Welcome. Here are the dates for the Summer Curriculum 21 book study, the chapter questions, and instructions for posting your responses and thoughts.
Week 1: June 7 - Chapters 1 and 2
Week 2: June 14 - Chapter 3
Week 3: June 21 - Chapter 4
Week 4: June 28 - Chapter 5
Week 5: July 5 - Chapters 6 and 7
Week 6: July 12 - Chapter 8
Week 7: July 19 - Chapters 9 and 10
Week 8: July 26 - Chapter 11
Week 9: August 2 - Chapters 12 and 13
Scroll down to the bottom of this page to find Week 1 questions. Click the "Comments" link when you are ready to respond to the questions for the week. You will see comments from the Spring Curriculum Book Study group and a box at the bottom of the page to post your responses. After you finish your post, click the "select a profile" arrow, choose one that you would like to use, and then "Post Comment." You will see a Preview of your post and then click "Post Comment."
Kelli
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Final response opportunity
Here it is---the final response opportunity of the Curriculum 21 book study for the spring group. I hope it has been a meaningful learning experience for you and that it will help you lead your staff to consider the possibilities. I encourage you to continue visiting the blog because the summer study group will begin posting comments soon. By the time we get to the leadership retreat in August, everyone will have had opportunity to read and learn from each other. We will use all the comments to continue our learning at the retreat and throughout next year. Here are the final set of questions.
Chapter 12
1. As a classroom teacher, how does the author's changing perceptions about the savvy student match your faculty's perceptions?
2. How might we help our faculty have "the light go on" through the use of a salient use of a piece of hardware (video podcasting camera) to a Web 2.0 site?
3. How can our professional staff revise its instructional style and approach to match the digital child arriving each day?
4. How might we use social networks for our own professional growth? How might we use social networks to stimulate the growth and knowledge of our learners?
Chapter 13
1. Which specific 21st century curriculum and instruction transitions will take "some getting used to" for faculty, administrators, and students?
2. Are there specific Habits of Minds (from the list of 16 habits, pp. 212-213) that need cultivation in your school community to make the transition into the 21st century?
3. How can you support these habits of mind? What will use and support look like in practice?
4. What do the authors mean by changing our "mental model" in terms of planning communicating in schools? What mental model is dominant now?
Chapter 12
1. As a classroom teacher, how does the author's changing perceptions about the savvy student match your faculty's perceptions?
2. How might we help our faculty have "the light go on" through the use of a salient use of a piece of hardware (video podcasting camera) to a Web 2.0 site?
3. How can our professional staff revise its instructional style and approach to match the digital child arriving each day?
4. How might we use social networks for our own professional growth? How might we use social networks to stimulate the growth and knowledge of our learners?
Chapter 13
1. Which specific 21st century curriculum and instruction transitions will take "some getting used to" for faculty, administrators, and students?
2. Are there specific Habits of Minds (from the list of 16 habits, pp. 212-213) that need cultivation in your school community to make the transition into the 21st century?
3. How can you support these habits of mind? What will use and support look like in practice?
4. What do the authors mean by changing our "mental model" in terms of planning communicating in schools? What mental model is dominant now?
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Chapter 11 questions
Two weeks to go for the spring book study group! I hope that you are learning new things and getting lots of ideas for your campus/department. The summer book study group will be joining the blog next week, so it will be interesting to read what others have to say about HHJ's book. This week you only have questions from one chapter, but it is a good one written by Allen November.
Chapter11:
1. How is the "disruptive" force of technologies and digital tools transforming teaching and learning?
2. How do the professionals in our school perceive this force? Explore the different attitudes by professional level and experience.
3. How can we develop new roles for professionals in our school setting so that we all become more comfortable and empowered?
4. How can our students make rigorous and meaningful contributions to the school and to their own education?
Final reading assignment: Chapters 12-13
Chapter11:
1. How is the "disruptive" force of technologies and digital tools transforming teaching and learning?
2. How do the professionals in our school perceive this force? Explore the different attitudes by professional level and experience.
3. How can we develop new roles for professionals in our school setting so that we all become more comfortable and empowered?
4. How can our students make rigorous and meaningful contributions to the school and to their own education?
Final reading assignment: Chapters 12-13
Monday, May 24, 2010
Chapters 9-10
Here are your questions for the week:
Chapter 9
1. Are there restrictions inherent to the forms of student assessment that we use in our school? What are those restrictions? How can we move beyond those restrictions?
2. How might digital portfolios allow our learners and teachers improve the long-term motivation and self-knowledge of our learners?
3. How does the work with digital portfolios affect curriculum decision-making?
4. The author states, "Portfolios can be used to create an ongoing dialogue between students and teachers." How could such a conversation improve performance at your school?
Chapter 10
1. How can our school setting address what the author calls the "upstream problem"?
2. How can we create a foundation with our specific constituents (students, professionals, parents, community) to educate for sustainability?
3. What might sustainable curriculum and assessment look like for our specific community at each level, K-12?
4. How might we inject and upgrade curriculum content across disciplines with an emphasis on sustainability?
Chapter 9
1. Are there restrictions inherent to the forms of student assessment that we use in our school? What are those restrictions? How can we move beyond those restrictions?
2. How might digital portfolios allow our learners and teachers improve the long-term motivation and self-knowledge of our learners?
3. How does the work with digital portfolios affect curriculum decision-making?
4. The author states, "Portfolios can be used to create an ongoing dialogue between students and teachers." How could such a conversation improve performance at your school?
Chapter 10
1. How can our school setting address what the author calls the "upstream problem"?
2. How can we create a foundation with our specific constituents (students, professionals, parents, community) to educate for sustainability?
3. What might sustainable curriculum and assessment look like for our specific community at each level, K-12?
4. How might we inject and upgrade curriculum content across disciplines with an emphasis on sustainability?
Monday, May 17, 2010
Chapter 8 questions
These questions are for the chapter by Frank Baker about media literacy:
1. How can we help our learners realize that "all media messages are constructed"?
2. What are the implications for the K-12 curriculum when media literacy includes both analysis of media messages and production of media messages?
3. What are the specific implications for media literacy in each discipline? In interdisciplinary projects?
4. How can we help students wrestle with media issues such as plagiarism, censorship, and cyber bullying?
Reading assignment for May 24: Chapters 9 and 10
1. How can we help our learners realize that "all media messages are constructed"?
2. What are the implications for the K-12 curriculum when media literacy includes both analysis of media messages and production of media messages?
3. What are the specific implications for media literacy in each discipline? In interdisciplinary projects?
4. How can we help students wrestle with media issues such as plagiarism, censorship, and cyber bullying?
Reading assignment for May 24: Chapters 9 and 10
Monday, May 10, 2010
Chapters 6-7 questions
Here are the questions for your response for the week. I will be in Austin all week in a training, so I hope to be able to do a more careful reading of all the great postings from the group in the evenings at the hotel. Quiet time is a blessing that of which I plan to take full advantage.
Chapter 6:
1. How can each teacher personalize the global experience for his/her learners?
2. How can your school and your teachers bring global perspectives directly into each subject and classroom?
3. How can we share the necessity for globalizing curriculum and instruction to our larger community shcool board, and parents?
4. What is the importance of world language instruction in our specific location?
Chapter 7: Karen Seimears at BCTAL is interested in expanding a film festival concept in BISD. I was excited to learn about Mabry Middle School's concept. Maybe we could work with Karen to make it Birdville-friendly.
1. What are the underlying motivations and actions that helped Mabry Middle School make learning irresistible? Are these ideas applicable to your school? How? Are there motivators that work better for your students and staff?
2. Does the author draw lessons from the band and orchestra classes at his school that are pertinent to your school setting? Specify.
3. What leadership qualities are used on both the programmatic and personal level to enable the faculty to thrive? Would those work for you and your staff? What would work better for your leadership and community?
4. How has the film festival and movie making work helped students take more ownership of learning? Is it possible to inject this work into your setting?
Chapter 6:
1. How can each teacher personalize the global experience for his/her learners?
2. How can your school and your teachers bring global perspectives directly into each subject and classroom?
3. How can we share the necessity for globalizing curriculum and instruction to our larger community shcool board, and parents?
4. What is the importance of world language instruction in our specific location?
Chapter 7: Karen Seimears at BCTAL is interested in expanding a film festival concept in BISD. I was excited to learn about Mabry Middle School's concept. Maybe we could work with Karen to make it Birdville-friendly.
1. What are the underlying motivations and actions that helped Mabry Middle School make learning irresistible? Are these ideas applicable to your school? How? Are there motivators that work better for your students and staff?
2. Does the author draw lessons from the band and orchestra classes at his school that are pertinent to your school setting? Specify.
3. What leadership qualities are used on both the programmatic and personal level to enable the faculty to thrive? Would those work for you and your staff? What would work better for your leadership and community?
4. How has the film festival and movie making work helped students take more ownership of learning? Is it possible to inject this work into your setting?
Monday, May 3, 2010
Chapter 5 questions
You are about halfway through the book study. I hope you are gleaning lots of useful tidbits from your reading and the comments of your peers. Here are the questions for the week:
1. In what ways has technology changed the socialization of our students since the days you were a student? A student teacher?
2. How do we see technology affect how our students access and generate knowledge? How does technology affect how we access knowledge?
3. How do we see technology changing our professional networks and knowledge?
4. How might we as a faculty or leadership team embrace these trends productively?
Next week's assignment: Chapters 6-7
1. In what ways has technology changed the socialization of our students since the days you were a student? A student teacher?
2. How do we see technology affect how our students access and generate knowledge? How does technology affect how we access knowledge?
3. How do we see technology changing our professional networks and knowledge?
4. How might we as a faculty or leadership team embrace these trends productively?
Next week's assignment: Chapters 6-7
Monday, April 26, 2010
Chapter 4 questions
1. How does our school setting show growth from past models of what school used to look like? Do we need to update where we are? How?
2. How does our school or setting reflect the axiom of form should follow function?
3. What is the interplay and connection among form, program structures, schedules, grouping of students grouping of professionals, and space? Is it evident in our setting? Should and could that be changed? How?
Reading assignment for next week: Chapter 5
2. How does our school or setting reflect the axiom of form should follow function?
3. What is the interplay and connection among form, program structures, schedules, grouping of students grouping of professionals, and space? Is it evident in our setting? Should and could that be changed? How?
Reading assignment for next week: Chapter 5
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Chapter 3: Upgrading Content: Provocation, Invigoration, and Replacement
Questions for week 2: April 19
1. What makes content such a challenging area to upgrade?
2. What specific subjects are begging for attention and seem dated to your staff and your learners?
3. Is the possibility of purposeful provocation useful as a means to get out of subject matter ruts?
4. Could this study group, or your campus/department, choose one subject and go through the process of reviewing it to upgrade and to replace content?
Reading assignment for April 26: Chapter 4
1. What makes content such a challenging area to upgrade?
2. What specific subjects are begging for attention and seem dated to your staff and your learners?
3. Is the possibility of purposeful provocation useful as a means to get out of subject matter ruts?
4. Could this study group, or your campus/department, choose one subject and go through the process of reviewing it to upgrade and to replace content?
Reading assignment for April 26: Chapter 4
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Chapters 1 & 2
Welcome to the Curriculum 21 spring book study!
Each week, questions will be posted based on the chapters being discussed. Please post your comments to some, or all, of the questions. Because participants in the study come from diverse campuses and departments, you will want to frame your responses based on your particular perspective. Ideally, everyone will be able to benefit from each response. I certainly look forward to your input.
Chapter 1
1. How might we determine the year for which we are preparing out learners? For what years should we be be preparing them?
2. What evidence do we see in our classrooms of preparation for ongoing and thoughtful curriculum and instruction?
3. What do we need to know as a campus/department to prepare our students for the future?
4. Are there myths at play affecting our campuses and administration that hold us back from more bold and needed action? Our parents? Our students?
Chapter 2:
1. What assessments and skills do we value on our local level (district)?
2. Might we consider the 21st Century Pledge (pp. 22-23) as a way to begin to upgrade a unit at a time?
3. What resources do we have in our schools and community that are underutilized?
4. What Web 2.0 or technology tools might we add to our school's instructional arsenal?
Donna
Each week, questions will be posted based on the chapters being discussed. Please post your comments to some, or all, of the questions. Because participants in the study come from diverse campuses and departments, you will want to frame your responses based on your particular perspective. Ideally, everyone will be able to benefit from each response. I certainly look forward to your input.
Chapter 1
1. How might we determine the year for which we are preparing out learners? For what years should we be be preparing them?
2. What evidence do we see in our classrooms of preparation for ongoing and thoughtful curriculum and instruction?
3. What do we need to know as a campus/department to prepare our students for the future?
4. Are there myths at play affecting our campuses and administration that hold us back from more bold and needed action? Our parents? Our students?
Chapter 2:
1. What assessments and skills do we value on our local level (district)?
2. Might we consider the 21st Century Pledge (pp. 22-23) as a way to begin to upgrade a unit at a time?
3. What resources do we have in our schools and community that are underutilized?
4. What Web 2.0 or technology tools might we add to our school's instructional arsenal?
Donna
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