Posted on June 26, 2009 by zoeweil
After running up our local mountain, my husband suggested we stop at our co-op to get some cereal. Since I didn’t know when we’d be back in town, I decided to stock up on other things as well, including two bottles of wine. The cashier was eighteen and legally can’t ring up wine so she [...]
Filed under: critical thinking, education, humane education | Tagged: common sense, critical thinking, education, educational policy, judgment, learning, MOGO choices, schooling, systemic change | Leave a Comment »
Posted on June 19, 2009 by zoeweil
I have a friend who identifies himself as a libertarian-leaning Republican. We engaged in many heated debates during the election season, and he’s not happy with Obama’s presidency thus far. He keeps calling Obama a socialist. And I keep asking him to quit it with the name-calling. Name-calling is knee jerk. It stops conversations and [...]
Filed under: compassionate communication, critical thinking, politics | Tagged: Barack Obama, communication, critical thinking, economic policy, framing, health care, name-calling, politics, socialism | 1 Comment »
Posted on June 15, 2009 by zoeweil
Angela Eikenberry has written a compelling critique of “cause marketing” in the Stanford Social Innovation Review. Cause marketing refers to those products you buy for which a small percentage of the purchase price supports a cause like breast cancer research. Such products have become ubiquitous, and they raise an awful lot of money for charities, [...]
Filed under: Cultural Issues, MOGO (Most Good), critical thinking, systemic change, third side thinking | Tagged: cause marketing, cause-related marketing, consumerism, funding, non-profits, systemic change, third side thinking | 3 Comments »
Posted on June 12, 2009 by zoeweil
Actor Adam Baldwin recently wrote a scathing criticism of education for global citizenship and sustainability.
It’s worth analyzing Baldwin’s arguments because recently the concepts that humane education covers and its general approach have come under fire, even if the authors of the critiques are not specifically using the term humane education. Baldwin calls the preparation [...]
Filed under: critical thinking, education, humane education, systemic change | Tagged: Adam Baldwin, critical thinking, educational policy, environmental education, global citizenship, humane education, multicultural education, politics, social justice, Sustainability, systemic change | Leave a Comment »
Posted on May 27, 2009 by zoeweil
The New York Times recently had an article about the growing use of the video The Story of Stuff in schools, and the controversy that sometimes surrounds it. The short, animated film provides an introduction to the impact of our stuff on the environment, and it’s a great way to introduce the effects of consumer [...]
Filed under: Cultural Issues, consumerism, critical thinking, economy, education, humane education, systemic change, videos | Tagged: consumerism, consumption, critical thinking, curriculum, educational policy, films, humane education, name-calling, schools, Story of Stuff, systemic change, videos | Leave a Comment »
Posted on April 24, 2009 by zoeweil
This past weekend I led a MOGO Workshop at Bard College. My car had broken down the night before, and so I borrowed my niece’s SUV to drive to the workshop from my brother’s house ninety minutes away. I begin MOGO workshops by exploring assumptions and judgments. I ask participants their impressions and assumptions about [...]
Filed under: Cultural Issues, MOGO (Most Good), critical thinking, values | Tagged: assumptions, consumerism, judgments, MOGO choices, perceptions, workshops | Leave a Comment »
Posted on April 1, 2009 by zoeweil
A friend of a friend, active on our food co-op board and an organic gardener and chef, admitted that she didn’t buy organic almonds because the shell protected the nuts from the pesticides; so, she wasn’t willing to pay the extra cost when there was an insignificant health benefit. I was surprised that she made [...]
Filed under: critical thinking, food and diet | Tagged: animal protection, Environmental Preservation, food and diet, health issues, interconnectedness, media literacy, MOGO choices, organic, organic foods, pesticides, third side thinking, veganism | Leave a Comment »
Posted on March 20, 2009 by zoeweil
I grew up watching about 6 hours of TV per night. I always hated the commercials, and that’s when I’d do my homework or get something to eat. I was always amazed that companies wasted their money on ads because, I thought, who would believe them? In fact, I remember clearly thinking this about the [...]
Filed under: consumerism, critical thinking, marketing | Tagged: advertising, commercials, consumerism, critical thinking, marketing, MOGO choices | 1 Comment »
Posted on March 16, 2009 by zoeweil
I remember many years ago when a friend sat next to me on a bus with her bag from McDonald’s, and while I said nothing about her food, she turned to me and said, “Don’t tell me anything about McDonald’s, Zoe. I don’t want to know.” I was shocked by that. I couldn’t relate at [...]
Filed under: MOGO (Most Good), critical thinking, integrity | Tagged: consumerism, critical thinking, denial, fast food, integrity, McDonald's, MOGO choices, positive choices, products | 1 Comment »
Posted on March 2, 2009 by zoeweil
In a Boston Globe editorial on February 24, we’re presented with another dismal and unhelpful either/or. The author argues that innovative approaches to education that focus on group learning and developing critical thinking skills are contrary to educational goals and success. I recommend reading the editorial and posting a comment. Here’s the comment I posted:
Students [...]
Filed under: critical thinking, education, humane education | Tagged: critical thinking, education, educational policy, either/or, humane education | 1 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
