Pete Reilly posted a response in his blog to a invitation to a “meme” or passion quilt. I’m not really sure what this is, but it seems to be a collection of ideas to create some sort of “super thought” brainstorm. Anyhow, thats not really important, but what was interesting was Pete’s contribution. He said that what kids need to learn is how to reflect. I think this is fantastic. Not only does reflection help critical and a higher level of thinking, but he focused on more of an internal reflection. I think this is a huge step in learning. Not in learning about what the text books have to offer us, but rather, as a valuable life skill. With the ability to reflect we may the degradation of a society where morals are somewhat lacking. We may see people getting into careers that they are passionate about. Reflection ultimately leads to better decision making. The trick is how does one teach this beautiful skill? Pete may be on to something: “What if by consciously building the human sides of our classrooms, deliberately creating trust with out students, focusing on them as unique individuals, helping them know themselves a little better; we are creating an academic environment where we can be even more rigorous? As adults, we do our best and most meaningful work (whether ‘one on one’ or in teams) when we have a trusting relationship and bond with those we work with. The same dynamic applies to our classrooms.”
