To parents who follow my blog, this is a great place for ideas on books and Math lesson plans. Darlena has spaced out ideas throughout her blog and it is worth exploring for ideas which support your child’s learning at home. In our unique environment, the LA and Math ideas will be helpful
Monthly Archives: May 2012
I enjoyed this critique of Daniel Pink’s book and will read the book. Earlier. Another blog suggested the work emanating from another book by this author, A Whole New Mind, was important to educators and thinkers. Bear in mind, Daniel Pink is not an educator and his last real job, from his website, was as a political speechwriter.
I agree Alfie Kohn, who taught school, or Carol Dweck, a psychologist focusing on motivation, and her book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, are invaluable resources for educators.
I think a different understanding unschooling movement is extreme home schooling. Deb Meier acknowledged, in an interview, home schooled children are some of the best socialized children she has met. I think unschooling is an unfortunate descriptor and natural learning, experience-based learning, or independent learning might be less misleading. Instead of discarding the concept, consider questions about education and school’s purpose in the 21st Century. I think there is room for reasonable alternative models in a progressive and increasingly diverse world.
The Real Leadership Lessons of Steve Jobs – Harvard Business Review
The Real Leadership Lessons of Steve Jobs – Harvard Business Review.
Here is a great article written by Walter Isaacson. We often overlook the less obvious influences of people such as Steve Jobs.
Seeing the Ordinary as Extraordinary
During a recent conversation with an acquaintance, we discussed the concept of seeing the ordinary as if it were extraordinary. She commented, “If we could do that, imagine the joyfulness in the world!” I try observing the world through this lens and some days I catch a glimpse of the extraordinary elements of my life. Let me offer examples of this joyousness and its synchronous nature.
I listen to a wonderful little radio station, CKUA. When I get in the car, it is on and I usually pay at least superficial attention to the songs. I love Blues, Soul, and Gospel music and on three particular mornings I was welcomed into my car by great music. On Thursday, Lead Belly sang Grey Goose; on Friday Nina Simone sang Feeling Good; and on Saturday, Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen sang Oh, Mama, Mama. I confess I was not feeling upbeat Friday when Nina Simone came on, but I was aware of the generous message and found space to feel better. Each song appealed to me and seemed to sooth a restless and weary soul.
Saturday morning I met with three friends and, during the conversation, we talked about my blog. One person commented it seemed two different people wrote at times. I pointed out some postings are academic and fit with my doctoral journey. When I write about a need for Eloquent Questions in Education, my voice is, hopefully, more scholarly. When I share about a paralyzing fear of heights in Images to Provoke Thoughts, I try to personalize and humanize the self, Ivon, who writes, but my complexity is revealed. I explained Kathy proofreads and edits many postings. She does an amazing job of cleaning up conventions and keeping the message on track. I am challenged to acknowledge and express my gratefulness, as well as I should.
Frequently, I take for granted both the complexity of my self and who I am, and the important, sustaining relationships in my life, rendering them ordinary. Both are extraordinary and help me observe and understand the self when I contemplate, “Who is the self that teaches?” Parker Palmer offered this question and I try to extend it further to ask, “Who is the self that lives this life?” I think these are critical questions because, without self-awareness, what possibility of transformation exists? I follow Cooperative Catalyst and they posted Why Transformation May Hit a Snag: Observations from the Field. Two questions emerged from the article for me, both about self-awareness. First, what am I doing to transform my self? Second, what values guide this transformational process? Gandhi proposed, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Being aware and present to my self and those who matter most in my life are essential steps. Some days are better than others and the ordinary becomes extraordinary.
I thought some of the people who read my blog might enjoy reading this posting from an excellent blog contributed to by a variety of educators. It fits with recent conversations and the World Cafe Conversations.
And A Second One Showed Up
Really, it was not me unless…
Some days you just have to have some fun!
One I Could Not Resist
A student posted this on Facebook and it reminded me of students, our sons, and, heaven forbid, even me.
Really, it was not me!
Learning Trajectories, Adult Learning, and Blogs
Last week, I spoke to a colleague about blogging and a professional development project she is undertaking. She is to blog between learning sessions, but she finds this difficult. She feels she is putting herself out there and prefers to write well and coherently with a fully edited product to publish at then end. She is concerned less is expected in the digital world when it comes to adult learning and is uncomfortable with the public exposure of her work under the new norms.
Etienne Wenger wrote about learning trajectories and adult learning in Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning, and Identity. He proposed newcomers in organizations require time to learn on the job and essentially make mistakes on an “inbound trajectory.” I would extend this to learning in the rapidly changing digital era we live and work in. Inbound learning trajectories also affect veteran, savvy teachers just beginning their use of social media. Wenger alluded to learning as a series of social activities that included support found in and through friendship, intimacy, families, gaming, creative production, and work. My friend pointed out “Old habits die hard. What about spelling? What about grammar? What about the coherency of the message?”
Adults require safe environments for learning, particularly in times of rapid and unabated change. John Murray in Supporting Effective Teacher Learning in American Schools suggested externally driven forms of professional development currently used in schools need change. Mentors that offer time and non-judgmental support for teachers in applying new technologies are an important step in the delivery and acceptance of embedded professional development in schools. Dovetailing this thinking with inbound learning trajectories is logical in creating safe, supportive adult learning communities.
The etymological roots of technology includes words such as art, craft, and technique and referred specifically to grammar. The writing of blogs is an art and craft. I advised my colleague to hone her craft, perfect the technique, and be an artisan, and actively read, follow, and respond to blogs. Turn to people she trusts whether they are physically or digitally present. Stay true to what you value i.e. good grammar, good spelling, and coherent messages. I use these principles and feel I am slowly moving forward. The blogs I follow, including those on my Blogroll, are well done and professional. It is not enough to just be “out there” for me. I am doing it my way and finding others publishing similarly.
Transformation of the Self, Stewardship Reunderstood
This morning, as I sat quietly, the following words came to me and I am hopeful I can begin to live them.
If I am fully present for each moment in a non-judgmental way and transformed the world I live in from ordinary to extraordinary what joy I would give and receive. I fell back into old reactive habits yesterday instead of living into and embracing each moment. Time and space helps point one’s self to the moment and an understanding of those things I control. It requires quieting my ‘monkey mind’ and that was a struggle yesterday.
Transformation is slow, mindful change. It is patient moment-to-moment and incremental change. It is humbling and requires compassion as I tend and nourish an internal garden and attempt to bring the quiet of those moments into the busyness of my life. Each time I sit, I need a quiet mind to reveal the hidden wisdom. Until this morning, I considered stewardship as caring for something external, but it begins from within.
Words to Inspire
I arrived home, tired, and feeling uninspired, unsure what I would write. Several ideas are running around, but they required more percolation time. I broke from routine and checked Facebook first A colleague from the Circle of Trust retreat in Seattle shared an inspiring, heart warming article: “A teacher, a student and a 39-year-long lesson in forgiveness.”
One line that resonated was “the beauty of an apology is that everyone wins because it reveals not only who we are, but who we hope we are.” An apology is transformational rather than transactional. It takes the form of acts and words offered with compassion, care, and integrity.
Please take a moment to read.
ivonprefontaine
Teacher as Transformer 