The most recent video releases in the A Year at Mission Hill series have generated lots of attention; in part because of the controversial topics of full-inclusion classrooms and how to get students engaged in the curriculum. If you're new to the series, start with Mark Phillips' blog post about the ongoing documentary project, and you can see chapters two and three in this post. New videos are released every two weeks, and the series website offers theme-based resources of all kinds to sync up with the topic in each. I'm pleased to share chapters four and five here.
Chapter 4: Love and Limits
In this discussion-generating episode, we see the challenges and opportunities of full-inclusion classrooms, and look at how social and emotional well-being is connected to readiness to learn. Watch the educators at Mission Hill School as they strive to offer a loving and child-centered education for all of their students.
A Sample of the Resource Links for Chapter 4
- WATCH: Creating a Tone of Decency & Trust (Eagle Rock School)
- READ: Can Students Love School? Yes, if Schools Love Students (Ashoka's Start Empathy Intiative)
- LISTEN: Sammy and His Behavior Problems, read by author Caltha Crowe (NEFC/Responsive Classroom)
- DO: Learn About Misunderstood Minds (WGBH/PBS)
Chapter 5: The Eye of the Dragon
This episode delves into Mission Hill School's commitment to the arts, exploring how the teachers bring their subject matter to life by infusing the arts and creative thinking into every subject, and collaborate across classroom walls with school-wide themes.
A Sample of the Resource Links for Chapter 5
- WATCH: Does Music Education Matter? (Learning Matters)
- READ: Lynda Resnick: Why Art Education Matters (Huffington Post)
- LISTEN: Liz Lerman: Discovering The Intersection of Art and Real Life (WAMU / American University Radio)
- DO: Write a Letter to Decision-Makers About Supporting Arts Education (Americans for the Arts)