News from the Graduate Program in Critical & Creative Thinking
University of Massachusetts Boston2 August 2019
Student Matters
Fall 2019 courses: please see this page. The following courses have spaces remaining; students should register as soon as possible:
CrCrTh 601, Critical Thinking (Mondays, 7:00-9:45pm ET)
CrCrTh 616, Dialogue Processes (online only)
CrCrTh 650, Mathematical Thinking (Tuesdays, 4:00-6:45pm ET)
CrCrTh 651, Cognitive Psychology (Thursdays, 4:00-6:45pm)
Graduate Student Orientation days: all incoming students are invited to attend orientation events on August 28th and 29th (over the period of 9:00-4:30 each day) at the UMass Boston main campus (Integrated Sciences Center, 3rd floor). Lunch will be provided (free, 12:30-1:30 each day). Students are asked to register ahead of time though to help Graduate Studies in their planning:
Register here
A general orientation session will be offered each morning, along with breakout sessions from 1:30 - 3:00 p.m. each day with representatives from financial aid, registration, international student services offices, and more. You'll also have a chance to learn about a range of campus services and resources. See the full tentative schedule (to be finalized later in August).
Students should note the upcoming schedule of courses and changes to core required courses: CrCrTh 603 (Foundations of Philosophical Thought) will be offered in spring 2020 and then spring of even years thereafter; CrCrTh 652 (Conceptual Change and Learning) will be offered in spring 2021 and then spring of odd years thereafter.
Also note new policy on substitutions allowed for core courses. CrCrTh 652 (Conceptual Change and Learning) and CrCrTh 655 (Metacognition) can now substitute for both CrCrTh 603 (Foundations of Philosophical Thought) and CrCrTh 651 (Advanced Cognitive Psychology) .
Students in the MA programs are also reminded to continue to develop your Reflective Practice Portfolios in the periods between courses.
CCT Community
See future newsletters for announcements related to the CCT community.
CCT Events
See future newsletters for announcements about upcoming events.
Alum and CCT associates Notes
Alum Talks! Engaging Creative Discussions for CCT Alums with Nina Greenwald
September through November 2019 (exact dates to be announced): all alums of the Critical and Creative Thinking program (UMass Boston) are invited to join this upcoming free online discussion series with Nina Greenwald, former CCT faculty. All who were enrolled in the MA or Certificate programs at any time in the past are welcome to participate. Please RSVP to nlgreenwald@comcast.net to indicate your interest and indicate days and times that work for you, and then confirmation of schedule and technical details will follow.
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
Play Make Learn 2019 Conference
August 8-9, 2019; University of Wisconsin Madison
The Play Make Learn Conference promotes high-quality learning opportunities for educators, researchers, developers, designers, foundation leaders, policy makers, musuem and library professionals, and school leaders who are dedicated to promoting making, gaming, and playful learning. Play Make Learn provides hands-on workshops that engage the audience in cutting-edge learning science ideas and experience; keynote speakers who have expertise in communicating state-of-the-art design, education, and research; demonstrations of new and upcoming games and technology; and networking opportunities meant to spark new projects. See the web site for registration and full details.
P.E.O. (Philanthropic Educational Organization) has been providing educational opportunities to women since 1869. It offers funding opportunities to women who are in different stages of their education. UMass Boston students might be interested in:
--International Peace Scholarship (IPS), offering need-based scholarships of up to $12,500 to graduate students from countries other than the U.S. or Canada
--
Scholar Award, a competitive $15,000 merit-based award for outstanding qualified American or Canadian women well along in a doctoral program.
--
Educational Loan Fund (EFL), low interest loans to undergraduate through doctoral degree candidates.
For more specific information about P.E.O. and our philanthropies, please see our website atwww.peointernational.org and click on Projects for details of the above programs. Women interested in one of the P.E.O. projects can contact Jane Mead and Mary Alice Howard directly.
Create & Cultivate is an online community and conference/event series to support women in creating and cultivating their careers and lives.
/encatcSCHOLAR is a new online publication from ENCATC around education and lifelong learning on arts and cultural management and policy. Composed of articles, exclusive interviews, case studies, conference reports and more, /encatcSCHOLAR was born to satisfy the growing demand for the latest teaching material from academics, researchers, cultural operators and students in over 40 countries around the world. See the main web site for issues.
The Bridge: A Cross-disciplinary collaboration project connecting science and art
"The Bridge" is a four-month long virtual residency program that runs from September through January. Matched based on fitness from an open call application, each pair is comprised of professionals who are in the arts, the sciences, or both. Residents are required to keep a weekly blog on their activity and projects, documenting the collaborative process over time. In four months, residents accomplish as much as is natural to their synergy; some pairs end their work together at the conclusion of the residency, some pairs continue to their work indefinitely. As a virtual residency program, collaborative potential is not limited by geography. Process and projects unfold physically where residents are located, and virtually online through resident's blogs. "The Bridge" is open internationally to artists, scientists, technologists, and creative professionals. To learn more about the program and applying, see the web site.
New Book: MindApps: Multistate Theory and Tools for Mind Design
by Thomas B. Roberts, Ph.D.
Park Street Press, Rochester, VT.
Just as we can install digital apps in our electronic devices to add new functions and powers, we can install mindapps in our brain-mind complex to add new functions and powers...
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)
Vivian Paley, Educator Who Promoted Storytelling, Dies at 90
Storytelling, she wrote in a 2001 essay, “is still the only activity I know of, besides play itself, that is immediately understood and desired by every child over the age of two.”
Video:
The Feynman Technique for Learning Anything (YouTube)
The sport of FierLjeppen in the Netherlands (YouTube)
Stephen Fry: What I Wish I’d Known when I was 18 (Vimeo)
The Quietest Room on Earth (YouTube)
Articles:
Supporting Mathematical Thinking through the Eight Cultural Forces (The Learner’s Way)
The Psychology of Creativity (Psychology Today)
Children, Learning, and the 'Evaluative Gaze' of School (Carol Black)
Improve Your Critical Thinking at Work (Harvard Business Review)
The Aesthetic Beauty of Math (The Paris Review)
This Is What America Could Look Like When Our Coasts Are Under Water (Vice)
Mathematics is about wonder, creativity and fun, so let's teach it that way (The Conversation)
Maps Reveal Where the Creative Class Is Growing (CityLab)
Vintage EPA photos reveal US waterways before pollution was regulated (Business Insider)
Erin O’Keefe continues to trick the eye with her bewildering photography (It’s Nice That)
Habits vs. Goals: A Look at the Benefits of a Systematic Approach to Life (Farnam Street Blog)
The best books to read at every age, from 1 to 100 (Washington Post)
Mindlessness - The Essential Ingredient For Creative Thinking (Forbes)
The Art and Science of Remembering (Elemental)
How to Motivate Kids to Practice Hard Things (Greater Good Magazine)
Does science suffer from a lack of imagination? (Big Think)
Eureka! An Accumulation of the Best Teaching Advice (Faculty Focus)
Creative, curious and challenging thinking (Teacher Magazine)
The Case for Doing Nothing (New York Times)
Why Don't We Wonder in Schools Anymore? (Modern Learners)
The Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2019 (Scientific American)
How Art Can Inspire Viewers Toward Climate Action (Pacific Standard)
Teachers Need Genius a Hour, Too (John Spencer)
For a More Creative Brain, Take Breaks (Inc)
The Art of Letting Go: How to Move On When Life No Longer Serves You (The Ascent)
What Advice Would You Give Your Younger Self?: What Research Shows, and What You Have to Say (Open Culture)
“How to Grow Old” by Bertrand Russell (Ben Yan)
There's More To Look Forward To After Peaking Professionally (NPR)
What toddlers can teach us about how the human brain does science (Aeon)
Your Work Peak Is Earlier Than You Think (The Atlantic)
Outcomes-Based Graduate School: the Humanities Edition (Chronicle of Higher Education)
Please, Let Me Be Alone With My Thoughts (Human Parts)
Kim Chambers: Calculated Risk, Stretch Goals, and Sharks (Hurry Slowly)
Here’s why there’s a dearth of critical thinking on campus — and what we can do about it (Washington Examiner)
Tina Roth-Eisenberg shares her daily routine (Extraordinary Routines)
Photo Wake-up AI turns still photos of humans into living beings (Fast Company)
Former social worker succeeds as stand-up comedian and actor (Fifty Plus Advocate)
Humor
10 Tricks to Appearing Smart in Meetings (Cooper Review)