Students resistance to learning: Fear

Brookfield (2015) Chapter 16 introduces some concepts around student resistance to learning.  He details that,  as  teachers,  we tend to love what we do.  Students signed up for your course, they showed up for class.  Ok,  so maybe they aren't as passionate as you are but certainly they must have at least some genuine interest in …

Learning is human

This graphic came across my Facebook feed recently.   I thought it was a poignant reminder that learning is human nature and never ends.  

The journey so far…

In this weeks post I've been asked to reflect on the courses Ive taken to date "Whats the most important thing(s) Ive learned?  How has my thinking changed? What actions will I take based on what I have learned?   Outside of the specific learning outcomes here are my highlights: The power of reflection:   Seems a bit …

The journey never ends.

From wikipedia : "Lifelong learning is the "ongoing, voluntary, and self-motivated" pursuit of knowledge for either personal or professional reasons. Therefore, it not only enhances social inclusion, active citizenship, and personal development, but also self-sustainability, as well as competitiveness and employability" I'm a lifelong learner.  For me its not about a constant pursuit of knowledge …

Getting Feedback: The Muddiest Point

Maxims of skillfull teaching

I wrote before about truths that Brookfield (2015) suggest can ground us in our practice.  In his final chapter of The Skillful Teacher he details 16 maxims of skillful teaching.  By far my favourite chapter of the book for its practicality I decided to post the list in short form as a reminder as my …

Hello, my name is…

I am,  admittedly, terrible with names.  For someone who adds to confusion in going by my second name you'd think I'd be more attentive.  Going to blame my parents for that one...the second name part,  not the attentiveness.  That's my bad. Maryellen Weimer in her post on The Importance of Learning Students’ Names highlights the expectation students …

Lecturing creatively

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9NQatne0xg   The belief that a lecture is simply a transference of knowledge by some "sage on a stage",  droning on about subject matter is an inaccurate but, in my past experience, a warranted stereotype.  In my undergrad I remember being in a huge lecture hall listening to profs share their wisdom.   I still …

Beyond Ethics and Professionalism

I'm a big fan of the CBC, if only because they represent a beacon of light in a "Trump'ed " up world of CNN and Fox news.  Their reporting style is balanced and often includes the humanistic side. Day-6 recently reported a follow up on the story of Klara Bowman,  a Tacoma school teacher who was …

Finish line …or start line?

I wrote in a previous post about my motivation for taking 3260 being to be that one step close to the finish line.  Realistically though its also a step closer to another start line. Coming out of high school I was fortunate enough to have been accepted at Royal Military College, Queens Concurrent Ed and Waterloo …