If you ask a realtor what the most important factor in home sales is, many will say, “location, location, location.” I believe that the most crucial step to learning is reflection. Reflection, reflection, reflection! This is when new skills and knowledge are cemented into place and the learner moves from “renting” the knowledge to “owning”Continue reading “Reflection, Reflection, Reflection!”
Category Archives: Educator
Do You Have Homework Tonight?
How many of us as adults have regular assigned homework as part of our jobs? If you do, do you like it? Imagine this pattern: Every night, you sit down and do an hour (or more) of assigned work for the next day after already working 8 – 10 hours during the day. If thisContinue reading “Do You Have Homework Tonight?”
Educating in an Age of Fear
A few years ago I was with my family in a national park and we attended one of the presentations by the Park Ranger. I have fond memories of these as a child in the early to mid-seventies. The presentation I saw with my daughter was reminiscent of my childhood experiences. It was mostly informationContinue reading “Educating in an Age of Fear”
Standardization, The Hunger Games, and Broad Generalizations
Warning. This blog post is filled with broad generalizations. However, the point is to spark some dialogue and thinking, so here goes. I stumbled across an excerpt from a George Carlin monologue about education reform. It is amazing what seemingly random things appear on youtube. I was actually looking for an interview by Alfie KohnContinue reading “Standardization, The Hunger Games, and Broad Generalizations”
Educating Those on the Margins
I think there are two kinds of educators. There are those that are educators because they are passionate about a subject and they wanted to share that passion. Then there are those that are educators because they love kids. They could and would teach anything. To generalize, the former tend to be in secondary education,Continue reading “Educating Those on the Margins”
Why Are Essential Questions Essential for Good Teaching?
Most teachers are taught to write objectives for their lessons or units. Most textbooks (which drive most teachers lesson planning) have objectives written at the beginning of each chapter. Let’s look at an example: Students will understand the taxonomic classification system used by scientists and be able explain the phylogenetic relationship among organisms. Technically, itContinue reading “Why Are Essential Questions Essential for Good Teaching?”
Let Them Have the Cookie!
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 avoid a milk mustache), nail scissors (to trim his hair), and aContinue reading “Let Them Have the Cookie!”
Assessment and Standards
Assessment and standards. Ugh. Do we really have to talk about standards and tests used to assess students’ progress on standards? I have to say I am exhausted by this topic. But I also know that it isn’t going away. It is only going to get more exhausting. While working with the next generation ofContinue reading “Assessment and Standards”
Talking is not Teaching
I was having a discussion with student in on of my education classes the other day. They were telling me about some of their experiences in their practicum–which is when they spend 20 hours during the term visiting a classroom. Their time hopefully is a mixture of observing the classroom, sort of educational ethnography ifContinue reading “Talking is not Teaching”
