By Tom Haight

Positive Learning Experience My Dad taught me everything he knew about Nature Passionate Knowledgeable Showed it’s importance Allowed me to ask questions Immersed me in nature Taught me the correct way to canoe Encouraged me to explore

Negative Learning Experience Pre-Calculus class in high school Could not connect to the students Banned me from bringing a book Never made eye contact Dry lessons No extra help No Passion

My Axioms 1. A teacher's purpose is not to create students in his own image, but to develop students who can create their own image. 2. The aim of education should be to convert the mind into a living fountain, and not a reservoir. 3. Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself.

What it means A key point of my axioms is not what you have it is what you do with it Knowing everything won’t help You have to know how to apply that knowledge Make connections Encourage students to expand their knowledge Provide meaningful opportunities Encourage curiosity

Theories Behind My Axioms Constructivism Students construct knowledge through meaningful social interactions My dad took me out in nature and connected My teacher barely gave me the time of day Scaffolding My dad gradually let me start exploring and learning about the world by myself

More Theories Naturalistic Theory Relationships with others are important to learning My relationship with my dad facilitated my learning Because I had no meaningful relationship with my teacher my learning was inhibited Learner’s desire to become knowledgeable because of a knowledgeable model who invites them to “join the club” My dad’s desire to have me learn about nature and his passion made me want to have the same knowledge

Even More Theories Cognitive Theory Knowledge constructed from experiences My dad took me out into nature Predict what will happen based on experience

What it means to me Provide students meaningful activities Connect what students learn to what they like Create a friendly community that fosters exploration Be passionate about what I’m teaching but not just the facts