Thoughts on Education, Leadership, and Life from an Outsider
I haven’t made it to see Dune Part 2 yet, but I discovered this amazing album that came out around the same time as Dune Part 1.
It’s giving tons of Kraftwerk vibes, which is awesome. I also think this should have been the soundtrack for the 1984 version of Dune; it certainly fits the aesthetic.
It’s rainy here in the Bluegrass State as another Friday rolls around. Spring Break is right around the corner for many of us, but not before we complete the last barrage of testing leading up to our end-of-year assessments—and my, aren’t those fun?
Still, there are so many things happening and more cool stuff than ever to share, so here are 10 Things worth sharing with you this week.
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I know folks have strong feelings about this, especially journalism profs. Trust me — there’s no one who loves journalism as much as me, or someone who is constantly screaming about the blurring lines between *content* and *journalism.* But — I’m coming from a place of concern.
Tulika Bose, Scientific American
Leaders from several US journalism schools discuss the news industry’s declining state and how they prepare students to enter a turbulent business. They acknowledge the harsh economic realities facing the industry, which has seen layoffs and the closure of several news outlets.
However, they stress the importance of journalism and the need to teach students the skills needed to report on crucial events and provide accurate information to the public. These educators are also exploring ways to make journalism education more affordable and equip students with the knowledge to understand the business side of news.
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Jisc, a technology organization in the UK, has compiled a selection of resources to support different stages of AI maturity, including strategic resources, supporting students and learners, supporting staff, maintaining academic integrity, safe responsible use, and AI tools. The resources include blogs, reports, videos, podcasts, and training courses covering generative AI, accessibility, assessment, bias, ethics, and AI tools. Jisc is also developing new resources to support the move to the operational stage, such as pre-procurement selection criteria for generative AI tools and a generative AI skills training program for staff.
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Photography allows me to reevaluate my linguistic and narrative choices from a fresh perspective and reframe the central questions of my work.
Jennifer Croft
Jennifer Croft, a recipient of literary grants and a founding editor of The Buenos Aires Review, discusses how photography can be used as a tool to inspire and improve writing. Croft highlights various considerations in photography, such as format, frame, contrast, texture, and depth of field, that can be applied to literature in productive ways. By adopting a fresh perspective and reframing the central questions of their work, writers can experiment with different techniques and enhance their storytelling.
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I’m a huge fan of accessing public domain and creative commons licensed work for personal and educational usages.
Why do I think the public domain is important? The public domain feeds creativity across various art forms, assists in preserving films and historical documents for future generations, makes education more affordable and interactive, and helps open government operations to public scrutiny.
Also, using these works to inspire our own lets us all stand on the shoulders of the giants who came before, adding more light and warmth to our world.
Since 2013, the Getty Museum has released art images into the public domain–technically, using a Creative Commons (CC0) license. Now, they have over 88,000 images you can use for whatever purpose you like without permission.
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Learning to say “no” more often is a primary driver of success. We all have only so much bandwidth to dedicate to projects. Choosing not to do something or having no opinion about it leads to more productivity and less stress.
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Before I saw the trailer recommended to me on YouTube, I knew nothing about the film Sing Sing or the program it depicts.
Immediately after viewing it, I wanted to know more.
Sing Sing‘s Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) program, highlighted in the film, uses creative arts such as theatre, dance, visual arts, music, and creative writing to foster personal growth, self-discipline, and collaboration among inmates. It creates a positive environment for self-expression and notably reduces recidivism rates.
I’m looking forward to watching this one and seeing how the triumph of the human spirit can work wonders, even in the darkest places.
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“If a child memorizes ten words, the child can read only ten words, but if a child learns the sounds of ten letters, the child will be able to read 350 three sound words, 4320 four sound words and 21,650 five sound words.”
Dr. Martin Kozloff
Although I’m an avid reader, I’m not a reading teacher. I’ve never claimed to be, and I don’t think I’d do a great job with it. Reading came easy to me at a very young age and I don’t have a clue how to share that magic with anyone, unless I tell them “read”–which is, of course, silly.
If students could start reading on demand, they would, if only to get us to shut up and leave them alone.
Thankfully, more schools across the US have begun implementing programs based on the science of reading to get more kids reading at “grade level.” Yes, I’m fully aware that reading at a grade level is an arbitrary designation, but it’s what we have to work with, and it works.
What is the science of reading? Briefly, the science of reading refers to a comprehensive body of research from various disciplines, including cognitive science, neuroscience, and psychology, that explores how we learn to read. This research emphasizes the importance of explicit instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension strategies. It advocates for evidence-based teaching methods that have been proven effective in helping all students learn to read, particularly emphasizing the systematic teaching of reading at the early stages of education.
One curriculum becoming more popular every year is the Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) program. The Aldine Independent District in Texas adopted Amplify CKLA to improve students’ reading proficiency. The curriculum provides students with knowledge-rich, grade-level texts, which helps build vocabulary and a base of common knowledge that fosters inclusive learning communities.
The district has also implemented robust curriculum-based professional learning to ensure teachers are equipped to deliver strong instruction that meets the needs of all students. The program has already shown promising results, with 50% of third graders reading at or above grade level within the first two years of implementation.
Similarly, the Spencer Community School District in Iowa shifted to CKLA for grades K-2 to increase literacy, with great results thus far.
In both cases, the district is focused not just on a new curriculum but also on providing quality professional development for teachers. No matter how great the curriculum is, it can’t work without teachers ready to implement it.
Perhaps more importantly, focusing on changing the hearts and minds of teachers to see how reading instruction was not working in the past and the need for change. In An Uncommon Theory of School Change, the authors posit that before transformative change can take place in a school, we must take a deep dive into the shared assumptions of teachers and wrestle with the fact that what we’ve done before must not be working, no matter how comfortable we are in that teaching.
Bottom line: whatever is best for kids, we need to do that.
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“The sky is not the limit, it’s just the beginning.”
Chuck Yeager
I love flying. My grandfather was a pilot and former member of the Army Air Corps (pre-Air Force) and owned a little Cessna for years.
I still get a thrill during every takeoff as my stomach drops and lays somewhere on the ground as we climb, leaving the restriction of the ground.
But how do planes fly? You may know, but I bet a student has asked you at some point.
Even if you know how planes fly, this epic interactive explainer is a great way to share flow concepts and how an airfoil works with anyone.
https://ciechanow.ski/airfoil/
The Eclectic Educator is a free resource for everyone passionate about education and creativity. If you enjoy the content and want to support the newsletter, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Your support helps keep the insights and inspiration coming!
