day 4 at goddard

my dorm room as seen by the computer



me with goddard window decal


well. here's a quick update:

- my roomie from last summer, heather, didn't come back this time. due to lack of communication between the housing people and the enrollment people (i assume) i am in a double with no roomie. heather didn't have any experience working in or studying education and had been in and out of a few different programs, so i'm not surprised it didn't work for her. i miss having someone around to chat with, go to meals with, etc., but i like having the space and privacy, and being more of a free agent socially is going pretty well.

- my new advisor, eileen, is awesome. we did a lot of group work with everyone's overarching problem statement and research question for the semester. mine situation is different since i am going for licensure so the general topics of my study are already set for me this semester, whereas my other group members aren't in licensure.

i think i may have had a breakthrough with my question, realizing that it must be more than one sentance. (other people's are more than 1... why was i trying to cram it all in??) the p.s. and r.q. in their current form are as follows:

Problem Statement: Traditional instruction in elementary schools has often consisted largely of rote memorization of discrete facts from disconnected content areas. This promotes conformity and passivity while discouraging the independent, critical thinking and internal motivation that are crucial for engaging as citizens in communities and democratic society.

Research Question: How can curriculum be designed across the content areas of ELA, math, science, history and social sciences as a dynamic process of active, collaborative learning through inquiry and reflection? How can this process create conditions in which students gain capacity and motivation to become social change agents, including deep understandings of core ideas, strong knowledge base, and critical thinking skills?
To what extent can teachers implement such curriculum in alignment with state standards?

I'm not sure about the last sentance here... i just added it to include the idea that all this hand holding drum beating protest marching idea contemplating curious creative playing stuff that i am into is not what the department of education is into, and there's only so much fun to be had talking about progressive dreamland before it gets depressing in its stark difference from the reality in most schools.

all in all, the r.q. may seem jargony to you all, vast and gentle readership, but i assure, it could be much much worse.

also, eileen (my advisor) had to leave the residency early (tonight) so i did most of the work on my study plan already. there's still more i can do, but it's mostly starting to read my books to make sure i like them. so that's good. what do i do for the rest of the week then, you ask? go to workshops by faculty and current students,thesis presentations by graduating students (these are helpful so i can get more ideas of types of projects), go to dance nights and the "cabaret" (talent show), commencement, hopefully more yoga and a night out in bustling montpelier.

okay, off to have fun now.

peace!
c