EDU 692 Experience Tradition- tutorialrank.com

1. EDU 692 Entire Course For more course tutorials visit www.tutorialrank.com EDU 692 Week 1 Assignment My School and Its Culture EDU 692 Week 1 Discussion Caine's Arcade EDU 692 Week 2 Assignment Cultural Competence in the Classroom EDU 692 Week 2 Discussion 1 Landfill Harmonics and 21st Century Skills EDU 692 Week 2 Discussion 2 Outside Challenges EDU 692 Week 3 Assignment Analyzing Cultural Relevance in Instruction EDU 692 Week 3 Discussion 1 Creating an Evaluation Instrument for Cultural Relevance in the Classroom EDU 692 Week 3 Discussion 2 Equal Versus Equitable EDU 692 Week 4 Assignment Culturally Relevant Inspiration EDU 692 Week 4 Discussion 1 Models of Creativity EDU 692 Week 4 Discussion 2 Triangle of Support EDU 692 Week 5 Assignment A Case for Problem-Based Learning EDU 692 Week 5 Discussion 1 Decisions!

2. EDU 692 Week 6 Discussion Creativity, Innovation and Culture EDU 692 Week 6 Final Project Creative Teaching Designing Culturally Relevant Instruction ============================================== EDU 692 Week 1 Assignment My School and Its Culture For more course tutorials visit www.tutorialrank.com As illustrated in the introduction discussion this week, each of you has experienced a unique journey through a variety of educational experiences throughout your lives. Naturally, some of these experiences will have contributed to your personal development and identity with greater impact than others. Furthermore, many in-school variables have affected your educational journey. The decisions made by those teachers and school staff defining your in-school learning experiences were derived from their philosophies of education and their understanding of educational theory. The prevailing educational theories informing your teachers could likely be defined along the continuum of major theories that include behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism. Refer to the Learning Theories resources provided in the Instructor Guidance for a

3. concise review of these major theories. Keep in mind also that prominent educational philosophies influencing professional educators have included perennialism, essentialism, progressivism and/or reconstructionism. Each of those theories is described in within the Instructor Guidance material for Week One. After reading selected material from Chapters 7, 8 and 11 of the course text, you should now be familiar with the research that describes the relationship between social class and school success (Chapter 7), the impact of diversity on learning (Chapter 8), and the importance of family involvement (Chapter 11). You will use this knowledge as a foundation for completing this assignment. For this assignment, describe a school-related experience that you believe influenced your identity either positively or negatively or both. You will analyze this experience and reflect on all the factors that might have shaped it, and the different ways these experiences shaped you. This analysis will include an examination of factors outside of school (such as social class, socioeconomic status, diversity, family issues, etc.) as well as factors inside of school (theories and philosophies) that you believe influenced classroom decisions. This type of analysis provides a powerful introduction to learning more about the relationship between culture, education and the teachers’ decisions in the classroom. Your analysis should include the following: Content Expectations • School Experience (1 point): Describe your selected school experience that influenced your personal identity development. • School Characteristics and Cultural Dimensions (1 point): Describe the school where your experience took place including (a) school

4. characteristics, (b) student population characteristics, (c) socio-economic background of the families affiliated with the school, and (d) the family structures represented in the school. • Educational Philosophy Analysis (1.5 points): Describe the educational philosophies that defined the school’s structure, purpose, operation, and how the local culture may have influenced these philosophies. • Learning Theory Analysis (1.5 points): Describe the type(s) of learning theories you believe your teachers used to help them design the instructional experiences including (a) why or how you believe your teachers demonstrated applications of behaviorism, cognitivism, and/or constructivism and (b) how you feel these theories affected the instructional decisions the teachers made. Refer to the Learning Theories resources provided in the Instructor Guidance for a concise review of these major theories. • Personal Influences (1 point): Reflect on the influence that your family’s “funds ofknowledge” and social capital had on your ability to succeed in your school; address your success in the following three areas: academic success, social success, and emotional success. • Application (1 point): Explain, using specific examples, how educators could use information about culture and individual student identities to make effective instructional decisions. Written Communication Expectations o Page Requirement (.25 points): Submit three to five pages, not including the title and reference pages. o APA Formatting (.25 points): Format your paper according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford

5. Writing Center. o Syntax and Mechanics (.25 points): Display meticulous comprehension and organization of syntax and mechanics, such as spelling and grammar. o Source Requirement (.25 points): Reference at least two scholarly sources in addition to the Wardle (2013) textbook to provide compelling evidence to support ideas. All sources on the references page need to be used and cited correctly within the body of the assignment. It is strongly recommended that you review this week’s Instructor Guidance for additional information about completing this assignment! Contact your instructor for clarifications about this or any assessment in the course before the due date using the “Ask Your Instructor” forum. Then, also using the Grading Rubric as a guide for your performance on this assignment, construct your assignment to meet each of the content and written communication expectations. Next Steps: Review and Submit the Assignment ============================================== EDU 692 Week 1 Discussion Caine's Arcade For more course tutorials visit www.tutorialrank.com

6. Caine’s Arcade. 1st Post Due by Day 3. Caine is a 9-year-old boy whose afterschool and weekend project turned into an international imagination movement. As theCaine’s Arcade video explains, Caine built a gaming arcade almost entirely out of cardboard and opened it up for business in the storefront of his father’s auto parts store. This story provides an excellent example of how characteristics of Caine’s personal identity might affect how and what he learned from the specific experiences portrayed. The cultural values that nurtured Caine’s curiosity and inventiveness can be identified within his video story and the factors contributing to his “funds of knowledge” going into the project can be readily analyzed in the video. After viewing Caine’s amazing story, reflect on the different skills he learned and applied as he completed his “project,” and consider how his personal identity shaped, and was shaped by, his amazing experiences. To help you better understand the underlying influences affecting Caine’s learning experiences, read the following sections of the course text: • Chapter 7 • Chapter 8 • Chapter 11 These chapters present information and examples associated with how poverty, diversity and family factors influence student achievement and behavior in school. You also need to read the article by Lopez (n.d.) regarding Funds of Knowledge. Initial Post: View the Caine’s Arcade video and construct an initial response that addresses the following questions:

7. • What external factors influenced Caine’s ability to successfully create his arcade? (e.g., what role did his father play in encouraging his project?) • What internal factors influenced Caine’s ability to successfully create his arcade? Consider his world view, values, and funds of knowledge as internal factors. • How valuable do you think these skills are in the real world? How well do they align with one or more of the 21st-century skills identified on the Framework for 21st Century Learning web page? Guided Response: Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts. In your responses, comment on any similarities or differences between your response and those of your peers. Though two replies is the basic expectation, for deeper engagement and learning, you are encouraged to provide responses to any comments or questions others have given to you. This will further the conversation and provide you with opportunities to demonstrate your content expertise, critical thinking, and real-world experiences with this topic. ============================================== EDU 692 Week 2 Assignment Cultural Competence in the Classroom For more course tutorials visit

8. www.tutorialrank.com Nikhil Goyal is a successful high school student who, like many students his age, hates school. But unlike most students his age, Nikhil wrote a speech about it and delivered it to a global audience via a TEDX Youth(2012) presentation. The central theme of the presentation is relevance and, specifically, how schools often lack relevance to the lives of their learners. The majority of Nikhil’s story focuses on Nick Perez, a boy who was marginalized in school and medicated to be able to adhere to the parameters of thought and behavior expected for participation in the school. As you view the presentation, you will learn how Nick became disillusioned by the lack of relevancy and interest in his studies and how his disenfranchisement eventually led him to drop out of school. In this assignment, you will reflect on the story of Nick Perez and analyze it based on what might have happened differently if Nick’s education targeted the learning of 21st century skills through culturally relevant learning opportunities. Additionally, you will recommend a culturally relevant learning experience that might have been able to meet Nick’s needs in high school. Review the Instructor Guidance for this week for additional information and use the Ladson-Billing (1995) resource and Chapter 4 of Wardle (2013) to define a culturally relevant learning experience; apply this framework to the creation of solutions. Then, create your formal written assignment to meet the content and written communication expectations stated below. Content Expectations • Video Analysis (3 points): Address the following three guiding statements:

9. 1. According to Nick, “I was denied the right to exist normally. My school had wasted my time until there was no time left”. Based on the information presented in the video, describe the learning experiences and cultural competencies that you believe were valued at Nick’s school. Then, using Nick’s interest in computers as a form of his cultural identity, describe cultural competencies and learning experiences that would be most applicable and interesting to Nick (think about the way that he described his life at home and at computer camp). 2. Examine the 4C skills (a) creativity and innovation, (b) critical thinking and problem solving, and (c) communication and (d) collaboration that are presented in Learning and Innovations Skills. Determine which of these skills you perceive are most likely relevant to Nick’s current position as a programmer in an advertising firm and which of these skills you perceive are not adequately addressed in typical classroom environments today. c. Explain how the acquisition of learning and innovation skills through culturally relevant learning opportunities can lead to greater student success in the classroom and in the real world. • Cultural Competencies References (1.5 points): Reference cultural competencies in your response to the Video Analysis guiding statements. Include examples using at least one of the following four characteristics: 1. Awareness of one’s own cultural worldview (including biases) 2. Knowledge of different cultural practices and worldviews 3. Positive attitudes and open-mindedness toward cultural differences 4. Ability to work successfully with others from different cultures

10. • Culturally Relevant Learning References (1.5 points): Reference culturally relevant instruction in your response to the Video Analysis guiding statements. Reflect on strategies that align with this approach and include at least one of the following nine areas: 1. Maximizing academic success through relevant instructional experiences 2. Addressing cultural competence through reinforcing students’ cultural integrity 3. Involving students in the construction of knowledge 4. Building on students’ interests and linguistic resources 5. Tapping home and community resources 6. Understanding students’ cultural knowledge 7. Using interactive and constructivist teaching strategies 8. Examining the curriculum from multiple perspectives 9. Promoting critical consciousness through opportunities to challenge predominant elements of the students’ social norms • 21st Century Skills Framework (1 point): Reference 21st century skills in your response to the Video Analysis Questions to reflect the framework developed by the Partnership for 21st Century Learning. Written Communication Expectations • Page Requirement (.25 points): Submit three to five pages, not including the title and reference pages.

11. • APA Formatting (.25 points): Format your paper according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. • Syntax and Mechanics (.25 points): Display meticulous comprehension and organization of syntax and mechanics, such as spelling and grammar. • Source Requirement (.25 points): Reference at least one scholarly source in addition to the Partnership for 21st Century Learning’s Skills Framework, Ladson-Billing (1995) resource, and Chapter 4 in Wardle (2013) to provide compelling evidence to support ideas. All sources on the references page need to be used and cited correctly within the body of the assignment. Next Steps: Review and Submit the Assignment ============================================== EDU 692 Week 2 Discussion 1 Landfill Harmonics and 21st Century Skills For more course tutorials visit www.tutorialrank.com

12. Landfill Harmonics and 21st-Century Skills. 1st Post Due by Day 3. As educators, knowing about the 21st- century skills is important, and being able to recognize the skills within specific examples is an indicator that you truly understand them and how they work in application. In Week One, we discussed the story of Caine and his arcade as a way to explore how culture influences creativity, imagination, and inventiveness. In this discussion, we go a step further by considering 21st-century skills in relation to another inspiring story of creativity, imagination, and inventiveness. The Landfill Harmonic project showcases the story of a garbage picker, a music teacher, and a group of children from a Paraguayan slum that, out of necessity, started creating instruments entirely out of garbage found in a landfill. Children who ordinarily would drop out of school to sift through garbage in search of salvageable recyclables became involved in learning to play instruments together and formed an orchestra out of instruments they crafted. Valuing the arts and encouraging students to become involved in cross-cultural projects (such as participation in an orchestra) reflect excellent examples of learning contexts and strategies that can promote 21st- century skills, particularly the 4Cs within the Learning and Innovation skills category: creativity and innovation, critical thinking and problem solving, communication, and collaboration. Your reflections on this story will provide a rich backdrop for learning more about the impact that social and cross-cultural skills have on the more academic pursuit of keeping children engaged in learning 21st- century skills. After reviewing this week’s Instructor Guidance material, you will have a good working knowledge of social and cross-cultural skills and will be able to recognize how they might support the learning of 21st-century skills, especially within the Landfill Harmonic project.

13. Initial Post: View the Landfill Harmonic Amazing and Inspirational video about the Landfill Harmonic project and then view more specific information about the project on its official website. Next, review the Framework for 21st Century Learning web page. Then, create an initial post that addresses the following in at least one paragraph for each: • Describe the Learning and Innovation (4Cs) as well as Life and Career Skills from the Framework for 21st Century Learning that you perceive the students learned and applied as a result of their participation in the Landfill Harmonic project. • Describe the cultural competencies you perceive were demonstrated by the students in the Landfill Harmonic project (these are summarized in the Instructor Guidance for this week). • Describe the social factors and attitudes you perceive were needed to initiate the project, including a consideration of the cross-cultural skills that may be necessary for supporters to sustain the Landfill Harmonic project. Guided Response: Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts. In your responses, compare the 21st-century skills and cross-cultural skills your peers identified with the ones you described. You are encouraged to ask questions about their posts. Questions might include requests for clarification on points made or for elaboration on an area of their post. Though two replies is the basic expectation for this discussion, for deeper engagement and learning, you are encouraged to provide responses to any comments or questions others have given to you. This will further the conversation and provide you with opportunities to demonstrate your content expertise, critical thinking, and real world experiences with this topic.

14. ============================================== EDU 692 Week 2 Discussion 2 Outside Challenges For more course tutorials visit www.tutorialrank.com Outside Challenges. 1st Post Due by Day 3. This discussion focuses on identifying the economic, technological, social and personal factors outside of school that can result in barriers to academic success inside school. From Week One’s readings of the course text and the assessments related thereto, you should now be familiar with the research that describes the relationship between factors of social class and school success, the impact of diversity on learning, and the importance of family involvement. These factors represent powerful variables outside school that impact learning inside school. For this discussion, discuss factors in your own life, outside of school and the direct and indirect relationships with your learning experiences inside of school. Be sure to review the Week Two Instructor Guidance for additional information that can assist you in excelling in all assessments for this week. Initial Post: Create an initial post that describes the relationship between a challenge you faced outside school from one or more of the following areas: economic, technological, social and personal. Next, describe how

15. your challenge may have contributed to your academic and/or social success inside the classroom. This challenge may have occurred when you were a child or it may be a current challenge that you have faced or are facing as an adult. Please only share about challenges that you are comfortable discussing with the class. Guided Response: Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts. In your responses, comment on how the specific challenges presented in their posts resonate with you personally. You might choose to indicate that the challenges reflect similar challenges you faced growing up, or possibly the challenges are representative of difficulties faced by many of your students. Additionally, offer suggestions from your own experiences that might help mitigate any negative consequences of your peers’ current challenges. As with all discussions, for deeper engagement and learning, you are encouraged to provide responses to any comments or questions others have given to you. This will further the conversation and provide you with opportunities to demonstrate your content expertise, critical thinking, and real world experiences with this topic. ============================================== EDU 692 Week 3 Assignment Analyzing Cultural Relevance in Instruction For more course tutorials visit

16. www.tutorialrank.com In Chapter 12, Wardle (2013) summarizes the important characteristics of a culturally relevant teacher. Use this information as a guide or resource throughout this assignment to help inspire your thinking as you apply your knowledge of culturally relevant pedagogy toward specific solutions to problems facing a teacher with a very diverse student population. This exercise provides excellent practice over the application of culturally relevant principles in the design of effective instructional solutions. You will need to design such instructional solutions within the Final Project, so it is very important to practice such skills here. Specifically, for this assignment, you will view a brief video taken with a cell phone by a student in a high school social studies class. The video (Bliss, 2013) documents a meltdown Bliss experienced during his World History course at Duncanville High School in Duncanville, Texas. A transcript of the audio is provided in the Instructor Guidance for this week along with other detailed assistance for completing this assignment. After reviewing the Instructor Guidance for this task, create your assignment to meet the content and written communication expectations below. Content Expectations • Video Analysis Questions (2 points): Answer the questions below based on your inferences and ideas after viewing the events captured in the cellphone video. 1. Description: What is the problem (from Jeff Bliss’s perspective as well as from Ms. Phung’s perspective)?

17. 2. Diagnosis: What probably caused it? Who benefits? Who loses? What position do you take on this issue? 3. Solution: How could a more equitable, culturally relevant approach to the class improve the situation? How might Ms. Phung respond differently to Jeff’s concerns? • Equity Strategies (2.5 points): Describe any equity strategies you noticed or inferred being implemented in the video. Suggest at least one strategy for each of the four categories that the teacher could have utilized to help meet student needs in a more equitable fashion. a. Instruction b. Classroom Environment c. Student Grouping d. Student Recognition/leadership • Culturally Relevant Strategies (2.5 points): Describe evidence of any culturally relevant pedagogy in action in the cellphone video and suggest at least three strategies that could be used to create a more culturally relevant classroom. Such strategies might be drawn from the following areas: 1. Maximizing academic success through relevant instructional experiences 2. Addressing cultural competence through reinforcing students’ cultural integrity c. Involving students in the construction of knowledge 1. Building on students’ interests and linguistic resources 2. Tapping home and community resources

18. 3. Understanding students’ cultural knowledge 4. Using interactive and constructivist teaching strategies 5. Examining the curriculum from multiple perspectives 6. Promoting critical consciousness through opportunities to challenge predominant elements of the students’ social norms Written Communication Expectations • Page Requirement (.25 points): Submit three to five pages, not including the title and reference pages. • APA Formatting (.25 points): Format your paper according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. • Syntax and Mechanics (.25 points): Display meticulous comprehension and organization of syntax and mechanics, such as spelling and grammar. • Source Requirement (.25 points): Reference the cellphone video and Wardle (2013) textbook. All sources on the references page need to be used and cited correctly within the body of the assignment. Next Steps: Review and Submit the Assignment ============================================== EDU 692 Week 3 Discussion 1 Creating an Evaluation Instrument for Cultural Relevance in the Classroom

19. For more course tutorials visit www.tutorialrank.com Creating an Evaluation Instrument for Cultural Relevance in the Classroom. 1st Post Due by Day 3. In this discussion, you will apply your knowledge of culturally relevant pedagogy to examine the degree to which a specific place-based experience implements culturally relevant strategies. Please review this week’s Instructor Guidance for detailed assistance on preparing for and completing this discussion. Initial Post: For this post, you will complete a rubric to determine the degree to which an instructional experience incorporates culturally relevant pedagogical principles. Based on your knowledge about culturally relevant teaching, you will add two more criteria to the rubric below and then use it to evaluate one of the place-based lesson “stories” shared on the PromiseofPlace.org. Then, using the rubric with your results from your evaluation, summarize how well you think your selected place-based experience addresses cultural relevance. You can copy the rubric into a word document, complete the rubric, and then paste into the discussion forum along with your summary. Guided Response: Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts. Examine their instruments and brief report, and comment on the effectiveness of the instruments developed and their evaluation of the lesson. In your responses, consider asking questions about their posts to encourage further conversation. Though two replies is the basic expectation, for deeper engagement and learning, you are encouraged to

20. provide responses to any comments or questions others have given to you. This will further the conversation and provide you with opportunities to demonstrate your content expertise, critical thinking, and real world experiences with this topic. ============================================== EDU 692 Week 3 Discussion 2 Equal Versus Equitable For more course tutorials visit www.tutorialrank.com Equal Versus Equitable. 1st Post Due by Day 3. It can be difficult for students in any class to understand the importance of equity in their classroom. “It’s not fair!” is a common reaction from students who observe other students getting benefits that they did not receive. For example, some students with specific learning disabilities may receive additional time to complete assignments. Wardle (2013) points out a clear distinction between equality and equity noting that “Equal education is providing equal resources and opportunities for all students to succeed in education” (p. 51). On the other hand, according to Banks (2013), equitable education “goes beyond equal, and to some extent contradicts it, in that it requires tailoring the educational approach... to each student, based on the student’s individual and cultural

21. characteristics, so the student can achieve to his or her full potential,” (as cited in Wardle, 2013, p. 51). Initial Post: This discussion asks you to reflect on the importance of valuing equity over equality in the classroom and in life outside the classroom. You will identify at least two examples of equity versus equality in popular culture that you might be able to use in a class to help your students understand the value of equity. This might include advertisements (pictures), song lyrics, or commercials (linked from Youtube.com, for example). Try to locate examples that could be used in a class you might teach now or in the future. Next, briefly reflect on the role equity plays in the classroom by explaining how you would use your selected examples to help students understand the differences between equity and equality, and why equity is more important in the classroom. Guided Response: Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts. In your responses, comment on the degree to which you feel their examples will be helpful in promoting student understanding of the value of equity in the classroom and ask them to elaborate if needed. As with previous discussions, though two replies are the basic expectation, for deeper engagement and learning, you are encouraged to provide responses to any comments or questions others have given to you. This will further the conversation and provide you with opportunities to demonstrate your content expertise, critical thinking, and real world experiences with this topic. ==============================================

22. EDU 692 Week 4 assignment Culturally Relevant Inspiration For more course tutorials visit www.tutorialrank.com A number of important resources supporting the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of culturally relevant instructional experiences are available online. Throughout this course, you have had many opportunities to view a number of such resources. This assignment encourages you to reflect on the key concepts presented in the course through the creation of a web-based presentation or website that you can use in the future to support your teaching efforts. The goal is to showcase several model schools or programs representing what you have learned thus far regarding culturally relevant practices, creativity, and innovation. A plethora of options exists as you search for model schools or programs. While the K-12 public school setting may be on the forefront of your mind, remember there are a variety of learning environments available, such as charter and private schools, technical programs, post-secondary education and training programs, schools and programs pertaining to the military, Sunday schools and other religious schools, and more. Therefore, expand your search efforts to gain a well- rounded perspective to share in your website or web-based presentation. The resource you create can also be shared with colleagues (as well as the public in general) to advocate for implementing a more culturally- relevant instructional approach to professional practice.

23. A listing of good free tools you might choose to use as you develop a website is presented in the Instructor Guidance. Each tool includes its own collection of help files and tutorials to support your creative endeavor. Similarly, there are numerous web-based tools that could be utilized to create an interactive presentation, such as animoto, knovio, prezi, or present.me. Use your creativity and try something new! ============================================== EDU 692 Week 4 Discussion 1 Models of Creativity For more course tutorials visit www.tutorialrank.com Models of Creativity. 1st Post Due by Day 3. Robinson (2011) noted that “When people say to me that they are not creative, I assume that they haven’t yet learnt what is involved” (p. 1). Do you find it interesting to consider that creativity can be learned? Or conversely, that it can be unlearned? In this discussion, you will apply your knowledge of creativity and the strategies needed to encourage it by reflecting on a personal experience in which your creativity was either stifled or enhanced. Please review this week’s Instructor Guidance for specific assistance on excelling in this discussion.

24. Initial Post: Read the NACCCE report, All Our Futures: Creativity, Culture and Education, focusing specifically on the Creative and Cultural Education (pp. 54-60) and Teaching and Learning (pp. 100- 123) section. As you read through this work, describe some of the specific strategies NACCCE recommends for facilitating creativity skills. Make a list of these strategies for future reference. Once you have a clear picture of the types of educational strategies Robinson believes supports creativity, view the When there is a Correct Answer video. This is a short two-minute summary of Dr. Segev’s research on creative drawing with children. Based on the results of Dr. Segev’s research, describe a situation during your life in which your creativity was either inhibited due to an understanding that whatever you were creating needed to be completed a “correct” way, or encouraged because you were not given such stringent design parameters. Write about this incident in a narrative, storytelling way. Within your story, make a connection to at least two of the NACCCE strategies you listed. Consider how these were either supported or not supported within the scenario you described of the decisions the teacher (or teachers) made regarding the experience. Once you complete your story, post it in the discussion forum. Feel free to be creative with this story. For example, you may want to try Storybird, which is a digital storytelling platform (free accounts are available to students and teachers). If you use a web-based technology to create your story, be sure to post a link to it in your post. Guided Response: Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts. In your responses, consider asking questions about their posts to encourage further conversation. Read (or experience) the stories presented by the students in the class and identify at least two stories that resonate with your own experiences. Offer some words of commiseration and provide

25. some “words of wisdom” to encourage future creative endeavors. As with previous discussions, though two replies is the basic expectation, for deeper engagement and learning, you are encouraged to provide responses to any comments or questions others have given to you. This will further the conversation and provide you with opportunities to demonstrate your content expertise, critical thinking, and real world experiences with this topic. ============================================== EDU 692 Week 4 Discussion 2 Triangle of Support For more course tutorials visit www.tutorialrank.com Triangle of Support. 1st Post Due by Day 3. Have you ever seen Blue Man Group perform? If not, here is a ten- minute video that showcases the group’s unique, creative talent: Blue Man Group – part 01. In their own way, the members of the Blue Man Group reflect the essence of the Landfill Harmonic project. For example, at the heart of Blue Man Group’s act are musical instruments made from things that were not originally designed to make music. Similar to the Landfill Harmonic accomplishments, Blue Man Group’s creativity is not just applied to making music, but to making the instruments that make the music.

26. Something you might not know about the Blue Man Group is that the members have created a school specifically designed to encourage and cultivate the creative spirit in children. Called “Blue School,” this educational environment applies the principles described by Ken Robinson (and others) to the design and operation of a school. This short three-minute video provides an overview of the school and its mission: The Blue School. Blue School actively supports the learning of 21st-century skills. When carefully examining the instructional experiences that help students learn and apply 21st-century skills, you might realize that culturally relevant pedagogy is often a natural byproduct of such approaches. This discussion is designed to provide you with further practice in analyzing learning situations to better understand how culturally relevant pedagogy, learning 21st- century skills, and creativity naturally form a triangle of support: As you discovered while viewing the video on Blue School, there are schools that encourage culturally relevant pedagogy, creativity, and innovation. The background information you gained through learning about Blue School leads you to the focus of this Discussion and another prime example of a school doing some amazing things. Initial Post: High Tech High is a secondary school committed to facilitating 21st-century skills. Examine the 21st Century Skills Culture at High Tech High video that provides an overview of High Tech High and its commitment to facilitating 21st-century skills. As you carefully examine the information presented about the school, consider how its courses and programs naturally support a culturally relevant approach to instruction that promotes creativity. After viewing the video, answer the following questions about the school:

27. • In what way is culturally relevant pedagogy evident at the school? Link specific observations from the video with one or more of the following specific characteristic of a culturally relevant environment: 1. Maximizing academic success through relevant instructional experiences. 2. Addressing cultural competence through reinforcing students’ cultural integrity. 3. Involving students in the construction of knowledge. 4. Building on students’ interests and linguistic resources. 5. Tapping home and community resources. 6. Understanding students’ cultural knowledge. 7. Using interactive and constructivist teaching strategies. 8. Examining the curriculum from multiple perspectives. i. Promoting critical consciousness through opportunities to challenge predominant elements of the students’ social norms. • Do the same for creativity instead of cultural relevance. In what way is creativity evident at the school? Link specific observations from the video withone or more of the following specific characteristic of instruction that supports the development of creativity: 1. Encouraging students to believe in their culture-influenced creative potential. 2. Nurturing the confidence to try. 3. Helping learners find their creative strengths.

28. 4. Promoting experiment and inquiry and a willingness to make mistakes. 5. Encouraging generative thought, free from immediate criticism. 6. Encouraging the expression of personal ideas and feelings. 7. Conveying an understanding of phases in creative work and the need for time. 8. Developing an awareness of the roles of intuition and aesthetic processes. 9. Encouraging students to play with ideas and conjecture about possibilities. 10. Facilitating critical evaluation of ideas. • Briefly summarize your own viewpoints on the relationship between 21st-century skills, culturally relevant instruction, and creativity. Guided Response: Review at least two other classmates’ initial posts. Compare the examples they used from the High Tech High presentation with your own. Did they align with the same characteristics of culturally relevant instruction or creativity as yours? Ask questions if the relationship they suggest is not clear to you. As with previous discussions, though two replies is the basic expectation, for deeper engagement and learning, you are encouraged to provide responses to any comments or questions others have given to you. This will further the conversation and provide you with opportunities to clarify your own understanding of the material analyzed.

29. ============================================== EDU 692 Week 5 Assignment A Case for Problem-Based Learning For more course tutorials visit www.tutorialrank.com For this assignment, you need to assume the role of a classroom educator. This can be based on a class that you are currently teaching, one that you have previously taught, or one that you hope to teach in the future. Suppose you are participating in a department team meeting with the other teachers in your grade level. You are having a discussion about an upcoming unit. One of the teachers indicates that she plans to distribute the same packets she used last year and schedule five days of independent seat work for her students to complete the packets by locating answers in the course textbook. This would be followed by a written exam over the material in the packets. You have been aware for some time that the students in this teacher’s class are frustrated, bored, and worst of all, not really learning anything important about the content as shown through the student data. This could be your opportunity to get her to try something new and more valuable to students. You explain to this teacher that you plan to implement a week-long problem-based learning experience for your students, involving group projects, computer time, and class

30. presentations; you would like to share this plan with her and to partner together on the project. She is apprehensive because it sounds like a lot of work, but you assure her that you have the entire experience planned well. In this assignment, you will apply principles of problem-based learning to the design of a specific learning experience within a culturally relevant and collaborative learning experience that facilitates the 21st century skills of creativity and innovation. Review the Week Five Instructor Guidance for detailed assistance on preparing for and completing this assignment, including access to resources that will help you identify the characteristics of problem-based learning environments. Next, create your assignment to meet the content and written communication expectations below. Content Expectations • Plan (9 points): Create a general plan for a problem-based and project- based learning (PBL2) experience that includes the following six components: 1. Overview of the general problem you will establish related to the topic, including the following: • A brief description of the grade, subject, and demographics of the class. • An overview of how student groups will be assigned and monitored. • A description of the project that will need to be developed by the group and presented to the class. • Common characteristics of problem-based learning, addressing an open-ended problem posed to each learning group (see guidance).

31. • A description of how the creativity and innovation with 21st century skills are learned and/or specifically applied within the project. • A description of how culturally relevant strategies are included/applied within the project. ============================================== EDU 692 Week 5 Discussion 1 Decisions! For more course tutorials visit www.tutorialrank.com Decisions! Decisions! 1st Post Due by Day 3. Teachers are professionals who must make many decisions throughout their day! Some decisions are immediate, spur of the moment choices like disciplining students or revising a lesson that is not working. Others decisions are more calculated, like developing a semester-long project designed to incorporate community resources into a problem-solving scenario. All the small decisions teachers make throughout their day likely support the two most important, larger overarching decisions that are made at the beginning of a learning experience and are based in part on many macrocultural and microcultural factors: • What is truly important for students to learn?

32. • What is the best way to arrange experiences within the learning environment to maximize the probability that all students will learn what is intended for them to learn? Chapter 1 of the course text provides a number of different definitions for the term “culture.” Wardle (2013) makes a distinction between cultural factors at the national level (macroculture) and cultural factors unique to a specific sub-population of people in local communities (microculture). This discussion provides you with additional practice identifying cultural influences on specific decisions teachers make to develop the most effective learning experiences possible, which further prepares you for the Week Six Final Project. You will use one of the schools or programs identified in last week’s assignment (website or web-based presentation) that you and your peers developed as the subject of the first discussion. Recall that these schools showcase examples of innovative educational experiences designed to promote 21st-century skills while promoting culturally relevant pedagogy. Initial Response: This discussion requires you to select one of the schools/programs you researched and included in your Week Four Assignment. Once selected, you need to conduct a brief analysis of the decisions that needed to be made in the design and implementation of the school or program you selected. To help guide this analysis, ensure that the following questions are addressed: • What decisions, in general, did the program developer(s) and/or other professional(s) need to make in order to plan the school or program? • What macroscopic cultural influence likely supported the development and implementation of the program?

33. • What microscopic cultural influence likely supported the development and implementation of the program? Be sure to provide a link to the school or program you are analyzing so that other students can have easy access as they review your work. Guided Response: Navigate through several of your classmate’s selected schools or programs and respond to at least two peers, paying close attention to the particular school or program they featured in their initial discussion post. Review the analysis of the decisions and cultural influences discussed and indicate how you agree or disagree with their analysis. As with previous discussions, though two replies is the basic expectation, for deeper engagement and learning, you are encouraged to provide responses to any comments or questions others have given to you. This will further the conversation and provide you with opportunities to demonstrate your content expertise, critical thinking, and real world experiences with this topic. ============================================== EDU 692 Week 6 Discussion Creativity, Innovation and Culture For more course tutorials visit www.tutorialrank.com

34. Creativity, Innovation, and Culture. 1st Post Due by Day 3. In this final reflection, you are asked to describe a set of skills you acquired over the years that allows you to be creative in some way. This might be musical instrument skills, cooking, knitting, writing, model-building, gardening....anything you consider yourself “good at” that encourages you to experience “...the process of having original ideas that have value” (Robinson, 2011, p. 151). By analyzing these skills in light of the culturally relevant context in which they were learned, you may realize an even deeper understanding of the skills facilitated within this course. Initial Post: Post a response that addresses each of the following five items: • What is something you do or have done in your life that is creative? • Describe the skills you needed to learn in order to feel comfortable and competent creating the things, ideas, or concepts that result from the creativity you described. • Describe some of the macrocultural factors you believe contributed to your decisions to keep practicing and participating in the creative endeavors described. • Describe some of the microcultural factors you believe contributed to your decisions to keep practicing and participating in the creative endeavors described. • How was learning the skills that define your creative endeavors different from or the same as the manner in which you learned academic skills? Optional: If you have any pictures, sound files, or videos of your creations, feel free to share and/or provide a link.

35. Guided Response: Post replies to at least two peers before the close date of this discussion. In your replies, comment on their creativity descriptions, asking follow-up questions about their experiences and accomplishments. ============================================== EDU 692 Week 6 Final Project Creative Teaching Designing Culturally Relevant Instruction For more course tutorials visit www.tutorialrank.com For the Final Project, you will assume the role of a classroom teacher applying for a $10,000 Teacher Creativity Fellowship Grant. This award provides financial resources to teachers, which allows the recipient to spend time during the summer months developing an instructional experience that will be implemented and evaluated during the upcoming fall semester. These instructional experiences could include large projects, field trips, or simply improved daily or weekly lessons. This year’s grant recipients are awarded funding on the condition they develop instructional experiences and programs to support the learning of 21st century skills, specifically, creative and innovative skills.

36. A good example of this type of award competition in the real world is the Teacher Creativity Fellowship. Spend some time reviewing the information provided at this site to get a better understanding of a teacher grant request for proposal (RFP). To further structure and define your Final Project, imagine you teach in a culturally diverse school, and you recognize a need to develop more culturally relevant instructional experiences that promote creative and innovative thinking. After carefully examining the information in the request for proposal for the grant described above, you realize the funding awards are based on the clarity and details of a form submitted for evaluation. After careful deliberation, you decide to apply for the grant to finance your time and help you obtain the resources needed to develop the proposed instructional experiences. Keep in mind that a primary component of your plan requires consideration of the culture and specific needs of each child enrolled in your class (or one of your classes) for the upcoming semester. Writing the Final Project Create your Final Project to meet the content and written communication expectations below. The content expectations include the seven parts of the request for proposal. If you have questions about the expectations for this assignment, use the Ask Your Instructor discussion section in the left-navigation pane of your course. The following seven sections should be used as headings within your paper. Content Expectations: • Part I: Audience and Rationale (1 point): Write an overview of the class and target population,

37. including the age range, grade and/or subject area, and other relevant attributes of the culture in which the school is situated. If you are not currently teaching, you may use a prior class, a peer’s class, or invent the demographic information. • Part II: Outcomes (1 point): List the instructional outcomes (i.e., learning objectives and standards) of the instructional experience including: 1. Content Outcomes 2. 21st century skills with an emphasis on creativity and innovation 3. Cultural competencies explicitly facilitated within the planned learning experience. • Part III: Assessment (1 point): Describe how you will measure the degree to which the learners have acquired your targeted outcomes. You do not need to develop the assessments, just describe the format and what they would be in some detail. • Part IV. Context Description (2 points): Describe the nature of the overall instructional context established by addressing: 1. Creativity (i.e., learners involved in making or creating something) 2. Problem Solving (i.e., overall activity focuses on solving a specific or ill-defined problem) OR 3. A Real/Simulated Experience (i.e., activity consists of performing tasks that are part of a real- world experience or an experience designed to simulate real-world activity)

38. • Part V: Instructional Plan Summary (2 points): Summarize the planned instructional experiences, providing a justification for the need to employ a culturally relevant framework to help facilitate both creativity and innovation skills and the content-area skills the instructional experience addresses. • Part VI. Evidence of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy in the Instructional Plan (8 points): Describe the planned learning experiences in detail. Ensure the plan includes at least four of the following nine strategy options: 1. Maximizing academic success through relevant instructional experiences 2. Addressing cultural competence through reinforcing students’ cultural integrity 3. Involving students in the construction of knowledge 4. Building on students’ interests and linguistic resources 5. Tapping home and community resources 6. Understanding students’ cultural knowledge 7. Using interactive and constructivist teaching strategies 8. Examining the curriculum from multiple perspectives 9. Promoting critical consciousness through opportunities to challenge predominant elements of the students’ social norms • Part VII. Creativity/Innovation Strategies in the Instructional Plan (7.5 points): Ensure the planned instructional experience provides at least four of the following ten strategies for facilitating creativity and innovative thinking:

39. 1. Encouraging students to believe in their culture-influenced creative potential 2. Nurturing the confidence to try 3. Helping learners find their creative strengths 4. Promoting experiment and inquiry and a willingness to make mistakes 5. Encouraging generative thought, free from immediate criticism 6. Encouraging the expression of personal ideas and feelings 7. Conveying an understanding of phases in creative work and the need for time 8. Developing an awareness of the roles of intuition and aesthetic processes 9. Encouraging students to play with ideas and conjecture about possibilities 10. Facilitating critical evaluation of ideas ==============================================