LRC 480/580: Children's Literature in the Classroom Section 7 Fall 2003 Facilitator: Judi Moreillon

1. Learning occurs in a multicultural world with many ways of knowing.
   We will read and respond to one hundred or more children's books. Our responses will reflect our unique and diverse backgrounds and our personal interactions with the text. We will express our understandings through our many intelligences and using a variety of sign systems. Students and teachers in this course will be respectful of diversity in all of its manifestations.
2. Learning is social.
   Students learn best when engaged in dialogue and collaboration with peers, experts in the field, and the course facilitator. Collaboration will occur in class discussions, literature circles, online dialogues, and in class projects.
3. Learning is constructed by the learner.
   By actively engaging in the learning experiences offered in this course, the learner will construct his/her own knowledge. Active participation is essential to learning; students must take ownership of their learning process. Hands-on experiences and on-going reflection are essential components in learning. In an experiential course such as this, attendance and participation are critical.
4. Learning implies risk-taking and change.
   Revising and adding to personal constructs involves risk-taking and change. Personal, professional, educational, and societal change are addressed in this course. Beliefs about change can facilitate or hinder the learning process.
5. Teaching is best when it can be described as facilitation.
   The role of the teacher is to provide a framework that facilitates the student's self-directed learning.
6. Teaching personalizes knowledge and brings it to life.
   To be meaningful, learning experiences must relate to the learner's real world experience. Instruction must be individualized and include choices for the learner.
7. Teaching is a continuous learning experience.
   The teacher is a partner in the learning process. Together, the students and teacher form a learning community in which respect and caring create the context for learning together: exploring information, constructing knowledge, and creating the potential for wisdom.
   

In this classroom, everyone is a student; everyone is a teacher.

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