10 Ways to Promote Learning Lifestyle in Your School

I got this list, and you know I like lists, from David Warlick and his 2 cents worth blog. I thought it was very enlightening. As with any list use what you can and discard the rest. The preface is to make the total culture of the school a learning environment.

1. Hire Learners. Ask prospective employees, "Tell me one thing you have learned lately."

2. Open faculty meetings sharing something that you have just learned-and how you learned it. It doesn't have to be about school, either.

3. Make frequent mention of your RSS reader, blogs you read, or your social networking and once again it doesn't have to be job related.

4. Share links to TED talks and ask for reaction to what they just saw, this can occur during faculty meetings, site council, or as a casual conversation in the hallway.

5. Include in the daily announcements, something new and interesting.

6. Ask students in the hall what they have learned. Have them tell you what their teachers have learned.

7. Ask teachers and other staff to write reports on their latest vacation, sharing what they learned.

8. Ask teachers to devote one of their classroom bulletin boards to their learning, related or unrelated to the classroom.

9. Include short articles in the schools newsletter and/or website about research being coducted by the teachers-again related or unrelated to the classroom.

10. Learn what the parents of your students are passionate about learning.

Will Richardson, education author said this, and it also reflects my feelings in regard to teaching technology, and using technology across the curriculum.

"We may not feel comfortable in a world filled with technology. We may not like the way it's changing things and even more, how fast it's changing things. We may not like the way it pushes against much of what we've been doing in schools for eons. But our kids don't have a choice. And if we're going o fulfill our roles as teachers in our kids lives, neither do we.

USA

This week Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday is the annual administrator convention in Wichita, I really look forward to this. This is a great learning opportunity for me and our district administrative team and since we are in the learning profession I feel it is highly important to attend this convention.

I generally benefit from the workshop presentations but the greatest benefit to me is being able to talk with administrators statewide about issues concerning education and student learning. In spite of the cuts we all face I feel two areas we cannot short ourselves on is staff development and technology. We certainly are not going to learn about other programs schools are doing to enhance student learning by sitting our offices. Just as the classroom teacher will never improve on teaching, which will translate to better student learning, by staying cooped up in their classrooms and never embracing being a life long learner themselves.

It has always been my goal if I get one thought or idea to improve education or my job performance the convention has been well worth it.

New Home

Had to get a new home for my blog since I started using Chrome and had a hard time accessing my other blog so here is where I can be found.