The Public Thinktank

bcthinktank — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:31:28 +0000

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

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

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. She launched The Public Thinktank in the fall of 2008 in an effort to create a space in radio dedicated solely to the rich topic of education. PTT aired on Brooklyn College Radio for three semesters.

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 holds a Masters in Political Science from Brooklyn College and is currently working on a Masters in Elementary Education and Literacy at Bank Street School of Education. She is interested in questions of education and democracy.

On the show: Tuesday, Dec. 8

bcthinktank — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 01:44:52 +0000

mp3: Click here! to listen to this show.

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

EricaSollazzo 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.

GabrielWelch, AnthonyChapman, and ReckoFloyd 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 adequately informed about the process, and it was difficult 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 AnthonyColon, 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 PT contributor Alexis Callender.)

What the kids are talking about…. coming up.

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

bcthinktank — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:12:31 +0000

The show is currently on hiatus, but you can listen to mp3s of past shows below.

publicthinktankradio.org

listen to past shows

click below! to listen to any show’s mp3

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.

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.

bcthinktank — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:19:56 +0000

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

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

publicthinktankradio.org

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

bcthinktank — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:42:26 +0000

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’s now in his second year of teaching middle school math as a New York City Teaching Fellow. You can learn more about the New York City Teaching Fellows at www.nycteachingfellows.org.

Our Thanksgiving cornucopia of goodies for you… coming up.

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: Before Clown College.

bcthinktank — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:16:26 +0000

mp3: Click here to listen to this show.

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 walk down memory lane with Peter Bufano, as he reflects on his education leading up to Clown College. After attending Clown College, Bufano went on to work and travel with many circuses, including Ringling Brothers, Big Apple Circus, Bindlestiffs, and Circus Smirkus — primarily as a circus musician. Bufano’s music can be heard at cirkestra.com and at peterbufano.com.

Ttragedy and comedy in education… coming up.

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

publicthinktankradio.org

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.

bcthinktank — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:16:51 +0000

mp3: Click here to listen to this show.

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.

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

publicthinktankradio.org

The World Views and American Views Series

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

bcthinktank — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:40:02 +0000

mp3: Click here to listen to this show.

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.

publicthinktankradio.org

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

bcthinktank — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 01:56:15 +0000

mp3: Click here to listen to this show.

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.

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

publicthinktankradio.org

The World Views and American Views Series

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

bcthinktank — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 18:50:30 +0000

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.

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

publicthinktankradio.org