Climate Optimism

Posted on by Brian Hughes

I’m currently reading and being inspired by The Future We Choose by Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac.

An important theme is that optimism (about the climate crisis or anything else) is a requirement for change, and not (only) a result of progress. Since I find myself too often on the side of pessimism, I need to take in this perspective.

It’s made me think about how the twin themes of optimism and the climate crisis can be adopted into art education at any level. Observing the natural world is a great foundational skill, and adding a layer of communication about environmental change (and conservation!) is a great challenge.

What would you make to promote climate optimism?

America, Unstable

Posted on by Brian Hughes
Upside down: A Distress Signal

As Naomi Klein eloquently states in her book The Shock Doctrine, social and political instability has been used to push anti-government agendas. This has been very bad for liberal democracy in America, especially during the past 40 years. Now, with a global pandemic surging in America, related economic strife, heightened partisan rancor, and an upcoming election that is bound to test our trust of democratic systems, will instability develop into a breakdown of democratic systems? (And would this be the culmination of 40 years of Neoliberalism or the end thereof?)

Discussions about a “Second Civil War” are alarming (to say the least), and appear to be predominantly emanating from so-called “right-wing Bugaboo” movement, fueled by grassroots Qanon conspiracy pushers, big media like Fox News, and the Republican Administration’s blatant promotion of militarism and white, patriarchal nationalism. Add to this America’s nearly 400,000,000 guns in the hands of its citizens, and the idea of “war” suddenly seems more concrete than merely rhetorical.

But is it enough to break down American democracy to the point of irreparable procedural damage?

Fear in the Time of Corona

Posted on by Brian Hughes

As I write this, government leaders are listening to epidemiologists (well, not all “leaders”) and “cancelling everything.” This is a prudent course of action, especially while we learn more about the novel coronavirus and gather evidence about COVID-19. Knowing more about how fatal it is will help us all make sound choices about how to proceed from here.

But how cautious are we prepared to be? If, for example, we learn that the fatality rate is lower than currently feared (1-5%), and more closely resembles the seasonal flu (if slightly higher), how will we proceed?

I’ll be looking to leadership by American Governors to make good choices, and hoping they act in coordination with fellow State leaders.

I’ll expect Federal government to make major fiscal missteps that benefit wealthy Americans at the expense of poor Americans. I wish this was not the case, but it is (and racist as well).

I hope Americans will learn to take the public good more seriously in the future, especially with regard to universal healthcare and paid sick leave on par with the world’s most compassionate nations.

And, lastly, I hope we continue to vote out liars, warmongers, and thieves.

Info-giraffe

Posted on by Brian Hughes

Check out this insightful discussion of creative work from Rj Andrews at Info We Trust. It’s an interview with Fernando G. Baptista about his recent (and wonderful) giraffe illustration for National Geographic.

“An early sketch” shared by Baptista’s team with Andrews.

I particularly appreciate how Baptista discusses the team collaboration around this project. For anyone interested in creating beautiful educational content, this is a useful peek into one team’s process.

Anticapitalist Antiracism

Posted on by Brian Hughes

From the from the book review of “Anticapitalist, antiracism”:

  • “the U.S. education system as little more than an obfuscated expression of ‘commodity fetishism'”
  • “His only recommendation is pedagogical—using anticapitalist antiracist pedagogy to disrupt and dismantle racism, capitalism, and neoliberalism at the classroom level.”

How Open is Your Open Content?

Posted on by Brian Hughes

Here’s an interesting discussion of open educational resources (OER): Framing the Open Conversation – Branded Content & Fair Use

Rolin, the author and Assistant Professor & Director of EdTech & Media at Seattle Pacific University, believes content should be remixable rather than merely accessible. (Rolin goes further to discuss “openwashing” of content, which offers an interesting comparison of content makers.) With decades of web content available, it’s helpful to keep this ideal of remix in mind when choosing or creating OER.

Free access to educational materials is important for many learners, but educators can potentially do more with content that does not foreclose possibilities of remix.

Is Curiosity Fleeting, or Worse?

Posted on by Brian Hughes

From an evolutionary perspective, there is a clear reason why animals would seek out information: it can be vital to their survival and reproduction… Another possibility is that evolutionary pressures have made information intrinsically rewarding. – From HuffPost

For educators with an interest in enhancing the truthiness of society, the present is a good time for reflection on gaps between our shared myths and the truth. I’m particularly worried about the negative effects of a myth close to the heart of educators: the idea that humans are naturally curious.

Curiosity is certainly valuable. The article Curiosity is Fleeting, but Teachable by Bryan Goodwin is a nice overview of the relevance of a discussion about curiosity to educators. He summarizes recent research:

A recent meta-analysis concluded that together, effort and curiosity have as much influence on student success as intelligence does (von Stumm, Hell, & Chamorro-Premuzic, 2011). Other studies have linked curiosity to better job performance (Reio & Wiswell, 2000); greater life satisfaction and meaning (Kashdan & Steger, 2007); and even longer lives (Swan & Carmelli, 1996).

But perhaps more troublingly:

The longer children stay in school, the less curiosity they tend to demonstrate (Englehard & Monsaas, 1988).

Psychological research suggests that while humans start life as seemingly curious, environmental influences can diminish it. I think this suggests that we are minimally curious, which should be thought of as closer to information-seeking rather than knowledge-seeking. Information-seeking behavior seems highly related to or plodding around the globe with a focus on survival and reproduction, and may have become part of our nature through the process of natural selection. More information, more survival. Can the same be said for curiosity?

If there is nothing natural about curiosity, then it is a mistake to think that children (or people of any age) are going to be motivated by it. Students might ask about understanding and knowledge: what’s in it for us?

I think the answer has to be, “better tools.” Curiosity, imagination, and understanding are closely linked in the history of tool-making. Approaching curiosity as a learned behavior is a good step toward designing pedagogy to inspire imagination and motivate the process of understanding.

How We Created Our Immersive Learning Experience

Posted on by Brian Hughes

We designed the Mars Mission experience for participants to experience:

  • play (going to Mars!)
  • surprise (audio and video cues, live action drama, actors)
  • awe (cinematic media and light)
  • curiosity (theatrical reveals)
  • flow (a continuous story with problems to solve)

With this video, we hope to share how our team thinks about our creative process in the work of creating educational experiences. We learned a lot about integrating several disciplines into one project. Kim was a great leader for our team!