Office Hours with Natalie Nixon
An interview with Natalie Nixon, creativity wunderkind.
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Destination: Discussion
Information & Inspiration
from real teachers, real students & real research
Use Some Logic Today
Arguing that the commonly upheld binary between logic and emotion is false, Eugenia Cheng suggests that we would all communicate clearly if we actively integrated both.
Protagonists: Ghassan Gammoh
“All the magic is in the classroom.” I really agree — it’s the best place to be in a school. I was always thinking that I wanted to be a school leader, and I think that when my department head told me to live in the moment and do my best — that what was meant to be for me would be — as a young teacher, I need that perspective.
Push Out Paraphrase
Paraphrasing, by Bergman’s definition, is a retelling of what a student has just said in similar, perhaps clearer, words. He notes, though, that in such moments paraphrase a teacher often “ignores missing pieces and inaccuracies.”
Favoritism, Fun, and the Future of Learning
As teachers, we’re taught not to play favorites, but that’s a difficult task. There are good reasons why.
Social Presence in the Online Classroom
Everyone’s afraid of Zoom fatigue these days. Lowenthal and Dunlop ask their students how to make social presence possible online.
Protagonists: Kendall O’Connor-Tappan
“The teacher who stands out in my mind is Ms. Hall, my Art and Art History teacher for all four years of high school. I don’t think I recognized it at the time, but I think she really showed me what it means to be in a flow state. And also the importance of a great playlist in the background of a classroom. She so delicately balanced giving her students personal space and structure.”
Discussion through the Digital Humanities, Creativity Protocols, and the Neuroscience of Trust
This week, we feel challenged by Paul Zak’s work on trust in the workplace, Leyla Alipour’s protocols for boosting student creativity, and NYU press’s forays into online discourse in the Digital Humanities.
Beyond Fragility and Into History
A 2017 article challenges us to think from, but also beyond, the popular concept of white fragility — especially when it comes to building new curricula.
Protagonists: Myles Teasley
“Better classroom discussion will reimagine what History is for students who don’t like memorizing dates and facts.”
