Class # 5 - Research, Art Fair Summaries and Teaching to Change the World

Overview of Day

Check in with how things are going for you with the class and blogs entrees.
NOTE: don't forget to comment on your fellow students posts.

Art Fair Research Summary Presentations
Today you will make a 5 minute presentations summary about your Art Fair sites and research. We will use the Ladder of Feedback protocol to give to each other feedback on your research so far.

Ladder of Feedback

The Ladder of Feedback is a protocol that helps us to balance feedback when looking at work with honesty and support.

Step 1 - Clarify - Ask clarifying questions. What does the author mean to say? Questions of clarification are questions that can be answered with very brief, often single word responses.

Step 2 - Value - Offer your classmate a statement about what you value about their project and research.

Step 3 - Concern - What are your concerns about this project or research? This are the ideas that you wonder about or may disagree with.

Step 4 - Suggest - Finally, after exploring the questions that arise and understanding what is valued - this is the time to offer suggestions.


Discussion of Reading: Teaching to Change the World - by Oaks and Lipton, Chapter 1 - Wrestling with Tradition
As a class we will discuss this reading using the Text Rendering Experience Protocol from the National School Reform Faculty site. This site has a list of different protocols that can help promote dialogue and inquiry in discussion - we highly recommend you check it out.

If we have time we will create a chart about pros and cons of Myths of Education: Merit, Scientific Efficiency, Competition, Progress

• When does Merit make inequity acceptable? Or does it ever?
  
• Should schools be responsible for Student Achievement? If not, then whose responsibility is it? Is it the individual responsibility of the student? The family? Or a combination of factors?
  
• How does scientific efficiency method play out in the development of today’s education system? How are the effects of this method good for education? How is it not good?
• What are some of the ways we can build democratic environments in schools around issues of equity?
• How can the idea of hope be an anchor for reform and change in our present day educational system in U.S.? What will it take to make bring hope to action?
  

HOMEWORK Due February 23, 2009

Art Fair Presentations DUE NEXT WEEK! Please come to class prepared to set up your installation and make you presentation about BOTH your school site and agency or non-profit arts education organization.

• Your Art Fair worksheet is due completely filled in!!
• Make sure to review the rubric so you know what is expected of you!!
• Make sure to bring all and any components of your installation - if digital make sure to bring it on a flash drive or CD.
• If it is in book from - make sure to come up with an way for us all to interact and view your materials and information at the same time.
• Make sure you include in your presentation some information about your RESEARCH PROCESS! REMEMBER Twyla Thorp's box and come up with a way to collect and organize your reserach and present that along with your Art Fair sites.
• Make a new post on your blog - it can be brief, stating any information about your research this week - How is it going? What new questions came up for you? What knots have you hit and how have you unraveled them? What surprised you?
• Make a comment to a fellow classmate you have not talked to before.
  

GOOD LUCK - we are looking forward to seeing your work!