Skip to main content

Personally, I like to learn, although I don't really like being taught.






No, it sadly wasn't me who said it,  Winston Churchill did. Yet, I'm sure these very words resonate with you just as much as they do with me, and resonate in a hurtful, sad way. Ironically, chances are most of you, dear readers, are, just like me, first of all a teacher, by profession, and/or vocation. Are we then, according to Churchill, doomed to an eternity of people disliking us for what we do, teach? 

Not when you make your teaching about learning, and this is exactly my agenda for this blog and my professional life.

When I am to create a bio/ a profile, I always have the urge to write 'a keen learner', rather than mention my experience as a teacher. It is the culture of learning that I long for, root for and subscribe to. A learner-centered, brain-friendly environment that nourishes motivation, enthusiasm, autonomy, responsibility and the joy of academic discovery and personal growth. 

Baby steps, by the day, I strive to become less of a 'sage on the stage', more of 'a guide on the side' for my students. I've explored many paths, methods and ideas to promote a culture of learning. Obviously there are still more to discover and embrace, but so far I'd like to concentrate on some that proved successful for me- namely public speaking, debating, critical thinking, visual thinking, ed tech and some more. These are the areas this blog will address to promote a culture of learning.

I'd be honoured if you decided walk the walk with me. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bloom’s balls!

​ You might think in a secondary classroom there is no room for such ‚primary school crafts’, which require the actual, not digital (!) cutting and pasting. Wrong! Students of all ages and levels should be encouraged to get creative and use all their senses and body to construct knowledge:) It is useful and fun:)  My students recently applied and practised lower and higher order thinking skills described by Bloom in his taxonomy (LOTs and HOTs).  The ‘Bloom’s Balls they created was a project to wrap up our reading of ‘The Giver’ by Luis Lowry (highly recommended for teenage groups, btw!). The students were given a selection of tasks labelled with the six tiers of Bloom’s taxonomy, and a template with pentagons to cut and paste:) You can find the template below- it is a picture, you might want to manipulate with its size to fit the page:)  Their job was to choose 2 tasks from each category, and complete them on their ‚ball’. The tasks were diverse, with different levels of...
Post a Comment
Read more

a Canva lesson on 'cancel culture'

  I have recently watched an excellent series entitled 'Douglas is cancelled' (I can really recommend this SkyShowtime production),  and it inspired me to plan a lesson on the phenomenon of 'cancel culture'. I ended up preparing a Canva presentation with links to a New York Post article, together with vocabulary work and open questions, as well as a set of listening comprehension and discussion questions based on a CBSN video exploring the question if cancel culture has gone too far maybe. You can find the presentation  here - a cherry on top is 2 paper 1 mock questions- hope you like it!  (key and lesson ideas in the presentation notes)
Post a Comment
Read more

Into the new year with a compass

​ Today post will be just a brief but enthusiastic and heartfelt recommendation of a wonderful resource, namely YearCompass  that you will find here. This is a free, downloadable pdf that provides lots of creative and reflective ideas on how to let go of 2023 and embrace the year ahead, individually or at a group meeting, as well as an English B lesson:)  According to the authors: YearCompass is a booklet designed to help individuals reflect on the past year and plan for the year ahead. It contains carefully selected questions and exercises to guide you through the process of reviewing, learning from, and celebrating the year you're leaving behind, as well as dreaming, planning, and preparing for the new year (Page 2). By going through the exercises in YearCompass, you can gain insights into your past year, including your accomplishments, challenges, and the lessons you've learned. This reflection can help you set meaningful goals and intentions for the year ahead, across vari...
1 comment
Read more