For centuries, the Iroquois (and now many other cultures) have been growing corn, beans, and squash together, referring to them as the Three Sisters. Corn grows tall and strong, serving as a natural pole for the beans to climb. The bean plants have nitrogen-fixing bacteria living in nodules in the roots, providing fertilizer to allContinue reading “The Three Sisters”
Category Archives: Educator
In a Groove or Stuck in a Rut
The Tuesday after Labor Day has typically been the first day of classes. Even years when I started teaching the week prior to Labor Day, it still felt the like the true end of summer and beginning of the academic year. This week is the first since 1993 when I wasn’t starting a school yearContinue reading “In a Groove or Stuck in a Rut”
Teaching in Mismatched Shoes
I was out and about running errands late Wednesday afternoon. I stamped the snow off my feet before stepping inside, set my bags down, shed my outer wear, bent down and untied my shoes, slipped my feet out, reached down to pick them up and put them away in the closet, and then finally lookedContinue reading “Teaching in Mismatched Shoes”
Teachers, Enough Already with “I do, We do, You do.”
In my role of teaching pre-service teachers about teaching, I hear this phrase a lot, from my students, practicing teachers, and my colleagues who teach in teacher ed programs: “I do, we do, you do.” It’s an easy way to remember a simple lesson design model. First, you model how to do something, then youContinue reading “Teachers, Enough Already with “I do, We do, You do.””
Visualizing Electrons
Have you ever been wondering how you could visualize and understand the quantum nature of matter? Well I have. So here’s an attempt to use the starship Enterprise from Star Trek to visualize the nature of electrons.
For Pete’s Sake, Give Them a Cookie
This is a repost of a blog entry from June 2013. Do you know the children’s book, if you give a mouse a cookie? A boy gives a cookie to a mouse. Then the mouse needs a glass of milk. Then a litany of requests: a straw (to drink the milk), a mirror (to avoidContinue reading “For Pete’s Sake, Give Them a Cookie”
Teaching Empathy
It becomes more and more apparent to me that we need to increase the ability for one another to understand one another with compassion. I believe we can grow compassionate children by teaching empathy through nurturing acts of trust and gratitude.
Paradigm Shifts, Systems Thinking and Learning
Created this short video today that looks at constructivist learning theory through the lens of of systems thinking.
Complicity: The New American Way
Remaining silent or refuse to take action about school and mass shootings is an act of complicity. It’s Friday February 16th. Fourteen students and three adults were killed at school two days ago. My wife and I heard the news on the way home from work that afternoon. Our response wasn’t shock or horror asContinue reading “Complicity: The New American Way”
FORE! Playing Golf and Learning to Teach While Not Slicing it Into the Woods
Anyone who has golfed knows that learning to hit a golf ball consistently straight and where you aim is really hard. There are too many untold variables in each swing that can make striking that little white ball with that little club sitting at the end of a long flexible shaft almost impossible to doContinue reading “FORE! Playing Golf and Learning to Teach While Not Slicing it Into the Woods”
