Over this past weekend, the baseball team that my son plays on played 5 games (3 in one day). The Friday night game was hard to watch since the other team racked up a 20 to 0 victory. The boys were pretty "rusty" and made a fair amount of mistakes. However, every game after that they started to get better. The key was repetition in a game setting. Keep in mind that they have practiced and drilled for the last month, but there is nothing that compares to using those drills in a game.
How do we get our children out of the classroom in a theoretical based learning setting and in to a "the game of real life"?
BTW: The team won its last game on Saturday and played the same team that they lost to on Sunday and did a lot better!
Monday, March 28, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
What I Learned from Sally
This afternoon I am going to pick up Sally's ashes. She was an amazing dog and has been a constant companion of our family for over 16 years! Rather than recount the story of the pain and suffering of her last years, I would rather reflect on the lessons that she taught me.
First, she showed me how to be grateful for the little things. She was a stray that my brother found at a construction site and greatly appreciated having a roof over her head, a meal in her bowl, and a soft place to lay her head. She also taught me unconditional love. I could be disfigured by burns and she would love me still! Finally, she taught me the fragility of life. I witnessed the Vet. "putting her down" and was amazed at how fast the drug drew life from her body. In two heartbeats and one breath she was gone, but she will never be gone from my memory or will I forget the lessons this noble creature taught me!
First, she showed me how to be grateful for the little things. She was a stray that my brother found at a construction site and greatly appreciated having a roof over her head, a meal in her bowl, and a soft place to lay her head. She also taught me unconditional love. I could be disfigured by burns and she would love me still! Finally, she taught me the fragility of life. I witnessed the Vet. "putting her down" and was amazed at how fast the drug drew life from her body. In two heartbeats and one breath she was gone, but she will never be gone from my memory or will I forget the lessons this noble creature taught me!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Learning that is Familiar
I watched a PBS show this weekend about another way to learn how to play the piano. The idea is to streamline the process by using lead sheets (not the traditional treble and base confusing sheet music) and to learn songs that you already know. This made a lot of sense. So, I downloaded a lead sheet for the introduction of Elton John's "Your Song" and sat at the piano and "hunt and pecked" my way through the notes. WOW...I actually started to play the song...and three days later played it so that my wife and 9-year old piano playing son could recognize it! I think the magic of playing a song that I know...and LOVE, is the key to picking it up so fast. There was an immediate feedback when I hit the wrong note. I know how it is supposed to sound!
How important is it to connect teaching and the learning experience to something that is familiar to the learner? If it is important, then how can we enhance learning by connecting subjects (math, reading, science, etc.) to things that are familiar to the group that we are teaching? Let me know what you think.
How important is it to connect teaching and the learning experience to something that is familiar to the learner? If it is important, then how can we enhance learning by connecting subjects (math, reading, science, etc.) to things that are familiar to the group that we are teaching? Let me know what you think.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
ARG, Recruiting (TonySmithOK) on Twitter
ARG, Recruiting (TonySmithOK) on Twitter: "During my morning walk I was thinking that life is too short to walk in uncomfortable shoes or be in an uncomfortable job!"
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Do Buildings Impact Education?
I just finished reading Greg Mortenson/David Relin Book "Three Cups of Tea". This book is about "Dr. Greg's" single-minded mission to build schools in rural areas of Pakistan and Afganistan. So far he the organization that he founded, Central Asian Institute, has built almost 60 schools, educating 24,000 students!
While the story is amazing and I highly recommend it, I do not want to rehash it here. What I would like to discuss, is how does physical space impacts education. Do buildings and their contents truely affect the quality of teaching that is delivered? Before reading this book, I did not see a direct corrolation, but now I am certain there is one!
Let me know your thoughts...I think this subject has some relavence in this country as well as 3rd World ones.
While the story is amazing and I highly recommend it, I do not want to rehash it here. What I would like to discuss, is how does physical space impacts education. Do buildings and their contents truely affect the quality of teaching that is delivered? Before reading this book, I did not see a direct corrolation, but now I am certain there is one!
Let me know your thoughts...I think this subject has some relavence in this country as well as 3rd World ones.
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