Thursday, September 24, 2015

Inspiration from the Blogosphere - What I've Learned Edition

Reading Twitter and Facebook and blogs, I see lots of things flying around the blogosphere. Some of it makes me a little frustrated, some reminds me of things I knew, some is just wrong. And some brings me new ideas or new ways of seeing things. Or just makes me smile. Here are a few things that I've seen in the past couple of weeks.


Elementary Math Addict - I was cruising through Twitter yesterday and saw a retweet with the first post from this blog. I read all the posts on that blog and came away inspired. I will definitely continue to follow the blog and think of ways we can inspire math learning with young kids. In fact, this makes me want to go to the nearest elementary school and tell them that I want to teach math only to all of their first graders (and maybe kindergartners and second graders). Seriously, go read Jamie's blog.
I learned: Talking less and listening more can be the best teaching.


Fall Leaves Art Activity (Pre-K Pages) - [Full disclosure: I work with Vanessa to edit the posts on Pre-K Pages.] When I saw this post, I was intrigued and now I'm ready to try it out. Leaves, paint, and googly eyes. Let the kids explore and play. I love the pictures in this post...and the ones in my head of the possibilities that kids could create. I love open-ended art explorations and this is one I want to try.
I learned: Mixing up unrelated materials can lead to cool results.


My Son Hates Writing (And What I'm Doing to Change That) (What Do We Do All Day?) - I love the specific idea in this post - use comics or graphic novel activities to encourage a reluctant writer. I also love the generalization that this post triggers - figure out how to engage a kid to develop skills by considering his interests. Learning should be fun and should connect to the learner. This post just reinforces that (without saying it).
I learned: A little change in focus yields great results.


Allowing Children to Bloom in Season (Not Just Cute) - Amanda's writing always inspires and teaches me. This post just hit on all cylinders. Seeing kids as individuals, developing in their own ways and at their own times is so important. This post and its analogy just help us realize that more and more. (You will see more about this post soon.)
I learned: Some people really understand that kids are individuals and should be viewed as such (and so many others don't).


Babies Learn from You Every Second (video on DeLorean Facebook Page) - Just watch this small child. Everything she does mimics what the adults were doing, what she saw. A sobering reminder that they are watching and learning from us all the time.

Babies learn from you every second - both good and bad things....
Babies learn from you every second - both good and bad things. This little one picked up on how to do CPR! #lol #adorableLIKE ----->>> DeLorean For more videos.
Posted by DeLorean on Saturday, April 18, 2015

I learned: Each thing I do matters; each word makes an impression.


And one from my own page: He Wrote What?
I learned: Never underestimate what kids will retain, absorb, or do. Allow them to show it.


(For more things I find and enjoy, follow me on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest.)