We have been travelling around Australia and we have seen some amazing things and have met some amazing people. It is interesting to be on one side of the world with the time change, and see how many new people that you can connect with using Twitter at different times. I have found some inspiring blogs/articles and feel like I have really expanded my learning network with some amazing educators from across the world. I can only hope this continues to push my thinking.
Here are some great things that I found this week:
1. Zen Pencils – This is a great site that takes different poems or sayings from time, and puts them into a sort of “graphic novel” format. I am becoming increasingly interested in visuals for learning and this site has some very cool stories that may become more student friendly. Check out the “Life of Art”, which is a powerful poem on the importance of art in our world. I also like how the artist shows the process of creating his art to share with the world.
2. 10 Things Parents Should Unlearn – Edna Sackson has always been one of my favourite bloggers, and in this post, she discusses the importance of parents learning about how school has changed:
But many parents base their opinions on the only model of education with which they are familiar… their own schooling. Even if they are young parents, I’d like to hope schooling has changed since they went to school.
Edna goes on to list some things that parents should “unlearn” from what they may have been taught either at school or in their adult life (below are her first five):
1. Learning is best measured by a letter or a number.
2. Product is more important than process and progress.
3. Children need to be protected from any kind of failure.
4. The internet is dangerous for children.
5. Parents and teachers should discuss students without the learner present.
This is definitely an article that will promote some great discussion with your school and parent community.
3. 6 signs of a natural leader – Are leaders made or do they have skills that make it easier to naturally fit into this position? In this article, the author discusses perhaps some of the leadership qualities that are innate in some people and help them to achieve success in their pursuits. Leadership is something that can, and should be developed, but are there certain people that are more likely to become leaders than others?
A busy manager who has to deal with all kinds of personalities within a team can overlook signs of leadership and instead see someone being difficult — perhaps asking too many questions, questioning their direction or stepping on their toes when it comes to guiding other members of the team.
While these behaviors can be initially challenging, they are all signs that the individual has the potential to be a great leader. It’s up to the manager to notice these signs, identify the leader and guide them in the right direction. Recognizing the personality traits is the first step so here are six signs of a natural leader.
Do effective leaders have to have similar qualities to be effective or can they range in types and personalities? How much does that matter?
As a final post, I would love to share a video about the #1st5days movement that is starting to happen. I believe that spending time at the beginning of the year with students, staff, or whomever you work with, is so important to the success of the year and your community. Getting right down to the “nitty gritty” may seem to promote success, but does it really help to build it long term? Check out the video below for some inspiration.
First Five Days: Day 3 from Alas Media on Vimeo.
I hope you have a great week! I am off to the wave pool 🙂
cc licensed ( BY NC SD ) flickr photo shared by gcouros
