Tags for "Real Life Learning"
Get ‘em Talking!
I teach fourth grade in a public elementary school that is about 85% Spanish speaking at home. Because of this, my... Remembering Hope & Joy
I'll begin with a story. I spent the last four days on a small hostel/ranch/community center/aspiring eco-destination called Rancho Esperanza in the isolated fishing village of Jiquilillo. The owner of the ranch, Nato (Nate), was born in Maine and has been involved with the village for eleven years, living there full time for the last eight.
Six years ago Nate began an after school program for the youth of... The Day I “Couldn’t Talk”
After the bell rang and I began to walk to class, I realized that I had not yet talked to any of my students. And I got an idea.
As I have mentioned in a previous blog entry, I don't do a lot of talking in the first few minutes of class.... WWMD? (What Would MacGyver Do?)
But... we are back. There is stuff to do, and we are the ones to do it.
I look at things differently coming back from Winter Break. I am somewhat renewed, a little less harried, more focused, and more realistic about what the school year will become. I know the kids and the different personalities that make up each class, and am finding ways to tailor my lessons to meet the needs of the individuals as well as the many. I am able to improvise when... Democracy as Carpentry
1) Only use tools for their intended purpose. To do otherwise is bad for the tool and potentially dangerous.
2) Never take your eyes off your work. E.g. If you have to look away while you are sawing, stop sawing.
3) Put away your tools when you are done, even if you plan to use them again first thing in the morning!, and finally
4) If you were playing with your hammer and left it in the sandbox in the rain and now can't find it, don't expect to borrow... Spark’s Answer to the Dropout Crisis
Like so many students, Tania was in danger of lowering her aspirations at a very early age. It's a classic path to dropping out - as a 2006 Gates Foundation study pointed out, 47% of... MicroSociety
Posted on Dec 23, 2009 - 03:55 PM by Tim Curley in ImprovEducation
The newspapers today have articles stating that research shows that teaching is the happiest career one can choose. My students this year certainly place me in that category. This year has been very enjoyable, indeed. I have a group of students who have a few social leaders, as all groups do, and this year, those social leaders are also academic leaders. This has allowed me to focus less on discipline, and more on creatively approaching their learning needs. They seem to truly enjoy learning, and that has given me the freedom to really have a good time teaching them.I teach fourth grade in a public elementary school that is about 85% Spanish speaking at home. Because of this, my... Remembering Hope & Joy
Posted on Dec 27, 2009 - 02:41 PM by Jonah Canner in Got Questions?
I am currently on vacation in Nicaragua, and while I have been doing a lot of thinking, I have not been doing very much writing, as is wont to happen from time to time. And with thinking inevitably comes questioning. So what better place to explore some of those questions than here?I'll begin with a story. I spent the last four days on a small hostel/ranch/community center/aspiring eco-destination called Rancho Esperanza in the isolated fishing village of Jiquilillo. The owner of the ranch, Nato (Nate), was born in Maine and has been involved with the village for eleven years, living there full time for the last eight.
Six years ago Nate began an after school program for the youth of... The Day I “Couldn’t Talk”
Posted on Jan 02, 2010 - 02:15 PM by Tim Curley in ImprovEducation
One recent Monday, I did what I usually do before school. I stood outside the main entry, and greeted the kids as they were dropped off at the curb. I walked through the cafeteria and said hello to the older kids, the younger kids, and the few parents who eat breakfast at school. I do this because I see my role at school as being much more than a classroom teacher. El Verano School is a community, and I feel that we all need to share in that community.After the bell rang and I began to walk to class, I realized that I had not yet talked to any of my students. And I got an idea.
As I have mentioned in a previous blog entry, I don't do a lot of talking in the first few minutes of class.... WWMD? (What Would MacGyver Do?)
Posted on Jan 05, 2010 - 10:19 PM by Alison Bagg Brink in ImprovEducation
It isn't easy to get up at 5:00 am. It is even harder when you have had two wonderful weeks to wake-up at your leisure, wander around the house in slippers with a cup of coffee in your hand, and snuggle your own children all day long.But... we are back. There is stuff to do, and we are the ones to do it.
I look at things differently coming back from Winter Break. I am somewhat renewed, a little less harried, more focused, and more realistic about what the school year will become. I know the kids and the different personalities that make up each class, and am finding ways to tailor my lessons to meet the needs of the individuals as well as the many. I am able to improvise when... Democracy as Carpentry
Posted on Mar 15, 2010 - 08:32 AM by Khalif Williams in Uncharted Parenting
By the time my son, Ezra, was 5, he had his own set of tools (real ones) and a tool box in which to keep them. I immediately began to introduce him to a few simple principles that have now become our family carpentry creed:1) Only use tools for their intended purpose. To do otherwise is bad for the tool and potentially dangerous.
2) Never take your eyes off your work. E.g. If you have to look away while you are sawing, stop sawing.
3) Put away your tools when you are done, even if you plan to use them again first thing in the morning!, and finally
4) If you were playing with your hammer and left it in the sandbox in the rain and now can't find it, don't expect to borrow... Spark’s Answer to the Dropout Crisis
Posted on Mar 09, 2011 - 09:28 PM by Chris Balme in The Landscape
Meet Tania*, 14 years old. Her story is typical of many students in urban public schools across the United States. No one in her family had completed high school. In seventh grade, she was struggling academically, and assumed that she would follow in her mother's footsteps and become a cashier at Wal-Mart. At school, Tania had not been asked much about her aspirations -- as it turns out, she dreamed of becoming an attorney -- and as a result she was not clear on how school could ever get her to that goal.Like so many students, Tania was in danger of lowering her aspirations at a very early age. It's a classic path to dropping out - as a 2006 Gates Foundation study pointed out, 47% of... MicroSociety
Posted on Sep 11, 2011 - 03:54 PM by lmeier in Resources