Igniting the passion to learn... takes some practice and craft. It also takes some risk taking. We have comfort zones in our learning, our lives, and pushing beyond them and learning new things, seeking out new experiences can be intimidating.
Often times, and especially as a teacher I think, it's easy to fall into a scripted mode, a patterned approach of refining and tweaking those things you already know. Students in school do this as well... 'do what you're told,' and 'how I tell you,' and often 'using these resources and this method, and deliver it to me in this format.' As a result of our system of education many students get good at being led.
Technology though, the rapid pace of development, and the increasing creative capacity of the tools... the ability to do things with a computer and a piece of software many different ways, presents incredible challenges on this scripted method of learning. It's a bit like being on a roller coaster I think.
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| Lose some preconceived notions and fear... throw your arms up in the air and have some fun. Who knows where it might just lead you... and your thinking. Play! |
The artist can draw on a piece of paper their whole life. They can stay in their comfort zone, cast away chances, changes, and opportunities... or they can take a new challenge, a new opportunity and expand their craft to a large wall. When you try new things, well, who knows where it might lead you.
Demonstrating to children that you don't have all the answers and are learning, that you take risks, that you explore this great world and it's technology is a powerful message... and it takes fortitude. For each child we want learning to be a lifelong passion. In this spirit, we must demonstrate these skills ourselves.
Learning troubleshooting skills with technology, to collaborate, to play and experiment takes some time. A computer and it's software is a confusing, complicated object to some, just like and musical instrument is when you first pick it up. Slowly though, you find out new things, you learn to use tutorials, you learn to ask questions, you practice, you learn to take chances and to try something and see what happens. When you do this, when you step aside from a script that tells you exactly how to do something, when you cast aside preconceived notions and fear... you gain strength. You open yourself to incredible opportunities.
Discussing learning is not limited, of course, to technology.
Maybe... it's a book, a movie, some inspirational writing, a painting, a building, a person, a moment, a question, an invitation, or a piece of music that can inspire you...
We watched and talked about two spirited examples of learning, of passion, of dedication and... nothing less than social reform... and ultimately hope I think.
El Sisteme (official site), the Youth Orchestra program in Venezuela, is one of the most hopeful programs I've run across in some time, perhaps in my lifetime. Here's the summary from Wikipedia. Here's is the programs founder, Jose Antonio Abreu's speech from TED.com that we played as an intro:
After the speech we had more discussion. I shared some stories about some of my own students, those of privilege or poverty, some gifted in the capacity for deep thinking and some who are not. In all cases though many students, whatever their case or ability, have lost hope, they have lost their will to be creative.
A most powerful example of learning is the Teresa Carreno Youth Orchestra, a thread of the El Sisteme program. Every one of these children in these videos likely said at one point 'I can't do this,' or 'I can't play an instrument'... and yet here they are, 17 years old and under, playing some extremely difficult arrangements... with expert musicianship and incredible passion.
Of course, every one of these incredible young musicians, at some point, wanted to throw their instrument out the window. I've had many times in my life where I've thought about turning a laptop into a frisbee. Taking a break, a walk, a meal, or letting my sub conscience work through something on a good nights sleep can bring new spirit, new ideas, new thoughts and again, the development of creative and explorative strength.
I use a quote at the top of my class blog that says "Keep Moving Forward." We are at a new point in our civilization. It is the most communicative, most technically advanced, and perhaps most socially challenging time in history. Urban planning, social reform, global economic issues... there is no scripted curriculum that will allow children in the future to meet these great societal challenges. It's not to say that scripted curriculum cannot be useful... but I believe strongly we need more balance. We need more creativity, to help people think creatively, and to explore exercising their voice. We need to include students more in the creative process of learning, of how to learn, of making things, of stating opinions for larger audiences... of rekindling hope and intellectual drive. perhaps even of meaning in their lives.
Of course... you may not be the one to create a national program. But... with each child you reach, with each spark you kindle in them to learn. Who knows where it might lead. That opportunity... is the great joy of teaching.
WHOO! Ok, now back to some of that recap business...
We added many publishers to our site today, and saw many posts on our class blog and on Twitter... comments on the great videos and discussions we had. Backchannel conversations, reflective writing with friends and people abroad can bring powerful insights. We collaborated on what folks were sharing here, exchanging ideas and information. We posted some framework for our projects. We had some laughs, some tears, and some discussions of helping our friend in the hospital, Elisa, through her plight. We... had a great day. My sincere thanks for your work and your passion to learn.
Tomorrow... we'll continue to explore our projects and help folks seek out answers to their curiosities. We'll explore some new resources, and we'll look toward crafting reflective posts and presentations for Friday.
Before I forget... I mentioned a great web site I found on crafting presentations, storytelling, artwork and many other things today called PresentationZen. The site has a wealth of great material on these fronts and I've enjoyed reading through it over the years.
Excellent snacks today (thanks again Mena!)... spicy chips, hot sauce, and crushed red pepper flakes in the early morning and jamica... I love this place... almost as much as the great people I've had the privilege to learn with here.
The picture at the top of the blog, the picture of the children, here's the link to the story:
http://www.allthingsstrings.com/layout/set/print/News/News/YOLA-at-HOLA-El-Sistema-like-Program-Begins-Taking-Root
Thats an amazing story!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! I would looooove to listen to this orchestra someday...
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