Transcript Inquiry & Design Institute June 18

Inquiry & Design Institute
June 18 - 22, 2007
The central message of the consumer culture in which
we live is: You’re the most important thing on earth.
You’re the heaviest object in the universe and
everything orbits around you. And we’ve enshrined this
idea as ‘human nature.’ Not remembering that most
people in most places have had other things very near
the center of their identity – the tribe, the community,
their relationship with the natural world, or the Devine –
something that gave them more of a sense of identity
not obsessively rooted in themselves
Bill McKibbon (Interview aired on May 26, 2007)
Day 2
Good Enough © Laura Love
My pal Cindy says you can’t trust anyone
Who doesn’t like cats, or steps on bugs
She tells me that you’ve got to give
what you want from others
Good enough for Cindy, good enough
For me
My neighbor Eunice is never
without a kind word
Whenever she sees me walking
She says things like, “That is a
smart pantsuit, kiddo.”
Good enough for Eunice, good
enough for me
Chorus:
My friends and I, we go a long way back
I could do worse than to be like they are
Good enough for my friends, good
enough for me
My sister Lisa says people are a trip
They do you wrong all the time
So we got to be kind enough for us
and them, too
Good enough for Lisa, good enough for
me
Chorus
My 13 cats don’t care if I’m a mess
If my shoes don’t match my dress
They love me still, ‘cause I let ‘em
eat off my plate
Good enough for my 13 cats, good
enough for me
Good enough for Eunice, good
enough for me
Good enough for my sister, good enough
for me
Frontloading
Day 1
 What is community?
 Why create community in schools?
Presentation
& Feedback
 Experiencing community building
 Ground Rules
 Create base teams
 Research on community building
 Definition of Community
 Vision for community building
Making Knowledge
Visible
Day 4
 How can a strong
classroom community
support academic learning?
 How can community
building and content be
integrated?
 Activity sharing
 Action planning
OVERVIEW
Constructing
Knowledge
Asking
Questions
Day 1, 2, 3, 4
 KWG (Know, Want to
know,
Gems of
Insight/learning)
 Base team question/s
Gathering
Information
DAY 2, 3, 4
 What are the conditions for a community to develop?
 How do we achieve our vision of creating a classroom community?
 How do we build community in the classroom with intention?
Community building tools
Facilitator knowledge
Learning styles and Experiential model
Frontloading

Presentation
& Feedback
Making Knowledge
Visible

Us ing graphic organizer,
cre ate chart of w ays to
cre ate com munity in the
class room
* Share and combine lists w ith
at least 3 other base teams

Amend/affirm definition of
community and vis ion of
community building

Re visit KWL
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Intentional community
building
* Re vis it Ground rules in
bas e teams
* Activity Se quence w ith
re flection

Train Story

Re visit vision of an ide al
class room community
WHAT ARE THE CONDITIONS
FOR A COMMUNITY TO
DEVELOP?
HOW DO WE ACHIEVE OUR
VISION OF CREATING A
CLASSROOM COMMUNITY?
Constructing
Knowledge

Asking
Questions

KWL: Individual
que stions
additions /change s

Bas e te am que stion
additions /change s
Gathering
Information
What are the conditions for a community to de velop? How
do w e achieve our vis ion of cre ating a clas sroom
community?
* What are you already doing to you achieve this vision?
* Activities/reflection to explore foundational tools to build
community: Group/Social commitment (we),
Empowerment/Individual c hoice (me), Physical/Emotional
Safety (making mistakes), Goal setting (Questioning)
Laurie Frank
[email protected]
Ground Rules
Don’t
talk over each other
Listen and paraphrase
Respect
No put downs
Focus attention on speaker
Agree/disagree with idea not person
Right to pass
 Respect confidentiality
Ouch
Silence the cell phones
Community is consciousness of connection,
combining and comprising: Courtesy,
communication, collaboration, cooperation,
consideration, caring, compassion, curiosity,
commonalities, common goals, confidence,
creativity, courage, challenge, camaraderie, and
conceivably chocolate.
CTC Group, 2004
How do we achieve our vision of
creating a classroom community?
What is needed to allow a community to
grow?
Social Commitment: WE
Commitment from individuals is
needed in order to keep a community
healthy. Once norms are developed,
this is what gets you through the
rough spots.
Examples: US constitution, YMCA: Caring,
honesty, respect, responsibility, Full Value
Contract/commitment
Empowerment: ME
Individuals need the opportunity to make
choices within the boundaries of the social
commitment. It allows individuals to “be
themselves.” This comfort gives people the
safety net to take risks in order to learn and
stretch themselves. It also guards against
the pitfall of groupthink.
Examples: Choosing a project and how to
present it, right to pass, challenge with
choice
Growth Circles
Panic Zone
Growth Zone
Comfort
Zone
Physical/Emotional Safety
Physical and verbal violence has to be addressed.
Ground rules and social commitments help in
establishing boundaries. Instances of harrassment,
hitting, etc., though, must also get a reaction.
Teach coping skills (e.g. dealing with frustration,
making mistakes) directly. Establish processes for
addressing conflict so that all know what to expect
when the social commitment is violated. This can
range from reminders, to class meetings, to
accessing the larger school community systems.
Examples: Peer mediation, class meetings, code of
conduct, confidentiality.
Focus
(goals/questioning)
Goal setting provides focus for individuals and
groups. The asking of questions is another way to
help people focus. Community members can focus
on individual and group behavior, tasks, desired
outcomes, etc.
Examples: KWG, behavioral goals, group goals,
academic goal setting
The 3 R’s
(Routines, rituals, rites-of-passage)
Routines provide consistency and continuity, while rituals (in
this sense) offer continuity and connectedness. Authentic
rituals are frequently spontaneous or arise from the
personalities of the people in the community. Rites-of-passage
are special rituals that help community members make the
larger transitions.
Examples: Routines: Job/responsibility charts, daily meetings,
Rituals: Talking circles, Pre-testing support party
Rites-of-Passage: Ceremony to indicate movement to another
level, graduation
Time
It takes time to build relationships and create community. In a
school setting, this means it has to have a high place in the
Priority list if it is truly valued and is, thus, given a chance to
become a reality. It is also helpful to view community building
as an essential part of the curriculum, rather than as a
separate add-on to the day. Although you may begin the year
with dedicated community building time, it can become more
and more integrated with the lessons as the year progresses.
Examples: Class meetings, conflict resolution, sharing stories,
dedicated activity/sharing time, small group projects and
sharing.
Prayers for the Truth
© Bill Miller
Of all the roads I’ve traveled
One true path remains
I can see it through the drifting snow
I can find it in the rain
I can hear my people calling
Like a wind across the sand
When I walk this reservation road
I am back on sacred land
Chorus:
The sound of the drum
An eagle’s wing
To my people these are sacred things
Visions of old, hope for the new
All that we ask for is a prayer for the
truth
All we need is the truth
When I walk down by the river
And I hear my father’s call
As brothers we must live
together
There’s one sky above us all
If we forgive our betrayers
Then the healing can begin
Then the scars of our nations
past
Can finally start to mend
Chorus
All we need is the truth
All we need is the truth