5(ish) important points made by Sal Khan in this chapter:

1. There are no perfect learners. This “less-than-tidy reality” reminds us that everyone has gaps or lapses in learning (pg. 54).
2. Neuroscience tells us that everyone has the ability to go back and revisit concepts as well as try to actively apply the concepts to a new context.
   a. Revisiting content results in creating and strengthening the neural pathways in our brains. See Michelle’s thoughts in the previous post (Step for Learning #1: Practice, practice we’re not done).
3. Who is going to take the initiative and responsibility for seeing gaps and conducting reviews of past material to correct them? The students (pg. 55).
4. There are two essential aids to engage students in active ownership over their learning.
   a. Portability – brought to you by the Internet and personal computers. Students should be given the freedom to determine where and when the learning will occur. This allows us to learn in accordance with our own personal rhythms and therefore most efficiently.
   b. Self-pacing – give individual students control over the tempo at which they learn material. In a one-size-fits-few model some students become bored and zone out possibly becoming discipline problems and students who need more time will be left behind (pg. 57).
   c. Both of these aids need one more resource – easy and ongoing access to the lessons that have come before (which Internet-based learning provides).
5. “Nurturing a sense of wonder should be education’s highest goal; failing to nurture it is the central tragedy of our current system.” (pg. 58).

4 of my own thoughts:

1. Everyday I see students at Kipling take control of their own learning. Through Khan Academy, student-created book club calendars, flexible seating, the structures of writing workshop, individualized checklists, student reported progress and proficiency and more – our inspiring staff is engaging students in active ownership of learning.
2. I am fortunate to work in a resource-rich environment that enables students to practice these important skills on one-to-one devices.
3. Sometimes I need to be nicer to myself when I make mistakes, have gaps or lapses in knowledge or need to change the tempo in my learning.
4. I need to do a better job at making my curiosity and wonder visible and remember to ask why.

3 lingering questions:

1. Are we creating a culture in which all learners feel comfortable making mistakes and identifying gaps or lapses in their own knowledge?
2. What metacognitive strategies to do we need to practice so that students can successfully identify the where, when and tempo of their learning?
3. How do we navigate the currently available Internet-based resources?

2 outside connections:

1. Kristine Mraz, author of A Mindset for Learning.
2. Daniel Pink, author of Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us.

1 quote:

“The teacher cannot be the tow truck that drags a child through each standard, even if it gets him there faster, but the teacher can be the gas station attendant or roadside assistant that provides fuel, feedback and a reassuring pat on the back so the child can get there on his own…and keep going.” Christine Hertz & Kristine Mraz