I have started and restarted and restarted my third book several times… It finally is becoming clear what I want to say. I happened to be telling a former colleague about it, including the theme of “deeper learning” and how we teach for deeper learning. She expressed some interest and suggested that elements of my Read More
It is important for instructors to understand the difference between training in workplace settings and teaching in community college classrooms. Training is organized and delivered to meet very specific goals. New equipment may have been delivered, new software installed, new procedures adopted, or new regulations that the organization must follow. In each of these situations, Read More
In his 1981 book The Mismeasure of Man, the late biologist Stephen Jay Gould reviewed the history of measuring intelligence. He observed that that intelligence has become reified in our concept of knowledge and learning. He noted that mental capacity is important to humans, that “We therefore give the word ‘intelligence’ to this wondrously complex Read More
… specifically for educators who perceive their role very narrowly. Learning comprises many different types of abilities and actions. While not all may be applicable to every area, many teachers are too quick to dismiss those they deem “marginal in my field.” Those who are knowledgeable and can reason in any field demonstrate what they Read More
142: Inert Knowledge Alfred North Whitehead was a British philosopher and mathematician who worked in the early decades of the 20th century. He is best-remembered among educators by an essay entitled “The Aims of Education” in which he introduced the idea of inert learning. He criticized schools that focused on teaching in a manner that Read More
Reach out @garyackermanphd if you are interested in the entire chapter. ABSTRACT Schools have become places filled with digital tools. Despite this fact, school leaders find technology planning to be an area of relative weakness. This chapter describes the experience of four school leaders who adopted an unfamiliar strategy for making technology decisions. The leader participated in a Read More
The need to train and retrain teachers has taken on increased importance as digital computers have arrived in schools. As an undergraduate student enrolled in a course on teaching methods, I made an appointment with the staff at a small media office and had them sign a sheet confirming that I successfully threaded a film Read More
143: Some Observations of Learning
Yes, teachers are doing things differently now than they did previously. We are understanding better how humans learn and that is leading us to make better decisions about what w do with students. Some adults are uncomfortable with what we do today, but they need to realize we are preparing students for their future, not Read More
Information technology is an essential aspect of every school. Students and teachers use computers to consume and create digital information. Administrators and staff use cloud-based student information and business systems to manage data and facilitate operations. Librarians manage digital collections and subscriptions to full-text databases, and technology specialists support learning management systems and other infrastructure Read More