Montra For Your Class? Published 2009-06-09 under creativity, curious

I love to apply ideas from other industries to our education space. Here is one from the architectural world.

Architect Daniel Libeskind talked about how he tried to make his work expressive rather than neutral, unexpected rather than habitual, memorable rather than forgettable, communicative rather than mute, democratic rather than authoritarian. What if our classrooms were expressive rather than neutral, unexpected rather than habitual, memorable rather than forgettable, communicative rather than mute, democratic rather than authoritarian?

Contemporary Jewish Museum

The Scary Thing I Did This Weekend Published 2008-05-30 under curious, leadership

"I pronounce you husband and wife..." How these words made for a scary weekend - even though I was not the one getting married.

In a recent post, I spoke of advice once given me: to do something that scares you on a regular basis. The point of this advice was to stretch me - put me in situations that are uncomfortable and challenge me. We learn and improve from such situations.

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to preside over my friend's weddings. While this was the first wedding where I was the officiate, I have spoken in front of larger crowds. So, it was not the idea of public speaking in it self that scared me. Actually, I really looked forward to being up there participating in their marriage.

But why was I scarred? It could have been that I had not completed my speeches (three during the ceremony) and obviously, I had not had a chance to practice. It could have been the amount of preparation that was going into this event and the knowledge that I was in a unique position to screw it all up. It could have been the conflict I was feeling between keeping my words to the traditional, limiting the chance I would insult or offend anyone, and expressing my feelings and making the ceremony unlike others. In the end, the real reason for being nervous is not important as much as the fact that this was a challenge, one of those scary things that I remind myself to embrace on a regular basis.

To be a successful scary adventure, I needed to come away with something new. At my brother's wedding, I came away with a silver calling card case, or was it a hip flask? For this wedding, we got chopsticks (actually they were from the rehearsal dinner). But that is not what I am talking about. What did I learn? How did it make me a better person?

The first "lesson" or success was my ability to craft the ceremony to be unique, include traditional elements, and (most importantly) be very personal. The second "lesson" was that you can't prepare for all contingencies. I did not anticipate just how emotional I was going to be. I lost it when the flower girls came down the isle and was a mess to the end. (In a moment of role reversal, the groom had to reassure me.) All that emotion made me forget what little of my speeches that I did manage to memorize. But in the end, the emotion was one of the greatest factors for the success of ceremony (more than my actual words - I have to admit).

But the greatest success or gift that this experience offered was the chance to reflect on marriage, what is important to me, and my deepest love of my wife. My words while written for the bride and groom, were really an expression of my feelings for my wife and our wedding. Actually, my writing became much easier when I pictured my wife and started writing for her.

In hindsight, my "fear" was about the pressure to make the ceremony perfect. Perfection, while an amiable goal, is rarely experienced and is really not necessary. I decided on settling for this wedding to be as special and meaningful as the one I got to have.

Tech Tags: digiwalks leadership scary

Defining Success Published 2008-03-14 under assessment, creativity, curious, project+based+learning

After finding a nice place to gather the kids, teacher Monica explains that today's art project will be to create a cow from coffee filters, yarn, and surrounding grass. She holds up an example, passes out the supplies and gives each child a cup to collect their grass.

The kids get to work and with the direction of their parents, some good looking cows emerge. Ruby, on the other hand, pours mounds of glue, slaps a filter down and pours more glue. Her father looks on observantly but offers no guidance. The result is very much unlike the initial example, receiving comments like "it's certainly abstract."

Reflecting on this class, I realized just how much we as teachers, parents, and adults define success for our children instead of letting them define their own success. For Ruby, success was pouring the glue and sticking different types of materials together. Success was defined in the process, not in the end product. I will admit that I wanted her to make a cool looking cow and it was difficult to restrain myself from making casual comments like "shouldn't the head be attached to the body?" But, this was not about me. This was not about teacher Monica. It was about Ruby. And we adults needed to get over our personal definitions of success and let the kids explore, learn, and define their own goals.

Later, Ruby and I were throwing a ball to each other. I found myself saying "good throw" when the ball came to me and "good try" when it didn't. It never occurred to me that for her, success might have been seeing how far the ball would roll after throwing it. In this scenario, throwing it to me would be a failure as the ball would not go as far.

In the classroom, we define all student success. Everything is held to a standard set by us (or perhaps the state). Are there opportunities for students to define their own success? What would an assignment look like that provided for student defined success? Could students handle such an assignment? What would they define as a success - would it be so simple as to not provide for any learning or so complex as to be impossible to obtain?

This idea of empowering students has great appeal to me but the pragmatist side of me recognizes the challenges. What are your thoughts?

By the way, I love Ruby's cow.

Tech Tags: assessment, success, creativity, child+development

What Assumptions Are We Making? Published 2007-05-21 under curious

Take a look at the following statements:

• "I think there is a world market for about five computers." (Thomas Watson, founder of IBM)
• "Everything that can be invented has been invented." (Charles Duell, Commissioner, US Office of Patents, 1899)
• "There is not the slightest indication that nuclear energy will ever be obtainable. It would mean that the atom would have to be shattered at will." (Albert Einstein)
• "The phonograph is not of any commercial value." (Thomas Edison)
• "Man will not fly for 50 years." (Wilbur Wright, 1903)
• "640K ought to be enough for anybody." (Bill Gates)
• "With over 50 foreign cars on sale here, the Japanese auto industry isn't likely to carve out a big slice of the U.S. market for itself." (Business Week, 1968)
• "I don't need body guards." (Jimmy Hoffa)

Quotes from Assumptions: A Major Roadblock to Innovation

I wonder what assumptions we are making regarding education.

Are your middle school boys bothering you? Published 2007-02-02 under curious

I spent a wonderful week at the Sundance Film Festival this year. I have written about some of my experiences while in Park City, but I failed to mention one of my funniest encounters.

I was attending a reception after a panel discussion. The event was limited to those in attendance at the discussion, but I saw a group of teenage boys (middle school age) wondering about the entrance to the room where we were mingling. While I could tell that they were looking for something or someone, I gave them little notice.

Later, as I was leaving, I ran into the same group in the foyer. While I was putting on my jacket, I overheard them asking the ladies at the front desk, "Where can we see someone famous?". This comment made me laugh. They could careless who they saw as long as it was a star.

The boys had been running around for a while and pestering (in an innocent way) the staff at the event, so I was surprised to see the boys run out upon hearing the response to their question. Too curious, I had to ask the ladies what they said. I was expecting that they made up a lie and told them that Jennifer Lopez was up the street. Instead, the ladies had simply said "... I haven't seen any stars lately, but their is a gay and lesbian party upstairs". They then told me "after we told them of the party, a sense of discomfort came over their face and they ran out."

So now you know how to disperse a group of middle school boys.