Pat Love & Shane O'Neill on Making Room for Mistakes: Education as Imitation, Mistakes, and Improv

HeightsCast: Forming Men Fully Alive · Oct 15, 2026 · 51m

This age of AI puts a spotlight on the differentiated power of "thinking well." But the best way to teach students to think well is counterintuitive: we have to be willing to make mistakes. Students and teachers alike will have to get comfortable with the idea of mistakes as part of the journey toward critical engagement.

In this week's episode, music teacher Pat Love and middle school teacher Shane O'Neill liken education to good jazz. Students absorb the traditions, imitate the masters, try to make it their own, and learn by trial and error under a trusted guide.

Chapters:

2:37 The jazz and…