- HOME
- Table of Contents
- Resume
- Philosophy Statement
- 1. History of Jewish/General Education
- 2. Assessment
- 3. Curriculum
- 4. Language Development/Hebrew
- 5. Personal Development of Teachers
- 6. Collaboration/Community
- 7. Technology
- 8. Learning and Cognition
- 9. Evidence-Based Practice
- 10. Child Development
- 11. Content Knowledge
- 12. Ethics and Values
- 13. Instructional Methods
- Inspiration/Chizuk
- Post-Observation Reflections
A crucial element of knowing how to TEACH is to first understand how students LEARN. It is not enough for a teacher to correct a student’s mistake; she understand WHY he made the mistake, so she can teach him in a way he will actually understand. We often take for-granted that which we know, remember or understand; we sometimes forget that the same skills or information we now use with ease, we may have struggled to understand as students ourselves. We must put ourselves “in the shoes” of our students emotionally, developmentally, and intellectually.
I included articles about Steve Jobs' creative thinking and visionary ideas, and the design and function of his Apple stores. Although I am among the minority of people who have never purchased an Apple product, I respect and appreciate his contributions to society, which have proven to benefit and impact potentially any and every sphere of our daily lives.
Jobs understood that adults and children alike need to be engaged- physically, tactilely, visually, auditorially- to best understand, retain, and be connected to a concept. Like Montessori, Dewey, and others, he knew that students learn from personal experience. His devices have created new ways to interface with multimedia, to feel in-control of what they see and learn, and to explore their immediate environment as well as abstract ideas.
There is much discussion nowadays in education about the need for allowing, even teaching, creativity. Philosophers such as Daniel Pink and Sir Ken Robinson suggest a paradigm shift, even complete overhaul, of the school system as we know it, which has become too industrial/commercial and neglect the individual needs, sensitivities, and potential of each student. While I dislike their presentations of grandiose ideas with limited advice for practical application, I agree that we need to allow children to think, dream, and imagine from within, and not always just be told what to do and how to do it.
Teachers today must be creative to think in new ways to engage often-apathetic students, while fostering creativity in students by allowing and encouraging their own questions to guide learning, and facilitating diverse projects and products of learning. We need not be afraid of new ideas, but embrace the new possibilities to delve deeper into learning. If we enable students to think for themselves, empowered by the framework we provide, we can hope they will discover their own abilities and potential, and strive to impact the world in their own unique ways.
I included articles about Steve Jobs' creative thinking and visionary ideas, and the design and function of his Apple stores. Although I am among the minority of people who have never purchased an Apple product, I respect and appreciate his contributions to society, which have proven to benefit and impact potentially any and every sphere of our daily lives.
Jobs understood that adults and children alike need to be engaged- physically, tactilely, visually, auditorially- to best understand, retain, and be connected to a concept. Like Montessori, Dewey, and others, he knew that students learn from personal experience. His devices have created new ways to interface with multimedia, to feel in-control of what they see and learn, and to explore their immediate environment as well as abstract ideas.
There is much discussion nowadays in education about the need for allowing, even teaching, creativity. Philosophers such as Daniel Pink and Sir Ken Robinson suggest a paradigm shift, even complete overhaul, of the school system as we know it, which has become too industrial/commercial and neglect the individual needs, sensitivities, and potential of each student. While I dislike their presentations of grandiose ideas with limited advice for practical application, I agree that we need to allow children to think, dream, and imagine from within, and not always just be told what to do and how to do it.
Teachers today must be creative to think in new ways to engage often-apathetic students, while fostering creativity in students by allowing and encouraging their own questions to guide learning, and facilitating diverse projects and products of learning. We need not be afraid of new ideas, but embrace the new possibilities to delve deeper into learning. If we enable students to think for themselves, empowered by the framework we provide, we can hope they will discover their own abilities and potential, and strive to impact the world in their own unique ways.