I recently spent a couple of days leading seminars and workshops. At the start of each workshop I would tell the participants, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I want to begin by telling you what I tell my students at the start of my courses and each lecture: \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcDon\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t take notes. It won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t help you.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00e2\u20ac\u009d That usually results in two reactions: laughter from most (those who know what happens to most of those notes we take at conferences once we get home), and a moan from a few others (those who will have trouble letting go of how they were trained to listen to a teacher in class). <\/p>\n
It seems most people still cannot discern the difference between information and knowledge. Most workshop participants will scribble away trying to capture word-for-word everything the speaker says. It can become a matter of information going from the speaker or teacher\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s notes to the student\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s notes while bypassing the brain in the process. My comment, and challenge, about not taking notes is an attempt to help the participants \u00e2\u20ac\u0153learn how to learn\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in the context of the workshop. Writing down information is not equivalent to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153learning.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Thinking about the information, asking questions, writing down an insight or a question, comes closer to learning than note-taking. <\/p>\n
An important part of teaching is \u00e2\u20ac\u0153helping learners learn how to learn.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Here is a clip of Tony Buzan,<\/a> better known for the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153mindmapping\u00e2\u20ac\u009d technique he has popularized and developed, on \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Teaching HOW to learn.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d The clip focuses on creativity vs. the curriculum. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s worth watching and may challenge your thinking on what it means to really<\/i> teach. <\/p>\n I recently spent a couple of days leading seminars and workshops. At the start of each workshop I would tell the participants, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I want to begin by telling you what I tell my students at the start of my courses … Continue reading 
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"