If you are joining the Marginal Syllabus for the first time, or if you're using Hypothesis to publicly annotate an online text for the first time, here are a few useful resources:
Welcome to the 2017-18 Marginal Syllabus and January’s conversation! This is the fourth text we will read and publicly annotate as part of "Writing Our Civic Futures." The Marginal Syllabus convenes and sustains conversation with educators about issues of equity in teaching, learning, and education. The project's name, Marginal Syllabus, embraces a political and technical double entendre; we partner with authors whose writing may be considered marginal—or contrary—to dominant education norms, and online conversations with authors occur in the margins of their texts using web annotation. The Marginal Syllabus is a partnership with the National Writing Project, who is hosting the 2017-18 syllabus, and Hypothesis, an organization building an open platform for web annotation.
I try to make my literacy work a sustained argument against inequality and injustice.
Thanks to dogtrax (Kevin Hodgson) for both his blog post inviting educators-as-annotators to create "a multimedia collage of thoughts and connections," as well as his annotations in these margins that blend hand-written with digital marginalia (here's one example), I'll share another from my reading:
I'm inspired by Linda's emphasis on teaching as a sustained argument against inequality. In doing such work (for it is work, and more on that later), what - and who - offers sustenance so as to sustain such argumentation? How is such work sustained, particularly over time? And what is the role of networks in sustaining arguments against inequality? I also appreciate Linda's use of the word "work," for teaching is a labor - in this case, literacy education is a means of laboring for equality and justice.
If you are joining the Marginal Syllabus for the first time, or if you're using Hypothesis to publicly annotate an online text for the first time, here are a few useful resources:
Linda Christensen
Our thanks to partner author Linda Christensen for contributing this important text to the 2017-18 Marginal Syllabus! Linda will be featured alongside Andrea Zellner (Literacy Consultant for Oakland Schools and Teacher Consultant, Red Cedar Writing Project), Kevin Hodgson (6th grade teacher in Southampton, Massachusetts and Outreach Co-director at Western Massachusetts Writing Project), and Marginal Syllabus organizers Joe Dillon and Remi Kalir in a Connected Learning TV webinar scheduled to air on Tuesday, December 5th. This annotation will be updated to include that webinar video.
Welcome to the 2017-18 Marginal Syllabus and December's conversation! This is the third text we will read and publicly annotate as part of "Writing Our Civic Futures." The Marginal Syllabus convenes and sustains conversation with educators about issues of equity in teaching, learning, and education. The project's name, Marginal Syllabus, embraces a political and technical double entendre; we partner with authors whose writing may be considered marginal—or contrary—to dominant education norms, and online conversations with authors occur in the margins of their texts using web annotation. The Marginal Syllabus is a partnership with the National Writing Project, who is hosting the 2017-18 syllabus, and Hypothesis, an organization building an open platform for web annotation.
COLLABORATION: Connected teachers work collaboratively. CURIOSITY: Connected teachers bring an inquiry mindset to classroom practice. COURAGE: Connected teachers give up some of their control over the learning experience. CIVIC ENGAGEMENT: Connected teachers engage their students in public life. CARE: Connected teachers share their interests and learning with their students.
the 5Cs of connected teaching
Chapter 6
This chapter by Nicole and Antero is associated with an issue of the journal Review of Research in Education that explores the theme "Disrupting Inequality Through Education Research." If Marginal Syllabus participants are interested in other articles from this issue and do not have access via an academic institution, please contact me privately (i.e. via Twitter DM, I'm @remikalir) and we'll make arrangements.
Nicole MirraThe University of Texas at El PasoaNtero GarciaColorado State University
Our thanks to partner authors Nicole Mirra and Antero Garcia for contributing this important text to the 2017-18 Marginal Syllabus! We anticipate that Nicole and Antero will join our annotation conversation throughout November. In addition, please check out these additional resources:
If you are joining the Marginal Syllabus for the first time, or if you're using Hypothesis to publicly annotate an online text for the first time, here are a few useful resources:
Welcome to the 2017-18 Marginal Syllabus and November's conversation! This is the second text we will read and publicly annotate as part of "Writing Our Civic Futures." The Marginal Syllabus convenes and sustains conversation with educators about issues of equity in teaching, learning, and education. The project's name, Marginal Syllabus, embraces a political and technical double entendre; we partner with authors whose writing may be considered marginal—or contrary—to dominant education norms, and online conversations with authors occur in the margins of their texts using web annotation. The Marginal Syllabus is a partnership with the National Writing Project, who is hosting the 2017-18 syllabus, and Hypothesis, an organization building an open platform for web annotation.
While wealthy families are embracing the potential of new technologies for learning, and investing more and more in out-of-school and connected learning, less privileged kids are being left behind. Access to specialized, interest-driven and personalized learning used to be difficult and scarce. But in today’s networked world, there’s no reason why all children should not have the opportunity to pursue connected learning.
technology should not just be for rich students. technology should be accessible to all students in the classroom and should be incorporated into their learning
We need to harness these new technologies for learning rather than distraction.
Instead of banning technology from the classroom teachers should incorporate it. this way teachers can keep their students interested and keep their teaching style modern.
Digital Media and Learning conference
We're really excited to launch the 2017-18 Marginal Syllabus at the same time as the 2017 Digital Media and Learning Conference, held at UC Irvine. If you're attending DML and want to learn more about the Marginal Syllabus, many people from our organizing team will also be attending and can talk with you about using Hypothesis and joining these public annotation conversations:
The Marginal Syllabus will also be featured during the session "Layered Learning: Web Annotation in Collaborative and Connected Contexts," on Friday, October 6th, 2p in Emerald Bay DE.
writing an account of the political lives of American Muslim youths
Again, here's Marginal Syllabus partner author Sangita Shresthova's text "Between Storytelling and Surveillance: The Precarious Public of American Muslim Youth,” which was featured in the 2016-17 Marginal Syllabus.
This blog post
Our thanks to partner author Henry Jenkins for contributing this important text to the 2017-18 Marginal Syllabus! Henry previously contributed to the 2016-17 Syllabus last April; we read and annotated a chapter from By Any Media Necessary, by Sangita Shresthova, titled "Between Storytelling and Surveillance: The Precarious Public of American Muslim Youth." Sangita, Henry, and a number of other Marginal Syllabus collaborators - Neta Kligler-Vilenchik, Liana Gamber-Thompson, and Joe Dillon - joined a webinar about the text and our annotation conversation: https://youtu.be/E9NHC9YqOTg
If you are joining the Marginal Syllabus for the first time, or if you're using Hypothesis to publicly annotate an online text for the first time, here are a few useful resources:
Welcome to the 2017-18 Marginal Syllabus! This is the first text we will read and publicly annotate as part of "Writing Our Civic Futures." The Marginal Syllabus convenes and sustains conversation with educators about issues of equity in teaching, learning, and education. The project's name, Marginal Syllabus, embraces a political and technical double entendre; we partner with authors whose writing may be considered marginal—or contrary—to dominant education norms, and online conversations with authors occur in the margins of their texts using web annotation. The Marginal Syllabus is a partnership with the National Writing Project, who is hosting the 2017-18 syllabus, and Hypothesis, an organization building an open platform for web annotation.
toughest
I look forward to learning what "toughest" means--as a character attribute or as a teacher characterization expressing how difficult Abaham was to 'teach' or...?
Walking away from this webinar tonight thinking about what critical work this is to do. We need to do it together. Thank you for being here and annotating with us.
Additional resources:
he texted to tell me
A small but important detail - despite their conflict and mediation, Abraham could still text Bronwyn. Whenever a teacher, school, or district suggests limiting the means of accessibility and conversation among educators and students (including providing phone numbers), this story is a great example of why that matters.
school gravity
This phrase was used earlier and I'd like to know more... which means I should probably read Bronwyn's entire book!
He was the student who, without trying to, called me out consistently on my own detrimental tendencies by churning them up and then handing me a figurative mirror to look at myself.
What a powerful reflection on a student-teacher relationship that eschews placing blame and rather seeks to find a sense of nuanced understanding in a rather complex human relationship. Thank you for sharing!
Writing was a way of communicating in our class that offered him acceptance and an invitation to join the community.
I appreciate this framing of writing as a collection of practices that mediates participation in various contexts, from the personal to the more academic and communal.
The only agency that his narrative offered him was the ability to rid the world of his existence
What a sobering analysis.
he wrote
The following is incredibly powerful! On a tangential note, I'm curious about how Bronwyn worked with Abraham (and other students) to get access to and use their writing in her book. No doubt Bronwyn likely details this elsewhere in her book, though some background for the purposes of our conversation would be grand.
academic dexterity
How many educators take the time to learn about the academic dexterity of their students?
in the two years that this chapter captures
I was recently at a research conference and presented during a session on methodological complexities in studies of learning. Long story short, one of the presenters critiqued the often short timescales of many studies (often less than a few months, if that), and advocated years-long engagement with learners - despite many of the challenges that come with sustaining inquiry over such a period of time. Nonetheless, educators are uniquely positioned to conduct inquiry over longer timescales.
Abraham’s academic success was inextricable from his ability to develop and sustain positive relationships with adults
An inverse of this statement is fascinating to consider, too: Educators' pedagogical success is inextricable from their ability to develop and sustain positive relationships with learners.
to pull constructive meaning from a destructive story
Though specific to the context of Abraham's learning, this statement strongly resonates across other intellectual and professional contexts...
create narrative truth
Truth as creative.
“It’s like if I had another me right here.”
This book is filled with powerful quotes, like this, from the students.
Through the narrative curriculum, I hoped that the students and I could together create a restorative class community that would provide academic support and school gravity for Abraham.
I was happy to see this chapter move into a focus on restorative practices since there are many resources to support this kind of practices in schools and community spaces. Maybe as part of this project we can gather some together to share?
Like Hazel, Abraham was able to see himself on the written page.
Making connections here between the different chapters of this book that highlight the work of different students.
Figure 5.1. “He ran back to Solomon’s store and caught a glimpse of himself in the plate glass window. He was grinning. His eyes were shining. He was as eager and happy as he had ever been in his life.”
Okay. In tears at this point. Just to say.
I wanted to deal with our conflict by engaging him in conversation about its root causes, rather than rely on positional power in a way that would hold no real power with him.
Important statement here; restorative approach.
The concepts and strategies embedded in the narrative curriculum were my approach to classroom discipline for Abraham.
Powerful.
What are the implications ultimately of this approach? What is possible if we think more this way about our shared work in education and learning?
hey are unethical.
+1
Pedro Noguera, who has written extensively on this topic, argues that “the marginalization of students who are frequently punished occurs because schools rely primarily on two strategies to discipline students who misbehave: humiliation and exclusion” (2008, p. 133)
Coming from a family where I too can see the devastating results of humiliation and exclusion ... and how totally unhelpful they are in resolving anything at all (they always make it worse, in fact) I so appreciate Bromwyn sharing alternative visions of what is possible.
Our class practice of sharing writing had a noticeable impact on Abraham.
This focus on sharing is important. Making and then sharing. Very much speaks to a constructionist framework as well as an essential practice I've learned through working with writing project teachers like Bronwyn.
Along these lines
The proceeding sentences here show an important framework around the work she is doing here.
Hell breaks loose
Wow. Powerful image.
The figures in this drawing were different from the previous two in that the faces had no features
This sequence shows to me a teacher who is paying close attention to what students are creating. This distinction is subtle and also important.
We wanted to dis-engage Abraham from disruptive behaviors, but we did not want to disengage him as a person. We did want to engage him as a student, which required us to provide learning experiences that would show him how education could bring self-awareness and other tools to ease the pain.
This strikes me as a key intention in this work and therefore this chapter/description of the work with Abraham as case is a way to demonstrate one example of how a school/classroom can be a place of caring while also remain focused on learning.
Our administra-tion and I knew that we needed to handle these incidents with concern for how the messaging would affect his sense of self.
Powerful statement here about administration working with the teachers on behalf of the students well-being.
Our relationship could become antagonistic, but not in the traditional sense where teachers and students are disconnected or unable to relate to each other’s positions. Abraham struggled to maintain closeness without eruptions of anger or distrust, and I struggled to handle conflict without taking negative emotions personally and stepping away.
Here we see Bromwyn being very self-aware in the ways that she is interacting with her student Abraham.
Our well-being depends on our ability to draw wisdom and constructive meaning from even the most painful or cruel experiences
An essential focus here not just on the act of writing and revising but on well-being.
His writing conveyed harsh truths that he perceived in his life that colored his sense of self, and he wrote himself as a character imprisoned by them. Over the course of his narrative work, his tone and self-characterization evolved as he realized that he had agency in deciding what truth meant to him.
A description of what it means to revise narrative truth
revisions to narrative truth
provocative
Agency: noun. The belief that I am here for a purpose. I’m not a nobody, I’m a someone.
I appreciate this definition of agency too. Was in a conversation recently where we were talking about collective agency and agency within community. I think this sense of purpose starts to pick up on that.
Truth: noun. Where I get my pride and grace.
This is a beautiful and powerful definition that speaks to the power of the work the students and their teacher were doing here.
Thanks to Bronwyn LaMay for partnering with the Marginal Syllabus and joining us in an annotation conversation during the week of May 22nd. Click here for additional information about our annotathon in partnership with Educator Innovator, including a webinar on Tuesday, 5/31 at 7p ET.
we are diving back into annotation
Another big thank you! As I've mentioned on Twitter, your course's "re/turn" to a previous Marginal Syllabus conversation (from October) is what Joe, Jeremy, and I hoped would happen over time - that educators would find conversations and texts that resonate with their interests and courses, and then join the text-based conversation via ongoing annotation. This turns the text-as-conversation into an open educational resource (OER), and - like you - we hope other educators and courses revisit these conversations to support their own learning.
a significant jump-start to that sense of belonging to a community, both within the course and beyond it.
I've had students say similar things about using Hypothesis to read together. I'd like to explore the relationship between open/collaborative web annotation and community-building... many questions to consider...
their reflections that week posted to their own blogs were filled with connections they made between Dewey’s work, John Seely Brown’s, and the research report/agenda for Connected Learning
Awesome. Is it possible to connect with some of these posts and perspectives?
scaffolding between the texts and supportive approaches
This is important, and in my teaching I've been careful to include web annotation in both private (group) and public modes so that learners find comfort with different approaches and can come to appreciate some of the scaffolding that you describe.
Amazing
You're very welcome, and we're appreciative of your willingness to merge formal course activities with the more open-ended and interest-driven approach to educator learning via Marginal Syllabus.
to highlight things they noticed and that raised questions for them
A publicly visible and annotated syllabus is a great practice, and something I'll incorporate into courses - great idea!
about the power of annotation
This is quickly going to become a bit meta... :)
The common needs and aims demand a growing interchange of thought and growing unity of sympathetic feeling
This sense of common needs is similar to "shared purpose" in connected learning.
I love the chapter on shared purpose in this book btw: Teaching in the Connected Learning Classroom (http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/books/teaching_in_the_connected_learning_classroom)
John Dewey
In 2012 I heard John Seely Brown give a keynote at the DML Conference where he said that "perhaps John Dewey (and Marie Montessori) were 75 years ahead of their time" when driving models of education that brought the learner into the flow of what they were learning. Maybe, he posits, "their intuition was right but their toolset was wrong."
I was so excited by this thought and have been wondering it ever since. So how might we do what JSB does in his speech and recast some of John Dewey's work here from 1907 in today's networked age?
JSB described his goal is to create an "arc of life learning that scales." I am wondering about equity in connected learning and teaching.
See: http://dmlcentral.net/the-global-one-room-schoolhouse-john-seely-brown/
In the German case, the negative biological and ultimately commercial consequences of the stripped-down forest became painfully obvious only after the second rotation of conifers had been planted. "It took about one century for them [the negative consequences] to show up clearly. Many of the pure stands grew excellently in the first generation but already showed an amazing retrogression in the second generation. The reason for this is a very complex one and only a simplified explanation can be given.... Then the whole nutrient cycle got out of order and eventually was nearly stopped.... Anyway, the drop of one or two site classes [used for grading the quality of timber] during two or three generations of pure spruce is a well known and frequently observed fact. This represents a production loss of 20 to 30 percent."
Yet, orchards, where there is no deforestation are managed environments. This doesn't help with the problem of deforestation but also might be instructive about how to conduct experiments.
The vocabulary used to organize nature typically betrays the overriding interests of its human users. In fact, utilitarian discourse replaces the term "nature" with the term "natural resources," focusing on those aspects of nature that can be appropriated for human use.
We probably focus on the discrete parts of the system because it is easier than studying the system and dealing with a more daunting data set.
In state "fiscal forestry," however, the actual tree with its vast number of possible uses was replaced by an abstract tree representing a volume of lumber or firewood. If the princely conception of the forest was still utilitarian, it was surely a utilitarianism confined to the direct needs of the state. From a naturalist's perspective, nearly everything was missing from the state's narrow frame of reference. Gone was the vast majority of flora: grasses, flowers, lichens, ferns, mosses, shrubs, and vines. Gone, too, were reptiles, birds, amphibians, and innumerable species of insects. Gone were most species of fauna, except those that interested the crown's gamekeepers.
Coincidentally, I just read the novel Barkskins, by Annie Proulx, which is historical fiction about the timber industry in pre-colonial and colonial North America. The novel covers a lot of territory, so to speak, but she compares the timber practices in the US to the tightly managed timber practices in Germany, and the most complex forest environment on earth, the Amazon rainforest.
ALL the time
Why? Because they are distracted in class due to learning that is not relevant to their interests? Or because they are participating in some type of activity that is complemented by mobile device use? The initial presumption that learners are "on" a device and not engaged with authentic practices (i.e. questioning, inquiry) is troubling, if not shortsighted.
Podcasts. Both creating and listening to podcasts. I love podcasts and I’m not alone. Podcasts are HOT right now.
What might youth author in podcasts? Can this be authentic journalling, planning and strategy? Can youth experts who are experienced with Pokemon make podcasts for their classmates to give the background of the game?
Very few students will be using PearDeck, or Socrative outside of a school setting, so why not use what they will use or do use: Twitter, Snapchat, Instragram, Minecraft are all powerful tools inside and outside the classroom.
This is a strange rationale. Instead of focusing on the inevitability of youth using phones, I would look at the possibility of connecting story, myth, strategy, mapping, exercise and social interaction.
Commands given in this extended brain
We watch as solid, slow moving, hermetic traditions of the academy are challenged by the fluid, fast-moving, and crowd-sourced affordances of contemporary digital media.
Challenged and replaced, for all practical purposes. Pettitt's concept of the Gutenberg Parenthesis resonates.
could connect my students with students in the K-12 system where they (many are future teachers) can practice using digital tools to teach children and mentor children about college along the way.
Yes. I actually want to start some digital field placements.
Why is open better than BlackBoard?
I don't think you Really had to ask this question.
in fact, if anything, it has been easier because I have a significant amount of evidence by which to judge performance (e.g. student-produced videos, blog posts, participation in discussion on VoiceThreads, etc.). This is useful because we know multiple touch points on student work is a better measure of student learning than perhaps, one exam and a few papers.”
I agree. I made a series of makes and then allowed students to build portfolios.
For instance, there were some pages with learning activities on them that I made password protected or only editable by people with specific email addresses.
Good strategy for differentiating assessment within a #ccourses