Thinking in the Midst

Chris Higgins and Kristen Case are back with Cara and Derek to finish talking about Chris's new book, ⁠Undeclared: A Philosophy of Formative Higher Education.⁠ For Kristen's awesome work, visit ⁠her website⁠. Here is ⁠the form to recommend guests and topics⁠!

Chris Higgins and Kristen Case join Cara and Derek to talk about Chris's new book, Undeclared: A Philosophy of Formative Higher Education. For Kristen's awesome work, visit her website. Here is the form to recommend guests and topics!

Paula McAvoy and Pablo Wolfe join us to discuss the whys and the hows of fostering conversations about even the most fraught political issues in educational spaces like classrooms. LINKS: Here is Paula's The Political Classroom (with Diana Hess). More recent work of hers to help practitioners with these issues can be found here and here. And here is Pablo's The Civically Engaged Classroom. His organization, the Coalition of Civically Engaged Educators, is linked here. Please use this form to recommend future topics and guests!

Join Kyle Greenwalt, an associate professor from Michigan State specializing in homeschooling research, and Krystal Dillard, co-director of the Natural Creativity Center in Philadelphia, as they explore innovative education beyond traditional schools. They delve into the diverse motivations behind homeschooling—from safety and liberation to health and burnout. Discover how self-directed learning fosters creativity, and hear about the philosophical roots of education that emphasize learner autonomy. Their insights shed light on redefining the home-school relationship and valuing care in education.

In a follow-up to episode 47, AG Rud and Sarah Stitzlein sit down with Cara and Derek to talk about the process of selecting a conference theme, writing a presidential address, composing a good response, and sharing one's ideas in public. As always, recommend future episodes and guests to us using this form!

Jon Shelton and Neil Kraus join Cara and Derek to talk about the way education policy imagines the relationship between schooling, workforce preparation, socioeconomic security, and individual fulfillment -- and why it is all a sham. Jon's excellent book, The Education Myth Neil's excellent book, The Fantasy Economy Use this form to suggest future episodes and guests!

Kip Kline and Jeff Dudas join Cara and Derek to talk discuss their work on the educative power of pop culture artifacts, the use of popular media in the classroom, and the fantasies of education (tm Winston Thompson) that certain films, in particular express. For Kip's book on Baudrillard and film, click here. For Jeffrey's most recent book, click here. Tell us what topics/books we ought to be covering with this form!

In this special episode, we once again feature the most recent PES meeting's Presidential Address -- given by AG Rud, this year -- and the response, which is delivered by Sarah Stitzlein. We'll link to their recent work in a follow-up episode with them, where we'll discuss the address and the response, and what it's like to create and deliver that kind of thing. Here is the form with which to recommend future guests and episodes!

Barb Stengel, a retired Vanderbilt faculty member and author of the book Responsibility, joins educators Kathy Hytten and Deron Boyles to explore the concept of responsibility in education. They discuss the troubling impact of neoliberal accountability on teaching, emphasizing the importance of fostering democratic habits. Kathy connects responsibility to issues of race and privilege, while Deron critiques how current policies undermine teacher professionalism. The conversation highlights the need for collective responsibility and reimagining schools to prioritize meaningful engagement.

Kathy Schultz and Jerusha (Rue) Beckerman join Cara and Derek to talk about what attracted them to teaching in the first place, what anchors their thinking there, and where they see dignity emerging in practice and where they see it under threat. For Kathy's most recent book, click here. For more on the teaching program Rue runs, click here. Here is the transcript for the episode. Use this form to recommend future guests and topics!