Resources

    Learning Lab Collections

      User Image

      Jim Reese

      Director, The Professional Development Collaborative
      Washington International School
      Preschool (0 to 4 years old), Primary (5 to 8 years old), Elementary (9 to 12 years old), Middle School (13 to 15 years old), High School (16 to 18 years old), Adults, Post-Secondary
      Language Arts And English, Other : professional development for educators

      I have worked at Washington International school since August 2008, first as Director of Studies and now as Director of the Professional Development Collaborative, which supports professional learning at WIS and across the DC region. You can learn more about what we do at www.pdcollaborative.org. I have been affiliated with Project Zero, a research group at Harvard University's Graduate School of Education, for nearly 20 years, serving as Education Coordinator of the annual Project Zero Classroom summer institute at Harvard for 11 years and as founding Education Chair of the off-site Project Zero Perspectives conferences for seven years. I've been a secondary English teacher most of my career, working in U.S. public schools and international schools in Belgium. I am particularly interested in ways to foster thinking that can lead to deeper understanding, and in effective strategies methods for internationalizing school curriculum and practices. I hold a B.A. degree in English from Davidson College, and M.Ed. and Ed.D. degrees from George Washington University, where I often guest lecture in courses on curriculum and instruction and international education.

      jim.reese@wis.edu

      Jim Reese's collections

      Sort by Title A-Z
       
      collection

      Civic Discourse: Exploring Voting Rights

      <p>This collection is intended for use  with teachers in a workshop  on pairing Smithsonian museum resources with Project Zero Thinking Routines to engage in civic discourse around a challenging topic such as voting rights. In particular, we will examine an historical artifact from the early 20th century, consider various perspectives on the topic at hand, and make connections to contemporary voting rights issues. Included also are other resources related to the topic of voting rights.</p>
      Jim Reese
      17
       
      collection

      Educating for Global Competence: A Professional Development Workshop

      <p>This is a lesson designed for a teacher workshop on using Thinking Routines to spark curiosity and a desire to explore topics in depth. The estimated length of the workshop is 45 minutes, although there are extensions to the learning that could easily double that time (see below).</p> <p>The first step is to engage in slow looking with the image. I will project it on a screen and we will get close in order to see all of the details. It's a dense image, with copious detail. I'll ask the teachers to look closely, noting where their eyes go, what they focus on.</p> <p>Once we have had time to scan the image a few times, I'll introduce the See-Wonder-Connect Thinking Routine. See the next resource for the sequencing of questions. For the connect in this instance, I'll ask: How does this painting's subject matter connect to topics you teach, or that are taught in your school?</p> <p>After completing the Thinking Routine, I'll reveal the title, <em>Manifest Destiny</em>, and ask for reactions to it. Why would Rockman choose that title? What do you think the artist is trying to say?</p> <p>I'll give some background information about the artist and the painting. There are resources posted that give further information.<br /></p> <p>The teachers will go back to small groups at tables and brainstorm further how the image (or perhaps another image) could be used in their own context.</p> <p>The lesson can be extended in a variety of ways. It can be a kick-off to an interdisciplinary study of various issues raised by the small groups, for example. I've used the 3Ys Global Thinking Routine to evaluate the significance of the various issues. Following the 3Ys, I then ask: How can you go more deeply with this topic? What more do you need to learn?</p> <p>This image is a strong example of an artist's response to contemporary issues. One can't understand the potential impact of global warming without knowledge of science. In that way, it offers great potential for interdisciplinary exploration. But it could also connect to dystopian views in art (literature, visual art, etc.); artistic responses to the contemporary world; the ephemerality of human creations; etc.</p> <p>#PZPGH</p> <p>#GoGlobal</p>
      Jim Reese
      10