Huntington Simmons: Full-Time Learner |
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Sorry, sorry, sorry... sorry. Interesting how when life gets hectic I get to see which things I give priority and which I put on the back-burner. Unfortunately, this blog post is one of those things. Silly of me to forget to post about the reading I have settled on for this semester, as well as what I have selected to pursue for my "20% Time" project. I promise I will be on top of my game moving forward!
So let's talk about both of these things. The book I have selected to read for this class is Daniel Pink's Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. I selected this book primarily because it is so closely aligned with what I have attempted to accomplish with my action research. I have been exploring behavior in my classroom, not necessarily as an attempt to control my students, but as a function of productivity in my class and how I can channel that productivity as a teacher to improve the achievement of my classroom (or learning community). A few of my professors have vouched for Pink and even directed me to a very interesting TEDTalk on what motivates us. So I am really curious to learn more about what he's got to say. As far as 20% Time is concerned, I have decided to take it upon myself to learn a new language: German. For several years now, I have really become invested in German soccer, or the "Bundesliga." I love watching the games on my mobile app, but I feel distanced from the games because I simply cannot understand the commentators! I have acquired basic words just by listening consistently, but I feel like I would become so much more involved if I was familiar with the language. I also had the privilege of traveling to Munich over this past summer and I was enamored by the language and culture even further. Shameless plug: I have maintained another 20% Time project over the past year dedicated to writing movie reviews, and I hope you will visit my site and see if my reviews interest you: Laymen Reviews. I always welcome new contributors to my site, so let me know if you are interested! Moving forward, my blogs will be dedicated to either 20% Time and reading blogs, and you can filter each category by selecting from the options to the right. Otherwise, I am looking forward to wonderful semester i
2 Comments
2/14/2014 09:17:34 am
Great motivation for a project, not just to learn a language but to use it to immerse yourself in an important part of that country's culture, in this case, soccer. I'd be interested to know if German soccer commentators use the same cliches as their British counterparts. Some examples:
Jeff
2/19/2014 02:56:48 pm
Such a good idea. Especially being a Bayern Munich fan, understanding that crazy and comical commentary will be a great reward for learning the language and watching your team. Leave a Reply. |