The Academic Corner

The Child Development Laboratory (CDL) is a community of practice that engages in deep reflection and study of the work of children. We strive to understand the theories and ideas that children create through collecting children's words and actions in the context of play. For the coming year, the CDL will be exploring Image of the Child. Image of the Child encompasses "what people believe, understand, and assume about the role of children in education and society. This image includes how people think about children's capabilities, development, motivations, purpose and agency. Social, cultural, and historical experiences influence a person's image of the child" (Martalock, 2012, p. 3). The Reggio Emilia approach (our guiding philosophy) utilizes this concept as a framework for guiding the ways in which we engage with children.

In the coming year, we hope to engage our community in an exploration of how each of us sees children and how that influences the ways in which we engage with children. We will share observations and reflections by the children, families, Work College students and CDL staff. Our goal in this exploration is to challenge ourselves in truly seeing children and revealing children's thinking and learning. Pedagogical documentation will be shared throughout the year. We welcome members of the community to engage in reflection with us on the true competence of children and how we can create spaces where children's competence can be revealed and encouraged.

You're invited to join 1,000+ of your favorite students in Phelps Stokes Chapel each week for Convocation.

The benefits of attending Convo are many:

• You can literally "meet students where they are" while modeling what lifelong learning looks like
• You'll have something new to talk about at your next department or committee meeting
• You have a built-in excuse for not having meetings, answering emails, or grading papers for a whole hour each week

This year's Convo series has already been off to a great start, with a rollicking concert from the legendary Tee Dee Young (during which a couple dozen of his new Berean friends joined him on stage!) and a fascinating lecture from Dr. Kavitha Arur about how black holes are definitely NOT space vacuums.

Coming up, we'll host:

• Sept. 24, 3:00 PM: Ato Andoh, CEO of GCS Fibers
• Oct. 1, 8:00 PM: Ukrainian Village Voices, Choir
• Oct. 8, 3:00 PM: Taylor Fellows Showcase
• Oct. 22, 3:00 PM: Andrew Aydin & Cory Vaillancourt, contributors to Islands in the Sky: A People's History of Hurricane Helene
• Nov. 5, 3:00 PM: Brian Christian, author of The Alignment Problem: Machine Learning and Human Values
• Nov. 12, 8:00 PM: Los Juanos, Indie-Regional Mexicano Band

Berea College's Media Relations office is launching a new initiative to identify faculty and staff members who may be interested in serving as subject matter experts for media opportunities.

A subject matter expert (SME) is someone with specialized knowledge, experience, research, or professional expertise in a particular area who can help inform the public through interviews with journalists, podcasts, radio programs, television news outlets and other media. Examples might include expertise in Appalachian studies, education, sustainability, economics, religion, health and wellness, college access, labor programs, social justice, agriculture, history, student success, or other academic and professional fields.

When newsworthy topics arise, colleges and universities are often asked to provide expert perspectives that help audiences better understand current events and important issues. By building a database of willing experts, Berea College can more effectively share the knowledge and experiences of our community while increasing awareness of the College's mission and impact.

If you are interested in being considered for future media opportunities, please complete this form.

Please note that expertise submitted should be related to subjects that would be appropriate for a representative of Berea College to discuss publicly. Inclusion in the database does not guarantee media interviews, and participation in any future media opportunity will always be voluntary. The Media Relations Office will work with potential experts to determine whether a specific request is a good fit and can provide guidance and support before interviews.

Thank you for considering this opportunity to help share Berea College's stories, expertise and mission with a broader audience.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Jodi Whitaker at whitakerj7@berea.edu or (859) 338-7917.