Week+6



Hello, everybody. I hope you're having a good week and that you enjoy your week "off" -- at least from coming to class.

OK, as you may have noticed from the assigned readings, it's John Dewey week this week. For your assignment, you have two choices. You can do either of these to receive credit:

__**Choice A**__ **Part 1:** After reading Dewey's short book //Moral Principles in Education//, post a substantive response to one of Dewey's "big ideas" -- something from the book that resonates with you. In your post, you should, at the very least: 1) Summarize Dewey's idea or the point that he makes as you understand it (cite the page(s); 2) Talk back to Dewey with your own examples/arguments/amplifications. In this part you might connect Dewey's thoughts to your own work as a teacher or to another reading/topic from class thus far. Part 1 should be completed by Sunday, October 10.

**Part 2:** Read your classmates' responses to Dewey. Choose one response and reply to it in at least one substantive paragraph. Part 2 should be completed by Thursday, October 14 @ 4:30pm.

__**Choice B**__ **Part 1:** Go see the documentary film, //Waiting for Superman//, which examines issues of educational inequity and proposes some "solutions" to address them (it's only playing in Chicago and Evanston right now -- may open in more theaters this weekend).

**Part 2:** Post a critical response to the film on the discussion page that addresses some of the following questions: Were its arguments/proposed solutions convincing? Why or why not? Did any parts of the film strike you as manipulative? Were there moments where you thought the filmmaker was only telling part of the story? Did you feel like you heard from various "sides" of the arguments, or was the film one-sided? How did you feel about the way the movie portrayed teachers? Your response should be at least three substantive paragraphs in length and is due by Thursday, October 14 @ 4:30pm.


 * **To post, click on the "Discussion" tab at the top, and then click "New Post." If you have any questions, email me or call me. See you next week. **