Teach Them How To Learn So They Can Own The Future

By Oskar Cymerman | @focus2achieve | BAM! Radio Network & Teaching Channel Blogger

I love this quote by David Geurin, a Missouri high school principal. Check out David's blog for more progressive and game changing teaching and leading ideas.

Here's another quote I love and wholeheartedly agree with.

“Our job as teachers is not to “prepare” kids for something; our job is to help kids learn to prepare themselves for anything.”

— A.J. Juliani

What I take away from David and A.J.'s words is that the future is uncertain. The jobs of today will not exist tomorrow, but individuals who will possess the skills to learn anything, be able to reflect, creatively problem solve, take risks, stay persistent, and bring innovative solutions to the marketplace, will indeed be successful, regardless of what the future brings.

They will own the future.

Out job descriptions don't say it, but this is our job. HELP OUR STUDENTS OWN THE FUTURE.

My theme for this year is helping my students focus on building life and work skills and self reflection. I teach chemistry and engineering; important subjects, but no more important than all other subjects, and definitely less important than skills that help students be successful in whatever they endeavor in.

So what am I doing differently?

For the first time, my students blog and reflect on life and learning. I challenge them to ask and answer tough questions regarding their motivation, persistence, and thinking.

I teach my subjects, but I intentionally stress Learning How To Learn.

I explain the physical processes that occur in the brain as we learn. Understanding how neural connections are made, how our brain uses information, and how to make sure concepts are understood and stored in long term memory provides students with the why that is necessary for intrinsic motivation. "Why am I learning this stuff?" and "How am I ever going to use it?" are valid questions not to be dismissed with "Because the standards say so."

We discuss how to become more creative. We work collaboratively, and use design thinking.

We talk about spaced repetition, recall, crushing tests, and mixing up how, when, and where we learn and study. I don't just tell students to do it. I explain how to do it and why it leads to deep learning.

We talk about focus and procrastination and we do pomodoro.

We reflect on our habits, such as sleep and why it is crucial to learning effectively, learn how to rewire our brains, and set goals to do so.

We learn actively.

So how am I doing it all?

I created a series of Brain Based Learning Infographics. I use them with my students in a digital form and I print them and post them in my room so students have constant reminders of the most effective ways to learn, study, understand, and acquire lifelong learning, productivity, and social skills.

And now, I created high resolution versions of many of them. Each one is a highly visual, easy to absorb and understand, PDF poster anyone can use to teach students skills they will need to be successful in the future. You can get almost all of them for FREE on my Products Page HERE.

“Students may be 20% of our population, but they are 100% of our future. ”

— Prince Ea

Teach Them How To Learn So They Can Own It.

Oskar

You have the power to change the world. Use it often.

Could This Be The Future?

Resumes are full of words. Black ink on crisp white paper. Sterile. Unimaginative. Boring. Dull.

I do not envy recruiters, interviewers, and human resources professionals tediously paging through and reviewing stacks of resumes they receive for each job they are responsible for filling. Black ink. White paper. Lots and lots of black ink on white paper. It must be similar to reading a really boring book. A literary purgatory...

How many decision makers read everything on every resume they receive? Those that do, bless your heart. I admire you. I don't want your job. I don't have the patience...

What if there was a way out? An escape from the mundane? A break in the pattern of doom? The light at the end of the tunnel?

Could this be it?

Here's how I see it:

• It contains all the pertinent information.

• It's a 1-pager.

• It's brief and to the point. No fluff.

• It's visually appealing.

• It can be reviewed in a minute or two.

• It contains pictures.

• It's visual and vision trumps all other senses.

• It includes a QR Code that can be scanned if more information is desired.

• It can be printed in color or grayscale, shared digitally, or displayed online.

• It stands out. It says: I dare to be different. I'm creative. I'm worth a closer look.

I have wanted to create what I call the 21st Century Resume (CV, calling card whatever) for myself for a while. Now I did. I want to make a few more. One will include a head to toes pic in a suit. I might wear a cape in another describing my superpowers.

I promise you this though. I love my job, but if I ever decide to seek new employment, the above is the resume my prospective employer receives.

I figure the one that calls me for the interview sees the world with a fresh set of eyes. And that's precisely the point. That's where I want to be.

And I want to encourage you to dare to be different. To disrupt the status quo. To diverge from the mundane.

Empower your students to dare to be different. Fill them with the confidence and skills to create. Show them the way and they will innovate.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on my 21st Century Resume idea. Does it have legs? Or is it just another crazy idea conjured up by my twisted mind? Leave me a comment and we'll learn together. And, if you like crazy cool ideas Sign Up for My Newsletter and I'll keep you entertained forever (or at least until they pull the plug :).

You have the power to change the world. Use it often.

Evoke Emotions To Help Students Learn

By Oskar Cymerman | @focus2achieve | BAM! Radio Network & Teaching Channel Blogger

As the students were working on their bell ringer today (recalling radioactive decay equations), I stood in the middle of class and read the following to them:

“He was the only person making his way into the city; he met hundreds and hundreds who were fleeing, and every one of them seemed to be hurt in some way. The eyebrows of some were burned off and skin hung from their faces and hands. Others, because of pain, held their arms up as if carrying something in both hands. Some were vomiting as they walked. Many were naked or in shreds of clothing. On some undressed bodies, the burns had made patterns—of undershirt straps and suspenders and, on the skin of some women (since white repelled the heat from the bomb and dark clothes absorbed it and conducted it to the skin), the shapes of flowers they had had on their kimonos. Many, although injured themselves, supported relatives who were worse off. Almost all had their heads bowed, looked straight ahead, were silent, and showed no expression whatsoever.”

— "Hiroshima" by John Hersey

Then, I showed them haunting imprints of people killed by the blast...

This was my prelude to starting the discussion on nuclear fission and fusion in chemistry today. And, while the images students undoubtedly saw in their minds upon hearing the above story were gruesome, my purpose was clear. I wanted to evoke strong emotions.

I am reading "Brain Rules" by John Medina, which I enjoy and highly recommend, as the guy is an incredible writer, in addition to being a college professor and a brain guru. I recently finished a chapter titled "Attention" in which Dr. Medina explains how to grab and hold students' focus throughout the lesson.

One of the strategies he uses in his college lectures is employing "hooks." A hook is an emotionally competent stimulus (ECS) or an event that triggers strong emotions. All learning has emotions associated with it, but the stronger they are the better encoded the information becomes. During an emotionally charged event, out brain releases dopamine, which helps information processing and improves memory formation.

Thus, the "Hiroshima" story I read was a hook. But it wasn't just emotionally charged. It was also relevant, which is another key ingredient to a successful hook. If the hook information is unrelated to the topic you're getting ready to discuss, it will not be effective.

Then I got to talking about the pros and cons of nuclear reactions (Hiroshima was hit with a fission bomb named "Little Boy") and gave examples of fission and fusion reactions. That took about 10 minutes followed by students completing and identifying nuclear equations in small groups.

I felt that all students understood the material. I'll have to come back to it and have them practice more, but I feel they are well on their way to mastery of nuclear equations.

Remember the magic number 10. It is the number of minutes you can hold an audience's attention before it spikes way down. So...

1. Grab your audience with a hook to evoke emotions.

2. Teach 1 big concept for 9 minutes. Explain the big idea. elaborate. Give examples.

3a. Have students apply the concept and teach each other.

3b. Have a new hook ready if you want to keep going for another 10 minutes. The hook gives your audience a much needed brain break and can be used to introduce the next big idea.

4. Repeat, and keep it to 3 (maybe 4) big concepts tops. Less is more.

Hey. Thanks for reading! What do you think about using emotions in the classroom? Leave a comment or Sign Up for my Newsletter and we'll learn together.

You Have The Power To Change The World. Use It Often.

Sources:

Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School by John Medina

Hiroshima By John Hersey