Source: LearnDash.com
Source: Critical Thinking for Life! – MentoringMinds.com
Additional intriguing 21st Century Learning links:
What makes Finland’s education system the best in the world? – TES Primary – Blog – TES Primary – TES Community via kwout
Nicki Berry who has taught in the UK school system for 16 years and who is now currently teaching in Finland suggests that two other factors other than Masters-qualified teachers, pedagogical freedom and curriculum flexibility contribute to Finnish students high PISA scores. The two other significant success factors are:
- Finnish students are happy and relaxed – Finish students have the freedom and unsupervised playtime than they need to become adventurous, healthy, inquisitive learners because they do not live in a culture of anxiety like UK and American children.
- Finnish students are not left behind – Teachers are given the time and financial resources to help all Finnish students succeed.
It is really unfortunate that simple things like creating a safe and nurturing learning environment that fosters freedom, unsupervised playtime and inquisitiveness is something that is lacking in North America.
Josh Kaufman argues that you can go from nothing to proficiency in almost any skill in just twenty hours. Twenty hours or about forty-five minutes a day for a month, of focused deliberate practice is enough to get you to the point where you will be proficient. You won’t be an expert, which can take much longer, but you will be good enough.
Josh outlines the four simple steps to his process:
- Deconstruct the skill – break the skill down into it primary components
- Learn enough to self correct – use books, dvd, experts etc. to help you to understand how to do the skills properly
- Remove practice barriers – eliminate distractions, arrange for convenience of practice and exercise will power
- Practice 20 hours – by pre-committing forty to forty-five minutes a day for thirty days you will be astounded at your level of proficiency
Kaufman conducts a thirty minute talk tittled You can learn anything…fast followed by thirty minute question and answer session at RSA which provides a bit more substance than the TEDx video and greater insight into his new book.
