Why is stimulus so important to what educators do? The idea that the day starts with a human opening their eyes due to a thought and from then on it is all about reaction to stimulus!

Given the ever increasing stimulus around humans, I believe it to be a reasonable assumption that the 21st century learner is driven is very capable of processing stimuli.

Where I think we need to place our efforts as quality educators is in the contextual interpretation and the empathetic response to the stimulus in front of us!

This cannot be seen heard or tasted in has to be taught/learned through interaction with other humans and the understanding of cause and effect of relationship!

Restorative Justice is looking very good in the light of this new awareness of mine!

The idea that I as a teacher with experience in teaching knowledge over so many years is now obsolete is threatening! But what I have discovered is that we hold deep in our subconscious a extremely valuable resource that only I have the key to drive. This resource is the combined knowledge and skill of learning how to build quality relationships with students, that in turn enables me to motivate.

I have this activity that I do to show kids how important learning is and it goes like this:

Student D

Work for 1 minute per day on the subjects you had that day!

You have that subject 3 times a week!

You have 40 weeks in a year!

How much work has he/she done in a year?

Student A

Works for 10 minutes per day on the subjects you had for that day!

You have that subject 3 times a week!

You have 40 weeks in a year!

How much work has he/she done in a year?

Do you think MOTIVATION plays a role in what you know?

That's the activity its a good one, but today I used this on myself! This is what happened!

I build relationships with roughly 25 students per lesson!

I have on average 5 lessons per day!

In a year I do this for 40 weeks in a classroom environment!

I have been doing this for 23 years!

Do you think I know how to build relationships that will foster learning of new skills and knowledge for students even if I don't know the content and they do?

115 000 interactions suddenly I realised that this was more about me being there to support, create pathways, guide, celebrate and love learning with, rather than the giving of knowledge!

One of my favourite #'s is having a conversation on "research" tonight and I found myself wondering what it was. Research in my opinion is the determination of new fact or opinion from multiple sources of data or sourced opinion. It needs to give a answer.

But when it is applied to education and learning I feel this becomes a little different, especially when dealing with youth. The word "art" comes into play and this implies feelings and emotions and they are not either fact or opinion from multiple sources.

This is a reaction of one educated professional adult based on their experiences that leads them to react to a set stimuli in a particular way. This then creates a set of hopefully positive behavioural reactions to occur and thus quality learning for a child.

I worry that by the time the research is done the reaction will be to late! The 21st century moves very fast and education has historically adapted poorly to change, and it is this cycle we need to look hardest at?

The "research" maybe is needed not in the learning bit, but in the systems education uses to stay current to the generation that it is educating!