Am looking for your responses to the questions we'll discuss this coming weekend. I am representing OELMA, the Ohio Educational Library Media Association, in this endeavor. I first attended the Governor's (Ted Strickland) Institute in June of 2008 . It was created to begin the facilitation and planning of Strickland's educational reform plans for Ohio. Feel free to comment on all or only one question! BTW, the Institute is still in its visonary stage and has the support of Ohio'sSuperintendent of Schools, Deb Delisle, and First Lady Francis Strickland. It is part of the recently passed/long-debated budget bill HB 1. Looking for some collective wisdom. Thank you in advance!
1. If you were designing a Center for Creativity and Innovation from the ground up that would have significant impact on student achievement, what would be its purpose and primary goals? What
would it be accomplishing – short and long term? What should its required outcomes be if it is to accomplish its purpose?
2. In what ways might a Center for Creativity and Innovation enable excellent teachers to use a greater variety of innovative teaching strategies? How would it enable schools to make significant changes in
organization structures, including the use of time? What outcomes would have to happen for it to be successful? What changes could be stimulated by the Center that would make for a better learning environment, but not require new monies? (Ah, there's the rub - no new monies!)
3. Two of the Governor’s principles have to do with identifying the great strengths within our schools, and consulting our creative and innovative teachers for what works best and follow their lead. If the Center is to address these principles, what are the best ways of doing this?
4. What role could a Center for Creativity and Innovation play in helping demonstrate that educational reform is possible? What aspects of the public education system do you believe are the most important to transform in order to have the greatest impact on student achievement?
5. Who are the essential partners outside the field of education that the Center needs to cultivate and build relationships with to advance educational reform? What do you view as their greatest potential impact?
Kathy,
ReplyDeleteI feel like the work David Loertscher has done on Learning Commons and Virtual Commons speaks to this directly. It brings together all the specialists of the building: including folks like art, gym, music; as well as reading specialists, math specialists, to actually make the media center the hub of learning. With all of these folks working together with the media specialist and classroom/content area teachers ideas will be shared that are creative and innovative! (We already know this as collaboration!)
I also think the virtual library can be an inexpensive way to make the media center a 24/7 presence, and if the other content areas buy in and use it or add to it, then you have that collaboration again.