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The messages we send about learning. I am a dog person.

The messages we send about learning

I am one of those people who can’t help but smile at any dog I walk past and I greet the dog before its owner. I have two Jack Russell terriers and they are absolutely my babies. A few years back one of them developed the habit of becoming extremely timid of any other dog that we would pass. She would dig her feet into the ground and it would have been easier to continue walking if the anchor to the Queen Mary was on the far end of the leash instead of a small brown and white ball of fur. The answer to the dilemma came from the world of TV via Cesar Millan, “The Dog Whisperer”. Why engagement matters for learning. I distinctly recall the first time I sat down to teach myself how to build a website.

Why engagement matters for learning

At the time the internet was young and the process of building a website was complicated and demanded a good understanding of how HTML worked. I was used to developing print documents in desktop publishing programs live Microsoft Word and Aldus Pagemaker. Moving from this style of mostly "What You See Is What You Get” (WYSIWYG) program to working in code with pages that were constructed from linked text files and images was a complete shift.

I didn’t get it and quickly gave up. Why School Shouldn’t Be Designed for ‘Learning’ – Age of Awareness. School is not just about individuals — it’s also how we create our society.

Why School Shouldn’t Be Designed for ‘Learning’ – Age of Awareness

In Silicon Valley (where I currently live), tech reigns King. It’s being hailed as the way to solve all of society’s problems, from fast delivery of groceries, to grabbing the best travel deal, to finding a life partner. In education, many of the tech solutions being developed aim to ensure more “personalized” learning (a.k.a content acquisition). While these technological advances may allow students to access and “master” content in a way that seems more efficient at first glance, I’m certain they will never be the solution to schoolings’ problems.

Why? One Question We Should Always Ask When Implementing Technology into Classrooms. How To Learn In One Week What A Job Would Teach You In 6 Months. Learning is the most important activity of your life.

How To Learn In One Week What A Job Would Teach You In 6 Months

People want to give you that same piece of advice: quit every job, start your own thing, and don’t look back. But they forget one incredibly important truth. When you’re working a full-time gig, you’re getting paid to learn from people who are further in their careers and lives than you. Using Kahoot! and others the way your brain craves. Sure, you might think.

Using Kahoot! and others the way your brain craves

I use Kahoot! And G Suite and others in the classroom all the time. Inquiry vs Direct Instruction - The Great Debate and How it Went Wrong. There is a debate taking place in the world of education.

Inquiry vs Direct Instruction - The Great Debate and How it Went Wrong

It is not a new debate but recently it has gathered new energy and the boundary between polite discussion of opposing views and hostility has been stretched. The debate is that between those who are advocates of inquiry based learning and those who believe direct instruction produces the best outcomes. Like most conversations which occur within the public sphere of the online social media world, the debate has quickly devolved into a dichotomous debate where each side seeks to win points at the expense of the other. Humans have a natural tendency towards tribes, as biologist Edward Wilson writes "The tendency to form groups, and then to favor in-group members, has the earmarks of instinct.”

Disorientation in Learning. A model I’ve used several times is Marilyn Taylor’s learning cycle.

Disorientation in Learning

Her work is not widely published but there is a reference in this PDF on Adult Learning (see page 51). You can also read about the model in Making Sense of Adult Learning. Taylor observed university students in classrooms, and saw a pattern of Disorientation, Exploration, Reorientation, Equilibrium. Each stage took different periods of time with each student, and not all students completed a full cycle during a formal course. School is still ruining your chances to learn – Seth Godin – Medium. We spent almost 15 years being brainwashed on how to be students.

School is still ruining your chances to learn – Seth Godin – Medium

And we’re still paying the price. Adult education is no longer something we do after hours at the local high school. In fact, there are more adults enrolled in courses today than at any other time in history. Stephen's Web ~ How many people believe learning styles theories are right? And why? Why does Daniel Willingham continue to rail on about learning styles theories?

Stephen's Web ~ How many people believe learning styles theories are right? And why?

After more than a decade, most people wrap up a discussion and move on to a different topic. He is, in fact, arguing against something very specific. After all, he agrees that "he style distinctions (visual vs. auditory; verbal vs. visual) often correspond to real differences in ability. Some people are better with words, some with space, and so on. " Where he disagrees with the theory is where people argue that "everyone can reach the same cognitive goal via these different abilities. " Edutopia. It is often said that a sign of insanity is doing something over and over again and expecting different results each time. This sums up how most American schools are dealing with the homework issue. Not only does homework impact students but it also impacts their families.

When life gives you melons, you’re dyslexic – ABC News Australia – Medium. Students are not hard-wired to learn in different ways – we need to stop using unproven, harmful methods. In our series, Better Teachers, we’ll explore how to improve teacher education in Australia.

Students are not hard-wired to learn in different ways – we need to stop using unproven, harmful methods

We’ll look at what the evidence says on a range of themes including how to raise the status of the profession and measure and improve teacher quality. In health there are well-established protocols that govern the introduction of any new drug or treatment. Of major consideration is the notion of doing no harm. Relevance Amplifies Learning – Medium. Last year two grade 11 students, Josh & Brandon, started creating an app using iBeacon technology to help our teachers take attendance. A year later, that app is not completed, it probably won’t be completed any time soon, and yet this is one of a number of very successful projects that happened last year.

The plan was that Josh was going to write the Android version of the app, and Brandon was going to write the IOS version of the app. This was the goal of their Independent Directed Study (IDS) that they were doing for credit at Inquiry Hub Secondary School in Coquitlam. (The original idea shared by Josh and Brandon.) However, the reason this app was never completed was because these boys entered a local ‘Pitch Your Idea‘ contest, and when they were rehearsing their pitch they were advised by the Tricelerate team running the contest that the application could be useful to businesses and not just a school.

New Models of Open and Distance Learning. Global education: Supporting collaborative learning and teaching. With the near ubiquity of technology enhanced education, new learning environments are emerging. Flat learning, active learning, and place-based learning are modalities that are helping to revitalize schools, and work to the benefit of learners. From an educational leadership standpoint, how does one navigate this new landscape, the new tools, and the learning shifts to thus help educators and students take advantage of this new global education playing field? ‘Our Technology Is Our Ideology’: George Siemens on the Future of Digital Learning.

What does it mean to be human in a digital age? Some people researching education technology might not spend their days wondering how their work fits into this existential question—but George Siemens isn’t "some people. " “Maybe my mama hugged me extra when I was a baby.” Distracted From School or Learning? In my last post, I shared an article regarding a Michigan High School that recently banned mobile devices from their classrooms.

Here was one of my comments: These articles used to really bother me, but what I have learned is that I never know the whole story. Putting Love In It — Learning {Re}imagined. The Value of “Invisible Learning” — Modern Learning. Against 'Personalized Learning' What Are You Talking About!? A Call for Common Language around Personalized Learning. 21C - home. The Need for Discontinuous Improvement. We’re Trying To Do “The Wrong Thing Right” in Schools. 162. SIR KEN ROBINSON: Full body education. The Surprising Truth About Learning in Schools. Stop Innovating in Schools. Please. How to Spark Curiosity in Children Through Embracing Uncertainty. The Importance (and Impact) of Asking Good Questions.

The Classroom Is Dead — Bright. 3 things to consider when designing a digital skills framework — Solidarity for Slackers. Education vs Learning — The Synapse. Personalized Learning: Whose School Is It Anyway? — The Synapse. How to Learn — Life Learning. The concept of different “learning styles” is one of the greatest neuroscience myths. How to never forget anything ever again — Life Tips. Reason 4: The Social and Emotional Components of Learning — The Synapse. What Do I Expect from Elementary School? Not this. — The Synapse.

Agility-Teaching Toolkit. Learning and Cognitive Load - An Introduction. Meet the modern learner [infographic] The Ultimate Guide to Learning Anything Faster — The Growth List. 10 Things That Learners Pay Attention To (And How to Use Them in eLearning) Great New Video: “When People Make Mistakes Their Brains Grow, More Than When They Got Work Right” Student Engagement with Blended Learning: 9 Unique Ideas. Six Powerful Motivations Driving Social Learning By Teens.