Writing and Drawing to Learn Across the Curriculum (K-12)
EDCI 200, A UVM Summer Course for One Credit
July 7 and 9, 2008, on campus

This two day course explores writing and drawing as tools for teaching in a constructivist, active learning, classroom environment.  The content is applicable across the curriculum and from grades K-12.  Participants will work collaboratively in small groups, and as a group of the whole, to understand the ways in which various types of writing and drawing, particularly rough drafts and sketches, can be used to help students better understand content.
The class will be an exemplar of the kind of teaching it proposes.  While some of the content will be presentational, much will involve active engagement by participants.  Students should be prepared to write, draw and share with each other.  While no specific text is required, written material will be provided which documents and supports the work of the class.   Please bring a lined notebook, a 9×12” sketch book, pencils (hard, medium and soft), a portable pencil sharpener, pens, and eraser.  Other materials will be provided.   If you have specific questions, send email to Michael.Strauss@uvm.edu or lkpeal@verizon.net or call 802 865 2329.  The class will be taught by Lorna K. Peal and Michael Strauss.  To learn more about the instructors you can visit their websites:

http://www.mjstrauss.com/             http://www.lkpeal.com

Leave it to the French to come up with this kind of architecture. Or is it architecture?  No tricks with photoshop here. I took this on the street about 3 weeks ago. Every day there was something, somewhere, that made this month away in Paris a mind bender.

Saw this in the Paris museum of comparative biology gift shop.  Haven’t had a sleep like this fellow in months!

Our “Drawing and Writing to Learn Across the Curriculum” class is scheduled for July 7 and 9 at UVM. It’s classified under curriculum and instruction (as EDCI 200.)

For more details or to enroll, drop me an email or give me a call (865 2329). I’ll be having an exhibition of work at the Catamount Gallery in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. I hope to develop it with recent new oil paintings, with a focus on the process of painting.

The photograph was taken in Paris during a walk along the Tuleries where there is much outside sculpture. What a classy perch, yes?

Back in the north country.  Ice/snow/sleet/ everyone looks similar.   And big news is all local.  Still unrolling my mind to the switch and reflecting on the meaning.   The picture below, taken two weeks ago near our apartment in Paris, is a reflection as well:  An 18th century church reflected in the window of a hat shop across the street.  A contrast of time and image..

Visted the Museum of the History of Judiasm in the Marais.  Essentially a history of repression, antisemitism, pogroms and migrations, as well as comments by contemporary French Jews (along with their portraits) on life in France.   The security getting into the museum was about the same as getting on a flight, which is in itself a sign of the continuation of hostility towards Jews.  Also, no pictures allowed, probably for similar security reasons.

 Got hit by another scam and fell for it, so lost 2 Euros.  Rushed by very tall African-French guys with petitions for “peace in Africa, Darfur, Somalia — whatever” wanting signatures (including address -country- name and initials – all part of the scam.  They even wore plastic cards which looked very official.  It felt very real for the first 90 seconds.  After we signed they wanted a donation.  What for we asked?  How will it be used?  No comment, just an angry reaction.  They were also upset at the amount we coughed up (2 Euros = about 3$).   As soon as it was over we knew we’d been had.  Now I’ll go look this one up on the internet.

After that there were 6 (yes SIX) more gold ring scams.  We laughed because they came almost one after another along a stretch of bridge over the Seine.

 Went to the Palais de Tokyo today – avant guard art (broken flower pot on staircase, shoes and rags strewn on the floor, globular lights with tar dripped on them, film images of rocks with a fire behind them, men hopping around in water.  BOOOOOO!

Our cab is arranged for very early A.M.  We hope it comes, that our digital phone alarm clocks work, that we get there in time, that we have enough time to get through customs in NYC and get our luggage and reload it for the next plane.  Very short connection time.   Hard to believe we will be back in the cold, quiet, (simple?) life again.   Worlds in Motion reception next week, then a two day workshop for teachers later.  Also exhibition at the Catamount Gallery to prepare for in July (I recall.)  Rebecca begins work again on Tuesday.

The leaves are now coming out.  It was 60 degrees today.  Now we must leave, just as spring arrives.

See you next week Willem, if you are around.

Went to the Musee Quai de Branly, a gigantic collection of artifacts from cultures all over the world (non European). Museum was dark red inside, lots of lights but still very dim, and everything or almost everything in glass cubes. Very disorienting, but very interesting. It’s a new musee, too big for my tastes because one is overwhelmed, at least as a tourist. I enjoyed the many school tours with groups of little kids oohing and ahhing over the shrunken heads and strange masks.

Were treated to our 4th “gold ring scam” outside the musee. Someone bends over in along side of us and picks a gold ring off the street and says “Is this yours? I found it by your feet.” and hands it to us. We were wise enough, even the first time, to ignore it. But after the 2nd, 3rd and fourth time we got it (outside four different museums -all different folks doing it) I looked it up on the internet. And there it was on You-Tube. If you take the ring, even under protest that it isn’t yours, the “honest man (or woman)” says, “Might you spare a Euro or two, I’m hungry?” The mark gives forth a bit to this “honest” person, who won’t even take the ring back. Two illusions revealed: 1) ring is brass and worth about as much as a wing nut, and 2) the finder is an honest person (ho ho) who deserves a Euro or two for being so honest. We saved our extra Euros for the musicians on the subway cars and in the tunnels.

Noticed folks at lunch at street cafes with little flocks of birds (wrens or something) sitting on the table next to their plates. Also lots of dogs in cafes and even in the supermarket. Went into a large church today with a service in progress, and in the back pew sat a middle aged woman with a jug of red wine, a plastic cup and a loaf of bread. She was on a picnic, toasting and swaying and singing along with the priest. way up front, though her melody wasn’t connected to the service.

Coming home tonight about 130 taxis had parked all around Place de Republique protesting for independent drivers – A union strike or something. I hope we get our cab out of here on Sunday. Not looking forward to this journey with all the bags we have.

Living in two rooms for a month can cause some cracks and strains (internally, externally, and relationally) and it’ll be good to get back to a larger domain, even though it will be more geographically and culturally empty…. not to mention the ice/snow/sleet and cold. The city (especially Paris), even with the drawbacks, seems a better place to live for the mind. Same for London, Jerusalem, Moscow, and all the other great cities I’ve stayed in. I say this even though the natural beauty is indeed great in Vermont, as is the quiet and the pace of life. It has been a good month for getting in some perspective about what differernt ways of living can be like, what different cultures can provide, and how diverse people really are. There is more diversity here in a subway connecting tunnel in Place de Republique than in all of the UVM campus.

I’ve missed posting images, and will do that shortly. Now we must prepare (in a few days) for the hassles of trying to return on planes with all the problems that entails when one has a lot of luggage. I hope Delta treats us better on the return and on our trip over. I could return here again, but next time with a more focused effort on doing art rather than just seeing it, even if I did get some drawing in.

A rainy day so we were in much of the time or prowling around the subway, some packed like very polite sardines. Much song and entertainment there as music students, singers, poets and others play from car to car for coins. Some are excellent. I drew patrons at the Bon Marche Cafe while Rebecca and Marilyn shopped for gourmet foods (think $8 can of ocean spray cranberry sauce in the imported – from America – food aisle. ) The trick is to catch them reading the paper so they don’t move a lot. They also have to be close enough in good light, and to not notice what I am doing. Trying to avoid trouble. Maybe I could join the crowd around Montmarte drawing pics of toursts for eruos. The good ones go for 50 or 60 I think. And they are quite talented as I said above.

Rebecca made chicken soup from the slaughtered chick, stray feathers burned off. We will eat in tomorrow. We thought the Obama Clinton thing would be over already, but clearly they are going the distance, and are still big news here. Tomorrow I hope to strike out on my own for more instensive sketching and if the ladies wish to follow they may.

Hope to find some contemporary artists working in studios somewhere. There is also the museum of the history of magic, which I have an interest in, as well as the museeum of the history medicine, the sewer tour, Museum Nissim de Camoldo, ….. ah well… we wont’ make all these.

Much of Parisian art and architecture was done long ago. The contemporary stuff is very interesting and occasionally stands out and makes me notice, like the 39 foot red Lucite rhinoceros at the Pompidou, as well a a tapestry made of woven kids drawings, fantastic wedding dresses, and a mind expander machine made of plastic. I plan on sitting in it before we go home.

Found a horsemeat butcher shop today. Looked great. Ladies vetoed that and I got some other meat I can’t translate that looks like like chops without the legs.

Threw out Marilyn’s bag of goodies she bought as they were set down near our recycling bag spot, so had to go a rebuy also those Monet fridge magnets, Mona mugs, Mona napkins, Mona candy,…..moan, moan, …..the moaning Mona lisa trinket buyer, that’s me.

Have a good day you all.

A jumble of events. More drawing, touring, sights, and some very crowded subway rides which felt like football practice. A couple of trains were too crowded to get on to, but we managed on the third try (the trains come about every three minutes.) Getting all three of us on and off the train at the same stop at rush hour takes some good timing and car gazing to catch the least crowded.

The Louvre today was like Grand Central Station, filled with teenagers (rain hiked the attendance for sure!) We are also here on a major school vacation time for French schools, and so there are many more kids out and about than usual.

The Eiffel Tower has about a hundred strob lights on it every 50 feet or so from top to bottom, and we were there when they turned them on last night. Quite a jazzy sight. Very glittery indeed. Went to a Sunday market this a.m. (very large, partly outdoors) where Rebecca bought a chicken that was “finished off” in our presence. It was dead but it needed the final guillotine and feather removal stages performed. She is cooking it this eve.

We are getting a bit tired, and I think need a day or two to just stop the metro, touring thing. Can’t see it all of course.