The Public Thinktank is a weekly radio show all about education.

The Public Thinktank is a forum for conversation.  What we’re talking about:

• the diverse meanings of education for individual lives and in our American society
• triumphs and challenges in all areas of education
• how media educate us throughout our lives

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publicthinktankradio.org

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See People and Ideas to learn how to get involved with the show.

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The Public Thinktank is the brainchild of Leigh Anne Keichline.  Way back in 1999, Leigh Anne hosted an interview show on Oberlin College’s WOBC, and she has long been an avid fan of radio.  Frustrated by the lack of ongoing public conversations concerning education in both TV and radio, she had been itching for years to start a radio show all about education.  She launched The Public Thinktank in the fall of 2008.

Since her high school days in the early ’90s, Leigh Anne has worked and volunteered with a wide range of populations, from preschool to adult education, in both public and private schools as well as in other educational settings, in Ohio, New York City, Baltimore, Boston, and Connecticut.  She is working on a Masters in Political Science at Brooklyn College and is interested in questions of democratic citizenship and education.

On the show: Tuesday, Dec. 8

mp3:  Click here to listen to this show.

For our final show of the semester, we’ll feature young voices.

Erica Sollazzo shares with us her story of how one teacher broadened her horizons and taught her to love literature.  Sollazzo’s essay is this year’s Red Brick Voices Contest winner.  Red Brick Voices is The Public Thinktank’s national competition for K-12 students to share insights from their school experiences.  Sollazzo is a senior at Poly Prep Country Day School.

Gabriel Welch, Anthony Chapman, and Recko Floyd discuss their documentary on the phase-out at their Brooklyn public high school.  The phase-out was a process in which the struggling school’s classes and resources were shuffled around or eliminated.  As the boys told me, the families of the school were not informed about the process, and it was a painful and demoralizing one for many students.  The documentary they made with Global Kids provided a chance for them to capture this story, and to share it eventually with lawmakers.

Global Kids is an organization that works with urban youth to educate and inspire them to become successful students and global citizens.  To learn more, visit their website at globalkids.org.

Finally, we’ll listen to interviews with Anthony Colon, founder of Kids of New York, and with Carlos Melendez and Christian Kronsted, two of the young men who won in Kids of New York’s breakdancing competition last spring.  We end with judge Peaches Rodriguez, who tells us what it was like to be one of the first girl breakdancers back in the day.  To find out more, check out kidsofnewyork.org.  (This piece was edited by PTT contributor Alexis Callender.)

What the kids are talking about…. coming up.

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Music on today’s show by Paul Brill, Cirkestra, and Evil Art Form.

Listen Tuesdays at 12:00 noon EST streaming live on the web at brooklyncollegeradio.org. Click here to connect.

For mp3s of all past shows, scroll down to “listen to past shows.”

Coming up on publicthinktankradio.org:

Red Brick Voices.  Global Kids documentary on a school phase-out.  Breakdancing in NYC.  Dec. 8.

The Public Thinktank will be hibernating for the winter!  Check back in the spring for more programming.

listen to past shows

click on all links below for show summaries and mp3s

Dec. 1. Healthy Media Choices.  Documenting the Witchi.

Nov. 24.  Fun with recycling.  Music for disabled students.  A Teaching Fellow.

Nov. 17.  Tragedy and comedy in education.

Nov. 10.  Libraries 2.0.  Education in Argentina.

Nov. 3.  Girls in Engineering, Math and Science.  New York City Parents blogging.

Oct. 27  Gay youth.  Education in France.  Computer games on civics.

Oct. 20.  Fortune cookies, ugly vegetables, mountains and moons.  Memoirs of a Jewminicana.

Oct. 13. The Hero Project.  Advocating for deaf students of color.  Saving BC’s community garden.

Oct. 6. Home-schooling for a missionary family in Guinea.  How God Changes Your Brain.

Sept. 22. Spiritual Youth for Reproductive Freedom.

Sept. 15. University of Houston student organizer.  Brooklyn College voices on the new school year.

Sept. 8. Fall ‘09 preview show.

May 12. Women, welfare, and access to higher education.  Ask a Magnet Yenta about LA schools.

April 28. Student walk-out against CUNY tuition hikes.  Documentaries as education; docu on Jewish music.

April 21. Edible gardens and nutrition in schools.  Environmental ed.

April 7. Campus Progress and the Center for American Progress.

March 31. American Views on home schooling.  Education after retirement.

March 24. Three women educators.

March 17. Panel discussion on Obama’s education speech.

March 10. Teaching South Park.  Sol Study Abroad.

March 3. Teaching educators.  Malaysian education.

Februrary 24. Drama and arts education in schools, interviews with cast and crew of a BC production.  Perceptions of Obama around the world.

February 17. The Duke lacrosse team rape case.  The Shirley Chisholm Project.

February 3. Art education.  Education in Laos.

December 9. Performance and Interactive Media Arts program at BC.

November 25. Studying abroad in China.

November 18. Education in Trinidad.  A veteran and a student.

November 11. College radio.

November 4. Panel discussion on election day.

October 28. Education in Japan.  Studies in Religion.

October 21. American Views.  Storycorps.

October 14. Nerd Nite.  Mayoral Control 101.

October 7. Education in Germany.

EXTRAS

Bonus audio not played on show.  Click below for mp3s.

Clio In the Classroom:  A Guide for Teaching U.S. Women’s History. Audio of BC event for book launch.

More World Views interviews.  Coming in January.

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Do you have a response to a show you’ve heard?  Email us at bcthinktank@gmail.com.  We welcome all kinds of feedback.

Dec. 1, 2009: Healthy Media Choices. Documenting the Witchi.

mp3:  Listen to this show.

On the first part of today’s show, we’ll talk with Mary Rothschild of Healthy Media Choices.  Healthy Media Choices is an organization that helps parents, caregivers and teachers of young children use their own insights to come to terms with media influence.  Visit their website at healthymediachoices.org.

On the second part of the show, we’ll listen to an interview with Andrew Buckland and his wife, Maria Azkue.  Buckland talks about his documentary project on the Witchi, a native people in Argentina.  We discussed the impact a state school is having on the new generation, and a documentary’s responsibility to shed light on its subject.  Our conversation ends with what Buckland and Azkue learned during their time with the Witchi.

To hear Azkue’s interview about education in Argentina,  listen to our Nov. 10 show.

Choices for parents in a fast-paced media world… and a slower pace of life with the Witchi… coming up.

Resources from our conversation with Mary Rothschild:

Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood

Center on Media and Child Health

National Institute on Media and the Family

Consuming Kids, a free screening with the Brooklyn Public Library on January 16, and in other national locations

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Music in today’s show by Paul Brill and Evil Art Form.

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publicthinktankradio.org

Nov. 24, 2009: Anna Alter. EnoB. Teaching Fellow Robert Pottinger.

mp3:  Listen to this show.

On the first part of today’s show, we’ll talk with children’s author and illustrator Anna Alter.  Alter’s newest book,What Can You Do With An Old Red Shoe?, is a fun romp through creative recycling activites.  We chat about her books and she’ll have some recycling ideas for us — using old shoes and shower curtains and more.  You can visit Alter’s website at annaalter.com.

On the second part of the show, we’ll listen to a piece by contributor Taeyeon Kim.  Kim interviews April Lee of EnoB, a music and arts program for disabled students in New York City’s Korean-American community.  Visit their website at www.enob.org.

Finally, we’ll have a live conversation with Robert Pottinger.  After working in the banking industry for over 15 years, Pottinger decided to change course and become a teacher.  He is now a New York City Teaching Fellow in his second year of teaching middle school math.   You can learn more about the New York City Teaching Fellows at www.nycteachingfellows.org.

Our Thanksgiving cornucopia of goodies for you… coming up.

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Music in today’s show by Paul Brill, Cirkestra, Johanna Chase, and Evil Art Form.

publicthinktankradio.org

November 17, 2009: American Views with Negin Farsad. Peter Bufano on school.

mp3:  Click here to listen to this show.

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On the first part of today’s show, we’ll have a live interview with Negin Farsad.  Farsad is a comedian and filmmaker living in New York City.  She discusses with us her studies in government, public policy, and theater… and how extracurricular activities in comedy eventually led her to take the profession seriously.  This is part of our American Views Series.

You can check out one of Farsad’s latest projects at nerdcorerising.com.

On the second half of the show, we’ll listen to a story sent to us by Peter Bufano on his struggles with education.  Bufano went to Clown College and now writes and performs circus music.  He has worked and travelled with many circuses, including Ringling Brothers, Big Apple Circus, Bindlestiffs, and Circus Smirkus.  His music can be heard at cirkestra.com and at peterbufano.com.

Ttragedy and comedy in education… coming up.

 

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Music for today’s show by Paul Brill, Cirkestra, and Evil Art Form.

 

publicthinktankradio.org

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The World Views and American Views Series

Our World Views series features interviews with individuals who have been educated primarily abroad.  Most participants in the World Views Series have now moved to the U.S., where they are teaching, studying, working, or parenting.  They share with us their reflections on the widely varying experiences and schools they have encountered.  In our American Views Series, we dive into the experiences of individuals educated primarily in the United States.

Each unique educational biography is meant to provide a prism into the many meanings of education and how it shapes us as individuals.  These conversations are not meant to be sources of authoritative information on educational systems or statistics.

We invite you to respond to the interviews you hear by writing to us at bcthinktank@gmail.com.  If you or someone you know would be a good interviewee for either the American or World Views series, please contact us.

November 10, 2009. Librarian.net with Jessamyn West. Education in Argentina.

mp3:  Click here to listen to this show.

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On the first part of today’s show, we’ll have a live interview with Jessamyn West. West is a librarian consultant in rural Vermont.  Her blog, librarian.net, tackles questions about open source and Google, web 2.0, banned books, the law, accessibility, privacy, and more.  We’ll talk with West about the evolving relevance of the librarian in an age of media explosion.  This is Part 3 in our Bloggers and Education series.

On the second half of the show, we’ll listen to an interview with Maria Azkue.  Azkue worked as a lawyer in juvenile crime in Argentina, and now is studying for a Masters in international relations at Brooklyn College.  She shares with us her perspectives on education in Argentina, and gives us a window into her own educational story.  This is part of our World Views Series.

We also talked with Azkue and her husband, Andrew Buckland, about Buckland’s documentary on the Witchi, a native people in Argentina.  You can hear that interview on our Dec. 1 show.

Libraries in 2009:  accessibility, open source, Google books, and more… and an Argentinian laywer’s perspectives on education… coming up.

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Music for today’s show by Paul Brill, Johanna Chase and Evil Art Form.

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publicthinktankradio.org

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The World Views and American Views Series

Our World Views series features interviews with individuals who have been educated primarily abroad.  Most participants in the World Views Series have now moved to the U.S., where they are teaching, studying, working, or parenting.  They share with us their reflections on the widely varying experiences and schools they have encountered.  In our American Views Series, we dive into the experiences of individuals educated primarily in the United States.

Each unique educational biography is meant to provide a prism into the many meanings of education and how it shapes us as individuals.  These conversations are not meant to be sources of authoritative information on educational systems or statistics.

We invite you to respond to the interviews you hear by writing to us at bcthinktank@gmail.com.  If you or someone you know would be a good interviewee for either the American or World Views series, please contact us.

November 3, 2009: GEMS education. New York City Parents blog.

mp3:  Click here to listen to this show.

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On the first part of today’s show, we’ll have a live interview with Allison Mattheis.  Mattheis spent five years as a science and math teacher in the Minneapolis public schools, and is now working on a PhD in educational policy and administration.  We discuss Mattheis’s work with GEMS, Girls in Engineering, Math, and Science.  We talk with her about chemically constructing lip gloss, visiting NASA, and building robots and CO2 cars.  Mattheis shares with us her stories about turning her classroom into a workshop and teaching girls to use power tools.

Read more about the GEMS program here, here, and here.

On the second half of the show, we’ll have a live interview with Leonie Haimson.  Haimson is a New York City parent and education advocate.  She blogs at The Huffington Post and at NYC Public School Parents.  Haimson is also Executive Director of Class Size Matters.  We’ll talk about her blogs and her take on the top education issues in NYC on this voting day.  This is Part 2 in our series on Bloggers and Education.

You can read her writing at nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com and at The Huffington Post. If you’re concerned about classroom sizes in New York schools, visit Class Size Matters. Haimson also contributed to NYC Schools Under Bloomberg/Klein:  What Parents, Teachers, and Policy Makers Need to Know.

Girls and power tools… class size and politics… coming up.

Music for today’s show by Paul Brill, Cirkestra, and Evil Art Form.

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publicthinktankradio.org

Oct. 27, 2009. The Hetrick-Martin Institute. Education in France. Our Courts.

mp3:  Click here to listen to this show.

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On the first part of today’s show, we’ll have a live interview with Thomas Krever of the Hetrick-Martin Institute.  Hetrick-Martin started as a small organization 30 years ago, and today is a leading provider of social support and programming for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth.  It’s also the home of Harvey Milk High School, the groundbreaking school for LGBTQ youth.  We talk with Thomas Krever about the community at Hetrick-Martin, and a little about Harvey Milk High School.  Visit their website at www.hmi.org.

On the second half of the show, we’ll listen to an interview with David Troyansky, a professor of history at Brooklyn College.  His teaching trajectory brought him from Texas to France and eventually back to Brooklyn, where he was raised.  Our conversation with Prof. Troyansky centered around his time in France.  While he taught in universities, his two young children attended several different schools in Paris and in the countryside.  We discussed his perspectives on French education, as an educator and as a parent.  This is part of our World Views Series.

We’ll end with a conversation about former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s latest project:  a computer game!  Justice O’Connor’s “Our Courts” provides a variety of games for teaching civics to young people. Abby Taylor from Our Courts joins us to talk civics 2.0.  To play the games and view information for both students and teachers visit www.ourcourts.org.

 

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Music for today’s show by Paul Brill, Frustrator, Cirkestra, and Evil Art Form.

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publicthinktankradio.org

 

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The World Views and American Views Series

Our World Views series features interviews with individuals who have been educated primarily abroad.  Most participants in the World Views Series have now moved to the U.S., where they are teaching, studying, working, or parenting.  They share with us their reflections on the widely varying experiences and schools they have encountered.  In our American Views Series, we dive into the experiences of individuals educated primarily in the United States.

Each unique educational biography is meant to provide a prism into the many meanings of education and how it shapes us as individuals.  These conversations are not meant to be sources of authoritative information on educational systems or statistics.

We invite you to respond to the interviews you hear by writing to us at bcthinktank@gmail.com.  If you or someone you know would be a good interviewee for either the American or World Views series, please contact us.

Oct. 20, 2009: Children’s author Grace Lin. Memoirs of a Jewminicana with Aliza Hausman.

mp3:  Click here to listen to this show.

On the first half of the show we’ll have a live interview with author and illustrator Grace Lin.  Lin’s award-winning books, such as The Ugly Vegetables and Dim Sum for Everyone!, share a world of color and delight.  Her newest book, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, tells the tale of Minli, a girl who pursues a trail of fantastical stories — on a quest to save her family from their dreary reality.  We talk with Lin about her inspiration for the tales she spins.

You can visit Grace Lin’s website at gracelin.com.

On the second half of the show, we’ll have a live interview with blogger and author Aliza Hausman.  This is Part 1 in our series Bloggers and Education.  A Dominican-American who converted to Orthodox Judaism in her mid-twenties, Hausman’s writing is honest and perceptive, and very relatable, despite the unique intersections of her identity.  She writes about everything under the sun:  from identity, to faith, racism, hair, etiquette, and more.  We discuss how blogs can help illuminate issues of identity.

Aliza Hausman’s blog, Memoirs of a Jewminicana, and links to her articles, can be found at alizahausman.net.

Tune in this Tuesday as we talk about realities, stories, and identities … coming up.

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Music on today’s show is by Paul Brill, Cirkestra, and Evil Art Form.

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publicthinktankradio.org

Oct. 13, 2009: The Hero Project with Dr. Philip Zimbardo. Advocating for deaf children of color with Dr. Sandra Jowers-Barber.

mp3:  Click here to listen to this show.

On the show this week we’ll have a live interview with Dr. Philip Zimbardo, professor of psychology at Stanford University.  Dr. Zimbardo’s pivotal 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment revealed that everyday people have a capacity to commit atrocious acts.  His 2007 book The Lucifer Effect explores further why events such as those at Abu Ghraib can happen.

Now Dr. Zimbardo, in developing “The Hero Project,” turns to our potential for extraordinary acts of good. We discuss with Dr. Zimbardo how to foster everyday heroism, as individuals, in our classrooms and families, and in our society.

The second portion of our show will feature an interview with Dr. Sandra Jowers-Barber, assistant professor of history at the University of the District of Columbia.  When her deaf step-daughter came into her life 10 years ago, Dr. Jowers’ life was changed.  She honed her sign language skills and became an advocate both as a parent and a scholar.  One day as they looked at a book of African-American history, her step-daughter wanted to know who was deaf.  Dr. Jowers began to research the stories of deaf African-Americans — sparked by her step-daughter’s need for role models.

Her most recent work can be seen in A Fair Chance In The Race of Life:  The Role of Gallaudet University in Deaf History.

We’ll end with a short segment about the community garden at Brooklyn College.  The college has plans to turn the garden into a parking lot, but there are efforts underway to save it, as community gardener Madeline Nelson tell us.

Check out the Facebook group for more information: Stop the Demolition of Campus Road Garden

Let’s talk about heroism… coming up.

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Resources from our conversation with Dr. Zimbardo:

Dr. Zimbardo’s website

The Lucifer Effect

The Stanford Prison Experiment

The Hero Project

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Music on today’s show is by Paul Brill, Cirkestra, and Evil Art Form.

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publicthinktankradio.org

Oct. 6, 2009: Home-schooling with a missionary family in Guinea. How God Changes Your Brain.

mp3:  Click here to listen to this show.

On the first part of our show, we’ll talk with Wynell LeCroy, a retired teacher living in Abilene, Texas.  This spring, at age 71, Mrs. LeCroy flew for the first time to Guinea, and spent three months organizing a home-schooling program for a missionary family with four children, including a toddler with Down Syndrome.

Next, we’ll talk with Dr. Mark Waldman, who co-authored How God Changes Your Brain with neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Newberg.  What should students know about meditation?  How do children think about God?  No matter what your religious beliefs might be, there are benefits — and caveats — to religious contemplation and spiritual meditation.

For more information on Dr. Waldman and How God Changes Your Brain, visit markrobertwaldman.com.

Tune in this Tuesday for a little wisdom from our elders… and religion and our brains… coming up.

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Music for this show by Paul Brill, Cirkestra, Frustrator, and Evil Art Form.

publicthinktankradio.org

Sept. 22, 2009: Emily Goodstein from Spiritual Youth for Reproductive Freedom

mp3:  Click here to listen to this show.

On the first part of the show, we’ll be joined by Emily Goodstein, director of Spiritual Youth for Reproductive Freedom. SYRF is a national organization that educates, organizes and empowers youth and young adults to put their faith into action and advocate for pro-choice social justice.  Visit their website at syrf.org.

Next, we’ll talk with Dr. Mark Waldman, who co-authored How God Changes Your Brain with neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Newberg.  No matter what your religious beliefs might be, there are benefits — and caveats — to religious contemplation and spiritual meditation.

Religion, youth, politics, and neuroscience… coming up.

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Our interview with Dr. Waldman had to be rescheduled due to a communication problem in Malibu.  Yes, even Malibu has its imperfections!  Tune in for that interview with Dr. Waldman on October 6.

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Music on today’s show by Paul Brill, Doofgoblin, Dream Animals, Cirkestra, and Evil Art Form.

publicthinktankradio.org

Sept. 15, 2009: Student organizer Brendan Laws. Brooklyn College students new school year voices.

mp3:  Click here to listen to this show

On the first half of the show, we’ll have a live phone interview with University of Houston student organizer Brendan Laws.  Brendan has played an active role in campus organizations fighting for fair trade and opposing sweatshops, often with the support of only a handful of students.  Through determination and creativity, these groups drew support from the surrounding community, and succeeded in standing up to powerful corporations.

We’ll also hear from a sampling of students lounging on the Brooklyn College lawn.  What teachers have made a difference to them?  What are they looking ahead to this year?

Student voices from Brooklyn to Houston… coming up.

Resources from the conversation with Brendan:

Students Against Sweatshops National Website

University of Houston Students Against Sweatshops

University of Houston Students for Fair Trade

Coalition of Immokalee Workers

The Student Farmworker Alliance

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Music on this show by Paul Brill, Cirkestra and Evil Art Form

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publicthinktankradio.org

May 12, 2009: Dr. Randy Albelda on women, welfare, and higher education. Ask A Magnet Yenta.

To listen to this show, click HERE.

In honor of Mother’s Day, we’ll re-air May 5th’s show looking at two issues of concern to moms — moms as students, and as parents of students.

Women, Welfare, and Access to Higher Education

On the first half of the show, we’ll have economist Dr. Randy Albelda discussing her work on women and welfare, and talk about how this connects to access for higher education. We discuss why these issues are important for women, and how they are crucial to 25% of American children as well.

Ask A Magnet Yenta

On the second half of the show, Tanya Anton from Ask A Magnet Yenta talks about the website which helps parents in Los Angeles navigate the complex magnet school system. It’s a labor of love, run entirely by moms who research LA’s schools themselves and answer questions from parents in advice-column style, all on a volunteer basis. We talk about parent empowerment and the value of community involvement in our local schools.

Here are some links to add:

http://gomamaguide.com/

http://askamagnetyenta.wordpress.com/

http://askamagnetyenta.wordpress.com/martinis-and-magnets/

I would also urge you add a note that Sandra Tsing Loh (the Queen and Founder of Ask A Magnet Yenta) is organizing the 2nd Annual California Children’s Rally at the State Capitol Bldg in Sacramento on June 23, 2009 where they will host the 1st Annual California Children’s Congress or “Kids Lobby Day” sponsored by the office of State Sen. Gloria Romero, where kids can help Sacramento legislators write a new preamble to the California Education Code.

http://www.californiachildrensrally.com/

Also, for your NY parents, these are amazing resources:

http://insideschools.org/

http://gothamschools.org/

Tanya’s recommended links:

gomamaguide.com

askamagnetyenta.wordpress.com

askamagnetyenta.wordpress.com/martinis-and-magnets

greatschools.net

insideschools.org

gothamschools.org

On June 23, 2009, Sandra Tsing Loh, founder of Ask A Magnet Yenta, is organizing the 2nd Annual California Children’s Rally at the State Capitol Building in Sacramento. They will host the 1st Annual California Children’s Congress or “Kids Lobby Day,” when kids will help Sacramento legislators write a new preamble to the California Education Code.

www.californiachildrensrally.com

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This show is dedicated to my mother, who calls before I go on air each week to tell me if the station’s website is broadcasting properly or not.

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Tuesday, April 28, 2009: Student Walk-Out Against Tuition Hikes. Wendy Goodman on her MFA Documentary.

To listen to this show, click HERE.

Student Walk-Out Against Tuition Hikes

On the first half of the show, we’ll talk with Tara Mulqueen about the student walk-out taking place at BC on April 29.  The walk-out came after walk-outs on other campuses around CUNY protesting the recently passed tuition hikes for CUNY and is sponsored by a large number of student organizations, including CLAS Student Government, American Medical Students Association (AMSA), BC LGBTA, BC Sustainability Club, United Students League.

For more info on the tuition increase and the walk-out, click HERE.

Wendy Goodman on her Jewish Music Documentary

On the second half of the show, we’ll talk with Wendy Goodman about her MFA Documentary on Jewish music and Yiddish theater.  We discuss the diversity in Jewish music, balancing work and school, and being savvy about the media that’s educating us.  Brooklyn College’s MFA documentaries will be screened May 8 – 9 in Whitehead Hall.

Wendy also DJs at Break Thru Radio.

April 21, 2009: Parent advocacy for nutrition and school gardens, with Melissa Parker. Environmental education interviews with Jessica Olenych and Lindsay Campbell.

An Earth Day show!  On the show Tuesday, April 21:

Melissa Parker on School Nutrition

To listen to Leigh Anne’s interview with Melissa, click HERE.

On the first half of the show, we’ll talk with Melissa Parker, a mother of two who is advocating for increased nutrition and edible gardens in her town’s public schools in Connecticut.  Melissa is working on an MS in Human Nutrition through the University of Bridgeport, and is also in a program at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.  We talk about Melissa’s studies, and her work as a parent advocate.

Melissa shares with us some of her favorite resources for parents and teachers looking for more info on gardens, farms, nutrition, and health:

healthychild.org

kidshealth.org

organic.org

localharvest.org Can help you find local farms and sign up for CSAs near you.

www.angrymoms.org The story of how two moms worked to improve lunches in their local schools.

ctgreenscene.typepad.com

pcrm.org Physicians Committee on Responsible Medicine

Environmental Education with Jessica Olenych and Lindsay Campbell

On the second half of the show, we’ll hear two interviews on environmental education by Zach Fried.  Zach interviews Jessica Olenych and Lindsay Campbell on their work in environmental education.  Jessica Olenych established Common Ground educational consulting for environmental education in 2007.  Lindsay Campbell is a research urban planner with the Forest Service in New York City.  Zach talks with Jessica and Lindsay about their work, and the value of bringing kids outdoors.

Recommended resources from Zach’s conversations with Jessica and Lindsay:

Environmental Protection Agency

New York City’s Street Trees

Visit the Schooner Pioneer at South Street Seaport

NYC Department of Environmental Protection

watersheducators.org at the Catskill-NYC Watershed Educators’ Network

Restorative Commons, Lindsey’s new book

Meristem

Podcasts of Zach’s interviews will be up next week.

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Zach Fried is co-creator of Earth Day Resolutions, a non-profit that helps facilitate making and reaching green goals — for children, adults, classrooms, and organizations.

April 7, 2009: Campus Progress

To listen to this show, click HERE.

On this show we talk with Pedro de la Torre of Campus Progress, a part of the Center for American Progress.  Campus Progress works with college students to communicate about progressive ideas and issues.  To learn more, visit campusprogress.com.

Some of the initiatives at Campus Progress:

Funding Our Future

Free Exchange on Campus

Debt Hits Hard

Polar Opposites

Center for American Progress

March 31, 2009: American Views with Rachel Adkins. Continue learning with IRPE.

To listen to this show, click HERE.

American Views: Rachel Adkins

On the first half of the show, we talk with Rachel Adkins, as part of our American Views series.  Rachel was home-schooled until high school, when she attended the Bard High School Early College.  We discuss Rachel’s home-schooling experience in depth, and discuss her studies at BHSEC and as a Film Studies major at Brooklyn College.

Education in Retirement:  Brooklyn College’s IRPE

On the second half of the show, we talk to Gene Reiser and Rona Goldwitz about Brooklyn College’s IRPE program.  The Institute for Retirees in Pursuit of Excellence allows retired adults to continue taking classes into their golden years.  The program forges connections with alumni, former professors, and current professors, and allows adults of all ages to continue learning in a friendly community.  For more info on IRPE, click HERE.

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The World Views and American Views Series

Our World Views series features interviews with individuals who have been educated primarily abroad — a complement to our American Views series.  Most participants in the World Views series have now moved to the U.S., and share with us their reflections on the widely varying experiences and schools they have encountered.

Each unique educational biography is meant to provide a prism through which we can gain insight into the many meanings of education and how it shapes us as individuals.  These conversations are not meant to be sources of authoritative information on educational systems or statistics.

We invite you to respond to the interviews you hear by writing to us at bcthinktank@gmail.com.  If you or someone you know would be a good interviewee for either the American or World Views series, please contact us.

March 24, 2009: Three Women Educators

In honor of Women’s History Month, we re-air excerpts from interviews with three women educators.

Barbara Winslow is the coordinator of the Women’s Studies Program at BC, and the director of the Shirley Chisholm Project.  Our conversation focuses on the groundbreaking political career of Shirley Chisholm.

Click HERE to listen to the first part of this interview.

Click HERE to listen to the second part of this interview.

Linda Louis is a professor of arts education at BC.  Our conversation shifted from public versus private schools, to her long and varied career, to the many benefits of a rich arts education.

Click HERE to listen to this interview.

Yoko Anderson is an advisor to international students at the Julliard School.  We discussed Yoko’s perspectives on her childhood growing up in Japan and international education.

Click HERE to listen to this interview.

March 17, 2009: Panel discussion on Obama’s March 10 address on education

On this Tuesday’s show we’ll be discussing Obama’s March 10 address on education to the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. A live panel of professors and retired teachers from New York City public schools will weigh in on the future of national policies, and on local realities.

K.C. Johnson, professor of U.S. History

Brian Dunphy, adjunct lecturer of TV and Radio

Norman Scott, retired teacher of 35 years in the New York City public schools

Norman Scott blogs about education at ednotesonline.blogspot.com.

Podcast of this show is unavailable.

March 10, 2009: Teaching South Park with Prof. Brian Dunphy. Spanish language study abroad with Sol Education.

Click HERE to listen to this show.

Teaching South Park

Prof. Brian Dunphy is adjunct professor of TV and Radio at Brooklyn College.  His newest course, South Park and Political Correctness, examines the cartoon show that’s afraid to offend no one.  We discuss how much of mainstream media needs to be challenged, which shows are rising to the task, and what it all means in classrooms today.

Prof. Dunphy’s class has been featured in other stories, including one on NPR.  Check out a link to the NPR story here, along with a link to Prof. Dunphy’s syllabus.

Studying Spanish with Sol Education Abroad

In 2005, two friends became entrepreneurs when they saw the need for study abroad programs specializing in small group attention in Spanish-speaking countries. Four years later, Brent Hunter and Esteban Lardone’s Sol Education Abroad offers study abroad programs in Spain, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Argentina.

For more information, visit Sol Education Abroad’s website here.

March 3, 2009: Prof. Florence on teaching education. World Views: Malaysian education.

Teaching Education with Prof. Namulundah Florence

Click HERE to listen to this interview.

Prof. Namulundah Florence is an assistant professor of education at Brooklyn College.  Prof. Florence was educated in Kenya, and went on to study and teach in England and in the U.S.  We sat down this past fall for a conversation about the profession of education, and how our culture and media affect the classroom.  We reflect on the writings of educator and prolific writer bell hooks and on Prof. Florence’s writings, and discuss what it’s like to be a teacher to adults.

World Views on Malaysia with Keng Han Tan

Click HERE to listen to this interview.

Keng Han Tan now works as a Graphic Designer in New York City.  He was born and raised in Malaysia, where he attended Chinese private schools.  As part of our World Views series, he shares with us his personal reflections on schooling in Malaysia, and how his perspectives changed when he came to do his Masters in the U.S.

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The World Views and American Views Series

Our World Views series features interviews with individuals who have been educated primarily abroad — a complement to our American Views series.  Most participants in the World Views series have now moved to the U.S., and share with us their reflections on the widely varying experiences and schools they have encountered.

Each unique educational biography is meant to provide a prism through which we can gain insight into the many meanings of education and how it shapes us as individuals.  These conversations are not meant to be sources of authoritative information on educational systems or statistics.

We invite you to respond to the interviews you hear by writing to us at bcthinktank@gmail.com.  If you or someone you know would be a good interviewee for either the American or World Views series, please contact us.

February 24, 2009: The House of Bernarda Alba. International perspectives on Obama, with British journalist Gary Younge.

The House of Bernarda Alba

Click HERE to listen to this interview.

Brooklyn College’s production of Federico Garcia Lorca’s The House of Bernarda Alba will play February 26 through March 1. We talk with the cast, director, and dramaturg of the production. We discuss the unique use of puppetry in the production, what the students learned from the process, and the importance of drama and the arts in education.

A Beacon in Black

Click HERE to listen to this interview.

Gary Younge is a British journalist who writes for both The Guardian and The Nation, and is currently the Belle Zellner Visiting Professor of Public Policy at Brooklyn College. On Wednesday, Younge will present a talk about international perceptions of Barack Obama’s victory, in a lecture hosted by The Wolfe Institute. Younge shares with us his own perspectives as a Briton, and what Americans can learn about the world’s perspectives and about ourselves through Obama’s election.

Gary Younge’s page at The Nation.

EXTRA AUDIO.  MP3:  Click here for audio of Mr. Younge’s Wolfe Institute speech, A Beacon in Black.