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In our Resources section, which is password protected but you should have access, we now have a scan of key selections from the book No Citizen Left Behind which is part of our preparation for the April Institute. The .pdf file is one of the first items at the top of our Resources page. I took a paragraph from this book and used it in two different ways with two different classes. With my ESL class on comparative culture at SNHU, I had them respond to it in a PowerPoint presentation. With my College Composition class at MCC, I had them respond to it in an essay for their midterm. Here is the midterm with the paragraph I used:
Answer the question: what is a good citizen? In your answer, respond to the following quote: Can you be a good citizen if you don’t vote? What if you vote, but are uninformed about most of the issues and candidates, or vote solely on the basis of a single issue? How important is it to be law-abiding? Is being economically self-sufficient a hallmark (or even a precondition) of good citizenship? Is never being a burden on others enough to make one a good citizen? How should we judge the act of protesting injustice via civil disobedience against the act of sacrificing oneself on the battlefield for the good of the country? From No Citizen Left Behind by Meira Levinson I got amazing results from both classes! DURHAM, N.H. – The Sustainability Institute at the University of New Hampshire can now
work with high school teachers and community college faculty in the state and region to design sustainability curricula for their classrooms with a $50,000 grant from the Verizon Foundation. Participating schools include Farmington, Salem, and Goffstown high schools; Manchester, Nashua, and Great Bay community colleges; and New Hampshire Technical Institute. The Sustainability Learning Collaboratives will link UNH education faculty with community colleges and high schools with large under-served populations (ethnically and socioeconomically), engaging them over the course of 2013 in curriculum development and professional studies. In addition, teachers and faculty will develop new teaching methods and assessment strategies reflecting the principles of sustainability. “UNH is a great public university, with a visionary Sustainability Institute,” says Paula Salvio, professor of education, a faculty fellow at the Sustainability Institute and faculty director of the project. “Together with our colleagues, we’re looking forward to creating innovative high school and community college curricula that bring humanities and social science perspectives to environmental challenges and policymaking.” Participants will design curricula during three workshops in 2013, the first of which was recently held at UNH March 1 – 3, 2013. The Sustainability Institute “CORE” model (curriculum, operations, research and engagement) will be adapted by teachers and faculty to reflect their respective challenges and opportunities. Two other workshops will be held in late April and in the summer. The goal is for each participating school to implement the curriculum in next fall. “To ensure we foster the sustainability thought leaders of tomorrow, we must ensure they can attain the best education available today,” says James Gowen, chief sustainability officer at Verizon. “The Sustainability Institute at the University of New Hampshire is helping to inspire, educate and prepare these students to face today’s sustainability challenges, and transform them into opportunities for a greener tomorrow.” Engagement with the state and region on sustainability education is a key component of the Sustainability Institute at UNH. Sustainability is a core value of UNH, shaping its culture, informing behavior, and guiding its work. As a nationally recognized leader, UNH draws on the Sustainability Institute to act as convener, cultivator and champion of sustainability on campus, in the state and region, and around the world. Learn more at www.sustainableunh.unh.edu. The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea and space-grant university, UNH is the state’s flagship public institution, enrolling 11,800 undergraduate and 2,400 graduate students. As you prepare for our next Institute, some of the resources in this segment may prove to be thought-provoking as you consider ways to draw sustainability concepts into your courses. Source: School Nutrition This 60 page magazine is full of ideas, program spotlights, leader highlights and kid-friendly ideas. Though some of the articles are set at the elementary level, there are certainly ways that ideas can translate across grade levels and communities. The full text of School Nutrition is available here online. When you go to the page, notice the arrows in the upper center of the screen; these will take you through the document page by page. There are several other neat navigation features to check out - printing, sharing, etc. New Hampshire Farm to School ProgramClick the image below to be directed to the home page for the NH Farm to School Program. This vast resource provides resources, program examples, lists ways to get involved, and more useful links. National Farm to School NetworkThe excerpt below is from thr National Farm to School Network's own introduction. Of particular interest here may be their leadership model: not prescribing or imposing, but rather connecting and enriching the experience of local programs.
This article illustrates what happens when the land dictates the crop and circumstance for someone willing to listen. Reaching out to high school students, this farmer also made his venture a community-building educational opportunity.
-Amanda I wanted to share an opportunity with you all! I look forward to formally meeting everyone during our April Ins Hello All: This is a great program that immerses you in studying Gandhi and his impact on the world. I did it about 5 years ago and loved the two weeks in California. All it cost me was the plane ticket, some walk-around money, and tickets to the Hollywood Bowl. It was an 8 credit graduate course!!! I would highlight the following • Residential Fellowship. Successful participants will be awarded fellowships covering the costs of instruction plus room and board for two weeks, books and materials, and the use of Cal Poly Pomona Library. • Course Credit, Professional Development and Career Advancement. The Fellowship award will also cover the cost of 8 units of course credits. These credits may be used toward a Master’s degree and/or salary advancement. Call for Applications Residential Summer Institute Fellowship for K-12 Educators Gandhi, Sustainability and Happiness Cal Poly Pomona July 29-August 12, 2013 Application Deadline: Monday, April 8, 2013 Download the Program Flyer Ahimsa Center’s 2013 Summer Institute for K-12 teachers—the fifth one in a series on education about nonviolence—will focus on Mohandas K. Gandhi, Sustainability, and Happiness. Gandhi’s enduring significance is anchored in his uncompromising commitment to ahimsa or nonviolence—the experience of oneness with others and nature--as the foundation for his vision of humanity, and for the well-being and happiness of all, which he called sarvodaya. Sustainability refers to the ability to sustain life, while maintaining an ecological balance that is rooted in caring for nature and caring for the needs of generations to come. Happiness endures in a solidly grounded sense of well-being, of flourishing, and of having found meaning and purpose in life. This two-week residential institute will focus on examining the relevance of Gandhi’s thought for the current discourses on sustainability and happiness. This institute will provide a select group of forty K-12 educators an extraordinary opportunity for educational leadership by becoming adept at integrating in school curricula the lessons based on critical understanding of Gandhi’s life and its significance for achieving the goals of sustainability and enduring happiness. For fellowship details, including selection criteria, and application procedure, visit http://www.csupomona.edu/~ahimsacenter/institute/summer_institute_2013.shtml Applications will be accepted through Monday, April 8, 2013 and will be reviewed as they come in. Early application is strongly recommended. For queries or additional information, please feel free to contact [email protected] Tara Sethia, Ph.D. Director, Ahimsa Center Professor of History Cal Poly Pomona Pomona, CA 91768 (909) 869-3868 [email protected] http://www.csupomona.edu/~ahimsacenter/ahimsa_home.shtml Also, if you're into LEGOS and have a teacher you can partner with, here's a grant that's due NEXT week.... http://www.edublue.org/Item.asp?art=2 |