Forest fortuna adiuvat

Fortune favours the brave they say. What powerful words these can be when analysed through the metaphoric lens of education. Some say it means the brave may not live long, but at least they have lived. Others translate that luck will be on your side if you dare to be bolder, which seemingly lead these sentences inclined to contradict. I believe it is bold to break the norms, and fortune, or growth of self worth, will be the resultant. Dewey postulated many ideas in the late 19 and early 20th century about education and it is ironic that a blog titled 21st century education, focusing on future advances seems quaintly tied to its ancestral educational roots. One of his prized concepts was that of circles of learning. In the current landscape we refer to them as 'Communities of Practice', or 'Professional Learning Communities'. These play on the natural human instinct of wanting to be a part of something greater than oneself, and that is evident when we learn in groups. I have recently been watching and listening to colleagues speaking of group work in maths. When I was studying as an undergrad my lecturers would mention this word and not provide many tangible examples, though the benefits were stated, usually in bold. Group work has been incredibly powerful, walking into colleagues lessons and seeing a buzz of conversation. No, not a quiet classroom, one that was brimming with enthusiasm and 'learning noise', quite different to loud music though sounding similar upon first inspection. Groupwork is alive in maths, but it requires one to let go a little, because afterall, forest fortuna adiuvat. 

Back to learning circles. It is this same enthusiasm that we witness in students that we experience when learning ideas from other educators, colleagues, in groups, together, connecting. Well, if I weren't connecting and listening to other educators then it would certainly go against the very quote I started this blog upon. I think the process of having professional learning communities can be incredibly powerful. Lifelong learners is what we aim to produce as teachers. Students with a thirst to learn, an enthusiasm that in turn continues to remind us why we educate. Groupwork, Communities of Practice, Professional Learning Communities. They all relate to that principal of connecting, listening, learning and growing. I will restate Henry Ford's quote and add another by Eric Hoffer that is equally apt.

'Anyone who stops learning is old, whether twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning today is young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.' - Henry Ford

I just read that the UK education system is introducing teaching students to code from the age of early primary school. Stay tuned, that is powerful....

'In time of profound change, the learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.' - Eric Hoffer