Connecting with Learners

Relationships are at the heart of learning and this article certainly illustrates this. We recently held interviews for teaching positions and one of the questions was about what you would do if you realised that a child was not reaching potential in your class. This article, by Lisa Medoff, is full of fantastic ideas that are centred on improving the relationship with the child. The child the author references has ADHD but I believe the suggestions would work with most learners.

Click here for the full article.

• Ask the student to help you figure out what he needs and how you can help him. 
• Frame new strategies as experiments, not decrees.
• Teach students how to question and challenge in a manner that will get them heard.
• Rather than trying to clamp down on off-task behaviours, use them to get to know students better. 
• Share stories with students about your own struggles.
• Make deals with students about behaviours that you both want to change. 
• Try as hard as you can to limit negativity in your interactions with a challenging student.
• Have students teach you something. 
• Take a beat to stop and acknowledge that a student may have the right answer even though it is different from what you were expecting.
• If a student seems to be off-task or is having trouble getting started, don't assume he hasn't been paying attention; 
• Allow students to work just outside the classroom door.
• Be patient. 

Modern Learning Considerations

An interesting graphic to help consider aspects of collaborative practice and the impact it can have on aspects of learning. Here is the link to the graphic.

35 Educational Online Resources to Inspire Inquiry and Thinking

This simply has to be good thing and worth checking out, even if you find just one thing. Start clicking.

Blogs from Children's Books that are Worth Remembering

This is a great post reminding us of the gentle wisdom in children's literature. It is worth checking out.

Using the Learning Pit with Children

Love this illustrative video about using the learning pit with children to challenge deeper thinking and understanding of concepts.

The Learning Challenge with James Nottingham from Challenging Learning on Vimeo.
1. Surface level knowledge, demonstrating a grasp of the facts.
2. Questioning to develop deeper thinking (at the bottom of the pit).
3. Deep understanding and application

We are wanting to encourage thinkers and create knowledge that comes from discovering and finding answers. Eureka!

Fits nicely with feeling comfortable with struggle and using a growth mindset.

21st Century Learning

I have been reading a lot recently about learning in the future and how this might look and be a little different to how we currently practice. This article reaffirms that New Zealand classes are well along the track to making changes towards learning for the 21st Century. It does however, bring up a few aspects that are worth considering that are focussed on teaching rather than classroom space.

More Mindsets