Great Canadian songbook, maybe.

As you know, people need experiences to understand anything, and most first teachers in their first semester of teacher college have NO relevant experiences what-so-ever related to teaching from a teacher’s perspective. So it seems reasonable to reshare (good) ideas that are rediscovered in interest of reminding people that they exist, but perhaps there should be some of way of indicating that it is not very original while at the same time respecting the dignity of someone else’s “new” learning.

Thoughts?

However, I like TED-related things for two major reasons: when I’m there, I am doing important thinking for myself, and I am talking to other people who care about the things I care about – in this case, it is kids and learning. I think TED brings together people who care about similar things – they make come for the people on stage, but they keep coming back for the relationships they make.

Maybe that’s just me, but if I end up having lunch and talking about kids and learning with you tomorrow, I’ll consider it $50 well perfectly spent.

The cupcake jamm was based on Makey Makey. You may learn more here: http://constructingmodernknowledge.com/cmk08/?p=1747

Please look around http://constructingmodernknowledge.com to learn more about our activities.

Now, teaching is traditionally seen as an act where teacher imparts knowledge into students. And it doesn’t work. It has never worked. And it never will, because learning requires for the student to build her/his own understanding about the subject. But when educational systems were build to resemble factories and the cohort-based education was “invented” people thought it would be easy and effective to teach lots of students at the same time. Some people still believe in that, even though science has several times showed that learning is individual and only happens inside of the students. For sure, some surface level information can be memorized and spewed out in tests after sitting in a class or lecture, but the real learning the meaningful and transformative learning happens in interactions.

And that is why we need learning facilitators, i.e. teachers, to guide each and every student to achieve the best they can and to cater for their individual needs. It is very easy to differentiate and individualize learning (and teaching) if we wanted to. The reason for me, as a teacher trainer and mentor for teachers, to use learning facilitation as the preferred term is the fact that otherwise teachers get so busy teaching and instructing that they don’t find time to support their students’ learning. And this of course is very far from just delivering the curriculum!!

More about why learning is more important than teaching can be found at http://notesfromnina.wordpress.com/

Applies not just to educational computing, but also to much in the larger EduSphere right now. Perhaps we need to tattoo the question “Is this to benefit the system, the teacher, or the student?” on our collective foreheads so we’re more intentional about the choices we’re making.

Nice piece Gary- as always.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-k-miller/education-reform_b_2169265.html

http://huff.to/WlARdz

I love the last two paragraphs of your essay. Perfect.

what to call the adults? Teacher has been the word for hundreds of years, and so it comes with all the baggage of past use–good and bad. I liked being called “teacher”–although kindergarten teacher has a somewhat different ring–since “in a way” we were always facilitators. That word came in to discourage a lot of direct instruction/speeches directed at everyone. Occasionally useful too. But surely all was not well, Gary. before that. And in most “open classrooms” and “progressive schools” they suck with teacher. But I do recall teachers saying to me, when I recommended doing more observing, asking questions, etc–”but that wouldn’t be right since I’m being paid to teach.”

But words have a way of shifting meanings–which can be dangerous if we don’t make clear what it is n why we are shifting. That’s why I fee your way about “rigor”. It hurts me every time I hear it–since its dictionary meaning and even ordinary use defines it as “inflexible” and “harsh”, even “cruel” and “death-like”! But I may eventually have to give up/ But in the meantime I truly don’t know what it is they men–and suspect they may mean precisely what the dictionary says. Hard.

Meanwhile I’m borrowing those last two paragraphs. I’ll return them when I’m ready.. Happy new year, Gary.
Deb

I am all for teacher discretion over curriculum and assessment. If a teacher wishes to play Scrabble, they should be able to justify it in an articulate educationally-relevant form.

I’m not a big fan of shoebox dioramas or fact recitation board games either, but do think teachers are capable of learning and doing more.

Gary

Connecting the dots here: isn’t it the case that teachers who try (or are told to try) to develop such projects are the ones who end up playing Scrabble or putting on puppet shows? After all, most teachers and most students are not really capable of building their own rocket ship to learn engineering, or coding a new version of Windows 8 to learn about computer coding. “Meaningful projects” in practice means, “Let’s get out the Scrabble game to play around with vocabulary words,” or maybe, “Let’s build a shoebox diorama to learn about the Civil War.”

@Bob Collier-I’m so glad things are well for you down under. Bravo.

Why are so many education questions asked that are so pedantic .. I bet there are some on the agenda of everyone’s first staff meeting of 2013.

These roles (teacher/facvilitator) aren’t mutually exclusive … life is a kaleidoscopic … and life is a precious learning experience … choose the colours that are needed for just the moment in time.

.. and why knock 1986 … there were some brilliant teachers and facilitators around then also (and some not so brilliant) …. just as there are now … didn’t know age discrimination was allowed in the USA?

Best wishes for 2013
now just sing along to
http://youtu.be/hZyd1s_w6AI

Have fun ….