by Kirsten McHugh
We hope that you are staying as healthy as possible--both in body and mind. As we wrap up the month of July, we at The Good Project would like to share with you a handful of standout articles and papers from the past few weeks.
Better Arguments & Good Work: A Workbook
It’s no revelation that we are in the midst of an incredibly divisive time. At times, it can feel like every decision we make and conversation we have leads us into our own politicised corners. This workbook teaches you the basic tenets of both Better Arguments and The Good Project so that you can put these ideas into practice in your own workplace discussions---hopefully towards a more productive and balanced outcome for all parties.
Find Purpose by Connecting Across Generations
Are you working exclusively with people in your own age range? If so, you might be missing out. The team over at The Greater Good Science Center gives a shout-out to Encore.org in a recent article on how engaging across the generational divide can increase a sense of purpose. The article also highlights an exciting new study by Anne Colby and Bill Damon (Good Project Co-Founder) describing how this inter-generational mixing can assist people over 50 in gaining “purpose beyond the self”.
EL EDUCATION FLEX CURRICULUM: 2020-21
Expeditionary Learning has just announced a new K-8 curriculum for the upcoming school year. In light of the pandemic and uncertainty surrounding many school openings, this curriculum has been adapted to be flexible for remote learning, hybrid models, and the traditional in-person classroom experience.
What Makes an Excellent Online Teacher?
The Good Project’s 3E’s are excellence ethics, and engagement. This month, Usable Knowledge features Rhonda Bondie’s exploration of what it takes to be an excellent teacher while connecting remotely with students. Bondie explains that being an excellent online teacher isn’t what you might expect. It’s really not about being a tech wiz, but rather depends on the decisions you make in designing your lessons and responding to students.
Reflective Practice In Initial Teacher Education
A lot of what we have been reading this month with regards to teaching has to do with how schools are attempting to prepare for the upcoming year given all of the uncertainty surrounding where and how teaching will take place. That being said, we always like to keep up on the latest news in character education. The Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues at the University of Birmingham recently published a new paper exploring the impact of reflecting on personal character strengths while undergoing teacher training.
We hope you enjoy these reads as much as we have and, as always, stay home if you can and stay well.