When I first came across this video from the online knowledge forum Big Think, I really didn’t know what to expect. Looking at the subtitle “Start Breaking Some Rules” I was a little apprehensive since I’ve always thought encouraging adolescents to break rules …
I am teaching about the Constitution and I want to look at the beginning of the preamble with students so that we could explore the theme of leadership. I would use the Lao Tzu conversation in order to discuss whether …
Two truths about teaching: 1. Questions don’t work too well unless students are in the mood for them. 2. Nothing sets a mood like a good story. Two truths about stories: 1. They captivate the imagination. 2. They create healthy …
Was the Chinese philosopher and military strategist Sun Tzu onto something? John Kennedy thought so. Here’s a great example of how you can use Teach Different’s 3-Step conversation method in a unit on the Cold War in US history. Step …
Here’s what I have so far… Does our system of government succeed or fail in preventing the abuse of power? Do interest groups frustrate or promote democratic ideals? Is popular sovereignty a reality or an illusion? Are the media …
Lao Tzo’s quote, “To lead the people, walk behind them,” can ignite conversation on the dichotomies of strength vs. dominance, humility vs. passivity, ends vs. means, and how leaders respond to conflict and influence. This can help students to better …
Pieter Brueghel’s painting “Landscape with the Fall of Icarus” and William Carlos Williams’ ekphrastic poem of the same name ask students to consider the theme of man’s indifference to suffering. Both works suggest that life goes on amid casualties and …
I imagine introducing John Winthrop’s famous City Upon a Hill speech just after a conversation on dreams with Harriet Tubman. By exploring the importance of dreams first, students would gain a foothold for understanding how important it is for leaders …
Early Puritans and Pilgrims learned that the new world required both cooperation and help from unexpected sources. The Erik Erickson conversation plumbs the possibilities and limits of interdependence. Does it promote strength and versatility? Or does it allow vulnerability, compromise, …
“The Danger of a Single Story” is an essay by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie delivered at a TED Talk. The speech works well on its own, or as an introduction to a unit dealing with themes of tolerance, understanding, and humility. …
I’m teaching William Golding’s The Lord of the Flies and I’m interested in the theme of power and how it can be abused over time. I start off with the John Adams conversation to explore ideas of power and trust …
The plot of the popular Shakespeare play Twelfth Night is based entirely on deception. I would use the conversation with Elizabeth Cady Stanton on Honesty to lead a discussion with students post reading. I would have them apply the question …
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