tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15659726909947417452024-02-19T21:50:22.387-05:00Kaizen - towards continuous improvementSchooling - Spirituality - SimplicityGerad Carrierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493437065753418892noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1565972690994741745.post-34682356603607411762016-03-03T15:51:00.001-05:002016-03-04T09:57:50.743-05:00What if ...<b><br /></b>
<b>What if</b> we helped our students develop a growth mindset and taught them metacognitive skills to transition them into more enlightened and productive learners. We may be mistaking complacency and "laziness" for the lack of learning and study skills.<br />
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<b>What if</b> skills such as critical thinking, collaboration across platforms, communication, and creative problem solving are embedded in the learning process for all students? We know that inquiry based learning and problem/project based learning not only embed these skills but also engage the learning process towards more authentic and deeper learning.<br />
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<b>What if</b> the ideas of standards based learning and assessment are correctly used to focus on learning, feedback and continuous improvement? Students need to learn how to take charge of their own learning. Standards based assessments help identify shortcomings and encourage relearning opportunities.<br />
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<b>What if</b> social emotional or life skill issues do not muddy the academic grade but are given their rightful place as important non-academic outcomes that are reported separately? Students do not need to have their academic assessment diluted by behavior or habits. They however do need to learn to develop those good social, emotional and work habit skills for their educational and life journeys.<br />
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<b>What if </b>schools stopped linking learning to Carnegie units? We are told that technology is breaking down the classroom walls, implying that student learning is no longer dependent upon what is presented in the classroom. We talk of students taking charge of their own learning and progressing at their own pace, no longer bounded by time or space. In this context, the Carnegie unit is an unhelpful anachronism.<br />
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<b>What if </b>students were allowed to manage their own learning and able to use competency assessments to progress through a chosen learning path? Would this not be better than seat time linked to semester or year-long courses? Would this not be more in tune with the needs of individual students?<br />
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<b>What if</b> we simply stopped pouring new wine into old wine skins?<br />
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<br />Gerad Carrierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493437065753418892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1565972690994741745.post-7705913963240545032015-07-02T09:49:00.000-04:002015-07-02T09:49:52.851-04:00A Sample Retake Policy<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">As schools continue to manage the continuous process of learning in a standards based environment, the option of retakes on summative assessments will present itself as an important and valid process step. The following is an initial policy guideline that may help such a transition. The policy instrument below was the result of a school's collaborative effort across learning disciplines. As all school communities may be at different places in this process, the policy below could be adapted without losing the focus for a responsible and manageable learning process for the student.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><u>Criteria for Retakes</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A student who does not attain proficiency on a Summative Assessment is expected to take the initiative to apply for a retake.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The common </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Application for a Retake</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> should be completed by the student, signed by student and parent and returned to the examining teacher no more than two (2) school days after the teacher has returned the graded Summative Assessment to the student. </span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Application for a Retake</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> the student will identify the deficient standards/topics and include a clear learning plan and timeline to close the learning gap. </span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Limitations and Deadlines</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></b></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Only one retake will be allowed per Summative.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All Formative Assessments must be completed prior to applying for a retake.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The retake for any Summative in a unit must be completed before the date of the first Summative of the following unit.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Semester exams and extended projects with ongoing feedback and clear completion deadlines do not qualify for retakes.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Proficiency is the goal on a retake.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The student will forfeit the retake opportunity if either the scheduled retake date or a scheduled teacher required tutoring session is missed.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Teacher Facilitations </b></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1a1718; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Teachers will group Summative Assessments around specific learning standards to help the student identify deficiencies and plan a successful retake. </span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1a1718; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Teachers will post retake dates when the Summative Assessments are returned.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1a1718; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1a1718; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The retake will only assess the deficient standards, allowing the student to focus on closing the learning gap and improving the Assessment score.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1a1718; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1a1718; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Teachers may require that a student complete all missing assignments correlated to the deficiencies before the retake is administered.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Teachers have discretion over the format of the retake Assessment which may be oral, written, online or project based.</span></div>
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Gerad Carrierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493437065753418892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1565972690994741745.post-38572952813782346552015-05-22T14:41:00.000-04:002015-05-22T14:41:28.606-04:00Transitioning to Criterion/Standards Based Assessments<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here are some steps a High School can take when transitioning from a traditional grading system (based on the accumulation of points) to a criterion or Standards system (based on levels of achievement). These steps do not necessitate changing the way a school reports letter grades and corresponding GPA calculations to colleges.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Remove all non-academic attributes from grades (e.g. behavior, tardy penalties, etc). These attributes while important, may be reported separately. Just this one step brings the academic grade closer to a true representation of what a student actually knows, understands and is able to do. </span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Design a course as units of instruction with each unit focussed around a manageable cluster of related standards or learning objectives. The </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.grantwiggins.org/documents/UbDQuikvue1005.pdf" target="_blank">Understanding by Design</a></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> framework from the work of Wiggins and McTighe can facilitate this process.</span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Encourage teachers to write the assessments for evidence of learning when planning the course. In other words, once course and unit standards/objectives have been identified, design the semester exam around the key standards/objectives of the course. Then backward design the unit summative assessments. Thirdly, design the important formative assessments that come before each unit summative that will provide learning/progress feedback to help the students master the standards/objectives. This process of properly aligning formatives to summatives and end of semester assessments, helps students see their learning progression and provides clear and important feedback along the way.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">During the early days of transition, when students are getting used to the emphasis on the learning rather than the grade, include formative assessments into the grading mix. Some schools have used an 80-20 mix (80% of the grade from summatives and the remaining 20% from formatives).</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Introduce a retake policy for students who do not meet proficiency on a summative. Give a student at least one more opportunity to prove proficiency. Place the onus on the student to go through the necessary policy steps to apply for the retake in a timely manner.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If semester exams (in step 3) truly reflect evidence of course proficiency, they could count for more than just part of the semester grade (traditionally 20%). Here is an idea which can be supported by the philosophy of criterion or standards based learning: A student whose semester exam result is at least one letter grade above the pre-exam grade, will improve his course achievement level by one letter grade. E.g. A student who goes into the semester exam with a C and receives an A on the semester exam will earn a semester grade of B. </span></div>
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Gerad Carrierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493437065753418892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1565972690994741745.post-20859988260527121582015-05-19T23:26:00.000-04:002016-03-04T10:19:14.144-05:00We Evolve through the Messiness of Engagement<br />
In the Bible, the Book of Genesis tells the creation story from two traditions.<br />
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In the first tradition (Gn 1 - 2.3), we witness the smooth flow of God's creative Word: (1) Day and night; (2) The sky; (3) The land and the sea and the variety of vegetation and fruit trees; (4) The sun, the moon and the stars; (5) The creatures of the sea and sky; (6) The creatures of the land and man. At the end of the sixth day God saw all that He had made and found it very good.<br />
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The second tradition (Gn 2.3 - 3) appears a little more messy and disjointed. It does not have the orderly and sequential flow of the first tradition. We read that God forms man from the dust of the ground and blows life into his nostrils. He places man in a garden and gives him a multitude of trees that are good to look at and to eat from. In the garden He also places the tree of Life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He gives man the freedom to eat the fruit of any of the trees but warns him not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Then, God realizes that the man is alone and needs a helper. He creates the birds and the animals and brings them to the man to name but none appear to be a suitable helper. God then puts the man in a deep sleep, removes one of his ribs and forms woman out of it. Then comes temptation, the eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the introduction of sin and suffering.<br />
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Upon reflection, the first tradition reveals God's mind and will for the good of creation. The second places man at the center of the story and we see the tension between the free will God bestows on His creation and His will for good. Perhaps the second story of creation is a foreshadowing of all our stories - that we evolve through the messiness of that engaging and testing of wills, until we allow ours to be redeemed by His and we are able to share and live His vision of creation as very good.Gerad Carrierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493437065753418892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1565972690994741745.post-44460154314495161532015-01-01T15:11:00.000-05:002015-02-06T15:14:02.889-05:00New Year Resolutions<div class="p1">
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<span class="s1">Today is the first day of 2015 and tradition calls for the making of resolutions. I have found over the years that specific or particular resolutions tend to fall by the wayside unless they are knowingly linked to some bigger basic need. So, I offer 3 worthy considerations to satisfy each of the needs of our <b>Mind, Body and Spirit</b> in this New Year.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Mind</b></span></div>
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<li class="li4"><span class="s1">Read every day. Never be without a book you are reading. Pick up a new one when you are done. Reading is much more cognitively stimulating that watching TV or listening to the radio.</span></li>
<li class="li4"><span class="s1">Keep and write in a journal. Take 5 minutes each night before going to bed to write about one or two highlights of your day, a short reflection, some "aha" moment that presented itself, or something you learned.</span></li>
<li class="li4"><span class="s1">Filter your thoughts and stretch your thinking. Your brain is a muscle that needs good stimulation - be continuously learning and improving. Learning is satisfying. Take up a new and interesting hobby. With time and effort you can learn anything. </span></li>
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<span class="s1"><b>Body</b></span></div>
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<li class="li4"><span class="s1">Exercise regularly. Start with something you know you can accomplish regularly, like taking a 30 minute walk every day. Try doing some body resistance exercises (pushups, sit ups, squats) three times a week. Start small and work up as your strength increases. Regular exercise is good for the mind, body and spirit.</span></li>
<li class="li4"><span class="s1">Have enough sleep each day to recreate your mind, body and spirit. </span></li>
<li class="li4"><span class="s1">Eat balanced, moderate and regular meals. Cut out excess sugars, sodas and comfort foods. Include a variety of vegetables in your diet. Try a vegetable and fruit shake with protein powder in the mornings. They are fast and easy to make and energizing. Make water your drink of choice.</span></li>
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<span class="s1"><b>Spirit</b></span></div>
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<li class="li4"><span class="s1">Take ten minutes at the beginning of the day and at the end of the day to pray, reflect or meditate. If this is new to you, begin with short inspirational readings, prayers or spiritual reflections written by others. </span></li>
<li class="li4"><span class="s1">Develop the habit of being thankful. Give thanks for being alive, your family, your friends, your job, and for the good you have or have experienced. Share your blessings by supporting a charity or contributing your time to a meaningful cause.</span></li>
<li class="li4"><span class="s1">Your relational interactions can either nourish or sap your spirit. Remember the Golden Rule - do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Make amends or say you are sorry when you have done something wrong. Focus on the good in people. Don't sweat the small stuff. Do something for someone very day. </span></li>
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Gerad Carrierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493437065753418892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1565972690994741745.post-29857388716464760452014-03-11T14:51:00.000-04:002014-03-11T14:57:09.103-04:00Collaborating – Sharing – Learning<!--StartFragment--> <br />
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<span style="color: black;">In the early nineties, Roland Barth wrote about the power of school improvement through teacher collaboration in his <i>book Improving Schools from Within</i></span><span style="color: black;">. He placed teachers in one of three groups when describing the initial resistance to collaboration. It may be useful to personally reflect on these group descriptions and place where one personally stands now, how one has moved, and the possibilities yet to come.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><i>(1)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></i></span><span style="color: black;"><i>Teachers who are unable and unwilling to critically examine their teaching practice and unable to have other adults – teachers, principals, parents – examine what and how they are teaching …</i></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><i>(2)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></i></span><span style="color: black;"><i>Teachers who are quite able and willing to continually scrutinize and reflect on what they do and make use of their insights to effect periodic change. They plan tomorrow on the basis of how things went today. But these teachers are uncomfortable accepting examination of their practice by other adults …</i></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><i>(3)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></i></span><span style="color: black;"><i>A small number of teachers who are able and willing to critically scrutinize their practice and are quite able and willing, even desirous, of making their practice accessible to other adults …</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><i><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></i></span><span style="color: black;">Barth, 1990, p.53 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--> Gerad Carrierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493437065753418892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1565972690994741745.post-61974257101848850632011-09-17T10:08:00.000-04:002014-03-11T14:47:51.361-04:00Global Survival SkillsOur children today live in an environment, which demands educational experiences to help them cope and succeed in a rapidly challenging global society. This in turn demands that as educators, we examine and tend to the practical ends and means of their educational experience. Harvard professor and researcher Tony Wagner, author of The <i><a href="http://www.gse.harvard.edu/news_events/features/2008/08/20_wagner.php">Global Achievement Gap</a></i> questions whether conventional curriculums in the United States pay sufficient attention to what other researchers have named 21st. Century skills. He posits seven “survival” skills that our children will need in order to engage, succeed and excel in their future environments. <br />
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1. Critical Thinking & Problem Solving<br />
2. Collaboration (including across networks) and leadership by influence rather than authority<br />
3. Agility & Adaptability<br />
4. Initiative & Entrepreneurialism<br />
5. Effective Oral and Written Communication<br />
6. Accessing & Analyzing Information<br />
7. Curiosity & Imagination<br />
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In his research Wagner gives examples of countries that understand the importance of education to their social and economic futures. One example is Singapore, whose educational motto is: <i>Thinking Schools, Learning Nation</i>. To quote from Singapore’s Education Reform Movement: <i>Thinking Schools will be learning organizations in every sense, constantly challenging assumptions, and seeking better ways of doing things through participation, creativity and innovation. Thinking schools will be the cradle of thinking students as well as thinking adults and this spirit of learning should accompany our students even after they leave school.</i><br />
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This is the kind of learning community we should be developing in our schools: where teachers engage in collaborative and reflective learning and in turn provide learning opportunities through teaming and collaboration in the classroom; where questions are asked and welcomed and used to influence, reason and promote thinking and deep understandings; where teachers and children are both encouraged, supported, empowered and motivated to be the best they can be.Gerad Carrierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493437065753418892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1565972690994741745.post-56174543310393908182009-08-15T21:39:00.025-04:002014-03-11T14:48:23.332-04:00The Concern for Climate and Learning<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Educators strive to create a positive climate in their schools by promoting collegiality, collaboration, teacher initiative and positive discipline. They also seek to improve the learning experience of their students through curriculum initiatives aligned to missions of academic excellence. Ideally, when the two concerns for climate and learning are well integrated, synergy occurs and great things can happen.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">A simple model that looks at the concern for climate and the concern for learning, allows us to locate our schools in relation to four quadrants.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">While our institutions may not exactly fit in any of the four quadrants, the location allows us to try to correct the balance between the concern for climate and learning. Some schools may find themselves located close to the bottom right quadrant, where test results are everything, with teachers and staff burned out in the process. Others may identify with the upper left quadrant where everyone is nice but where learning takes a back seat. This model suggests that we can do better than that by moving towards the upper right quadrant.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">In moving towards a high climate-high learning model, trust issues may surface, especially among staff members used to a low climate-high learning environment. Collaboration and collegiality, important components of high climate, need to be learned and nurtured in safe ways first. Gradual progression can occur as trust builds among the community. Small, manageable and purposeful commitments towards high climate-high learning are a sure and steady path to becoming a great school. </span></div>
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Gerad Carrierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493437065753418892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1565972690994741745.post-7973402359296633062009-08-01T16:35:00.006-04:002014-03-11T14:48:43.091-04:00Lessons from the Jesuits<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin38cT5Frxp3msbjXJ78kJagkLhNe6SZNsjQD2KoZMNOeczP3IAQUL2ZDTo5sSSrWMr223evWWXoDHecvFvhJi8a4kurNA0lK_sxq7eHFZBUy2msrXS8zZubAzf9I5v8Ap7gdormDd3KXp/s1600-h/GetAttachment.aspx.jpeg-1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin38cT5Frxp3msbjXJ78kJagkLhNe6SZNsjQD2KoZMNOeczP3IAQUL2ZDTo5sSSrWMr223evWWXoDHecvFvhJi8a4kurNA0lK_sxq7eHFZBUy2msrXS8zZubAzf9I5v8Ap7gdormDd3KXp/s320/GetAttachment.aspx.jpeg-1.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365183499804177330" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 201px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 272px;" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This summer I attended a Catholic principal's orientation in Menlo Park, California in the quiet and reflective retreat setting of the </span><a href="http://www.vallombrosa.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Vallombrosa</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> Center. While there, I recalled a recent book by Chris Lowney called </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Heroic Leadership</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">. The book traces the history and achievements of the Society of Jesus, commonly known as the Jesuits. In the book Lowney draws out the leadership qualities and personal experiences of a number of Jesuit protagonists, all to illustrate the foundational principles that still form the core values of the order.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Lowney describes a unique way of working and living that integrated four leadership principles – </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">self-awareness, ingenuity, love</span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, and </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">heroism</span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">. Translated into practical application for the layman, these principles offer an interesting leadership perspective.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">"Heroism encourages people to aim high and keeps them restlessly pointed towards something more, something greater." Such leaders are filled with a conviction of meaningful purpose that it "brings energy, imagination, ambition, and motivation to their work." In the early Jesuit context this often meant the ultimate sacrifice. In our current context, this means staying the course and having the courage to make the tough decisions; to question why things are done; to face and overcome our challenges, daunting as they may be; to have those difficult conversations that need to be had; to take the side of right rather than the expedient or mighty.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">"Ingenuity disposes people not just to think outside the box but to live outside the box." It is the belief that there are solutions to problems and that we are capable of thinking through and arriving at those solutions. It is the love of learning and the ability to continually put our learning and talents to creative use.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">"Love lends purpose and passion to ingenuity and heroism." It is the belief in </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_X_and_theory_Y">theory y</a> </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">rather than </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_X_and_theory_Y">theory x</a></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, the ability to give people the benefit of the doubt and to view people as well intentioned, trustworthy and as "uniquely endowed with talent and dignity." </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">"Self-awareness roots and nourishes the other leadership virtues." Through self-awareness, we learn who we are, what we stand for and what we believe in. Self-awareness is a life-long project and the Jesuits practiced the virtue three times a day – upon arising, after the noon meal, and after supper. In our context, it is asking "did I teach the last class with loving interest in my students, or did I go through the motions?" It questions whether we are practicing ingenuity, love and heroism in our daily routines.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Heroic leadership invites us to consider the impact we have with our many daily interactions. We are challenged to consider how we relate to those around us and whether our presence adds to or diminishes the beauty of our world. It is to believe in a world of love rather than fear; to re-invent ourselves while holding true to the principles of self-awareness, ingenuity, love and heroism.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Quotations are taken directly from </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Heroic Leadership</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> by Chris Lowney.</span></div>
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Gerad Carrierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493437065753418892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1565972690994741745.post-43697100004310015402009-07-09T10:00:00.007-04:002014-03-11T14:48:55.332-04:00Chado - The Art of Tea<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMJDvb2qZZX6_v92vQyx9iB8QdOtUBpT3x61WnmVPJO9k1cFZfWY1_QG9yEjOCXw6eMBViMOXwkZMvrAxev04U3xjfr4P260GymNgk2Vm7FSJ3m1GHPVu8aZzKQoIUwZMdc9QYoi3ygzfZ/s1600-h/tea.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMJDvb2qZZX6_v92vQyx9iB8QdOtUBpT3x61WnmVPJO9k1cFZfWY1_QG9yEjOCXw6eMBViMOXwkZMvrAxev04U3xjfr4P260GymNgk2Vm7FSJ3m1GHPVu8aZzKQoIUwZMdc9QYoi3ygzfZ/s320/tea.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356500581702894866" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 240px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">During my six years in Japan, once a week, I would learn to make and serve a traditional bowl of tea. To the uninitiated, the Japanese Tea ceremony may appear forced, tedious and even contrived. At its very core however, it is all about serving others through a dedicated craft. The Way of Tea is the call to take the time to ensure that whatever you do offers the greatest possible benefit for others, and to remember to be thankful for things received. It is expressed in the sincere and simple act of preparing and serving a bowl of tea and receiving it with gratitude.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The Way of Tea is based on the four principles of harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility. Harmony dispenses with pretensions, walks the path of moderation and embraces humility. Respect opens us to a proper relationship with nature and our fellow human beings. Purity, the act of cleaning the tea utensils, represents the clearing of worldly attachments that enable people and things to be perceived in their true state. tranquility is arrived at by practicing the first three principles. (adapted from </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Tea Life, Tea Mind</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> by Soshitsu Sen XV)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">As educators, we can apply the principles of Chado in our relationships with colleagues and students. Harmony reminds us that openness and humility is the key to all learning. It is the humble that realize that the more they learn, the more they do not know. Respect reminds us to look deep into another's heart to come to understanding. As an administrator or teacher, have I given my colleagues or students the time they need with me? Purity helps us look beyond the effects of social and economic influences on our students, understand their individual needs, learn how to help them, and view instructional differentiation in an imperative light. Hopefully, by trying to do this consistently, we may achieve pride of craft and arrive at our own sense of peace and tranquility.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">In my move from Kobe back to Florida, I packed my Chado utensils in the hope that I may still have the opportunity to prepare and serve a simply delicious bowl of tea.</span></div>
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Gerad Carrierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493437065753418892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1565972690994741745.post-37815083291818622562009-05-24T08:08:00.008-04:002014-03-11T14:49:10.840-04:00The Multiplier and Mozart<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">As this is my last month in Japan before I return to the the US, I took the opportunity to revisit the village of Tamba, where the natural availability of quality clay has nurtured the craft of a good many master potters. Each shop is managed by a resident master potter, whose inner vision of beauty and utility distinguishes his creations from those of his neighbors. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Later, after lunch at Sasayama, we visited an old sake (rice wine) factory. Here, I heard the strangest tale of quality differentiation. Attached to one of the sake fermenting vats were audio speakers where the music of Mozart is played to the fermenting brew. The brewed sake is bottled and sold as a Mozart special. Later, to the skeptics among us, the brewer had us taste the sake from two vats with identical brew formulas – one nurtured by Mozart and the other without the Mozart factor. There was a definite discernible difference. Perhaps it was the effect of the vibration of the music on the yeast or perhaps it was a clever marketing gimmick. Whatever it was, I was impressed enough to walk out with the purchase of a Mozart special under my arm.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Even if the second story is suspect, they both analogize what I would describe as the "soul" of the creative outcome. In terms of an educational institution it is its core beliefs, that deep inner rhythm of uncompromising values commonly shared by its members that influence all thought and action and ultimately the hearts and minds of its students. Two institutions may have identical academic standards, professional development initiatives, curriculum delivery and assessment methodologies, etc, but have discernibly different outcomes. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Good quality clay (good, caring and well meaning people) united by a shared vision (a deep, joyful sense of meaning and purpose) is the key to the real Mozart factor. That's the multiplier that has the potential to harness the synergy inherent in all our technical educational reform initiatives.</span></span></div>
Gerad Carrierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493437065753418892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1565972690994741745.post-69163865614098150102009-05-10T23:15:00.018-04:002014-03-11T14:49:22.844-04:00Facilitating Performance<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">During an exit interview with a senior, I asked if there was any teacher that really connected with him and helped move him along as a student. He named a teacher with high expectations and standards who was always willing to help him understand the difficult material. He credited this teacher with helping him overcome the fear of a subject that followed him from elementary school. He added that although the teacher's course was even more challenging and demanding than any course he had before, he never once felt pressured, put-down or intimidated in the class, or in the presence of this teacher. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This caused me to consider the kind of environment I thrived in when I was teaching. I recalled that I was most comfortable and effective when the following were in place.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">(1) A clear understanding of expectations </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">(2) A close alignment of my personal values with those expectations</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">(3) A helpful, supportive and accessible supervisor</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">(4) Friendly, helpful and supportive colleagues</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">(5) The freedom to try something new and be allowed to fail and learn from it</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">(6) The knowledge that I am doing something important and meaningful</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I am sure there are a number of other considerations that could maintain welcoming, healthy, productive, and even "joyful" learning environments. Often however, these important factors are crowded out by an array of well intentioned school initiatives. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Our challenge is to ensure that these very basic environmental considerations are not just one of our many educational initiatives, but remain, the very plate that supports them. </span></span></div>
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Gerad Carrierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493437065753418892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1565972690994741745.post-31612029075076042752009-05-01T20:12:00.005-04:002014-03-11T14:49:36.352-04:00Habits of Mind and Heart<!--StartFragment--> <br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) in its Learner Profile offers a set of ten attributes for learners to acquire. IBO communities are expected to work towards developing individuals who are: inquirers; knowledgeable; thinkers; communicators; principled; open-minded; caring; risk-takers; balanced; and, reflective.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">Costa and Kallick (2000) named 16 habits of mind: persisting; thinking and communicating with clarity and precision; managing impulsivity; gathering data through all senses; listening with understanding and empathy; creating, imagining, innovating; thinking flexibly; responding with wonderment and awe; thinking about thinking (metacognition); taking responsible risks; striving for accuracy; finding humor; questioning and posing problems; thinking independently; applying past knowledge to new situations; remaining open to continuous learning.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">A variation of some or all of these these attributes, dispositions or habits can be found in school mission statements, belief statements, or student objectives. There is acknowledgement that academic and personal development cannot consistently and effectively take place without the discipline of certain habits of both mind and heart. This underscores the importance of introducing, teaching and reinforcing these dispositions and integrating them throughout the learning experience. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">One habit that could help connect all the others together is individual reflection. Regular and purposeful reflection is a powerful way to personally assess, correct and guide development of the habits of mind and heart. Journaling or even blogging would be a simple, effective and versatile approach to reflection. A more formal approach could involve the development of appropriate reflection guides and rubrics used at regular intervals throughout the school year.</span></span></span></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Gerad Carrierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493437065753418892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1565972690994741745.post-5546744478312345412009-04-28T01:40:00.002-04:002014-03-11T14:49:54.329-04:00Mind - Body - Heart - Spirit<!--StartFragment--><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">Stephen Covey looks at the dimensions of mind, body, heart and spirit and their associated mental, physical, emotional and spiritual intelligences to describe the whole person. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">He believes that the highest manifestations of these intelligences are vision (mental), discipline (physical), passion (emotional), and conscience (spiritual). </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">He does not claim any original thought, but I believe he has put various earlier ideas together in a coherent model. He places conscience at the center of a circle of vision, discipline and passion, implying that conscience is the guiding force for the other three intelligences. Ultimately, Covey’s message is that our “unique and personal significance, or our voice” as individuals can be found at the nexus of our gifts or intelligences. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">If you are a Covey fan, or if you are interested in exploring the concept further, pick up </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">The 8th Habit</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> by Stephen Covey.</span></span><!--EndFragment--> </div>
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Gerad Carrierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493437065753418892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1565972690994741745.post-75508919150742264122009-04-27T23:54:00.006-04:002014-03-11T14:50:08.597-04:00Reading & Writing<!--StartFragment--> <br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">What are some habits that may cognitively help students develop into better learners?</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">It appears that anyone who reads widely and regularly, and writes a daily reflective journal should acquire a better disposition for learning and understanding. Yesterday, I was pleased to witness a rare sight - a student with her nose obliviously buried in a novel while eating a burger at Wendy's. How can we encourage more of that among our students (the reading for pleasure - not the burger)?</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> As educators, w</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">e should share our own passion for reading, recommend titles to our students and even suggest they join or form a book club. Every time we see a child with her nose in a book, we can reinforce that behavior by engaging her in conversation about her reading.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">Reflective writing also exercises cognitive “muscles.” How can we revive the habit of journal writing among our students? One technique is the one-minute reflective paper after each class meeting. If we need to start small, we could have students write a short reflective paper at the end of each week instead. Pose the same two questions: “What was the big thing you learned this week?</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">What is the big unanswered question you are left with this week?” This would be a practical way to introduce reflective writing as well as assess student understanding.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">A student who keeps a reflective journal and regularly reads for enjoyment is automatically developing vocabulary, comprehension and thinking skills. Reading a story is cognitively more engaging than listening to the story on tape, and listening to the story on tape is cognitively more engaging than watching it on television. </span></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Gerad Carrierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493437065753418892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1565972690994741745.post-70184612382830466222009-04-27T07:44:00.010-04:002014-03-11T14:51:59.338-04:00Left Brain – Right Brain<!--StartFragment--> <br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Daniel Pink’s </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">A Whole New Mind</span></span></i></span><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, posits that while left-brain activities remain important, more of the right-brain characteristics will be needed for success in the future. The following is a review of the stated differences between right-brain and left-brain activities (quoted directly from </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">A Whole New Mind</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">):</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">(1)</span></span></span><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The left hemisphere controls the right side of the body; the right hemisphere controls the left side of the body.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">(2)</span></span></span><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The left hemisphere is sequential; the right hemisphere is simultaneous.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">(3)</span></span></span><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The left hemisphere specializes in text; the right hemisphere specializes in context.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">(4)</span></span></span><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The left hemisphere analyses the details; the right hemisphere synthesizes the big picture.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">While we all use both sides of the brain, we do have a bias towards one side, Most of us, through traditional schooling, have been trained to use the left hemisphere of the brain. How can we help our students develop and use their ‘whole mind’? Encouraging students to generate challenging and meaningful questions, inquire, think critically, and create novel responses, may be a step in the right direction.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Those interested in learning more should read Pink’s book and see how his suggestions of Design, Story, Symphony Empathy, Play and Meaning can help develop the whole new mind. </span></span></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Gerad Carrierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493437065753418892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1565972690994741745.post-80653590030931086022009-04-27T07:30:00.005-04:002014-03-11T14:52:13.350-04:00Meaning – Thought – Action<!--StartFragment--> <br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Jerry Porras, the co-author of </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Built to Last,</span></span></i></span><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> and, </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Good to Great,</span></span></i></span><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> while talking to the builders of great companies and ideas, found that these men and women represented a variety of very different personalities. However, what appeared to be common in these individuals was the clear alignment of three essential elements – Meaning, Thought and Action. I offer a very brief summary of these elements as described in Porras’s third and most recent research endeavor, </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Success Built to Last: Creating a Life that Matters. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Meaning is linked to what you love and are passionate about. You may not have just one passion but a portfolio of passions. This is a similar concept to what is described in Gladwell’s </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Outliers</span></span></i></span><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> and Robinson’s </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The Element</span></span></i></span><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> How do we as educators, draw deep meaning and purpose from our work with students?</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Thinking can either kill or allow our passions to take flight. Builders are somehow able to overcome self-doubt as well as the doubts of family and peers when it comes to persisting at what they find meaningful. While fortune or glory have come to many builders, it did not figure at all in their thinking. Rather, they trusted their passion enough to strive to become experts at it for its own sake. How can the way we think influence our own craft and improve our abilities to reach</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">our students?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Builders take action to achieve BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals) for themselves. Just the act of setting these goals requires unreasonable confidence, because although they have a clear objective, they often don’t have a clear roadmap. Builders draw meaning from the journey. They learn from failures, persevere and improve, and get to the end of the journey through “thousands of tiny steps.” What personal BHAG can help drive our passion as educators?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The above just scratches the surface of </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Success Built to Last</span></span></i></span><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> by Porras, Emery and Thompson. It pulls together a lot of what Gladwell and Robinson have to say on the subject and offers the practical aspects of aligning meaning, thought and action. </span></span></span></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Gerad Carrierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493437065753418892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1565972690994741745.post-68745770687762101932009-04-27T07:09:00.002-04:002014-03-11T14:52:27.963-04:00Practice & Passion<!--StartFragment--> <br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Malcolm Gladwell who wrote both </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Blink</span></span></i></span><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> and </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The Tipping Point</span></span></i></span><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> has a new book called </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The Outliers</span></span></i></span><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">. If you read and appreciated his insights in the first two books, you will enjoy </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The Outliers</span></span></i></span><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">. One of his conclusions is that while a certain amount of intelligence is necessary for excelling in a particular field, super intelligence does not register as a major factor. Besides the necessary luck and attitude, he discovered that outliers of achievement in a particular field of expertise (those who are impressively beyond the average) all had at least 10,000 hours of association with their field of expertise before they began to make their mark. Among the examples he provides are Bill Gates and the Beatles.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Ken Robinson </span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">also has a new book out called </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The Element</span></span></i></span><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">. One of Dr. Robinson’s conclusions is that only when we discover our passion and work at it, do we experience work being invigorating, exciting and meaningful. Dr. Robinson describes this as being in one’s element or being true to one’s calling.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">If Gladwell’s and Robinson’s conclusions are correct, all our students have within them the seeds of true excellence and achievement in some field or calling. What they need is help in discovering where their passion lies. One way we can help, is to encourage those flashes of creativity, insight and aptitude we notice in our students – even if that passion may lie outside our own course or subject area. That word of encouragement may inspire further inquiry and a subsequent aha elemental moment! </span></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Gerad Carrierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493437065753418892noreply@blogger.com0