Slam poet Taylor Mali spends 3 mins convincing you that teachers make a difference. If you’re a teacher attending a party, and you’ve ever been asked “What do you make?” then here are some hints on how you can respond.
Archive for the 'inspiration' Category
If you’re into student-centred learning, you’re going to love this. I picked this up from Morgan Daly at http://twitter.com/urbangrind Indian teacher Kiran Bir Sethi decided to develop a school that focused on the expression ‘I Can’. This goes for 9 mins, and it’s worth every second. Watch for the world’s first child-friendly Zebra crossing.
Always an interesting time of the year for teachers, is it not?? Lights at the end of the tunnel, and all of that stuff.
I remember reading some research indicating that the school office would be sent the most number of ‘troublemakers’ from classrooms in the 2nd last week of any term. And even moreso in the 2nd last week of the year.
Why not the last week, I thought to myself? And yet it probably makes a lot of sense. Somehow, when the end is nigh in that final week, we tend to summon up our last reserves of resilience, and cope with everything as well as possible. As well, kids will remember the last few things that were said and done, and so, we’d obviously prefer those memories to be more positive.
This following narrative has application at any time of the year; and yet I suspect that it applies even more directly to this specific time. Goes like this:
A teacher was once talking with her class, and told them about the two monsters that were always fighting inside their heads.
“So what are the two monsters?” asked one student.
“Well, one of them always looks for the best in your life, and encourages you to think about what is going well in the world around you.”
“And the other?”
“ Ah, well, that’s the monster that always looks for the worst in your life, and hassles you to think about what is going badly in the world around you.”
One student asked: “So which one wins?”
And the teacher responded: ‘The one that you feed.”
Like most people who are a little techno-proficient, I’m into the TED talks. Some are great; some are just so-so. Yet now and again, a pretty special talk comes along. I put this one in that category. Kevin Kelly points out that the internet is now 5000 days old; and so he conjectures on what the next 5000 days may bring. Some fascinating possibilities offered here. Worth spending the next 19.34 hanging in on this.
Innovation Forum
For those who weren’t lucky enough to be at this Forum, here are some links and bits of info:
DAY ONE:
* Canadian Michael Furdyk (pictured) was deeply impressive. He’s a Gen Y, and has accomplished more than many others who are significantly more advanced in years. Why is it that certain gifted individuals manage to achieve in this way?? More on Michael here at http://www.furdyk.com/ For me, his most impressive work has been with Taking IT Global. Possibly the most advanced social justice site on the planet. At http://www.tigweb.org/
* For a scientist (and specifically a nanotechnologist) Dr Kristin Alford explored some alluring and insightful concepts. One was that of the Presencing Institute, and Otto Scharmer’s U-Theory concept. If you’re easily inspired by near-future human possibilities, it’s worth having a look at http://www.presencing.com/
* Greg Gebhart is an excellent speaker. First met him at the U-Learn conference in Christchurch in 08. He was third up on Day 1 of this B’bane session, and is the lead consultant with the Aussie Govt’s CyberSafe program. Have a look at http://www.cybersmart.gov.au/ Greg placed some of his conference material at http://www.itvision.net.au/isq.htm Lots of great resources.
DAY TWO.
* Aucklander Graham Hart was a magic example of someone who lives in the creative spirit. His contribution to the Lonely Dog concept just captivated the audience. Ponder this for a moment. With his colleagues, he has developed a book worth $60,000. And they’ve sold 70 of them! I lingered through the example that he had brought with him; and I must admit, it was a deeply impressive work of art!
* Next up was the principal of Crescent Girls School in Singapore. Eugenia Lim is quite obviously a high achiever, and has contributed a significant degree to her country’s advancement in recent times. I worked in Singapore last November, and was fascinated by the country’s perspective on creativity. Very logical-sequential, and yet highly effective.
* Sydney-sider Nigel Collin was your classic end-of-conference high energy keynoter. I actually referred to him as Mr Berocca. Download some of his articles, and you’ll see that he has some upfront ideas about creative practice. The short video that was developed by his young son was priceless, and demonstrated that creative capacity can begin at a very early stage.