Month / November 2012

by shannonchance

Ornamental Hermits? Getting Ghoulish in Temple Bar!

The head of a once-living ornamental hermit, that became petrified in a garden cave in Ireland.

My friend Esther arrived yesterday from Switzerland. She was my first host “mom” when I did a five-month exchange to Switzerland in 1994 with the International Four-H Youth Exchange (IFYE) program.

We’ve been fast friends ever since. She’s visited me twice in the US and served as a bridesmaid when Dave and I married.  My family has been to visit her family many times.

Since she’s here, it’s a great time to do fun tourist things.

Last night, we hit the art galleries in Temple Bar.

One exhibit had the petrified head of an actual “ornamental hermit.” Yes folks, the head of a once-live guy who posed as a garden hermit for the sake of earning cash.

Learning the art of gravedigging at the gate of Glasnevin Cemetery.

It was a fitting start for our evening aboard the Dublin Ghost Bus.  Tons of fun, and lots of fact-based ghost stories relayed by professional actors on the sits where they occurred. A bit pricey at 25 Euro per person, but fun nonetheless.

Between events, we hung out at the Palace Bar and window shopped on Grafton Street.  The Christmas displays are in full swing here.

The head of a once-living ornamental hermit, that became petrified in a garden cave in Ireland.
Description of ornamental hermits.
Shannon and Esther at a photography exhibition sponsored by Gillette, of men in Dublin with facial hair!?!!!?
Mutual attraction?
Grabbing half-pints at the beautiful Palace Bar.
Outlandish Christmas displays on Grafton Street.
Ghost Bus–ghost stories on board.
Tons of fun on the Dublin Ghost Bus.
Learning the art of gravedigging at the gate of Glasnevin Cemetery.
by shannonchance

Schools of Thought–Lecture Announcement

The Architecture Student Association (ASA) at DIT has announced the first of its Schools of Thought events. The ASA has two lectures focusing on the Architecture Student planned for this week.

  • Maxim Laroussi of Architecture Republic will be speaking about his culturally diverse education as well as the importance of a year out at some point in your education.
  • Shannon Massie Chance, DIT’s 2012 Fulbright Scholar in Engineering and Design Education, will be giving a talk about her research work–broad investigation into the workings, flaws, and triumphs of architecture schools.

An image from Shannon Chance’s upcoming lecture on student-centered teaching. The students pictured are Hampton University’s Dana Cook, Danielle Dunn, and Mike Ellingson.

5pm
Wed 7th November
Room 281 Bolton Street (Dublin, Ireland)

The event is free and open to the public.

by shannonchance

Putting this Wonk to Work

Discussing organizational change theory and its applicability to the College of Engineering and the Built Environment with Drs. Brian Bowe and Mike Murphy.

I’m such a wonk!

I’m elated that I got to put my training in “educational policy, planning and leadership” to work today!

I met over lunch with the Head of Learning Development and the Dean and we discussed possible strategies for helping adopt Student-Centered, Inquiry-Driven teaching practices college-wide. Our intent is to shift the focus in the classroom from the teacher to the learner.

It’s almost everyday that I get to use the research and the educational theory parts of my PhD studies.  But it’s rare that I get to contribute an educational planning and change-theory perspective to actually helping develop strategy.

I’m thrilled to be able to contribute to this important effort. And proud I’m that I can bring what I learned at William and Mary to the discussion table.

I’ll also get to discuss these ideas next Wednesday, when I speak at a student-organized seminar in the School of Architecture.

Dr. Pam Eddy’s lecture on Partnerships in Third-Level Education in Ireland. Delivered March 2011.

Today, I’m posting a photo of lunch and another of the biggest “policy wonk” I know:  W&M professor Pamela Eddy.

This blog goes out in her honor.

Thanks, Pam, for cluing me in to levers for change (Fowler, 2009). I was able to put that on the table for discussion today–all due to you.

Pam’s work includes the books Partnerships and Collaboration in Higher Education and International Collaborations: Opportunities, Strategies, Challenges and Community College Leadership: A Multidimensional Model for Leading Change. There’s an interview with her posted on Vimeo.

I should also acknowledge Drs. Leslie and Finnegan.  I used  a great deal of what I learned from David Leslie, emeritus professor at W&M, today.  And, in my discussions with Gavin over the past few days, I’ve drawn heavily from the paper I wrote in Dot Finnegan’s Cross-Disciplinary Perspective class.

W&M professor Dot Finnegan.

W&M emeritus professor David Leslie.

by shannonchance

Why Hello Fellows!

Delivering the keynote.

DIT’s Learning, Teaching and Technology Centre (LTTC) kicked off its annual Teaching Fellowships yesterday, and I got to help celebrate the event by distributing awards and delivering the keynote address.

The very first keynote of my life!  Imagine that!

And the audience seemed to genuinely appreciate what I had to say about “Transformational Education at the DIT.”

(Okay, so there were just 22 or so people in the room, but I think the 22 of us got something valuable from sharing ideas. But there were also 17 in the room when I spoke at Tuesday’s College Education Seminar so, considering transcribing and speaking, I can honestly say I’ve earned my keep this week.)

Each of the Fellowship winners described his or her project during the event. They all had strong proposals and showed promise to produce the same kind of wonderful effects that Gavin did with his 2009 Teaching Fellowship.

I’m very proud to have been part of the program.

I’ve included photos of some of the incoming Fellows, and a few other shots of my day.

This was the first time I got to meet the Gavin’s dissertation supervisor, Rob Howard, and to discuss preliminary research questions with him.

I also got in a bit of walking–before rain set in and sent me biking across town (in my business suit) as fast as my little legs could take me.

Not safe. Biking in Dublin is very much not safe. Particularly in the rain.

So I ditched my Dublin Bike part way back (at a docking station, of course). Then I headed for groceries and trudged the rest of the way home by foot.

Thanks to Hot Yoga for thawing my bones and picking my spirits back up!

David Cagney (left) and I presenting a Teaching Fellowship certificate to the Peter Hinch from the School of Construction. Peter also teaches some Architecture Technology students.
Julie Dunne (left) and Sinead Ryan (right) explaining the project they will do for their Teaching Fellowship. They are implementing the use of blogs to help students who are doing internship away form campus reflect on their experiences and learn together.
Keynote at launch of Teaching Fellowships.
Gavin and I left Rob Howard (one of Gavin’s dissertation advisors) speechless during our lunch meeting. 😉
I enjoyed a quick stroll in St. Steven’s Green between lunch and the awards ceremony.
A reflection at Kevin Street (the location of DIT’s Electrical Engineering program).
by shannonchance

Halloween Hitchcock

Psycho at the National Concert Hall. It was amazing! The orchestra was always on cue with the footage. If you haven’t viewed the trailer on YouTube, you really should.

Seeing Psycho last night at the National Concert Hall was a phenomenal experience. The RTE Concert Orchestra brought Hitchcock’s film to life in an extraordinary way. And the space was enough to make this architect’s heart stir.

And the best part of all? I got to attend the event with three amazing people: Trish Long (Vice President & General Manager of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Ireland), her husband Paddy Woodworth (who, among his many activities, has taught at Dartmouth), and Grainne Humphreys (Director of Dublin International Film Festival). Grannie travels the world visiting film festivals this time of year. Unfortunately, for her, that means that she’s always working–at least just a little–when she attends a cinematic event. I, on the other hand, viewed this film with entirely fresh eyes. I’ve never seen it so vibrant before.

I truly enjoyed spending the evening with these three people and meeting their friends Steve (who runs the Grand Canal Theater) and Brendan (an architect). They are all very fun and remarkably down-to-earth. I hope to secure their company again soon.

The National Concert Hall in Dublin is a wonderful space.

Thanks, Trish and company, for including me!

 

by shannonchance

Don’t Cry for Me Thessaloniki… The Truth Is I Never Left You

The places I’ve been live on in my soul.  Glimpses of them flash across my mind throughout the day, inspiring me to be part of making great places and to live life to the fullest.

When I was in Thessaloniki, I tried video recording a cool reflection I found.  (You’ll want to turn the sound down–I don’t have software for editing these yet and the street noise is a bit loud.)

But see how much the reflections change with the slightest shift of perspective or moment in time?