Visibility of eTwinning Projects Group July 2012 Newsletter
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looking at it;
Teachers are elastic – Physics cannot
explain it, but teachers are constantly
stretching themselves to do everything a
crazy classroom requires: active methods,
differentiated instruction, doing mountains
of paperwork in a couple of hours, holding
parent-teacher meetings with a smile on
your face even if disaster approaches,
researching ever newer teaching tools and
techniques, and much more;
Teachers can start fires – it is the spark of
learning;
Teachers are super patient, really;
Each teacher is equipped with a hammer
like Thor, and knows how and when to use
it – this is simply called ‘keeping discipline’,
and you are not afraid to bring down the
hammer when necessary;
Teachers can deflect distractors – that is,
students who try to get you off topic;
Teachers are able to create force fields
around classrooms – a safe, protective
classroom environment that welcomes
students, no matter what they experience
outside the classroom’s doors.
To all these, we added some more, but first let me
tell you that what ignited us was the understanding
that we needed to have a strategy.
At first, at the beginning of our voyage, we were all
rather confused, with all our super powers, and
what helped us to move on was grasping the fact
that strategy-making was most of the times for
most people in most situations about confused
individuals eventually reaching common ground. So
it was like creating a safari park.
Another metaphor here: the fenced territory – a
common framework for everybody, teachers and
students involved, simultaneously allowing for
various degrees of freedom. And in this safari park
collaboration stepped in. Living and working
nowadays require us to handle a lot of information,
which is really beyond what we can manage alone.
Therefore working in teams becomes crucial to
accomplish many tasks in less time and with more
effectiveness.
Collaboration does work. There are countless
success stories based on collaboration: The Beatles
in music, Apple and Microsoft in corporate giants,
the Wrights brothers in inventions, Warner Bros in
entertainment.
It is not about competition, but about contributing –
there are no losers or winners, only successful
relationships, enhanced skills and group outputs. It
was like that for us too.
There was tension as well at times, just the right
amount to get lots done. We ended up by adding up
4 more super powers:
First, the power of listening – genuine and fruitful
relationships are built when the conversational
space is filled with everybody’s thoughts and
concerns, so we have practiced this power of
listening a lot.
One more super power is the power of empathy –
trying to see beyond one’s own agenda.
Third come ́ѡ