I am getting very excited about our action research projects and discovering so many ways we can take our work to the next level to faccilitate much needed change!
This resource holds a wealth of possibilities related to so many of the concerns we discussed at our last mentor meeting. I know Beverly will respond, but I hope others will also and brainstorm ways in which we can implement some of these ideas into the work we do. Perhaps offer a workshop at our next District PD????
CURRICULUM: Something is Wrong: Exploring the Roots of Youth Violence
So I thought about responding to let others have a chance but....I didn't want you to have gone to all the work of finding and sharing this resource and then no one commenting on it.
ReplyDeleteWhat a thorough curriculum. I only read through the first bit of it but it is very all encompassing and detailed. It reminds me somewhat of the Ruby Payne training we did some years ago. It seems like it could be adapted to be PD but it certainly couldn't be done in one PD class. It would have to be ongoing PD and I feel certain teachers would not be up for that at this point. The curriculum almost makes it look like a college level course with so much time involved. Either way it is interesting. Thanks for sharing.
OK - now for the rest of you!!!!
The curriculum is meant to be used with students to help them understand the issues related to violence that they encounter on a regular basis. It wouldn't be appropriate for elementary students, but I think middle and high school students would find these issues very relevant, and I am sure there is an appropriate way to explore these issues with elementary students as well. I see it as a targeted initiative, somewhat like Rachel's Challenge. When I was viewing the last segments of Courageous Conversations on PD360 the ways the equity teams served to facilitate difficult conversations about race and equity seemed very similar to the ways we have been trained to put race on the table with our mentees. So, when I suggested this seemed like something we could do during a a district pd day, it wasn't to provide the total training, but to invite potential "equity leaders" to consider the relevancy of such a curriculum and how it might be implemented in the district to address the increasing frustration and violence we are noticing in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteThanks Beverly!
It certainly would be interesting for middle and high school students to go through this curriculum but I think it could also be adapted to say 4/5 grade in some way. My comment was simply meant to convey that I think we take on initiatives - such as Rachel's challenge and then we don't follow through or some do and some don't. Just like the Courageous Conversations videos - some schools are really delving into them and some schools are just briefly discussing them at a faculty meeting here and there. It seems we often bite off more than we can chew and never get it all completely digested (can you tell it's almost turkey day) :-)!!!
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