Your Thoughts Needed

Yes I am in class. Yes the instructor is holding a discussion with the rest of the class. Yes I am off task. Almost. I am reading The Atlantic Monthly article about technology: http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200807/google

I am not finished with the article, but my need to share is greater then my need to understand. My ideas keep whizzing from classroom ramifications to my own reading process to standards.

Budding Scientists

Questions that have taken our science intersession class off on tangents:

• How do birds fly?
• Do penguins have hollow bones?
• Why do some birds run fast?
• Can an ostrich kill a lion with a kick?

• How is that potential energy?
• What does gravity have to do with energy?
• How much gravity is there on Jupiter?

• How can those weigh the same?
• Why is that balanced?

And my favorite, I don't get it! Followed by much effort to understand how something works.
All of this is from a one hour period this morning.

Changed for the Better

I am in pre-mourning. My intern will be leaving after Thanksgiving. T-24 days. T-16 school days.* I am not sure I know how to teach without an intern.

An intern forced discipline on me - I had to: talk through my thoughts; justify my choices; grade assessments on a regular schedule; and keep an organized classroom. Lazy teaching was not an option. However, my mind grew accustomed to the "What abouts?" "What ifs?" and "Tell me mores." I found myself energized about teaching and excited about lesson planning; the classroom became a club house.

The questions became conversation: "We should trys." "Wouldn't be cool if wes?" "Next time, we shoulds." We found ourselves suppressing giggles in class, rehashing (mostly re-enacting) our highs of the day, convincing our students that we could tell each other mind jokes. We became a team.

I know the dance moves for teaching alone. I can say my lines and jazz my hands. I will high step and kick ball change. But the stage will be lonely; I will miss the big musical numbers of team teaching.

*These days might be off. As I have said before, I am a slow writer. It might be T - a week now.

This I Believe

I believe that learning is...

• a social activity that requires interaction between individuals
• retained best when the learner has the chance to work with the information
• most interesting when constructed by the learner, at least to some extent
• an active process rather than a passive one

This might explain why I hate, hate, hate so many of the meetings I have to attend as a teacher.