Week 13 - 15

A. The importance of curiosity

Link to the talk: http://www.ted.com/talks/ramsey_musallam_3_rules_to_spark_learning.html

Questions about the talk:

1. What is the speaker's main message and why do you think he felt compelled to do it?
2. What are the speaker's three rules that he brings to the classroom everyday?
3. Is the art of fostering (promoting)/encouraging curiosity the role of parents, schools or both?
4. Are most parents able to do this? Read the comments from Jeff Bochsler. Do you agree or not?
5. Do you agree with the speaker that the way we are using technology in classrooms is neither innovative nor effective? If yes, can you cite some examples
6. How does Theresa's writing deal with the same question? Differently? http://www.ted.com/conversations/145/celebrating_and_inspiring_curi.html
7. Do you think curiosity is innate and people that are not curious today are people whose curiosity was thwarted at some point in their life? Is that typically irreversible?

B. Improving school performance by extending students' hours

1. What prompted the school to do the change? What was the risk of not doing it?
2. What's the link between extra curriculum activties and academics in this school according to some students?
3. Do you believe that this could work in schools where performance is not an issue but when compared with the best schools, they are not ranked at the top? In other words, do you think that a good school could potentially strive toward (work in the direction of) excellence this way?
4. What don't you like about this strategy if anything?

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C. Manifesto (the new mission & vision statement)

man·i·fes·to /ˌmænəˈfɛstoʊ/ noun

plural man·i·fes·tos or man·i·fes·toes

[count] : a written statement that describes the policies, goals, and opinions of a person or group
▪ The group's manifesto focused on helping the poor and stopping violence. ▪ a political party'smanifesto

The manifesto is your foundation. It is a set of beliefs you hold so deeply that they can’t help but guide you. Your manifesto informs the decisions you make, the actions you take, and the trails you blaze. A manifesto is a way of life.

Have you ever heard,read or created one? 

Look and read the following manifesto from an athletic apparel company and let's pluck out some of the interesting words and concepts and discuss them together:

http://static.lululemon.com/files/poster_EN_11x17_2012.pdf

Now some questions:

1. What did you think of it? Is there a central theme in this manifesto?
2. Do you agree, disagree with some of the concepts written in this manifesto?
3. Do you think that people may be encouraged or discouraged to buy from this company after reading the manifesto? Why or why not?

Let's look closely at another manifesto and discuss your observations. 

What do you think of the manifesto?

What do you like about the manifesto?

Is there anything you don’t like?

What would you change in this manifesto to have it to your liking?

Now it is your turn.  Pick a company from the list below and based on the reading given, create a short manifesto based on the values shared through their actions. Write the manifesto using the imperative form (Base Form of Verb + Objects)

   

Imagine that you are the head of a communication company hired to create this manifesto. Take 15 minutes to do this and then share it with the class.

1. Patagonia (outdoor gear and apparel retailer)
2. Clif Bar (energy food manufacturer)
3. CamelBak (hydration products & accessories manufacturer)