Sunday, January 1, 2012

20 Quotes About Learning That Inspired Me in 2011 From My Personal Learning Network

A well formed quote, like a picture, is a great method for painting detailed concepts. 


Each year I do my best to capture quotes that were impactful to me that year. 


This year I am sharing another compilation of quotes and concepts I have collected over the past year from my personal learning network.  These are people that I have had direct contact with either face-to-face or through the use of social media.  I feel fortunate and am grateful to be inspired by so many people that are in my world, so this year, I share with you, quotes from these remarkable individuals.
  1. Teaching is listening, learning is talking. -@DebMeier Deborah Meier
  2. The little learning machines who learn to walk by walking and talk by talking also learn to read by reading and write by writing.
    -Linda Dobson
  3. If it wasn't for the last minute, nothing would get done.
    -@
    Rmart73 Robert Martinez
  4. It is nature's intent that children of all ages live and learn in freedom and joy, through play and by following their own interests and passions. -@LaurieACouture Laurie A. Couture 
  5. Being "Schooled" and being "Educated" are not the same thing.
    -@mbteach Mary Beth Hertz
  6. We can do so much better than 'no child left behind' - we can get to EVERY child shines!
    -
    Mariaemma Pelullo-Willis
  7. The simple fact that a learning achievement is measurable doesn't make it relevant.
    -@
    lexhupe Lex Hupe
  8. Don't look for errors in your learning, look for learning in your errors.
    -inspired by @
    mrmacraild Ryan MacRaild
  9. What I want from my kids’ school is to help me identify what they love, what their strengths are, and then help them create their own paths to mastery of their passions. Stop spending so much time focusing on subjects or courses that 'they need for college' but don’t interest them in the least. Help them become learners who will be able to find and make good use of the knowledge that they need when they need it, whether that means finding an answer online or taking a college course to deepen their understanding. And finally, prepare them to create their own credentials that will powerfully display their capabilities, passions and potentials.
    -@WillRich Will Richardson
  10. It continues to amaze me that many folks are still blindly handing over their children, with absolute trust and without pause, to a system that doesn't even pretend to provide a beneficial educational experience anymore.-@TheUnpluggedMom Laurette Lynn
  11. Textbooks invariably include a little bit of everything and a thoughtful treatment of nothing. It can safely be said that any course consisting mostly of reading a textbook, chapter by chapter, is a course worth avoiding.
    -@
    alfiekohn Alfie Kohn
  12. Home-based education is not an experiment. It's how people learned to function in the world for centuries. And there is no reason to think people today can't do the same thing. School is the experiment, not the lack of it, and the experiment is in trouble.
    -
    Wendy Priesnitz
  13. Whats been really interesting to me... is seeing how much animosity I have gotten from students. Essentially I am telling students that they bought a new car and it's crap. And they don't want to hear that. It's like everyone is fine with being in prison, as long as everybody else is in prison too. But as soon as someone stages the jailbreak, everyone freaks out. And that's precisely what is happening right now.
    -@
    DaleJStephens Dale Stephens
  14. Let’s admit the real reason that we ban cell phones is that, given the opportunity to use them, students would vote with their attention, just as adults would ‘vote with their feet’ by leaving the room when a presentation is not compelling. -@MarcPrensky Marc Prensky
  15. There's only one kind of kid. The kind that is different from all other kids. Let's design our schools around that. -Lisa Cooley 
  16. We should not keep students prisoners of their teacher's past by blocking and banning them from using the tools and sites they need to succeed in the real world.
    -@
    InnovativeEdu Lisa Nielsen
  17. School is torture because I am required to spend all my time doing menial tasks, worksheets, and rote memorization. This takes too much time away from being able to discover my hobbies, interests, or passions. I’m in 10th grade and I don’t foresee having the ability to do that before I graduate high school.
    -
    Adam Ritter
  18. Your life, time, and brain should belong to you, not to an institution.
    -Grace Llewellyn
  19. It's time to change the conversation from "how can the student meet the school's needs" TO "how can the school meet the student needs." -@ Clark Aldrich
  20. We need everyone in the effort to transform education. If you are for the well-being of kids and have visions of a more just and sustainable future, you are an ally. We need to start reaching out to all groups! Parents, students, teachers, policy makers, home educators, public, private, interdependent schools, community or alternative educators, and any one that cares.This effort will take everyone reaching out to each other and pushing forward based on the 40% we agree on. We have spent enough time fighting among ourselves, now is the time for action!
    -Listen to this as a song here.
    -
    David Loitz 
These are some of the words of wisdom from my personal learning network that have motivated, inspired, and made me think. I invite you to share what you been saying to inspire those in your personal learning network.  

9 comments:

  1. #17 is sounding familiar to me these days as I have 2 children in high school.... my daughter is in the same boat as Adam...

    ReplyDelete
  2. @Lori Cullen, you know your children can get off the boat and opt out of school to reclaim their learning and achieve success. Unfortunately most people are schooled to believe they need high school to achieve success, but the reality is school is unnecessary to achieve your dreams whether they be attending an Ivy League school or starting your own business.

    I share how in my teen guide to opting out of school for success at http://store.payloadz.com/go?id=979066

    ReplyDelete
  3. #18 But we are what we do, if we get what we like we can easily get it understand and go further beyond.



    Education questionnaire

    ReplyDelete
  4. can also find me at @dloitz @coopcatalyst @occupyedu

    and

    Adventures in Learning www.adventuresinlearning.tumblr.com

    Love all these quotes

    David

    ReplyDelete
  5. Lisa, thanks for the great list! I'm humbled to be in such wonderful company. And in case anyone would like to learn more, I can be found at http://parentatthehelm.com or Parent at the Helm on Facebook! Happy New Year, everyone!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Here are two for next year's list from Gary Stager.


    "Without choice there is no ownership without ownership there's no engagement and without engagement there's no learning."
    -Learn Central Interview with Steve Hargadon

    Curriculum is the weapon of choice for ranking, sorting and labeling children. It is indifferent to individual needs, talents or desires.
    from
    http://stager.org/banned/banned2.html

    ReplyDelete
  7. Here's another quote for next year. This one is from me:
    "Beware of anyone or any group who puts buildings and jobs before the children inside them." - Lisa Nielsen

    ReplyDelete
  8. Just read this gem from a friend of Sandra Dodd's: "Power struggles can disappear when the person with the power stops struggling."
    —Deb Lewis, 1/3/11

    ReplyDelete
  9. Looks like next year's quotes may be an ode to Gary Stager. Here's another gem from him.

    "If teachers won’t protect their rights, dignity or economic security, how can kids trust them to stand between themselves and the madness?"

    ReplyDelete