Resources and Guidelines for Choosing Texts
There are three types of texts used in IdeaExchanges:
Literature: Essays, articles, book excerpts, documentaries, film-clips, podcasts, interviews, etc. with or by published or acknowledged experts.
Data: Information and/or statistics teachers or students have collected. Data can be in the form of graphs, spreadsheets, statistics, infographics or charts. Data can also include excerpts from student writing or interviews or note-taking or anecdotes.
Thoughts, Questions, Reflections: Participants in IdeaExchanges read texts and think about guiding questions in advance of the discussion. If they prepare notes and/or writing, questions or comments before the exchange - these can be included as part of the body of texts the group can consider.
Authors
Education Magazines and Journals
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Alfie Kohn (homework, competition, grades)
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Sara Bennett
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Nancy Kalish
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Harris Cooper (especially on homework)
Organizations
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Educational Leadership
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Eyes on Education (MS Journal)
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Our Schools Our Selves
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Brown Center on Education Policy
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ACSD (Association for Curriculum Support and Development)
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National Education Association
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National Middle School Association
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Center for Public Education
Idea Exchanges help develop a shared meaning of an issue or idea.
General Guidelines for Choosing Texts
Choose texts that allow for ample avenues for interpreatation and discussion. They shouldn't be too long and you can definitely use excerpts from longer works. It is also a good idea to give participants some guiding questions with the texts as well as encouraging them to bring their own questions to the exchange.
