I Learn Something Every Day

Last week we drove up on the spur of the moment towards the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. We have talked for a few years about going camping and hiking up there and decided that this was the perfect time. We wanted to get up there before the holiday because we thought it would only get more crowded after the holiday. On the way up there, I called the Charit Creek Lodge to see if we could get reservations for the next day and they had openings.

I’ve been a little apprehensive about staying at the lodge because I had never been there before and I knew that we would have to share a cabin with strangers. But my hubby really wanted to do this so I went along with it (the things you do for love!).

We arrive at the Big South Fork Bandy Visitor Center. W  e met the nicest guys there at the visitor center who told us about the park and also about the animals there. They had a great educational display with skulls and pelts of different animals. We ended up spending the night at the Bandy Creek Campground (site 13A) which was up on a hill overlooking a nice field. We had hoped to see some deer but we never saw any. But, we did get to see a bear on the road as we returned to the campground after dinner. Thankfully we had our new tent because a thunderstorm arrived and we were able to sit in our tent with a glass of wine as the thunderstorm passed by.

The next day we packed up the tent and headed to the lo dge. Since we were early, we hiked in Pickett State Park to the natural bridge and Hazard cave. Then we had to drive along a gravel road to the trailhead and then hike 2 miles in to the lodge. When we arrived, we were told that we had the cabin all to ourselves for the night which was a relief. We ate some lunch and then hiked around the area before returning to our cabin. The mosquitoes were really bad and kept attacking Don so we spent time out on the screened in porch until dinner.

At dinner we met 2 other couples from southern Indian a and so there were just six of us for dinner. It was really cozy and we enjoyed visiting with these people and exchanging stories. They had the cabin next to us. After dinner we returned to our cabin and enjoyed our bottle of wine before heading to bed. During the night Don got cold and had to get another blanket but I didn’t.

The next morning, I was up early and got to watch the sun rise. Then we had breakfast at 8am with the other two couples. It was really nice meeting them and hope our paths cross again someday. After breakfast we headed back to our car and drove around but then headed towards Blue Heron Mining Community. There was a nice mining museum and hike in that area. After leaving there, we headed towards Cumberland Gap and hoped that we could hike there the next day but the road was closed. So, we decided to head for home.

As every day turns out, this whole trip was a wonderful learning experience. Here are some things that I learned:

1. Not everything has to be planned.

2. People like to tell the good things about where they live.

3. Wild animals may be all around us and we just have to stop and take time to look.

4. Thunderstorms can be scary and exciting.

5. Sometimes we dread things because we worry that it will be a bad experience and then it turns out alright.

6. Worrying about what might happen can sometimes be a waste of time.

7. It is fun to meet new people.

8. Plans need to be flexible in case things don’t go the way you expect.

What have you learned today?

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Useful Information In and Out of the Classroom 5/28/10

Here are some interesting sites that I’ve found this week, thanks to my Personal Learning Network (PLN). As a teacher, I feel we have to keep up to date concerning research in our field and current issues in the education system. I hope some of these inspire you, inform you, and even have you asking questions. Thank you for coming by and visiting!

The Science of Music – “Explore the science of music with us, through these online exhibits, movies, and questions. Along the way, you can compose, mix, dance, drum, experiment, and above all…listen.”

Physics Central – “With PhysicsCentral, we communicate the excitement and importance of physics to everyone. We invite you to visit our site every week to find out how physics is part of your world. We'll answer your questions on how things work and keep you informed with daily updates on physics in the news. We'll describe the latest research and the people who are doing it and, if you want more, where to go on the web.”

Teachers’ Pet – great resources to use with children age 3-11 years old; free printable stuff

Passport to Summer Reading – by Barnes and Noble, Kids read 8 books and track them, includes a parent and an educator kit, kids can get a free book off the list when they turn in their passport to Barnes and Noble.

AutoMotivator – create your own motivational poster

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: Tools by Pat Hensley

Learning is Not Intuitive

In On Balance Kevin Jarrett states,

“It made me realize that many times I have assumed that my high school students knew how to do something. Then they would look at me with this blank glazed-over look in their eyes and I knew I was in trouble. “

I have also seen my students enter my room with an assignment from another teacher. They were told to do research and write a report on a certain topic. For my students, they have no idea where to begin. Usually they go to the library and someone hands them a book on that topic. Then they start copying paragraphs from the book. They might see a picture that interests them and so they copy a paragraph near that picture. They jump around the book copying paragraphs until they have the assigned length. Yet they are stunned when they receive a failing grade for their report.

The problem is that no one told them where to start! Yes, maybe they were taught in third grade how to write a report but every year, different teachers use different criteria to evaluate these things. Yet, many assume that the students know and understand this criteria.

I find that using rubrics is the best way for me to share my expectations with the students. I want them to know what I’m looking for before they begin the work. Too many times I have worked on an assignment for a teacher only to find out halfway that I was moving in the wrong direction and had to start all over. Not only was I discouraged but I was frustrated by the waste of time that I had already put in. Rubrics also help me organize my own thoughts and criteria before I give an assignment. I have also seen too many teachers give busy work to students with no thought about assessing the finished project and believe me, students can pick up on this quickly. If they see the teacher doesn’t care, why should they put thought and effort into it either?

Now, you may be thinking that this only works for students in K-12 but it also works on the college level. I think rubrics help on any level and can really be instrumental in the success of the learner. I also started to see that if I couldn’t come up with a rubric for an assignment, I had to take a long hard look at the assignment and what I hoped to achieve.

I start off by writing down what I want to grade the student on. I make this list out and then decide on the main ones that I feel are essential and delete the ones that I think are not. Once I determine what is important for the student to achieve, I decide on the rating scale that will determine the grade. Once I decide what scale I am going to use, I give specifics for what will constitute each number. This takes a lot of time on the front end but it sure makes grading easier when I get the finished product. It also makes grading less subjective and easier for the student to understand where the mistakes were made.

If the student sees where the mistakes were made, then it is easier for the student to correct these mistakes and work towards more success. And isn’t that what I hope for the student to do?

Do you use rubrics? If so, what steps to you go through to develop one? Do you feel they are useful and why or why not?

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: 'Research Paper on Microsoft'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31136139@N00/501812452 by: Alexis Cordova

Lost the Joy

In Squeezing the joy out of a thing , the author asks,

“Have you ever gone and accidentally squeezed the joy out of something your students were enjoying doing by making it a way too learning oriented task instead of a simple life-experiential language experience?  Ever brought something into the classroom which completely bombed because it was your passion, not your learners”

This made me stop and think. I’m not sure if I’ve done it to others but I sure have had this happen to me so I know exactly what it feels like.

I remember wanting to learn how to knit when I was little and my mother showing me. She was very rigid about all the “rules” that I had to follow. I had to hold the needles a certain way. I had to hold the yarn a certain way. If I made mistakes, I had to rip it out and start all over. I never was able to finish anything because I was so frustrated by that time that I just hated it all! I never did learn to knit while my mother was alive.

Then I taught myself to knit. I watched youtube videos and still made lots of mistakes. I found an online support system which I felt I controlled by choosing what I read, what advice I followed, and what I ignored. I joined a weekly knitting group that is full of people who encouraged and helped me. I started to finish projects even though there were mistakes. But I learned from my mistakes and started to get better at knitting. With each finished project, I gained confidence to try something new, something harder, or something different. I knew there were people out there willing to help me if I needed it. I knew there were people out there that didn’t care if I made any mistakes.

I loved my mother but that was definitely not the way to inspire and motivate me to learn knitting.

I hope when I am teaching my students that I can encourage them to finish a project. I want them to see the mistakes they made and learn from them but not discourage them so much that they do not want to learn.

I have had students learn a skill in another class but not understand it. When they asked me for help, I would explain it the best way that I could. Sometimes this really helped the student and they immediately understood what the other teacher was trying to get across. Then they asked why the other teacher couldn’t have explained it so easily to them. That is an opening for a great teaching moment. Students need to learn that just like all students learn differently, all teachers teach differently. One teaching style doesn’t make one style better than the other. What does make the difference is how the student reacts to that learning style.

As I mentioned earlier, my mother was not able to teach me to knit. Yet, she was able to teach my older sister how to knit, crochet, and sew. My sister can practically do anything that my mother taught her and even more. Her success with the things that my mother taught her encouraged her to learn more. I, in turn, have always been very cautious and leery about learning anything that is somewhat connected to what my mother tried to teach me.

So, my mother was not a bad teacher. I just had a different learning style than my sister.

This also happens in the classroom. I do not want to be the one to take the joy of learning away from my students. I need to make sure that my teaching style does not totally conflict with the student’s learning style. And I don’t think it is the student’s job to change their learning style but it is the teacher’s job to find the teaching style that will help the student be successful.

So, have you ever squeezed the joy out of learning for someone? Or has someone done this to you? If so, please share your story with me!

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: 'Anaconda y boa constrictor'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28442702@N00/270858153 by: Pierre Pouliquin

Anything is Possible

I have been following the Official Jessica Watson Blog and read Life Back on Land.

Jessica Watson is a 16 year old girl who has sailed around the world alone. I have been drawn to reading her blog entries because I have admired her courage and determination. This past week, she finally arrived home and has been sharing about the fanfare that she has been receiving. But in this entry, she writes,
“But more than anything, I love hearing about other people’s dreams and how my voyage has showed them that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!”

I think I have felt that way as I followed her blog. I have been amazed how she handled difficulties and bad weather and repairs and a multitude of other obstacles with faith and belief that she could conquer anything.

This is the kind of feelings that I hope to impart in my students with my words, actions, and teaching.

I hope that people who read my blog or meet me in person feels like after being around me, that anything is possible. I hope I encourage students to dream and work towards a dream. I want to help students figure what they need to do to achieve their dream.

I don’t want to discourage them or make them feel like their dreams don’t count. I learned the hard way with my own children that they could not live the dreams that I wanted them to dream. They had to live their own.

Like Jessica, I love to hear about other people’s dreams and how they accomplished it. If you have a story, please share. Thanks for reading!

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: 'Lorain sunset'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/38729188@N00/2129555467 by: Rona Proudfoot