What is learning, a process or an outcome

In response to a question, "What is learning, a process or an outcome", I got this response, copied verbatim, from one of my ex secondary school students. Made me proud that she would give such a thoughtful response. Hi Peter, Kelly D***** commented on your post. Kelly wrote "well, the fact uve used the word 'learning' surely means that we're speaking in present tense which would signify that ure still within the process. if we've 'learnt/learned' something, then that to me would show an end result of some sort which could be seen as an outcome. that said, we have learned all sorts throughout our lives but i dont believe that means that we're not still able to learn something new about these same subjects or matters. u learn to drive, obtain ur licence as proof that u have a sufficient amount of knowledge about driving but each day u can learn something new about the art of operating a car...even many years down the line. i think if u think u know all there is to know on any one particular subject, uve closed ur mind to learning more and personally, i think there's always more therefore, in answer to ur question, after all of the above lol, a 'process' would probably be the best way to describe what it is to learn."

Yeah, more tests, please.

I have to say that I hoped this was/is true. I used to give more tests than the average teacher in the UK. Certainly in the schools I taught physics in. I just felt, rather than knew, that it was good - for physics learning. I used as wide a variety of testing as I could. Short, ten question tests, half termly exam practice questions etc.

What is your view about testing, given this evidence?

Twitter for homework

For teachers: You can give out homework at the end of the lesson and trust that students write it down and write it correctly. Takes time for them to do that.

Could you use this time more profitably? And still set homework?

Perhaps you want a little time to think of the best homework to set and to invent it at the end of the lesson is not the best way to set an appropriate homework.

Perhaps you have homework already mapped out for the whole term. Perhaps not.

Have you thought of emailing homework to all your students? A bit of a pain as you have to keep their email addresses up to date.

What about using Twitter?

Yes, students have to log onto Twitter to receive the homework but that has advantages.

Advantage 1 - You can include links to web pages and other resources in the Tweet.

Advantage 2 - You have to compress the homework to 140 characters. You have to think about that.

Advantage 3 - Students HAVE to seek out the homework. They have to be motivated to do this and we know that intrinsic motivation is better than extrinsic for creative work. See "Drive" by Daniel Pink.

Advantage 4 - You set homework once, and don't have to think about email addresses at all. All students need is a Twitter address to look for the homework. (You know that you can have more than one Twitter address - see, for example, Hootsuite which can manage more than one Twitter name)

For me all of these are good but advantages 3 and 4 are the most attractive.

.

Blog post automatically reposted to Twitter

Have you tried dlvr.it yet? Seems to work. This post stared life as a post in Blogger and will, I hope, appear in Twitter, soon.

Last test

Can it do text above the pic and...

Test of pic and text

Does this post both to my blog?

Oooh... It works! Great stuff.

Oooh... It works! Great stuff.

Now, how can I send a picture with text?

Sent from my iPhone
ManYana Education
www.manyanaeducation.co.uk
Building Tomorrow, Today

Just a test to see if I can email this to my blog from noted on my lovely, new iPhone.

Just a test to see if I can email this to my blog from noted on my
lovely, new iPhone.

Sent from my iPhone
ManYana Education
www.manyanaeducation.co.uk
Building Tomorrow, Today

What has this to do with coaching?

Quick Blog - an iPhone app I just discovered for making quick blog updates

What else is there to say. Just check it works.

More on Twitter for teachers

Twitter for Teachers

This post will be a list. I like lists. Easy to write...

As a teacher you should be on Twitter because:

• It is a communication device and teaching is about communication

• Your students may well be on Twitter and it is good to know what they know
  
  
• Other teachers from your school may be on Twitter
  
  
• Teachers from other schools may be on Twitter
  
  
• Teachers from other schools in other countries may be on Twitter
  
  
• You converse with the ideas not with the person. The teacher you may be following (Twitter term for reading their posts) may be an NQT, or an Ex Headteacher, or me! You can think about the idea, not the personality.
  
  
• You can say something dumb and it does not stick. You can ask the "silly" question you would never ask, face to face. "How do you use KS3 results to estimate GCSE results?"
  
  
• You can create a network of folk you enjoy communicating with. You also then can link with their network. This can get a bit big!!
  
  
• You can unfollow someone. They don't Tweet stuff that interests you, so you just click unfollow. Happens all the time.
  
  
• You can ask for help, advice, or just ideas.
  
  
• You only have 140 characters, including spaces so you have to encapsulate your idea. A good skill.
  
  
• You can try out a wacky idea and see what happens.
  
  
• You can repost, retweet, someone else's interesting idea, or resource, or website link.
  
  
• You can attach a link to a picture. (To show what you had for breakfast)
  
  

There are many more ideas and reasons for teacher to Twitter.

If you sign up to Twitter and you want someone gentle to follow then I post as @peterbbb1

Hope to see you there, sometime. Hello, Jess. Want to lie down on my arm again?

Twitter for Teachers

Twitter, a micro-blogging service.

I have been using Twitter for less than a year now and I was quite suspicious and not convinced that it would be at all useful. One of my ex colleagues said, "You on Twitter! That's for celebrities to say what they had for breakfast".

That is true but with Twitter you choose who to listen to and who to talk to. If you want to know what someone calling themselves Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie, had for breakfast, you can. I don't make that choice.

I prefer to link up, read the Tweets, you I know it is twee, of folk who seem to me have something to offer.

As the cat, Jess, is now lying on my hand on the keyboard I will stop and when she gets off, what a life our cats have, I'll add another blog. I want to explore why teachers might want to use Twitter.

Back in a while. Sometimes she sleeps for an hour...

What behaviour bugs you the most?

As a teacher what student behaviour is most annoying? Is it the same as the most difficult to deal with?

What annoys you most? Inattentiveness? Off task? Talking? Slowness?

Tell me. Please.

Twitter is good. Use @peterbbb1