CourseDev


 * Course Design:**

Here are the development notes thus far below: Create an account on wikispaces.com and add notes below in the 'Notes' section. Please put your initials by your comment or first name.

Senior Seminar: Practical Theory

Method: Project based design, debates, stories, guest speakers, trips, and self reflection to discover a 'practical theory' of what's coming up next in life.

Education: Current model of learning New model ideas Important questions Life long learning

Finance: What's on your horizon and some practical advice on how it works. Credit: Credit cards, Interest. Rent Taxes Mortage Education: Tax incentives Saving: Concept of 'it takes money to make money?', Roth IRA, 401k, Retirement. What 'savings' really means. Depreciation: Cars Checks and checkbooks. Online banking. Stocks. Financial awareness.

Evolving Social Technology: Rapid development and commercialism. Here and now: What tools are available and how can they distract you and help you. Important stories and perspectives: Older and younger generation.

Moving on from High School: Senior year, friends and keeping in touch Graduation and Summer Transition to workplace or college

Parents: Evolution: Birth to present day... and into the future: Dynamics. Family: Geriatric Reality: Cosby stories.

Workplace 'Reality': Social dynamics

Your Health: Diet and nutrition, Stress and Relaxation. Water and skin Food Nutrition reality 'Practical' cooking Taking breaks. Theories: 'Inbox zero' and 'Getting Things Done.' Winding down: How do folks wind down.

Identification: Learning to live with... you. Travel. Social dynamics. Aging. Important questions Life long learning

Highs and lows: 80/20 Principle Managing, coping

Class decided theme discussions.

'Real Life' Stories: Mix in guest speakers and trips into each section. Guest Speaker Guidelines: Adults at BBA, folks in the community Experts in their field. Discuss our topic at hand, what they do and, most importantly, talk about and how they got there. Class role in bringing in guest speakers: Behavior, respect, appreciation.

Personal reflection. = = =Notes:= Insert notes and comments below:

Course title? Thoughts? Senior Seminar: Practical Theory

Topics? Read the list above... what else should be discussed?

Self reflection? How should students do self-reflection in the course?

Personal learning communities:' Smaller groups within the larger group. Breaking up larger discussions into smaller groups.

Interviewing guest speakers: Establishing Q&A. How should it be done? Discuss the guest one to two days before and frame up questions. Interviewing skills.

Class size? In a computer lab or in the Hunter Seminar Room?

Internship / Personal projects as part of the course? Pair up and interview a community member, parent and report. Project / internship?

What are we missing?

= = =Original Design by 'Friar' Anders Ax= =Large Letters Carry Meaning: Course Development=

Course Developer: Anders "Friar" Ax
Wiki Outline: 1. Course Description 2. Course Outline 2.1 Part 1 2.2 Part 2 2.3 Part 3 3. Components of the Course 4. Comments

1. Course Description:
I was thinking one day and I recalled how I knew nothing about Business, about equity, stocks, economy: the cogs of the world (in a sense). I knew that people should have a base understanding of business because it would allow people to market themselves, get a job (one that he or she would like), and more personal and tangible success in the world. I feel that students, when graduation high school, do not have a great understanding of business or about working a field that he or she is interested in. Students should have an idea of business because it will prepare them for the world and for working an occupation they enjoy and are proud with. In my opinion peoples occupations should be their life: What they want to do, or at least on an 80/20 percent scale (I'll get to that later). My vision is for students to have the understanding and motivation to achieve what they want, an understanding of philosophy, psychology, business, finance, and of the area that he or she has interest with. This course is a conglomerate of several ideas and practices: Psychology/Philosophy, Business, and Independent Study. Independent Course X will be best taken by students during A, B, or C block. It is intended to cover 1 History or Social Studies Credit (which all Seniors are required to acquire by the end of their year) and is not designed so one can //take// the class for the credit because it requires more commitment than a normal class. It is intended for seniors only (although this could be subjected to change along with the majority of what you will read ahead).

2.1 Part One:
The first part of the class, as I have designed so far, will be an overview of Psychology and Philosophy in areas that are pertinent to the later months of the course. In Psychology Nature vs. Nurture will be stressed. When we were children our biology and our own environment shaped us as induvidual people. We all have a wide variety of interests, ideas, strengths, weaknesses and creativity. We all have the ability to make something for ourselves from what we offer the world and enjoy doing it. I believe that, as a young adult, our environment shapes our ability to think creatively and generate good ideas and depending on our environment, our occupation, our ability to enjoy what we are doing maximizes work output. As for our nature we all posses specific intelligences ranging from cognitive, creative, practical, and athletic ability. What if someone was to have an occupation that related to their specific intelligence? Would that person enjoy what he or she was doing? Would the work be better than someone who did not possess that intelligence? I believe that certain abilities, in certain people, should be handled by them and them alone because, if otherwise, the job, the accomplished project, may not be as creative or fulfilling like someone who did possess that specified intelligence. Note: this is not to discourage the student's spirit or ability to preform in this class by singling out someone but instead to help identify what someone wants to do and learn from that experience.

2.2 Part Two:
Part Two will be centered, primarily, around business in economy, life, and applying the teaching to said areas: Finance, Stocks Insurance, Economy, Small and Large Business, and Living. This part is basically a crash-course in the numbers and figures that we, as adults, will experience. I felt that because I don't know how many things work (see the second sentence) we, as students, should know how money and business works //before// we get there and are suddenly buried in papers and ideas we cannot handle. We should know how to work our lives before we get there. Like part one the way that it will be graded will be by simple quizzes or tests (and this might actually be a possibility) although I would not want to resort to simple measures, there could be another way of having students produce and harness the work for their own benefit. Maybe because it is a crash course students should be expected to know the material that they have studied for and then apply it into Part 3 which will be an Independent Study/Field Study.

2.3 Part Three:
Part Three will be an Independent Study in a field of choice which will last a minimum of 5 weeks and can be changed after a presentation and conclusion project. The minimum a student would have to commit to this Part would be an Independent Study. Minimal. A student may also, in their own time (which is suggested), gain contact with professionals in the students chosen field. The most a student could accomplish would be being in the working environment in their own time as an after-school or weekend job. Project presentations are required by the end of the year. This counts as a final test exam grade.