Illuminating gatsby hsd prez 10 16-14-revised

WELCOME!WEBINAR SERIES:

SIMPLE RULES FOR CHANGE MAKERS

Focus on the True & Useful:

Gatsby & Electrical Circuits in English Class

Molly AdamsA. Maceo Smith New Tech High School in Dallas, TX

A New Tech Network School

CHANGE MAKERS!

WE ARE EXPLORING A SHORT

SET OF SIMPLE RULES TO SET

CONDITIONS FOR GENERATIVE

CHANGES IN CLASSROOMS,

CAMPUSES, AND DISTRICTS.

AGENDA:

7:00 Welcome/Leslie

Power of Simple Rules in a

Complex System

Focusing on the True and Useful

7:10ish What? / Molly

The project, the work

7:35ish So What? / Questions

Molly’s Reflections and Q&A

Responses to Questions

7:45ish Now What? / Questions

Molly’s Next Steps and Q&A

7:55ish Closure/Aha’s

© 2014. HUMAN SYSTEMS DYNAMICS INSTITUTE. USE WITH PERMISSION.

In HSD we try to encourage “generative learning.”

“Generative learning” is the capacity to adapt appropriately to changing realities.

We try to see, understand, and influence patterns of generative learning in schools and beyond.

ADAPTIVE ACTION

So What?

Now What?

What?

WHY WE NEED SIMPLE RULES IN

COMPLEX SYSTEMS

Dysfunctional Patterns

• Fragmentation

•Confusion

• Isolation

•Conflict

Simple Rules

•Shared agreements about how we work together.

Generative Patterns

•Coherence

•Collaboration

•Adaptive Capacity

SIMPLE (YET RADICAL) RULES

• SEARCH FOR THE TRUE AND THE USEFUL.

• TEACH AND LEARN IN EVERY INTERACTION.

• ATTEND TO THE WHOLE, PART, AND GREATER WHOLE.

• SEE, UNDERSTAND, AND INFLUENCE PATTERNS.

• RECOGNIZE AND BUILD ON ASSETS.

• ENGAGE IN JOYFUL PRACTICE.

• ACT WITH COURAGE.

SIMPLE RULE:

FOCUSING ON THE

TRUE AND USEFUL

What?

So what?

Now what?

CONNECTED EDUCATORS

• We are connected educators!

• #CE14

• Online, social media, blogging, PLC/Ns!

• We are also Educator Innovators!

• #connectedlearning, #clmooc

• Maker Movement

• @writingproject

• NWP: connecting academics to interests,

learners to mentors/peers, educational

goals to higher order thinking skills and

real-world ideas/ work

Photo taken from ConnectedEducators.org

IT STARTED WITH A PD SESSION AT NCTE &

NWP ANNUAL MEETING, NOVEMBER 2013….

1. Concept of remix 2. “Hacking the Notebook”

3. Using paper/flat circuits to

“highlight” ideas

21ST

CENTURY

NOTEBOOKING COMMUNITY

• Jie Qi, MIT Media Lab

• LED Circuit Stickers

• Chibitronics: http://chibitronics.com/

• Her work: https://www.youtube.com/user/qijies

• http://simonetti.media.mit.edu/~jieqi/

• Paul Oh, NWP Senior Program Assoc.

• His work: http://dcomposing.com/, http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/nwp_au/1102

• “Make. Write. Remix. Share.” – Edutopia

• David Cole, CV2 Founder, Pearson Foundation

Consultant

• http://www.cv2.co/about/

• Jen Dick, formerly of Nexmap, now at National Academy Foundation

• http://www.jennifer-dick.com/

REMIXING A PROJECT…

AND A NOVEL

• The Great Gatsby

• Light symbolism

• Dark conflict/ characters

• Usual methods of teaching

• Yes, an analysis

•Making it PBL

• Let there be… light?

• Let’s illuminate what we think is

important

• Mentor texts changed:

Tesla/Edison, direct/alternating

current, types of illumination

• Reasons we illuminate anything

HOW TO “ILLUMINATE”

GATSBY?

What thinking or skill do I want to “illuminate” with the circuitry activities and work?

ILLUMINATING OUR THINKING

• Remix materials

• Remix workshops

• Remix prior knowledge acquisition

• Goal: to learn about electricity in a

nontraditional way, so we can use

circuitry in a nontraditional way, so

we can learn about the power of

literature and writing… in a

nontraditional way

REMIX: making new meaning out of existing

learning; not about curriculum; about experience

THE REMIX APPROACH

MATERIALS WORKSHOPS PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

THE REMIX APPROACH

PRODUCTSCOLLABORATIVE

WORK ACTUAL TASKS

OUR WORK

MIXING WITH THE TRUE AND

USEFUL? TESLA AND EDISON.

THE PROJECT:

ILLUMINATE A TRUTH OR CONFLICT

FROM GATSBY USING ACTUAL LIGHT.

THE PROJECT:

ILLUMINATE A TRUTH OR CONFLICT

FROM GATSBY USING ACTUAL LIGHT.

THE PROJECT:

ILLUMINATE A TRUTH OR CONFLICT

FROM GATSBY USING ACTUAL LIGHT.

CRITICAL THINKING. LITERARY ELEMENTS.

AUTHOR’S TECHNIQUES. LIFE TRUTHS.

REAL, AUTHENTIC LEARNING. AND MAKING.

SIR KEN ROBINSON,

ON CREATIVITY

“AND THE THIRD PART OF THIS IS THAT WE'VE ALL AGREED,

NONETHELESS, ON THE REALLY EXTRAORDINARY

CAPACITIES THAT CHILDREN HAVE -- THEIR CAPACITIES FOR

INNOVATION…. WHAT YOU HAVE THERE IS A PERSON OF

EXTRAORDINARY DEDICATION WHO FOUND A TALENT. AND

MY CONTENTION IS, ALL KIDS HAVE TREMENDOUS

TALENTS. AND WE SQUANDER THEM, PRETTY RUTHLESSLY. SO

I WANT TO TALK ABOUT EDUCATION AND I WANT TO TALK

ABOUT CREATIVITY. MY CONTENTION IS THAT CREATIVITY

NOW IS AS IMPORTANT IN EDUCATION AS LITERACY, AND

WE SHOULD TREAT IT WITH THE SAME STATUS.”

“

”

WE ARE CONNECTING

THEORY TO PRACTICE IN AN

AUTHENTIC, CREATIVE WAY.

THEIR INNOVATION

SURPASSED MY IMAGINATION.

THE LEARNING WAS

MEANINGFUL, LASTING,

AND COMPLEX.

“A truth about life I would illuminate would be the fact that trust

is fragile and loyalty is a blessing.”

“Wealth blocks Gatsby’s view of his true emotions, tricking him

into thinking he’s happy.”

“It’s not that bad things happen to good people…it’s that bad

things happen in general. Lives begin and suddenly end. What

we want to do with our lives, our plans, mean nothing to other

people as we continue to try to reach a higher level of success.”

THEIR WORDS.

“I learned through this project that I

knew more about circuits than I

thought. I was able to reteach the

subject of circuits to a whole table

group. I was proud of myself.”

“I learned more about

currents/electricity in this class than

in any science class. I think it was

the different approach.”

“A lot of us had the same theme but

expressed it in such different ways.”

“I liked that it really made me think bigger

than the classroom and that what I learned is

A) cool and B) actually applicable. I feel like

we get too wrapped up in one subject at

school and don’t take time to integrate others,

so this was a nice change.”

“I learned how to make a simple circuit. I

learned craft vocabulary like ‘apoxy.’ I

learned time management, the importance of

planning ahead, and following through with

those plans. I also learned the importance of

understanding metaphors, similes, and

symbolism because it can make a difference

in the ‘truth’ you see.”

“

”

BODIES BEGIN MOVING IN

UNISON WHEN WE START

FOLLOWING SIMPLE RULES

DR. LESLIE PATTERSON AND HSD

WHY CAN’T THIS APPLY TO CREATIVITY, MOTIVATION, THE

LEARNING OR WRITING PROCESS, AND STUDENT CHOICES?

RESOURCES • SIMPLE RULES IN COMPLEX SYSTEMS: HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=25BYDK70-VG

• HTTP://WWW.HSDINSTITUTE.ORG

• HTTP://WWW.ADAPTIVEACTION.ORG

• HTTP://WWW.HSDINEDUCATION.WORDPRESS.COM

• HTTP://WIKI.HSDINSTITUTE.ORG/

• EOYANG, G. & HOLLADAY, R. (2013). ADAPTIVE ACTION: LEVERAGING UNCERTAINTY IN YOUR ORGANIZATION. CALIFORNIA. STANFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS.

• PATTERSON, L., HOLLADAY, R., AND EOYANG, G. (2013). RADICAL RULES FOR SCHOOLS: ADAPTIVE ACTION FOR COMPLEX CHANGE. CIRCLE PINES, MN: HUMAN SYSTEMS DYNAMICS INSTITUTE.

• PAUL OH’S “MAKE. WRITE. REMIX. SHARE.” BLOG ON EDUTOPIA

• TCTELA WINTER 2013 NEWSLETTER, TEXAS VOICES, P. 19 – “WHAT THE HECK IS A HACKJAM?”

• JIE QI’S SITES: HTTP://SIMONETTI.MEDIA.MIT.EDU/~JIEQI/ AND HTTP://TECHNOLOJIE.COM/

• PHOTOS EITHER COURTESY OF MOLLY ADAMS OR FOTER.COM/PUBLIC DOMAIN.

• HTTP://EDUCATORINNOVATOR.ORG/ AND HTTP://CONNECTEDEDUCATORS.ORG/

• CIRCUITRY HELP? CHECK OUT THESE BOOKS! GETTING STARTED IN ELECTRONICS AND MAKE: ELECTRONICS

• MENTAL FLOSS ARTICLE ABOUT TESLA AND EDISON

• 21ST CENTURY NOTEBOOKING: NEXMAP RESOURCES, GOOGLE+ COMMUNITY, CHAD SANSING’S HACK YOUR NOTEBOOK KIT, JIEQI’S PROTOTYPE AND INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEOS

THANKS!

Mary Nations, Webinar Producer

Royce Holladay, Human Systems Dynamics Institute

rhalladay@hsdinstitute.org

@rjholladay

Leslie Patterson, Human Systems Dynamics Institute

Site Director for NWP’s North Star of Texas Writing Project

Leslie.Patterson@unt.edu

@lesliepatterson

Molly Adams, A. Maceo Smith New Tech High School

Dallas ISD

North Star of Texas Writing Project Teacher Consultant

fridayswithfrogs@gmail.com

@finchgirl10

Don’t forget to

tweet about

our session!

#CE14

@writingproject

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