How can you create an engaging classroom? Convince students first that you care—and then that you’ll never let up. Become a Warm Demander. Kleinfeld (1975) coined the phrase warm demander to describe the type of teacher who was effective in teaching Athabaskan Indian and Eskimo 9th graders in Alaskan schools. Further research over the decades … Read more
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn. It involves designing educational environments and products to be usable by the widest range of people without needing adaptation or specialized design. Here are some key principles and practices … Read more
“Better is unsustainable, unique is unstoppable” – Denise Lee Yohn, author of Fusion: How Integrating Brand and Culture Powers the World’s Greatest Companies. Lots of people talk about getting better at something – but better is not sustainable – and there is always someone who will figure out how to do something even better. As … Read more
Aesthetics is a set of principles concerned with the nature and appreciation of beauty, especially in art. Aesthetic experiences, such as looking at paintings, listening to music or reading poems, are linked to the perception of external objects, but not to any apparent functional use the objects might have. Aesthetic experience involves more than preference, … Read more
I have been fortunate to have some great leaders along my path. They seemed to have genuinely cared about me and instilled in me a strong trust and loyalty to them. These leaders had empathy, they were good listeners and knew how to inspire a team with a clear vision. “Success is a team sport. … Read more
As I have discuss the virtue of optimism, Rebecca Temsen, a blogger at Self Development Secrets, reached out to me and shared this post on happiness. Happiness is key to a creative and healthy life. Studies have shown that a more positive outlook results in better general health and fewer illnesses and that optimism cuts the … Read more
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” – Winston Churchill In today’s dynamic markets, teams must be curious, optimistic and thoughtful. Curious to explore new trends and new ideas. Optimistic to keep motivated and motivate others. And thoughtful to have empathy for the people that you … Read more
I get this one on a regular basis – especially working with global organizations’ product and services design and development. Here is how it breaks down: Globalization “Globalization is a process of interaction and integration among the people, companies, and governments of different nations, a process driven by international trade and investment and aided by … Read more
The first line of the Agile Manifesto is “Individuals and interactions over processes and tools.” My interpretation – and my experience – of this, is that no matter how great your process and tools, it is people and their interactions that is the success of any organization. In his book, What the CEO Wants You … Read more
In my younger artist hippy days, I believe that “money was the root of all evil.” As I got older, I realized that money itself was not evil and could be used to do a lot of good – the problem was capitalism and how it was “driven by greed!” Then I realized that capitalism … Read more
Information Technology (IT) refers to anything related to computing technology, such as your computer network, hardware and software that connect you to the Internet, and the people that work with these technologies. Many organizations have an IT person or department depending on their needs. As we are at the intersection of the Information Age and … Read more
There were a lot of people this year! Since its beginnings in 1970, Comic-Con International: San Diego has grown into the world-wide phenomena of over 130,000 comics, movie, and science fiction fans, geeks, and nerds descending on the San Diego Convention Center for a multi-day event featuring dealers, programs, panels, film screenings, and more. In … Read more