The Greatest Gift

A few days ago, I had the good fortune of being 'found' by a former student. Since that time, I've engaged in email correspondence with 'Mark', that has led me to reflect on the critical role classroom teachers play in shepherding student self-discovery.

As our students struggle to find their place in our shared world, the implications of Mark's words offer important lessons for educators. Can we do anything more important than facilitate the exploration of individual passions? Is there an achievement more worthy of celebration than the discovery of one's self-worth?

With Mark's permission, I hope you'll see these words as the gift they were to me.



I've whited out sections of the note to keep Mark's identity private, but a side benefit, is that this anonymity will allow you to fill-in-the-blank with details from the lives of your own students. Is there a greater gift for a teacher to receive during this season of giving?

Redefining the 21st Century Learner

Earlier today, I was asked to demonstrate my understanding of the term '21st Century Learner'. I was pleasantly surprised by the question and found myself mentally reviewing a few of the conversations I'd had with colleagues in recent days.

The term may have been adopted to spur educators to consider the relevance of learning experiences being offered to students; to embrace emerging tools in the classroom; and to inspire an evolution in our practice. Now that it's 2010, and we're well into the new millennium, my observations are that the term has failed to engage a majority of educators in critical reflection of their own teaching practice.

By the time I was finished critiquing the term, I was faced with a follow-up question: What term would you use in place of 21st Century Learner?

In considering a more apt term to represent today's school-aged learners, I put forth the term 'refugees'. I went on to explain that I see students every day, who have to unplug, disconnect, and go solo in a world whose terrain is foreign to the way they regularly interact. Rather than interact via mobile devices tethered by invisible signals, most of today's students have to wait for teacher permission to communicate, and even then, can only network with students in the same room. In many ways, it's like being forced to speak a unique language while being contained in a foreign land. What they wouldn't give, to have the freedom to return to their 'home country'!

How would you have responded?
Have you grown tired of the term 21st Century Learner?
Do terms like Digital Native and Digital Immigrant now strike you as failed attempts to categorize youth and their not-quite-so-techy parents and teachers?
Do you have an apt metaphor for today's learners in today's schools?
Do you see today's learners as 'Time Travelers', 'LOST passengers', 'bats without radar', or something different?

The audio version of this story is available as today's episode on The Clever Sheep Podcast.

Image Credit: Alex Mickla

TEDxOntarioEd: Tim the Student

Listen.
As educators, we sometimes need to be reminded, that our charges have voices too. And if we take the time to listen, we might learn as much about ourselves, as we do about our students.

Although it's rare for a student to get an opportunity to speak in front of an audience of teachers, we considered it the most sensible choice to have Tim Ludwig as the final formal speaker at TEDxOntarioEd. Identified as "Tim the Student" in the weeks leading up to the event, we were confident that a student closer would put a nice lid on our evening.

Little did we realize that Tim's talk would lead to ongoing discussion and reflection. After giving a listen to Tim's talk, I think you'll find yourself, like me, wondering how we can lead students to further inspire educators and students alike through TEDxYouthDay?



Consider these links as evidence of the impact that "Tim the Student" has had:
TEDxOntarioEd: Moments of Adversity that Empower
TEDxOntarioEd: reflections on being there, but not being there
Making Connections at TEDxOntarioEd
When Worlds Collide
Student Voice and TEDxOntarioEd
Inquiry Based Learning - A TEDxOntario Theme
"Speed Dating" My Way Through TEDxOntarioEd
Experience TEDxOntarioEd via a short Animoto video

The video of Tim's talk is now available on the TEDx YouTube Channel. Images of the evening are available on the TEDxOntarioEd photo pool.


Photo Credit: windsordi