I listened to this TED talk initially, solely in order to hear Viktor Frankl speak--knowing there would be wisdom carried in whatever he said--which is exactly what happened.
"Why to believe in others"--about five minutes of rich thoughts. Reminds me of one of my favorite quotes: "Children have a tendency to live up to what you believe of them" (Ladybird Johnson).
Listen, here.
12/29/10
12/28/10
Learning Link, 106
"Data-driven".....a phrase we hear often while shaping curriculum and 'best practices' in education.
There's no doubt about the efficacy of applying detailed feedback to improve our teaching. It helps to shape our direction and to fine-tune interactions.
Sometimes, that's true.
Sometimes, relying heavily upon test results to inform decisions can result in an educational environment which stunts creativity, growth, and learning.
Walking that line is a challenge---one which Seth Godin writes about, in a business context. Godin supports the use of data to drive growth, when appropriate. He also says, "Data is not information, and confusing numbers with truth can help you make some bad decisions."
Interested? Read more of Godin's work, here.
There's no doubt about the efficacy of applying detailed feedback to improve our teaching. It helps to shape our direction and to fine-tune interactions.
Sometimes, that's true.
Sometimes, relying heavily upon test results to inform decisions can result in an educational environment which stunts creativity, growth, and learning.
Walking that line is a challenge---one which Seth Godin writes about, in a business context. Godin supports the use of data to drive growth, when appropriate. He also says, "Data is not information, and confusing numbers with truth can help you make some bad decisions."
Interested? Read more of Godin's work, here.
12/27/10
Learning Link, 105
There are times when it really helps to have directions....not that we always choose to follow them, mind you. But still--it's often good to have a bit of an overview before starting.
One of the many places to start looking is wikiHow. As the name implies, it's a compendium of articles created by the users, with ideas about activities from fixing bike brakes to writing a good thank you letter (a timely topic!). As with most of these kinds of sites, the information may or may not be totally accurate at every point, but at least it's a good place to start, I think.
Interested? Check it out for yourself, here.
One of the many places to start looking is wikiHow. As the name implies, it's a compendium of articles created by the users, with ideas about activities from fixing bike brakes to writing a good thank you letter (a timely topic!). As with most of these kinds of sites, the information may or may not be totally accurate at every point, but at least it's a good place to start, I think.
Interested? Check it out for yourself, here.
12/24/10
Daily Life, 101
Today, in First Grade Music class, a child came up to me with his hand outstretched.
Joey* Here, this is for you.
Me Wow, this is a cool rock. Thank you! But I'll return the penny to you--kids should keep their own money.
Joey* OK. The rock is a genuine crystal!
Me Mmm, I see that. Very cool--thank you!
At the end of class, the same child came up to me, distraught.
Joey* I lost my penny! It must've fallen out of my pocket and now I can't find it anywhere.
Me Well, let's look around a bit.
After a few moments of fruitless searching...
Me Tell you what, Joey, how about if I just give you another penny? Would that work, or was it a special one?
Joey* Um....I guess that would be OK.
Me Hmm, there's no pennies in my change jar. How about a nickel?
Joey* How about a quarter instead?
*Joey is, of course, not this budding young financier's real name.
Joey* Here, this is for you.
Me Wow, this is a cool rock. Thank you! But I'll return the penny to you--kids should keep their own money.
Joey* OK. The rock is a genuine crystal!
Me Mmm, I see that. Very cool--thank you!
At the end of class, the same child came up to me, distraught.
Joey* I lost my penny! It must've fallen out of my pocket and now I can't find it anywhere.
Me Well, let's look around a bit.
After a few moments of fruitless searching...
Me Tell you what, Joey, how about if I just give you another penny? Would that work, or was it a special one?
Joey* Um....I guess that would be OK.
Me Hmm, there's no pennies in my change jar. How about a nickel?
Joey* How about a quarter instead?
*Joey is, of course, not this budding young financier's real name.
12/23/10
Learning Link, 104
A riveting talk about changing educational paradigms, by a master educator: Sir Ken Robinson.
Robinson says, "Our best salvation is to develop this capacity for imagination and to do it systematically through public education and to connect people with their true talents. We simply can't afford this devastation any more."
On the current prevalence of the ADHD diagnosis and the drugs used to medicate the condition: "The arts...and science, and math....especially address the idea of aesthetic experience... one in which your senses are operating at their peak, when you're present in the current moment, when you're resonating with the excitement of this thing that you're experiencing, when you are fully alive. An anesthetic is when you shut your senses off and deaden yourself to what's happening. And a lot of these drugs are that: we're getting our children through education by anesthetizing them, and I think we should be doing the exact opposite---we shouldn't be putting them to sleep, we should be waking them up to what they have inside of themselves."
and "If you're interested in the model of learning, you don't start from this production line mentality....we have to question what we take for granted".
Amazing stuff. Listen to the whole thing, here.
Robinson says, "Our best salvation is to develop this capacity for imagination and to do it systematically through public education and to connect people with their true talents. We simply can't afford this devastation any more."
On the current prevalence of the ADHD diagnosis and the drugs used to medicate the condition: "The arts...and science, and math....especially address the idea of aesthetic experience... one in which your senses are operating at their peak, when you're present in the current moment, when you're resonating with the excitement of this thing that you're experiencing, when you are fully alive. An anesthetic is when you shut your senses off and deaden yourself to what's happening. And a lot of these drugs are that: we're getting our children through education by anesthetizing them, and I think we should be doing the exact opposite---we shouldn't be putting them to sleep, we should be waking them up to what they have inside of themselves."
and "If you're interested in the model of learning, you don't start from this production line mentality....we have to question what we take for granted".
Amazing stuff. Listen to the whole thing, here.
12/22/10
Daily Life, 100
In Second Grade, several children were having a murmured discussion while taking off their coats before school began. After a few minutes, one of the kids came over to me.
James* So, do you believe in Santa Claus or not?
Me Hmm. Why are you asking me that, James?
James* Well. Some of the kids are saying he's not real.
Me Hmmm. What do you think?
James* I don't know for sure if he is, or not. But I'm going to keep believing anyway, just in case.
I'm not taking any chances!
*James, of course, is not this pragmatic child's real name.
James* So, do you believe in Santa Claus or not?
Me Hmm. Why are you asking me that, James?
James* Well. Some of the kids are saying he's not real.
Me Hmmm. What do you think?
James* I don't know for sure if he is, or not. But I'm going to keep believing anyway, just in case.
I'm not taking any chances!
*James, of course, is not this pragmatic child's real name.
12/21/10
Daily Life, 99
OK....here's a 'heads up' for any reader who may work with children: today (December 21st) might hold some unusual...some might even call it 'loony'.... behavior or events.
You probably already know why, but just in case: between yesterday and today, there's a convergence of three major events: the winter solstice, a full moon, and a total lunar eclipse.
Just sayin'. If you work with kids, you'll know what I mean.
(And if you don't work with children on a regular basis, let's just say that it's fairly obvious when the full moon occurs each month, or when a big storm is imminent. I laughed, when someone first suggested that connection to me years ago. After twenty years in the classroom, I no longer scoff at the idea...)
You probably already know why, but just in case: between yesterday and today, there's a convergence of three major events: the winter solstice, a full moon, and a total lunar eclipse.
Just sayin'. If you work with kids, you'll know what I mean.
(And if you don't work with children on a regular basis, let's just say that it's fairly obvious when the full moon occurs each month, or when a big storm is imminent. I laughed, when someone first suggested that connection to me years ago. After twenty years in the classroom, I no longer scoff at the idea...)
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