My thoughts about Education Humanities, Technology and Digital Culture. Interested on social media tools in educational contexts and
gamification in education.
“The glassy pear tree leaves and blooms, they brush
the descending blue; that blue is all in a rush
with richness; the racing lambs too have fair their fling.” (...)
Gerard Manley Hopkin
On a Spring morning it's a poem we can repeat that makes spring seem more intensely itself.
Spring is back! Today 20 March is the first day of Spring 2021. Also known as the vernal equinox. It may still be frosty around Portugal, but Spring is officially about to start.
This year, the vernal (or Spring) equinox takes place today, Saturday, March 20, 09:37 (GMT). It's Spring equinox which, in the astronomical system of seasons, is the first day of Spring.
This year's Google Doodle celebrating Spring 2021 depicts an animated hedgehog. Unlike the traditional sharp spines on it back, the animated hedgehog featured on the Google doodle carries vibrant flowers, buds, and leaves to represent blossoming spring.
Origin of the word Vernal:
The word "vernal” comes from the Latin vernalis word for spring, while equinox literally means "equal night" (equi means equal and nox means night) as both night and day last for an equal amount of time.
The astronomical event marks the start of Spring in the northern hemisphere, which means longer days are on the way and people around the world will celebrate fresh starts.
What is an equinox:
We use the equinox to mark the change of seasons, as the balance of light shifts to make for longer days or nights.
The 2021 vernal equinox arrived on March 20 at 09:37 GMT. In the Northern Hemisphere, we’re enjoying earlier sunrises, later sunsets, softer winds, sprouting plants. Meanwhile, the opposite season, later sunrises, earlier sunset, chillier winds, dry and falling leaves, south of the equator.
An equinox is the moment when the barrier between night and day (called the solar terminator) is perpendicular to the equator – i.e., when the sun is shining directly on the side of the planet.
At the March equinox, the subsolar point – the border of the sun’s light – hits the equator, then moves northward. In September, at the autumnal equinox, it moves south. On the equinox, the length of daytime and nighttime is roughly the same all over the planet.
The vernal equinox marks the start of spring and a time for new beginnings, birth and fresh starts.
credits: Unknown
via Google Images
Education:
Spring time, equinoxes, traditions? No! You have all you need to your lesson.
Invite your students in remote learning to do some research about the several themes around Spring time. Literature and Science are welcome. Why not History, Geography and Music?
In the midst of a pandemic, economic recession, and social unrest, your students’ lives may have changed drastically since the day the school shut down.
Teachers must pay attention. Possible barriers to students engagement during distance learning appears. Stress and trauma - Covid-19, lockdown - can interrupt cognitive processing, reduce students’ executive functioning skills, and disrupt emotional regulation. All of that makes it difficult to learn, think, and engage meaningfully.
If students aren’t comfortable with the system you’re using, they might avoid it. It takes time to establish norms and practices with a new system, when it involves technology.
Engaging students during distance learning may be difficult, but it’s not impossible. Ready to dive deeper?
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