Saturdays, Summer, and Sunshine: Promoting Learning Outside the School Walls by Kyle Baker

Sir Ken Robinson - Changing Education Paradigms

kyle8 — 2013-03-28 18:46:01 UTC

I love this now-classic TED talk by Sir Ken Robbins, which challenges us to think about our educational models. His book "The Element," contains one of my favorite quotes about learning--------------------->

Create your own online Padlet!

kyle8 — 2013-03-28 18:49:07 UTC

Padlet is a great (and EASY!) way to create an online Collaborative Learning Share opportunity! You can run the page yourself or set it up so that others can contribute (you can moderate content before it shows up on your page)

"Rife with possibilities..."

kyle8 — 2013-03-28 18:57:34 UTC

"One way of opening ourselves up to new opportunities is to make conscious efforts to look differently at our ordinary situations. Doing so allows a person to see the world as one rife with possibility and to take advantage of some of those possibilities if they seem worth pursuing."

-Sir Ken Robinson in his book The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything

5 Ways To Promote Learning Outside the School Walls

kyle8 — 2013-03-28 19:03:12 UTC

1. Model-Coach-Fade (If you want students to develop as life-long learners, show them that you are, become a learning guide, and don't disappear.)

2. Bring Passion Into Play (Invite students to discover their own passions and contemplate their purpose; then encourage them to pursue related learning opportunities.)

3. Become an Opportunity Hawk (Always be on the lookout for learning opportunities connected to your content area, current areas of study, student interests, and other cross-cultural/cross-disciplinary experiences...And when you find them, share them with your students and colleagues!!)

4. Play Connect the Dots (Just because you teach content and competencies in-school doesn't mean it needs to be done in-isolation. Look for ways to connect what you're teaching inside the classroom to what's going on in the real-world. Invite students to look for these connections as well.)

5. Create Opportunities for Collective Learning Shares (A Collective Learning Share, or CLS, is an opportunity for people to come together and share what they have learned. The possible ways of conducting a CLS are almost as infinite as things that people can learn about, but the most important thing is getting people together (in person or online) and giving each person an opportunity to share.

Kyle's (2011) Summer Read Recommendations for Educators

2013-03-28 19:27:31 UTC

I wrote this in 2011 on the Excellence & Ethics Blog, and I still highly recommend all fo these books!

This is Your Brain on Summer

kyle8 — 2013-03-28 20:03:51 UTC

In this 2011 NYT piece, Jeff Smink points to research from Johns Hopkins University and the Rand Corporation to explain what we know about "summer loss" and suggest a solution: Summer educational opportunities for all.