News2015April
News from the Graduate Program in Critical & Creative Thinking
University of Massachusetts Boston21 April 2015
Student Matters
Registration is open for summer 2015 Critical and Creative Thinking courses:
CRCRTH 611 Seminar in Critical Thinking (online). Theme: Critical Thinking in Business. July 13 - Aug. 20. Register for class #1968.
CRCRTH 612 Seminar in Creativity (online synchronous). Theme: Personal and Professional applications. May 26 - July 9. M,W; 6:00-9:00pm. Register for class #1969.
CRCRTH 618 Creative Thinking, Collaboration, and Organizational Change (hybrid) July 17 - Aug. 1, Fr,Sa; 9:00-4:15pm. Face-to-face students register for class #2316, online students register for #2317.
CRCRTH 619 Biomedical Ethics (online). July 13 - Aug. 20. Register for class #1970.
CRCRTH 627 Issues and Controversies in Antiracist and Multicultural Education (online). May 26 - July 9. Register for class #1971.
Applications for fall 2015 admission are due by June 1 (May 1 for international applicants). Please see http://www.umb.edu/admissions/grad/apply for full requirements, and contact cct@umb.edu for assistance with application matters.
CCT Community
The Critical and Creative Thinking program announces the students being recognized as the recipients of the spring 2015 Convocation Awards. The presentation of the awards will happen during the Convocation ceremony on May 28th and at other Commencement events. For additional details, please see http://www.cct.umb.edu/awards.html. Congratulations to:
Rhoda Maurer: Science in a Changing World Award
Maria (Loli) Nardi: Critical and Creative Thinking Award for Personal and Professional Development
Todd Erickson: Delores Gallo Award for Creative Development and Outreach
The CCT program will be holding an "Open Studios Tour" for the CCT community on Monday May 4, from 9am-1.15pm, where we'll have the opportunity to visit CCT graduates and instructors in their workspaces and studios and learn about how critical and creative thinking can be developed through space and place. Alums and current and prospective students are invited to join the tour. Please contact cct@umb.edu for more details and RSVP (by 1 May). More information is available here.
CCT Events
CCT Community Open House: Presentations by Students Completing Synthesis and Reflective Practice Projects
Presentations will be given over two consecutive evenings:
Monday, May 4, 4:30-9:30pm EDT, UMass Boston Campus Center, Room 2540.
Tuesday, May 5, 4:30-10:00pm EDT, UMass Boston Campus Center, Room 2540.
All are welcome to join the Critical and Creative Thinking program's spring presentations by students who are completing either the MA capstone (Synthesis) or the Reflective Practice course. This event is a great way to explore the diverse directions possible through a study of CCT as you learn about student projects and engage with others in the CCT community. Distance participation possible via Google Hangout; contact cct@umb.edu for more details.
For more information or to RSVP, contact cct@umb.edu. Also, see http://www.cct.umb.edu/CCTNetwork4_5May2015.html
50 Whys to Look for Genes: Pros and Complications
at the Cambridge Science Festival April 23
7:00-8.30pm, 33 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge (MIT Room 1-134) & virtually by Google Hangout (http://bit.ly/CCTEvent)
An October 2014 special issue of Time, How DNA shapes your life, is optimistic and boosterish: "Having tried to harness the power of DNA for decades, we're finally getting somewhere." This interactive lecture examines what it would take to communicate science to the public in a different way from most of the popular press, to delve into the range of meanings of genes and genetics, and to treat the audience as capable of thinking about the complexities that surround the application of genetic knowledge.
Sponsored by the Science in a Changing World track of the Critical and Creative Thinking program, UMass Boston
Participation is possible by google hangout, at http://bit.ly/CCTEvent . RSVP at sicw@umb.edu will help us plan for this. This session is based on an extended series of blog posts: https://whystolookforgenes.wordpress.com/about/
Spring 2015 Online Information Sessions for the Critical and Creative Thinking Program
Prospective students are invited to join these online information sessions to learn more about the program through informal discussion in Google+ Hangout. Enter or leave any time during the hour and bring any questions that you have about graduate study with the program and its tracks focusing on Critical, Creative, and Reflective Practice, Science in a Changing World, and Liberal and Interdisciplinary Studies. Email cct@umb.edu with questions or use the links below to RSVP or join the session.
Upcoming dates:
Thursday, April 23, 4:00-5:00pm ET
Alum and CCT associates Notes
Luanne E Witkowski (CCT '03 and Adjuct Faculty, Mass College of Art '86 and current Communication Design Studio Manager, Adjunct Faculty) and her work are featured in the book Contemporary Cape Cod Artists: On Abstraction by Deborah Forman (Available April 2015)
http://www.shop.com/Contemporary+Cape+Cod+Artists+on+Abstraction-1230005431-hitcontemporary+Cape+Cod+Artists::+On+Abstraction-p+.xhtml?credituser=C3940642#.VRWT1fIXJVM.gmail
David Zwicker (CCT '98) while continuing to work as a "Utility Engineer/CMMS Operator" in San Francisco completed a Nutrition Educator Certificate in Holistic Health at Bauman College of Holistic Nutrition & Culinary Arts in 2012.
CCT alums and associates are encouraged to send items of interest to the Critical and Creative Thinking community to be included in future newsletters. Please submit events, announcements, and opportunities through this form: http://bit.ly/CCTSICWi
Events
UMass Boston 10th Annual Faculty Research Celebration
May 5, 2015, 5:00-7:00pm in the UMass Boston Campus Center, 2nd Floor Alumni Lounge
Professor Miren Uriarte is a scholar whose research focuses on the impact of language policies in the educational outcomes of English-language learners in Latino communities. Associate Professor Tara Parker’s research agenda focuses on higher education policy related to access and equity for historically underrepresented groups, particularly students of color. Assistant Professor Anne Douglass’s research examines early-childhood policy implementation, professional and leadership development, the quality-improvement and change process, and the role of early education and child care in supporting and strengthening families.
2015 Annual University Conference on Teaching, Learning, and Technology: Teaching as Exploration: Students, Teachers, and Staff as Co-learners
Monday, May 18, 2015, UMass Boston, McCormack Hall, 3rd Floor, Ryan Lounge. Full program details:
http://www.umb.edu/news_events_media/events/university_conference_on_teaching_learning_and_technology_uctlt
Highlander Research and Education Center
Wild & Wacky, Witty & Wonderful Workshop Week: May 26-30, 2015
Spend the week at the Highlander Center engaged with others cultivating change. Whether exploring popular education, community organizing, social justice, or dialogue around developing community, you be able to share with and learn from others in powerful ways and experience the history of Highlander as a meeting place for those involved in social change. For more information, costs, and registration, see http://highlandercenter.org/events/55/wacky-workshop-work-week-2015/
35th International Conference on Critical Thinking & Education Reform
July 25-30, 2015, Berkeley, CA.
For registration and other information, see http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/35th-international-conference-on-critical-thinking-and-educa/1204
Early bird registration 10% off for those registering by May 15th.
Opportunities
The Mentoring Institute at the University of New Mexico (UNM) is now seeking proposals for the 2015 mentoring conference: New Perspectives in Mentoring: A Quest for Leadership Excellence & Innovation. Deadline for proposals: May 15th. The 8th annual conference will be held on Tuesday, October 20 through Friday, October 23 at the Student Union Building (SUB) situated on UNM’s main campus in Albuquerque, NM.
We invite faculty, staff and students of higher education, researchers, K-12 educators, community leaders, administrators, non-profit partners, government agencies, and other professionals to join us in a rich mix of conversation, networking opportunities, hands-on workshops, and engagement among scholars and professionals in the fields of mentoring, coaching, and leadership.
We are particularly keen to receive proposals that are informative and relevant to the field of developmental relationships, those which are supported by theory and research, and which demonstrate ideas that are applicable to the conference theme. The term developmental relationship includes, but is not limited to: mentoring, coaching, networking, and sponsorship.
More information about registration, proposals, and the conference: http://mentor.unm.edu/conference/call-for-proposals
Resources
Resources and outcomes from the recent UMass Boston 2015 OpenEd Forum: Opening Minds, Sharing Knowledge: http://open.umb.edu/news/openedforum/
The Art of Perception: http://aop.artfulperception.com/
Food for Thought
(additional web links and posts can also be found on CCT's Diigo pages. General critical and creative thinking focus: https://groups.diigo.com/group/ccreflect; Science in a Changing World focus: https://groups.diigo.com/group/sicwumb)
Stanford/Packard imaging study shows how humor activates kids' brain regions
When Mindfulness Goes Wrong
Genius Hour - Why we scaffold
Parents all over U.S. 'opting out' of standardized student testing
27 Characteristics Of Authentic Assessment
The Psychological Case for Adult Play Time
Philosophy Returns to the Real World
The 20 Strangest Sentences In The English Language
The Weird Logistics of Horse Surgery
Rhino Rescue Project Is Injecting Poison Into Horns In Desperate Attempt To Curb Poaching
The 5 Biases Pushing Women Out of STEM
Humor
Fake Celebrity Pranks New York City