I do dog tricks can be used to teach kids to type - amongst other things. Try typing in simple commands (nothing too crazy!). I tried “kiss” and got a heart warming result ;-)
(via Liam - thank you!)
This is second only to Fly Guy - one of the simplest and most beautiful little games EVAR.
Click the image below (or link above) to start then follow the prompts. Arrow keys help fly guy fly away from the dreary workaday world and into his dreams … (via Bryan Alexander)
Traditionally, students with learning challenges are labeled, stigmatized and streamed. Difference gets defined as deficit, and deficit comes to define identity. In some schools, this is still the case.
One of the most inspiring figures I learned about at teacher’s college is pediatric professor Mel Levine, whose original research and approaches have helped to redefine what we mean by special education. Levine’s research draws attention to the way that learning differences are typically framed as deficits - a logic that obscured the learner’s strengths. Levine identified how our traditional education system privileges one type of mind over all others. From Levine’s interview with NPR:
“Levine delivers the same message, that all people — and especially students — are wired differently. He preaches the virtues of helping kids understand their strengths and weaknesses as part of understanding the way learning works.” (NPR)
Continue reading ‘Teaching and learning: Diversity is key’
The Spirit of the Marathon
“Given the level of my condition, this was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
- Lance Armstrong, on completing his first marathon in 2006
“You triumph over adversity”
- Kathrine Switzer, the first woman to run the Boston marathon.
“I think I can pretty much do anything”
- First time marathoner.
Tomorrow, I will come to appreciate the meaning of the words above as I join the ranks of 1% of the human population who run a marathon.
Continue reading ‘Zen mind, marathon mind’
“To agree to learn from a stranger who does not respect your integrity causes a major loss of self. The only alternative is to not learn and reject the stranger’s world.”
- Herbert Kohl, from “I Won’t Learn from You”
American educator Herbert Kohl’s “I Won’t Learn from You” is a compelling essay about the complex relationship between a learner’s social context and their motivation to learn. This piece was one of the first, and most important, texts of critical pedagogy I read for my Bachelors of Education and I’ve come to believe it has far reaching application far beyond the classroom. I thought I’d share something of an introduction to Kohl and the enigmatic reasons why we sometimes choose not to learn.
Continue reading ‘Herbert Kohl and the enigma of not-learning’
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