Gwen Mueller is an IT Professional, #dnd Gamer-girl, #coffee drinker, geek in Secondary Education, editor on tumblr #education, curating #science, and #tech resources to inspire lifelong learning with 1/4 cup of #fun.
Showing 497 posts tagged inspire
Best quote from Gwendoline Christie: “I am still a person with a sense of superficiality that I’m trying to challenge. I hope that it makes us examine exactly what “unattractive” is. Perhaps it’s not the conventions that we have or the blueprint in our minds. And if it makes people question for a minute what unattractive is, and the way in which we may respond as people to what we think unattractive is, then it’s worthwhile.”
“Fear of failure is not a big issue for most kids going off to first grade. Their life is not yet framed with questions of success and failure. Even after a year in kindergarten where their mission was to make friends, create, do fun things, and learn as much as they can, the concept of failure isn’t really on the brain, much. Unfortunately, most schools try to change this.”
“Student voice is important but it is essential that if we ask them to take the time to share their thoughts, that we also show progress in what they have asked.”
“I don’t think I realized that much of what was discouraging me about education in general was working in an education environment where change and growth were feared.”
“The phrase, “we don’t do that here,” involves a deliberate choice of words. The messaging is key. “Here” withholds judgment about whether the behavior would be appropriate elsewhere; “we” enforces the idea that the school is a community, rather than shaming or excluding the individual from that community; and the overall message is straight to the point, reinforcing that school is a place where certain behaviors are expected.”
I’m a teacher and whereas I used to think my students couldn’t learn without me, I’m no longer so sure. Recently I found myself asking the question, “do my students still need me?”
“Given the over-saturation of images, what is your visual breaking point?”
We feel history. We shouldn’t be focused on knowing, but instead feeling history. Teaching empathy.
“Courage is making wise choices while you are afraid.”
“We simply need to develop new habits to make the most of our new tools. If our tools can distract us, then we need to learn more about focusing attention and managing distraction.”
The Future of Tablets in Education: Potential Vs. Reality of Consuming Media
“[Many students don’t learn about climate change in any of their classes…] It’s a part of science and a part of education that is lacking in the curriculum right now. No one has changed the curriculum in far too many years.”
If teachers are to transition to the kind of blended learning that has been found to work best for today’s kids, we need trust, time, and trained mentors to work out what what we need to do. We need parents to be our partners as we face the challenges in a changing educational landscape. We need room to fail (and to model failure as part if the learning process). We need help, not harangues.
“However, once we separate the passion from the profession, the actual profession lacks the sort of gratitude that would make it sustainable. America, let’s acknowledge teachers, both as caretakers and as professionals.”
If America’s Serious About Appreciating Teachers, Here’s What it Takes
“How often do we encourage our students to use a YouTube video as a resource? Is this not a skill that our students need?”
Learning with multiple forms of media
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I have long pondered a phrase I learned from a mentor: “Witness the struggle.”
As a career educator, I have a deep desire to help students and a strong tendency to offer solutions and suggestions. I want to fix their problems and tell them what to do. The wise words of this phrase offer a more powerful and profound answer to the part of me that thinks I need to rescue students. Its simple urging suggests that I be fully engaged and present, that I use silence to clear a space, and that I guard against telling students what to do. More often than not, students simply need to know that their voices count, that they have been heard, and that who they are matters.
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