Into the Heart of Integrated Learning
Twilight, lost my way
Twilight, can’t find my way
In the shadows, boy meets man (from U2’s Twilight)
Last week I photographed Inventing Our Future 2016 at Chabot Space and Science Museum in Oakland, California. The three day event was the Fifth Annual Integrated Learning Summer Institute sponsored by Alameda County Office of Education and other regional partners. The conference emphasizes how art can improve education across the curriculum. I have attended the last four summer workshops.
As the photographer, I visit all 33 workshops. I also meet the morning plenary speakers. I follow each day’s theme as I follow the schedule. On day one, we explored “compassion for self and others.” Several of the workshops focused on trauma. How do we help ourselves? How can we help our students?
Each year, I listen to music while driving to the workshop. This year I listened to U2’s first album Boy. The music inspired me, but I have not processed everything yet. With all the discussion about trauma, family stories and advocacy, there is still something stirring in the shadows and tall trees.
On the second day, the theme was “recognizing our community assets.”
Educators don’t create many (or any) standardized tests for “recognizing community assets,” so we have lost the ability to recognize a community asset. We must remind ourselves and our students to “engage and persist.” This is how we often find answers.
“The Courage to Act” was the theme for the final day. Sometimes art leads to joyous discovery. Sometimes art leads to more questions. Sometimes art leads to both.
For photos of the week, see this gallery.
To read about last year, see the post Roots in the Key of Life
To read about 2014, see the post Tapestry of Art Education.
NOTE: Added on 8/21
After the 2014 workshop, I added a notes section on my old blog More Than Kids. Tonight I added this link so that I can include more ideas as I remember them or as they are revealed to me.
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