As we begin the 2024-2025 school year, Usha James, Executive Director of TC², reflects on recent challenges in education, from mental health strains to the impacts of remote learning. She acknowledges that, while we are doing many good things, we may not be reaching everyone as effectively as we wish. Usha encourages educators to focus on one or two impactful practices that can make a significant difference, particularly for those learners hardest to reach. She highlights the importance of slowing down, truly getting to know our learners, and fostering meaningful, compassionate, and collaborative learning.

What are the environments in school and outside of school that we hope to foster, and how might high-quality thinking help us advance our goals? What are the relationships between thinking, learning, and living a beautiful, fulfilling, and good life?

In this  back to school message,  Usha James, Executive Director of The Critical Thinking Consortium, asks  the question, "How will we start the year in a good way?" 

Season's Greetings from The Critical Thinking Consortium!

In this episode, Warren Woytuck, TC² Director, interviews Usha James, TC² Executive Director, and poses the question, “What really matters when teaching for deep learning?” In the first part of their conversation, Usha provides practical ideas for teachers about how they might identify and distinguish deep learning from other forms of learning. Then, Warren and Usha explore aspects of practice that support deep learning, and identify three principles that could be applied in any learning situation.

Credits
Announcer: Warren Woytuck
Host: Warren Woytuck
Guest: Usha James
Podcast administrator: Kara Zutz
Producer: Kaye Banez

In our first episode, we explore assessment and the idea that it can be much more than something that's imposed on students. Usha James, TC² Executive Director, interviews Garfield Gini-Newman, TC² Senior National Consultant, about the ways that assessment can actually be used to inspire. Rather than prompting feelings of anxiousness and trepidation, assessment can be designed to inspire further learning and curiosity. Usha and Garfield explore practical and powerful ways to re-think assessment and how it can be used to inspire thoughtful and meaningful learning.

Credits
Announcer: Warren Woytuck
Host: Usha James
Guest: Garfield Gini-Newman
Podcast administrator: Kara Zutz
Producer: Kaye Banez
Director: Andy Nesbitt

The Critical Thinking Consortium, or TC², is a non-profit organization of partner groups and individual members dedicated to supporting critical, creative, and collaborative thinking.