CCT News

25 November 2009

See also previous news, alum news and exchanges, items for the upcoming news, and CCT calendar.
Inform cct@umb.edu if you have news OR want to be emailed when there's a new news compilation (no more than once/month) OR want to be removed from such mailings.

Contents: Student matters, CCT community, CCT events, alums, other events, opportunities, resources, food for thought, humor

Student Matters

Registration Period for Winter and Spring 2010, now through Feb. 1, 2010
To avoid late Registration fee, register for at least one course by Dec. 31, 2009
The University is no longer printing copies of the course schedule booklet. Download a PDF of the schedule at http://www.registrar.umb.edu or, for the most current information, access an online course schedule at http://wiser.umb.edu.

Winter session runs from Jan. 4-22, and spring session runs from Jan. 25-May 12.

WISER will be down from Nov. 24 at 9pm and be available again to all users on Wednesday, December 2nd.

Marathon day, Sat. Dec 19, 10-5, a day to work in the company of peers day for completion of syntheses and other incompletes, and for mid-program check-ins and entrance interviews. At the end of the semester in which students take their fifth course towards the CCT M.A. they should sign up for a mid-program check-in. (If you are beyond this point, a check-in is still valuable.)

late addition: Each matriculated CCT student will soon be given a free, private wiki that they can use for preparation of materials for a Reflective Practitioner's Portfolio and that instructors may ask them to use for submission of course work. "Private" means that only the student and their instructor(s) can view it. Stay tuned!

CCT Community

CCT students Sheila O’Shea-Resto and Aimee Blaquiere have been inducted into the Golden Key International Honour Society this fall, http://www.goldenkey.umb.edu/index.html

On Tuesday, November 3, Professor Peter Taylor gave the Chancellor's Annual Distinguished Teaching Lecture (really an interactive session and discussion) on "Engaging Colleagues in a Caring University". See the wiki page for a recap of the talk, including outline of the event, audio recording, notes from audience collaboration, and photos.

Olen Gunnlaugson (part-time online instructor of CCT616) recently completed his PhD in Educational Studies at the University of British Columbia (Vancouver) and is beginning a two year post-doctoral position at Simon Fraser University where he will be researching presencing as a conversational practice for fostering contemplative and transformative forms of inquiry in classrooms.

More from Gina Dillon Podolsky, a CCT student on her project, "Pennies for Pause," that she developed while taking CrCrTh 602, Creative Thinking, online. (see item in last news)

• Pennies for Pause addresses the issue of teen pregnancy in the state of Texas in a creative and innovative way. Pennies for Pause rewards responsible choice by providing a gift bag full of donated merchandise to young women who agree to an effective contraceptive plan. Based upon the method of behavioral modification through positive re-enforcement, Pennies for Pause hosts monthly invitation only "Responsibility Parties" for the young women have visited one of the participating clinics and have committed to a responsible contraceptive method.

• Later down the road, we will be hosting quarterly empowerment workshops that will help the participating young ladies in a variety of different areas: academic counseling, hygiene and professional grooming, career counseling, life planning and cultural exposure. The events will be a delivered in a edutainment approach (when fun meets education) and will place a strong emphasis on theater, comedy, team challenges, and self exploration while creating fellowship among young women who share similar life goals.

• Pennies for Pause will debut in Amarillo, TX , which has one of the highest teen pregnancy and child abuse rates in the country, in March 2010 with hopes of expanding to all major cities in Texas in the near future.

CCT Events

Thursday, December 3, 2009: CCT Network Event: Fall presentations for Synthesis students and Reflective Practice students.
4:00 - 8:30pm, Science Building, 4th floor - Room Sc-4-64. See the schedule for more information on presenters and topics as they become added.

Creative Thinking in Families, Listen to the stories and performances from 9 November CCT event at:
http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/16894

Alum and CCT associates Notes

Events

Upcoming Forums, at the JFK Presidential Library (registration highly recommended):
Dec. 3, 6:00-7:30pm, "True Compass: The Life of Senator Edward M. Kennedy", a discussion with historians Michael Beschloss and Doris Kearns Goodwin about the legacy of the late Senator.
Dec. 10, 5:30-7:00pm, "Civil Rights: Here and Now", NAACP officers Benjamin Jealous and Julian Bond discuss achievements and directions of the organization.

Boston Business Networking at Alibi at The Liberty Hotel 215 Charles St Boston, 6-9pm, 8 Dec. (more information)
Free to attend when you bring a new unwrapped toy for the Boys & Girls Clubs. This event sells out every month, so RSVP soon to secure your spot.

2010 Diversity Career Fairs for Teachers, Administrators and Coaches of Color, Feb. 6, http://nemnet.com

Opportunities

Fellowships for Higher Education of Present and Prospective Teachers from the Marion and Jasper Whiting Foundation, with an emphasis on present teachers at the college or university level, to enable them to study abroad…” For more details, contact UMB Office International and Transnational Affairs, 617-287-7560, http://www.oita.umb.edu/

Summer Institute in Liberia to allow interested U.S. faculty to design a program at the University of Liberia that meets their own schedules, teaching interests or research requirements. Also contact OITA (see previous item).

Resources

You missed the Boston premiere (last week), but look out on PBS in May for A VILLAGE CALLED VERSAILLES, a film that is the empowering story of how a tight-knit group of Vietnamese Americans overcame obstacles to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina, only to have their homes threatened by a new government-imposed toxic landfill. http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/

Food for Thought

Similar, but different...
MA in Critical & Creative Analysis
http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-critical-creative-analysis/

Have you heard about the Pecha Kucha? - the innovative events including narrated, visual presentations of creative inspiration.

Brother Blue, master story teller,Cambridge MA died in early November at 88, http://www.wbur.org/2009/11/05/obit-brother-blue. Condolence stories and thoughts can be read at http://bit.ly/461HJ1

SEIU stir up a bankers' conference in Chicago, late October.

"the ultimate reflective practice" (from Nina Greenwald)

• Einstein could work on the same problem without interruption for hours and even days. Some of the topics that interested him remained on his mind for decades. For relaxation he turned to music and sailing, but often his work would continue during these moments as well; usually he had a notebook in his pocket so that he could jot down any ideas that came to him. Once, after the theory of relativity had been put forth, he confessed to his colleague, Wolfgang Pauli, “For the rest of my life I want to reflect on what light is.”

Humor