The Authority Podcast — Expert Insights and Fresh Ideas for Education Leaders

Michelle Blanchet and Brian Deters are our guests on this episode, discussing their timely book Preventing Polarization: 50 Strategies for Teaching Kids About Empathy, Responsibility, and Political Responsibility. 

Ross, Michelle and Brian discuss:

 

●      “Social-emotional learning meets civic engagement” and how to teach it when even SEL is viewed as polarizing 

●      The meaning of empathy and how it fosters a productive dialogue 

●      Can we have empathy and still call out destructive attitudes?

●      How to equip students with strategies to question their world and their roles in it

●      Embrace Complexity: Stop oversimplifying difficult issues, and why we’re often incentivized to do the opposite 

●      Ditch the “good guy vs. bad guy” outlook

●      Strategies to promote consensus-building 

 

Preventing Polarization is available from Times 10 Publications. Learn more here: http://preventingpolarization.com  

 

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Michelle Blanchet is an educational consultant that infuses startup strategies into professional learning so that teachers are empowered to bring changemaking, social innovation, and SDGs into their work. After teaching social studies in both the U.S. and Switzerland, she founded the Educators’ Lab, which supports teacher-driven solutions to educational challenges. She has worked with organizations like PBS Education and Ashoka, and occasionally blogs for Edutopia. A graduate of IE University in Madrid, she is a part of the Global Shaper Community of the World Economic Forum and has presented at numerous events, including SXSWedu and TEDxLausanne.

 

Brian Deters has been in education for over 28 years teaching social studies and coaching varsity soccer in the United States and Switzerland. Brian also is a co-host of the 4 A Better Tomorrow Podcast, a podcast series that connects his education experiences with his political ones, most notably his run in the 2018 election as a U.S. Congressional primary candidate from the 18th District of Illinois. Brian holds a Bachelor’s in Secondary Education from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign as well as a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration from Illinois State University where he also served as an adjunct professor working in the field with student teachers in 2018 and 2019. He currently teaches sociology and civics at Morton High School in Morton, IL.

Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry and beyond clarify their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Twitter @RossBRomano or LinkedIn.