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