True Colors

Beautiful version via TED: "In a heart-melting moment, TED Talks Education host John Legend sits at the piano to sing True Colors, giving the lyrics a special meaning for kids and teachers. 'So don't be afraid / to let them show / your true colors / are beautiful, like a rainbow.'

TED Talk: How to Escape Education's Death Valley

One of my favorite speakers, Sir Ken Robinson:

Identifying Learning Disorders by Looking at the Brain

Dr. Aditi Shankardass offers a second opinion on diagnosing learning disorders, suggesting that physicians actually "take a look at the brain" of a child who demonstrates communication and/or learning difficulties.  At this point, teachers and parents are simply able to observe a child's behaviors, making an educated guess as to what direction to move in to seek out remediation or interventions.  I'm fascinated and intrigued: could this specialized EEG accurately identify the cause of a child's behavior, removing the guesswork and substantially reducing the risk of potential misdiagnoses and their subsequent inappropriate interventions? 


Take a listen, and let me know what you think.

We Know How to Do This Better

Another awesome TED Talk, from Diana Laufenberg:

Students Don't Need Test Prep, They Need Life Prep

Will Richardson explains how school presently equals test prep (no surprise to educators), and shares his opinion that "if this is your definition of better, you can have it."  Test prep does not equal learning.

He shares a tweet almost ten minutes in that I had to pause the video in order to read:  “My kid already plays sick to get out of going to kindergarten.  WTF?  How do you make kindergarten suck?”  The audience laughed at the horrible humor of the Tweeter's child's reality, sympathetically, I know.  I just cringed.



I agree with Richardson: our students don't need test prep.  They need life prep.

Bohemian Rhapsody on...

...ukulele.

Yes, ukulele.  And it's beautiful.  Take a listen:

Step Outside of the Box with Reckless Curiosity

Andrew Bird's orchestrations completely ~intrigue~ me:

Autism Advocate

Here is Temple Grandin advocating for "smart, geeky kids," those students who fall within the Autism spectrum and demonstrate a variety of ways of thinking:

TED Talks: Reciprocal Learning Between Children and Adults

Something tells me that this young lady hasn't been grilled and drilled over math and reading state standard testing... and it's obviously a good thing. Watch, listen and reflect as Adora Svitak makes the case for reciprocal learning between children and adults:



She's right.

Busy With Banners and Bunting...

 

... but I'll return to my regularly-scheduled-blogging later this week (One World One Heart is just around the corner!):

In the meantime, take a peek at some goodies I made for the first ever Valentine swap in which I'll be participating:




Spring blue, red and white are terrific February colors!

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Quick reads/views I've snuck in between rounds of banner-making:

Mamacita hits the nail right on the head ~as usual~ in her latest post, "Public Behavior: Ma Says to Rein It In, Kids!"

Behavior Modification for Bacteria over at TED Talks:

Why Do We Need De-Bunkers?

Because there's a lot of *bunk* out there, of course!

Here are two more TED Talks- Michael Shermer on "Why People Believe Strange Things..."



...followed by Keith Barry's "Brain Magic..."



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On a completely unrelated note, the pre-schooler has decided to start dressing himself:



Oh yes, Spiderman slippers, jammies, white athletic socks, and a Spiderman t-shirt on top. Is this a fashion *hit* or *miss*?

Flow

Watching and listening to TED Talks periodically does (for me) exactly what Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi discusses in his presentation about creativity, fulfillment and flow. Feeling re-energized, interested, engaged, and motivated is how I know I'm in the "flow" state- my challenges are higher, and I'm pushed to increase my skill level... or my skills are high, and I'm ready to challenge myself. It's a state that in my case, doesn't usually occur out of necessity for my home life or my employment. It's a state I enjoy for myself, and what I mean to express when I describe myself as a "lifelong learner." When I learn, integrate new knowledge and use it, it's rarely if ever a dull series of events for me.

The talk is slow going at first, but if you're interested in creativity, that automatic, spontaneous rush (ecstasy), this man is worth listening to:



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As a teacher, the quote by Masaru Ibuka struck a nerve as I reflect back on how many teachers, including myself, have felt about teaching since NCLB's mandates. Mr. Ibuka's goal, his mission, when co-creating Sony was:

To establish a place of work where engineers can feel the joy of technological innovation, be aware of their mission to society, and work to their heart's content.

How many educators today feel something akin to his focus when they enter the classroom each morning?

Not many.

More importantly, how many students find their schools this supportive and empowering as they are introduced to new information and skills, develop those skills and expand their learning techniques, and are immersed in a culture of knowledge that will hopefully, one day, enable them to create?

The answer:

Not enough.

Lost Time, Aliens, and True Love (not for kiddos)

Another TED Talk, this time, humorist John Hodgman (you might recognize him from the Mac ads) on lost time, aliens, and true love (no, this one isn't appropriate for kiddos so give a listen when little ears aren't in the vicinity).

Enjoy.

Simply Say "Thank You"

I'm setting aside time to catch up on TED Talks- here's one, short and simple by Laura Trice:



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SIX posts away from my 400th blog post anniversary! Check back to enter my giveaway!

They Answered My Question

I've become addicted to watching TED Talks lately. I've been addicted to reading Mamacita's thoughts for over a year now.

Sir Ken Robinson answers a question, a pondering I had quite a while back, about whether or not public education today (with the drill and kill for state assessments) was squashing or killing students' creativity. Mamacita addresses the same topic, in her blunt and brilliant way.

In his presentation (which is humorous and charming), Sir Ken reminds the audience that educators of young children should "educate their whole being." Intelligence is "diverse, dynamic, and distinct," and "creativity is as important as literacy."

The clip is twenty minutes long- sit back, listen, think.



By the way, Mamacita (Scheiss Weekly) has moved- I'll update my blogroll this weekend, but you can now find her here.

Thank you Sir Ken, thank you Mamacita.