{"id":825,"date":"2009-01-26T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2009-01-26T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chisnell.www216-119-142-248.a2hosted.com\/chizblog\/?p=825"},"modified":"2017-08-08T05:03:25","modified_gmt":"2017-08-08T05:03:25","slug":"rohs-course-catalog-2009","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chisnell.com\/chizblog\/rohs-course-catalog-2009\/","title":{"rendered":"ROHS Course Catalog – 2009"},"content":{"rendered":"

Given a chance to re-create the Course Catalog for 2009-2010, and just in time for scheduling day, I offer the following new course proposals for you. Have an idea I forgot? Add it!<\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n

Philosophy: Ethics<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Students will spend the semester pondering and arguing the contemporary dilemmas of 21st<\/sup>\u00a0century America, from gossip to MySpace stories and from cell phone cameras to divided loyalties. Emphasis will be placed upon daily dilemmas facing young Americans but approached from multiple perspectives (i.e. Does downloading illegal music hurt anyone? What about eating a chocolate bar with cocoa from child labor?). Various rationale for actions will be considered, including pragmatism, hedonism, stoicism, altruism, nihilism, egoism, medical and journalistic ethics, business and bioethics, and legal ethics. Students will create a final project which argues an ethical compass for 21st<\/sup>\u00a0century American values to be published online or in local newspapers and magazines.<\/p>\n

Senior Thesis<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Senior students will design their own individual project based upon their college, career, or personal interests. The project will be large-scale, research-based, and involve public performance, publication, or presentation. A student interested in creative writing might produce a portfolio of refined works for publication; an art student might stage a public exhibition; a business student might design an advertising campaign proposal; a robotics student might work to patent a new design; a biology student might design and build a self-sustaining pond for the school; a history student might write a treatise on an event to defend before university professors. The project type and outcome is created and controlled by each student; the instructor guides students through proposals, research strategies and scales, organizing timelines, presentation basics, and arranging audiences.<\/p>\n

Student Leadership<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Students are taught skills of effective leadership from handling group dynamics to organizing projects and from presentation skills to qualities of character, studying effective leaders in history and business. Students will be encouraged to join real world committees and organizations, analyze their dynamics, and effect necessary changes to improve their performance. Organizations might include a local Sierra Club, church youth groups, and honorary School Board seats. Class sessions will include discussions and strategies for improving leadership skills and organizational effectiveness. Skills will not include icebreakers and motivational games.<\/p>\n

Global Advocacy 101<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Students will learn the complexities of global issues such as gasoline prices, the genocide in Darfur, and terrorism. After each unit, groups will stage public debates, forums, or speeches on aspects of the topics to spread their understanding to the larger public; these will occur through various media such as live staging, WOAK programs, or online blogs and forums. Finally, students will choose a topic of high interest and engage it directly, whether joining activist groups, volunteering for charitable causes, or lobbying for legislative change. Students who bring their own projects to the class through extra-curricular clubs (Model UN, SEA, Student Council, GSA, etc.) may use class time to promote their own activism and earn class credit.<\/p>\n

Media Literacy<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Students will actively engage the wide range of new media in the world to become as literate in technology as they are in reading essays and poetry. Projects would include comparing the impact of novels vs. film renditions, analyzing the impact of FaceBook and MySpace on teen social skills, evaluating online advertising techniques and search engines, investigating “push media,” inquiring about mixes and copyright infringement laws, and creating their own digital media such as podcasts and wikis. Students will conclude the class by producing a digital portfolio of their work.<\/p>\n

Special Topics in Social Studies<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Based upon the popular Middle East History courses, the Social Studies department will offer a series of semesters focusing on the history and contemporary issues of different regions of the world. Topics might include Sub-Saharan Africa, aboriginal life, Eastern Europe after the Cold War, Southeast Asia, Tibet, Michigan history, the Caribbean, and the Mediterranean. Students will often pair with students and schools in chosen regions of the world to complete joint cultural projects online.<\/p>\n

Applied Science \/ Applied Mathematics<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Students involved in the Applied program of science and math will engage skills learned in previous courses to problems to be solved in ROHS and beyond. Groups will conduct investigation in real or simulated projects throughout the semester such as calculating rocket telemetry for model rockets, designing effective climate control systems for frog or fish breeding, re-designing safety lighting for ROHS student parking lots, designing structurally-sound roller coasters, conducting cost-analysis studies of the bussing schedule, analyzing ROHS climate control costs, experimenting with operant conditioning with mice, or designing effective sound-proofing for an audio studio. Projects will change from semester to semester based upon student interest, instructor expertise, and current needs.<\/p>\n

Artist’s Guild<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Open by application only, advanced art students will propose a major artistic project to change the external or internal face of Royal Oak High School prior to scheduling for the course. If the project is approved by a panel of administrators, students, and community members, the student will select a team to complete the project over the course. This might be a textile mural, a courtyard sculpture, a landscape design, or other project in keeping with the spirit of the ROHS community. The Master Artist will design and oversee the project, delegating the less advanced stages of the work to his or her apprentices.<\/p>\n

\n

Sound interesting? But these aren’t just my ideas. In different ways, each has been proposed for Royal Oak High School. Sadly, so long as we think only about test scores and teaching inside classrooms, they are not likely to be included in our Course Catalog.<\/p>\n

Even so, one of these courses will be offered next year. Model United Nations as a class is Global Advocacy 101. Any student can take it, and you can begin to do your part in changing the world. For the rest . . . ask, demand, argue, compel. Change isn’t easy.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Given a chance to re-create the Course Catalog for 2009-2010, and just in time for scheduling day, I offer the following new course proposals for you. Have an idea I forgot? Add it!   Philosophy: Ethics Students will spend the semester pondering and arguing the contemporary dilemmas of 21st\u00a0century America, from gossip to MySpace stories […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1572,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[247,262],"tags":[462,463,268,363,464,465],"class_list":["post-825","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chizblog","category-education","tag-classes","tag-leadership","tag-reform","tag-royal-oak","tag-school","tag-students"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chisnell.com\/chizblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2009\/01\/edcamp-header.jpg?fit=448%2C334&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":793,"url":"https:\/\/www.chisnell.com\/chizblog\/testing-our-ethic\/","url_meta":{"origin":825,"position":0},"title":"Testing Our Ethic","author":"Steve Chisnell","date":"2009 Jan 2","format":false,"excerpt":"The following post was first printed as part of the Briggs-Chisnell project, a dialogue on issues of education and literacy. \u00a0 Let\u2019s be in an uproar. 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A\u00a0recent study\u00a0by psychologist Howard Gardner (he's the guy who came up with the multiple intelligences theory) reveals that students are rather hypocritical when it comes to their online ethics. Is this a surprise? Perhaps not, but\u00a0why\u00a0they are is perhaps more intriguing. To\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ChizBlog"","block_context":{"text":"ChizBlog","link":"https:\/\/www.chisnell.com\/chizblog\/category\/chizblog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chisnell.com\/chizblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/04\/010409_0520_FalseGemsIn2.jpg?fit=384%2C308&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1752,"url":"https:\/\/www.chisnell.com\/chizblog\/the-genie-is-out\/","url_meta":{"origin":825,"position":2},"title":"The Genie is Out: How Some in Iran Understand Democracy Better than We Do","author":"Steve Chisnell","date":"2010 Feb 15","format":false,"excerpt":"Everywhere but my classroom, media literacy dominates the lives of our American (and global) public. The average college-bound student may read eight books each year, but will read nearly 3000 web pages and 1200 Facebook profiles. Students may write 40 pages of essays, but will write over 500 pages of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ChizBlog"","block_context":{"text":"ChizBlog","link":"https:\/\/www.chisnell.com\/chizblog\/category\/chizblog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chisnell.com\/chizblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/04\/021510_0513_TheGenieisO1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1842,"url":"https:\/\/www.chisnell.com\/chizblog\/studywikis-hard-earned-lessons\/","url_meta":{"origin":825,"position":3},"title":"StudyWikis: Hard-Earned Lessons","author":"Steve Chisnell","date":"2011 Oct 2","format":false,"excerpt":"One of several posts on my old blog, From the Trenches, about the craft of teaching. \u00a0 Okay, I admit: I rushed into the Wiki business perhaps a little late for the rush of \u2013pedia followers and a little early for my technical skills. Nevertheless, techno-literacy aside, I\u2019ve learned a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ChizBlog"","block_context":{"text":"ChizBlog","link":"https:\/\/www.chisnell.com\/chizblog\/category\/chizblog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chisnell.com\/chizblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/08\/teach.jpg?fit=448%2C298&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":811,"url":"https:\/\/www.chisnell.com\/chizblog\/6020\/","url_meta":{"origin":825,"position":4},"title":"Why I Teach","author":"Steve Chisnell","date":"2007 Nov 26","format":false,"excerpt":"I\u2019ve been asked often enough what teaching philosophy I hold, what literary criticism, pedagogy, or politics I subscribe to.\u00a0\u00a0Recently I\u2019ve been compelled to articulate this philosophy in a short essay for an audience outside of the school.\u00a0\u00a0Here is a draft excerpt on \u201cWhy I teach.\u201d As a teacher, I'm not\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ChizBlog"","block_context":{"text":"ChizBlog","link":"https:\/\/www.chisnell.com\/chizblog\/category\/chizblog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chisnell.com\/chizblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/04\/cnn.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":790,"url":"https:\/\/www.chisnell.com\/chizblog\/student-grit-isnt-the-answer-to-meet-educational-goals\/","url_meta":{"origin":825,"position":5},"title":"Student \u2018Grit\u2019 Isn\u2019t the Answer to Meet Educational Goals","author":"Steve Chisnell","date":"2015 Feb 19","format":false,"excerpt":"Second in a series to The Oakland Press about education reforms and the classroom experience. \u00a0 One of the reasons I have loved being a teacher for so long is the marvelous complexity and dynamic change in my day to day activities.\u00a0 Nothing when done well is routine, and year\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ChizBlog"","block_context":{"text":"ChizBlog","link":"https:\/\/www.chisnell.com\/chizblog\/category\/chizblog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chisnell.com\/chizblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/02\/duckworth.jpg?fit=480%2C360&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chisnell.com\/chizblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/825","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chisnell.com\/chizblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chisnell.com\/chizblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chisnell.com\/chizblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chisnell.com\/chizblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=825"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.chisnell.com\/chizblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/825\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1573,"href":"https:\/\/www.chisnell.com\/chizblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/825\/revisions\/1573"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chisnell.com\/chizblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1572"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chisnell.com\/chizblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=825"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chisnell.com\/chizblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=825"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chisnell.com\/chizblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=825"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}