Today's Reads, Views, and Links

I love these guys' spirit.  It's awesome.

It only took 95 hours, but look at the results. Calvin (from Calvin and Hobbs) would love it!




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To Lecture or Not To Lecture?

Great question.  This might come as a surprise, but I'm all for lectures.  Engaging lectures.  But still lectures.

Now this might be biased since I learn quite well through listening.

But like anything, simply lecturing day after day, is a bad practice (again, in my opinion).  As much as I loved hearing my father tell stories, (and no doubt my children and students feel this way about me at times too), there were times when my father was about to launch into another story and I would think, Oh Lord, not another story.  Here goes 25 minutes of my life . . .

I think the important thing to remember is variety.  Some lecture, some hands-on assignments, some active learning strategies, and some independent work time.  And of course some time to blog and create.

I find that most baby boomers and Gen Xers have a fondness for the lecture that shocks me.  After all, that was how we learned (well, that term is relative.  I know full well there were numerous lectures I zoned out of after about two minutes).

I have a suspicion that lectures work best for active learners, or those who learn easily.  But if you have a kinesthetic learner? They're bored after about five minutes.

I think of my dad.  If he had to listen to a lecture on raising sheep or baling hay, he'd tire after awhile.  But if you were to demonstrate it? Or have him get outside and actually work, he'd be engaged as can be.

Again, I have a suspicion that those of us who learned the best by lecture became teachers.  Big surprise that we then enjoy lecturing right?

And students will tell you (as they have told me) that they aren't anti-lecture.  They're just anti boring lecture that isn't really a lecture at all as much as it is a let's-get-through-these-notes-as-quickly-as-possible-so-I-can-say-I-taught-you-the-lesson type of lecture.

And who can blame them?

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Speaking of old traditions like lectures, I often wonder how many teachers actually read anything? Yet, we sure dole out the readings, don't we?

What an interesting light would be shone (or is it 'shined') on our profession if we all had to keep a list, like this one, of the books we are reading or of the books we have read.

Now that would be interesting.

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Now this is exactly why I love history so much.

Truth is stranger than fiction. And according to this link, scarier too!

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I learned many of these when I attended TIES.  I especially agree with numbers 9, 6, 4 (and it doesn't get easier with high schoolers), and, definitely, 1.  Read the list of the Top 10 Things I learned in Tech Class and see what you think here.

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And who says the world isn't a great place?

This cab driver returned $300,000 left behind in his cab.

Amazing. Restores my faith (not that it was lost) in humanity.

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And here's another reason I love history so much: How a Small Force of Finnish Ski Troops Fought Off a Massive Soviet Army.


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I saw this commercial at TIES.

I love it. Absolutely hilarious.