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To me, disconnecting is an option, but only as accessible an option as you're willing to grant it. If you make a conscious effort to put the Internet on the backburner, it is feasible. Sure, one of your students in last-minute-panic mode that emails you at 3 a.m. with a question you've already answered in class may not get a response until the next day. Your twitter account may go unupdated. You may not know what your freshman year roommate had for dinner. You may have to take a break from looking up pieces of research that will still be there when you get back online. But is that stuff so important you can't function without it (research aside, because that answer is clearly YES - that last statement is geared more toward the dinner thing)?

I think if you have passion about whatever you're teaching everything else will shake itself out. If you love what you're teaching and give off that positive energy you'll definitely connect with your students.

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Nice post, I love the quotes. I too heard that disney was fired from a job for his lack of imagination, but now we can see that it is quite the opposite. I feel its very important to make education fun but not to lose the gravity and true reason we are being educated. I like the fact that you took time to state that the word 'game' could also be used to belittle something.

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Good post,

I like what you say about purpose. Actually, some people think that purpose and motivation are highly correlated, and I somehow agree. When I understand the purpose of doing something it usually adds motivation for me to actually do it and enjoy it.

When it comes to learners, I believe that your quote is very true. It's fundamental that learners understand their purpose into the whole educational process and how their role in learning is key, once they get that, they will feel motivated.

In addition, motivation can help them engage and have interest in understanding the purpose or school.

Thanks for sharing!

Nice comparison, I recently started a yoga practice again and have to remember to honor where I am at. I just want to be perfect right now! I read an article once that said children (like me) who are good at some subject the first time they do it (reading and English for me) can then interpret that to mean "if I am not good at another subject (like math) I can't learn it. Practice won't help. You're either good or you aren't." I've been trying to unlearn that thought process my entire graduate school career, and your post made me start to think about ways I can help my students also unlearn that behavior. Practice never makes perfect, but it does make practice!

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So many good ideas here....I agree that being in graduate school heightens one's awareness of particular learning styles and strategies. I'm wondering though, if we think about textbooks as a "method"? Or are they tools? materials? resources? I also hope that as faculty we can cultivate mindfulness in our teaching as well as our students' learning. Thanks for this thoughtful post!