With Good Reason

Sometimes all it takes to get kids excited about science is a bag full of eyeballs. Robert Tai (University of Virginia) has spent years studying when and why kids fall in love with science. Henry Alan Rowe (Norfolk State University) uses fire and static electricity to draw students into chemistry. Plus: Science class matters even for kids who grow up to be writers or bankers. Tina Grotzer (Harvard University) explains how science can help kids understand the causes of what’s going on around them. And: Students who don’t love science class, might find their way via…math? Eric Pyle (James Madison University) says combining math class with earth sciences can make both subjects better. Also featured: Bruce Greyson (University of Virginia) is one of the first researchers to gather empirical data on near-death experiences using scientific methods. Although these experiences vary from one person to another, they often include feelings of comfort and lack of pain, a sensation of leaving the body, and a deep understanding of both past and future events.

Nearly a third of college students in the United States are first-generation—meaning their parents and grandparents didn’t go. For many of these students, entering academia can feel like moving to a foreign land. Lee Ward (James Madison University), author of First Generation College Students, says colleges should embrace these students. Also featured: Most writing teachers correct nonstandard sentences like “My brother and me drives the same truck.” But Amy Clark (University of Virginia’s College at Wise) believes it’s important for her Appalachian students to hold onto to their home voices. Amy is coeditor of a new book, called Talking Appalachian: Voice, Identity, and Community. Later in the show: Based on experience as a teacher, and on her work in neuroscience, Abigail Norfleet James (Germanna Community College) believes boys and girls have very different learning styles. She shares teaching techniques that have helped when teaching all boys or all girls in the classroom. Also featured: When Jonathan Dickinson’s father was diagnosed with Huntington’s disease—a fatal neurodegenerative disorder—Jonathan decided to take him on an epic adventure: a motorcycle journey through the Himalayas in India.

An entire generation of Americans grew up knowing no other president than Franklin Roosevelt, who served four terms and led them through the Depression and World War II. Pulitzer Prize winning FDR biographer David Kennedy (Stanford University) gives a spellbinding account of this ebullient man of constant cheer who crafted the New Deal and the social security system. Kennedy and University of Virginia political scientist Sid Milkis spoke at a recent conference held by the Center for American Studies at Christopher Newport University. Also featured: Faiths of the Founding Fathers. Europeans who traveled to the thirteen colonies brought countless strains of Christianity with them, and the freedom of the wild frontier allowed many new sects and congregations to flourish. David Holmes (College of William and Mary) gives us insights into the religious beliefs of the founding fathers.

John Aler made his operatic debut in 1977 as Ernesto in Donizetti’s Don Pasquale. Since then, he’s performed in some of the greatest opera houses in the world and has won four Grammys for his classical recordings. Aler shares his thoughts on voice and the future of singing. Also featured: It’s Mozart meets the Clash. A musicologist draws on the heavy metal and grunge of her youth to take classical music where it’s never been before. Plus: The sonic frenzy of a laptop orchestra. And: How to approach a piece of music written by someone else. We’ll also speak with a researcher at the forefront of positive psychology.

Butterfly in the Typewriter by With Good Reason

Rainbows On Demand by With Good Reason

Giddy-up: A Therapy for Autism by With Good Reason

Do The Math by With Good Reason

Dead Zones and Fly Fishing by With Good Reason

Shop class 20 years ago meant hacksaws and hammers, but the shop class of 2013 is about teaching innovation and creation through computer programming, 3D printers, and maybe even Legos. A leader in this new kind of education teaches kids how to program LED lights to customize clothing. Also featured: Not all students have access to technology education. It seems many minority students are left out of computer science class. And: What exactly is the difference between science and technology? Plus: A report on technology being developed by Zewe Serpell that will let computers read the facial expressions of children and give them encouragement when they are discouraged or bored.