and-white. Dominant throughout the 20th century, this photo process is still used today. To me the look is totally perfect for Scrooge’s terrifying trip to the graveyard.

Special Thanks

In addition to the singers from Vocalis, the film crew from Full Circle Studios, and especially John Opera, I must thank Roy Chambers, who designed the main title for the movie, and creative consultants Robyn Lee Horn, Greg Jackson, Shayfer James, Kevin Johnson, and J. W. Gregg Meister. Thanks to Tom Makar and Michael Rosin, whose remixes of Shayfer James’ “Weight of the World” were used in the audio version of the episode. Thanks also to Anna Kaplan for inviting me to do this, and for taking as good care of all of us on set as she does Graycliff itself year round.

Point of Learning is now a member of Patreon, so if you’re interested in helping me share important ideas about what and how and why we learn—and the occasional Victorian ghost story!—please hit the button below. My great thanks to those who have already joined. Patrons include: Gilberto Belaval, Gretchen Meister & David E. Brand, Patty Cruice, David Davis, James Duggan, Dave Eisenberg, Errick L. Greene, Gregory Horn, Janice, John, Ava & Brooke Horn, Robyn Lee Horn, Greg Jackson, Tim Lear, Janet & Robert Lee, Kristen Lee, Tom Loughlin, Miriam Meister, Sarah & Peter Meister, John Opera, Gail & Frank Richeson, and Stacy Rodgers.

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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. Maestro Falletta is Music Director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, and also the Connie and Marc Jacobson Music Director Laureate of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Principal Guest Conductor of the Brevard Music Center in North Carolina, and Artistic Adviser to the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra as well as the Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra. She has guest-conducted all over North America and around the world, including many of the most prominent orchestras in Europe, Asia, and South America.

With a discography of nearly 120 titles, Falletta is a leading recording artist for Naxos. A member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, she has served by presidential appointment as a member of the National Council on the Arts during the George W. Bush and Obama Administrations, and has received many prestigious conducting awards. She has introduced over 500 works by American composers, including well over 100 world premieres. In 2019, Performance Today named her Classical Woman of the Year, calling her a “tireless champion” and lauding her “unique combination of artistic authority and compassion, compelling musicianship and humanity.” She is a fierce advocate for young conductors, and for the power of music for all people. JoAnn and I spoke on October 1st at the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra’s administrative home in Clement House, a stunning mansion on Delaware Avenue near downtown Buffalo.

YouTube Edition

The YouTube version features beautiful footage shot by Terry Fisher, Harry Jones and John Parascak of Full Circle Studios, and edited by me.

Image by Full Circle Studios

Transcript

Special thanks to Maestro Falletta’s colleagues at the BPO who facilitated many aspects of this episode, especially Patrick O’Herron and Diana Martinusek. JoAnn Falletta is represented by Genevieve Spielberg, Inc. Thanks also to Tom Dudzick, who permitted me to use an excerpt from the MIDI version of “I Want My Guy Back for Christmas” from his musical Christmas Over the Tavern.

Soundtrack Samples

All orchestral recordings in this episode feature Maestro Falletta and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, and all are available for purchase on the BPO website. Chamber music recordings* by Debra Wendalls Cross (flute), Robert Alemany (clarinet), and JoAnn Falletta (guitar) come from the 2007 album Borrowed Treasures, produced by the Virginia Arts Festival.

02:32 Antonín DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 9 (“From the New World”). 2nd movement, Largo

09:05 Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART Clarinet Concerto. 1st movement, Allegro

11:45 Léo WEINER Hungarian Folkdance Suite. 1st movement, Allegro risoluto e ben marcato 

19:08 Sergei RACHMANINOFF Piano Concerto No. 3. 1st movement, Allegro ma non tanto (Philippe Bianconi, piano)

21:14 Antonín DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 9 (“From the New World”). 3rd movement, Scherzo molto vivace

22:43 George GERSHWIN Three Preludes. No. 1, Allegro ben ritmato e deciso (trans. James Cohn / JoAnn Falletta)*

23:05 Johannes BRAHMS Symphony No. 2. 1st movement, Allegro non troppo

29:23 Antonín DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 9 (“From the New World”). 1st movement, Adagio—Molto allegro

30:51 Piotr Ilych TCHAIKOVSKY Violin Concerto. 1st movement, Allegro moderato (Chloë Hanslip, violin)

34:41 Carl NIELSEN Symphony No. 4 (“The Inextinguishable”). 2nd movement, Poco allegretto

37:13 Gabriel FAURÉ Pavane (trans. Laurindo Almeida)*

39:17 Astor PIAZZOLLA Oblivion (trans. JoAnn Falletta)*

39:57 Manuel PONCE Concierto del sur. 1st movement, Allegro moderato (Marcin Dylla, guitar)

41:43 Piotr Ilych TCHAIKOVSKY Violin Concerto. 3rd movement, Allegro vivacissimo (Chloë Hanslip, violin)

43:50 Antonín DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 9 (“From the New World”). 3rd movement, Scherzo molto vivace

46:24 Georges BIZET. Chanson Bohème from Carmen (trans. Rivoal/Lambert)* 

49:04 Antonín DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 9 (“From the New World”). 4th movement, Allegro con fuoco

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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 leadership in Mississippi at a moment of increasing awareness of systemic racism in the U.S.; and a masterclass in team leadership. Beginning his second quarter-century in education, Dr. Greene held leadership roles in Washington, DC and Tulsa, Oklahoma before becoming JPS Superintendent in 2018. Check out today’s show for the ways a supportive community can bring kids along.

And collaborative approaches to make any kind of leading better for everyone. Here’s that 8-minute segment, developed with fresh animation by Roy Chambers. Grateful to my Patreon supporters for making this possible! (Learn more about supporting Point of Learning through Patreon at the bottom of the page.)

8 Keys to Team Leadership

Plus a soundtrack featuring Gil Scott Chapman. As the kids say, it’s everything.

TRANSCRIPT

Check the description section of the YouTube video edition for subdivisions of the episode, in case you’d like to rewatch or share a particular segment.

YouTube Edition

Here’s the video letter to the JPS community that we discuss during the episode. Dr. Greene sent it the week after George Floyd was murdered.

Letter to JPS

Internationally acclaimed artist Gil Scott Chapman returns to Point of Learning to lend some Mississippi-inflected keys to today’s mix. The soundscape he created derives from Mose Allison, a blues pianist and composer born in Tippo, Mississippi in 1927.

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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, conservatives, and libertarians. His goal is to help people understand each other, live and work near each other, and even learn from each other despite their moral differences. In our conversation in early June 2020, we discuss some of the ideas that have earned him nearly 8 million TED Talk views and a spot in Prospect magazine's 2019 list of Top 50 Thinkers in the world, focusing on concepts from his two New York Times-bestselling books, The Righteous Mind and The Coddling of the American Mind (co-authored with Greg Lukianoff).

2-Minute Episode Trailer

If you’d like to share with friends who are more inclined to YouTube than podcasts, here’s the full video companion:

YouTube Edition

Thanks as always to Shayfer James for music. In addition to standard intro (“Weight of the World”) and outro (“Villainous Thing”) instrumentals, Shayfer’s songs “Filthy Habit” and “Carnival in Harlem” appear in this episode.

Episode Transcript

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Jonathan Haidt resources

Click text links for websites with a lode of materials related to each of Jonathan Haidt’s books The Happiness Hypothesis, The Righteous Mind, and The Coddling of the American Mind (co-authored by Greg Lukianoff).

For the trailer as well as the video companion for this episode, I used a graph about teen depression that was featured in a nature.com News & Views Forum piece (2/10/20) by Jonathan Haidt and Nick Allen on the effects of digital technology on mental health. If you’d like to study that more closely and in context, here’s the link to the page with downloadable PDF.

Jonathan Haidt is a favorite of the TED stage, having given four talks to date: “The Moral Roots of Liberals and Conservatives,” “Religion, Evolution, and the Ecstasy of Self-Transcendence,” “How Common Threats Can Make Common (Political) Ground,” and “Can a Divided America Heal?”

In today’s show, we discuss the relationship between unstructured free play for kids and the development of skills essential for democracy, like deciding what to do and working out disagreements without a referee. The Coddling of the American Mind makes a strong argument against over-structuring kids’ free time. To learn more about countering the culture of overprotection, check out letgrow.org.

Haidt has co-founded a variety of organizations to help people understand each other, live and work near each other, and learn from each other: Heterodox Academy, Open Mind Platform, and Ethical Systems.

For fans of social psychology, cultural psychology, moral psychology, evolutionary psychology, positive psychology, ethics, morality, and politics, Jonathan Haidt has published over 100 academic articles. (Also includes links to Haidt’s articles for popular periodicals like The Atlantic, The Guardian, The New York Times, and The Washington Post.)

In his essay On Liberty, philosopher John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) argues for viewpoint diversity and free speech in ways that feel quite relevant today. Professor Haidt teamed up with co-editor Richard Reeves and artist David Cicirelli to create a condensed, illustrated version of one section of Mill’s essay that is available for free download. Appropriate for juniors and seniors in high school on up to you and me.

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 her ability to execute classes with clarity and precision, improvising sequences that are creative and playful. I have appreciated her classes since becoming a member of the Shakti community when I returned to Buffalo in 2018. Deeply versed in healing modalities from yoga to Reiki to Qigong, Michelle is not generally, however, a fan of communications technologies, so when she decided to start offering centering sessions over Facebook Live and yoga sessions via Zoom, I sensed the opportunity for a wonderful conversation about how and why to learn to care for the self during a global health crisis.

To provide a glimpse of one of Michelle’s online sessions, I cut a short video from one of her 60-minute Zoom sessions that includes three typical segments: a breathing exercise, child’s pose, and a gentle shake derived from Qigong. Check it out, and get in where you fit in. If you’re not drawing a paycheck these days, Michelle welcomes you as her guest. If you are, there are plenty of options to donate to this good work. For more information about current offerings and more, visit shaktibuffalo.com.

Shakti Zoom Sampler (11 min)

Because Michelle has students (and fans) in many time zones, I offered to edit a few hour-long sessions of different styles so that yogis could practice on their own schedules. A typical chair-based practice, Shakti flow, and gentle flow are available in the PRACTICE section of the home page for Michelle’s YouTube Channel.

Shakti Ma Michelle YouTube Channel

It’s an honor that the podcast gets quoted and cited sometimes, and also that some folk like to read along. Here’s what we said:

Episode Transcript

SOUNDTRACK

Ravi Padmanabha is a composer, improviser, and multi-instrumentalist who has performed at Shakti throughout the years, and accompanied many of Michelle’s classes. He studies and plays a wide range of music, from jazz to Indian to experimental styles from many parts of the globe. Ravi has studied with many Indian masters, including Pandit Samar Saha, Pandit Sharda Sahai, and Pankaj Misra. Featured on many recordings, Ravi has led various musical projects such as My Nada Brahma, the Bul-Bul Tarang Gang, and more recently the Transindental Karmacist and Americana Raga. His collaborators include: Steve Baczkowski, Tom Chess, Alex Glenfield, William Parker, William Cole, Junni Booth, Robert Dick, Daniel Carter, Cooper Moore, Arrignton DeDionyso, and Paul Flarherty. To purchase his Meditations Vol. 1 featured on this episode, here’s the Bandcamp page.

Shayfer James is the disquietingly talented songwriter whose music has opened and ended every episode of this podcast since the pilot episode in 2017. You can connect with his fans from around the globe via his Instagram account @shayferjamesmusic. During lockdown in his Jersey City apartment, he composed the song “With Love, from Quarantine,” which he granted me special permission to present as a hidden track at the end of this episode. If you like it, visit this Bandcamp page to view lyrics or purchase a download. 100% of sales will be donated to Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, which provides financial assistance to legions of career musicians and music industry workers who are struggling to make ends meet.

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Point of Learning is for anyone curious about what and how and why we learn. Important ideas carefully curated. Available about every other month in podcast audio, often with a YouTube companion edition. Subscribe to the newsletter and I’ll reach out whenever a new episode or bonus item is ready!

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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 the Penn Graduate School of Education building in late February to discuss the teaching of controversial issues in U.S. schools. I believe that learning how to talk about difficult topics where reasonable people may disagree is one of the most important skills for citizens to develop. As the headlines on any given day will confirm, it’s also one of the things Americans are terrible at. Zimmerman’s 2017 book The Case for Contention (co-authored with Emily Robertson) explores why.

Quick preview of what is at stake: 1.) Teachers’ free speech rights are radically limited. 2.) During the Trump Administration, “What is a fact?” is the most important political question. 3.) Teaching how to understand controversial issues is not indoctrination. 4.) We can’t avoid important claims because they evoke reactions.

Check out the YouTube trailer. Trust me, you’ve got two minutes for this!

YouTube Trailer (1m 47s)

Professor Zimmerman and I spoke on 2/25/20, before social distancing related to COVID-19 was recommended.

Episode Transcript

Soundtrack

I usually ask guests what kind of music they might like incorporated into the underscoring of the episode. Jon Zimmerman was very specific: “America” by Simon and Garfunkel. Buffalo-based guitarist Drew Azzinaro agreed to help me out with some instrumental takes on the tune. This show includes samples of one cut with him solo and a couple versions where I played along on fiddle.

Related Materials

Civil discourse is a passionate interest, and it’s one of the areas where I frequently support schools in my consulting work.

1.) Sometimes when you’re trying to establish sound lines of reasoning, it’s helpful to consider fallacies, patterns of reasoning liable to lead to error. That can be a way in for strengthening critical thinking skills.

Teach kids how (not what) to think.

2.) As Dr. Zimmerman says in the show, it’s not that parents don’t want citizenship skills taught by schools; it’s just that citizenship is not most parents’ top priority. As a result, schools aren’t set up to engage students as citizens. Here are some of my thoughts about reversing that. (This blog post was translated for inclusion in the 2016 Teachers Exam of France.)

Engage students as citizens.

If you’d like to chat about engaging your students more deeply as citizens, or if you have any other questions related to professional development, coaching, or customized research for your organization, drop me a line!

Contact Peter Horn

Never miss an episode!

Point of Learning is for anyone curious about what and how and why we learn. Important ideas carefully curated. Available about every other month in podcast audio, often with a YouTube companion edition. Subscribe to the newsletter and I’ll reach out whenever a new episode or bonus item is ready!

Sign up for the newsletter

Can you spare a dime? If you’re interested in supporting this work, click the button below. Point of Learning has partnered with Patreon to keep support simple, with membership tiers beginning at just $3/month—about 10 cents per day.

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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. On this episode, we hear the voices of four SEED folk: veteran facilitators and National SEED Staff members Dr. Willa Cofield and Nancy Rucker Livingston, as well as SEED founder Dr. Peggy McIntosh, and Emily Style, who co-directed SEED for its first 25 years. By asking SEED leaders to examine their own school and life experiences while they study classic and contemporary scholarship, the National SEED Project has equipped teachers in 42 U.S. states and 15 other countries to challenge inequitable systems and establish more inclusive classrooms for more than three million students. (Image: my dandelion doodle, inspired by the National SEED Project logo.)

YouTube Trailer (3 min.)

Episode Transcript

FEATURED GUESTS

Dr. WILLA COFIELD joined SEED in 1989. She has written that the civil rights movement awakened in her a new feeling of personal power and a determination to work for change. She vowed “always to be involved in the effort to liberate the hearts and minds of oppressed people.”

NANCY RUCKER LIVINGSTON joined SEED in 1994, which she compared to “coming home”: “SEED has provided a way for me to stand upon the shoulders of my elders to continue their work of creating a more just and equitable world.” 

Dr. PEGGY McINTOSH founded what became the National SEED Project in 1986. An activist, scholar, and feminist, she has said, “We are all part of what we are trying to change.” Her book On Privilege, Fraudulence, and Teaching as Learning: Selected Essays 1981-2019 is now available from Routledge. Click the button to visit the show page of my full episode with her.

Unpacking White Privilege with Peggy McIntosh

EMILY STYLE co-directed the National SEED Project from 1987 to 2012. Describing SEED work as both nourishing and challenging, Emily has provided memorable language for some philosophical tenets of the program, such as “Half the curriculum walks in the room with the students.” Click the button to visit the show page of my full episode with her.

Windows and Mirrors with Emily Style

Additional Show Notes

As usual, Shayfer James has graciously provided intro and outro music. In addition, instrumental versions of songs from his album Haunted Things are featured throughout this episode. For more information about his music and performance schedule, visit shayferjames.com. And click the second half of this sentence to find Strength of Soul by SEED-trained equity practitioner Naomi Raquel Enright.

DISCLAIMER: This episode is my partial (but enthusiastic) introduction to a complex, long-established program. For official information about the National SEED Project, including information about New Leaders Week trainings, visit the site below.

National SEED Project

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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, joining an outstanding cadre of designers, actors, musicians, directors, managers, and interns to work on a fresh, fun production of Love’s Labour’s Lost. This episode showcases contributions from some people who make magic happen. (Cartoon LLL characters by intern Edie Gregg, who can be found on tumblr @jgvfhl.)

YouTube Version

Episode Transcript

Shakespeare in Delaware Park XLIV

SAUL ELKIN, Artistic Director

LISA LUDWIG, Managing Director

LOVE’S LABOUR’S LOST

STEVE VAUGHAN, Director

SCOTT RICHARDSON, Technical Director

DAVID DWYER, Scenic Designer

ALLEY GRIFFIN, Props Charge

JENNA DAMBERGER, Costume Designer

BRENNA PRATHER, Assistant Costume Designer

KATIE PERICAK, Wardrobe

EMMA SCHIMMINGER, Lighting Designer

RANDY ANDROPOLIS & JAY WOLLIN, Composers & Co-Sound Designers

TERRI VAUGHAN, Choreographer

TYLER FURNISS, Live Sound

CHRIS BALLARD, Sound Setup

NATALIE MORROW, Stage Manager

CALI SMITH, Assistant Stage Manager

BAILEY WILSON, Assistant Stage Manager

JAY WOLLIN, KEITH GALANTOWICZ & JOHN LANDIS, Musicians

GRETCHEN MARTINO, Dance Captain

CAST

BEN CALDWELL, King Ferdinand

REBECCA ELKIN, Princess of France

DARRYL SEMIRA* Lord Berowne

MARISSA BIONDOLILLO, Lady Rosaline

LUCAS LLOYD, Lord Longaville

GRETCHEN MARTINO, Lady Maria

DAVID WYSOCKI, Lord Dumaine

JAMIE NABLO, Lady Katherine

NATHANIAL W. C. HIGGINS, Boyet

TOM LOUGHLIN* Don Adriano de Armado

MELISSA LEVENTHAL, Jaquenetta

LARRY SMITH, Holofernes

CHARLES WAHL, Moth

NICHOLAS LAMA, Constable Dull

PETER HORN, Costard

*Member, Actors' Equity Association

SPECIAL THANKS TO …

TYLER FURNISS for mastering Love’s Labour’s Lost music

TOM MAKAR for supplemental Shaxpere music & theme remix

LARRY ROWSWELL & RYAN KAMINSKI for production photos used in YouTube version

MICHAEL FRANK Jr. for permission to use Hoyt Lake artography in YouTube version

Never miss an episode!

Point of Learning is for anyone curious about what and how and why we learn. Important ideas carefully curated. Available about every other month in podcast audio, often with a YouTube companion edition. Subscribe to the newsletter and I’ll reach out whenever a new episode or bonus item is ready!

Sign up for the newsletter

Can you spare a dime? If you’re interested in supporting this work, click the button below. Point of Learning has partnered with Patreon to keep support simple, with membership tiers beginning at just $3/month—about 10 cents per day.

Learn about supporting Point of Learning