Stay Relevant

We are always discussing what teaching in the 21st century is all about. As digital immigrants it is quite tough for some of us to let go of some old (successful) practices in favor of new ones. Again, the painful situation of leaving our comfort zones.
The thing is, as Educators, we MUST be ready or at least willing to learn more about everything that might facilitate students' learning not to mention their survival in a world without walls. The attached video will show how important it is to be aware of these changes in the world we live and the way we communicate. Are we supposed to rush and get to know EVERYTHING about it? I would never say that. However, I strongly believe we should be open and receptive to it if we want to survive as well and still be heard. The video is another variation of Karl Fisch's, "Did you know?" video.
I would really appreciate to know about your opinion. Have you been using these social medias? How can you implement it and make a difference in your daily teaching?

Teaching x Learning

Image via Wikipedia

I have just read an awesome post about this young teacher who has decided to give up and try something else, maybe just for a while.
Having been on the road for almost 23 years now I can understand a number of points she is considering. I have been teaching EFL in a Language School, a Binational Center and she comes from the so called regular school teaching fifth graders. However, I think many of the points she highlights will sound familiar for any teacher who happens to be worried about his/her career and what happens in the classroom. It reminds me of a workshop I once attended and the title was "What's happening when nothing is happening in the classroom?".
I know some people who really do not spend any time (waste time in their words)asking so many questions we may never find the answers.
I can't agree. I believe that if we are to survive and be successful as real 21st century teachers/educators there must be room for such discussions and maybe endless questioning.
Recently we have been working a lot on Professional Development and what is said to be effective planning. This is an area I believe we have so much to learn about. Is there really one single effective way to teach? Can't we question rules/theories? Is there room for adaptation? How far can we go? Her considerations about this area in particular struck me the most. I suggest you read her post in hopes you'll be as intrigued as I was and I would appreciate your personal comments.

Save them

I know it's not an easy task but I have started thinking more seriously about this responsibility we have in our hands as Educators - save (help) the students that would not be considered the most brilliant ones. The inspiration for writing/reflecting came after reading an oustanding post by another must-follow blogger Shelly Terrell.
I have made a number of mistakes as a teacher and I'm glad I have had the chance to be honest about it and try to see things in a different perspective. Isn't it what living is all about? Learning from mistakes. I can't help thinking about a song "Lessons to be learned", the main idea being in life "there are no mistakes, just lessons to be learned".
Back to the ideas from the original post, I was particularly touched by a list of suggestions, kindly shared by another educator in the comments section of Shelly's post, for us to follow as Educators if we are to survive and make a difference in at least one student's life who is close to us.
From the 15 pieces of advice mentioned I guess number 15 really called my attention and it reads " We have time schedules where students are required to meet a certain level. Yet some can’t work within that time limit. It takes them longer to understand. Should we penalise them?"
This is a dilemma I have faced quite often in my career as an EFL teacher and two weeks ago I was talking exactly about it with a student of mine. She is redoing a course at the Binational Center where I teach and she's not doing "as expected" by the system again.
However, I told her I can see a lot of improvement in her performance since we started working together in February. So just like the other teacher commented she may not have reached the "expected" level of performance to move on to a higher level, yet she has made a lot of progress in the last 5 months and this must be taken into consideration.
So, this is a great opportunity for reflection. I think more often than not we end up turning our backs to "problems" assuming there is not much to be done. We are, as teachers/educators, many times overworked and it's only natural to feel demotivated to fight even harder to motivate the so called difficult, hopeless students. Who is going to motivate us? Well, different people will certainly have a different answer. As for me, I can say it is extremely gratifying when you see someone coming close to you to thank you because you were simply there for them when they themselves have thought about giving up.

Open Letter to the Teacher Who Said “I Hate Technology.”

Open Letter to the Teacher Who Said “I Hate Technology.”

I can't help sharing this other fantastic post. I believe we'll all find something relevant while reading it. One of the greatest points for me is the fact that many times we might be afraid of technology just because we may wrongly think we'll be useless in the classroom. This is definitely not true and adapting must be the key word. Honestly, when I think about our local reality I believe students may also be afraid of this new way of teaching which will inevitably affect their way of learning. Leaving one's comfort zone is never easy and most of our students are used to the spoonfeeding they have been receiving for ever and the obsession of "learning" to be successful in quizzes and tests. Well, loads of food for thought here.
Enjoy the reading.

Effective Professional Development

Great post by Peter Pappas about Professional Development and some essential questions we should all think about before we invite anyone to join us on this adventure. I think there is a lot of food for thought here and many times in life it seems we have to look back and reflect. Maybe, just maybe, we are not going on the right track. The worst part might be that most of the time we are so well-meaning.
Click here to read his post and the ones related to the same topic, which I highly recommend.

PERFECTION

They say there is no such thing as perfection. However, when I come across this kind of music I am not sure I would agree with it. It has always amazed me how gifted some people are. It does not matter the kind of art they represent because I think that no one can resist real talent when one is introduced to it.