The
first book we will read and discuss is titled, Learning Outside the
Lines by Jonathan
Mooney and David Cole.The book
was published by Simon & Schuster in 2000; the ISBN is 0-684-86598-X.You
can find it at Barnes and Noble or Borders bookstores, or hop on-line and
order it from amazon.com.You can
probably also order it from your local bookstore.It's
in paperback so you don't need to pay for a hard-cover edition.
This
book was written by two young men who recently graduated from Brown University.Both
have diagnosed learning disabilities.Both
experienced considerable difficulty during their public school careers.Both
have interesting insights about what learning is and is not and what learners
need to do to "own" their education.
We
thought we'd start with this book for several reasons.First,
it's about learning and the central question we want to answer this quarter
is: What is learning?However,
there are MANY books about learning, so why this one?Well,
a considerable percentage of children and adolescents in America's public
schools have diagnosed learning disabilities and there is a great deal
of evidence that these students often do not receive the support they need.As
people who are thinking about becoming teachers, you need to consider the
variety of learners you will encounter.
Second,
we think the book is well written, readable, and addresses important issues
with humor and compassion.
Third,
it explores what it means to be responsible for one's own learning and
provides excellent suggestions to support all learners in gaining important
benefits from their education.
Fourth,
it challenges the assumption that schooling and learning are synonymous.
The
Forward, Part I, and Part III are about what it means to learn, to succeed
at learning, and to feel like a failure.The
other sections of the book contain specific suggestions about how to maximize
what any student can get out of her/his college education.
Read
this book thoroughly and carefully before
you come to campus fall quarter.Make
written notes, diagrams, or charts either handwritten or computer written
on separate paper (not in the book) to be turned in about:
a.the
authors' definitions of learning;
b.their
ideas about learner responsibility;
c.their
arguments about the relationship of schooling and learning; and,
d.YOUR
questions or responses.
We
will collect your notes at the first seminar.Enjoy!