Category Archives: teaching and learning

(Issue #651) To Know History, We Need to Read History

Posted on July 13, 2025 by Steve Piscitelli

One of the lessons I built upon was the importance of reading, understanding, and evaluating different viewpoints.That involved reading, listening to, and discussing various ideologies.Critical thinking was, well, critical! As a teacher, I enjoyed the connections I helped students build … Continue reading →

Posted in community development, Connection-Disconnection, conversation, teaching and learning | Leave a comment

(Issue #650) Fahrenheit 451

Posted on June 1, 2025 by Steve Piscitelli

What lessons or warnings did Bradbury present? Re-reading Fahrenheit 451  left me shaking my head. Was this book really written in 1953? (Rhetorical question. It was.) Bradbury wrote about censorship, interactive TV, people connected to technology rather than each other, … Continue reading →

Posted in bullies, censorship, Critical Thinking, curiosity, Education, education reform, ethics, fear, ideologies, Personal growth, question skills, Teaching, teaching and learning, truth, wellbeing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

(Issue #580) What if Teachers….

Posted on July 4, 2021 by Steve Piscitelli

It comes down to seeing the person as someone in need of what you have to offer. And finding a respectful many in which to connect with that individual. After my most-recent experience with a repairman not returning phone calls, … Continue reading →

Posted in awareness, Civility, Community, resilience, teaching and learning | Tagged , | 1 Comment

(Issue #492) Using Demonstrations for Teambuilding and Prioritization

Posted on October 27, 2019 by Steve Piscitelli

Regardless of the topic, demonstrations can drive home a point that may be lost in a lecture or in a reading. My decades of teaching, speaking, and facilitating have reinforced that people need to connect with the speaker and the … Continue reading →

Posted in awareness, Being REMARKABLE, effective teaching, public speaking, teaching and learning | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

(#404) Risk, Empty Spaces, and Self: Lessons from the Stage

Posted on February 18, 2018 by Steve Piscitelli

“There is no failure in result; there is only failure in process.” Sam Wasson’s Improv Nation: How We Made A Great American Art provides more than an improv history lesson. He deftly lays out a philosophy of life.  For all … Continue reading →

Posted in acceptance, amplifying, assumptions, authenticity, awareness, Being REMARKABLE, childlike, confidence, Mindfulness, risk-taking, Teaching, teaching and learning, vulnerability, wisdom, Words, Words and Action | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

(#401) Improv and Leadership

Posted on January 28, 2018 by Steve Piscitelli

Incompetent and fear-based managers rely on rigid scripts. Sam Wasson’s Improv Nation: How We Made a Great American Art provides lessons for transformational leadership. As early Improv players experimented and developed the art form, they learned the power of two … Continue reading →

Posted in acceptance, Appropriate Behavior, Choice, Civility, collaboration, collegiality, Communication, effective meetings, generativity, growth, improv, professional development, resilience, self-awareness, self-regulatory behavior, Teaching, teaching and learning, vulnerability, wisdom, Words | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

(#387) Lessons from Elementary School

Posted on October 22, 2017 by Steve Piscitelli

Adults, are we listening? Three lessons from elementary school this week. (1) Mrs. Hullender teaches 1st grade at the Atlantic Beach Elementary School. Last Tuesday I had the opportunity to visit her classroom during a mini leadership conference.  That’s right. … Continue reading →

Posted in accountability, action, Being REMARKABLE, Goals, Gratitude, habits, happiness, initiative, inspiration, Teaching, teaching and learning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

(#379) Accommodations For My Students Made Me A Better Teacher

Posted on August 27, 2017 by Steve Piscitelli

Being a teacher is more than knowing one’s content and “covering” the material. Effective teachers do what they can to connect with each student and build a community of learners who connect with one another. The Individuals with Educational Disabilities … Continue reading →

Posted in accountability, awareness, Being REMARKABLE, Choice, coaching, Community, Discipline, emotional intelligence, faculty development, fortitude, Gratitude, growth, Integrity, intentionality, resilience, teaching and learning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

(#327) Structures for Organization: Implications for Teaching and Training

Posted on August 28, 2016 by Steve Piscitelli

Just because it was tossed, doesn’t mean it was caught. Just because it was talked, doesn’t mean it was taught.   How do you define “learning”? And, what causes it? How much of your schooling exposed you to a stream … Continue reading →

Posted in effective teaching, learning, resilience, structures of learning, structures of organization, Teaching, teaching and learning | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

(#296) Not Us. Them.

Posted on January 24, 2016 by Steve Piscitelli

“A building is not just about itself, but the place where it resides.”-Craig Dykers Did you hear the one about the college president’s view of how to handle struggling students? Reportedly his suggestion was to “drown the bunnies.” No, that’s … Continue reading →

Posted in assumptions, Choice, collaboration, college retention, common sense, Community, faculty development, ideologies, intentionality, leadership, Life lessons, Making a Difference, Relationship, teaching and learning | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments