Monday Musings
from The Kravis Center
Monday, February 25, 2019
Dear Colleagues:
The stars aligned as I prepared these musings. I had picked out the three (seemingly unrelated) themes - Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI); Global Education; and Innovation - based on recent and upcoming events: our session with Dr. Liza Talusan last Thursday morning, the Alvord Center trips to Cuba and Morocco taking place over spring break, and Grant Lichtman's visit to LC in March. But, the more I read - and particularly the more I read the articles that Marley suggested to me (thank you, Marley) - the more I realized how intertwined these themes are.
Dr. Talusan's final words to us on Thursday morning - "Don't let this be the last conversation" - have stuck with me. We must continue training on how to engage in courageous conversations with students and we must continue to discuss how we can make LC a more welcoming and affirming place for all members of our community. Indeed, Sheila has charged all academic departments with looking at the voices represented in our curriculum, at the students enrolled in our advanced classes, and at those receiving the highest academic honors. The links provided in the DEI section below should provide food for thought as we contemplate these questions.
Innovating schools - one example of which is incorporating the tenets of global education into curriculum - is necessary if we are to combat the shortcomings of our education system and the inequities present in the U.S. and in the world. As Sheila recently mentioned, Grant Lichtman, a renowned innovator in education, will visit LC on March 27th and 28th. In preparation for his visit, we will watch the film Most Likely to Succeed on during the March 19th Faculty Day. Check out the related links below.
Finally, please wish Ludmila, Jackson, Sebastiaan, and me luck as we travel with students to Morocco and Cuba during March break! Fernando Reimers argues in his article Educating for the Fourth Industrial Revolution that global education is necessary to combat the rise in the nationalism, populism, and intolerance that we are currently witnessing in the world. Those are some hefty goals to take on during seven- to twelve-day trips with students.
Luckily for us chaperones, the burden of educating for global citizenship falls on all educators, not only those leading trips abroad. Read more below!
Wishing you all happy reading, good luck with grading and comments, and restful breaks,
Rachel, on behalf of the Kravis Center
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Dorinda Carter Andrew's TED talk, "The Consciousness Gap in Education" (thanks to Courtney for this rec)
Code Switch podcast, "From Blackface to Blackfishing"
Teaching While White podcast, "The White Literary Canon"
#DisruptTexts, a Twitter thread and the accompany website DisruptTexts.org
Innovation
"On the Innovation Journey," was published on the NAIS website and features an interview with Tim Fish. Many of us were impressed by Tim's presentation at the CAIS Innovation Conference last August.
"When Trajectories of Change Cross", by Grant Lichtman
Trailer for Most Likely to Succeed, an Official Selection at Sundance in 2015 and a "groundbreaking documentary about education and curriculum reform in 21st-century America," which we will view as a faculty during the March 19th Faculty Day.
As you watch this and prepare to watch the full film in a few weeks, you might ponder the following reflection question:
You will see that Most Likely to Succeed makes the case that the world is changing rapidly, and that our students need a different set of skills to do well in a world of innovation. What skills do you think are essential for our students' futures?
Global Education
"7 Shocking Statistics Illustrating the Importance of Global Education"
"The Kids Are Right. School is Boring." "But there is a growing argument that the most powerful, relevant learning for today's students is happening when they connect with the rapidly changing world beyond the school walls to solve problems, explore ideas, rally for a cause, or learn a new technical skill."
"The World is Not Yours." Published on the Association for Experiential Ed website by Envoys - the provider facilitating the LC trips to Cuba and Morocco over March break, as well as the Peru trip in June.
Follow our LC groups via the Cuba Program Blog (password: envoys19) and the Morocco Program Blog (password: envoys19)!
Professional Growth Opportunities
Loomis would like to offer the opportunity for faculty to attend the annual conference on the Mind, Brain, Education at The Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning (CTTL) from July 21 - 25. Sara Deveaux attended last summer and would be happy to chat with anyone interested.
LC Sessions on racial identity development: The Kravis Center for Excellence in Teaching and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion have come together in a joint venture to offer a program geared at better understanding racial identity development from both the People of Color and White perspectives. Guided by sections of Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum's Why are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other conversations about Race, the group will engage in discussion and look to develop new skills to put into practice. We will meet on Thursday, 3/21 and Thursday, 4/4, from 6:30-8pm, with one optional session on Thursday 4/18 from 8-8:45am. Feel free to contact Elizabeth Parada for more information. To register, please sign up here.
July 29-31 (College Park, MD): An entire conference dedicated to formative assessments. Formative Assessment Conference with Dylan Wiliam, Tom Guskey, Susan Brookhart and Jay McTighe (Understanding by Design). What an array of experts! Become the LC expert!
Please fill out this form for suggestions for Thursday morning PD opps.
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