IDENTITY – Who (and Why) We Are
The Science
Brain researcher Jill Bolte Taylor studied her own stroke as it happened — and has become a powerful voice for brain recovery.
The Art
In this film from 1963, KQED reporters follow James Baldwin as he’s driven around San Francisco to meet with members of the local African-American community.
The Practitioner
In this short teaching video, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh talks about the Four Noble Truths and the nature of Interbeing of these Truths.
The Community
Thahn Bui broke his parents’ hearts when he decided to become an artist. Eight years later, he opened the SOUL Music and Performing Arts Academy in downtown Ho Chi Minh City.
INFORMATION – What (and Why) We Notice
The Science
Anje-Margriet Neutel describes some common positive and negative feedback loops found in nature, examining how an ecosystem’s many loops come together to make its ‘trademark sound.’
The Art
In this interview, co-creator Corinne Jaber describes what led to the making of “Oh My Sweet Land.”
The Practitioner
In this excerpt from her acclaimed book Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer draws upon the creation story Skywoman Falling and the wisdom of plants to guide us through our present moment of deep uncertainty.
The Community
Reggio Emilia is a microcosm of the changing face of Italy: nascent, uprooted, and precariously perched between worldviews. Why then is it also the home to the finest nursery schools in the world?
RELATIONSHIPS – How (and Why) We Connect
The Science
Cornell professor, biologist and beekeeper Thomas Seeley explains how honeybees use swarm intelligence to make the critical decision of when, how, and where to form new colonies.
The Art
Watch Liz Lerman’s Atlas of Creative Tools — and learn how to apply three of them in your own work.
The Practitioner
Dr. Dan Siegel explores the neural mechanisms beneath social and emotional intelligence and how these can be cultivated through reflective practices that focus on the inner nature
of the mind.
The Community
In this stirring video profile, we meet June Jordan teacher Giulio Sorro, and learn more about what makes his school so unique.
EMERGENCE – How (and Why) We Create
The Science
In this short film, we follow the journey of two young women on the River Shannon as they stumble across one of nature’s greatest phenomenons: a murmuration of starlings.
The Art
Filmmaker Ken Burns tells the story of jazz — the quintessential American art form — featuring 75 interviews, 500+ pieces of music, 2,400 still photographs and 2,000+ archival film clips.
The Practitioner
With her sister, Autumn, adrienne maree brown hosts a podcast about learning from the apocalypse with grace, rigor and curiosity.
The Community
Matt Goldman describes the ways Blue School has applied the lessons learned from Blue Man Group in a school that balances academic mastery, creative thinking and self and social intelligence.
PATTERNS – What (and Why) We Become
The Science
Mathemagician Arthur Benjamin explores hidden properties of that weird and wonderful set of numbers, the Fibonacci series.
The Art
Watch people from all walks of life tell stories of life, love, and everything else in between.
The Practitioner
Failing schools—or communities that have been failed? Jitu Brown and a group of concerned citizens from Detroit protest the confirmation of Betsy Devos as U.S. Education Secretary.
The Community
Chef Dan Barber chronicles his pursuit of a sustainable fish he could love, and the foodie’s honeymoon he’s enjoyed since discovering a revolutionary farming method in Spain.
Processes – How (and Why) We Work
The Science
Mycologist Anne Pringle explains how slime molds—single-celled, brainless organisms—make decisions, solve mazes, and how fit into our ecosystem.
The Art
Documentarian Thomas Riedelsheimer profiles Andy Goldsworthy as he creates art in natural settings, using natural materials such as driftwood, ice, mud, leaves, and stones.
The Practitioner
Starting with her one-person school strike for climate action outside the Swedish Parliament, Greta Thunberg —a shy child with Asperger’s—has sparked global awareness of the climate crisis.
The Community
In this four-part series, we learn about a Memphis school that looks nothing like the schools most of us attended or experienced — and why it was designed that way.
STRUCTURES – How (and Why) We Build
The Science
The Pando Clone, a massive grove of aspen trees that encompasses approximately 106 acres, is actually the largest single organism in the world.
The Art
In a friendly, high-speed presentation, SimCity founder Will Wright demo’s his newest game, which promises to dazzle users even more than his previous masterpieces.
The Practitioner
In a North Memphis neighborhood known for its struggles, a public Montessori school is providing a different model for the best way to foster a healthy identity in young children.
The Community
With its 450 children and two chickens, Chicago’s Academy for Global Citizenship is offering a new way to change education—and the wider world.
