Educators as Designers

I've always had a deep fascination for what was aesthetically beautiful for the eyes and pleasing for the mind. Design has always mattered for me, and it has guided me personally and professionally as a principle of good living an a people connector. I've always believed in its engagement power. And unconsciously I understood that through design, you could express to a group a sense of belonging, being part of a community with shared values.

I remember that from the start of my role as an Ed Tech Supervisor how I'd worry about the simple things, starting from a well-design poster inviting teachers for professional development opportunity. I felt that through design, I could show in a way that I cared for them and that I valued their presence in our training sessions. It was not just a simple announcement on the wall, but a call for action, for meaning and connections, and all of that had to be transmitted visually.

When I think of design, though, it is not only about its aesthetics aspects. Instructional design has permeated my role as an educator. Again, when we are aware of the power of certain rules of good practices and processes, learning sticks, the experience of constructing new knowledge holds meaning, engagement, excitement. It takes the learner to the next level, where he/she feels the thrill of experiencing that urge to move forward, to keep learning.

It is also through instructional design that an educator builds community, makes a tribe thrive as a group, considers effective instruction for differentiated learning. If

If, when we make our lesson plans, we start seeing ourselves less of teachers, but more as designers of experiences through creation and exploration with our learners, then we transform the way we teach and learn. We will then realize:

- the meaning of flow from one activity to the other;
- the need for blank spaces to leave room for creation, questioning, experimenting,; and not cramming one activity after another with no space for thinking or wondering:
- the power of a carefully planned lesson with a variety of activities that engage and not bore, but letting serendipity and surprise have their role in the learning process;
- the significance of considering your audience and its specificities to design experiences that make sense and bring on board layers of knowledge construction that are solid, meaningful, and long-lasting.

When we think os ourselves as Designers of learning experiences, we are enhancing the art of possibility and wonder. We become the catalysts of the so-desired change in our classroom microcosmos.

Some Bags Away - Living a Better Life in 2013

How about starting 2013 lighter, getting rid of things that have passed by,
that are out of fashion, that don't do us any good.
How about starting the year of 2013 cleaning up,
feeling a sense of detachment from small things for bigger deeds,
donating for the needy ones, for example.
How about starting 2013 decluttering to leave room for renovation, well-being and new things and experiences  in our lives?
I dare you to give it a try. I certainly will.

What's your Trademark?

Nice chat yesterday evening with my sister. She was talking about how great she feels right now, taking charge of her own life, with new projects, good bank account balance, and all, and how she has this accomplishment feeling after her coming back to Brazil, having lived for so many years in Boston.

As we progressed in our conversation, and it is always soul talking for hours in a row, my sister mentioned one dinner she had with her partner and a friend, and, all of a sudden, after her partner mentioned how hard it would be for her to have graduated and be unemployed, there was this unsettling question to her, "What's your trademark, anyhow?" The tone was one of disbelief. After all, my sister was not a lawyer, an engineer or a doctor... Justine wittily answered that her trademark was herself. At that point, it was just a way to give an end to what could have become an embarrassing moment of dinner table discussion in front of a guest. However, Justine has come full circle, with an enlightened understanding that exactly at this point her TRADEMARK is really HERSELF, clearly stated in her well-designed business card.

This revelation got me thinking about this whole issue of our trademark, identity, personal and professional lives. Have you ever thought of what your TRADEMARK is? What makes you unique as an educator, a professional, for example? What do you bring with you when you enter your classroom that it is part of who you are, what you believe in? How do you express yourself in very singular, incomparable ways? If you asked your students or co-workers what they think your TRADEMARK is, what do you think they'd say about you? Would it be more related to credentials, formal education, expertise, or would it be more on your expression uniqueness, how you connect to others and help them connect the dots?

So, here's my challenge for you: get a piece of paper, your notes app, whatever. Write in big capital letters MY TRADEMARK, and jot down your ideas on what makes your trademark.

The next time, you doubt about your skills, ability to go beyond, your worthiness, make sure you remember who you are and what your trademark is. The next time someone doubts your own capacity, remind yourself of your uniqueness. Whenever outer forces want to push you down,  keep your spirit strong, breathe, face things up, having your distinguished, exclusive self in high gear. Keep moving, cultivating your uniqueness.

Remember, your trademark is yourself. 

Post-itING - Make Post-Its a Living Learning Object in your Classroom

Think of three ways of using post-its in your classroom to enhance learning.

Write them down in three different post-its. Then, try to come up with two more ideas based on the first three ones and add them just below the three first ideas.

Do you feel how they can come alive for learning?

So, how about starting a post-itING movement. Adding the idea of action and movement to very special, gluing pieces of paper?

What if you took this idea to the teachers' room and shared it with your colleagues, challenging them to keep adding more ideas to the three original ones? Endless possibilities, right? And if you try it, how about adding in the comment area your ideas or an image with your post-its coming to life?

For inspiration, check these 7 ideas to transform Post-Its into learning centers.

Can't wait to see what you come up with!

A Professional Life Changer - Welcome to The Electronic Village Online

This is a video I prepared especially for Moldovan teachers about the Electronic Village Online, which is dear to my heart. By taking part of it, I've become the professional and person I am today.EVO shaped my view of education, interaction, and online learning. It taught me about openness and network generosity.




Here's a post I wrote about EVO: http://www.teachingvillage.org/2012/01/02/come-join-the-electronic-village-online-by-carla-arena/

In December, the Call for Participation for EVO 2013 will be available at http://evosessions.pbworks.com

Choose your EVO session and join us in January 2013.

If you have any questions about EVO, just leave a comment and I'll be more than glad to keep the conversation going.

On Our Vulnerability and Strengths

Today I don't want to talk specifically about the classroom, our teaching practices or ideas for our academic world. I 'm with this thought marinading over and over for the past days, and it all came to full circle this morning after watching and feeling deeply touched by researcher Brene Brown. The main point of her talk with Jonathan Fields was about understanding our own stories and putting vulnerability and fail into perspective. There are just so many powerful ideas and thoughts in this video...

Only those who are able to put themselves out there in a state of emergence and a bit of trust in themselves, even if it means to be in a position of vulnerability, will  be able to add value to every endeavor they pursue in their lives. Only when we let ourselves say that, "I don't know, but just let's  give it a try", will we get to something bigger and probably above us, something with true meaning, innovative, inspiring. We, Brazilians, come from a very rooted catholic ethos in which we need to be humble, and whenever we do something good and people praise us, it is unholy to fill up our breasts in pride of our achievements. Generally, we do the opposite, we hide our greatest conquers into diminishing their true value, saying, "Oh, no. It was nothing. Oh, no I did nothing." How many times have we hidden ourselves into inaction just because we just didn't have a little faith in our own skills and knowledge and talents, considering the others around us to be the most competent, the most suitable for that job or position, the most qualified professional we know? How about us? Don't we have anything worth it? I know many very talented people and professionals who would answer no, thinking that they are just ordinary people, when, in truth, they are a treasure box of genius. 

Our main challenge, then, is to inhabit our own world and take action, having the guts to seek a meaningful, whole-hearted life that feels fulfilling. As Brené Brown says, it is really sad when the world misses the chance to engage with people because they've just decided to be part of the audience, sitting in the breach, observing the crowd, but not taking the risk to be out there. 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ethanhein/2244280317

As teachers, we are more lenient to the vulnerability scale, for we put ourselves out there every single day, but, are we really doing that or just faking it through the same old safe routines, same beginning, middle and end? It is about time we started taking a certain number of risks and letting our learners perceive our imperfections not as flaws, but as spaces for collective explorations and growth. 

Vulnerability. Action. Emergence. That's what we should be considering right now to bring the best of us to the ones whom we care for, for a better world. So, can you shamelessly name five of your strengths and with a prevailing trust that, yes, we are good at something that is worth sharing with others? Can you do something to your life that will impact positively on how you live with your life and how you connect to the ones around you?

On the Ed Tech Radar - Online Moderation Learni.st

I've just had a very enjoyable time, looking through resources and exploring Learni.st, a powerful curatorial tool for educators. It is like "Pinterest for Educators", but the layout is cleaner and it has more sharing capability. Plus, it can become a very interesting way to encourage students' autonomy, giving them choice to go through the resources in a linear or non-linear way. The comment feature can also be used for threaded discussions on a certain topic. Added to all that, you can also have a collaborative board in which all the members share their resources.

What a digital treasure this is!

And here's a board you might find useful. It is about Online Moderation (loved the embed code!)





Join me in Learni.st to share, connect and innovate.

Edit Teaching - Homework

Oh, this is a very touchy aspect of our teaching...


When have we innovated in homework assignments? We generally have the same language structure for homework instructions, "do pages x and z, ex. A, B and C for next class".

In our edit teaching mode, what if we did it differently for a change?

Some ideas:

• Ask your students how they could practice what they've learned and make a list on the board; decide as a group for two or three options the students can choose from. Give choices!

• Find exciting ways in which students can practice, but still have fun and create things, not just reproduce! Here's an article I wrote a while ago for the Young Learners and Teens IATEFL SIG that can give you some clues. 

• Create a google docs with a situation (based on the topic or language structure the students have been studying) and invite students to add their thoughts, sentences, solutions, images. Make it a learning mosaic. 

• From time to time, include parents and family members as part of the homework carrying out. It must be something simple and enjoyable for the family. Check this article. 

How about moving from boredom to creation, engagement and a smile in our students' faces?

Any other ideas to shake the homework world and still make it meaningful and effective?


Other ideas for small changes in the classroom:

#editteaching 1: Music Playlist 
#editteaching 2: Box
#editteaching 3: Color
#editteaching 4: Dice
#editteaching 5: Word Harvesting

Edit Teaching - Cards

Today I observed a sample class and was just reminded about the many uses we can have for a deck of cards. 


How about using them to add some movement to your class? Just by handing out one single card to each student, you make an eye brow raise. Students are immediately hooked.

What can you do with the cards?

• Use them for pair work and group work. Group students according to the numbers, color or suits (clubs, diamonds, hearts and spades)
• You can use the cards throughout the class to regroup the students in different ways
• You can ask the students to add up the numbers they've got in their cards and make a list of XXX (according to the topic of the unit) that needs to have XXX number of items based on the addition they've got. So, for example, if they got 10 summing up all the card numbers in the group, they will write 10 things in their list.
• Use the number the students have in their cards to ask them about personal things: tell me XXX places you'd like to travel to; give me XXX names of people who inspire you; list XXX things you don't want to do today; 

Can you think of other ways to use cards in the classroom?



Other ideas for the small changes in your classroom:


#editteaching - Day 1: Music Playlist 
#editteaching - Day 2: Box
#editteaching - Day 3: Color
#editteaching - Day 4: Dice
#editteaching - Day 5: Word Harvesting

Edit Teaching - Word Harvesting

Did you roll the dice?

How about ending your class differently this time? Before it starts, post a lot of random words around the classroom. You can even ask your students to help you. Let curiosity mount! And make it a kinesthetic moment of your teaching hour.

In the last 5/10 minutes of your class, invite students for a WORD HARVESTING. They may pick and choose any word and as many words they want from the classroom walls. Then, give them 1 minute to write their life motto using the words they chose. They hand it in to you.

Hummm. This might work wonders and you can even use it for another class.


Previous #editingteaching ideas:

#editteaching - Day 1: Music Playlist 
#editteaching - Day 2: Box
#editteaching - Day 3: Color
#editteaching - Day 4: Dice