Now that we’re launching our open online participatory seminar, some ideas on those last couple of words:
In high school I spoke during class discussions only in Doc Hanneman’s geometry and calculus courses, and in history/civics courses that Lynn Pierce, William Schimmel, Roger Stouffer, and Marty Wiltgen designed around scenarios and simulations requiring role plays supported by research, discussion, and reflective writing about learning. As a college student, I began speaking in class only during year five when I switched to a political science major because the faculty welcomed dissent as part of learning.
The principles I learned from those teachers inform this seminar design:
- Learning requires participation and change.
- Learning is an activity in which participants work to create climates of safety where risks of saying, hearing, creating, and testing ideas are supported.
- Learning builds on the principles of improvisation.
- Learning takes place whether we’re ready for it…
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