Sankofa: My 30-Second Poem
I cannot change history, but in this moment I have a choice:
Do I open my eyes to clearly see?
Or bequeath the blindness bequeathed to me?
More important than any solution is our ability to understand the problem we are trying to solve, and our flexibility to adapt and change to solve it.
Questions are bigger than answers. One good question can give rise to several layers of answers, can inspire decades-long searches for solutions, can generate whole new fields of inquiry, and can prompt changes in entrenched thinking. Answers, on the other hand, often end the process.
Stuart Firestein’s book Ignorance: How It Drives Science offers a valuable perspective to educators. Through fascinating examples of scientific experiments and discoveries, he makes a powerful case for the central role uncertainty plays in driving science. “Want to be on the cutting edge?” he writes, “Well, it’s all, or mostly, ignorance out there. Forget the answers. Work on the questions.” Great scientific discoveries often emerge from experiments that “fail.” While…
7 Ways to Inspire Reluctant Writers
Writing takes courage, especially in the classroom. Learn 7 tips for inspiring reluctant writers to craft effectively written prose.
In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.
It is tempting to fixate on answers and expertise, and imperative we focus on questions, especially the ones that reveal our greatest opportunities to learn. How are you a continuous learner? How do you help students thrive as life-long learners prepared to excel in our rapidly-changing world?
Welcome!
Welcome teachers, administrators, and everyone invested in the future of public education.
This blog is about learning: student learning, teacher learning, and my own learning as a language and literacy consultant leading change in K-8 schools.
