Hello: I am Fwding this from the LOlist as I imagine that some points may interest you all, namelly 1. and 2. Point 3 may interest some people from USA (or even from outside the center of the Empire). Point 4, specially as it cames after 3, is very interesting... It suggestes that 4 is an "American problem". Of course it was written before the recent news; but even then, one could very easily understand that in IRAQ (as in Middle East) USA is not part of the solution but the biggest part of the problem...
Artur --------------- > The Mary Parker Follett Conversation on Creative > Democracy 2004 -- > October 21-24 Boise, Idaho, USA > > Proposed Research Conversation Teams > > The following teams have been proposed and are open > for > participation. > If you are interested in joining one of these teams, > please contact > the > appropriate team coordinator as soon as possible. > You must be willing > to attend the Follett Conversation in person in > order to participate > (see the Call for Participants on our website, > www.follettfoundation.org). > > It is highly recommended that you join one of these > teams and > participate in the preparatory phase if you plan to > attend the > Follett > Conversation. However, attendees who have not chosen > a team may find > openings at the Conversation event, depending on the > policy of the > teams. > > Important: The registration deposit of $50 is due by > July 1, with the > balance of $175 due August 1. Travel and > accommodations are the > responsibility of the attendee. We have hotel > recommendations listed > in > the Call for Participants, which can be downloaded > from > www.follettfoundation.org. > > List of Teams (followed by full descriptions) > > Team A: Education for Full Participation in a > Democracy > Team B: Social Justice Through Literacy > Team C: Imagining a Creative America - A Performance > and Town Meeting > Team D: Envisioning an Iraqi Model of Democracy > > TEAM A: > Education for Full Participation in a Democracy > Mike Poutiatine, Mark Beattie, Dr. Karen Norum, > Colleen Daniel, Brian > Dunlap > [email protected] > > We believe that in order to "fulfill the promise of > democracy as a > creative experience, one that releases both personal > and social > potential, from the local to the global level," > every individual must > be able to participate fully in such a society. > Furthermore, full > participation requires a certain amount of shared > beliefs and > behaviors-culture, to be short-which society > transmits to its members > through a process known generally as "education." > > Social institutions of education, therefore, must > promote the beliefs > and behaviors necessary for full participation in > democracy in order > to > release the potential of that promise. > > Triggering Question: From this conclusion arises our > question: What > does it mean to be educated for full participation > in a democracy? > > We propose to pursue this question through study and > conversation in > several themes, including but not limited to > · the relationship of education and social > justice > · the role of leadership in democratic > education > · the relationship between participative > democracy and > education > · the value, necessity, and process of > educational reforms > > Preparation: To address this question completely > some understanding > of > the American vision of the public school might be in > order, as well > as > an understanding of the development of the public > school idea in our > national consciousness. > > Our team currently consists primarily of students > and faculty in the > Gonzaga University Doctoral Program in Leadership > Studies, but we > would > benefit from collaboration with individuals willing > to join our > study. > We especially welcome people with expertise or > experience in the > thematic areas mentioned above who are willing to > continue reading > and > dialoguing with us over the coming months. We > intend to make use of > the on-line BlackBoard learning system as much as we > can. We can > enroll others from outside Gonzaga University in the > BlackBoard > system. > > > TEAM B: > Social Justice Through Literacy > Anne Gregory, Carolyn Loffer, Mary Ann Rawley, > Jennifer Snow-Gerono, > and Debra Yates [email protected] > > The lens of literacy in this theme proposal is used > as a means for > studying social justice in teaching and learning. > According to Henkin > (1998), literacy offers a vehicle for helping "all > of our students to > gain greater understanding and insight into all the > peoples of the > world. Literacy can serve as a tool to open our > worlds and help us to > better understand and accept all human beings" (p. > 3). Likewise, Gee > (1992) offers the notion of literacy as an "identity > kit," where > people > associate with particular social groups through the > use of language. > Gee's (1992) definition of literacy expands the > concept to the act of > reading and utilizing multiple literacies, "Literacy > is control of > secondary uses of language" (p. 25). According to > Slonaker (2001), it > is through language learning that we gain the > meta-knowledge to > critique the multiple discourses we encounter in our > everyday lives. > Thus, Gee's definition of literacy contributes "some > degree of being > able to 'use,' [and] to 'function' with." language > (Gee, 1992, p. > 26). > This conversation is geared toward broadening > educators' > consideration(s) of literacy and how it may be used > to teach for > social > justice (Henkin, 1998). > > Literacy learning is socially constructed (Comber & > Nixon, 1999; Gee, > 1992, 2001). Situated at the center of literacy > rests an adherence to > power and power relationships constructed through > interactions and > participation in social groups. As literacy > educators, we often > invite > children to join the 'literacy club' without > considering whose clubs > they are, what kinds of identities are required, and > who might be > excluded (Comber & Nixon, 1999; Delpit, 1995). We > are mitigating and > minimizing the potential of pedagogy for social > justice. This > reluctance to examine the unanticipated effects of > school literacy, > literacy practices, and forms of literacy creates a > normative rather > than transformative context for learning that > enables images and > myths > of children and their learning to be generated. > Without an analysis > of > how language and literacy practices work in social > and political > contexts for and against groups, we perpetuate the > stories that have > and are continuing to be told about literacy > learning, a normative > perspective. > > Triggering Question: How do the present and > constructed Discourse > structures (i.e., "enacting meaningful socially > situated identities > and > activities" (Gee, 2001, p. 35)) in classrooms > promote and perpetuate > the values, beliefs, and power of the dominant > cultural group? > > Preparation: Originators of this theme would like > to see > participants > engage in an exploration of literature surrounding > literacy, teaching > for social justice, and democratic education in an > effort to build a > framework for this conversation prior to the June > start of > distance-based inquiry. > > New Participants: The team is open to new > participants until July 1. > > > TEAM C: > Imagining a Creative America - A Performance and > Town Meeting > Tom Tresser > [email protected] > > This team would create an event that combines > elements of > performance, > spoken word, lecture and town meeting. The idea is > to celebrate > creativity as a fundamental American value and vital > to the continued > vigor of its body politic and economy. The core of > the event is to > have > participants give voice to their personal vision of > what a Creative > America looks like or what it would require in order > for every > citizen > to be able to express her full creativity and > contribute to the > fullest. We capture these statements real-time on > video and by a > visual > facilitator who creates a visual synthesis of the > statement using > icons, cartoons and text. This is done on large > sheets of butcher > paper > on the wall - the effect is to create a wall-sized > tapestry of the > collective vision statements. This over-sized > document becomes a > non-traditional policy statement which my > organization folds into an > ongoing series of such statements. > > Triggering Question: What would it take for America > to be a country > where every person could express or fulfill their > creativity to the > max > - thus being able to contribute and invent new > possibilities for us > all? > > Preparation: Read "The Rise of the Creative Class" > by Richard > Florida. > See www.creativeclass.org. > > New Participants: This group would be open to all > who wanted to > explore > the subject. > > > TEAM D: > Envisioning an Iraqi Model of Democracy > Matthew Shapiro > [email protected] > > The war in Iraq has ostensibly sought to create a > "clean slate" for > political reform in a recently totalitarian nation. > But is there such > a > thing as a "clean slate" for a complex society with > ancient roots? > There is an intention on the part of Westerners to > see established a > secular, Western-style democracy succeed in Iraq. > Can such a model > succeed there? A competing alternative may be found > in Islamist > participatory concepts such as consultative > leadership, consensus, > and > reinterpretation of traditional ideals. While an > Islamist model of > democracy might be more readily accepted, it may not > be any easier to > realize than a Western secular model, because > democracy in any form > is > a way of life that needs to be learned generation by > generation. > > Triggering Question: How could a model of creative > democracy be > developed that is authentically Iraqi, draws from > the diversity of > Iraqi society, and sets an example for other nations > (particularly > Islamic nations) undergoing political transition? > > Preparation: In our preparation phase, we will > consider the cultural, > social, political, and historical context of Iraq > through both common > and individual readings. Participants might divide > the task of > researching various aspects and then reporting their > findings to the > group. Due respect will be given to the principle > that we cannot > design > a democracy for the Iraqi people; only they can do > that. But we may > be > able to offer scaffolding that has added value > during this time of > conflict and opportunity. > > New Participants: This team is fully open to new > participants until > July 1. > -- > > "Matthew Shapiro" <[email protected]> > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Win a $20,000 Career Makeover at Yahoo! HotJobs http://hotjobs.sweepstakes.yahoo.com/careermakeover * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected]: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist
