Week One, Things 1 and 2: Life Long Learning

I really have always considered myself a lifelong learner. This seems to be common for teachers. Whether it is learning curriculum or new methods to employ in the classroom, teachers are always learning new things.  This would seem only natural for a profession that works to instill curiosity and love-of-learning in their students.  

In my high school studies, as well as undergrad work, I had always enjoyed learning.  In fact, my issue tends to be maintaining focus.  Often times I will be working on a particular project or assignment that will trigger an interest or something I am curious about. This leads me to new paths and new discoveries, some that are far away from my original goal.  But I figure this is a problem I can deal with.  I am not lacking for curiosity or a willingness to try new things.  In fact, for the last two years, I have enrolled in tap dance lessons just because I had always wanted to learn.  This was the same with the pipe organ. Neither of these of led to full-time hobbies, but they have expanded my skill sets and have given me new experiences.

Of the habits mentioned in the slideshow, the one that is the strongest for me is my ability to begin with an end in mind.  As I started my masters program I was especially concerned about being able to establish deadlines outside of a physical classroom.  Would I be able to keep up with the work, while working full time?  As I found out, setting goals for nightly work, as well as long term projects, helped me stay on track.  So far, I have been able to look at the week and semester ahead, and make goals for completion.  They may not always be met, but this has helped me manage the learning and set a purposeful context that provides motivation.

However, I sometimes struggle with viewing problems as challenges.  I do love a good challenge but when there is a hiccup, it only seems like it is an inconvenience.  This may also point to my hesitation to ask questions (Habit #2: Accepting responsibility).  I would prefer  to come up with the answer on my own instead, but I have learned that sometimes that isn't possible.  A simple perspective adjustment from problem to challenge, will help me approach each "challenge" in a more appropriate way. 

But how about our students? How do we encourage them to be life long learners?  I am convinced they will always have the information at their finger tips, but they may just need the motivation to get there.  So as I start a new year of teaching 6th graders, I need to consider how I can inspire this type of curiosity.  How can I use the technology already at my disposal to help along a new generation of lifelong learners?