0.5 Theory meets practice

Contemporary issues in education

Required Reading:

The articles below, written for the New Horizons website, provide a review of materials associated with educational change andrenewal, much of which have been inspired by innovations in curriculum design.

Dee Dickinson: Learning Society of the Future: Questions to Consider

In Maturing Outcomes Arthur L. Costa and Robert J. Garmston present a map of educational outcomes intended for use by educationalleaders.

Although the focus is on business, there is much wisdom that can be applied to schools and learning in this article byTachi Kiuchi: What I Learned in the Rainforest

Stephanie Marshall: Principles for the New Story of Learning

Willam Ayers: Teacher Talk: Teachers Building A Professional Community by Talking to OtherTeachers About Teaching

PDF Files below:

Dickinson: Learning Society of the Future: Questions to Consider

Costa and Garmston: Maturing Outcomes

Kiuchi: What I Learned in the Rainforest

Principles for the New Story of Learning

Teacher Talk: Teachers Building A Professional Community by Talking to Other Teachers About Teaching

Assignment 9: active reading and creating dialogue

Assignment 9: Active Reading and Creating Dialogue

HOW TO GET TO ASSIGNMENT 9:

One Way

To do this assignment, click on the link in color at the top of the page. When it appears, press "Save" and name the file so that you canwork on this assignment "off-line." You can type right on the assignment template. Be sure to save your assignment on a disk or on your computer harddrive.

Another Way

You can also copy the text below, and save it to your disk or computer.

GOAL: To reflect on contemporary issues in education through the use of a tool known as "Focused Freewriting."

GIVE: Feedback to others on their assignments at the TWB Learning Cafe by clicking here .

Assignment 9: Active Reading and Creating Dialogue

• Choose one article from all of the web-based articles you read on the previous page. Find a sentence or phrase within that article thatcaptures your attention. Re-type that sentence or phrase; put it in quotation marks; and tell which article it came from. Now, use thatsentence or phrase as a trigger to do a "Focused Freewrite" - 2-3 paragraphs in length.
  A Focused Freewrite is when you use a phrase or sentence from something you've read as a trigger for free-form writing - that is,you write any thoughts, questions, stories that come to mind as it relates to this phrase or sentence. Focused Freewrites may end up2-3 paragraphs in length, and sometimes you'll stick to the trigger topic and sometimes your mind will wander into seeminglyunrelated places. Give yourself permission to move between "wandering" and coming back to writing about the topic.

Making small changes first

What do students see, hear, taste, touch, smell when they enter your classroom? How do they see something of themselvesreflected in the classroom? Is there evidence of student work? Interesting works in progress? Colorful posters on the wall?