News2012January
CCT News
12 January 2012See 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
Room is still available in Spring 2012 courses - please register as soon as possible.Courses offered:
Face-to-face courses:
CRCRTH 612 Seminar in Creative Thinking (Theme: Invention and Innovation) (Thursdays, 4:00-6:30pm), view the Course Description: CRCRTH612-courseannouncement.pdf
CRCRTH 649L Scientific and Political Change (Wednesdays, 4:00-6:30pm)
- (to be taught using a Problem-based learning approach that accommodates students' diverse interests and backgrounds)
CRCRTH 688 Reflective Practice (Mondays, 6:30-9:00pm, 2/6, 3/5, 4/2, 5/7)
CRCRTH 693 Action Research for Ed., Professional, and Personal Change (Tuesdays, 7:00-9:30pm)
CRCRTH 694 Synthesis of Theory and Practice (Tuesdays, 4:00-6:30pm)
Online courses:
CRCRTH 602 Creative Thinking
CRCRTH 616 Dialogue Processes
CRCRTH 618 Creative Thinking, Collaboration and Organizational Change
CRCRTH 649L Scientific & Political Change (please note that this course starts on Wednesday, January 25th)
- ("online" students brought into regular class meetings [Weds 4-6.30pm] via skype or WIMBA)
Spring 2012 Academic Calendar at a glance:
Face-to-face courses: Classes begin January 23, Add/Drop deadline is January 30 (see full calendar)
Online + University College courses: Classes begin January 30, Drop deadline is Feb. 7, Add/Change deadline is Feb. 14 (see full calendar)
For all admissions and advising inquiries, email cctcoordinator@umb.edu. While Peter Taylor and Arthur Millman are on sabbatical (until start of spring 2012), emails to this address will be answered by the Assistant Coordinator of the Program, Jeremy Szteiter.
CCT Community
from Delores Gallo, current instructor of the online Creative Thinking course and one of the founders of CCT program:
Dear friends,
This year I have been involved with a project that embodies the values of the CCT community -creativity, tolerance, and diversity, and I'd like to share it with you. I offered art direction, lyric critiques and lesson plans on positive approaches to bullying among other topics.
Lion Face Song is an original and sophisticated collection of songs for children of all ages, written and performed by the studio group 3D, siblings Lisa, Amy, and Mark Doyle. Lisa Doyle is a singer-songwriter, music therapist who uses yoga and tai chi techniques in her practice. Amy is a singer and teacher currently raising three young children. Mark is a renowned musician, arranger and producer. (w.w.w.markdoyle.com)
The lively multicultural music in this collection invites listeners to move to a variety of world rhythms including reggae salsa merengue and hip-hop. These fun songs are perfect for early childhood music and movement activities.
John Anderson developed a delightful claymation of Lion Face a yoga exercise. You can find it as well as song lyrics and lesson plans on the website (3dband.net). Amy and I developed over a dozen song lesson plans useful to parents and teachers that focus on expanding children's cultural knowledge, exploring the topics of respect for peers, elders and the environment, and encouraging balance and calm in a hectic world.
I hope you will check it out (3dband.net). I truly believe it will be worth your time. All the best in the new year. I'd love to hear what you're doing. --Delores Gallo
CCT Events
CCT Graduate Program Open House
Monday, February 6, 2012; 6:30pm-9:00pm
Location: Campus Center, 2nd Floor, Room 2540
Email cct@umb.edu to RSVP and for additional details.
Theme: Reflecting and Connecting for Lifelong Learning, with special presentation by David Martin about key insights from his participation in the Learning and the Brain conference held this past summer in Boston.
Open to all, including prospective students and guests from outside the university. Refreshments provided.
Future events are scheduled for Monday evenings of March 5th, April 2nd, and April 30th.
Alum and CCT associates Notes
(alums may submit future items for this section by emailing cct@umb.edu)
Bob Schoenberg (CCT alum '92, and current adjunct faculty) has published an article, "Student Collaboration Online in a Critical Thinking Course", in Human Architecture: Journal of the Sociology of Self-Knowledge.
- Abstract: This article identifies several benefits of student online collaboration and describes a number of collaborative tools that can be used without charge. The author also shares with readers several different strategies for promoting collaboration, including some of his personal tips and suggestions, based on his experience of teaching an online course on Critical Thinking at UMass Boston. The author argues that online education offers many opportunities for students to learn a variety of subjects, think critically and work collaboratively. However, for online faculty to be effective in their teaching they need training and experience.
Constance Cook (CCT alum '11) is the VP of BAKE, the Boston Area Kodaly Educators, and also serves as the editor of the organization's Round Robin newsletter. The latest edition is included here: RoundRobin-BAKE-Winter2011.pdf
Music educators may be interested in further exploring the work of this group: http://www.bostonareakodaly.org/
Events
Civility and American Democracy: A National Forum
Friday, February 17, 2012, 8:30am-4:15pm with multiple sessions during the day.
UMass Boston, Campus Center
A group of leading scholars and journalists including Diana Eck, Ellen Goodman, Randall Kennedy, Joe Klein, Jill Lepore, Mark Lilla, Austin Sarat, David L. Smith, John Stauffer, Ilán Stavans and Alan Wolfe will gather at UMass Boston to discuss these questions and others about the role civility plays in American democracy. Tom Ashbrook, host of NPR's "On Point," will moderate the forum.
Open to the Public. Limited Seating.
For more information, or to register: http://www.centerforcivildiscourse.com/
Opportunities
Call for Proposals: “Occupied: Taking up Space and Time”
*Extended Deadline: Jan. 20, 2012*
We are issuing a Call for Proposals for scholarly and creative submissions for an International Interdisciplinary Graduate Student Conference entitled “Occupied: Taking up Space and Time” to be held at Indiana University-Bloomington from March 22-24, 2012. This 9th annual conference is hosted by the graduate students of the IU Department of English.
The current position of “occupy” as a political buzzword confers a multiplicity of new meanings onto a concept already charged with complex histories and forms. This conference seeks to explore the cultural significance and interrelations of its many meanings and implications, from mental pre-occupation and obsession, to the physical spaces we occupy (locked bathrooms to occupied nations),
to the ways in which we spend or take up time...Read more
Visit http://www.indiana.edu/~engsac/conference/ for the complete CFP and additional information.
Resources
Research resources: check out the university's Library Research Guides, which provide great direction in finding and using the vast electronic resources in the library's high-quality collection (appropriate for both on-campus and online students).
Food for Thought
Bobby McFerrin hacks your brain with music (YouTube video)
Article: 30 Things to Stop Doing to Yourself(from a blog about Practical Tips for Productive Living)
On the privatization of the public schools
Frisbee tricks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZgir580-6M&feature=relmfu
Do you ever misle? Have you been misled? http://chronicle.com/blogs/linguafranca/2011/12/01/beware-the-misles/?sid=cr&utm_source=cr&utm_medium=en
Graffiti on the parliament building in Athens: "If they don't let us dream we won't let them sleep".
Based on Dr. Seuss's final book before his death, this is a story about life's ups and downs, told by the people of Burning Man 2011., http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahv_1IS7SiE
Humor
Is it time to stop using these banished words and phrases?
A reflection of the digital age - from HappyPlace's list of Funniest Tweets of 2011:
"I just want people to accept me for who I pretend to be."
"With American Airlines stock at 20 cents, I can't decide between paying for two checked bags or buying half the company."
"Stop saying "11/11/11" only happens once in a lifetime. EVERY date only happens once in a lifetime. That's how time works."
"The only thing worse than Netflix separating DVD-by-mail from video-streaming is every other problem in the world."
"My greatest fear is sitting in front of thousands of people while my Google search history is being read aloud."