Sir Ken Robinson

This is just a shameless declaration of my admiration for this guy and my belief in what he says. Here's some links to some of his inspirational speeches. I'd love to hear what you think and how you think we can take Sir Ken's messages and put them into practice. The PYP is the closest thing I have seen to a curricular encapsulation of what he advocates. But curriculum isn't everything, is it? It still boils down to good teaching.

http://www.edutopia.org/sir-ken-robinson-creativity-video
http://www.edutopia.org/sir-ken-robinson-creativity-part-two-video
http://www.thersa.org/events/vision/vision-videos/sir-ken-robinson
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

EARCOS Workshop 26/03/09

"Thanks. It was a motivating session. We're doing some good 'learning community' things, but I gained some new, exciting ideas to try. Cheers." Warren Bowers

"Start by meeting with my immediate team to explore our definition of what it means to be a community of learners." Jeff Crawford

"Thanks for inspiration and the affirmation. It is great to see the process you take your students through in order to empower them." Melissa Cooper

"Thank you for a great workshop. I like the fact that you are more focused on the students' learning than anything else. I will definitely set up teacher-student conferences at the beginning of the year. " Afaf Finan

"Get out of the classroom. Take inquiry outdoors." Sharon

"I am gonna introduce the community building concept to my friends and colleagues at Stenden University in Bangkok. I hope we can use pieces of it." Christian

"Engage the kids more in learning areas by giving them more choices about what they what to learn that day." Unknown

"I was getting a little bored of my job as I've been teaching the same things for 8 years. I am inspired to make some changes. Thanks." Unknown

"Connect people through common interest. In and out of the classroom." Jess

"I think involving the parents right from the start is essential. I really like the idea of bringing them into the classroom at the beginning, middle and end of a unit." Rosanna Ellis

Community Ripples

Photograph by Aussiegall

Think of your community of learners as the ripples made by throwing a rock into a pond. You and your students are able to reach out and harness the power of a wealth of human resources, skills, knowledge, talents and experiences. Not only are you able to enrich the learning experiences you provide to your students, you may also be able to affect the lives of others.

Be aware of the potential reach of your community of learners.