Education is Not Indoctrination

Posted on June 21, 2010 by zoeweil

There are some who argue that education is virtually always synonymous with indoctrination, and those who hold this position certainly have evidence to support it. The U.S. government removed native children from their homes, put them in boarding schools, forbade them from speaking their own languages, and indoctrinated them with very specific values and beliefs. [...]

Filed under: Cultural Issues, accurate information, creativity, critical thinking, education, propaganda, values | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Hens in a Cage = Travelers in a Hotel with Room Service?

Posted on June 16, 2010 by zoeweil

This past weekend I had the great privilege of speaking at the Their Lives, Our Voices conference in Minneapolis. I also had the even greater privilege of getting to hear some amazing talks. Paul Shapiro, senior director for factory farming issues at the Humane Society of the United States, gave a talk about rebutting animal [...]

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Questioning Assumptions & Searching for Truth

Posted on June 11, 2010 by zoeweil

Over the years, I’ve been surprised by how many people I’ve met believe in various unsubstantiated things, and I’ve written about this subject before here. The following TED talks provide good examples of how and why I believe that we all ought to question our assumptions and search for truth. I welcome your thoughts and [...]

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Why Do We Like to Gossip? How Can We Stop?

Posted on May 12, 2010 by zoeweil

gos·sip n 1. conversation about personal or intimate rumors or facts, especially when malicious 2. informal and chatty conversation or writing about recent and often personal events 3. somebody given to spreading personal or intimate information about other people Sometimes there are good and important reasons to gossip — that is, to share facts, and [...]

Filed under: Cultural Issues, MOGO (Most Good), accurate information, compassion, courage, habits, integrity | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Eco-tours, Labels, and the Power of Sleuthing

Posted on April 21, 2010 by zoeweil

Several years ago, following a conference in Florida where I was the keynote speaker talking about humane education, I was invited to participate in an eco-tour through the Everglades. Since the conference organizers planned the eco-tour and were humane educators themselves, I felt confident that our tour would be, as described, ecologically friendly. Sadly, it [...]

Filed under: Environmental Preservation, MOGO (Most Good), accurate information, animal protection, critical thinking, values | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Jon Stewart’s Humorous Expose of Black and White, Myopic and Self-Serving Thinking

Posted on March 8, 2010 by zoeweil

I’m a big fan of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and recently I watched an episode in which Jon discusses the February snowstorms that hit the Mid-Atlantic states and what these storms mean for global warming concerns. You can see the clip here. What does it mean when comedy becomes a primary source of [...]

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Belief Versus Truth (Part 3 of Reflections on Truth & Belief)

Posted on October 30, 2009 by zoeweil

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about belief. I believe what I know from my experience – that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, that humans have the capacity for both kindness and cruelty, that pumpkin seeds will turn into pumpkin plants and apple seeds into apple trees, and [...]

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Distortions (Part 1 of Reflections on Truth & Belief)

Posted on October 23, 2009 by zoeweil

I’ve been a humane educator for over twenty years, and have given hundreds of presentations to students. In the early years of my career, I always gave teachers an evaluation form to complete so that I could improve my presentations. Often a teacher would have her or his class write letters to me after a [...]

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We Need Knowledge AND Critical Thinking in Schools

Posted on September 28, 2009 by zoeweil

Once again, an op-ed writer has created another false either/or about education. In “Critical Thinking? You need knowledge” Diane Ravitch argues against what she describes as faddish efforts to teach critical thinking and cooperative learning in schools. She writes: this “skill-centered, knowledge-free education has never worked.” Personally, after 25 years in education (and alternative education [...]

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Believing Untruths – The Dangerous Lack of Critical Thinking

Posted on August 31, 2009 by zoeweil

Sharon Begley has written an important essay in Newsweek, “Lies of Mass Destruction,” that every educator should read. Begley explores the strange, but ubiquitous, tendency of people to believe untruths even when there is massive evidence to contradict them. Whether it’s the persistent belief among many that Saddam Hussein was responsible for the 9/11 attacks, [...]

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