Response to Research

I watched two TED talks.  The one that spoke to me the most was Stuart Brown's talk on the importance of play in our lives.  Even as a Kindergarten teacher, I find myself having to work very hard (and at times, admittedly, to sacrifice curriculum) to maintain the level of play in my classroom that I know is so vitally important to my student's cognitive and social development.  Stuart Brown's talk was empowering and affirming.  A goal for years to come will be to harness my five-year-old students' natural tendency for play to help develop ways of making our curriculum even more engaging.

Response to Research

Ted Talks:  Synchrony in Nature:
At first, I wondered what this particular talk would have to do with education.  Then, as I watched the gorgeous videos on fish schooling and birds flocking and moving in synchrony, I realized that this is, on some level, what I try to achieve in my classroom through Responsive Classroom techniques and community building strategies and activities.  At some point in the year, I inevitably find myself sitting back and watching with amazement the synchrony that my students have achieved.  Certainly, depending on the year and the particular group, the level of synchrony varies.  However, this speaker got me thinking about how we are naturally attracted to one another and if we learn how to work together and respond to each other, a group of individuals are capable of "dancing" (learning) together in beautiful synchrony.