For the Love of Learning

"First Day of My New Job..." by theunquietlibrarian

Personal friend, and professional inspiration, Buffy Hamilton, recently left her position as a high school teacher librarian to join the staff of the Cleveland Public Library.

Her job title at CPL is "Learning Strategist." Not "School Strategist," or "Library Strategist" but "LEARNING Strategist," an inclusive term embracing a wide range of possibilities.

As a semi-retired, (Medicare) card carrying Senior Citizen, I'm concerned with staying mentally active and professionally involved. While doing the Sudoku and Cryptogram each morning is fun, it's hardly a spur to intellectual growth.  So I'd like to adapt the Learning Strategist concept and apply it to my own life.

I will try to

• make a conscious effort to leave my comfort zone Volunteering to do an Ignite! presentation at the ALA Annual Conference last year was a challenging, somewhat scary, but ultimately very satisfying experience which taught me a lot about presentation zen.

• read, analyze, and apply Taking in information isn't enough; creation of new knowledge is the highest level of Bloom's Taxonomy. Lifelong learning should be authentic and relevant.

•  interact with others Social isolation may trigger psychological issues; it can affect any age group, but older citizens are especially vulnerable. Networking, both online and face to face, not only forestalls feelings of isolation, but also serves to deepen understanding through dialog and collaboration.

Buffy and I will be moving in different directions as we explore what it means to be a Learning Strategist. But we will continue to share our experiences and LEARN from each other.

"The excitement of learning separates youth from old age. As long as you’re learning you’re not old." -Rosalyn S. Yalow

Considering New Perspectives

On Thursday, I'll board an Amtrak train in Fort Edward, NY, with a final destination of Atlanta, GA, where I'll participate in Reimagine: ED.

Our purpose will be "exploring the future of learning in K-12 education by identifying ideas, places, and professional roles that would benefit from new perspectives...[to] bring together diverse voices and use the design process to develop shared understandings and action steps for change."

With this goal in mind, I've been considering some recent personal experiences which have contributed to my life as a learner.

Open Studios Tour: Enchanting Art
This self-guided tour offered an opportunity to interact with artists in their working spaces, permitting a glimpse of some of the underlying structure that is necessary to a productive creative life. Photos.

Raptors in the Park
Community members dropped by to learn about native birds of prey. The audience was diverse and multi-generational, and information was delivered in an entertaining manner - a perfect blend of facts and fun. Photos.

Yaddo Mansion Tour
The public was allowed a rare glimpse of this private retreat, which has hosted artists from around the world since its founding, nearly 120 years ago. The guest rooms are spare but functional, each with a well-lighted desk (and dictionary); studio space offers a "blank canvas" for artists to utilize as they choose. Yaddo provides two meals a day, during which artists-in-residence can choose to interact with fellow guests or eat in a quiet area, where they can continue their thinking, undisturbed. Extensive grounds and beautiful gardens present other opportunities for reflection and conversation. If I could select the perfect venue for creativity and collaboration, Yaddo would be my choice. Photos.

Passions:
Paintings
Locating sites for en plein air painting is just a first step for my husband: both he and I track down sources that gives his artwork context and adds other levels of meaning. We became "citizen journalists" of a sort, when a local landmark burned down. Tim's painting, and my photos, were the most recent record of the building. And the facts he had gathered, from a railroad expert in his network, key facts about the purpose of the structure, gave some news reporters important background information. Photos.

Photography
My love for photography has resulted in some very interesting connections. When I recently posted photos of my mother's family on the Troy, NY Memories group in FaceBook, I was immediately contacted by relatives (of whose existence I was unaware) who provided genealogical information about the family dating back to 17th century France. With their help, I identified our mutual great-great-grandparents in a scanned image. This not only inspired me to learn more about a previously-unknown group of ancestors, it also triggered a rich storytelling and resource sharing burst that still continues. What better way to learn history than through exploring your roots? (I've blogged about my Italian heritage: In My Grandfather's Voice and Inquiry, Search, Results, Applications. Now I need to learn more about the Irish branch of the family tree). Photos.

But to get back to my original point: I've found that, for my learning experiences, I like a variety of spaces (intimate and expansive, interior and out-of-doors); opportunities for interaction but with an option for quiet self-reflection; informal exchanges of information; multiple modes of input and output; access to tools (typewriters, notebooks, laptops, etc.). I'm comfortable online but equally value face-to-face communication. I need motion as well as rest. I want to learn about topics that are of personal interest.

I look forward to participating in Reimagine:ED and will certainly share my experiences in future postings. If we truly desire a better educational system, we need to consider, collaborate, create, communicate.



"Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself." -John Dewey

"The eternal conflict of good and the best with bad and the worst is on." -Melvil Dewey

Still Learning

While my husband painted en plein air today, I took the opportunity to wander with my camera.


We've been to this location before, a marshy section of Glen Lake, NY, bisected by the Warren County Bikeway. It's a lovely setting, but I was impatient for the wildflowers to make their appearance - snow and bare branches have lost their charm as photographic subjects.

An acquaintance and her hiking companion stopped to chat when they saw Tim's easel. Since they carried binoculars and cameras, I asked what they had seen on their walk. Luckily for me, both women are very knowledgeable about native plants; they were happy to "show" me a variety of shrubs and trees that I had barely glanced at before.


I take great pride in noticing details, but, without knowing what might be growing in that habitat, I had no foundation on which to build. After I photograph flowers, I use my research skills to identify and label them. Maybe I need to try a new approach and study the probabilities and possibilities before setting out.


Sue, one of the friendly experts, shared her favorite quote from Michelangelo: "I am still learning."

Obviously, so am I.

You can see my photoset of the Glen Lake Marsh here

"Artist at work" by dmcordell
"My experts!" by dmcordell
"American Hazel - female flower" by dmcordell

Inquiry, Search, Results, Applications

Inquiry

The Problem:

While cleaning out some of my fathers, miscellaneous possessions, I found the item pictured above. Since I inherited dad's curious mind, along with material odds and ends, I set myself the task of learning more about these bits of metal.


Search

Facts:

• appears old
• made of metal, possibly silver
• number 13
• 6 charms (hand with pinkie & forefinger extended; heart; bottle?; basket with flowers?; shell; purse with flower design) and space or empty chains for 7 more charms
• Italian heritage

Educated guesses:

• superstition involved because of the number 13
• dated from at least the 1940s, judging from the other things in the same bag
• possibly had some sentimental value

Method:

The people most likely to have personal knowledge of this curious trinket, my grandparents, father, and godmother, are no longer with us. I'll eventually check with my younger uncles, but, for now, I decided to press ahead on my own.

Since "13" is a number with a lot of superstitious connotations, I started with keywords like "Italian superstitions" "Italian charms" "Italian amulets." Within a relatively short time, I came across the term cimaruta (Chee-Mah-Roo-Tah). After that, my search was easy and profitable.



Results

What I Learned:

• The Italian concept of lucky and unlucky numbers is different from other parts of the world. Some older Italian Americans still hold the belief of lucky 13, especially when gambling
• The Cimaruta is an very old charm rooted in Italian folklore. It is used for protection from the bad luck or the evil eye. Cimaruta or cima di ruta means ‘spring of rue’ and the branches of the charm are the branches of that most sacred plant.
  
• The Cimaruta of today is evolved from ancient Etruscan amulets; historical uses are as protective charms against malevolent magic, witchcraft, and the evil eye, especially for infants.
  
• The Neopolitan (both of my father's parents were from the Naples area) custom was to make charms of silver and blood coral since these two materials were sacred to the Moon Goddess (Luna/Diana) and to the Goddess of the Sea, Venus
  
• The hand gesture known as the mano cornuta wards off the Evil Eye by extending only the pinkie and index finger like a pair of horns and pointing it down.
• One example of a Christian addition to the design is the appearance of "the sacred heart" of Jesus. However, ancient Roman charms did include a heart symbol, which may indicate that the heart on the cimaruta is a later Christianization as opposed to an entirely new creation.
• Vervain flower blossom represents protection; a vervain blossom, in Italian lore is connected to fairy lore (and folklorist Charles Leland refers to Diana as the queen of the fairies)

What I Surmise:

• Since my father was never (overtly) superstitious, I would venture a guess that he was given this charm by a friend or relative
• Alternately, it could have belonged to a family member and was cherished by dad as a memento
• At first, I thought this protective amulet might have been intended to protect a soldier in battle; however, after learning more about the traditions associated with cimaruta, I wonder if it were meant to safeguard a baby
• This Cimaruta varies from the traditional design; it may have been an inexpensive lucky piece for a gambler

Applications

I love to learn about the extras in life: family history, homey artifacts, local lore. In a school setting, inquiry-based and authentic learning makes classes more meaningful to students, empowering them to extend their experiences while acquiring "real" information.

Buffy Hamilton had her ninth graders research their surnames on Ancestry.com. Students might also be challenged to learn more about a family heirloom, local landmark, historic photo, etc.

The possibilities are endless.





"Cimaruta" by dmcordell
"Cimaruta amulet" from SymbolDictionary

Make It a Meaningful Journey

Author/illustrator Peter H. Reynolds shares stories and other educational resources on both The North Star and FableVision sites.

His set of "21st century kids" posters offers a starting point for many authentic experiences.

A discussion of the concept of "voice" might inspire young writers to consider the nature of learning, the purpose of schooling, and their role in each.


Brainstorming activities focused on "guiding stars" could lead to a the creation of a very personalized "21st Century Learners' Constellation," with any number of final products (Voice Thread, poster, mural).

"Please don't squish my ish!" cries out for creative language use.


Each of the 10 posters (available for free downloading to educators) could easily become the centerpiece of a lively classroom activity.

But on further consideration, I found myself thinking that these same posters would also lend themselves perfectly to professional development exercises. The 21st century kid needs a 21st century teacher/guide/co-learner.

Setting goals, tapping into creativity, finding a Voice and using it - these activities are particularly valuable for teachers and other school personnel.

Learning doesn't end with the awarding of a degree. It is a life-long journey, not a destination.

So heed the 5 Be's:


All posters are copyrighted and reproduced here with the permission of Peter H. Reynolds and FableVision, Inc.