Dan+DeLuca

While me and some of my fellow educators disagree on what motivates students to achieve mastery I feel we can still work together. Grades are a powerful motivator however they do not often lead to mastery, they lead to A's which is not always the same thing -- except in my class.

Brain Rules: I find the brain tools to be useful truisms to keep in mind when planning and teaching. Rule number #12 seems especially applicable to my classes. We could reinforce the hands on projects we all ready have incorporated by adding a sense of exploration to the proceeding.

Your do-now: Write down as many different uses that you can think of for the following objects:

1. a brick: foundations, walkways, fill, fund raising, an abrasive in an industrial sized rock tumbler, a marking device on asphalt, a throwing device, weighing down aquatic plants, place them in a sack and use them to hold down plywood in a wind storm, put them in your trunk and use the extra weight for traction in the winter, use it to chock your wheel when you jack up your car, a small stepping stool, a retaining wall, counter weight in a trebuchet.

2. a blanket: Perhaps HMS's greatest Tech Ed Teacher, Dan DeLuca has noticed that the True colors quiz was surprisingly accurate. Dan was mostly orange with a second helping of green. The quiz said Dan was not a people person, which might have something to do with him referring to himself in the third person all the time. Dan has also noticed that the computers limit interaction among the participants to the two or three people who are immediately sitting next to you. Also, Dan DeLuca wonders if the parking lots actually bring more attention to people who have questions then the standard way of asking questions. Although it is a great way of having participants ask questions without interrupting the flow of the presentation.

In Dan DeLuca's family it is traditional to name the first born son after the grandfather. Dan's grandfather was a first generation American who's name was Donato. However over the years it has been anglicized to Dan. Even though Donoto translates into Donald. So on the glorious day when Dan was born, his parents had three choices Dan, Don, or Donoto. One could only wonder how the world would have changed had they have chosen differently.