Pure Manaʻo

Source:  Kamentz, A. (2016, August 2). 3 things people can do in the classroom that robots can't. nprEd . Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/08/02/479187579/3-things-people-can-do-in-the-classroom-that-robots-cant What is Sacred: A 2013 study from Oxford University famously estimated that  47 percent of all jobs  are in danger of automation. And earlier this year, the World Economic Forum said  5 million jobs might be gone  in just the next four years. These changes create a huge challenge for schools and teachers. But there are also some intriguing indicators of the way forward. Kamentz puts it this way, the skills that must be taught, those skills that make us "unautomatable" in our work is the ability to: Give a hug, solve a mystery, tell a story. Hug: empathy, collaboration, communication and leadership skills Mystery: generating questions, curiosity, problem solving Story: finding what's relevant, applying values, ethic...

Source: Gonzalez, J. (2017, September 24). Retrieval practice: The most powerful learning strategy you're not using. [weblog]. Retrieved from:  https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/retrieval-practice/ What is Sacred: Retrieval practice is just the art of recalling information without having it in front of  you (like rote memorization via flashcards). That is not what is sacred. What is sacred is that research backs up retrieval practice as the best practice over other study methods like review lectures, study guides and (my favorite) re-reading.  Connections to Current/Future Work: My practicum students that are in the semester before their student teaching are really preparing their reflections on their lesson to answer the following questions: what did your students learn? how do you know? Taken in a traditional context, these questions put out an expectation that every lesson will end with some kind of formal assessment (read paper and pencil qu...

I spent so much time trying to find the right mentor text to bring to students when we talked about irony. I used to use "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant but the language was difficult even for my 10th graders. I could have used the adolescent irony which is just dripping with sarcasm, but I didn't want that either. If I were in the classroom again, however, these two videos are what I would use. The first is Clive James reading his poem "Japanese Maple" about his soon demise and the metaphor of living to see the maple unfurl before he dies. Well on his "death bed," he ended his very long marriage because of a long affair by him, and then he did not die. This is the 5 years later interview where he has outlasted that maple tree that his daughter gave him. Irony with joy. Living the best life posthumously. This is the kind of irony I want them to get.

Grann, D. (2018, February 12 & 13). The white darkness: A solitary journey across Antarctica. New Yorker Magazine . Retrieved from here . What the New Yorker  does for me is to bring into my periphery vision these people and their stories that I would not know about if I had not picked up the article. What the New Yorker  does for me is gather the most beautifully talented writers to bring these people's lives to life in a way that has me crying and cheering and rushing through while slowing down to savor the adventure, the joy and the bittersweet loss of living a real life. I will remember Henry Worsley and his wife Joanne, his son Max and his daughter that he calls "Shrimp" although his children are both adults. These Brits, via an American magazine found their way to a small Pacific Island surrounded by our own blue Antarctica. These are the kinds of pieces that I want to use as mentor texts for my students. Even when I do not know how I would use it exce...

National Geographic's Short Film showcase highlights exceptional short videos created by filmmakers around the world. This one is of Manu Topic in the L'Arros river, French Pyrennees. Filmmaker Patrick Foch, cinematographer Benjamin Ziegler, music Yann Rouquet, sound design Christophe Girod. I am not sure how to reference this so I linked the article above. My connection, or "reading" on this and how I might use it: This is really about process, craft and balance which are key concepts we continue to try and push with our students going into student teaching: trust the process, hone your craft, find balance in your life which is the key to self care and thriving.

Source: Anderson, S. (2017, September 28). The mind of John McPhee.  The New York Times Magazine . Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/28/magazine/the-mind-of-john-mcphee.html?_r=0 What is Sacred: I am not as familiar with John McPhee's writing, but based on this article, I need to be. I think what sold me on reading his new book  Draft No. 4  is the description by Anderson that in McPhee is writer as craftsman rather than writer as artist. I think the more scientific I can get about teaching writing, the more I will get pieces with intentional voice and craft. I also appreciate writers that are able to take their research and create intimacy through a complex organizational structure that reveals the workings of a complex mind. Anderson describes it best with his sentence: "McPhee has built his career on such small detonations of knowledge." I guess what is sacred, then, is the ability to talk about craft and the ability to know about small top...

Source: Rybczynski, W. (1992, August). A good public building. The Atlantic Magazine , 84-87. What is Sacred: This article is about the opening of the Harold Washington Library Center in Chicago. The author places the architecture of the building within the long history of architecture in Chicago, but I think the best 2 paragraphs are right at the end.  Most striking of all, the library makes not the slightest effort to entertain the people who use it. Too many of our public places (shopping malls, airports) are either selling us something or attempting to keep us amused. The Chicago library takes itself, and its users, seriously, and through an architecture that is calm and measured, it resolutely communicates this sense of purpose: that books and reading and knowledge are important (87). Connection to Current/Future Work: I am adding this to my curation site  as a mentor text for writing workshop. Use the last two paragraphs to talk about what descriptive writ...