Episode 043: The Danger of a Single Story

We have a lot of silliness in the intro to this episode, with Dave complaining about having a cold, an argument about whether real or fake Christmas trees are superior, and a surprise visit from our good friend and colleague, Ed. When we finally pull things together, Abby brings us a quote from a TED Talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie entitled “The Danger of a Single Story,” and prompts us to continue the discussion from our last episode about stories and the role of storytelling in both our pedagogy and curricula. Through the ensuing discussion, we think through what voices teachers elevate (or silence) through the stories we bring into our classrooms, and the messages we might inadvertently be conveying or reinforcing to our students. No easy answers here for us, but we have lots of questions, as usual.

• Here is the TED Talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie that Abby references in this episode: https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story