JREF Swift Blog

Putting Woo to a Good Use

As an educator I always had to be on my toes, not only to prevent undesirable behavior, but also to be aware of something much more elusive. Teachers are always on the lookout for something called a "teachable moment". They are tricky because they don't appear in your lesson plans, you have no idea where they will come from or when, and they may not even be on topic. Even trickier, you usually have a limited amount of time in which to take maximum advantage. Very often, the next thing you say determines whether or not you let that teachable moment slip by.

I was fortunate enough to capture one with my son just the other day. My father-in-law believes in all kinds of woo, and after talking with him my 9 year old son came to me very excited, his head full of stories about reincarnation, past life regression through hypnosis, and the possibility that after I die I'll come back as his child. Well, you can imagine how I felt. I opened my mouth, fully intending to say "Your grandfather has fed you a load of crap", when it hit me: this was a teachable moment. Instead of declaring those concepts bunk and leaving it at that, we had ourselves a dialogue.

Me: If people have lived before, why don't they know it? Son: Grandpa says they can't remember. Me: Well if they can't remember, how does Grandpa know? Son: He heard it somewhere. Me: Where did he hear it from? Son: *shrug* I don't know. Me: Well I do. He heard it on a radio show where they talk about a lot of unusual ideas. {I gave him a sample of topics you might hear on Coast to Coast} Now you have to ask yourself, is that a reliable source? {then followed definitions of "reliable" and "source} Ok, now, would you believe me if I told you there is a species of lizard in Texas that can shoot blood out of its eyes?

I must admit to a bit of fortuitous chicanery here. I didn't know of the existence of such a creature myself until just the night before, when I happened to see a Smithsonian program on TV. I knew my son wouldn't believe a word of it, which is what I was counting on. After all, the lesson was in critical thinking, not that fantastical things aren't true. We did an online search, selected a website, and read about the Texas horned lizard. (It eats a particular type of ant which contains a toxin that the lizard absorbs into its blood, making it very distasteful to predators. By squirting out a sample as an appetizer, the lizard can avoid becoming the main course. Gross, but effective.) Before letting him walk away with the information, I asked him if this was a reliable source. What website was it? Animal Planet. Do they know what they're talking about? Most likely. To seal the deal we went on YouTube and found some footage of the critter in action. When he left to go talk excitedly to my wife, it was not about reincarnation but about blood-spitting reptiles.

I'm aware there are some flaws in my approach. I would have done things much differently and more thoroughly if I were speaking with a teenager or adult instead of a 9 year old child. But considering my audience and the fact that I'm very knowledgeable about his temperament and attention span, you'll have to trust that I handled it as best I could.

So there you have it. A mild debunking, an exercise in critical thinking, and some zoology thrown in for good measure, completely off the cuff. And it all started with the mention of some topics I'd generally rather not have mentioned. Keep an eye out for those teachable moments. They can be quite valuable.