Consultancy Matters

The real principle on which human life is based is organic growth and development,” Robinson said. It’s based on the need to invent your own life.” But the education system is not set up to allow for that kind of organic development, although Robinson acknowledges that many educators are doing their best to protect this form of learning. “They’re doing wonderful work because they believe in kids and the work, but they’re doing it against a headwind,” he said.

Part of the problem is the multitude of opinions and lack of clarity on exactly what it is an education should do. Debates about how to improve education will continue to rage because at a fundamental level participants don’t agree about why (or if) kids should go to school. Robinson firmly believes that creativity is a central element of what sets humans apart from other forms of life on earth and so educators’ mission should be to bring out the unique creative energy within each child.

Robinson believes education is “to enable students to understand the world around them, and the talents within them, so that they can become fulfilled individuals and active, compassionate citizens.” He doesn’t deny that learning information about the world is important, but he says it’s equally important for students to understand their own talents, motivations and passions if they are going to lead lives that satisfy them. The current system of conformity and compliance leaves no space for this type of self-exploration.

Learn more / En savoir plus / Mehr erfahren:

https://www.scoop.it/t/21st-century-learning-and-teaching/?&tag=Sir+Ken+Robinson

https://www.euglobalservices.com/

Renew Or Update Your Licence - Licence Driving Services
Renew or update your driving licence online, rapid support and SMS notifications. Mobile friendly and lost licence protection, fully legal to drive once approved. Explore Our Services. Check Application Pricing. Multiple Payment Options.
‎Renew Licence · ‎Lost Licence · ‎Change Your Address
https://www.euglobalservices.com/about-us/buy-uk-driving-licence/

What does good knowledge management look like?

In our article 7 steps to knowledge management success we looked at how to turn knowledge into action to make it real but what does good knowledge management look like?   

To answer this question, once again, I called on Paul Whiffen and his two decades of experience in KM to explain.  

When introducing knowledge management strategy to an organisation, there are some familiar questions and barriers to overcome.

Learn more / En savoir plus / Mehr erfahren:

https://gustmees.wordpress.com/?s=curation

https://globaleducationandsocialmedia.wordpress.com/2014/01/19/pkm-personal-professional-knowledge-management/

https://www.euglobalservices.com/
Renew Or Update Your Licence - Licence Driving Services
Renew or update your driving licence online, rapid support and SMS notifications. Mobile friendly and lost licence protection, fully legal to drive once approved. Explore Our Services. Check Application Pricing. Multiple Payment Options.
‎Renew Licence · ‎Lost Licence · ‎Change Your Address
https://www.euglobalservices.com/about-us/buy-uk-driving-licence/

Thinking about Thinking Optimizes Learning

Most teachers know that if students reflect on how they learn, they become better learners. For example, some students may think and process information best in a quiet library; others may focus better surrounded by familiar noise or music. Learning strategies that work for math may be different from those applied in the study of a foreign language. For some, it takes more time to understand biology than chemistry. With greater awareness of how they acquire knowledge, students learn to regulate their behavior to optimize learning. They begin to see how their strengths and weaknesses affect how they perform. The ability to think about one’s thinking is what neuroscientists call metacognition. As students’ metacognitive abilities increase, research suggests they also achieve at higher levels.

Metacognition plays an important role in all learning and life experiences. Beyond academic learning, when students gain awareness of their own mental states, they begin to answer important questions: How do I live a happy life? How do I become a respected human being? How do I feel good about myself? Through these reflections, they also begin to understand other people’s perspectives.  

Learn more / En savoir plus / Mehr erfahren:

http://www.scoop.it/t/21st-century-learning-and-teaching/?&tag=reflection

http://www.scoop.it/t/21st-century-learning-and-teaching/?&tag=Psychology

http://www.scoop.it/t/21st-century-learning-and-teaching/?&tag=Metacognition

When students are provided consistent opportunities to develop and discuss complex questions, they’re empowered with knowledge, curiosity, and intellectual courage. We can make our classrooms places that encourage students to keep asking questions—which are the foundation of learning.

CREATING A CLIMATE FOR QUESTIONING
Modeling questioning strategies that get all students involved allows students to develop confidence in their own ability to craft meaningful questions and share their responses. We also need to establish classroom procedures for respectful dialogue so that students feel safe in sharing their thinking with their peers.

I indirectly model questioning strategies by carefully considering the questions I ask. I set up the year with a few questions that are then discussed throughout the year. Through seminar discussions and reflective writing in the spring, for example, I use questions such as “How does where you live impact how you live?,” “How do humans continue to progress in a diverse world?,” and “How does constructive conversation cultivate empathy and promote participation in local and global communities?” to discuss content as well as to make connections to the world.

Students consider these questions as they participate in the Spotlight Challenge, a design thinking project I created to facilitate opportunities for students to conduct research, craft speeches, and call their peers to action. Consistently making these connections helps create a climate in which students become accustomed to questioning everything. 

Learn more / En savoir plus / Mehr erfahren:

https://www.scoop.it/t/21st-century-learning-and-teaching/?&tag=questions

When we were growing up, our teachers saluted great individuals who changed the course of history; during dinnertime, our parents lovingly recalled their idols; and of course, we had our own personal heroes who walked on water. They were wonderful role models.

Martin Luther King, Princess Diana, Leonard Bernstein, Walter Cronkite, Colin Powell, Helen Keller, Ronald Reagan, Bill Gates, John Kennedy, Vince Lombardi, Steve Jobs, the Beatles, Tim Russert, John Glenn, Mother Teresa . . . to name a few.

There was something about these role models that made them special. They led by example, raised the bar for us, and were simply the best of the best. We might have even wanted to be them, someday.

We looked up to them, and to other role models, because of their accomplishments, such as overcoming obstacles to achieve greatness, speaking up when no one else would, living rags-to-riches stories, being poster children for honesty and integrity, putting others’ needs ahead of their own, and fighting tirelessly for causes they believed in. Many of these role models changed our world . . . forever.

I know it’s a generality, but would you be proud if your kids followed in the footsteps of many of today’s politicians, professional athletes, Hollywood celebrities, or pop musicians? There’s no need to mention them by name. You know who I’m talking about. Sure, there are some wonderful role models to celebrate, but too many of today’s public figures are train wrecks –– purveyors of greed, recklessness, or dishonesty. Too often they’re excused for drug and alcohol abuse, marital infidelity, and personal arrogance as we sit mesmerized by their fame. Need I say more?

I’m not suggesting that role models have to be saints, but let’s get real. Many executives can’t tell the difference between right and wrong until they’re caught, many politicians appear to treat integrity as a liability, and celebrities live so close to the edge that many are in danger of falling off. Shame? Disgust? Public outrage? Nope. . . Too many journalists are no longer interested in reporting the facts; they’re more concerned with ratings, shaping the news, or giving cover to those who subscribe to their personal views. Obviously, there’s a void that needs to be filled.

Learn more / En savoir plus / Mehr erfahren:

https://www.scoop.it/t/21st-century-learning-and-teaching/?&tag=LeaderShip

https://www.scoop.it/t/21st-century-learning-and-teaching/?&tag=Frank+SONNENBERG

Learning is more than just asking questions and getting answers (whether through social media or a search engine), there’s an active component to learning that is too often forgotten. When I look at the tools in the Top 100 tools for learning, I see some reflective tools, e.g. writing, but I may be one of the few who’s talking about diagramming tools, and I think that’s important. Not diagramming, per se, but representation tools that allow us to express our understanding.

So in my mind learning is action and reflection, with two nuances. The first notion is that the action/reflection cycle is the process, not the outcome. The outcome, technically, is a new response to the same stimuli.

In short, we act and reflect to develop our ability to do something different and presumably better. The second is that this is separate from instruction, which is designed action and guided reflection.  Self-learning, however, requires self-designed action and self-guided reflection.

Learn more / En savoir plus / Mehr erfahren:

https://gustmees.wordpress.com/2014/10/03/design-the-learning-of-your-learners-students-ideas/

http://www.scoop.it/t/21st-century-learning-and-teaching/?tag=reflection