"When one teaches, two learn"
[Finally renewing my blogging. Don’t worry, been blogging A LOT but just not here on my personal blog. You’ll hear about it soon and meet my team, see my posts and musings – starting a TEFL News Magazine. More on that in the coming weeks...
I’ve always been a big advocate of continued reflection by teachers, especially regarding their own beliefs vis a vis teaching and learning. Especially the continued development of one’s philosophy of education. I don’t think we pay or give much attention to this in teacher training...
I’ve had some free time these days to rethink my role in education and in particular ELT. So think of this post as the start of my St. Augustinian “Confessions”. English language teaching is great! It’s given me so much and I’ve traveled the world,...
You may be a construction worker working on a home You may be living in a mansion or you might live in a dome You might own guns and you might even own tanks You might be somebody’s landlord, you might even own banks But...
I’ve always enjoyed teaching this module – Philosophy of Education, during my years educating teachers. Part of the module consisting of watching scenes from movies and discussing, debating what philosophy of education they represented. Here is a nice powerpoint outlining the major philosophies of education....
Technology is allowing teachers to not just tear down the walls that surround their classroom, it also is allowing improved ways to present content. For the language classroom, images are an essential tool to generate conversation, contextualize vocabulary and build critical thinking skills. I’ve always...
{this is part of the “Captive Mind” series of blog posts – publishing online and decommercializing thought.] This piece of reflection was inspired by a former professor of mine – Dr. Gerald Gutek, professor of education, Loyola University and author of many books on educational...
Throughout my teaching career, I’ve often found myself in what I term, “the rut”. Not bored of teaching nor unexcited but rather teaching without any “spice” and just going through the motions. Settled is what I call it. Finding myself feeling like I’ve figured it...
I’ve been spending a wonderful Christmas with family and friends in Canada over the holidays. Lots of activity, birthdays along with parties and the regular Christmas meetings and greetings. It got me really thinking about life and especially the glue that keeps all life together...
I’ve spent the weekend reading the Heidegger and a Hippo walk through those Pearly Gates, the sequel to the amazing Plato and a Platypus Walk Into A Bar. Amazing books that combine commentary with jokes. As I’m reading, I was thinking of how jokes so...
I recently created for teachers and professional development, a directory of videos and readings on “Educational Thinkers”. It’s interesting to think of these “crazy ones” and get inspired by their own enthusiasm and dedication. Let’s celebrate them, as this famous video does. Take a look...
Where is the Life we have lost in living? Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information? – T. S. Eliot Right now, I’m living in the same city as I went to Teacher’s College,...
I get asked a lot, “how do you do so much?” or am labeled, “the hardest working ELT teacher”. I’m always somewhat lost as to how to respond. Baffled really. I guess I’m a fish that knows nothing about the water I swim in! You...
“He not busy making his students come alive, is a busy not teaching, a busy dying”. I’ve been watching the events in Egypt with intense sentimentalism and empathy. An extreme desire and understanding. You see, I’ve seen it before and don’t want it to turn...
I’ve long given one piece of advice that I think seldom gets voiced often by teachers or teacher trainers – at the end of a lesson or day with students, ask just one thing, “Are you happy?”. And get the students to say they are...
{ I think this a great reflective activity for any teacher. Going to make this part of the curriculum in some of my future courses, for sure. Find my full philosophy of education – here. } What subjects have you been teaching? What types of...
This evening, I went out to the local symphony’s Christmas Concert. A wonderful gathering of many in this small city. They played the score for the Christmas film – The Snowman by Peter Briggs. Plus lots of carols and they had the whole audience singing...
If I could meet just one guy who I’d like to chat about the future and place of education in the world – it would be a toss up between Ivan Illich and John Taylor Gatto. Illich the intellectual, the piercing and challenging mind –...
Last week I posted up my “Top Teacher Training related posts of 2010″ – titled, “On the shoulders of Regular Joe Teachers”. Today, I’d like to share my “Top Education related posts of 2010”. I’m incredibly proud of the level of resources and thought, I...
Do teachers kill creativity? What is the harm that a “teacher” does, just by being a teacher? Do we indeed stunt student achievement, growth and “thought” by our mere presence as a model and person to look up to and copy/become? Like Ken Robinson’s story...
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