Learning Ogi Matsuri
Everyone who teaches should try to learn a completely new skill every few years. It keeps you humble. It keeps you patient and kind to both yourself and to your…
The Ikea Effect & Teachability
I felt a jolt of electricity when I heard the NPR story, Why You Love That Ikea Table, Even If It’s Crooked. In the first place, I could happily…
Duty or Joy?
A gonga post by John Terrauds of Musical Toronto made me sit up and take notice last week. In it, he wrote about his experiences taking on a group of…
PA Shorts: Student vs. Teacher
Last week: I was shocked when of one of my teen students developed an alarming tendency towards passive aggression. Is she suffering from middleschoolitis? Is she bored? Is she a…
Decisions Decisions
Years ago, we spent a day at the San Diego Wild Animal Park with our family. As we were leaving, we heard a man on the phone (a pay phone…
PA Shorts: Rules
How do we learn the rules of the game? Some of us get right in there, roll up our sleeves and get our hands dirty. We figure out the rules…
Just Paint! Methodology & The Nitty Gritty
Today in the Sunday paper, there was an article by Marni Jameson describing a new book on preparing surfaces for paint (not any actually painting mind you) in which there…
Wrap Up: Learning Style Series
Teachers Have Learning Styles Too! (Jewler & Gardner, 1993) If you: Make decisions after finding out what others think /Are active, energetic, and like having others around / Prefer activities that include…