Working the Gardens of Our Classrooms

James Lang reads his piece, Working the Gardens of Our Classrooms, on episode 529 of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast.

Quotes from the episode


He quits worrying about whether Pangloss or Martin are correct, decides that he and his companions should turn their attention to the immediate work demanded by their current circumstances.
-James Lang

Writing is, number 1, a form of thinking, number 2, that produces learning, and 3, generates new ideas. That was true in 2000, and it's true in 2024.
-James Lang

In the meantime, the gardens need tending. If you continue to believe in the value of the plants that have always flourished in your garden, keep growing them.
-James Lang


Resources

Voltaire on Working the Gardens of Our Classrooms: Are you a Pangloss, Martin, or Candide?, by James Lang 
Episode 19: Cheating Lessons with James Lang
Episode 374: Small teaching Reprised with James Lang
The Healing Power of Learning: After a health crisis, an academic finds that learning is not just joyful but restorative, by James M. Lang
Notre Dame Hub of Learning Excellence
Desirable difficulties
Kristi Rudenga is Director of the Notre Dame Learning | Kaneb Center as well as Associate Teaching Professor, with a concurrent appointment in Psychology