Posts by Jon Zurfluh:

The Middle Grades: Zits, Braces, and Hormones

The Middle Grades: Zits, Braces, and Hormones

This piece from ASCD “The Whole Child” feed is worth a read: The Whole Child Podcast « Whole Child Education. The thing that impresses me the most is the attention to a key belief that I also hold.  They accurately reflect on the complexity of the education experience and how this is especially true for […]

Another look at the future…

Another look at the future…

I remember a similar video from Microsoft that takes a look at the future – not too distant – to conjecture on the state of the world associated with products already in the pipeline.  I like to think of it as the nexus between StarTrek and reality.  We’ve seen many crossover and successful products emerge […]

Leadership and Learning

Leadership and Learning

Jay McTighe, one of the gurus behind Understanding by Design, has posted this video on his recent encounter with failure.  It speaks to the issue of leaders who are often marked by age that is associated with their experience. Even Jay is showing his age despite the fact that he is only 7 years my […]

Egypt and Leadership

Egypt and Leadership

Wael Ghonim has demonstrated something extremely special through his emergence as a face of leadership within the movement currently underway in Egypt.  While the regular news pundits are trying to explain and simplify what they hear in the words of this man, the inescapable truth of this man is not his simplicity, but his complexity. […]

Leadership – a reminder…

Leadership – a reminder…

A pertinent and not often quoted piece from James McGregor Burns (1978): Can leadership be taught? …We have conceived of leadership in these pages as the tapping of existing and potential motive and power bases of followers by leaders, for the purpose of achieving intended change.  We conceive of education in essentially the same terms.  […]

I’m a fan of TED…

I’m a fan of TED…

In case you didn’t already know it, I’m an ardent fan of TED. More than any of the speeches themselves, it’s the way they are developed and presented that makes TED so unique. This video demonstrates the passion and the planning that brings about true inspiration. Behind the TEDTalk 2010 from m ss ng p […]

Presenting at #globaled10

Presenting at #globaled10

Update: Only had a few participants, but enjoyed talking about my topic and the powerpoint seemed to have just the right amount of data.  Had some nice involvement, but it would have been even more fun with hundreds.  😉 Here’s the recording link: https://sas.elluminate.com/drtbl?sid=gec2010&suid=D.C0BBFA0A2D7CF1BE39A2A24C253474 I’m presenting today at GlobalEd10 in my first online Eluminate session.  […]

Time Travel – Kids Explaining it – Can you see the motivation?

Time Travel – Kids Explaining it – Can you see the motivation?

In this video, kids talk about time travel and use various resources to explain their concept.  Since I was recently in an 8th grade classroom talking about black holes, this was especially interesting and, thus, I’m sharing it with you.  This is consistent with the previous message about reaching higher in our expectations than we […]

Motivation – Again!?!?

Motivation – Again!?!?

Seems like the week to discuss motivation and as I consider various links and tracebacks, I’m found bringing together some ideas into a new framework of understanding many things I have written before and will likely ponder in the future.  This video brings this thinking to specific relief. We have discussed previously how setting our […]

The Inherent Conflict in Motivation Theory

The Inherent Conflict in Motivation Theory

Motivation theory has been around for multiple decades and has been reflected on by hundreds of authors over a wide span of influence.  Behavioral Psychologists have used animal studies with primates and other species to extrapolate motivational theory for humans.  Many research projects and meta-analyses have considered the implications of various forms of treatments and […]