Notice, Listen, ask, think, discover

Blog entry #3, Friday afternoon December 21, 2012

Mrs. J is on a roll! Musing away…

My questions? Your questions? Our questions?

“We grow in the direction of the questions we are asking.”

Our questions grow from our ability to notice: to use all our senses

As we take in the world around us. The use of an idea-catcher notebook

Or cards is an excellent way to catch and remember what is

bombarding our senses and  proliferating the questions that arise. 

Consider the lessons in the following quotes:

            “Millions saw the apple fall, but Newton was the only one who’

            asked why.” –Bernard Barach

“Each thought that is welcomed and recorded is a nest egg, by the side of which more will be laid.” Thoreau

            Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought. – Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

kinds of questions, catching ideas

Blog entry December 21, 2012

THE LEARNING JOURNEY: Mrs. J’s ongoing musings…

More on questions and idea-catching;

From the book Poemcrazy by Susan G. Woolridge, p. 133

“Children naturally see and express things in a fresh way before we teach them the “right” way. When my children were little they said things like, “I have hands,” amazed by the discovery. (I remember a grade one student from many years ago, standing up for show-and-tell and  happily announcing, “I was born on my birthday!”.Mrs.J)

They were filled with questions. “What would happen if the moon burned?” or, “Can a fire burn a fire?” or, “Do bees pee?” or, “Are plants afraid of scissors?” and, “Do roots have minds?”.

       Poetry can bring me to the child-place where I begin to ask this kind of question, where I begin to discover the world all over again.”

Compare this quote to my last entry from the University dean (ADULT) who said, “I am not going to get answers unless I am asking the questions, and unless I am putting myself under the burden constantly to want to know why, or how.” Little children constantly want to know why and how; it is the adventure of learning for them, NOT a burden. And maybe they don’t need idea-catcher notebooks until they’ve been taught the ‘right’ way BECAUSE the world is full of ‘caught’ ideas; seeds that sprout questions (like the ones above) in listening minds.

“WE GROW IN THE DIRECTION OF OUR QUESTIONS.” Literally!

Questions,

From my child-place;

Discovered,

Again.

Yours in learning,

Mrs. J

The Learning Journey begins:catch ideas, ask questions,

Blog entry December 20, 2012

THE LEARNING JOURNEY: Mrs. J’s ongoing musings…

Regarding the importance of asking your own questions;

2 quotes to ponder:

1. From an article called “ Good Questions – spirituality, broadly speaking”, in island WORD magazine July/Aug 2012 by Ted Hicks: “…as one of my spiritual directors reminded me; we grow in the direction of the questions we are asking. It is good to live with questions and to work at refining the questions until we come up with a really good one to live towards. What ever your age and stage of life, I wonder what might be yours and who is a part of the circle…while you toss around the questions and listen for emerging answers? …  Perhaps the wisdom of age also teaches us that good questions in good company allow us to go on a very long and very deep journey without ever having to use stimulants or move an inch.”

2. From the book Write it Down, Make it Happen, by Henriette Anne Klauser, page 57. “ You are never going to get answers or creativity if you don’t ask the questions.” (And his -John Sexton’s, - dean of New York University Law school, question agenda comes from the ideas he ‘catches’ on his note cards.)

“I am not going to get answers unless I am asking the questions, and unless I am putting myself under the burden constantly to want to know why, or how. The cards (idea catchers!) force me to constantly be in a different kind of conversation with the community of people out there.”

       That conversation is action-oriented, leading him continually to ask the questions that challenge, that push toward the possible.” (Both himself and those he leads.)

Think of your idea-catcher notebook as a “suggestion-box for your brain”. Page 55

       I would love more great quotes on the importance of asking questions.

Free Write exercise from the book Poemcrazy

December 11, 2012
Assignment: Where do you feel most at home? Where do you come from?
Combine images and feelings.
by Mrs. J

Blackiston Valley
I take the turn off at Pass Creek, climb the short, sharp switchback; follow the road on the prairie side of the river, across from the golf course trimming the skirt of Crandell Mountain. I enjoy the wavy road that dips and lifts its way down past the beaver dam, then rises to a prairie grass carpeted with wild flowers and wind. The air changes to spicy pine; I inhale and am cleansed to my very pores.

The road curves gently left. I stop to take in the valley visually before focusing on the narrow physical road where prairie grass gives way to Aspen and pine as the road shoulders the deepening river canyon. It twists and dips and reappears at various distances giving me a lesson in perspective. It is a wide, bright valley; berry bushes sometimes hide bears. Mountain slopes tot he right are mostly red shale sandstone.

My spirit feels huge in this place. I sit on a rock and soar on the wind above the river to the mountain peaks. Soon I am ready to drive onward, north of Crandell now, deep into my valley. I drive, I stop, I feel: this place is part of my personal script - I am powerfully connected to the natural world  - why this place, in particular, feels like home I am not sure; I just know it does

Dec 5/12 Free Write Samples Importance of Words

Isaac Wood Age 11
Imagine a world without words…
We wouldn't know anything. We would probably not be here!
Words are bridges to new worlds but we need to learn how to
use them properly. Even one word can change the whole world. 
Words are like plants, we need to keep them healthy and green 
and growing till we have our own "Jack and the Beanstalk" so 
we can reach out enchanted kingdom of words. 

Jianna Hubbard age 12
Green
When I think of green the picture of Springtime buds that always turn to leaves come to my mind, 
or a green balloon floating the blue sky;
The thoughts in my  mind that seem to send off
The glow of green sparks,
Or the beauty of green lace on the bottom of my dress. 
And the smell of pine is always green,
The slimy frogs that I catch in the pond;
Or simply a grape;
When you make an 'o' with your mouth 
You get a green 'pop', 
It tastes so good it makes your day!

student editorials, voice, articulation,

October 25, 2012

Here are some pieces from my current writing group. I edited for audience. 

My writers are approaching that stage. The key here is to notice how strong their voices are and, most especially, their articulation skills. Enjoy!-Linda

Student Editorials: Westwind Alternate School Writing Class

East End Teacher – Linda Johnson

How do students see the world? Children have opinions that matter. Read and learn.

Patience

By Natalie Nelson

Age 11

If you have patience you do not freak out at your brothers and sisters when they do something bad to you. Say you do not want to do something that your mom and dad tells you to do.

You most likely argue with them, but sometimes they do not raise their voices. That is patience.

You have to have patience on long, long, long trips. I often have to have patience with my three brothers and I have to have patience with my friends. My parents are in their forties and they are still working on their patience and I am always working on my patience. If there was no patience fights and wars would be happening all the time.

I wish we could all have perfect patience. No one wants bad things. Patience will not make things perfect, but it will make things better. If you do not have patience all kids could turn out to be very, very, very mean.  

Honesty

By Sean Gold

Being honest is being completely true to your self and to friends. You must be completely honest in secret and in public to everyone no matter their size, age, color or gender.

If no one was honest the world would be a terrible place full of lying , stealing, killing, adultery, swearing and nobody would keep the Sabbath Day holy. There is already a lot of this. If the world doesn’t quit, your kids and their kids could end up even worse.

How to have a Happy Family

By Brinley Wilde age 9

A happy family helps, loves

and works things out.

A happy family forgives, shares

and has faith in each other.

A happy family trusts, helps out around the house

and plays together.

If you don’t have a happy family

You need to try these things,

And have a happy family.

  

Faith

By Jianna Hubbard Age 12

Faith is not seeing but simply believing.

I, as a 12 year old, think that we as people

in this world

don’t have enough faith,

For example you assure yourself that you have enough faith that will get A’s in all your school assignments.

You slack off, don’t try your best

And you get an F. There’s a second step in faith.

And that’s action. To have faith you have to act.

FAITH REQUIRES ACTION, that’s a saying that I really like.

Whenever you have faith ACT,

Have faith that this world and all the people in it

Will turn out Okay.

Get off your chair and ACT!

Example

By Isaac Wood age 11

Being an example is  not just showing people what to do, its YOUR actions, moves, words, etc.  That’s right, I’m talking to YOU! Being an example is people watching YOU and stuff you’re doing even when you don’t mean to, that means that you always have to behave.

We have many examples before us in many different ways like Elvis Presley, Michael Jordan, Martin Luther King, etc. Martin Luther King Jr. is a big example for writers like me. And when I say big I mean BIG. He was a talker. Martin went against racism and I’m glad he did because I’m brown skinned! When he spoke it was like the BIG Bang theory coming out of his words!

Mahatma Ghandi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world”. Being a good example is a good start to being one of the greatest people n the world.

Good luck!

Novel study blog notes

September 26, 2012

Novel study classes started last Wednesday and Thursday. I am sharing the book 'Mrs. Mike' with the Wednesday group.  It is based on the true story of Katherine Mary O'Fallon and RCMP sergeant Mike Flannigan and their experiences in the Alberta Frontier from 1907. Last week we met 16 year old Kathy on a train in a blizzard in Regina. We talked much about trains and how they opened up the west. Today we are visiting the Galt Train Museum and learning more about trains and our local history.

First thing we do in the learning journey is think about what we already know; we access our own prior knowledge. This was the focus as we discussed questions comparing Alberta of 1907 to Alberta 2012. We also questioned each other and explored what we already knew about trains. We all had a great amount of prior knowledge related to the term 'Chinook'; and a great understanding of how to dress when it is -30º.

Interest is strong when prior knowledge is accessed by questions based in the context of the learner.

The group that came Thursday joined in a discussion about the origin of the Canada Maple Leaf flag.
More later....