Rediscovering Hope—Our Greatest Teaching Strategy

Richard Curwin wrote the book, Rediscovering Hope—Our Greatest Teaching Strategy, over two decades ago, but the message is still relevant.  While I agree that “hope is not a strategy,” I do believe that it is an essential ingredient for people to move from where they currently are into a brighter and more meaningful future. 

In his book, Curwin spends some time discussing the meaning of “at risk.”  We all have our definition for this, but it boils down to youth being “at risk” of dropping out of school and not achieving their full potential.  Instead of spending time on what “at risk” is, Curwin devoted space to what causes youth to be “at risk” beyond the typical things we identify.  He begins by sharing that youth begin to be “at risk” the first time they feel unwelcome at school or in an afterschool program.  They begin to be “at risk” when they feel that there has been an attack on their dignity. They sense other youth are valued and appreciated while they are not.  They start to be “at risk” when they are labeled and cynicism sets in when youth believes, “What’s the use?  No matter how hard I try, I’m not good enough.”  Once the seed has been planted, the feelings and actions that become synonymous with “at risk” begin to manifest, the spiral down speeds up.

What can we do to mitigate this spiral and transport youth from “at risk” to “in opportunity?”  We have to believe that afterschool programs are for kids, all kids, and that when we support them it begins first by building a relationship with them.  We must let youth know that we value them for who they are and that we believe they have something important to contribute.  We must help them begin to HOPE again.

Hope is not one of those “one size fits all” things.  There are different kinds of hope.  Hope can mean dreaming or wishing for something to happen that is beyond our control.  This kind of hope is like passive perseverance.  In other words, I hope this happens but I’m not really doing anything about it to make it so.  When we cling to this type of hope if something concrete and wonderful happens, then we can consider ourselves fortunate or maybe even lucky.  A second kind of hope is based on faith, the deep down inside you feeling that things will turn out all right.  This kind of hope too, is beyond our control with the exception that we believe it can be so.

The third kind of hope involves taking some sort of action—or being proactively perseverant  I think of the story of former astronaut Jose Hernandez who applied 12 times to be an astronaut----the first 6 times with passive persistence and the last six with proactive persistence.  When hope resembles this, it becomes actionable, and with actionable hope we have great possibilities.  One person commented, “People with hope chase rainbows and sometimes catch them.  Those without hope see little reason to try.  They do not believe that rainbows can be caught and that even if a rainbow could be caught, it would be nothing more than colored mist.”  Positive role models and mentors give substance to rainbows. Hope gives youth the courage to be a rainbow chaser. 

Please join with Entrusted Legacy in promoting hope; hope that is about forming a positive future.  It is proactive when we begin to orient ourselves to this future we have imagined.  It is the beginning of our future self and of being convinced we have the capacity to become so much more than we are.  If you are not able to work directly with youth to support them as a role model and mentor, then support someone who is.  Invest in the future by investing with Entrusted Legacy.  Contact us at support@entrustedlegacy.org or by going to our website at www.entrustedlegacy.org  

Contributions of Online Education in Brazil

Education is a process that involves the acts of teaching and learning, involving the intellectual, physical, moral and social aspects of a person, which vary according to geographic region or set of values ​​and beliefs of a particular group or individual. Much like the society, education needs and policies change, and for this reason, it is necessary for professionals and students to walk in the direction of change and to respond to it accordingly. This educational process can occur in two places:

- At school: the learner has the opportunity to develop academic skills, and can develop reasoning, language, and science skills (important content for intellectual growth);

- In life: the student learns from life experiences, including: facts, issues or  situations that the learner can then take as lessons of daily life.

            With the changes in education, the way that we learn also changes. Education becomes more complex, because the world is becoming more complex. With this, the need and demand for courses and classes that meet the most diverse sections of the population in different geographical realities, become a constant.

The concept of education that was held just prior to acquisition settings and content now includes knowledge and skills development in affective and social areas.

Over time, educational strategies have encountered new scenarios, as it leaves the physical space of the classroom, to occupy virtual spaces, attendance, academics through professionals from miles away.

            The focus of learning ceases to be content to be the apprentice (and  what he actually learns). The knowledge that previously occurred individually, becomes what we know today as knowledge management and collaborative learning.

Information technology and communications are becoming increasingly cheap and accessible to the population and has the following benefits: education and new knowledge, gained anytime and anywhere.

The courses in Distance Learning, fit the profile and the needs of the students. School curricula have become more dynamic and flexible in time, in space, in the methodology, management and evaluation.

The online education today offers a world of possibilities, with varied pedagogical and technological solutions, and can combine: live classes, social networks, forums/chats and even games for educational purposes. The learning system, using a combination of various media, is a reality that is increasingly present in the scenario of online education in Brazil.

Currently, Brazil is investing in courses at a distance, where the student has the possibility to realize it virtually wherever they are at any time or region. These are courses with online lessons and activities, accompanying features like games, cases, animations and videos. The content of the lessons can be done in real time, or forwarded to the teacher by email. At the end of each course, the student completes an evaluation test in the field. This type of education is ideal for the student or professional who wants to develop academically or professionally, and has limited availability. There are also courses that start as the formation of small groups. The teaching modules are focused on materials and activities.

For some courses, the goal is to serve a larger number of participants. With this type of education, television is used as an effective teaching resource. These are programs produced by professional teams, supported by printed material and guidance of expert tutors.

Called “teleconference”, these are used for classes of up to 50 students, where a teacher transmits his class for classes across the country, accompanied by a local tutor. The classes take place live, and students have the opportunity to ask questions in real time.

The process of change in education is not easy, but it's not impossible. You need to make time to meet and acculturate to new processes and pathways taken by education. Some are prepared (and open) to the new, others not. It takes time and disposition to learn new concepts and ways of conceiving learning. For this reason, it is necessary not only access, but also the democratization of information, so we can be socially included subjects in a society that is constantly changing.

By Contributing Writer, Daniela Silva

Daniela is an Entrusted Legacy volunteer that puts her writing skills and educational background in Pedagogy to use researching and creating informative blog and scholarly articles for educational movements across the globe.  Daniela’s home base in Sao Paulo, Brazil gives her unique insight to educational trend and topics outside of the United States.