I\u2019m thinking about what\u2019s missing in our current high school course offerings (hint: a lot). I\u2019m brainstorming the classes I feel are most urgently needed by my current students. I want to use this as an exercise to see what I can fold or further adapt in my own classroom, within my SLC, and what can eventually be pushed forward into new class structures. This may be a recurring exercise I\u2019ll return to \u2013 we\u2019ll see.<\/p>\n
Classes that should be required:<\/strong> This is related to the large immigrant student tropes I\u2019ve been attempting to document.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n – Social Media 101<\/strong>: Blogging, online networks, and RSS<\/p>\n I recently wrote<\/a> about the fact that most of these sites are blocked by our district. I\u2019m not accepting the comments as a proper response. These are the skills imperative to being successful in our 2.0 environment. I\u2019ve been recently following the work of Henry Jenkins<\/a>, and the participation gap hits the nail on the head. I have more to say on this\u2026 just not yet.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n – Humanism<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019ll return to this one as the Beyond Pedagogy<\/a> discussions continue \u2013 I want to outline a realistic framework<\/p><\/blockquote>\n – Interaction 101<\/strong>: Consensus, Mediation and Resolution<\/p>\n Perhaps the follow-up course to Feelings 101? (I know a few adults that could use a refresher in this course as well)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n – Urban Art & Critical Response<\/strong>: Graffiti, Print Media, fashion, and music<\/p>\n \u00a0Yes, this is something I\u2019m actively working on and presenting<\/a> about.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n – History of My Suppressed Voice<\/strong>: a personal inquiry; independent studies class<\/p>\n I think this sounds pretty clear, don\u2019t you?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n What are the current required classes? Along with the regular academic stuff we\u2019ve got \u201ca class called \u201cLife Skills.\u201d I can’t say what happens in this class with any certainty, but aren\u2019t all of the above \u201cLife Skills\u201d?<\/p>\n
\n– Feelings 101<\/strong>: expression, empathy, and dealing with grief<\/p>\nTell people this is awesome:<\/h3>