ok Bonita...What book are you referring to when you say "tipping point?"
Jennifer Palmer Reading Specialist, National Board Certified Teacher FLES- Lead the discovery, Live the learning, Love the adventure. Reading furnishes the mind only with the materials of knowledge. It is thinking that makes what we read ours. -John Locke From: Bonita DeAmicis Sent: Tue 4/1/2008 9:20 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [Understand] question on intellectual life JUDY:How do those of us who choose to read To Understand, who believe in living the 'intellectually engaged life,' arouse the interest of our colleagues? How do we help adults want to lead intellectually engaged lives? I am lucky to be in a school with open architecture (except on those days when it is noisy). Open architecture means four classrooms are connected with an open pod. We see and hear each other teaching. What this means for collegial sharing is that every time I sit to read a book, my colleagues see me and ask about it. Every time they put up a new anchor talk and hold a class discussion, I see it and ask them about it. They notice workshop (it is hard to miss); I notice and admire things about their instruction. It is a great environment for stirring things up. As a techie-sort, I used the first school's smartboard and teachers would just stop in the pod and stare as I taught lessons. That is all it took to build interest. One teacher joined our fifth grade pod for a year and was exposed to reader and writer workshop, anchor charts, strategy instruction, use of GATE icons, etc. She returned to second grade the following year and took all that stuff with her, where we now see it appearing in their pod's rooms. I love how infectious my school environment can be. That said, I have nevertheless pursued opportunities to influence. I do this (technology-wise) by my blog and wiki. I do this philosophy-wise/literacy-wise by holding a book talk or workshop. I do not get paid to do these things, I just throw them out there and see who shows up. My name is a little familiar because I teach BTSA and a math methods course at the local college (where I also stir things up). I guess all this is to say that I think part of living the engaged life is stirring things up. Eventually, it reaches a "tipping point," (anyone read that book?) :)Bonita _______________________________________________ Understand mailing list [email protected] http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/listinfo/understand_literacyworkshop.org _______________________________________________ Understand mailing list [email protected] http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/listinfo/understand_literacyworkshop.org
