Learning Bytes: OopsEd, Books and Buzzwords
A Byte of 2016 OLC Accelerate
The 2016 OLC Accelerate came to me today via Virtually Connecting. A major takeaway was the reference to what is called accidental learning by Roz Hussin and her students from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln – learning from the “Oops” moments of our lives. The following video captured our interaction of ideas with onsite and virtual buddies:
Born a Crime
This is an enticing book title. It sounds grammatically or syntactically incorrect, but is not, because author Trevor Noah is simply telling us what it meant to be born as a biracial child to a white father and a black mother in a time when apartheid reigned in South Africa. It was apparently wrong. Groups of people hated each other in South Africa then. I have not heard of Trevor Noah before and do not watch The Daily Show, but after listening to his conversation with Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest this morning, this is a book I will read. Because I’m intrigued by cross-cultural issues, hybridity, and living life in zones of change. And because he sounded philosophical and interesting; he did not come across as an angry person who wrote this book to vent his frustration with structural racism (that is a valid reason for writing too). I will post more after reading my Kindle version of the book.
Student-Focused Education
I was reminded of the many terms we used in education when someone asked me a question recently about fostering “student-focused teaching.” I became somewhat philosophical and started thinking about all the terms I might have used that didn’t mean as much to others outside of the education circle. What IS student-focused teaching or education?
I’ve heard a lot about empowerment, giving students “agency,” becoming the “guide on the side” instead of the sage on the stage. Thanks to Britt Watwood, I was connected to Mark Barnes‘ blogpost about how to let students drive their own learning. Metaphorically, students as drivers, not just passengers for the ride. Students learning to make connections across formal and informal learning spaces, between classroom and real lives. Barnes offers 4 practical teaching strategies aligned with this goal. Check them out.
