Joshua Block [Cross-posted on Edutopia] There is a sad truth about the way that most students learn to write: They become boring writers. To write with clarity and insight involves struggle (regardless of age). When faced with this challenge, many students are taught to detach from content, to analyze with sterile language, and to develop ideas within […]Read Post ›
I am so honored to once again be able to collaborate with the Leah Stein Dance Company as students create site-specific dance pieces for the Art in the Open Festival. The process is scary, challenging, quirky, and so much fun. We began with an intro workshop where students learned the process for creating this type of site […]Read Post ›
Our collaboration with The Painted Bride Art Center was a wonderful opportunity for students to design and create thoughtful, sometimes quirky, Field Notes that met the Re-PLACE-ing Project goals of an expanded archive of cultural memory that includes multiple histories. I love their project description — it reads like the guides I write for student projects: [T]his […]Read Post ›
Teenagers have unique perspectives on our city. They exist in a liminal zone, not yet expected to inhabit the adult world, yet beyond childhood. They move around independently, eager to observe and question. My Science Leadership Academy students have a unique opportunity to be a part of the Re-PLACE-ing project, an “expanded archive of cultural memory.” The […]Read Post ›
For me, planning a new class is a mixture of discovery, excitement, and dread. This semester is the first time that I am teaching Storytelling. I struggled to find a way to frame the course and develop units that connect to a larger theme. Ultimately, I was influenced by Rebecca Solnit’s idea that, Language and stories […]Read Post ›
Mr J Block 