Creating Curiosity

All the world is a laboratory to the inquiring mind.

                                                      -      Martin H. Fischer

In my last column I referenced a quote from Cisco Systems. This citation suggested we’ve already moved from a one room schoolhouse to a one world schoolhouse. I was reminded of the validity of this statement earlier today (July 21) when a teacher in our office made me aware of a website called “e-pals”(http://www.epals.com/). On this free website, teachers and students can collaborate with other schools around the world on topics ranging from A to Z. From a quick look at the site’s homepage today, I noticed a project from a U.S. teacher who collaborated with another junior high class in Italy. Her project had students using email, wiki, and video-conferencing to work together on a “collaborative detective story”.

With the many tools available to educators, like e-pals, it is indeed an exciting time to be a teacher. When I first started my teaching career the internet and Google and Twitter were unavailable to teachers. In those days, for the most part, collaboration to improve teaching and learning involved sitting down with fellow teachers in your school or district and sharing best practices. That type of teamwork was an effective means of trying to get better at your craft. But when you consider the abundance of resources available today through advances in computer technology, it’s amazing how far we’ve come even in the last few years.

Just last night I came across another interesting website called “wordia”(http://wordia.com/). It’s one recommended by Richard Byrne (http://www.freetech4teachers.com/). Wordia is a free visual, video dictionary. The website has a catchy byline: “bring words to life!” This is accomplished through the use of video, whereby users of the site (besides getting the spelling, meaning and etymology of a word) can learn about the personal connotation or meaning of a word through a short video segment that’s often hosted by a famous person. Having spent a few minutes on the site last night, I was very impressed not only with its overall quality, but also with the entertaining videos on words like “bottom” and “discombobulate”. It’s definitely worth checking out.

Yes, pedagogy definitely takes on new power when teachers can supplement their lesson material with other components from the vast reservoir of knowledge on the worldwide web. By doing so, both they and their students can become more engaged in the process of discovery on the journey of learning.

One of the things that attracted me to the teaching profession was the idea that by teaching others I could always be in the mode of a learner. You’ve probably heard the adage: to teach is to learn twice. It’s exciting to learn new information! I’m always grateful for the teachers in my life who created that sense of curiosity in me. One of my primary goals as an educator is to do the same for my students. As Clay P. Bedford once said: “You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives.”

Walk the Talk

"We can give no greater gift to others than putting them at ease."
                                                                                      - John C. Maxwell

While reading another educator's blog today - "Learning is Growing" by Kathleen M. Perret (http://learningisgrowing.wordpress.com/), I came across an inspiring video from Simple Truths that she had posted there. It's called "Walk the Talk" (http://www.doyouwalkthetalk.com/). This short video encourages us to always do the right thing by living a life based on integrity.

With each new sunrise we're all given a clean slate. It's a proverbial new beginning - a new opportunity to make a difference. As a teacher, each new day brings so many opportunities to make a difference in a student's life. As students file through our classroom doors (either physically or virtually), they definitely want to be put at ease.

Our students want to know their teacher believes in them. We can demonstrate our belief in them with a welcoming smile and a word of encouragement. Then in our sincere effort to "walk the talk", we can supplement that belief in our students by assisting them in the joy of discovery - of learning something new.

Blessed Mother Teresa, a former teacher, knew how to engender belief in her students. She once said: "You can do what I cannot do. I can do what you cannot do. Together we can do great things."

To Be a Difference Maker

You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment.

-      Henry David Thoreau

In another week or so our oldest daughter will be joining the rest of her Grade 12 class as they celebrate their senior high prom. It is, of course, a special time in their lives. On the evening of May 28, the graduates will be clad in their finest attire. Alongside the clicking of cameras and the whirring of video recorders, the 2011 graduating class will receive well wishes from all those in attendance. Nestled in among tears of joy will be the graduates’ expressions of gratitude to their parents and teachers.

As is customary on these momentous occasions, a guest speaker will be called upon to bring some words of wisdom to the graduates. He or she will no doubt extol the value of using their Grade 12 diploma as a springboard to higher academic achievement in a chosen post-secondary institution. Maybe equally as predictable, the guest speaker will talk about the power of having a dream, and pursuing that dream with a passion-driven plan.

Recently, I was reading another teacher’s comments (on her blog – The Dream Teacher) about graduation time. Apparently, she had given a speech at her nephew’s graduation in the U.S. encouraging the students to follow the advice of recording artists Tim McGraw – “live like you’re dying”, and Leann Womack – “I hope you dance”. However, the gist of her talk centered on three words: “Don’t get comfortable.” She qualified that statement by telling the class to be risk-takers in an innovative and creative way, and to not let complacency rule their life.

I’m sure we could all agree with this blogger’s uplifting remarks. But, with all due respect, I would like to offer a different perspective on her terminology – don’t get comfortable. While I agree with the supporting statements she made about those three words, I would like to suggest a different (but complementary I would think) approach.

I believe this year’s graduates should “get comfortable”. By that I mean, get comfortable with:

·         Having a spiritual focus at the core of their being.

·         Harboring a deep respect for the wisdom of their elders.

·         Continuing the quest for self-awareness through a regular practice of reading great literature.

·         Living the tenets of the four agreements of author Don Miguel Ruiz: be impeccable with your word; don’t take anything personally; don’t make assumptions; and always do your best.

As they embark on the next leg of their life’s journey, this year’s graduates will find themselves in a world filled with incredible opportunities. But, couched in those opportunities, there lies an abiding need. The world of today yearns for men and women who will use their skills to be difference makers – to find peaceful solutions for resolving global inequities. I believe those solutions can be found if today’s youth strive toward the challenge put forth by Albert Einstein: “Try not to become a person of success, but try to become a person of value.”

Students of Character

"Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself."
                                                                              - John Dewey

Over the past week I've had two great experiences as a teacher. The first one involved discovering an awesome website called edu.glogster.com. It's a website that allows students and teachers to create online multimedia posters or glogs. I've done some experimenting with it and plan to use it in a couple of weeks in both my Grade 7 LA class and my Grade 11 English class. Check out the sample I've created for my Grade 7 students at the link below.

http://wikiuser.edu.glogster.com/john-goddard/

It's almost an understatement to say that we live in a multimedia world. By having students use the interactive tools available on the glogster website (according to a teacher set list of criteria), we allow them another opportunity to use their creative thinking skills. To supplement the text only writing assignments, glogs can be an additional catalyst to engage learners and to better hone the skills needed in the 21st century.

The second great teacher experience in the past week involved spending a couple of hours with about ten of my junior high French students at a school in Medicine Hat. Being an online teacher, I don't often get the chance to meet face to face with my students, especially in a traditional school setting. What impressed me the most about these students was the level of courtesy and respect they showed me during my brief visit.

Over the course of my teaching career I've had the good fortune to work with many students who have, in essence, humbled me by their impeccable manners and respectful behavior. These French students similarly put me in awe. When my stay with them was over and they had returned to their next class, I couldn't help but think - these students are people of character.

Aristotle once wrote: "The ultimate end of life is the development of character." My students in Medicine Hat have already made great strides on that journey of  character development.

Developing an interest

If children have interests, the education happens.
                                                       - Arthur C. Clarke

It's an exciting time to be an educator! I've been saying that a lot lately. Teachers today have so many tools available to them. Over the last few months I've been hearing and reading about teachers developing their own PLN (Personal Learning Network). With the multitude of resources available through blogs and websites from other teachers, and twitter postings, the learning curve is spiralling upward. It gives all teachers a great advantage in the classroom. With the tremendous growth in social media, both students and teachers have, at their fingertips, the power of instant communication and access to the vast repository of the world's knowledge. That's exciting!

The challenge for educators, probably more so now than ever before, is to help our students navigate their way through this ocean of information. We need to help them develop the critical thinking skills in order to enable them to chart their own direction; and, at the same time, give them the appropriate moral model so that our exemplary behavior will be another compass they can use along the way.

But even with all the exciting learning opportunities available to our students, it's unfortunate that a significant number of teenagers are deciding to drop out of school. I read recently that, in the U.S., an average of 7000 students drop out of school every day! Here in Canada I understand about 10 % of students drop out yearly. The reasons for this disturbing trend and the possible solutions to reverse it are most assuredly on the minds of many in the teaching profession.

What can I do as an educator to help alleviate the above challenge? Well, one of the first things that comes to mind is to keep finding ways to energize my instruction and the way I present information to my students. One of my goals as a teacher is to incorporate novel ways of teaching my course content, whether that be through blogs or wikis, or some other technological tool. Anything I can do to pique my students' interest will be a win-win. It's fun for me to create a more engaging lesson format, and, hopefully at the end of the day, my students will gain a deeper learning experience.