Social Foundations of Education-Pre-workshop Preparations*

Adapted from National School Reform Initiative

Making Thinking Visible: How to Promote Engagement, Understanding, and Independence for all learners (Ritchhart, Church & Morrison, (2011).

Week 2- Friday, October 9, 2015(Four A’s)

Note: Complete the tasks below for the George Counts reading: Be prepared to speak to and make connections to the Noddings readings.

In preparation for Friday’s workshop, be prepared to respond to the following four questions. These prompts should guide your reading and will be used to facilitate small group discussion in class. It will be useful to mark-up your text which each of the A’s for easy reference for the small group discussion.

  • What Assumptions does the author of the text hold?
  • What do you Agree with in the text?
  • What do you want to Argue with in the text?
  • What parts of the text do you want to Aspire to?

Week 3- Friday, October 16, 2015 (No Pre-workshop preparation)

Note:We will use the Step Inside Thinking Routine * to structure our conversation after viewing the HBO documentary, Little Rock Central: Fifty Years Later. More details explaining the setup of this thinking routine will be provided in class.

Week 4 - Friday, October 23, 2015 (Think-Puzzle-Explore)

This week you will begin reading about the history of education. Rury’s text is unlike a typical history book. The aim of this thinking routine is to push you beyond thinking about the history of education as a series of facts that need to be memorized, but rather to think more broadly in terms of inquiry around the question that Rury poses to the readers. Before reading the text, think about and respond in writing to the following prompts:

  • What do you think you know about this topic?
  • What questions or puzzles do you have about this topic?
  • How might you explore the puzzles you have around this topic? Be prepared to share these thoughts in class.

I will collect your responses to these prompts at the beginning of the class period.

Week 5- Friday, October 30, 2015 (Text Rendering Experience)

In preparation for the class discussion, read the assigned chapters from Rury’s book text. As you read, select a sentence-phrase-word from the reading that resonates with you in a particular way.

More specifically identify a sentence from that reading that is meaningful to you and helped you gain a deeper understanding of the text; a phrase that moved, engaged, provoked, or was in some way meaningful to you; and a word that has either captured your attention or struck you as powerful. Note that each learner’s experience will be reflected in the choice of words, phrases, and sentences. There are no correct answers. Be prepared to share in small group discussion during workshop. The expectation for this protocol is to ground your responses to the text as evidence.

Week 6-Friday, November 6, 2015 (The 4C’s)

In preparation for the Rury and McLaren readings please complete the following in preparation for workshop. A bit of background, this routine provides a structure for a text-based discussion build around making connections, asking questions, identifying key ideas, and considering application. As you read engage the readings in the following ways, we will use your notes as a foundation for the class discussion on Friday.

  • Connections: What connections do you draw between the text and your own like or your other learning?
  • Challenge: What ideas, positions, or assumptions do you want to challenge or argue with in the text?
  • Concepts: What key concepts or ideas do you think are important and worth doing on to from the text?
  • Changes: What changes in attitudes, thinking are action are suggested by the text.

Week 7-Friday, November 13, 2015 (No written workshop preparation)

For this workshop we will engage in an in-class protocol to be determined. While there is no specific reading preparation needed for this workshop, please read and have access to the readings during workshop.

Week 8-Friday, November 6, 2015 (Three Levels of Text Protocol)

Read the Lareau text. Identify passages (have a couple of passages for backup) that you feel have an important impact for your work as an emerging educator. As you read situate yourself with the contexts of what it means to be in your practicum site. As a part of workshop, you will participate in a three rounds of discussion. Be sure to have access to the Lareau reading for class. The timing, roles of participants, and facilitation of discussion will be covered in class.

Week 9-Friday, December 4, 2015 (No written workshop preparation)

However, please read the Yosso text. We will engage in an in-class structured dialogue that utilizes her conceptual framework.

Week 10-Friday, December (No written workshop preparation)

You will engage in a “So what, Now what” thinking routine to close out the strand.

*Instructor reserves the right to make changes in the workshop preparations based upon the needs and direction of the course. Advanced notice will be given if such changes occur.