News2015March
News from the Graduate Program in Critical & Creative Thinking
University of Massachusetts Boston27 March 2015
Student Matters
Registration for summer 2015 courses opens in early April. Offerings from the Critical and Creative Thinking program include the following:
Hybrid:
CRCRTH 612 Seminar in Creativity (Theme: Personal and Professional applications): M,W; 6:00-9:00pm, May 27 - July 8). Face-to-face: #2020, Online: #1969.
CRCRTH 618 Creative Thinking, Collaboration, and Organizational Change, Fr,Sa; 9:00-4:15pm, July 17 - Aug. 1). Face-to-face: #2316, Online: #2317.
Online:
CRCRTH 611 Seminar in Critical Thinking (July 13 - Aug. 20) (Theme: Critical Thinking in Business): Register for class #1968.
CRCRTH 619 Biomedical Ethics (July 13 - Aug. 20). Register for class #1970.
CRCRTH 627 Issues and Controversies in Antiracist and Multicultural Education (May 26 - July 9). Register for class #1971.
UMass Boston Commencement is on May 29th, 2015. Information about the ceremony and other campus events for graduates and guests can be found here: http://www.umb.edu/commencement
CCT Community
CCT faculty Orin Davis announces his recent TEDx talk, Help Yourself to Self Help. Description: We often hear advice about how to become the best person we can be. However, the advice is usually generic. Orin speaks about how we can reverse-engineer that abundant amount of generic advice to suit our needs.
Check it out!
The CCT program will be holding an "Open Studios Tour" for the CCT community during the first week of May, 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. More information (in development) is available here.
CCT Events
CCT Community Open House: Our Lives and Other Worlds: Presentations by Graduates of CCT
Monday, April 6, 7:00-9:00pm EDT, UMass Boston Campus Center, Room 2540.
For more information or to RSVP, contact cct@umb.edu. Also, see http://www.cct.umb.edu/CCTNetwork6April2015.html
"Our Lives and Other Worlds" refers to the ways that a study of critical and creative thinking can extend beyond the formal program and into the ongoing developments, projects, and work of past graduates of the program. During this session, we will hear from alums about their work beyond the program, and you will have a chance to meet faculty, current and prospective students, and others in the Critical and Creative Thinking community. Anyone considering applying to the CCT program for fall 2015 is encouraged to attend. Participation from a distance is possible via Google+ Hangout for those who RSVP to cct@umb.edu no later than Friday, April 3rd.
Collaborative Exploration: What Counts as "Transformative" Learning?: Reflecting on Personal Experience in Our Learning, Teaching, and Lives
Online, 4 Thursdays: April 9, 16, 23, 30 from 5:00-6:00pm EDT in Google+ Hangout.
Register now for the upcoming Collaborative Exploration (CE) for April 2015: What Counts as "Transformative" Learning?: Reflecting on Personal Experience in Our Learning, Teaching, and Lives. Free, online Collaboration Exploration (CE), open to all, in which participants investigate critical and creative thinking in more specific contexts. A CE involves four 1-hour online meetings in Google+ Hangout spaced one week apart, with time in between the online meetings for independent investigation of the topic according to individual interest. For more information, see http://cct.wikispaces.com/CEApr15 , and register here: http://bit.ly/CEApply with additional questions sent to cct@umb.edu. The focus of this CE will be on the inquiry related to understanding what is or is not transformative learning, how reflecting on our experience helps to bring clarity to those issues, and opportunities to develop ongoing learning and teaching practice with the transformative in mind.
50 Whys to Look for Genes: Pros and Complications
at the Cambridge Science Festival April 23
7:00pm - 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
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
Marie Levey-Pabst (CCT 2010 graduate), teacher of English at the Boston Community Leadership Academy, has recently earned National Board Certification, the highest credential available in the teaching profession. Congratulations Marie!
Sheila O'Shea Resto (CCT 2012 graduate), founder of SOS Tutoring, invites all to provide support through her campaign fundraiser to help address a rare and debilitating medical condition: http://www.gofundme.com/HelpBuckBreathe
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
The Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate will be opening on the Columbia Point peninsula, adjacent to UMass Boston, on Monday, March 30th. A ceremony celebrating the opening will be held, including attendance from President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, and many other local, international, and national leaders. More information about the institute can be found on its web site: https://www.emkinstitute.org/
Please note: the UMass Boston campus is closed on Monday, March 30th, and access is restricted only to those with previous clearance. No classes or administrative functions will operate on that day.
On Wednesday, April 1st, UMass Boston formally celebrates the opening of the Integrated Science Complex (http://www.umb.edu/the_university/masterplan/isc), the latest building addition to the campus and new home to several science programs and departments. All in the campus community are invited to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony (3:30) and tours (starting at 4:30pm) on that day.
Krystle Campbell Scholarship Presentation and Marathon Celebration with Dr. Cheri Blauwet
Monday, April 6, 2015, 4:00pm, UMass Boston Campus Center Alumni Lounge
Olympic and Paralympic athlete Dr. Cheri Blauwet to campus to speak about her life and her successes as a paralympic medalist and marathon winner. The event will also celebrate our UMass team running in the Boston Marathon to benefit the Krystle Campbell Scholarship Fund and this year’s two scholarship winners. For more information, and to register, see
http://www.umb.edu/news_events_media/events/krystle_campbell_scholarship_presentation_and_marathon_celebration
The 2015 Slomoff Symposium: Restorative Justice In Our Communities
April 28, 2015, 4:30-7:30pm, UMass Boston, Campus Center Ballroom
Join us for a symposium featuring award-winning author and activist Michael Patrick MacDonald and a panel of community leaders, practitioners and participants as they discuss restorative justice. MacDonald will deliver the keynote “The Role of Our Stories in Restorative Justice and Healing.” Learn more about this empowering process, and how sharing our stories can foster healing. For more information and registration details, see: http://www.umb.edu/academics/mgs/crhsgg/conferences/the_2015_slomoff_symposium_restorative_justice_in_our_communities
2015 Annual University Conference on Teaching, Learning, and Technology: Teaching as Exploration: Students, Teachers, and Staff as Co-learners
Monday, May 18, 2015
University of Massachusetts Boston – Ryan Lounge. Schedule and details to be announced in April.
6th International Digital Storytelling Conference: Voices of Change: Storywork in Activism, Education, and Public Service
September 25-27, 2015, Smith College, Northhampton, MA (and at associated Five College Consortium Campus venues
For more information: http://dst2015.org/
Opportunities
Teaching Opportunity for UMass Boston Graduate Students:
Graduate students sought to teach non-credit courses at UMass Boston's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) in fall 2015. OLLI is a lifelong learning program for adults 50 and older at UMass Boston. It is part of the Gerontology Institute at the McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies. OLLI has over 1,100 retired and semi-retired members who are enthusiastic and motivated learners. Those who propose and teach a 5-6 week non-credit course in their area of study or a related area (1.5 hours per week) are eligible for a $500 stipend at the end of the course. This program provides an opportunity for graduate students to develop professionally by gaining teaching experience with a friendly audience. OLLI offers courses in several areas in the arts, sciences, humanities, wellness, politics, technology, and many others.
To apply, submit: 1) A completed Course Proposal via OLLI's Google Form or printed Proposal Form available at http://www.olli.umb.edu (select "Teach for OLLI"); 2) A brief outline of the course plan; 3) A brief bio and resume; 4) A reference (letter or email) from a UMass Boston faculty member. Students should send their submission and any questionsto Cathy Phillips at catherine.phillips@umb.edu
Complimentary Academic Webinar: For Administrators: Fostering Critical Thinking Across the Institution…Essential Ingredients in an effective professional development program
with Dr. Linda Elder of the Foundation for Critical Thinking
April 8, 2015, 1:00pm - 2:30pm PST online
For more information and to register: http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/complementary-academic-webinars/1218
6th International Digital Storytelling Conference: Call For Papers and Presentation Proposals
Conference Theme: Voices of Change: Storywork in Activism, Education, and Public Service
September 25-27, 2015, Smith College, Northhampton, MA (and at associated Five College Consortium Campus venues)
The conference invites proposals for academic papers that discuss digital storytelling and its theoretical, social, and cultural contexts. We also invite proposals from digital storytelling practitioners interested in reflecting on their work in community-based participatory media. All presenters are encouraged to show examples of digital stories within their allocated 15 to 20-minutes presentations.
Deadline for Abstract Submission: March 31, 2015
For more information about proposals: http://dst2015.org/submit-a-proposal/?mc_cid=57bac09973&mc_eid=baf52d732e
For more information about the conference: http://dst2015.org/
Resources
The Journal of Brief Ideas
The Royal Institution: Learn Science through Activities at Home
Aeon: Philosophy, Science, and Society
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)
To Watch:
Have you seen this amazing viral video?
Is this the world's smallest sculpture?
Bubble Football/Soccer
Humanity FTW: The Pizza Shop That Pays It Forward
Paper beats plastic? How to rethink environmental folklore
Perspective Painting, Gallery at Ice in Windsor, UK
To Read:
What are the Unsolved Problems of Neuroscience?
A Plan to Save the Earth That Might Kill Us All
Universal Power Law Governing Pedestrian Interactions
Brainteasers and College Readiness
David Lynch decries 'pathetic' arts funding cuts – and graffiti
Understanding the Monkey Mind & How to Live in Harmony with Your Mental Companion
Internet Explorer: Artist Laurie Simmons takes on web subculture
"The Eyes of Thailand": A documentary about a journey to help elephant landmine survivors to walk again
14 things that are obsolete in 21st century schools
How Sugar Lobbying Influenced U.S. Government-Funded Research
Targeting Children With Corporate Branding in Schools
Teaching science to the brain: How the brain learns the way things work
7 things every kid should master
Why Do American Students Have So Little Power?
A Brief History Of User Experience Design
Famous Paintings, Recreated with Real Life
Engineering students use sound waves to put out fires
The Psychology of Online Comments
When Fatigue Boosts Creativity
Science Isn’t Boring. Boring Lessons Are.
The First and Final Frames of Famous Films Can Teach Us a Lot about Good Filmmaking
Why Creativity in the Classroom Matters More Than Ever
How to be the most productive person in your office — and still get home by 5:30 p.m.
The scientific evidence against spanking, timeouts, and sleep training
Surviving Creative Block With Advice From Ernest Hemingway and Amy Poehler
How Uncertainty Fuels Anxiety: An inability to live with life's unknowns can lead to worry and distress.
For Three Years, I Spoke Only Hebrew to My Daughter. I Just Gave It Up. Here's Why.
The 4 C’s of 21st century learning for ELLs: Critical thinking
Rob Gonsalves: Artist of Illusions
Why Our Children Don’t Think There Are Moral Facts
Should every educator be an “innovator”?
The Danger of Being Neighborly Without a Permit: The Pushback on Little Free Libraries
Photoshop wizard bends reality with hundreds of photographs
Humor