Reblog: To learn or not to learn (Afrikaans language post via princessjanie.blogspot.co.za)

ORIGINALLY POSTED TO PRINCESS JANIE: PRINCESSJANIE.BLOGSPOT.CO.ZA
BY JANIE DU PLESSIS on September 7, 2015

To learn or not to learn

WEEK 7

Hierdie proeftydperk kan vir baie mense ‘n breeze wees. 9 weke waar jy as proefstudent dag na dag in die personeelkamer kom sit en Facebook. Om ‘n onderwyser te wees verg baie selfmotivering en positiewe denke en verantwoordelikheid. Om ‘n top klas onderwyser te wees is regtig jou eie besluit. Niemand gaan vir jou sê hoeveel moeite om in te sit nie. Dit is alleenlik jou eie keuse waar jy jou eie ervaring konstrueer. Aan die ander kant kan die proeftydperk ook ‘n tyd wees waar jy jouself in jou werk in gooi, en baie baie leer!

Aanvanklik het ek gedink onderwysers doen maar almal dieselfde, maar ek is defnitief verkeerd. Selfs in die skool waar ek geplaas is, is dit baie duidelik. Sommige onderwyser sit geen moeite in nie, nie in hul klaskamer of les aanbiedings nie. Onderwys is nie vir hulle meer lekker nie - nie ‘n passie nie. Ander onderwysers weer aan die ander kant, maak nie saak hoe oud, raak SO opgewonde oor onderwys. Hulle doen moeite met die klasse, doen moeite met die kinders, en dis so tipe onderwyser wat ek strewe om te wees.

Ek kan my indink dat dit moeilik is, en dat mens later nie meer lus is nie. Maar as jy ‘n passie het, sal jy jouself weer optel en dit doen omdat onderwyser jou eerste liefde is. Om eerlik te wees, kan die tipe onderwyser reeds nou in die proeftydperk gesien word.. Om te proef is kunsmatig, en dit is nie vir almal lekker nie. Dit weerspieël defnitief nie wat jou ervaring as onderwyser gaan wees nie. Maar dit is tog nodig, en dit gee perspektief. Dit is ‘n tydperk waar jy kan oefen en alles kan prober om te sien wat vir jou werk.

Hierdie week was daar baie take by die skool waarby die proefstudente betrokke kon raak, maar slegs ‘n handjie vol student het opgedaag om deel te neem. Dit is hier waar ek kan sien dat alle onderwysers nie gemaak is vir onderwys nie. Ek hoop hulle kom gou genoeg agter dat dit nie hul passie is nie, wat onderwys is nie net iets wat jy ligtelik moet opneem, of iets wat jy moet doen omdat jy nie weet wat anders om te doen nie. Dit is die belangrikste beroek daar buite. En ons moet sorg dat ons dit goed doen!

‘n Onderwyser moet baie dinge kan wees, en bereidwillig wees om AL die nodige posisies vol te staan. Een en ding waarvan ek vereseker is – ‘n onderwyser kan NIE lui wees nie. Dit is die een beroep waar die ekstra myl sowaar lewensveranderend (vir jou en jou leerders) sal wees.

Rita Pierson: Every kid needs a champion

Published on 3 May 2013

Rita Pierson, a teacher for 40 years, once heard a colleague say, "They don't pay me to like the kids." Her response: "Kids don't learn from people they don't like.'" A rousing call to educators to believe in their students and actually connect with them on a real, human, personal level.

TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more.
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Reblog: Five-Minute Film Festival: Inspirational Teachers (via edutopia)

ORIGINALLY POSTED TO EDUTOPIA: EDUTOPIA.ORG

BY KEYANA STEVENS on July 17, 2015

People have so many different reasons to join the education field -- what inspired you to become an educator? Perhaps you feel a desire to give back to the community, or you relish the intellectual challenge, or perhaps the simple reward of seeing a student smile every day is your motivation. But I suspect that for many people, an encounter with an inspiring educator might have been the spark that led to this career path. Read on for more video profiles of inspiring teachers across the country and their stories.

Video Playlist: Inspirational Teachers

Watch the player below to see the whole playlist, or view it on YouTube.

1. Teacher Chris Emdin Finding Ways to Make Math Fun (3:44)
   Dr. Chris Emdin, a science educator and professor at the Columbia Teachers College, started the #HipHopEd movement to help teachers connect science and math education with students' real-world interests. This video was originally created as an advertisement for Office Depot, but Emdin's message of "meeting students on their own cultural turf" will resonate with teachers everywhere.
2. Shelter from the Storm (3:39)
   Ms. Reifler is a teacher in a low-income elementary school in east Los Angeles. She encourages her students to look beyond their circumstances and envision what a "good life" could mean for them. Like any teacher, Ms. Reifler only has one year to spend with her students, but as the video says, "A moment with a good teacher can give a lifetime of hope."
3. David Hunter, Zombie-Based Learning (2:34)
   David Hunter noticed how much his students loved books and movies about the zombie apocalypse, and instead of telling them to read something else, he found a way to add the concept into his curriculum. He uses a self-made graphic textbook to teach students about disease outbreaks and survival skills, incorporating state curriculum standards and project-based learning in creative ways.
4. Meditation 4 Madmen - Kevin "Teach" Baas (4:53)
   If you saw Kevin Baas riding his motorcycle down the street you might not immediately think "educator," but the shop class teacher's passion for helping his students succeed is the same as any other's. (The second half of this video does get a bit advertorial, so when you get to that point, hit pause and check out the website for Kevin's Kennedy Chopper Class here.)
5. Ahoy! Meet Nancy Davis, the Pirate Teacher (4:45)
   When Nancy Davis, an elementary school teacher, had to have eye surgery for cancer, she worried that her students might be put off by the eye patch she had to wear -- so she turned it into an opportunity for fun instead, and became the Pirate Teacher!
6. Wright's Law: A Unique Teacher Imparts Real Life Lessons (11:58)
   Physics teacher Jeffrey Wright is most well-known to his students for his whimsical science experiments and classroom demonstrations. His drive to be a good teacher and mentor to his students comes in spite of -- or perhaps because of -- surprising personal challenges. Be warned: you might want to save this one for watching in the privacy of your home, as it will make you cry (happy) tears.

More Resources on Inspiring Teachers

For more stories about educators that go above and beyond the call of duty, check out these additional articles!

• "Talks from Inspiring Teachers" from TED
• "How to Thank a Teacher" resource guide from Edutopia
• "Meet Shanna: 2015 National Teacher of the Year" from the Council of Chief State School Officers
• "Thanks for Teaching Us" website
• "These 11 Education Leaders Had Their Lives Changed by Amazing Teachers" from the Huffington Post

KEYANA STEVENS'S PROFILE

Aaaaaand... they're off!

#PGCEmix be like:

... and School Practice be like:

Meanwhile, back at the faculty:

What are you putting out there?

How important do you think your digital footprint is?

Teacher Appreciation Week

The Huffington Post asked what teachers really want for teacher appreciation week. What do you think? To get (keep) you going, here's a fun video from edutopia.org , showing just how gorgeous a day in the life of a teacher can be!

Want to delve deeper into the conversation? Care to share your inspiration?

Contribute to #LiveLoveTeach via your favourite social media.

also from edutopia.org

Reblog: 10 Traits and Techniques of a Highly Effective Teacher (via teacherswithapps.com)

ORIGINALLY posted on the TWA blog: teacherswithapps.com

BY JAYNE CLARE · MARCH 17, 2015 · BLOG, TEACHER TOOLS · ADD COMMENT (TWA site)

10 Traits and Techniques of a Highly Effective Teacher – Being a great teacher is about making connections directly with each and every student.

I can still remember having a great teacher in 5th grade, who asked us to diagram the inner workings of a flower and label the parts, instead of just looking at a picture in an outdated textbook and expecting us to understand it. I learned early on what really stayed with me or turned me on were project-based activities. Teaching has always been a creative outlet for me and I carry that through in my approach to instruction. Technology has and will continue to be a primary motivation for children and therefore it is one of the most effective tools in today’s educational landscape. Great teachers have many commonalities and they live forever in the minds of former students. Traits such as creativity, a sense of awe, compassion and caring are just a few of the merits that contribute to a great teacher. Being a great teacher has little to do with curriculum, test scores, or the criteria for neat handwriting. Being a great teacher is about student driven learning, letting go of the lecturing and simply putting the student in the driver’s seat. Students learn best by experiencing learning that is physical, emotional, intellectual and of interest to them personally. Remember, being a great teacher is about making connections directly with each and every student.

1. The most effective teachers expect infinite accomplishments from their students, and they don’t accept anything but the best. In education, high expectations can shape a students’ career. Teachers that believe each and every student can go above and beyond give the children the confidence to make it happen.


2. The greatest teachers think way outside that box, they are creative, imaginative, and don’t let the four walls of a classroom get in the way of their student’s learning experiences.


3. The finest teachers seek ways to give their students a real world application for knowledge, taking learning to the next level. They utilize all of the learning modalities and understand that sitting may not be conducive to many learning scenarios.


4. The master teacher practices modeling to teach, and uses positive reinforcement to inspire students to feel as though they can reach for the stars. That teacher is always available to all students.


5. The best teachers are flexible and understanding, they wear a multitude of different hats in any given day and understand that teachable moments need to be seized and acted upon. Lesson plans are just a road map.


6. The great teachers are life long learners, they are curious, confident, and are always evolving and growing. They are not afraid of change; they embrace it.


7. The most effective teachers seize the new and redefine the old. They confidently move into the future especially with anything to do with STEM.


8. The greatest teachers know how to admit their own mistakes and create a lesson right there on the spot. These teachers help their students learn from their own mistakes and teach children to laugh at themselves.


9. Top teachers admit it when they don’t know the answer, they facilitate and motivate learners to use critical thinking skills to search for answers and go beyond the fill in the blank mentality.


10. The best teachers create an atmosphere that promotes learning by making an inviting learning environment. The classroom is not over stimulating but does have color and an aura of life to it. There are always exciting on-going projects.

Weekly Question 5: Easter edition

Tree in gesprek met die blogs en twiets van u eweknieë, en ontwikkel 'n voorstel vir onderwyseropleiding.

Engage in dialogue with your peers' blogs and tweets, and develop a proposal for teacher training.

HowTo:

1. Ontwikkel u idees op u Persoonlike Blog. / Develop your ideas on your Personal Blog
2. Post title = Your own heading. / U eie opskrif.
3. Post body = U antwoord met media. / Your answer with media.
4. Labels = task5
5. Toon interaksie met u kollegas. / Show interaction with your colleagues.