R2R Camp June 4 and 5, Did You Submit Your Presentation?
The Big Dream Engineering Our World - A Must See!
One of the feature stories in the movie shares the experience of a group of high school students and their teacher. The students entered an underwater challenge and found they were the only high school to enter this college level challenge. They beat a number of top colleges in the nation including MIT. I had the good fortune to hear this teacher speak in person at this years state technology conference. He was an engaging speaker and you will enjoy the journey he and his students took. I think students would really be engaged with what this site has to offer and in the movie as well.
Monica Burns and Book Creator 15 Social Studies Projects for Book Creator Classrooms
A. J. Juliani - The Struggle to Do Work That Matters is Real (and Worth It)
A. J. Juliani Blog Post March 16, 2019
In 1915 Albert Einstein sent a letter to his son, Albert. Einstein was living with his second wife and had not seen either of his two sons for quite some time. It was in 1915 that Einstein had finalized his theory of general relativity, and this letter to his son hints at that monumental achievement.
However, what strikes me about this letter (which I first saw in Farnam Street) is Einstein’s thoughts on learning that he shares with his 11-year-old son. I know that quotes from Einstein are thrown around online, and in presentations by educators across the globe…but this particular letter gets to the root of what matters in learning. In typical Einstein fashion, he writes it with such clarity and confidence, that not much else needs to be said:
What I have achieved through such a lot of strenuous work shall not only be there for strangers but especially for my own boys. These days I have completed one of the most beautiful works of my life, when you are bigger, I will tell you about it.
I am very pleased that you find joy with the piano. This and carpentry are in my opinion for your age the best pursuits, better even than school. Because those are things which fit a young person such as you very well. Mainly play the things on the piano which please you, even if the teacher does not assign those. That is the way to learn the most, that when you are doing something with such enjoyment that you don’t notice that the time passes. I am sometimes so wrapped up in my work that I forget about the noon meal. Also play ringtoss with Tete. That teaches you agility.
A.J. sums up his thoughts on the letters message. In essence, learn what you are interested in, and it won’t “feel” like the learning we often partake in school.
Juliani goes on to share that what he finds fascinating is how Einstein shares these sentiments after working eight years to prepare his theory of general relativity to be ready to share with the world. For Einstein, doing the work and learning were tangled together. And, if it was work worth doing -- something that he was interested in and challenged by -- then it was worth working on for eight years.
Click here to read more in Juliani's March 16th blog post.