Agent of Chaos
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CURRICULUM: INSPECTOR COLLECTOR (IC) is a professional museum educator whose courses focus on the pedagogical value of collecting. Using everyday objects such as menus, pencils, maps, paper money, and more, IC helps students of all ages build their sense of wonderment and self-esteem; explore culture and identity; develop career objectives; and build a sense of community through open intellectual exchange. Students are taught how to appraise and evaluate cultural artifacts and are engaged in creative activities. The links between contemporary culture and history are made apparent, helping students become more aware of the connections between their school curriculum and the world around them. The development decision making, innovative thinking, and creative interpretation skills is the cornerstone of this explorative course. IC fosters the multiple intelligences and enriches, stimulates, and empowers students both inside and outside the classroom. IC's innovative approach often "turns on the light bulb" for students who do not feel confident in traditional classroom settings. This unique curriculum is based on the idea that the way we collect objects mirrors precisely the way we Inspector Collector gives students the chance to look at objects and understand their context and purpose. He enhances analytical skills and helps develop characteristics of good citizenship such as tolerance and cooperation. Students are taught to think on their feet and discover new meaning in the world around them: crucial life skills that go beyond reading, writing, and arithmetic. Standards to be achieved and topics to be presented are mutually agreed upon in planning sessions with school administrators and classroom teachers. The course is continually fine-tuned in response to student reaction and dialogue with the teacher and administration. Students quickly grasp the resonance between their personal holdings and those of other private individuals as well as our public museums. The success of this six-year-old curriculum has proven that the sense of order and feeling of satisfaction that people establish by collecting stimulates persistence in the pursuit of knowledge. |