#Lead Pedagogy

[idigitizellp21]

Lead Pedagogy: Top 5 Skills Towards A Successful Leap

In the ever-evolving landscape of education, traditional teaching methods are making way for innovative approaches that cater to the diverse needs of modern learners. One such approach gaining traction is LEAD Pedagogy, which stands for Learn, Explore, Apply, and Develop. This learner-centric framework empowers students to take charge of their learning journey while equipping them with essential skills for success.

Let’s explore the top 5 skills that pave the way to successful through LEAD Pedagogy.

Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving: At the heart of LEAD Pedagogy lies the growth of importance of critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Instead of memorization, students are encouraged to analyze, evaluate, and incorporate information from various sources. They learn to explore complex problems, identify underlying patterns, and propose innovative solutions. By engaging in activities that challenge their cognitive abilities, students become capable of tackling real-world challenges, a skill that transcends the classroom and serves them well in their personal and professional lives.

Collaboration and Communication: Education places a strong emphasis on collaborative learning and effective communication. Students engage in group projects, discussions, and presentations, fostering teamwork and refining their interpersonal skills. Through these experiences, they can learn to respect diverse perspectives, negotiate differences, and articulate their ideas clearly. In an interconnected world ability to work harmoniously with others and convey thoughts effectively is a vital skill that LEAD Pedagogy nurtures.

Creativity and Innovation: Innovation is the cornerstone of progress, and LEAD Pedagogy understands this well. By encouraging creativity and independent thinking, this approach empowers students to explore new ideas and unconventional solutions. Through hands-on activities, experiential learning, and exposure to real-world scenarios, students learn that there’s often more than one way to approach a problem. They develop the confidence to push boundaries, challenge norms, and create novel solutions that can drive positive change.

Adaptability and Resilience: The world is in a constant state of flux, and the ability to adapt to change is crucial. LEAD Pedagogy equips students with adaptability and resilience skills that are indispensable in navigating life’s uncertainties. By providing opportunities to explore diverse subjects, engage in unfamiliar tasks, and overcome obstacles, students learn to embrace challenges as learning opportunities. This instills a growth mindset, enabling them to bounce back from setbacks, learn from failures, and continuously evolve.

Digital Literacy and Technological Proficiency: In the digital age, technological literacy is non-negotiable. LEAD Pedagogy integrates technology seamlessly into the learning process, ensuring students are comfortable with various digital tools and platforms. They learn to navigate the digital landscape responsibly, discerning credible sources from misinformation. Moreover, they gain hands-on experience with technology, preparing them for the tech-driven demands of higher education and the workforce.

Key takeaway:

LEAD Pedagogy transcends traditional teaching methodologies by focusing on learning, Exploring, Applying, and Developing. Through this approach, students acquire skills that are vital for success in the 21st century. From critical thinking and problem-solving to collaboration and communication, creativity and innovation to adaptability and resilience, and beyond any doubt, digital literacy and technological proficiency.

LEAD Pedagogy prepares students to thrive in a rapidly changing world, which is exactly what Harshad Valia International School prepares your kids for. As we continue to reimagine education for the future, LEAD Pedagogy stands as a beacon of progressive and active learning, guiding students toward a successful leap into an exciting and dynamic world.

[historicalfightingguide]

A list of useful games to use in historical fencing training. The point is to rely on concepts such as the constraints lead approach, games and play for learning, elements of aliveness etc. For more details on why and how these drills get made I suggest checking out the articles  section of the website. Some of these may require protective gear and safe training weapons but some may only require a pair of socks. These are also mostly, not all written with longsword in mind, but the basic ideas they revolve around can be used with slight modifications for basically any weapon.

If you are interested in learning how to use a longsword check out these few links.

For anyone who hasn’t yet seen the following links:

Some advice on how to start studying the sources generally can be found in these older posts

Remember to check out  A Guide to Starting a Liberation Martial Arts Gym as it may help with your own club/gym/dojo/school culture and approach.

Check out their curriculum too.

Fear is the Mind Killer: How to Build a Training Culture that Fosters Strength and Resilience by   Kajetan Sadowski   may be relevant as well.

“How We Learn to Move: A Revolution in the Way We Coach & Practice Sports Skills”  by Rob Gray  

Another useful book to check out is  The Theory and Practice of Historical European Martial Arts (while about HEMA, a lot of it is applicable to other historical martial arts clubs dealing with research and recreation of old fighting systems).

Why having a systematic approach to training can be beneficial Remember that we can use sparring and tournament footage for videostudy as well.

Worth checking out are this blogs tags on pedagogy and teaching for other related useful posts.

Consider getting some patches of this sort or these cool rashguards to show support for good causes or a t-shirt like to send a good message while at training.

And stay safe

[lieutenant-amuel]

If I seem inactive, just know that I'm now writing a 350+ words essay about how awesome I am.

[screambirdscreaming]

This is very well articulated and true to many people's experiences, BUT with the diagnostic landscape as it stands, I think its really dangerous to assume that children who *do* get diagnosed are treated any more kindly.

Many kids who are diagnosed are not actually given words to explain their experiences. Their needs are simply dismissed as "symptoms" they have to "work on" and "get past".

Some kids are actually diagnosed with "Oppositional Defiant Disorder" - whereupon ANY need they express - even those which would be treated as reasonable from undiagnosed or neurotypical children! - is pathologized as "defiance". And yes, this diagnosis is highly racialized.

Honestly, knowing that ODD exists as a diagnosis really forces a person to challenge their perspective on what diagnosis is and means. Yes, diagnosis *can* be a tool of understanding, a way of banding together around shared struggles and generating shared language, tools, and resources. But it can also be a tool of opression and social control. And it *is*, currently for many people, a tool which is used to opress them. Even if it is also currently, in other people's experience, a tool of solidarity and support.

I think people who have experienced adult diagnosis as a relief, a breakthrough, a finding of community and tools of understanding - are sometimes prone to projecting this experience onto an imagined experience of childhood diagnosis, without looking into what childhood diagnosis actually entails.

It shouldn't be surprising, given the way children are dismissed, corralled, managed, and expected to conform to adult expectations at all times - that childhood diagnosis lacks the experience of autonomy, self-realization, and support found by those seeking diagnosis on their own terms as adults.

And it's understandable for people to say, "I wish I'd had this experience [of finding a diagnosis as an adult] as a child." But you can't just say, "I wish I'd been diagnosed as a child", and expect it to mean that - without MAKING childhood diagnosis mean something completely different than it currently does.

And I do absolutely think that it's crucial to change childhood diagnosis to mean eduction *of parents and caregivers* about the diagnosis, to mean kids are given tools and resources to express their needs and to process their experiences, to mean kids are given access to the same sort of supportive community that adults find through diagnosis.

But I actually don't think that's the first step. I think the first step is to create a cultural shift where we LISTEN TO CHILDREN WHEN THEY EXPRESS THEIR NEEDS, IN THEIR OWN WAYS, ON THEIR OWN TERMS. In general. For all children.

Where adults take seriously kids who are upset over problems adults find absurd. Where adults are willing to make accommodations that kids request even if they don't understand why it matters. Where kids aren't ridiculed or shut down for asking for things that don't make sense. Where kids who say they're in pain are treated as if they're in pain, not as if they're trying to get out of something. Where kids who say they need to sit something out are allowed to sit something out. Where adults make an effort to understand what kids are trying to communicate, even if they cant "use their words".

It turns out that having been dismissed by adults over something that really mattered to you as a kid is a near universal experience. And I'm not saying it's not *worse* for neurodivergent kids. I'm just saying that it's treated as bizarrely normalized in childcare that kids won't come to adults with really serious issues, like abuse. That they'll try to hide it. Why? Because they've learned that adults don't really understand them, and won't try to understand them. That adults don't really listen.

And it's hard, actually - as an adult working with kids, they'll come to you with a concern that seems absolutely ridiculous. Like, their classmate was bragging about how he's going to borrow his uncle's helicopter and fly to the north pole to meet santa. And THEY know santa isn't real and that the north pole is very dangerous - but they think it's absolutely credible that the kid could steal the helicopter, and they're terrified he's gonna get hurt. And you can't laugh! Not even a tiny little bit! You have to treat absolutely seriously their concern, and work it through with them. Because to them it's not ridiculous. They don't have the perspective you do, about what's real and possible and plausible and what isn't. All they'll see is that you've dismissed their real fear - and after that, why would they come to you with anything else they're scared of?

So you have to meet them where they are. You have to treat their experiences and perspectives as genuine, even when they don't make sense to you. You have to work towards understanding their reality, and what they're trying to convey to you, and what they want you to do for them in response. Even if they don't know what they want you to do! They're coming to you as an adult who will fix a problem for them, but if you fix the problem your way and it turns out that's not actually what they wanted, they *still* learn that adults don't understand them and can't help them. You have to learn to unpack all your concepts of what goes on in kids heads, and really meet them where they are. As complex individuals whose ways of thinking and being are probably totally different from your own, regardless of whether they - or you - are neurodivergent.

And this unpacking goes beyond kids. Not only do we need to take kids seriously, we need to take each other seriously. We need to build a world where people are able to understand and respect that other people are different from them without having to know Why and How. Where you don't NEED a diagnosis to be allowed to exist in a way that is different from other people.

anyway I don't mean to detract from the conversation about how alienating and destructive it is to your ability to relate to yourself, to grow up neurodivergent and having your own experiences constantly denied to you. I just think that while we're at it, we may as well address the problem at the root.

[teacherstudiies]

April 22, 2023 | 🐇

What I worked on today:

studied for my pedagogy exam (self-harm behavior and anxiety disorder)

studied for my politics didactic exam (leading conversations in the classroom, differentiation and individualization)

graded a couple English exams of my 6th graders 

Currently reading:

- Icebreaker Hannah Grace - I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki Baek Sehee

[diaryofaphilosopher]

The pursuit of full humanity, however, cannot be carried out in isolation or individualism, but only in fellowship and solidarity; therefore it cannot unfold in the antagonistic relations between oppressors and oppressed. No one can be authentically human while he prevents others from being so. Attempting to be more human, individualistically, leads to having more, egotistically, a form of dehumanization.

— Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed.

Follow Diary of a Philosopher for more quotes!

[haggishlyhagging]

The medieval student drank, fought, and in general conducted himself with the same swaggering nonsense as undergraduates do today. And just as today, this could lead to tensions between these temporary and rebellious residents of the university towns and the townspeople (and their pesky laws).

In order to ensure that their students never experienced legal consequences for their behavior—a key demand from wealthy medieval parents, as much as it is from well-to-do benefactors now—the universities came up with a unique work-around: all university students would take holy orders. That way, if they got in trouble, say, for running out on the bill at a local inn, as students from the University of Paris were fond of doing, they would be tried in ecclesiastical courts rather than local ones. There they would receive a slap on the wrist and be sent back to their studies, rather than face any meaningful punishment. This meant that every medieval university student was technically a clergy member, with a holy cassock to prove it. In fact, this is where the term town-gown relations comes from.

This requirement of holy orders also meant that the two major ways to be educated in the medieval period, joining a monastery school or going to university, were effectively closed to women. So even as Plato and Hippocrates and Galen and the Genesis myth were becoming locked into the standard pedagogic system, and even as pedagogy itself was becoming systematized, women were excluded from weighing in. The nature of our natures was being decided, and we weren't even present for the discussion. Most medieval thought about women was thus written by men, for men, based on readings of work by men.

-Eleanor Janega, The Once and Future Sex: Going Medieval on Women’s Roles in Society

[swiftthistletea]

I really do not believe that alternative pedagogies are worth it over traditional schooling. There are plenty of problems with traditional schooling sure. And I think that the only alternative type of schooling that has any sort of merit is Montessori but there are still problems with Montessori that I do not like. I like the focus on independence and calm environments within Montessori, and I think Montessori toys and furniture rule. My lead teacher/mentor came from a Montessori background and its been really interesting listening to her describe why she decided to leave. For example, if youre doing Montessori properly youre not supposed to praise children when they achieve something. Self motivation is a big part of it. Personally I believe children thrive when praise that's earned is given. It's not a bad thing to hype up a kid when they zipped their coat up for the first time, especially if its something that they've been struggling with for a while. Now Waldorf is just a fuckin mess. I think the method and schools lull a lot of parents in with the anti-tech sentiments, the focus on art and imaginative play, and heavy reverence and importance placed on nature and children experiencing nature. But Rudolf Steiner was a big esoteric occultist theosophy head before there was a schism and he formed his own philosophy/spirituality. This philosophy/spirituality informs the Waldorf teaching method even if it doesn't seem so overtly. The delayed academics and importance placed on Preserving the Magic of Childhood seems nice. Until you learn that they believe children should not be introduced to any kind of reading readiness (aka letters and phonics) until their baby teeth fall out; which means children that go through Waldorf education will not learn how to read until 1st through 3rd grade. That is way too late from a developmental standard imo; it wont fuck them up but if they switch to a traditional school they will be behind their peers because well, they ARE behind and this is intentional. Teachers and parents are told to discourage children from seeking out more academic pursuits until they are deemed to be old enough. How is that "child focused"? Also a lot of the things they teach like their specific obsession with wet on wet watercolors and eurythmy IS occultic in nature, the Waldorf true believers will tell you this. They believe that preschool children shouldnt use the color black in art or use any sort of "sharp" art tools like regular crayons and pencils until a certain age because it it's damaging to the soul. Preschool children forming basic shapes and symbols in art like hearts and smiles too early is considered an attack on their innocence. How could an educational method that bills itself as being "imagination and arts focused" say that while herding children into making very specific types of art with very specific colors? It's interesting that a lot of big tech people send their kids to Waldorf schools, Hollywood families as well. It's getting more popular recently. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation donates to Waldorf organizations. I still believe that parents have a fundamental right to seek out schools they think is best for their children, and they have a right to raise their children as they see fit barring like, abusive situations or whatever. But I think parents should also be cautious. And I 100% think Christian parents who are interested in Waldorf/"Forest Schools" because of the anti tech and nature walks need to be extra cautious. Anthroposophy and eurthymy ARE absolutely spiritual in nature and Waldorf is NOT "just about nature and art".

[recomvery]

GET TO KNOW ME

About me

My name is Caroline and I am 28 years old. I live in France with my fiancé Raphael (who is the love of my life) and his family on the countryside. I am currently finishing up a bachelor degree in early childhood and pedagogy at Uni and want to do a Masters in counseling. My biggest dream is to one day be a licensed counselor, have an office at home and my own business counseling people online, which lead me to create this blog and spread positivity and encourage people to be gentle to themselves. My passion is helping people accept and love themselves ♡ My biggest hobby is reading fluffy little romance books (about cowboys) on my kindle and relax at home with my cat Ursa. My favorite tv shows are Gilmore Girls, Jane the virgin, adventure time, and silly dating reality tv shows. I am neurodivergent & queer, I like to draw, film youtube videos, and make friends online.

Fun facts:

- I always wanted to get back into Taylor swift as I loved her as a child but I keep putting it off

- I don't like sad media of any form

- I am scared of Zeppelins and how big the Eifel tower is

- I love stardew valley

- pink roses are my favorite

- I'm literally incapable of doing math

- I like reading children's books

Links

YOUTUBE CHANNEL

[jeannereames]

While reading stories of Alexander & his friends, it often feels like they could very well be today's youths. Is it because the authors present Alexander's world in a way relatable to the modern reader? Or there are things about youth common in all eras, like teenage crisis, romance, dreams, bold & adventurous spirit? And if I'm not wrong, you mention at one place that you don't "heroize" Alexander. That's interesting, since he's often worshipped a mythical hero. Why did you move away from that?

Alexander and the boys

This query was really two, or at least I want to separate them into two, so I’ll address the matter of heroizing Alexander in a different post.

The reason teen Alexander feels familiar owes to the simple fact biology makes certain aspects of adolescence universal. That said, while all human beings go through (suffer?) adolescence, whether it’s recognized as a “stage of life” depends on place and era. Does X culture have an adolescent moratorium, or time period between childhood and adulthood when teens are not (yet) saddled with the full responsibilities of adulthood?

Ancient Greece did, at least for some classes; they even had a specialized term: ephebe/έφηβος. Later, it came to signify a specific military class for training (18-20), but originally, it just meant a teenage boy, although the start age was imagined as later, more like 15+. Up to that, the generic pais (child) was more common. Ephebe has the implication of “starting to look like a man.”

Of more import, they invented what’s become the Western pedagogical system. The word pedagogy is GREEK: pais (child) agōgē (guiding/training): a paidagōgos was a nanny, but also a method of teaching children. The specific Spartan schooling system is referred to as the Agōgē, but the word has a generic meaning too. All of that is related to the Greek word for “work” (agōn) but also “to lead” (egōn).

There’s your Greek lesson for the day.

The Greeks had a pretty firm idea of the proper way to train up boys* and shape young minds. By the Classical era, and arguably the late Archaic, city Greeks were sending boys between the ages of 7 and 12 to school. These were private, so parents paid for the privilege of getting junior out of the house so somebody else could run herd on him. Mom and Dad had work to do. What were boys taught? The Three Rs (reading, writing, and ‘rithmatic) but also phys-ed (PE) and music. Again, the basics of a proper European primary-school education.

At 12, most boys returned home to take up their father’s occupation. So these were not all wealthy boys. Some were what we’d call middle class, but their families had enough money to invest in their education, and then, as now, the pricier the tuition, the better the teachers. But most stopped on the cusp of adolescence and went to work; they had no adolescent moratorium.

Only the wealthiest boys could afford to go on to what amounted to secondary education: lessons with a philosopher in order to prep them for their future careers as politicians, generals, and city leaders. What they learned now were rhetoric, eristics (art of argument), some literature, laws, theory on government, etc.

This higher-level tutoring is what Aristotle was hired for. Alexander (and friends) had already had the basics. A “philosophic education” had been around for over a century by the time Philip called Aristotle to Pella, although it wasn’t as set in form as it would become by the Hellenistic and Roman eras. In some of his more famous works, such as the Politics, Aristotle talks about the importance of education in the formation of a state: specifically in Book 7.18, and most of Book 8. He gets very specific in Book 8. He puts forward a number of common ideas the ancients had about the nature of the child. Most believed character was unchanging, so education would work to curb a person’s vices and elevate their virtues.

The Greeks, btw, did not invent schools themselves. Egyptians and Mesopotamians both had schools for children before the Greeks did. Greeks got the idea from them. But they did create their own notion of what school should include, which is what they passed down to the Romans, then to Europe, and finally, to most school systems in the West.

Anyway, when a culture introduces the adolescent moratorium, it frees up teenagers to, well, do “stupid teen shit.” Schools provide an environment where they create their own society with their own rules. In cultures where they begin adult jobs at 12/13 (or even sooner), they’re integrated and don’t have the chance to create these little sub-societies that percolate with all the drama of wildly pumping hormones.

So, a society that creates an environment where groups of teens regularly congregate in disproportionate numbers to either adults or children, like secondary school, squire/military, maid, or scribal training--or the Macedonian Pages Corps--will feel familiar to modern societies that have high schools.

Put a bunch of teens together, suffering through adolescence, and it’ll produce similar results anywhere, any time.

—————-

*Girls were obviously not included in misogynistic Greece.

[marvelstars]

Anakin & Ahsoka in Tales of the Jedi

So while I get where the fandom is coming from when they criticize Anakin´s style of teaching Ahsoka how to protect herself by having their soldiers fire at her at the same time on the jedi temple, compared to real world learning of martial arts, which was an actual inspiration for Lucas when he designed the Jedi Order, Anakin´s way of teaching Ahsoka how to defend herself in a war was very tame honestly. In martial arts training it isn´t unusual for students to break a leg practicing or have their hands bleed from the effort.

I don´t think Anakin could have found a safer way to teach her how to defend herself under overwhelming odds and this is my pet peeve with the fandom because they expect Anakin to use a safer pedagogy used in not combat circunstances for a pair of characters who are active leaders in a war, no matter how good or bad of a teacher Anakin could be, he can´t control under how much fire they are going to be on their next mission, he can´t control Ahsoka being kidnapped, missing or tortured or fired at by hundreds of droids at the same time, he can´t be there to protect her all the time while also leading an army without losing either her or many of their soldiers.

So him having her practice over and over again, because battles last hours, there´s not a thing called breaks in a battle, under the watchful eye of their captain, inside the Jedi temple where she has instant access to an infirmary in case it´s neccesary, is honestly the best thing Anakin could have her do for her to really get at the level she needed to be to survive the war and that isn´t being a bad teacher, that´s him trusting her to practice and having faith in her skills as a padawan.

The reason why Anakin disliked Jedi´s traditional tranning wasn´t because it was set in tradition, he himself passed those trials after all, he was proud to pass them but he, on his first real mission in the war, lost the battle, his master and his men on a sigle day and barely scaped with his life, thanks to the sacrifice of his commander official, this was around the time he had that duel with Ventress when she kidnnaped Obi-Wan and Anakin/the Jedi thought he was dead.

This is why Anakin disliked Ahsoka´s trials even if she passed them, because he knew for a fact they were not going to be enough, many padawans died in battle who passed those same trials but who just were not used to the challenges war would bring to them.

And in the end Anakin was right, Ahsoka was able to survive not only the war but being a fugitive persecuted by their own men, Order 66 and the Empire´s army. So I would say that he did good for Ahsoka as her Jedi Master given he looked to train her under the best circunstances he could find to teach her safely.

[historicalfightingguide]

“The Perception & Action Podcast began in May 2015. It explores how psychological research can be applied to improving performance, accelerating skill acquisition and designing new technologies in sports and other high performance domains.

 It covers disciplines including sports science, psychology, human systems engineering, sport analytics, human factors, neuroscience and cognitive science. The podcast reviews basic concepts and discusses the latest research in these areas.

 It is targeted at academics, researchers, coaches, performance analysts, technology developers and students working in/studying these areas. Formats include: 

(i) full episodes covering key topics in detail (ii) Perception & Action News which examines recently published journal articles, (iii) Sports Science Shorts which discuss current issues, and (iii) interviews with academics, practioners and product developers. 

Hope you Enjoy!You can listen to the podcast in a variety of different places and subscribe (for free!) so that you automatically receive new episodes“

[ballet-symphonie]

what's the deal with joy womack ? I got into ballet after the whole scandal at the bolshoi and i've always heard bad things about her but I don't really know the story. Also she apparently lied about her position at POB?

Ooof I'll try to do the quick version based on what I remember, she is basically one drama after another, she tends to...misrepresent information. She left BT after saying she had to pay or even sleep with someone to get soloist parts. This was disputed by some, and confirmed by others.

After she went to work i the Kremlin Ballet Theatre of Moscow, she became a leading soloist with them, despite often calling herself a principal. There was some tension here as she was making vlogs filming class despite her coworkers asking her not to and occasionally sharing some no-so-nice information about her coworkers, things got messy when she divorced her ex and she left, even after she got promoted to principal.

After Kremlin, she won a prize at Varna in 2017, did some unsuccessful company auditions, and did short stints at Universal Ballet in Korea and guesting around Bulgaria and Poland. At one point she was going back Russian State Theatre Arts Ballet Pedagogy and Choreography (GITIS) for higher education in pedagogy. She has repeatedly expressed disdain for both the American and Russian systems, and there is a lot of speculation that this, along with her desire to be a principal *asap* hindered her career.

She was at Boston Ballet for a short period, but didn't like the setup, said she preferred being in Russian/European companies where they provided more individual coaching and often more benefits (housing) and with low layoffs...yet she has also repeatedly complained about the low pay/exchange rate when she was working in Russia. She left here when COVID happened.

After trying a couple of times, I believe she got a "contractuelle" position at POB, where you're generally hired for specific productions (eg, something with a huge corps, or for a specific choreographic nice that a dancer excels in). POB, with its extremely involved hiring and promotion systems/competitions, takes a while to move dancers into the corps sometimes. I'm not sure if she was offered a corps contract and didn't take it, or didn't get one, but regardless, she's no longer working with POB.

And now, if you go to her website she's starting a foundation and a school and company....? This is in addition to her freelancing around and the project prima bars that I think no longer exist and some film work. She's just a lotttttt and does not portray herself as the most self-aware or humble person.

As far as my personal interactions with her go, I know she came to audition at my company before I started my professional career and was not accepted. I took a couple classes with her in NYC by chance, the diva attitude was overtly present.

I didn't do much googling here, of course open to corrections of this mass of speculation

[noonaishere]

Music of the Heart [J.YH] - seventy-five | pedagogy

When you walked into the building the next morning, Mina had already been told of your appointment with the CEO, and decided to escort you there herself, more than happy to talk your ear off since you hadn’t talked to each other since you were hired.

“And you can see all the awards the company itself has won from labor boards and unions and all different things.” She pointed them out even though they were really obvious on the walls leading to Mr. Ji’s office.

“Why aren’t they all downstairs with the other ones?”

“I don’t know. Maybe because most people coming in wouldn’t be interested in them?”

“They should show them off to everyone though. Especially because, I think these probably show more of what the company is about, like, per the manifesto on the wall downstairs.”

“I think so too,” a voice from behind you said. 

Both of you turned. Mina smiled widely and bowed as Mr. Ji walked over from where the elevators were, his assistant in tow. 

You bowed nervously.

“I wanted to put them downstairs originally, but the board thought they might look a bit strange next to all the albums and music awards - being more about business than most people care for - so I had them moved up here.”

“Oh… I would think that they would want to show off to prospective talent that your company’s standards are as high as you aspire for them to be.”

He smiled. “I’ll make that point to them at the next meeting.”

You nodded nervously.

He turned to his assistant. “Ms. Lee, this is t/l/n t/f/n, my 9:30. Could you hold my calls?”

“Yes, sir.”

He then turned to Mina. “Miss Kang, you didn’t have to go through the trouble of escorting Miss t/l/n up here yourself.”

“It was no trouble Mr. Ji, I didn’t want her to get lost on her way up.”

He smiled. “Well thank you for taking the time to do so. If you’ll both excuse us, we have a meeting to get to.”

The two women bowed and turned to leave. As they walked away, you could see Mina link her arm in Ms. Lee’s, and they began chatting like old friends - which - if they’ve both been working there for a while, they probably were.

Mr. Ji walked the remaining few feet to his office door and held it open for you. “Miss t/l/n?”

You walked in. “Shouldn’t I hold it open for you? Since you’re the CEO and all?”

He chuckled. “You’re my guest.”

You nodded nervously. You hadn’t thought of it like that. Everything you’d seen of CEOs on tv and in movies always portrayed them as abusive, power tripping creeps, so you really couldn’t be faulted for your sudden case of nerves.

“Would you like something to drink?” He gestured to a station with a coffee maker and an electric kettle, and what appeared to be an array of different teas and coffees.

“Um, no thank you. I think Maddox is probably going to get us coffee or something when I show up, so I don’t want to disappoint him.”

He smiled. “Lord knows I wouldn’t want that boy to be sad, by any means.”

You chuckled.

He took off his suit jacket and hung it up. “Let’s sit here at the table while we work.” He walked over to a small, circular table and pulled the chairs out.

“Not at your desk?” You asked, confused.

“I prefer to sit as equals with someone if we’re working on something together.”

You supposed Hongjoong was right; he really was different. You sat at the table.

“Now, what was it that you wanted help with? Hongjoong said you were having trouble figuring out a lesson plan?”

“Um… I think it’s more than that. I’m just…” you mulled over how to phrase your issue.

“Say whatever’s on your mind.”

“Well,” you laughed awkwardly, “I don’t want to be too honest.”

“Why not? I’ve always found it to be the most helpful thing.”

“...I don’t want you to think that I’m ungrateful or… or that I don’t belong at the company.”

He smiled. “t/n, Hongjoong sees potential in you. When you were hired, I heard from Maddox’s own mouth that he was going to try to fight Hongjoong if he didn’t hire you.”

“Wha-- try?”

“He’s a sweet kid who’s never been in a fight in his life, but he was going to make that his first.”

“What? For a bassist?”

He shook his head. “For someone who makes mashups so good that it was plainly obvious they should have started producing years ago. When he finally convinced Hongjoong to watch them, I got a message from him shortly after asking if he could be the one to hire you as the third for their group.”

“What? They didn’t tell me that.”

He smiled. “They might have been trying to ease you into it, to lessen the amount of pressure, but they were right; I watched your mashups too and I think you have a bright future ahead of you.”

You felt your face heat up and you hid behind your hands for a moment. “This is so embarrassing.”

He laughed. “Why? You do good work and we all think you can keep doing it. I was rather impressed with your pitch for Ans:wer, considering you hadn’t been with us for too long when you made it.”

“Well, I had Hongjoong and Maddox helping me with putting it together. I just came up with the idea and they really liked it.”

“See? You’ve fit into their little group quite well.”

You nodded. “I’m still not sure if I should teach though. That’s sort of my concern right now.”

He leaned back in his chair and viewed you, crossing his arms across his chest.  “Why is that?”

“Well… I’m self taught. And, like… I think I’m a pretty good player, but I don’t know if I’m good enough to teach. And I don’t know how to put a lesson plan together, like you said.”

He nodded and thought for a moment.

You sat with your hands in your lap and waited.

“Hongjoong told me your bass skills were incredible when you auditioned, so I don’t think that talent is really an issue. If you’re thinking about it this much, then you probably are good enough-- otherwise you wouldn’t care so much.”

You nodded slowly.

“And you’re already better than she is, so if you teach her what *you* know, she’ll at least be at your level.”

You nodded again. 

“Hongjoong told me you can sight read because you took violin lessons when you were younger?”

Your eyes snapped to him. How much had he told him?

“Then you’ve already experienced the structure of a music lesson, so you can use that knowledge.”

That honestly hadn’t occurred to you, probably because you purposely tried to forget them. Your brow furrowed as you thought.

“Something wrong?”

You shook your head. “It just… wasn’t a great experience… It made me hate violin. I don’t think I’d want to teach someone the way my violin teacher taught me.”

He looked at you for a moment and seemed to consider what you might mean. He uncrossed his arms and leaned forward, resting his arms on the table.

“At the very least, you know how you don’t want to teach, and that’s as good as knowing how you do want to teach. You can run your class in a way that makes your student love learning.”

You looked away for a moment as you thought. “But… how do I do that?”

He smiled. “What made you want to play bass in the first place.”

You shrugged. “I liked the music and it sounded really cool.”

“So use that.”

You looked back at him blankly.

“So many people seem to think that technical skill is somehow divorced from musicality, as if they’re two schools of thoughts of tackling the making and enjoying of music.” He shook his head. “Technical skill is what music is based on, like how an artist has to learn how to draw a realistic figure and know the rules of art before they can break them in the way famous artists do. Technical skills shouldn’t be chains to constrain us, they’re the skills we use to express what we feel.”

You nodded.

“How did your teacher teach you?”

“...You mean aside from the yelling?”

He grimaced. “I’m sorry.”

You shook your head. “Um… they taught a lot of technique.”

“In the context of songs? Or as an afterthought?”

You thought for a moment. “Mmm… wow, I’ve never thought about it. Umm… music felt like an afterthought. There was a lot of scales and drills for bowing and stuff, I just felt like--” You shook  your head.

“Like what?”

“...Like a machine. Like someone was just inputting musical information and not like… teaching a kid the joy and wonder of music. Like a… if someone made a painting for the purpose of being pretty, but it didn’t make you feel anything.”

He closed his eyes and sighed. “There’s an intersection between music and money making that I’ve really come to hate. Where the amount of sales is the sole arbiter of if music or a musical artist is good or not…” he thought for a few more moments and shook his head. “There are so many artists in this business who are treated like machines instead of thinking, feeling humans.”

“Is that why you made Wonderland the way it is?”

He smiled and nodded.

You nodded back.

“I wish I could upend the system-- organize unions and guilds and give artists and staff more bargaining power. I have this nice office as a means of showing the power of the company to people who care about that kind of thing, but I much prefer being able to talk to my producers, talk to the CEOs of TTB, ask the head makeup artist and stylists how everyone is doing… I suppose Wonderland is my attempt at trying to change something that’s way bigger than any of us, even if it’s so small in comparison to the institution it’s in.”

“Well… you’re doing a pretty good job so far.”

He smiled.

“And, um… about Doyun… Thank you for taking action. I know a lot of other companies wouldn’t have.”

“I’m glad you’re happy with the result, but you don’t have to thank me for doing the bare minimum. Companies should protect their employees.”

You nodded thoughtfully.

“Why put yourself in charge if you’re not going to act like it?”

You looked at him. That phrase - though in other words - sounded awfully familiar. You smiled and nodded again. He was right.

The two of you sat in silence for a moment before he stood and grabbed a notepad and pen off his desk.

“How about, I show you how I structured my lessons when I taught Hongjoong?”

“Ooh, the trade secrets.”

He laughed.

Your heart was fluttering.

You weren’t sure it ever did that.

Were you excited to see him at the party? Sure, the party was probably going to be a wash: all you really wanted to do was make music, not drink and schmooze with randos, you were never really good at the whole ‘Hello Fellow Human, I Too Enjoy Talking About the Most Shallow and Banal Topics As If They Are Very Important’ thing. Talking about music or instrument modification or anything that requires real depth, that you were good at. But not whatever it was people did at industry parties. 

You remembered when your parents would force you to go to the ones all the other violin students went to; bored parents just held socials with the excuse that it was for their kids to get to know each other - because if they all play violin, they all must have everything in common, right? - but really it was just so they could hang out with each other… and also do retcon on whose kid might win the next competition. It was equal parts strange and awful.

Maybe one held by Wonderland would be different.

And: Yunho would be there at this party. You wondered if he’d go with Satbyeol. Did they even go out yet? Should you ask if he was going with her? Sure, he had asked you if you were going, but that was just because you guys were friends again. Everyone always asks if their friends are going to parties; at least then if there’s no one else to talk to, they can talk to each other. You weren’t very close with Satbyeol though, so it might seem weird if you asked him if he was taking her.

You supposed you’d just find out when you got to the party.

And suddenly, sleeplessness that started over excitement, had become sleeplessness over worry.

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Send an ask or leave a comment if you want to be added to the tag list! 🎵

@luvvvx • @iamthehotdemon • @hrts4hanniehae • @rachs-words • @stayatinykatsy •

[bellshazes]

i am very curious about your academic history! uni or informal or personal interest or otherwise. i've seen you mention a number of disciplines from time to time, v cool to see medieval studies be among them. always awe-inspiring to see someone use their wealth of lit knowledge to help create incredibly provocative posts about minecraft youtubers. your experience with philosophy is one i'd love to know more about.

(if you're comfortable with sharing it! otherwise, feel free to ignore this ask :P)

this is a very lovely ask and i don't mind to share at all because it's really just... a hodgepodge. it took me twelve years to graduate college. i flunked out my junior year and tried in fits to go back and chip away at my last requirements only when i got reimbursement through my job. i concentrated my courses on medieval culture/literature, french, and general linguistics (these often overlapped). i didn't study any actual theory in my courses until i took my final 2 humanities ones. which in fact i took and blogged through right here.

taking that theater of the absurd class (as Last Life happened!) connected me to academic game studies, which was easy pickings since i spent about a decade teaching arkham horror (and occasional other pinch hits for e.g. catan) at game conventions. so i have a lot of friends from those cons who enjoy and have the vocabulary to dissect games' mechanics and feel and the social dynamics of them. i love rehashing the difference between game mastering a co-op board game vs. an official strategy tournament vs. casual improv games vs. casual competitive vs. asymmetric, and then rehashing the player pov of each of those and more, and people who can argue back.

i'm very lucky to have friends who also think of philosophy not as being walled off from daily life but a practice of examining the world and our relationships within it. we sit and argue for the sake of tearing a concept apart, like "what differentiates art from craft?" or "does the platonic ideal suck or is it romantic?" or "what are you most afraid of?". do this for at least 5 years and you'll end up with complex opinions and perspectives. in my early 20s, biking from my restaurant job to free museums and writing about local art history kept me alive.i'm lucky my very bizarre career path since has led me to jobs where taxonomical flexibility and philosophy are necessary skills.

i think everything is worth taking seriously, even the most unserious parts of life, and i think you can take play seriously while also remaining playful in your examination. i think all your experiences build on themselves by virtue of aging, if you allow yourself to play with them. i think that there are a thousand silver threads between each thing and every every every other thing in the world and universe and imagination and drawing those lines of juxtaposition illuminate the edges of a negative space that is dynamic as it pulls and is pushed by all of its interrelationships, even the most obscure thinnest threads. i wouldn't have worked all that out without talking with the same people again and again.

at a work conference last year i was introduced to gregory bateson, whose ecology of mind makes me feel like i just stepped off the tallest rollercoaster in the world. i'm still not sure that i've got a good enough understanding of pedagogy of the oppressed (which i discovered via um les mis fanfic?) but i reread the second chapter even more often than i revisit quine's the ways of paradox. for good advice on how to be an amateur, tampopo lays it out the best. i lead with being a college dropout because i want to emphasize i'm no master of anything, just a lover of many, but that i think a critical amateurism, a love that drives learning and development and communion with others is just about the best most life-giving thing there is.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Colin Wright

Published: Nov 26, 2024

In a stunning series of events, two leading media organizations—The New York Times and Bloomberg—abruptly shelved coverage of a groundbreaking study that raises serious concerns about the psychological impacts of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) pedagogy. The study, conducted by the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) in collaboration with Rutgers University, found that certain DEI practices could induce hostility, increase authoritarian tendencies, and foster agreement with extreme rhetoric. With billions of dollars invested annually in these initiatives, the public has a right to know if such programs—heralded as effective moral solutions to bigotry and hate—might instead be fueling the very problems they claim to solve. The decision to withhold coverage raises serious questions about transparency, editorial independence, and the growing influence of ideological biases in the media.

The NCRI study investigated the psychological effects of DEI pedagogy, specifically training programs that draw heavily from texts like Ibram X. Kendi’s How to Be an Antiracist and Robin DiAngelo’s White Fragility. The findings were unsettling, though perhaps not surprising to longstanding opponents of such programs. Through carefully controlled experiments, the researchers demonstrated that exposure to anti-oppressive (i.e., anti-racist) rhetoric—common in many DEI initiatives—consistently amplified perceptions of bias where none existed. Participants were more likely to see prejudice in neutral scenarios and to support punitive actions against imagined offenders. These effects were not marginal; hostility and punitive tendencies increased by double-digit percentages across multiple measures. Perhaps most troubling, the study revealed a chilling convergence with authoritarian attitudes, suggesting that such training is fostering not empathy, but coercion and control.

The implications of these findings cannot be downplayed. DEI programs have become a fixture in workplaces, schools, and universities across the United States, with a 2023 Pew Research Center report indicating that more than half of U.S. workers have attended some form of DEI training. Institutions collectively spend approximately $8 billion annually on these initiatives, yet the NCRI study underscores how little scrutiny they receive. While proponents of DEI argue that these programs are essential to achieving equity and dismantling systemic oppression, the NCRI’s data suggests that such efforts may actually be deepening divisions and cultivating hostility.

This context makes the suppression of the study even more alarming. The New York Times, which has cited NCRI’s work in nearly 20 previous articles, suddenly demanded that this particular research undergo peer review—a requirement that had never been imposed on the institute’s earlier findings, even on similarly sensitive topics like extremism or online hate. At Bloomberg, the story was quashed outright by an editor known for public support of DEI initiatives. The editorial decisions were ostensibly justified as routine discretion, yet they align conspicuously with the ideological leanings of those involved. Are these major outlets succumbing to pressures to protect certain narratives at the expense of truth?

For Joel Finkelstein, the NCRI researcher leading the study, the editorial reversals are as revealing as the data itself. In communications with reporters, he described the findings as “sobering with likely impact for DEI policy, as well as congressional impacts and potentially civil litigation.” Finkelstein further stated that, “This seems like an effort to suppress research that challenges prevailing narratives around DEI and worryingly, implicates standard practices for egregious harms.”

The harm in question goes far beyond the scope of individual programs. Across multiple experiments, the study documented a consistent pattern: exposure to anti-oppressive DEI rhetoric heightened participants’ tendency to attribute hostility and bias to ambiguous situations. In one experiment, participants read excerpts from Robin DiAngelo and Ibram X. Kendi, juxtaposed against a neutral control text about corn production. Afterward, they were asked to evaluate a hypothetical scenario: an applicant being rejected from an elite university. Those exposed to the DEI materials were far more likely to perceive racism in the admissions process, despite no evidence to support such a conclusion.

They were also more likely to advocate punitive measures, such as suspending the admissions officer or mandating additional DEI training.

A particularly revealing aspect of the study focused on DEI training centered on Islamophobia, using materials developed by the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU). The findings echoed the broader concerns of the study but offered unique insights into how DEI programming shapes perceptions of bias and fairness. Participants were presented with a scenario involving two fictional individuals, Ahmed Akhtar and George Green, both convicted of identical terrorism charges. When participants were exposed to the ISPU-inspired training materials, their perception of Ahmed’s trial was significantly altered—they rated it as far less fair than George’s, despite the trials being described in identical terms.

This discrepancy highlights a core issue with DEI narratives that emphasize systemic oppression. By priming participants to see injustice against specific groups, these trainings appear to cultivate a “hostile attribution bias”—a tendency to perceive prejudice and discrimination even where none exists. While sensitivity to genuine bias is critical, the NCRI findings suggest that DEI interventions like the ISPU materials may create unwarranted distrust in institutions and undermine confidence in objective fairness.

Another alarming aspect of the NCRI study involved DEI training on caste discrimination. Participants exposed to materials from Equality Labs—a prominent provider of anti-caste training—were significantly more likely to perceive bias and endorse dehumanizing rhetoric, including adapted quotes from Adolf Hitler where the term “Jew” was replaced with “Brahmin.” The findings suggest that these programs may not only fail to address systemic injustice but actively cultivate divisive and authoritarian mindsets.

Critics of DEI have long pointed to its lack of empirical support, and the NCRI study adds weight to those concerns. Research cited in the report highlights how many DEI programs rely on untested theories or unverified self-reports, with little oversight or accountability. A 2021 meta-analysis found that some initiatives not only fail to reduce prejudice but actually exacerbate it, fueling resentment and perceptions of unfairness. The NCRI study’s findings echo these conclusions, suggesting that far from fostering inclusion, DEI programs may perpetuate a cycle of suspicion and punitive retribution.

Yet, as troubling as the study’s findings are, its suppression may be even more consequential. The decision to withhold this research from public discourse speaks to a larger issue: the growing entanglement of ideology and information. In a moment when public trust in institutions is already fragile, the media’s role as a gatekeeper of information becomes all the more worrying. When powerful outlets like The New York Times and Bloomberg withhold stories of such significance, they fracture trust with the American people.

The public deserves to know if the tools being deployed to foster “equity” and “anti-racism” are instead causing harm. The NCRI study raises urgent questions about the real social consequences of DEI programming, but it also underscores the need for transparency and accountability in how we address these issues. Suppressing this research does not further the goal of making society more inclusive and accepting—it undermines it.

As DEI programs continue to expand across schools, workplaces, and governments, the stakes could not be higher. Whether this research sparks a broader reckoning or remains buried will depend on whether institutions—and the media that hold them accountable—are willing to confront uncomfortable truths.

--

https://networkcontagion.us/wp-content/uploads/Instructing-Animosity_11.13.24.pdf

Instructing Animosity: How DEI Pedagogy Produces the Hostile Attribution Bias

DEI programs purport to cultivate inclusive environments for people from diverse backgrounds and encourage greater empathy in interpersonal interactions. A key component of DEI offerings lies in diversity pedagogy: Lectures, trainings and educational resources ostensibly designed to educate participants about their prejudice and bias in order to eliminate discrimination (Iyer, 2022). As institutions across corporate and educational sectors increasingly embed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) into their foundational strategies, it is crucial to evaluate the effectiveness of common aspects of this pedagogy.

A 2023 study by the Pew Research Center found that 52% of American workers have DEI meetings or training events at work, and according to Iris Bohnet, a professor of public policy at Harvard Kennedy School, $8 billion is spent annually on such programs. Despite widespread investment in and adoption of diversity pedagogy through lectures, educational resources, and training, assessments of efficacy have produced mixed results.

A meta-analysis by Paluck et al. (2021) found that too few studies in the field have investigated real-world impact on “light-touch” interventions or seminars and training programs. Taken together, the limited evidence suggests that some DEI programs not only fail to achieve their goals but can actively undermine diversity efforts. Specifically, mandatory trainings that focus on particular target groups can foster discomfort and perceptions of unfairness (Burnett and Aguinis, 2024). DEI initiatives seen as affirmative action rather than business strategy can provoke backlash, increasing rather than reducing racial resentment (Kidder et al., 2004; Legault et al. (2001). And diversity initiatives aimed at managing bias can fail, sometimes resulting in decreased representation and triggering negativity among employees (Leslie, 2019; Kalev, Dobbin, & Kelly, 2006). In other words, some DEI programs appear to backfire.

==

DEI is cancer.

Now we have the proof.