yugen

Friday night. Been a long week: a good week. Getting to know new students. Learning names. Exploring personalities, understanding needs, finding doors. Already talking familiar ideas in class: writing, music, art, identity, expression. Sharing. Finding our groove. Re-framing pedagogies, conscious to include words like inspire and empower. Trying new things, thanks to my new colleague and old friend Paula G. Hands down! Speak, share, inquire, discuss. Write. Create. The goals this year are simple:

  • Connect on some level with every student all 100+
  • Enlighten student thought through lens of  Yugen, and if possible capture snippets of yugen through all we create.

 

6 thoughts on “yugen

  1. Mary Worrell

    This is a good post to read as I unwind after the first week of school. I only had one group of students this week due to some introductory activities for the younger ones, but this group also happens to be my mentor students and it gave me a chance to get to know them. My mind is spinning trying to take in all the new faces and names and figure out how to connect with each.

    I really want to get rid of the hand raising somehow. For some students it’s muscle memory. Others never bothered with it…they just got used to being told by the teacher to raise their hand.

    Thanks for making me think…

    Reply
    1. Jabiz Post author

      Yeah, the Harkness stuff seems great. Also get to know Paula, she is the pro. Looking forward to where it goes.

      Reply
  2. Paula

    How did I miss this post? Haha.

    Anyway, I am really stoked you are finding the table meaningful. It’s a really powerful method that puts the students at the center, while Ts get to witness the unraveling of ideas, voices, conversations that wow.

    Let me know what else you discover. It’s never the same discussion with these kids. 🙂

    Reply
  3. Patricia Hampton

    Students know when you are real or fake with them. It may not not be anything you’ve said or done. A child’s inner spirit kicks in when they are around adults. They instinctively know when adults don’t want to be around them. I believe you can reach all children, some sooner than others. Try getting to know the world they live in through conversation with the children. Talk, listen, observe as much as you can. Listen and observe more than you talk. Talk openly about what you observed or heard. Allow them to express how they feel about what you have observed and heard. Take a walk in their shoes and you will connect on some level. Unconditional acceptance is the key.

    Reply
  4. Patricia Hampton

    The post above dated August 25,2012 is a good one. It made me think about what could be done to stop the raising of the hands in anticipation of being called to answer a question or just to be doing so. I know the anxiety of seeing new faces and seeing hands waving in the air when you ask a question and children saying “me, me!” in a loud voice. It can become overwhelming! I suggest trying something new. Instead of just asking the question first… prepare them for the question by telling all of the children to raise their over their heads and wiggle all of their fingers for a few seconds. Remind them to keep them high and not let them drop down. After a few minutes, tell them to place both hands in their laps. After all hands are in their laps, tell them you are going to ask a question and you will call on the person you want to answer the question. This will help keep answers from being yelled out and maybe you won’t feel so overwhelmed. Hope this helps.

    Reply

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