The Secret Powers of Time

This is a talk by the psychologist Philip Zimbardo about the different ways people experience time and how our perceptions of time are a fundamental part of how we think and how we act: The Secret Powers of Time.

Intensity versus Consistency

This is an RSA Animate adaptation of Simon Sinek's talk on Intensity versus Consistency, which also has a lot of relevance to education... because real learning depends absolutely on consistency, but much of school culture promotes intensity instead. Ouch.

The Biology of Positivity

This short little video (with fun emojis!) goes along with this very useful article: Your Brain May Be Hard-wired to Focus on the Negative, But (With Practice) You Can Reprogram It by Leah Shafer and Iman Rastegari.

This notion of "positivity" overlaps with growth mindset in powerful ways. Instead of focusing on the negative (making mistakes, the fear of making mistakes, etc.), you really can train your brain to look at mistakes as useful information that you can use for your own learning. Some other good tips here include not comparing yourself to others and being patient with your own progress!

The Biology of Positivity

Here's a transcript of the video:

Your brain is hard-wired to focus on the negative. Fortunately, we can re-wire our neural connections. Learning new things makes your brain stronger, and repeating those new things creates new neurons The same is true for positive habits of mind; they're learnable and self-strengthening. Mindfulness is a bridge to positive habits:

• Take a break and look at something different. Savor the calm. 
• Look for good things in small moments.
• Look for and talk about the good traits of others.
• Exercise.
• Be persistent, knowing that change takes time. 

(image from the You Can Reprogram It article)

The Divided Brain.

This is an RSA Animate adaptation of Iain McGilchrist's talk about the right and left brain, which is not the old myth/stereotype about logic on one side and imagination on the other side; instead, it's about how we pay attention, and also about empathy: The Divided Brain.

The Empathic Civilization

This is an RSA Animate adaptation of Jeremy Rifkin's ideas about empathy: The Empathic Civilization.

The Power of Outrospection

This is an RSA Animate adaptation of the social philosopher Roman Krznaric's ideas about empathy: The Power of Outrospection.

Brené Brown on Empathy

More about Brené Brown. This is an animated version of Brene Brown's RSA talk; you can see the full talk here: The Power of Vulnerability.

Here's a lovely still from the video:

What would happen if you didn’t sleep?

Here's a TED-Ed video by Claudia Aguirre about the effects of sleep deprivation; find out more at the TED-Ed Lesson page.

What would happen if you didn’t sleep?

All That We Share

Here's a great video from Denmark's TV-2 about empathy: All That We Share. You can read more here in this HuffPo article about the video.

Richard Twice: A Musical Life Interrupted

This is a lovely short animated film about life and the search for happiness; here's the blurb from the Aeon site:

After losing part of his leg in a motorcycle accident in the early 1960, Richard Atkins took to playing guitar and writing songs, quickly landing a coveted deal for his debut album Richard Twice (1968) with Mercury Records. But what appeared to be a fast track to folk-rock stardom came to a sudden halt when a make-or-break performance brought his dreams crashing down. Traumatised, he stopped listening to the radio and playing on stage for 40 years, deciding instead to dedicate his life to woodworking. Using expressive, psychedelic animations and featuring Atkins’s original music, the US director Matthew Salton’s film is a bittersweet reminder that many dreams go unfulfilled, and while past failures are always with us, they needn’t define us.

Be together. Not the same.

Yes, it's an ad for Android... but the message applies to much more than phones:

Be together. Not the same.

Cooper Lund on the weight of depression, ending mental illness stigma.

I wanted to share an article from the OU Daily (with video) written by Cooper Lund, who some of you may have known as a student in the Myth-Folklore class a while back. It's on a very important topic, and I really admire Cooper for sharing his experience here: Cooper Lund on the weight of depression, ending mental illness stigma.

See more videos / read more articles in this series: OU Mental Health.

Open Heart, Open Mind

Jake Morgan was a student in Myth-Folklore a couple of years ago, and I am very glad to share his TEDxOU talk here: Understanding mental illness through empathic storytelling: Jake Morgan and Neal Walia at TEDxOU.

See more videos / read more articles in this series: OU Mental Health.

The Present

The animation in this film is delightful... and the message is a beautiful one: be sure to watch through to the end!

The Present

You can learn more about the film at Jacob Frey's website, and here is the film's adorable little dog:

Life From Above, and Beyond, with words from Alan Watts

Alan Watts is one of the great teachers of the 20th century; you can read more about him at Wikipedia, and you can find many more Alan Watts videos (many based on his radio talks) at YouTube: Alan Watts.

This video has music by Hans Zimmer (Interstellar), with words from Alan Watts; it was created by Trey Ratcliff.  You can read the text here: Symbols and Meaning.

Be Brave for Education

From a discussion with someone at Google+ today, I learned a new word: didaskaleinophobia, which is the fear of school. Growth mindset is a good way to confront the fears that can stand in your way, including those little fears —what if I make a mistake? what if I look foolish? what if I just don't get it? — that do not merit the label "phobia" ... and if you need a bravery boost, just watch this video: Be Brave for Education. For the lyrics, see the Sara Bareilles - Brave page at genius.com.

You can find out more about the Montessori teachers who made this video at their website: BeBrave4Education.com.

Future of Storytelling: Empathy, Neurochemistry, and the Dramatic Arc

This is a short video about the neurochemistry of storytelling and what happens in your brain (the chemicals that are released, the areas of the brain that light up) when the drama of a story engages your attention and even provokes distress while there is also an empathetic reaction where you use your imagination to connect with the characters in the story. You can find out more about the brain chemicals cortisol and oxytocin at Wikipedia if you are curious to learn more!

Future of Storytelling:

Empathy, Neurochemistry, and the Dramatic Arc

Future of Storytelling: Empathy, Neurochemistry, and the Dramatic Arc

This is a short video about the neurochemistry of storytelling and what happens in your brain (the chemicals that are released, the areas of the brain that light up) when the drama of a story engages your attention and even provokes distress while there is also an empathetic reaction where you use your imagination to connect with the characters in the story. You can find out more about the brain chemicals cortisol and oxytocin at Wikipedia if you are curious to learn more!

Future of Storytelling:

Empathy, Neurochemistry, and the Dramatic Arc

Louis Schwartzberg: Gratitude, with David Steindl-Rast

Gratitude and happiness are profoundly intertwined, as you can learn in this Louis Schwartzberg video from Everyone Matters, featuring the words of Brother David Steindl-Rast:

GRATITUDE

(Brother David Steindl-Rast)

Alike (a short film)

This is a beautiful film told without words: trust me, it is definitely worth 8 minutes of your time to watch this one! You can find out more in this Wikipedia article about the film.

Alike