Week 2 - Things 3 & 4

Regarding the 7 1/2 Habits, the most challenging habit for me is to see problems as challenges. It could be due to the fact for the past two years I served as president of our education association. If the phone rang - it was a problem I had to deal with, not a challenge. The challenge was juggling all of the balls that were thrown at me for those two years besides doing the regular day job of being a middle school librarian. But, big sigh of relief, my term is complete which will allow me to catch up and refine what Web 2.0 skills I learned on the fly.

The easiest habit is to begin with the end in mind. It might be because I have become a bit of a nag at school about Wiggins and McTighe's Understanding by Design model by asking teachers the question that causes great consternation "What is it you want the students to know and be able to do when they have..." Fill in the blanks there with some of the projects you've seen over the years - the ABC book, the state/president/country report, etc. - busywork and very little learning for the students. Here is a link to another blog posting a contest of projects that have been assigned.

http://www.dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2008/05/contest-dismayi.html

So, even if it is a lesson I design or renovate a room, I have a picture in my mind's eye of what I want. Does it always happen? Nope, still working on the long, lean legs.