A hilarious lecture and a critical overview of the schooling system around the world, Are we aware of our responsibility and our influences on the future generations?
Creativity is the imagination put into practice, are we afraid of letting our students creativity flow? or we´ve just stopped being creative ouselves ?
In this presentation the writer of " The Element" makes it clear that nowadays creativity is as important in education as literacy....... Enjoy!!!!
Wednesday 29 April 2009
Friday 24 April 2009
Susan Boyle - A star is born!!!!
Is beauty in the eye of the beholder or we simply judge the book by the cover?
In this video you will see a typical example of labelling.
Will we ever be able to change our preconcieved ideas and our mind frame ? Will we ever accept others and even ourselves the way we really are?
"Be honest and true to yourself, always dream big and give everybody a chance to be who they are, Angels come in all kinds of shapes"
Thank you Caro for telling me about this video and thank you silvi for sending it to me!!!
In this video you will see a typical example of labelling.
Will we ever be able to change our preconcieved ideas and our mind frame ? Will we ever accept others and even ourselves the way we really are?
"Be honest and true to yourself, always dream big and give everybody a chance to be who they are, Angels come in all kinds of shapes"
Thank you Caro for telling me about this video and thank you silvi for sending it to me!!!
Wednesday 15 April 2009
Class observation
Helpful or dreadful? That´s the question.....
Have you ever been in a situation like the one in the video? I hope not, when the observer is helpful and relaxed everybody enjoys and everybody profits from the observation. Even the teacher who is being watched...the problem is: Are we open to suggestions? Is the observer open to new ideas? Do we always accept other´s points of view?
It is always hard work to accept criticism even if it is constructive.
Specially for Miss Marie who´s always hated ( like me) being observed, and who´s proven to be a devoted English teacher and an irreplaceable partner.
All my love and gratitude to you......
Have you ever been in a situation like the one in the video? I hope not, when the observer is helpful and relaxed everybody enjoys and everybody profits from the observation. Even the teacher who is being watched...the problem is: Are we open to suggestions? Is the observer open to new ideas? Do we always accept other´s points of view?
It is always hard work to accept criticism even if it is constructive.
Specially for Miss Marie who´s always hated ( like me) being observed, and who´s proven to be a devoted English teacher and an irreplaceable partner.
All my love and gratitude to you......
Monday 13 April 2009
9 BRAIN COMPATIBLE ELEMENTS
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST......
ADEQUATE TIME
In terms of the pattern seeking and program building nature of the brain, adequate time is not a luxury, it is a prerequisite. It takes time to extract meaningful patterns (make meaning) and it takes time to know how to use what we learn in meaningful ways (acquire useful programs). Adequate time is needed to get the job of learning done well, to accomplish mastery (the ability to use the concept/skill in real life settings), to fully understand the connections among prior learnings and learnings yet to come. Using fragments of time--20 minutes for this, 40 minutes for that--is the ideal way to guarantee a low degree of meaningfulness and high failure rates. Using uninterrupted time to allow students full concentration is the ultimate gift, e.g., a two-hour block, all morning or even an entire day devoted to a major concept and its application to real life. Learning should be more than covering the material and building mental programs for use.The implications for the classroom of the 21st century are obvious--we need to do less and do it better and more in-depth, giving students time to use the information again and again in varying settings until the information is recallable in a usable form, i.e., as a behavior, a mental program
For those who´ve read and enjoyed " To everything".
Special thanks to Caro who told me the story was actually a song.
This video is specially dedicated to Sabri Catagno who really charishes the book as much as I do.
ADEQUATE TIME
In terms of the pattern seeking and program building nature of the brain, adequate time is not a luxury, it is a prerequisite. It takes time to extract meaningful patterns (make meaning) and it takes time to know how to use what we learn in meaningful ways (acquire useful programs). Adequate time is needed to get the job of learning done well, to accomplish mastery (the ability to use the concept/skill in real life settings), to fully understand the connections among prior learnings and learnings yet to come. Using fragments of time--20 minutes for this, 40 minutes for that--is the ideal way to guarantee a low degree of meaningfulness and high failure rates. Using uninterrupted time to allow students full concentration is the ultimate gift, e.g., a two-hour block, all morning or even an entire day devoted to a major concept and its application to real life. Learning should be more than covering the material and building mental programs for use.The implications for the classroom of the 21st century are obvious--we need to do less and do it better and more in-depth, giving students time to use the information again and again in varying settings until the information is recallable in a usable form, i.e., as a behavior, a mental program
For those who´ve read and enjoyed " To everything".
Special thanks to Caro who told me the story was actually a song.
This video is specially dedicated to Sabri Catagno who really charishes the book as much as I do.
Tuesday 7 April 2009
9 BRAIN COMPATIBLE ELEMENTS
CHOICES:
Webster defines choice as "the act or power of choosing, the thing chosen, alternative, preference, the best." We especially like the phrase "power of choosing" because it pinpoints the essential characteristic of the lifelong learner. "Preference" acknowledges what brain research tells us over and over again: every brain is different and, therefore, each individual learner has preferred ways of learning that the individual knows to be more effective and reliable for him/her.
Frank Smith, in to think , 1990 ( p. 27), notes that thinking is made easy and effective when two fundamental requirements are met: 1) we understand what we are thinking about; and 2) the brain itself is in charge, in control of its own affairs, going about its own business. Smith goes on to say that "Thinking becomes difficult and inefficient when the brain loses control, when what we try to think about is contrived rather than an integral part of whatever we would otherwise be engaged in at the moment. ...the most difficult kind of thinking is that which is imposed on us by someone else..."
The definition of "power of choosing" is wonderfully descriptive because it pinpoints the essential characteristic of the lifelong learner. Making wise choices comes from practice; the desire to choose comes from confidence that choices will be good ones. "Preference" acknowledges what brain research tells us over and over again: that every brain is different and, therefore, each individual learner has preferred ways of learning which that individual knows to be more effective and reliable for him/her.
What do you choose? I choose love!!!!
Webster defines choice as "the act or power of choosing, the thing chosen, alternative, preference, the best." We especially like the phrase "power of choosing" because it pinpoints the essential characteristic of the lifelong learner. "Preference" acknowledges what brain research tells us over and over again: every brain is different and, therefore, each individual learner has preferred ways of learning that the individual knows to be more effective and reliable for him/her.
Frank Smith, in to think , 1990 ( p. 27), notes that thinking is made easy and effective when two fundamental requirements are met: 1) we understand what we are thinking about; and 2) the brain itself is in charge, in control of its own affairs, going about its own business. Smith goes on to say that "Thinking becomes difficult and inefficient when the brain loses control, when what we try to think about is contrived rather than an integral part of whatever we would otherwise be engaged in at the moment. ...the most difficult kind of thinking is that which is imposed on us by someone else..."
The definition of "power of choosing" is wonderfully descriptive because it pinpoints the essential characteristic of the lifelong learner. Making wise choices comes from practice; the desire to choose comes from confidence that choices will be good ones. "Preference" acknowledges what brain research tells us over and over again: that every brain is different and, therefore, each individual learner has preferred ways of learning which that individual knows to be more effective and reliable for him/her.
What do you choose? I choose love!!!!
Monday 6 April 2009
9 BRAIN COMPATIBLE ELEMENTS
COLLABORATION
The choice of the word "collaboration" rather than "cooperation" or "cooperative learning", is deliberate here. In Webster's Dictionary it means "to work in association with, to work with another." Frank Smith, in Insult to Intelligence, 1986 ( p. 62) lists opportunity for manipulation of information as one of his key ingredients for learning,. Full understanding of what is being learned and the ability to apply it in real-life settings--creative problem solving and flexible use of what is learned--depends upon ample opportunity to manipulate information in our heads, to test it, expand it, connect it with prior learnings. Collaborating with others allows us to examine our own thinking while expanding our knowledge base.
The choice of the word "collaboration" rather than "cooperation" or "cooperative learning", is deliberate here. In Webster's Dictionary it means "to work in association with, to work with another." Frank Smith, in Insult to Intelligence, 1986 ( p. 62) lists opportunity for manipulation of information as one of his key ingredients for learning,. Full understanding of what is being learned and the ability to apply it in real-life settings--creative problem solving and flexible use of what is learned--depends upon ample opportunity to manipulate information in our heads, to test it, expand it, connect it with prior learnings. Collaborating with others allows us to examine our own thinking while expanding our knowledge base.
Wednesday 1 April 2009
9 BRAIN COMPATIBLE ELEMENTS
MASTERY/COMPETENCE
Leslie A. Hart has a dual definition for learning:
1) Learning is the extraction, from confusion, of meaningful patterns.
2) Learning is the acquisition of useful programs.
Simply translated, the issues are what do students understand and how they can use it.
Part 1 of the learning process involves processing of incoming data, making meaning of the input. While every learner's perspective differs somewhat, care should be taken to uncover the accuracy of those patterns.
Part 2 of the learning process involves using what we understand, the mental patterns we have detected to get translated into specific actions.
Assessment procedures should be established in the classroom to permit the teacher to determine the accuracy of patterns and the depth of understanding they represent and to determine if mental programs have been developed and stored in long-term memory.
The most incredible movie about perseverance and motivation, a true story about hope and love. We can always reach mastery if we set our mind heart and soul to do so.
Leslie A. Hart has a dual definition for learning:
1) Learning is the extraction, from confusion, of meaningful patterns.
2) Learning is the acquisition of useful programs.
Simply translated, the issues are what do students understand and how they can use it.
Part 1 of the learning process involves processing of incoming data, making meaning of the input. While every learner's perspective differs somewhat, care should be taken to uncover the accuracy of those patterns.
Part 2 of the learning process involves using what we understand, the mental patterns we have detected to get translated into specific actions.
Assessment procedures should be established in the classroom to permit the teacher to determine the accuracy of patterns and the depth of understanding they represent and to determine if mental programs have been developed and stored in long-term memory.
The most incredible movie about perseverance and motivation, a true story about hope and love. We can always reach mastery if we set our mind heart and soul to do so.
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