Humor in the Classroom – More A-HA with More HAHA

Generating A-HA moments with HAHA moments Jump to ** if coming from the newsletter… Really do you get more AHA moments when you have more HAHA moments?  “Well-planned, appropriate, contextual humor can help students ingrain information,” explains Garner, who in his introduction to psychology course uses TV programs like the audition episodes from “American Idol” …

Humor in the Classroom – More A-HA with More HAHA Read More »

In Their Own Words & Thoughts & Interests

A very simple story to illustrate a larger problem.  When I was a special education teacher I had a student who stated that he was unable to multiply.  We were standing at the blackboard and he was struggling to decipher 6 X 4 = ? I explained that multiplying is really just a short cut for …

In Their Own Words & Thoughts & Interests Read More »

Mapping the Big Picture via Homeostasis

It can be very hard for someone who is fascinated by a topic to understand when or why a student does not think about that topic with curiosity and depth.  Is it possible to merely memorize facts and not question them or link them or categorize them into a broader and more interesting understanding?  Of …

Mapping the Big Picture via Homeostasis Read More »

Relating lessons on artistic creativity to becoming a creative educator.

Following are “8 Creativity Lessons from a Pixar Animator[1]”–by Leo Babauta, syndicated from zenhabits.net, Dec 26, 2013.  The lessons were garnered in a tour of Pixar studios provided by a Mr. Bernhard. Creativity is not just about product, it is about process.  I believe that the lessons of creativity in art speak volumes to the …

Relating lessons on artistic creativity to becoming a creative educator. Read More »

Study Tracker – Figure out What Works For You

Tracking study techniques offers you 3 benefits.  The first 2 benefits are the possibility of discovering which study actions are the most beneficial, and whether or not you need to try something new.  If you make note of how you prepared for a test and then look over your techniques right after getting back the …

Study Tracker – Figure out What Works For You Read More »

7 Stages of Creativity

A professor and artist who lost the ability to draw and to speak through traumatic brain injury finds his voice as a proponent of creativity. In an inspiring and informative 15 minute lecture called, “7 steps of creative thinking: Raphael DiLuzio at TEDxDirigo” explores how the creative process unfolds and how that knowledge can help …

7 Stages of Creativity Read More »

Frameworks for Interest

Frameworks for Interest Just like the absorption and re-deposition of calcium re-shapes a bone even after it is done getting larger, your students’ ideas and knowledge are constantly re-modeled.  It is easier for them to utilize their new knowledge within a framework of what they already know, aligned with their current interests than it is …

Frameworks for Interest Read More »

Transcription Explained with a Gastronomic Connection

Once upon a time, in my earlier life, I was the only white server in a Chinese restaurant run by Hispanics (that didn’t speak English let alone Chinese).  I tell you this because it gives you the foundation of explaining protein synthesis. Many times students confuse the terms Transduction, Translation, and Transcription.  This story is …

Transcription Explained with a Gastronomic Connection Read More »