Learning is Change

I think this might be an important post for thinking through just WHO is responsible for change within a school:

This really stuck with me: “We also have to understand that not all people are interested or comfortable in becoming more creative and or innovative.”

I think I struggle with this the most. I don’t understand this orientation, but I fully respect that it exists. I do not see how someone can look at “the way things have always been done” and not want to make them better (by leaps and bounds). Yet, I think the issue most important for all types of change-agents is in how we Frame Change. I put those words in capital letters because the frame is something we do so badly.

Either we frame change for early adopters OR we frame change for the incrementalists. I believe that we should be in the business of doing both. We must be able to present a frame that allows for everyone to see the picture clearly. We need to provide an entry point that makes the change real. I think it comes down to creating different ways to champion change.

If we can ensure that those who need to move slow are able to celebrate their changes just as those who want to move fast, we will allow for more people to take ownership. If everyone is reflecting upon their change (ideally through a public forum, like a blog/vlog), then we won’t only see the examples of rapid change as the only ones that are allowed. We will see the folks that are comforted by the status quo, making the shifts as they continue to gain knowledge and capacity for even more growth.

via Getting It Right: When It Comes To Creativity And Innovation | DCulberhouse.

This is a great every day example of how a more connected classroom changes the way in which students learn:

First, I would love to take your Blended Learning Rhetoric and Composition class. Do you have a class website for this course that I can follow along with?

Second, I absolutely love your use of Todaysmeet to get all of the voices in the room. When students who don’t/won’t speak in class are given the opportunity to take part in the discussion, the whole community of learners win.

I also wonder what would happen if you did a side-by-side comparison of these two films using Mozilla’s Popcorn Maker (https://popcorn.webmaker.org/) or something similar. Would the students be able to see the choices being made to tell the same story with a different lens? Also, my favorite Hamlet film is with Ethan Hawke, as I think that the updated space/time with the original language is a really amazing choice for seeing just how relevant these themes can be.

Again, thank you for this post. The connections your students are making to their lives should not be minimized. You are allowing entry points that all students should have, but many do not. Keep doing amazing things!

Also, thanks for the Chirp recommendation. I hadn’t seen it yet.

via Blend Me: Wanna See a Movie? How to Conduct a Meaningful Discussion about a Movie while WATCHING the Movie.

While I do find applying the term “consensual” to any type of learning experience as somewhat off-putting, I think Paul’s post is rather important.

Consensual learning is a matter of trust.

Do we trust our students enough to know what they need? Do we trust our students enough to make their own learning choices? Do we trust our students enough to follow the models we set for them?

If the answer is no, then we can’t hope for consensual learning.

I’m so glad that you are pushing us to think about the ways in which we can “move” kids. I just wonder if we trust kids enough to do that movement, to model the way forward. I question this because I’m not sure we trust ourselves enough to “do something epic” or “get our hands dirty” with kids. If we do not trust that we can truly be models for kids in a modern world (with all of its hyper-connectedness and bias toward rapid change), we will never move anyone.

via Learning should be consensual… | Blogush.

I love this vignette of a student and teacher making meaning together:

I keep on finding myself drawn to conversations between one student and one teacher, like this one. There is something special about what can be done when this kind of personal exchange can take place, where both sides are learning something from the other.

I am so glad you were able to put away the lesson plan and just listen to your student. But, I wonder what would happen if more writing conferences and check-ins went something like this. What if the exchanges were all with the expectation of “write back”? What if we spent our time as teachers simply asking what was getting in the way of student’s learning?

My guess is that our entire classroom would become “the talking box” and we wouldn’t have to wait for designated times in a lesson for these types of conversations to occur. It almost would feel like each student could have their own private chat window or SMS conversation with a teacher, constantly building the relationship and making it less about the needs of the teacher/curriculum and more about the needs of the student.

Thank you for this post. It was a wonderful example of what can happen when in a classroom when you wait just long enough to figure out what is really going on.

via 2015: It Can’t Be About Me ALL of the Time – Out of the Box.