Comments for Azinger Again http://azingeragain.wordpress.com Getting e-dirt under my real fingernails Wed, 02 Sep 2009 03:22:35 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 Comment on Reach out and collaborate with someone by Pam http://azingeragain.wordpress.com/2009/09/01/reach-out-and-collaborate-with-someone/#comment-21 Pam Wed, 02 Sep 2009 03:22:35 +0000 http://azingeragain.wordpress.com/?p=90#comment-21 What truth you write! I often feel a slave to my cell phone and have to admit, this past week at my sister's home high in the hills of Aptos, Ca I savored the fact that my cell phone did not work there. In fact, I was forced =] to turn it off. Otherwise, the poor thing quickly wore down the battery searching and searching for service until it simply shut itself off. My adult children exclaimed, "How does she LIVE?" yet I secretly rejoiced. She has an old fashioned landline but for some reason it simply didn't ring frequently. It seemed appropriate there among the beauty of the surrounding forest and wildlife - and her grief at the loss of her husband. At home and work I do appreciate the convenience cell phones and Internet connections provide. But like you, I'm glad for now that I still "get to decide when I want to be online, and when I want to leave online behind". What truth you write! I often feel a slave to my cell phone and have to admit, this past week at my sister’s home high in the hills of Aptos, Ca I savored the fact that my cell phone did not work there. In fact, I was forced =] to turn it off. Otherwise, the poor thing quickly wore down the battery searching and searching for service until it simply shut itself off. My adult children exclaimed, “How does she LIVE?” yet I secretly rejoiced. She has an old fashioned landline but for some reason it simply didn’t ring frequently. It seemed appropriate there among the beauty of the surrounding forest and wildlife – and her grief at the loss of her husband.

At home and work I do appreciate the convenience cell phones and Internet connections provide. But like you, I’m glad for now that I still “get to decide when I want to be online, and when I want to leave online behind”.

]]> Comment on I know kung-fu by Vanna http://azingeragain.wordpress.com/2009/08/30/i-know-kung-fu/#comment-19 Vanna Mon, 31 Aug 2009 01:29:55 +0000 http://azingeragain.wordpress.com/?p=85#comment-19 Luke, For me, the strongest educators are those who feel a sense of community in their teaching. As I read your post, I was reminded of how critical it is for us as educators to establish a relationship (some good, some bad) with our students in order to challenge them to be more than they thought they could be and for them to challenge us. I imagine that at some point you may have come across the work of Vygotsky (Zone of Proximal Development) and I always think that this is how we get students beyond their zone - by building relationships of trust and respect. I'm talking a little about Clay Shirkey this week - so feel free to chime in during class! Luke,

For me, the strongest educators are those who feel a sense of community in their teaching. As I read your post, I was reminded of how critical it is for us as educators to establish a relationship (some good, some bad) with our students in order to challenge them to be more than they thought they could be and for them to challenge us. I imagine that at some point you may have come across the work of Vygotsky (Zone of Proximal Development) and I always think that this is how we get students beyond their zone – by building relationships of trust and respect. I’m talking a little about Clay Shirkey this week – so feel free to chime in during class!

]]> Comment on I’ve been rubricized by Brendan Chambers http://azingeragain.wordpress.com/2008/11/17/ive-been-rubricized/#comment-18 Brendan Chambers Sat, 22 Nov 2008 23:59:10 +0000 http://azingeragain.wordpress.com/?p=66#comment-18 Luke, As always, you impress me with your writing. As I read your blogs and reflections I'm always pressed to want to write back and say, "THIS EXACTLY HOW I FEEL!", though that sounds clingy and a little pathetic as someone who should be more reflective than mere attempts to impress my colleagues, but still, well done. As for your colleagues looking to implement a series of bullet expectations at the onslaught of every assignment to ensure students are fulfilling all aspects of an assignment, that is something that fits well into the mode of math, science, and the other aspects of school that provide a right answer. I know in our department we have avoided setting up assignments in that format (mainly because of my boss and our head of curriculum for our district) and instead start a prompt with a series of questions that allow the student to come to their own meaning regarding the assignment's expectations. Not that we don't talk explicitly about what a clear, specific, argumentative claim looks like but instead a prompt might start out with a series of reflective questions. For instance, the following prompt is one of three prompts we give our sophomores during their reading of Night: "3. In Night, Elie undergoes a serious transition from a devout Jew to an adult whose faith in God is “murdered” after his experiences in the concentration camps. How and why does this transition occur? As you write, consider how Elie’s loss of faith directly relates to human nature. In other words, what does Elie’s story indicate about the relationship between faith, traumatic experiences, and the way religious individuals respond to the trauma?" I admit, however, that when I am writing something (particularly for my co-taught freshman... half of the class being special ed) I will invariably go to a checklist of requirements, because I know that helps them fulfill the assignment. I am guilty. And I know that, while they may be hitting every component of that checklist, real thinking, constructivist-type of learning, isn't happening unless we open them up to explore multiple answers, not just the one answer we are asking for. Sorry to write so long, but you have some great thoughts. Congrats on getting the paper done and on the positive responses, I'll look at it before the weekend's over for some inspiration and guidance. Take care, Brendan Luke,
As always, you impress me with your writing. As I read your blogs and reflections I’m always pressed to want to write back and say, “THIS EXACTLY HOW I FEEL!”, though that sounds clingy and a little pathetic as someone who should be more reflective than mere attempts to impress my colleagues, but still, well done.
As for your colleagues looking to implement a series of bullet expectations at the onslaught of every assignment to ensure students are fulfilling all aspects of an assignment, that is something that fits well into the mode of math, science, and the other aspects of school that provide a right answer. I know in our department we have avoided setting up assignments in that format (mainly because of my boss and our head of curriculum for our district) and instead start a prompt with a series of questions that allow the student to come to their own meaning regarding the assignment’s expectations. Not that we don’t talk explicitly about what a clear, specific, argumentative claim looks like but instead a prompt might start out with a series of reflective questions.
For instance, the following prompt is one of three prompts we give our sophomores during their reading of Night:
“3. In Night, Elie undergoes a serious transition from a devout Jew to an adult whose faith in God is “murdered” after his experiences in the concentration camps. How and why does this transition occur? As you write, consider how Elie’s loss of faith directly relates to human nature. In other words, what does Elie’s story indicate about the relationship between faith, traumatic experiences, and the way religious individuals respond to the trauma?”

I admit, however, that when I am writing something (particularly for my co-taught freshman… half of the class being special ed) I will invariably go to a checklist of requirements, because I know that helps them fulfill the assignment. I am guilty. And I know that, while they may be hitting every component of that checklist, real thinking, constructivist-type of learning, isn’t happening unless we open them up to explore multiple answers, not just the one answer we are asking for.

Sorry to write so long, but you have some great thoughts.
Congrats on getting the paper done and on the positive responses, I’ll look at it before the weekend’s over for some inspiration and guidance.

Take care,

Brendan

]]> Comment on The Orientation Express by Jinhee http://azingeragain.wordpress.com/2008/06/11/the-orientation-express/#comment-2 Jinhee Fri, 13 Jun 2008 17:25:28 +0000 http://azingeragain.wordpress.com/?p=3#comment-2 Luke, you seem to enjoy blogging already. By the way, we were happy to have you all on campus on Monday as well. Luke, you seem to enjoy blogging already. By the way, we were happy to have you all on campus on Monday as well.

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