Coauthors of the widely acclaimed book, They Say/I Say-The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing, explore how to craft persuasive arguments and communicate them effectively. Topics discussed include: the connection between thinking and writing; the nature of academic writing; the concept of “entering the conversation”; specific templates to improve the content of your writing, speaking, and thinking about issues that matter; the role of artificial intelligence in education; and a variety of other topics.

With a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology, a Master’s Degree in Philosophy, and experience as a teacher, our guest for this episode, Stephanie Simoes, developed Critikid, a website for kids, teens, teachers and others. Critikid offers instruction in: emotional intelligence (Learning to recognize, understand, and manage your emotions), safe and effective use of social media, principles of logic (including logical fallacies) and statistical and data literacy—by blending storytelling with interactive activities.

James Fishkin, Stanford University Professor (and Director of the Stanford Deliberative Democracy Lab) discusses his extensive research and development focused on the process of "Deliberative Polling" and clarifies its relationship to Deliberative Democracy—a form of democracy in which deliberation is central to decision-making. Professor Fishkin suggests that institutionalizing deliberative processes could lead to reducing political polarization, while also increasing citizens’ political involvement and knowledge of the issues, as discussed in his recent book: Can Deliberation Cure the Ills of Democracy?