How I Changed My Mind About Evolution, Kathryn Applegate and J. B. Stump, eds. Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2016.
Summary: Twenty-five narratives of Christians who accept evolutionary creation and how, in most cases, they changed their minds in reaching this conclusion.
There is a widespread impression in American universities and among many young people that Christianity and science are at war…
A Community Event @FairfieldU: So Happy To Celebrate Students and Teachers #Ubuntu
Bryan Ripley Crandall, Ph.D., Connecticut Writing Project at Fairfield, Director
Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions at Fairfield University
A talk by Professor Crandall was followed by panel discussion on “The Importance of Literacy for Relocated Communities” on Tuesday, April 5, 2016. It was a joint collaboration between students from Bassick High School, graduate students enrolled in a course on Developmental Reading in Secondary Schools, and several undergraduate students interested in scholarship in action.
Long stories are made short through educational practices that offer innovation, conversation, and purpose. This semester, a group of undergraduate students tried to get Crandall to discuss his work that has been coordinated with the brilliance of young who have immigrated and relocated to Bridgeport, Connecticut and who have been a part of literacy efforts at Bassick High School.
Two years ago, Crandall saw a need for providing reading and writing support for immigrant and refugee youth and this summer, Ubuntu Academy will take off once more.
In addition, Crandall worked supportive instructional activities in two service-learning courses. “I spent a large portion of my professional time last year being mentored by Melissa Quan and Dr. Jocelyn Boryczka, Associate Professor of Politics,” discussed Crandall. “I was part of a cohort of like-minded faculty who met regularly to reshape our courses so they could better reach communities beyond Fairfield.” Through the support of colleagues and the Office of Service Learning, Crandall designed opportunities for Bassick students to work alongside graduate students in his course. “Additionally,” noted Crandall, “Fairfield students have helped design curriculum that teachers at Bassick can use with their students using research-based instructional practices.”
In short, through Crandall’s summer work with Ubuntu Academy and now with the service-learning courses, young people from Congo, Guatemala, Ecuador, Benin and elsewhere have explored Kwame Alexander's The Crossover, John Dau and Martha Akech's Lost Boy, Lost Girl, Warren St. John's Outcasts United, and Katherine Applegate's Home of the Brave. Whether through Crandall’s graduate coursework, or the summer programs of the Connecticut Writing Project-Fairfield, part of a National Writing Project tradition, Crandall is bringing literacy opportunities to young people that is directly results from his doctoral studies, the courses he teaches at Fairfield University, his experiences as a K-12 educator, and his research interests.
For the last few weeks, Crandall’s graduate course on Developmental Reading opened its door to undergraduates at the University in support of ESL youth in southern Connecticut. The evening was designed by undergraduates Shalia Garnett, Ashley Taylor, and Rebecca Hyatt to host a conversation between teachers, graduate students, and youth about the literacy needs of English language-learning communities. This spring semester, Crandall’s graduate students are developing curriculum for Home of the Brave while also interacting with students in an ESL class taught by William King, a graduate student at Fairfield University.
The undergraduate leaders also arranged for students to make donations in support of Mr. King’s classroom on their meal cards. The young women who organized the event, like Crandall, are looking for ways to put their own scholarship in action. Teachers and youth who attended shared that having opportunities to work together and alongside one another has been life-changing and incredible. Enock Tshim, a senior at Bassick who relocated to the United States from Congo and who represented youth on the evening’s panel, stated, “I wish we could learn together everynight.”
