Center for Diné Teacher Education          Navajo School Administrators Preparation Program (NSAPP)            EDA 591 Seminar: Navajo Culture, Language, &                       Learning for Learner-Centered Leadership Guiding Questions... Before you get too deeply into the text and articles,  consider these ideas: How do you define "culture?" In all situations, culture and language are present. What are some language differences? How can we talk about the richness of cultures? We all seek coherence; humans need to make sense of their world. Culture is how we identify problems and solve them.   How are schools a place where cultures intersect? How does the meeting of cultures bring about new solutions to today's problems? In what ways does learning about our differences lead to transformation of ourselves? What are the ways (processes) in which we can take advantage of our differences to learn as leaders? If culture is communication and  we concentrate more on how we can communicate (articulate our ideas) then does concentrating our efforts on discourse increase our options for ways to understand each other? Critical Analysis as Collegial Dialogue Step 1 In this course, you will be comminicating through email with your instructor in a collegial dialogue. You will be expected to critically analyze and respond to the readings. This process is sometimes referred to as a threaded conversation. For each reading, you need to 1) summarize a portion of the text (this could be the entire article, a chapter, a segment of your choosing, etc. 2) identify ideas that concern you, resonate with you, surprise you, etc. 3) Include examples or descriptions based on your ideas about being a leader in schools, and 4) Use APA format guidelines when composing your critical analysis. Use these questions to guide your initial email to the instructor: What information from your reading seems outright wrong or blasphemous? Quote the author, identify context and page number and explain. is confusing and needs further clarification? can be applied to your own experiences and rings accurate? What can be refuted by your knowledge and experiences? Step 2 When emailing your instructor, follow these guidelines: In Subject line of text: Type " EDA 591 [Author and Title]" Attach to the email an MSWord document that follows the format identified above.   Step 3 Your instructor will "reply" to your email with comments, questions, etc.   Step 4 Respond to your instructor's email. After your second response to the instructor, you have the option to continue the email dialogue on this topic or pursue another reading topic.   Readings Click here for additional readings and guides. ©2005-6 Center for Diné Teacher Education, Diné College, Tsaile, AZ 86556 Questions? Contact CDTE@dinecollege.edu Updated 10 October 2006