A river runs through it. Throughlines

Welcome!

Have you ever thought about why rivers and streams, weaving and threads are so often used in poetry and in descriptive writing?

Today’s post is about “Throughlines,” a Hollywood & Project Zero term. Project Zero sprang out of Harvard’s School of Education and Hollywood- well you know... “X character’s isolation was a throughline in this movie- we reinforced it through this, that and the other.” 

At Project Zero a throughline is all about unifying and building stronger curriculum.

The idea is that every class needs throughlines- guiding questions, themes, overarching ideas.  Throughlines help students leave a class with broad understandings. “I learned that biology is really about systems and the relationship between these systems” as opposed to “I memorized different forms of life in Latin and can list them for you.”  “I learned that risk taking is really important to being an artist” as opposed to “I studied color theory, composition, shading, and learned all about pencils.” You get the idea!

So what does this have to do with my drive to create VARIABLES THINKING- a skill for life- a K-12 Curriculum Throughline? 

Variables Thinking needs to occur in all disciplines and all grade levels for the deepest understanding to occur.  It has to be designed to be flexible, adaptable and rich yet simple/clear enough to engage. It needs to be designed to create “habits of mind” (another great Project Zero term) and it needs to take the idea of THROUGHLINE to the next level – a holistic level. I love a challenge!

And I love a good taco.

Over the years I have returned again and again to a taqueria in the Mission district of San Francisco, Pancho Villa Taqueria.  I may be a taco addict.  Pancho V is hardly the only place I consume from but I do have a loyalty to it for the freshness and customer service.  I can go months without Pancho V (not without tacos!) breaking from my weekly habit of yesteryear when you could find me at Pancho on Fridays reliably. Not now- but let me tell you how good it is to go back now…

It soothes me.  It feeds me not just literally. I love you PANCHO VILLA.

Innovative curriculum will address the need for rivers, streams, weaving and threads.

It has to be reliable and put teachers at ease.  It has to be adaptable (no sour cream today or YES make it a super today or no tortilla, I’m trying a gluten free experiment.)  It will nurture one's faith in their mind and their ability to think through a problem.

My next post will provide some hints to the river ahead!  "PLAY DOH 3 ways" is next.  This is 3rd grade curriculum.  They teach the kindergarten.... for a day.

Thanks for reading this lengthy post (more in less soon) -L