Experiment: Connecting three books that I coincidentally read back-to-back-to-back I recently read three books completely disconnected in time, topic, and nature but I found a huge connection. The books are The Feminist Standpoint Theory Reader edited by Sandra Harding, The Twilight of Equality: Neoliberalism, Cultural Politics and the Attack on Democracy by Lisa Duggan and Politics, Markets, and…
Experiment: Deconstructing a word like a radical feminist. The word “girl” seems to be following me. NPR recently published this article highlighting how the term is being used to sell suspense and mystery books about women. One of the authors interviewed, Sarah Weinman, explains the usage that “the girl insignia is trying to tie it into this…
Experiment: Connect the media discourse to current events. About three years ago, I read this article from the Atlantic about how Hollywood movies are actually very right-wing leaning although it is usually assumed that Hollywood is fiercely left-wing. The movie industry is heavily controlled by unions, movies push the envelope in socially liberal ways, and Hollywood…
Experiment: Explain a few of the problems with current thought I recently saw this advertisement on Facebook for an event in Bristol. I have a little bit of trouble deciding if they are 100% serious or if it is supposed to be kind of funny. Maybe I just want to find a bit of humor in my…
Experiment: Explaining the different experiences possible under a single, umbrella term. As I began writing the series on distortion (check them out starting here), I received a lot of response from teachers. Interestingly, it was not just about the Hattie research, but often how Hattie’s research was embedded into forms of accountability. Although I’m not directly researching the effects…
Experiment: Explaining the rational, thoughtful allure of neoliberalism. Neo-liberalism is not just a trend in government, it is a global cultural shift. Even though I would not consider myself a neo-liberal, it is still embedded into how I think about the world. And even though I think it is a destructive mentality, I can understand the appeal. Neo-liberalism…
Experiment: Tell the story behind the story. So, long story short, my son has a school to go to now. In Nottingham, the system for schools allows parents to choose which school their child goes to. It is not a completely free market but generally, schools that are popular and in good, child-friendly neighborhoods fill up.…
Experiment: Find the “bright line” between two public figures who agree. In the past few years, I’ve watched too many TED talks. Here are two that I highly recommend: Roxane Gay – Confessions of a Bad Feminist Sheryl Sandberg – Why We Have Too Few Women Leaders Gay’s talk really speaks to me and…
Experiment: Explain something I have experienced but couldn’t explain at the time. When I was still a teacher, I sat in a staff meeting which had the stated purpose of improving morale. The first exercise was for each member of our small group to share the one word that described how they were feeling at that time…
Experiment: Find out more This question was posed to me in one of my classes. What is the biggest challenge facing education today? I had five minutes to write and wrote this first paragraph. I believe that the biggest challenge facing education today is income inequality and its effects. The widening gap between the rich…
Emily Winchip 