Thursday, October 12, 2006
This Divine Element LOVE
The Art of Teaching is the art of assisting Discovery.Wheatley I agree really resinated the spirit of a living changing community, and not to fear charge or disruption. I loved the understanding about greeting differences in others and the ideas of management, growth and re structure.
I see our school as this liquid ball spinning and growing and all of us, our colleagues keep the ball from dropping none of us able to stop it, or hold it and it continually spins, unfolds and grows.
I found this quote from Steiner "Theosophy" and for me, it really gives my calling to teaching meaning. Lifes so short I feel one must feel worth and value in a life and the greatest gift, being part of a loved community. Thank you, for your Love, Support and Fun .
As human beings, we call the highest things we can look up to the "Divine," and we must imagine that our highest aim and calling have something to do with this divine element.
~ Rudolf Steiner
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
innovativeforu
innovativeforu
A SPEECH
ON THE QUEST TOWARDS BECOMING EXPERT TEACHERS
Fellow teachers,
We have embarked upon a noble quest
We need to be firm in our resolve to work together
To articulate our vision, to dare to love.
There is an urgency in the air
The world is crying out for a new way of seeing
For a new reality on which to base our hopes and dreams.
We have lost our way as a culture and we know this.
The old ways of doing things does not work anymore
We no longer want to be part of a world that preys on our fears
We do not want our children to inherit a world
In which they carry the burden of our lack of courage.
There is much work to be done.
Firstly on a personal level to open our hearts, to be brave, to be authentic
And secondly on a professional level to sow the seeds of higher order learning
in our students so that they can develop the necessary skills
To analyse, evaluate and create empowered lives for themselves
And enable them to flower into strong, confident and creative individuals who will facilitate change through living fulfilling lives.
We can achieve this through providing a safe, secure place
where they feel a sense of belonging and feel loved and valued
And to develop the personal sense of power and to recognise that freedom is the handmaiden of responsibility to refine the attributes of thinking, feeling and willpower with a sense of fun and adventure.
We need to support students to support each other in their endeavours
And to recognize and work with the different intelligences inherent in every one
And to view these as assets both inside and outside the classroom.
We need to offer positive and timely feedback regarding our students work
To provide the very best quality instruction whilst facilitating appropriate challenges
And promote effective classroom interaction.
The road is long and hard. There are no shortcuts
We want to connect with each other in ways that are meaningful
We want to commit to each other in ways that empower all
Not only on a national level
And not only on a personal level
But on a soul level.
So let us begin. Let us embark upon our quest
Let our creativity become our journey and our goal
And enthusiasm and passion the path by which we achieve this
And let love be the map of the heart that will guide us.
A SPEECH
ON THE QUEST TOWARDS BECOMING EXPERT TEACHERS
Fellow teachers,
We have embarked upon a noble quest
We need to be firm in our resolve to work together
To articulate our vision, to dare to love.
There is an urgency in the air
The world is crying out for a new way of seeing
For a new reality on which to base our hopes and dreams.
We have lost our way as a culture and we know this.
The old ways of doing things does not work anymore
We no longer want to be part of a world that preys on our fears
We do not want our children to inherit a world
In which they carry the burden of our lack of courage.
There is much work to be done.
Firstly on a personal level to open our hearts, to be brave, to be authentic
And secondly on a professional level to sow the seeds of higher order learning
in our students so that they can develop the necessary skills
To analyse, evaluate and create empowered lives for themselves
And enable them to flower into strong, confident and creative individuals who will facilitate change through living fulfilling lives.
We can achieve this through providing a safe, secure place
where they feel a sense of belonging and feel loved and valued
And to develop the personal sense of power and to recognise that freedom is the handmaiden of responsibility to refine the attributes of thinking, feeling and willpower with a sense of fun and adventure.
We need to support students to support each other in their endeavours
And to recognize and work with the different intelligences inherent in every one
And to view these as assets both inside and outside the classroom.
We need to offer positive and timely feedback regarding our students work
To provide the very best quality instruction whilst facilitating appropriate challenges
And promote effective classroom interaction.
The road is long and hard. There are no shortcuts
We want to connect with each other in ways that are meaningful
We want to commit to each other in ways that empower all
Not only on a national level
And not only on a personal level
But on a soul level.
So let us begin. Let us embark upon our quest
Let our creativity become our journey and our goal
And enthusiasm and passion the path by which we achieve this
And let love be the map of the heart that will guide us.
innovativeforu
innovativeforu
Oct. 1. 2006.
Just a little prayer for us struggling teachers on the road to becoming experts.
May I be brave enough to embrace a new world view as
Espoused by Margaret Wheatley.
May I develop the wisdom of recognising Gardners Nine Intelligences
In my students.
May I gain true insight in teaching Glasser’s six basic needs of Survival;
Power, Love, Belonging, Freedom and Fun.
May I have the strength and courage to incorporate Hatties guide for expert teachers
Into every class, every day.
May I develop awareness of the full scope of the Constructivist approach
To education.
And may I develop the selflessness to recognise that students need to be encouraged to be creative in their approach to their own education and
Empowered in making decisions in relation to their lives.
Oct. 1. 2006.
Just a little prayer for us struggling teachers on the road to becoming experts.
May I be brave enough to embrace a new world view as
Espoused by Margaret Wheatley.
May I develop the wisdom of recognising Gardners Nine Intelligences
In my students.
May I gain true insight in teaching Glasser’s six basic needs of Survival;
Power, Love, Belonging, Freedom and Fun.
May I have the strength and courage to incorporate Hatties guide for expert teachers
Into every class, every day.
May I develop awareness of the full scope of the Constructivist approach
To education.
And may I develop the selflessness to recognise that students need to be encouraged to be creative in their approach to their own education and
Empowered in making decisions in relation to their lives.
innovativeforu
innovativeforu
LOVE AND OTHER FOUR LETTER WORDS
Sept. 28. 2006.
Love, now there’s a word you don’t see in the syllabus. And why not? Too revolutionary? Too seditious? Too close to the heart? May be all these and more. Hattie (2003) implies it (love) in the dedication and commitment shown by expert teachers. Wheatley (1999) really takes the ball and runs with it and opens up a whole new level of challenge for teachers to open their hearts.
The little that I know of love inspires me in my personal and professional life. I see and feel such need for an open hearted approach to learning and teaching. Students are confronted with very real and complex issues earlier in their lives than I experienced at their age and often the are grasping for the rudimentary tools with which to deal with their dilemmas. My own strategy when connecting with students is to try and imbue the encounter with authenticity and say to myself a silent “Namaste”, the Hindu greeting that says “I see the god in you”. This is easier on some days than others and with some students more than others. On a more active level I endeavour to “sow seeds.” I have a fairly gregarious and earthy personality and enjoy connecting with students in a mature, humorous and positive way. It is part of Rudolf Steiners “ Thinking, Feeling, Willing”, philosophy that sets the daily rhythm of school life and provides conscious and unconscious cues to students and staff. I find that humour mixed with compassion and wisdom speak non verbally to the human heart. This is where I try to make inroads in my connections with myself and others. I hear myself sounding like some one that’s read too much Wheatley. Not a bad thing.
I am all too aware of the pitfalls of making connections through relationship if one is not fully committed or conscious. My experiences as a Youth Worker brought home the seriousness of making mistakes and the far reaching consequences of reacting out of ignorance. Hattie (2003) hits the nail on the head when he states that the expert teacher “makes the lesson uniquely their own, by changing, combining and adding to them according to the students needs and their own goals.” And where, according to Blooms Taxonomy, deeper learning is facilitated by the teacher to enable the higher order thinking in a student that they not only Remember, Understand and Apply what is learned in the classroom but then go on to develop the skills to Analyse, Evaluate and Create from this information.
LOVE AND OTHER FOUR LETTER WORDS
Sept. 28. 2006.
Love, now there’s a word you don’t see in the syllabus. And why not? Too revolutionary? Too seditious? Too close to the heart? May be all these and more. Hattie (2003) implies it (love) in the dedication and commitment shown by expert teachers. Wheatley (1999) really takes the ball and runs with it and opens up a whole new level of challenge for teachers to open their hearts.
The little that I know of love inspires me in my personal and professional life. I see and feel such need for an open hearted approach to learning and teaching. Students are confronted with very real and complex issues earlier in their lives than I experienced at their age and often the are grasping for the rudimentary tools with which to deal with their dilemmas. My own strategy when connecting with students is to try and imbue the encounter with authenticity and say to myself a silent “Namaste”, the Hindu greeting that says “I see the god in you”. This is easier on some days than others and with some students more than others. On a more active level I endeavour to “sow seeds.” I have a fairly gregarious and earthy personality and enjoy connecting with students in a mature, humorous and positive way. It is part of Rudolf Steiners “ Thinking, Feeling, Willing”, philosophy that sets the daily rhythm of school life and provides conscious and unconscious cues to students and staff. I find that humour mixed with compassion and wisdom speak non verbally to the human heart. This is where I try to make inroads in my connections with myself and others. I hear myself sounding like some one that’s read too much Wheatley. Not a bad thing.
I am all too aware of the pitfalls of making connections through relationship if one is not fully committed or conscious. My experiences as a Youth Worker brought home the seriousness of making mistakes and the far reaching consequences of reacting out of ignorance. Hattie (2003) hits the nail on the head when he states that the expert teacher “makes the lesson uniquely their own, by changing, combining and adding to them according to the students needs and their own goals.” And where, according to Blooms Taxonomy, deeper learning is facilitated by the teacher to enable the higher order thinking in a student that they not only Remember, Understand and Apply what is learned in the classroom but then go on to develop the skills to Analyse, Evaluate and Create from this information.
