Posted on August 16, 2010 by zoeweil
I recently finished A Dog’s Purpose, a novel by W. Bruce Cameron. I loved this book. Told in the first person by a dog, I don’t think I’ve ever read anything that rang so true about the inner lives and thoughts of our canine companions. Reading this novel has me looking at and relating to [...]
Filed under: MOGO (Most Good), animal intelligence and emotion, books, critical thinking | Tagged: perceptions, books, animal emotions, MOGO choices, gratitude, dogs, perspective, novels | Leave a Comment »
Posted on July 21, 2010 by zoeweil
At our Summer Institute for teachers at the Institute for Humane Education, participant Betsy Messenger, who is the humane educator at the Catskill Animal Sanctuary in New York, created a lesson on animal issues that was so effective and powerful, I wanted to share it with you. She gathered our group outside and “borrowed” my [...]
Filed under: Institute for Humane Education, animal intelligence and emotion, animal protection, critical thinking, humane education | Tagged: humane education, animal protection, critical thinking, industrial agriculture, animal agriculture, chickens, empathy, turkeys, animal cruelty, farmed animals, activities, lesson plans | 1 Comment »
Posted on June 30, 2010 by zoeweil
Last fall I came across this quote in Harper’s magazine from Mark Slouk: “Why is every crisis in American education cast as an economic threat and never a civic one?” Great question. The lens through which we look at schooling will determine the kind of schooling we offer our children, and if our goal continues [...]
Filed under: creativity, critical thinking, education, humane education, systemic change | Tagged: American education, better world, changemakers, creative thinking, crises, critical thinking, educational reform, global challenges, passion, schooling, systemic change, teaching | Leave a Comment »
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: education, accurate information, critical thinking, teaching, third side thinking, propaganda, indoctrination, schooling, creative thinking, independent thought | 1 Comment »
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 [...]
Filed under: Cultural Issues, accurate information, critical thinking, social psychology, videos | Tagged: accurate information, critical thinking, beliefs, third side thinking, social psychology, science, assumptions, truth, faith, religion, irrational choices, skepticism, psychics, illusion | Leave a Comment »
Posted on June 7, 2010 by zoeweil
In a recent Wired science article, “Mice show pain on their faces just like humans,” we learn, just as the title implies, that in response to pain, mice grimace. The article points out that this might be no surprise to “pet owners and Cute Overload readers,” implying that if we paid even a modicum of [...]
Filed under: Cultural Issues, animal intelligence and emotion, animal protection, critical thinking, integrity, speciesism, third side thinking | Tagged: animal experimentation, animal protection, compassion, critical thinking, empathy, ethics, mice, pain, research, suffering, vivisection | Leave a Comment »
Posted on May 26, 2010 by zoeweil
Earlier today, I put a link on my Facebook page to the undercover video, posted by Mercy for Animals, of brutality on a dairy farm in Ohio. My post elicited many comments and questions, and it felt important to immediately address them, which I’m doing here so that everyone can read these thoughts. You can [...]
Filed under: animal protection, compassion, critical thinking, food and diet, speciesism, systemic change, videos | Tagged: animal cruelty, animal welfare, brutality, dairy cows, factory farming, farmed animals, industrial agriculture, institutionalized cruelty, Mercy for Animals, suffering, undercover investigations, video, violence | 3 Comments »
Posted on May 10, 2010 by zoeweil
A few weeks ago I had a busy day doing MOGO (most good) talks out of state. I was scheduled to give three talks – two 2-hour presentations for middle schoolers and a public talk in the evening. I have to admit I was a little worried about maintaining the interest of 150 6-8th graders [...]
Filed under: MOGO (Most Good), critical thinking, education, fear, humane education, politics | Tagged: humane education, education, critical thinking, politics, changemakers, controversial issues, schooling, global issues | Leave a Comment »
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: humane education, animal protection, accurate information, critical thinking, values, MOGO choices, environmental protection, inquiry, labels, eco-tours, Everglades | 1 Comment »
Posted on April 14, 2010 by zoeweil
Take a look at this TED talk by Barry Schwartz on our loss of wisdom: It’s hard to know where to begin blogging about a talk that covers so much ground, and which offers great examples, stories, and humor about why we so desperately need to engage our practical wisdom (and cultivate it among our [...]
Filed under: Cultural Issues, critical thinking, social psychology, systemic change | Tagged: bureaucracy, common sense, critical thinking, rules, social psychology, systemic change, TED.com, wisdom | Leave a Comment »
The Power and Promise of Humane Education
Above All, Be Kind: Raising a Humane Child in Challenging Times
Claude and Medea: The Hellburn Dogs
So, You Love Animals: An Action-Packed, Fun-Filled Book to Help Kids Help Animals
