Friday, August 24, 2018

Friday, August 24

STARTER 8.24 (In Digital Comp Book if you have it set up): How would you classify your own political views? Liberal? Conservative? Other? Where did your political beliefs come from- How did you form the political views you currently hold? To what extent have you felt safe to share your political beliefs in school? Beyond? What factors contributed to the feeling of safety or lack thereof?

 Digital Comp Book Set-up
1.  Create a new Google doc and name it:  FirstName LastName Digital Comp Book
2.  Share the document with me at jessica.mccallum@animashighschool.com.  Make sure you give me editing power!
3.  Each entry should be labeled so that it is clear to me which entry goes with which prompt.
5.  You are responsible for all starters and entries, even if you are absent
6.  Feel free to add images, links, and other digital content in your responses!
7.  Chat with me if you prefer to keep your comp book on the Earth instead of in the Cloud.

SYLLABUS AND OTHER BUSINESS

Interested in Honors?  Please read over my HONORS SYLLABUS as homework.  You will notice that you have a reading for this week.  There are hard copies at the table near the door. If you are in, complete the reading and corresponding questions and come to a lunch meeting next Wednesday, August 29
What materials do you need for this class?  Where do we put our stuff?
Bookmark my webpage!  


Reading: "Willing to be Disturbed" (seminar reading #2)

  1. Mark lines that stand out
  2. Identify the main argument/thesis of this writing
  3. In what ways do you need to "be disturbed"? 
  4. What ideas/beliefs/identities do you cling to that you could be challenged on?
  5. Why am I having you read this?
Reading: The Seduction of Safety on Campuses and Beyond (Seminar reading #3)
****Before reading: define “Safe Space”

Work Time
Read and annotate reading #3 (and re-read and annotate #2) and work on prep for Monday seminar

Seminar prep
Please review the three seminar readings from this week and try to draw on all three of them for these questions:

  • What preconceived notions or prior beliefs did these readings challenge for you? (Think specifically about what you believed to be true about the world, school, yourself, other people)
  • What are your key takeaways from these readings? What ideas do you hope you’ll carry forward with you?
  • Now take some time to review the seminar questions listed below and circle a few that you for sure would like to ask/discuss during seminar.  
Seminar Questions from “The Seduction of Safety, on Campus and Beyond”

  • Does one need to feel safe in order to be a successful learner? What else should a classroom environment/culture provide to be conducive to learning?
  • How would you define “a safe space”?
  • What do you need to feel safe?
  • To what extent would you consider Animas’s communal areas and broader community to be a “safe space”?
  • What feels safe? What feels unsafe?
  • To what extent have your classrooms at Animas been “safe spaces” in the past?
  • What groups of students at Animas might feel less safe? How can we support these groups
  • What is “hate speech”? Do you believe the 1st Amendment should protect hate speech? Why or why not?
Seminar Questions from “The Function of Education” by Krishnamurti

  • What kind of student do you want to be this year?
  • ​How do you want to engage with your education?
  • What do you want junior year to be like for you and for our class?
  • What does Krishnamurti argue the function of education is? What is the THESIS of his essay? 
  • What ideas/beliefs/values that seem core to our cultural/social/political lives as Americans does he call into question or challenge? Why? Do you agree that these things should be questioned/challenged/changed? What alternatives does he propose? What alternatives do you propose?
  • What push backs/challenges do you have for the author? With which ideas do you disagree or find problematic?
  • Does Animas create an environment where this is possible? Should we be aspiring to?
​
Seminar Questions from “Willing to be Disturbed”

  • What is her thesis?  Do you agree with her thesis?
  • In what ways do you need to be challenged regarding your beliefs/perspectives? How can you do that? What role do you play in that process? How can  Ashley and your classmates best support you in challenging your beliefs?
  • What are ideas that we as a society need to be “willing to be disturbed” on?
  • To what extent do you feel safe to share your political views in class at AHS?
  • Is it more important to speak or listen? To be a persuasive speaker or good listener?

THE BIG IMPORTANT QUESTIONS:
What kind of classroom do we want to create?  What norms and behaviors will be necessary to achieve it?

TO-DO (by Monday)