|
|
 | |||||||||||
|
INDIVIDUAL CONTRACTS Individual contracts and internships should be fun to do and to teach. They are desserts and dreams. Start with a dream and then focus it. Start with the idea that learning is its own reward, but that you are also trying to credential yourself. How does this individual contract or internship build a stepping stone toward your future? The title of your work, for example, appears on your formal transcript, so you need to calculate that. Start with a plan to let the learning become your teacher. Robert Frost says that a poem is the shape ice makes moving on the top of a hot stove. Create a plan in the same way. Do not try to create too specific a document so that you fall into the trap of trying to complete every promise you make, rather than following your own bliss or the journey your work might unexpectedly take. You need not list each text you plan to read as if they are formal commitments; maybe you should say that you will read books "such as the following" and list three, which gives an indication of the quality of your research. Consider listing non-print resources, including www. sites, music, field research/travel, and people. If you are going to interview others or do a study that involves human subjects, you might need to file a Human Subject Review Form. They are easy to file, and I can help you. You can create flexibility and freedom for yourself by saying you will express your understanding of your study through " a variety of means--expository, creative, and journal writings, as well as creative visual means". Individual contracts are both a permission to learn and a credentialing document. Evaluation may be strictly narrative in form or may include a letter grade. As a permission to learn, you should create a flexible, living document that allows for adventure, fun, surprise, and redirection. It is not a legal contract. You should focus on the learning process--get in the canoe and let the river take you where it will--rather than trying to comply with all the specific promises you make in your contract. It is possible to revise your contract at the end, if your work has changed significantly. Go with the flow, in other words, and revise your contract at the end of the quarter as necessary. Individual contract forms are available from the registrar of from any Program secretary. Here are some suggestions about how to fill one out: My sponsor number is: (this changes every year, so ask me). Use my academic name on the official form-- Dr. Craig B. Carlson, and my real name, Craig, in our dealings. Title: This goes on your transcript, so it's key. It can only be 25 letters long or less. Subcontractors are bonuses for you. If you can find an expert/teacher in your field, ask them if they will subcontract. This is called "stuffing your turkey." Objectives (suggested language): I plan to deepen my understanding of (fill in your subject) and improve my skills in (writing? photography? how you plan to demonstrate your learning)" Related preparation: Say what you have done in school, in life, that gives you background in the subject. Activities: (suggested approach): 1. Study of a select bibliography of work by writers such as (list 3). 2. Study of non-print materials such as (videos, music, images here). 3. Field research involving travel to (list places such as museums, nature trails, airports etcetera-anything relevant to your subject). 4. Completion of a portfolio of writings, both creative and expository, as well as photographs, drawings, and mixed media. (conform to your own approach) 6. Maintenance of a journal describing the process of my learning and my feelings about it. (not to be turned in; just do it for yourself). Support: (suggested language): Sponsor will assist in selecting a quality bibliography and research methods, as well as critique all work. *Subcontractor will assist in (name the way). Procedures: (suggested language): Sponsor will provide a narrative final evaluation, as well as a final evaluation conference. Adjust and adapt the language as you need to. It is your plan, so do it your way. "Sitting quietly, doing nothing, spring comes, and the grass grows by itself," as the Zen saying goes. |
|
You can create flexibility and freedom for yourself by saying you will express your understanding of your study through " a variety of means--expository, creative, and journal writings, as well as creative visual means". |
||||||||
|
For more information, contact admin@villagestudies.org or hope527@hotmail.com
 [Home] [Belize] [Asia] [Application] [Contact] | |||||||||||