"When students are encouraged to WONDER, they tap into their creativity and begin to trust their ability to generate insights, make connections, and enhance their own learning."
-Betty K. Garner, consultant at Aesthetic of Lifelong Learning, author of Getting to "Got It!" (ASCD, 2007)
What do you wonder about? What are your curious to learn more about?
Any time I have a long drive ahead of me and it's not like Prime NPR news time I put on my head phones and find a TED talk to listen to. We should make it a point to expose ourselves and our students to regular doses of amazing, mind blowing information. It kind of changes you a little to learn something new that you had no idea existed or was possible. I've always enjoyed anything to do with psychology or sociology. Anything having to do with the mind or consciousness. That sort of stuff, I'll watch cool documentaries- that "what the bleep do we know" movie is awesome. And TED talks.
ReplyDeleteMy latest favorite TEDtalk is about the billionaire founder of Sirius XM radio working on preserving the consciousness of his wife in a digital file and building a companion robot. http://www.ted.com/talks/martine_rothblatt_my_daughter_my_wife_our_robot_and_the_quest_for_immortality?language=en
*her wife
DeleteI really like what you said. The times I have shared this type of information/insights with my students they are very intrigued! They always have great comments/questions
DeleteI wonder about how our children will grow up. I worry about the condition of the world they will inherit, and am very curious about what they will do to make it a better place. With so many seemingly tragic things occurring on a daily basis, I truly spend a great deal of my time wondering about where the world will go from here. Working with children only furthers this wondering, as I try to imagine what they think about the current state of the world and what they will do to leave their mark.
ReplyDeleteI also wonder about what the future holds for our world and our kids. However, I also wonder about how I can impact the world that we live in today and the kids that we work with, so that our future be a more pleasant, healthier, and safer place to live in.
DeleteIn terms of teaching, I wonder how I can best improve my practice. I wonder how my students perceive me. I wonder what I am doing that is really helping my students learn. I wonder how to better engage my students. I wonder how I can make my lessons more relevant.
ReplyDeleteI also wonder how life will be like in a few years. I wonder what kind of skills our students will need. I wonder what challenges our society will face. I wonder how we are going to overcome those challenges.
Though I love reading and writing words, I wonder a lot about numbers! I wonder what the Dewey Decimal classification should be for new books, I wonder about calendar dates and scheduling, and I wonder about interest rates on credit cards and savings accounts. As a perfectionist, I can't help but to carefully calculate everything in my professional and personal life; though I love to capture special moments in my poetry-writing, I know that numbers are what keep me organized and keep me ME ;)
ReplyDeleteSometimes I wondered if students were encourage to persuit their education if it was free throughout higher education year. I wonder if we would have greater the amount of student attending university.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how I can inspire my students to reach beyond their perceived capabilities. How do I encourage the next senator, mayor, doctor and dentist?? How do I open up a world that is both so big and too small for their imagination? How?
ReplyDeleteI wonder what common practices we are using in our classes without knowing.
ReplyDeleteie. How many teachers use the same quiet signal.
I also wonder what were the findings from the observations made last week between girl and boy classes.
I think using the same quiet signal will be very helpful.
DeleteThis morning, I was listening to some folks from Seattle Public Schools talk about the strike and the solidarity among teachers, parents ,and diffferent communities, as well as the learning that IS happening despite teachers walking the picket lines. One high school teacher was talking about the demand for more equitable pay, more humanizing counselor-student caseloads, smaller class sizes, etc...and I thought about my own practice as a beginning teacher in an urban public school, specifically the second largest school district in the U.S.... in what ways am I surviving the systemic inequities embedded in our schooling system as a second year teacher? How am I perpetuating inequitable practices in my classroom space that are replicated more broadly in society? How aware am I of my positionality and how to "be" with my students? I wonder a lot about how much I might be messing up the lives of my students, knowing how delicate they are and also the system in which we have to work. Education is a matter of life and death for many of our working class students ofcolor, so I worry that in being part of this inherently unjust system, I am also in many ways perpetuating.
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ReplyDeleteI wonder about what my students take with them from my class and how they apply it to high school and beyond.
ReplyDelete-Aida & Aaron
DeleteI wonder if my advisory girls will persevere through college. I've been encouraging them to have a growth mindset that they can do better and they can overcome challenges. I'm curious to learn more about their interest and what they want be when they grow up.
ReplyDeleteScience department wonders how to answer religion questions when teaching evolution
ReplyDeleteOoooooo. I've wondered this too. I try to avoid negating anything and focus on just presenting facts. "All I can say about that is that THIS is TRUE....so.... your are welcome to make your own inferences based on that"
DeleteI like using the BRAINPOP videos because I feel like those are pretty safe. (They have one that mentions the "Flying Spaghetti Monster" as part of the end joke - I thought that was cool ^_^
Yes... I have had parents come to me and ask why I teach certain things. They are concerned I am confusing their child (religion and school).
DeleteI wonder about what my quality of life will be like after I get a contracted position with the district. Ive been a long term substitute for 10 years!! I can finally see the light at the end if the tunnel, and I know a contract is near. I wonder how being permanent at a school, and the real feeling of belonging will enhance my teaching. I wonder if it will make a change at all. I wonder.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very deep comment. I never thought about feeling like you belong. I know the feeling you're going through.
DeleteWant you to stay dude! Common Flying Spaghetti Monster!
DeleteI always wonder about my level of authenticity with the students. Everyday I work to be in between an authority figure and a sincere adult showing my true character to my students. I know I cannot completely show my true self, because students may tend to take advantage of the situation and not be able to separate being "friendly" with me while still honoring my authority as a teacher. Being sincere and authentic is intentionally on my mind daily as I present my lessons to my students.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what jobs the future holds for our students. Many of the jobs we have now didn't exist ten years ago. Where students will go and become, is a mystery I wish I could find out.
ReplyDeleteIt's probably no wonder why I'm into science, because I constantly ask myself "How does that work? What causes that to happen?" Usually, it's complete randomness. COMPLETE RANDOMNESS.
ReplyDelete"Why is a Jones fracture worse than an avulsion fracture?"
"What's the name of that bone that's affected again?"
"Is that why my foot is in constant pain?"
"What caused this to happen, my ankle sprain?"
"Is my balance misaligned or something?"
"Should I start taking yoga to remedy this?"
"Which type of yoga is the most beneficial?"
"What's the origin of yoga?"
"I wonder what the Mars Rover is up to these days...."
.... and on, and on....
So in essence, I wonder about everything and I must know the answer to everything. At all times... at the most random times.
it is awesome that your stream of consciousness works this way.
DeleteI wonder what education is going to look like twenty years from now. Education and the politics of education continue to change through each decade. Content, standards and routines continuously change and improve. There is currently a lot changes happening within education right now. I wonder how education will continue to grow and evolve over the next twenty years. I am interested to see how students will be prepared for our changing society and how well they will be able to interact as positive, educated and responsive community members.
ReplyDeleteI wonder where will the program be in 5 years, 10 years, and in the long run.
ReplyDeleteI wonder about how technology and its ever-changing nature affect human interactions. I really spend time thinking about this and how fast our interactions evolve and really wonder whether sometimes technology is making our lives easier or harder.
ReplyDeleteSpace travel: How do they calculate mass, distance and thrust to get two modules to rendezvous way out there? 3-D printers making cars before your eyes and prostheses for amputees in developing countries. Growing meat in a lab. Grenadine: Who thought of making a sweet syrup out of bitter pips of pomegranate?
ReplyDeleteI wonder about the successes of our students. I wonder if our 6th graders can be schooled by all their teachers to be excellent citizens, rise academically, embrace rigor in the classroom, widen their intelligence, embrace their learning and understand that learning never stops till their last breath leaves their body. I wonder if our students who are our future politicians, doctors, nurses, lawyers, mechanics, etc. will stand up for tolerance and live it so that this world can be a better place, with less hate, war, and harassment!!!
ReplyDeleteI wonder how we can practice the growth mindset when we interact with students to focus on their efforts vs. being the best,first and fastest when they respond to questions. I wonder how we can encourage our students to explain their questions when they respond I wonder how we can integrate writing into our daily work and rigor. I wonder how these efforts will address our SBAC challenges of moving more students to become proficient in Literacy and numeracy.Lets keep wondering about how we may work together to address our new challenhges as we embark on a new chapter.
ReplyDeleteWith SRLA this year, I wonder how much better students can improve at pacing themselves during races if we start logging, tracking, and having them have higher expectation for themselves to keep improving.
ReplyDeleteThis is the first year where I am repeating to teach the same grade level, the years past I had always changed grade level. I wonder how that would facilitate my process at scaffolding for 6th graders this year. I also wonder how much easier planning will be next year since this year we were able to start with the CPM book starting from the first day, letting us get adjusted to the book and the curriculum within it. How much more productive will my conferences be to target parents and students? And how much less work will I not have to take home?
I am constantly wondering about the things I can do to become a better educator... Transitions , things I said to students, giving concise and clear directions ...
ReplyDeleteI also wonder how I will start mandating students to stay for tutoring so that they don't fall behind in mathematics , should I do structured tutoring sessions ( extra lessons ~ 15 -20min each) where each day will focus on certain topics?
As of late I have been wondering about how I can continue to connect the science we learn in the classroom to the everyday lives of our students. Having real world stories, current news events, and videos that supplement the learning we do in the classroom helps students build their knowledge and inspires their interest and wonder in science. With Astronomy blogs like Lights in the Dark, Bad Astronomy, and Nine Planets. Podcasts like RadioLab and Ted Talks. You Tube channels like ASAP Science, In a Nut Shell, and NASA. Great resources that get students wondering about science.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if our students with IEPs will encounter bullying on school buses and campus during their High School years. Some of my previous students had to deal with elbows against their sides, assault with seat belts and fists. I wonder if they have someone to help him or her off the buses if they ride it.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if our student will be in the right program for their needs after High School.
• Work program
• Life skills
• Academic
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ReplyDeleteI am fascinated with what motivates people and more specifically our students. I am curious about how one student can be self-motivated to succeed and accomplish while another student is not motivated much at all. I wonder about what percentage is it the responsibility of an outside force like a parent or teacher to motivate a student and how much of it is the student's responsibility.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ms. Hernandez. I wonder what the future has in store for my son. I think about his future all the time...
ReplyDeleteI wonder about the kind of lives of our students when they grow up. I wonder how they will use their gifts to heal the world. I wonder if doing my part is good enough.
I want and need to learn more all about the things a good educator should know. 😊
I think. I worry. I wonder. I hope.
I wonder how my YOKA students that graduated are doing now that they are in high school? I wish there were better ways to keep in contact with them.
ReplyDeleteBecause I teach students with learning disabilities, I often wonder what will become of my students. Will they be successful in life? They say more than half the people in prisons are individuals with learning disabilities.
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