Helpouts - A tool to personalize learning?

I ran across this video about Google Helpouts:

It got me thinking about our push into personalized learning in my district. Helpouts are not just an interesting way to learn - they are an interesting way to teach. I wonder how we might leverage students teaching other students, not just as tutors about academic content, but about sports, music, gaming, life skills - anything that they have a passion for. Sharing one's passion with others is a powerful way for students to show their expertise, and even leadership.

So, how might we use this tool, or one similar to it, to support our students in their quest for personalized learning?

We Are College Bound!

CC licensed image from wikimedia commons

One of the schools I work in is a member of the No Excuses University network, with the goal of raising the college awareness and ultimately college-going rate of our students. We call our students "scholars" not "kids," and every classroom has a university they have adopted and use as their logo. Yesterday The Atlantic published an article about the types of language we use when encouraging students to go to college which really made me think about the efficacy of our approach. It said that, in many cases, we focus solely on the financial benefits that a college education will bring our students, and use that as the primary motivation. Instead, we should be "selling" college as a pathway to intellectual fulfillment and a better life in general, rather than just a way to make more money.

In one portion of the article I found particularly interesting, the author said that his students of poverty tended to talk about what they wanted to BE, rather than what they wanted to DO. Students might say they want to be a doctor or a lawyer, but they don't really have an idea what that means. Wealthy students might respond to the same question by saying they want to litigate trials or treat children with cancer, and then figure out the college path that makes sense for that goal.

I am looking forward to sharing this concept with my staff. It's not just about talking about college, it's about HOW we talk about college with our low-income kids. We need to continue to help them articulate their passions, then help them see that college is the path to turn those passions into a lifelong career.

Resolutions

Flickr CC by chiaralily 

It's a new year, which of course means new resolutions; new challenges ahead. This year I resolve to grow - as an educator, as a learner, as a professional, and as a human. So here are my resolutions:

1. Connect more. I want to spend more time with family, friends, colleagues, fellow students and even ideas. I want to publish more (here and Twitter). For me, this means being more deliberate during the day, with specific expectations for myself. It also probably means less screen time at night as I engage more with family, friends and colleagues.

2. Climb a mountain. Yes, I know it's a non sequitor after the previous item, but it's my second priority this year! I want to summit a mountain - more than 10,000 feet - while avoiding a technical climb. Mt. Whitney fits the bill. It's about 14500 feet, with a 10.7 mile hike to the top. According to the website, the 22 mile round trip CAN be done in a day, as long as you start before dawn! The challenge with this is that there is a lottery for trail passes, and there's no guarantee I'll be able to get a pass on a day I'm actually able to do it.

3. Read professional books. I read a lot, but mostly blogs (for professional growth) and research studies (for my doctorate program). I want to read more books like Jim Collins' Great by Choice, and actually assimilate ideas into my practice.

4. Learn Spanish. And Mexican history. Okay, I know I won't be able to fully meet this particular resolution, but I want to make progress. If we're going to spend a third of our retirement in Mexico, it certainly would be a good idea to learn the language and the culture a bit better! I've been playing around with Duolingo, and I just ordered a Kindle book of the history of the Mexican Revolution.

Here's to a happy and healthy 2014!