RLC Brainstorm

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Pumped up about the possibility of an interdisciplinary RLC that brings undergraduates together across campus who have a social interest in schools and kids. Pumped up about the possibility of a RLC that comes together out of a common agreement between UVM and the Burlington schools. Pumped up about the possibility of UVM students learning about their responsibilities as citizens to the schools and to all children through direct action with schools and kids. Pumped up about the possibility of a group of students who might include a sociology major, an anthro. major, a forestry major, and an eled. major, working together as a team with a class at a school and following that class for a couple of years from one teacher to another. This idea is an idea grounded in a kind of reciprocal social interest. The benefactors are as much the UVM students as they are the students in the schools.

Here are the ideas.

Residential Learning Community

Idea collection

1- Grounding

Social interest

Developmental assets

2- Relationship with Burlington

Forged with principals

Ideas grown with teacher groups

3- Objectives

• Develop commitment to all kids

• Build an idea of responsible citizenship is with respect to public education

• Participate in interdisciplinary study

• See schools as places where important questions can be asked, investigated, and addressed with multiple solutions

• Do things with kids that will build kids

Self esteem

Achievement

Language

• to study what it is to become and ally

to recognize privilege

to learn how to use privilege

to become an ally

• to keep track of you own goals, growth, and projected development with repect to the catalyst program

• to conduct research. Present same at a regional or national venue.

4- Interdisciplinary inquiries

Question based

What are the forms of poverty

What relationships are there between the various forms and school achievement

Tracing the presence of social interest across various school groups

Climate surveys in the school

Who says what where

What is the public space

How is it used

Language

Behavior

Interactions

Social position

Status, power, authority

Resistance

5- Thematic based kid support systems

Bridge usual semester presence

Two year commitment?

Follow a group of kids through?

Connect outside as well as inside

Meet parents, create relationships

Possibilities

Art blast

Technowizards

world travelers-web explorations

muralists

tricksters

dancehoppers

broomballers

Drum Project

Odessey of the Mind

6- photoproject

large mural like bw photos of kids learning posted in public places in schools and perhaps even in display venues around town…firehouse. Competition? Kids create documentation around the photos. Use or purchase the huge printers plus several good cameras…8mgpxs or more.

7- Apple connection

Forge an agreement with apple corporation to supply the sixth grades at one school with apple computers and take responsibility for developing and monitoring the use of same. Or, supply uvm students with loaners for one year to develop projects with kids linked to school programs. Becoming expert in iLife. Several students take the lead. Get them to applecamp.

8- university aspiration building

tours

kids become university ambassadors in their own schools

researchers as in the FM mode

commitment to pursue education

meeting various persons of interest

9- possible names

The Catalyst coalition