This workshop, along with a workshop on May 5th, will provide a foundation on teaching historical thinking skills and new research related to institute topics, including African-American and Native American history.

We are planning to continue these discussions throughout the institute and into the 2010-2011 academic year with increasing levels of training in historical thinking and social dialogue.

The standards are open to public comment until April 2.

As expected, the standards have received both praise and criticism. In her article for Education Week, Catherine Gewertz details some of these debates, including the concern that the standards promote an unrealistic one-size fits all curriculum.

After registering you can create a profile, review challenges in education reform, browse ideas from other users, and post your own innovative idea.

After reading the preliminary report, we wondered what types of sustained professional development were offered in these technology-rich schools that resulted in success. The preliminary report lacked details and a glance at some of the research reports did not provide descriptions of PD agendas that were systemic. The need for ongoing PD is well-known. What seems less well-circulated is what structures make for the most dynamic and successful PD experiences. What are the logistics to operating and scheduling a sustained experience?

Currently, we are preparing two PD days that will involve teachers for the Citizens All Project pilot 2010, as well as teachers from across Rhode Island. They will take place this  spring. We’re happy to report assistance from Dr. Alan Stoskopf, Academic Director Ed.D Program, and Dr. Angela Bermudez, faculty, at the Northeastern University College of Professional Studies. They will offer much needed research and advice as we design and implement these sessions, especially on teaching teachers how to facilitate social dialogue in the classroom. Significantly, we want to interweave teacher-training into the summer institute, which will begin in July 2010, and throughout the following academic year.

As we move forward with designing and implementing the PD, we will spend some time on the blog unpacking best practices in developing systemic teacher professional development, particularly in regards to the humanities, and share techniques that have worked (or, for that matter, have not).

Thank you, Rhode Island Council for the Humanities!

The South Kingstown Education Foundation was awarded one of the 15 major grants for 2010 from the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities to implement the Citizens All Project. We cannot thank them enough for their support. An event announcing the award recipients was held on January 13 at the Rhode Island State House. Angela Keiser, co-director of CAP, and Mary Kelley, Assistant Superintendent, South Kingstown School District, attended. Photos to follow!

The institute will run from July 5^th to August 6^th. Students will meet at the University of Rhode Island.

• Leaders need to be actively involved in building social relationships throughout the organization. Definitely important, but working on an international project such as CAP poses many challenges, one of which is building social relationships. How does a multiple partner non-profit organization build these types of relationships? Happy hour via video-conference? An online Wii game? We certainly can’t build an indoor atrium for socializing like the Royal Bank of Scotland.
• HR departments need to ensure that employees acquire the appropriate collaboration skills. I think this is an interesting dilemma for small non-profits, where training and development often take a back seat to grantwriting and multi-tasking. I have always advocated for more “collaboration training” for budding humanities leaders. Learning how to host productive conversations with a diverse project team, understanding the strengths and weaknesses of employees, and dealing with conflict is not easy and takes some training. Thinking of the museums I have worked at, and even the larger digital humanities center where I am currently employed –  it seems like it would be beneficial to find better ways of weaving everyday HR back into non-profits. Meanwhile, colleges and universities need to consider creative courses in comprehensive collaboration training.
• Clearly define the role of each team member. This is common sense, but I’m surprised how often employees don’t understand their role because it has never been clearly defined. For CAP, we are starting to construct individual “job descriptions” and it’s a sigh of relief. As simple as it sounds, it’s important for project teams to take periodic “inventory” of their roles and work flow.

A history major with a love of poetry, I never thought I would be reading the Harvard Business Review, but I think the business world offers some worthwhile discussions for humanities professionals. And vice versa of course, but that’s another post.

~Teresa DeFlitch

Left to right: Dr. Mary Kelley, Assistant Superintendent; Michaela Ware, English Dept., Anne Hathaway, Social Studies Dept.

A hearty ‘Welcome aboard!’ to an enthusiastic Michaela Ware and a very excited Anne Hathaway. Graciously convened by Dr. Kelley, our discussion covered much ground including: topics, scheduling and content to be covered during the 5-week institute, possible readings and research topics of interest to students, relevant area field sites, scholars, experts, classroom facilities, preliminary and follow-up institute activities, institute outcomes as well as teacher professional development needs and possible joint activities with the Bristol UK cohort. If the ideas they generated at their first planning meeting are any indication of what the CAP summer institute will be like, then the lucky students who are chosen to participate are guaranteed a unique and creative experience.

Good News!…The University of Rhode Island, Kingston campus has agreed to host the CAP Summer Institute. In addition to exploring the URI library materials and archives,  CAP Fellows will have the opportunity to hear about the variety of course options open to students attending the university.

The afternoon conversation with Dr. Marie Jenkins Schwartz, Chair, History Department, URI provided a wealth of resources, referrals, understandings and guidance. With Professor Schwartz as a campus contact and advisor, CAP is on the path to cultivating a mutually enriching relationship with this university partner.

PhilaPlace website

Related resources for educators, grades 6-12, emphasize the importance of exploring local history using place and mapping techniques. This aligns perfectly with our plans to create a similar Web site during the 2010 pilot. Each student will complete an independent project based on examining local history through place. They will then “present” their research online to a global audience, hopefully using some sort of mapping interface. Students abroad will complete similar local investigations and share their stories, allowing students to gain a broader understanding of complex issues, such as race, that will inform their local experiences and actions.

Explore PhilaPlace here.

This is something we embrace at the Citizens All Project. For the 2010 pilot, we chose to work with the South Kingstown School District in Rhode Island because the district had initiated discussions with their local community concerning the school curriculum and diversity. Called Bridging the Divide, district administrators, teachers, students, and community members are conducting challenging but fruitful conversations about race in their community. CAP is meant as a framework the school and community can modify to create a program that meets their needs. In a way, the CAP team are facilitators in the process, providing a person or team to help bring the community-generated vision resources and focus.

Of course, it’s a complicated process. Harder said then done. We all go in with expectations and ideas. Experts think they’re experts; but the community offers something experts often cannot offer. Photographer of CAI projects, Teru Kuwayama wrote of the organization, “By most standards, it has a tiny crew of completely ‘unqualified’ aid-workers- a rag-tag band of local taxi drivers, porters, and former soldiers and insurgents – let by a former mountain-climbing nurse from America.”

Learning how to build these types of relationships is challenging. I have a lot to learn. But one thing is for sure: fund raising, conferences, planning sessions, think tanks, etc. etc. are all well and good, but sitting down with the people of a community — with tea — and listening to their needs and desires can yield the most dramatic, beautiful, inspiring results that the experts will turn to for advice. Just ask the Pentagon what they are learning from Greg Mortenson.

~ Teresa DeFlitch