Write about something--or several things--that are easy for you. What are you good at? Did you have to learn how and practice? Or have you always been good at it without trying very hard. Consider physical activities or mental ones. Describe an activity that is easy for you and tell a little bit about your history with it. Describe another, and another. Until … [Read more...] about What’s Easy
Learning
What Teachers Study
Years ago when I was teaching reading and writing to elementary school children, I often incorporated songs into our lessons. It was fun and helped many of the children a lot. Most small children haven’t internalized ideas like “can’t carry a tune in a bucket,” so singing comes easily to them. Some children learn melodies more readily than sentences. I found that children … [Read more...] about What Teachers Study
Live and Learn
Use the sentence opener, "I have learned..." Complete the sentence by describing something that you have learned in your life. Write a line or two and move on to something else, beginning again with, "I have learned." Compare yourself to a newborn. Remember that everything that you know and everything that you can do, you have learned at some point in your life. Everything … [Read more...] about Live and Learn
Field Trip to the Library
Take yourself on a field trip to the library. Go for a wander. Commit to finding something unexpected. Go down an aisle that you wouldn't ordinarily frequent. Pluck a book or two just to see what could be in it. Or lug an oversize book to a table and slowly turn the pages to enjoy the stunning photographs. The library also has plenty of interesting things that … [Read more...] about Field Trip to the Library
Learning by Writing?
Writing to Learn is the notion that when you are trying to learn something new, writing about it will help you learn it faster and better. Even writing about how you don’t know anything about the subject can help you start understanding things sooner. This method was invented by writers, of course, which can make you mistrust it. I can vouch for it, though. It has served me … [Read more...] about Learning by Writing?