10 September 2020
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Student Matters
Late registration is open for fall CCT courses through September 11th. Register by section number below – note that all course meetings will be conducted online during fall 2020 while campus remains closed, but on-campus sections are still available for those needing to register that way for administrative reasons:
- CrCrTh 601, Critical Thinking; Tuesdays, 7:00-9:45pm (on campus: #14515, online: #13474)
- CrCrTh 618, Creative Thinking, Collaboration & Organizational Change; Tuesdays, 4:00-6:45pm (on campus: #14516, online: #13476)
- CrCrTh 655, Metacognition; Mondays, 7:00-9:45pm (online only: #13470)
- CrCrTh 692, Processes of Research & Engagement; Wednesdays, 7:00-9:45pm (on campus: #14517, online: #13473)
CCT Community
Congratulations to all August 2020 Critical and Creative Thinking graduates: Rachel Greene, Paula Avila Jimenez, and Sandra McCollin.
Students and others are encouraged to review the revised UMB site for news and developments related to the campus during COVID-19. Find updates, resources, and answers to common questions. You can also find there a fall 2020 Student Guide to campus life and a summary of current policies.
CCT Events
Friday, September 18, 12:00-1:00pm EDT: Reflective Practice for Building Resilience under Uncertainty and Distress
Part of the CCT Fall 2020 Community Open House Events: Dialogues on Reflective Practice in a Changing World (online in Zoom). See the event page for more information and instructions for joining, and for links to optional pre-readings. During the session, we’ll use a structured dialogue format to help build our collective learning about what we are experiencing and wondering about as we engage in our work and life practices, and how this points toward the challenges and opportunities within conditions of uncertainty and distress.
These dialogues are free and open to the public. Reflective Practice is relevant to any field — education, health care, organizational leadership, arts, and sciences, activism and many others. It refers to ways that we continually develop or change the practices that we use in their workplaces, schools, and lives. More…
The following future events are scheduled as well:
- Wednesday, Oct. 14, 5:00-6:00pm EDT: Reflective Practice for Building Schools that Learn
- Friday, Nov. 13, 12:00-1:00pm EST: Reflective Practice for Challenging Our Discipline’s Conventions, Cliches, and Traditions
Alum and CCT Associates Notes
CCT graduates are invited to complete our brief Alum Survey in support of forming vision for the upcoming years of the CCT program.
Events
The university community is invited to attend Fall 2020 Convocation (online) on Thursday, September 17th, 2020 at 11:00am EDT, including remarks from UMass leadership as well as the Chancellor’s Address by incoming UMB Chancellor Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco. Please see the web site for more information on how to view the virtual session.
The UMB McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies is hosting an online moderated discussion, Speaking Truth to Power When Power Does Not Want Truth, on Tuesday, September 22 at 3:00pm EDT. For more information on guests and to register to receive the information to join by Zoom at the program event page.
Bridge Innovate offers a number of events, webinars, and other programs to support innovators in all areas, covering topics such as problem-solving and creative practices for virtual meetings. See the web site for more details and descriptions.
MURAL Imagine offers talks and workshops on several areas of interest to creative professionals, such as collaboration, design, and visual thinking. For upcoming events and descriptions, see the web site.
Dream Big Virtual Summit, hosted by Express: An online event with workshops, talks, performances, and more for those interested in cultivating creative professional and personal lives.
Thursday, September 17th, 5:00-9:00pm EDT.
For more information and registration details, see the event page.
Opportunities and Resources
AERA Minority Dissertation Fellowship in Education Research
Application Deadline: Monday, November 16, 2020
The American Educational Research Association (AERA) announces its 2021–2022 AERA Minority Dissertation Fellowship in Education Research competition for advanced graduate students. The Fellowship Program seeks proposals from advanced graduate students who are from racial and ethnic groups that are underrepresented in higher education (e.g., African Americans, Alaskan Natives, American Indians, Asian Americans, Hispanics or Latinos, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islanders). This program provides mentoring and funding support to develop research skills and conduct studies in education related fields and topics.
For more information, see the web site. Applicants can come from graduate programs and departments in education research, the humanities, or social or behavioral science disciplinary or interdisciplinary fields, such as cultural studies, economics, history, political science, psychology, public policy, or sociology.
The World Happiness Report is available for download.
Food for Thought
Video:
Give yourself permission to be creative: Ethan Hawke (TED)
What is the Scariest Thing? (YouTube)
David Lynch: Don’t fear writer’s block, get a setup, and be patient (YouTube)
Why I Changed My Opinion on China | Why My Chinese Wife Changed Her Mind on China (Laowhy86 on YouTube)
Articles:
The Christian flag and the Boston flagpole (Boston Globe)
A Fun Way to Stop Buying Things You Don’t Really Need (Yes Magazine)
How to Create a Climate of Care in School This Fall (Greater Good Magazine)
From Tractors to Phones, Companies Don’t Want You to Repair Stuff. Appalachians Are Fighting Back (In These Times)
Acts That Amplify: Ann Hamilton on Art, the Creative Value of Unproductive Time, and the Power of Not Knowing (Brain Pickings)
Restorative Recipe for Humans Who Have Been Sitting in Front of a Screen All Day (Restorative Practices)
Make Peace with Your Unlived Life (Harvard Business Review)
Help Students Process COVID-19 Emotions With This Lesson Plan (Greater Good Magazine)
Episode 73: How to Switch Off Your Critics (The Science of Happiness Podcasts)
School 2020-2021: Helping Kids Manage the Ups, Downs, and Changes (The Creativity Post)
The problems AI has today go back centuries (Technology Review)
A quick interview with science reporter and brain expert Dana Smith (Medium)
Statement on the passing of Sir Ken Robinson, 1950-2020 (sirkenrobinson.com)
History tells us creativity gets unleashed in desperate times. No wonder DIY is back (Boston Globe)
Jocelyn K. Glei on Ideation and Being Accountable in Your Projects (Own Your Content blog)
The Art of Overhearing Yourself (Lateral Action)
Black Artists Want You to Bring These to Your Next Protest (Yes Magazine)
Humor
On resistance, and care (Facebook)
A Millennial’s Guide to Boomer Humor (Medium)
Know Your Procrastination Style (New Yorker)
