Humane Educator’s Toolbox: Three Myths of Behavior Change
Did you know that the greatest adversary to change is common sense? That’s what sociology professor Jeni Cross says in her TEDx talk, “Three Myths of Behavior Change: What You Think You Know That You...
View ArticleStorytelling Matters: What Moves People to Action?
Several years ago my husband and I watched “Hotel Rwanda” together. We both found the film disturbing and powerful, but while I was moved to take action, he was not. Of course I understood that...
View ArticleAnimals and Media: A Style Guide for Giving Voice to the Voiceless
This website offers “style guidelines for media practitioners in the professions of journalism, entertainment media, advertising, and public relations to offer concrete guidance for how to cover and...
View ArticleWebSpotlight: Animals and Media Style Guide
The ways in which we talk about and portray nonhuman animals greatly influences how we think about animals and our relationships with them. Using she, he or it. Saying owner vs. guardian. Referring to...
View Article5 Minute Changemaker: Language Matters
Image via Tim Sheerman-Chase/Flickr. by Marsha Rakestraw We can kill two birds with one stone. The dog wagged its tail. I’m feeling crazy. That movie was so lame. That’s so gay. Our everyday language...
View ArticleUncovering “Truths”
Image courtesy of Daveblog/Flickr. by Marsha Rakestraw The media is full of “truths” about people and issues. Many of these “truths” are incomplete, inaccurate, biased, misleading, and otherwise...
View ArticleWhat We See Depends on What We Look For
by Marsha Rakestraw Recently I came across this quote: “What we see depends mainly on what we look for.” (John Lubbock) It reminded me of the powerful story, based on a West African folktale, that Mary...
View ArticleHelp Students Think Critically About Health Claims
by Marsha Rakestraw In April hundreds of thousands of people around the world took part in the March for Science, in part to “champion robustly funded and publicly communicated science as a pillar of...
View ArticleEvolving Toward Conscientious Language With Ethical Language Style Guides
by Marsha Rakestraw As we strive to become a more just and inclusive world, there is backlash against what has been termed “PC” or “politically-correct” language. Those who wave the “anti-PC” flag tend...
View ArticleFrameworks Institute
The Frameworks Institute conducts, curates, analyzes and shares scholarly research on effective communications to help leaders and changemakers strategically frame public conversation and understanding...
View ArticleCan You Spot the Biases in Your Classroom?
by IHE Peruse a piece of information, and it may seem objective. Look again with a more critical eye, and you can begin to see the hidden messages, the framing, and the context (or lack thereof)...
View ArticleThe Art of Believing
by Mary Pat Champeau In 1979, I was a brand new teacher and Peace Corps volunteer in Niger, West Africa, and quite out of my element. The first week of school, I noticed three little boys, who were...
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