A New Culture of Teaching and Learning


What did Mark Twain say was the most difficult month of the year?

December, followed closely by September, March, May, November, January, April, June, October, July, etc.....in short, all of them. His point was that there is no time that is really "easy."

I think of this anecdote as I confront the end of another semester at my university and a new one looms just around the corner, as my youngest daughter Billie ends another school year and is about to embark on a new one, and as the years keep roaring on  --- 2010 soon to be replaced by 2011.

Then I reflect on my many roles, as an educator, father, mentor, learner, guide, facilitator, presenter, listener, workshop participant, blogger, Facebook friend, traveler.....it all becomes a bit overwhelming at times.

That's why it is a great pleasure to find a video/lecture such as this one. In the video, Philip Tae, a professor of physics at Northwestern University, offers insights on the age-old problem of how to best make public education effective. Grades, cramped classrooms, fixed desks, giant lectures, antiquated notions of what it means to teach and learn, all of these are creatively addressed by Dr. Tae, presented in a way that is as innovative as his latest skateboard trick. Check it out and see what I mean!


Dr. Tae — Building A New Culture Of Teaching And Learning from Dr. Tae on Vimeo.