These are some of the people, places, and pages that have inspired me and this blog. May they inspire you as well!
Carol Dweck teaches Social Psychology at Stanford University and has pioneered the field of mindset research. Her growth mindset concept radically shifted the way I approach teaching and learning.
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Jim Thompson, formerly Director of the Public Management Program at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, now leads a national organization to change the way we think about and coach youth sports.
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The Association for Contemplative Mind in Higher Education gathers academics interested in tools and networking for greater presence, awareness, and insight in the classroom.
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The Center for Courage and Renewal offers retreats and other programs to nurture the soul and inter-connectedness. I’ve done two myself and hope to take part in their facilitator training programs.
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Patricia Ryan Madson–my improv teacher!–offers life insights from Improv. She also maintains a wonderful blog where she muses on creativity and life’s meaning.
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Keith Johnstone started the Loose Moose Theatre Company in Calgary, Alberta and wrote the brilliant book IMPRO: Improvisation and the Theatre. He inspired the Bay Area Theater Sports (BATS) group and taught Patricia Ryan (see above) who went on to found the Stanford Improvisors. His focus on storytelling, spontaneity and status brings improv to delightful life in ways that schtick improv often misses out on.
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Karen Pryor is a leader (the leader?) in the field of positive reinforcement training. Her work with animals of all shapes and sizes has led to amazing work with people. She’s a kind soul and a bright light.
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The folks at TAGteach apply Pryor’s insights specifically in human settings. Their workshops demonstrate how to offer clear instruction and get incredible learning results with acoustical guidance as a reinforcer. This video shows some dancers who have worked with a TAGteach instructor.
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The PassageWorks Institute offers trainings and other resources for teachers who want to develop their students’ social and emotional intelligence and who want to welcome the soul into the classroom. I’ve used their ninth- and twelfth-grade curricula in my classes for years and, without fail, they have helped create a more compassionate, more courageous, more playful setting for learning.
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Joanna Macy is an environmental activist, author, scholar of Buddhism, general systems theory, and deep ecology. She’s also the greatest single teacher I’ve ever learned from. Lecture, poetry, music, dance, storytelling, ritual, selfless service, contemplative work: she uses them all to teach how a deep, fully aware connection to the planet and to each other can develop a creativity and resourcefulness in response to our troubling times.
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Often called “The Hugging Saint”, Amma (Mata Amritanandamayi) travels around the world to share her embodiment of love and compassion. (She’s usually in the US during the summer and at Thanksgiving time.) She and her followers operate hospitals, orphanages, schools, job training centers, and other relief agencies in India and around the world. The first time I met her in person I thought “This is what hanging around with Jesus must have been like.”
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When I was a young man, I had the good fortune of working at three superlative summer camps.
- The Chewonki Foundation‘s programs teach kids and young adults how to live in harmony with the natural world and how to contribute to a healthy community.
- Farm and Wilderness camps combine Quaker values with a commitment to simple living, joyful self-expression, and time spent outdoors.
- The Rowe Camp and Conference Center programs open the heart and mind to build bridges beyond what first seems possible.