tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6435557500652274210.comments2018-03-29T21:47:51.724-07:00sines & wondersmaths teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13432285217048280785noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6435557500652274210.post-60728889969401962013-08-11T09:50:18.208-07:002013-08-11T09:50:18.208-07:00Good point Colleen. At the start of the year it wo...Good point Colleen. At the start of the year it would be so easy to say, och, do I really have to do all the setting the ground rules stuff... But it's so important to do this.maths teacherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13432285217048280785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6435557500652274210.post-86311185931971497232013-08-11T08:15:11.111-07:002013-08-11T08:15:11.111-07:00I could see my guitar (that I have not played n a ...I could see my guitar (that I have not played n a while!) across the room as I read and enjoyed your post. Such an important point you raise. Funnily enough my own post this morning mentioned how I want to completely change my emphasis on expectations at the start of the new school year! <br />Wishing you and all teachers and students a great year ahead!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6435557500652274210.post-17091944204099665202013-04-07T03:19:33.622-07:002013-04-07T03:19:33.622-07:00RD, I really can't buy the smart phone argumen...RD, I really can't buy the smart phone argument. I don't think you can reach the sort of level where you are able to "critique" something, without first doing the hard graft of acquiring the necessary knowledge. Being blunt, if what you say is true, then why the hell aren't we all suddenly a whole lot smarter because of the internet?<br /><br />You'll probably be well aware of counter arguments but you can do worse than start with ED Hirsch - see for example http://www.aft.org/pdfs/americaneducator/spring2000/LookItUpSpring2000.pdf . There's even an article out there somewhere by someone high up in google, which supports this view, but I can't seem to find it just now. (Seems my "looking up" skills are a little rusty...)maths teacherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13432285217048280785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6435557500652274210.post-62848187539172978922013-04-02T23:47:26.432-07:002013-04-02T23:47:26.432-07:00How do you know what to look up if you don't k...How do you know what to look up if you don't know anything? Why spend time looking up facts when you could be doing something interesting with them instead?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6435557500652274210.post-71244352198075728832013-04-02T13:42:03.307-07:002013-04-02T13:42:03.307-07:00Yeah, but when every fact you could imagine is now...Yeah, but when every fact you could imagine is now instantly available via smart phone, what's the point in memorising them? Surely it would be better to learn how to use a smart phone, how to critically decide if sources are valid or not, how to combine data from multiple sources to produce a coherent picture, how to empathise with authors and interpret text and evaluate presentations and... You get my point. All skills!RDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04233332095339640817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6435557500652274210.post-12455884655564114132012-09-23T04:21:11.977-07:002012-09-23T04:21:11.977-07:00Whilst I agree with your criticisms of some of the...Whilst I agree with your criticisms of some of the worst crimes against humanity inflicted during CPD, on a few points I'm concerned that you are throwing out the baby with the bathwater.<br /><br />CPD isn't just about the acquisition of new knowledge from experts. Just as valuable sometimes is reflection on existing knowledge in order to share it, consolidate it, reorganise it and apply it more widely. <br /><br />Point 10: Agreed<br /><br />Point 9: Telling people something they already know is always crap. However, you don't need to be an expert (other than expertise in facilitation) to help people to engage in beneficial reflection. Adding some knowledge that does not already exist in the group can, of course, be beneficial, but it is often more beneficial if it can be strongly linked to existing knowledge.<br /><br /><br />Point 8: Providing simple frameworks to help people more easily structure and remember complex knowledge can be useful as long as one acknowledges the flaws and limitations of any model. 'It's only a model'<br /><br />Point 7: OK, too much ill-thought-out emphasis on using flipchart paper and typing up responses is a sign of a poor trainer. However, good trainers will also use these techniques, when appropriate, to enable explicit knowledge sharing and the collaborative reorganisation of existing knowledge into new frameworks.<br /><br />Points 6,5 & 4: Agreed<br /><br />Point 3: This depends whether you have a static or evolutionary view of language. Neologisms are always uncomfortable until familiarity breeds acceptance. In English, we've been verbing nouns for centuries. If you don't like it then you must reject Shakespeare and most other great writers who indulged in the creation of new verbs this way. Caution, self-awareness and a hint of irony can make this practice more acceptable.<br /><br />Points 2 & 1: Complete and utter agreement<br /><br />DavidAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com