Tag: education
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Think ACTION in the Classroom for Great Student Response
Please, don’t get me wrong. In a blog post I wrote about the trap of asking too many questions in the classroom, I make a point in avoiding the many questions we ask, mainly to our teens. However, I know that many educators are now questioning it because, in fact, inquiries in the classroom can…
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From Submersion to Emergence in ELT
Conferences are made of connections, gatherings, new acquaintances. The BrazTESOL International Conference in João Pessoa was no different, except that it was totally different for me. The premises of the Bilingual School Cidade Viva were amazing, with great infrastructure for an international event. The people working there had a special vibe, very solicitous always, and…
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Tools to Enhance your Presentation Skills
The art of presenting is one that challenges us, educators. We are always finding ways to refine our skills, not only to make the classroom experience a more significant one, but also to share what we do and learn with others. One year ago exactly I wrote a post, Manifesto for Conference Presenters after attending…
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On Rhizomes, Theories, Conversations: The Living Classroom
I’ve been following at a distance but with close interest the movement around rhizomatic learning and more recently what Dave Cormier and the gang have been up to in the MOOC #rhizome14 . I just wish my day had so many hours… No matter the fact that I haven’t been able to join the group,…
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Teaching in a Brave New World: From Digital to Tangible
Soon, we will have another BrazTESOL Brasilia seminar for the local educational community. The main topic of our seminar is “Teaching in a Brave New World”, which entices me to connect it to what I’ve been talking about in my presentations, the need for us, teachers, to explore new digital possibilities in the classroom without…
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On the Ed Tech Radar – Free Online Professional Development Opportunities in October
Stay at the comfort of your home or keep yourself comfortable in your office, but don´t miss two great professional development opportunities that you can access from wherever you are in the world for free. October 12th – TESOL CALL-IS & IATEFL LEARING TECHNOLOGIES SIG Online Conference It starts at 2pm GMT /…
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Technology Giving Wide Wings to Creativity
As long as I keep seeing transformative and exciting examples of how technology can help the next generation of professionals acquire new skills in different areas, I’ll advocate its use. That’s exactly what happened with me some days ago. I was at the Apple Store with my kids, looking for the present my husband…
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Teaching a Dramatically Outstanding Class – Tension and Release
Yesterday I was talking to a very experienced teacher who I know suffers from the same syndrome I do and most of the teachers out there do. The how-can-I-reach-teens syndrome. We all develop strategies, sometimes war strategies, we think and re-think ways that we could better engage our teens. The roller coaster is always…
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The Magic of Professional Development Claims for a Growth Mindset
For years I’ve been training teachers and coaching them to integrate technology into the classroom. The changes I’ve seen around throughout those years vary from none to new, reinvigorated professionals. How does the move happen? Change will take many different shapes, from reframing an activity the teacher has already tried out to taking the…
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A Teen Educator Failing Miserably
For some, I might seem confident and a bit tech-savvy.However, with teens it seems that I’m bond to failure. That’s how I feel so often. Teaching them is like a roller coaster. Yes, don’t get me wrong! Sometimes I fear I won’t reach them. Every time I prepare my classes I have the feeling that…
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Being an Educator of the 21st Century
Much have been told about the competencies and skills educators should develop to “survive” and thrive in a classroom nowadays. High on my list are some that should have always been there: >> developing listening skills>> practicing our empathy at all times, even when we feel like giving up>> preparing lessons that are brain-friendly, helping…
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Educators as Designers
I’ve always had a deep fascination for what was aesthetically beautiful for the eyes and pleasing for the mind. Design has always mattered for me, and it has guided me personally and professionally as a principle of good living an a people connector. I’ve always believed in its engagement power. And unconsciously I understood that…
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From Inertia to Editing Teaching – A Challenge
Many times we are trapped in our own routines, hectic lives and infinite tasks. It is hard sometimes even to breathe. Inertia takes over, and we see our personal and professional lives as if it were part of a film. I know there are many challenges around for teachers, and I could name a few…
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Thinking and Re-imagining Education
This video is a call. A call for reflection and action. I agree with much that it is said, but we need to find a balanced view to education. It is not just moving from a controlled, Prussian model of education to an utopian school. We can achieve student engagement, motivation and passion for learning…
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What Yo Yo Ma Has to Teach Educators
As I write these words, I’m listening to Yo Yo Ma, a well-known cellist, who never ceases to amaze me. First, I was totally taken by his music, empathy, charisma. I remember I used to teach using a book for advanced students who talked about Yo Yo Ma and his tribute to Sarajevo during the…
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Surfing the Waves of Change in Education: No Action is not a Possibility
Serendipity is one of the strengths of a hyperlinked world in which the network is always providing us with learning moments and reflective checkpoints. As I was browsing my wonderful Pinterest network, I came across, by chance, this clean, unpretentious blog http://thingsigrab.wordpress.com/, and I couldn’t help but start browsing it, scrolling down, with my eyes glued…
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Changing Education Paradigms
Every educator, administrator, parent, professional should watch this. Great summary of our historical perspective, but, at the same time, giving perspective to what we do and should be doing. Now, it is up to us make the small shifts to change education. With you, Sir Ken Robinson:
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Value your DNA – Keep Passion Alive
I’ve just started reading a very pleasant book. Nothing new, but simply painfully true. Gary Vaynerchuck’s “Crush it” talks about being true to our DNA in the beginning of his book. For me, being true to our DNA is rescuing our roots and reminding ourselves what really makes it all worth it. I’ve been talking more…