Tag Archives: Education

Episode 103: Unstoppable Success | Dr. Antipas Harris

Dr. Antipas Harris Unstoppable Success

Dr. Antipas Harris

There are so many people who want to succeed but are often discouraged or are simply uninspired. As a university professor, Dr. Antipas Harris sees this problem, often, among his students. He wrote, Unstoppable Success, 7 Ways to Flourish in Your Boundless Potential to encourage young people to maximize their boundless potential to flourish and to achieve values-based success.

In this episode, Dr. Antipas and I talk about the seven traits successful people have and how important integrity is in everything you do.

According to Dr. Antipas Harris, there are seven values that lead to success:

  1. Faith – People who experience success are typically people who have some form of faith.  Faith in a worldly sense, but also faith in themselves and the future.
  2. Vision – Vision is the target to help you know what it is you want to achieve.
  3. Persistence – There are always going to be challenges, but those who are successful are able to overcome those challenges through persistence.
  4. Humility – Humble people can stop looking at the big picture and look at the simple things in life.
  5. Education – Education means to become wise with the information that we gain.  Education has to be holistic.  The gathering of information and the developing of skills and how to apply that learning in ones life.
  6. Making the Right Connections – Connecting with the right people makes a difference in helping successful people become successful.
  7. Integrity – It’s important that we ground our success in honesty.

Shout Outs

  • John Maxwell –
  • The Aquabats – Lobsters in a Bucket

Unstoppable Success by Dr. Antipas Harris

Quotes:

  • “If you don’t have a clear vision, you don’t know where you’re going.”
  • “You don’t just stumble upon success, it has to be intentional.”
  • “Challenges are inevitable, but defeat is optional.”
  • “There’s always more to learn.”
  • “Don’t be a know-it-all.”
  • “Read as much as you can, even outside of your expertise.”
  • “No one who is successful achieved that by themselves.”
  • “What is the legacy we leave behind once it’s all over.”
  • “I am where I’m supposed to be right now in my life.”
  • “Success is becoming who one is created to become.”
  • “Success has many paths.”
Unstoppable Success by Antipas Harris

Unstoppable Success

Dr. Antipas Harris is the author of Unstoppable Success.

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Episode 76: Gamification Makes Learning The Golf Swing Fun | Nancy Dunn Kato, Published Author and CEO at SwingPlay.com

Nancy Dunn-Kato is a very well respected golf instructor, one ot the top junior golf instructors in the country. In our interview she talks about the gamification of teaching the golf swing; how she makes these simple little games to help kids learn the golf swing. There’s a movement in education about gamification, working to make the learning experience more fun and enjoyable.
Nancy Dunn-Kato of SwingPlay.com talks about the Gamification of the Golf Swing
Nancy Dunn-Kato has been a Certified Class A LPGA Teaching & Club Professional Member since 1989. She has played and taught golf for over 24 years.

Nancy’s company SWINGplay and its concepts are a direct result of her dedicated work with junior golfers and a real, practical, understanding of what works best. SWINGplay’s unique programs are specifically designed to focus the learning needs of young and adult golfers at all levels from beginner to advanced players. The SWINGplay systems and methods reinforce the play in golf – to keep the learning experience fun, positive, and filled with success that grows naturally out of children’s play. Skill and ability grow quickly through the game-play!

SwingPlay fun ways to teach the golf swing.Zeb’s Take

It’s obvious that Nancy really understands the golf swing, and how to teach the golf swing. She made a lot of good points; young golfers teaching other young golfers how to play the game and how young kids can teach parents and how valuable that can be and how you can bring the family together.

The thing she talked about that I want to expand on is making the golf swing fun. She talked about breaking it down into little smaller components, and then teaching that in a fun game type of way – gamification. She’s talking about making rainbows, knocking out shark’s teeth, dragons, Leprechauns, shooting spray guns. I’ve actually had a chance to see some of the stuff she is talking about and it’s very cool. I can see how young people can accept and understand it all very quickly because of the way she sets up these little games.

In education, we get so much information from so many different resources. Before the internet, teachers were more on their own. Now, there’s someone like Nancy who creates this killer program about how to teach the golf swing to young kids. She can take that and give that to golf instructors across the country and they can understand. I think this gamification of learning coincides with our social culture and the way that we are able to share knowledge today. It really enhances the learning experience, I think education needs to go that way. Having a teacher that stands in front of a class and lectures is like if Nancy were a golf instructor that stood there and just tells you what you’re doing wrong. Versus, talking about rainbows and dragons, you can imagine the difference that would have on a little child. You can teach the golf swing, just like you can teach anything else, through this gamification process.

What do you think about this gamification process?

Find out more about gamification of the golf swing, Nancy, and SwingPlay

Visit SwingPlay.com or email Nancy at Nancy@SwingPlay.com

Quotes

  • “It was really frustrating. I never wanted anyone to feel that way. I believed in my heart that I could find a way to make it much more easy for other people.”
  • “Golf has been made too hard to understand and it doesn’t have to be that way; it could be easier.”
  • “I love teaching teachers.”
  • “They’re learning and they don’t even know their learning. That’s the fun part.”
  • “I really really wanted to create something different.”
  • “People helping people and using golf as a way to get the community together.”
  •  “I just wanted to make something that makes the world a little better.”

nancy

 

More From the Interview

Nancy got involved in golf in college when a couple cute guys invited her to play at Torrey Pines. She borrowed a pair of clubs that morning and finished the day with a couple pars. When she told her golf buddies it was her first day, they were impressed. She checked out the golf scene and had the idea to become a pro in one year. She found a golf instructor, worked hard and reached her goal in a year and a half. She made several mini tours and was on the top ten list.

After her swing, put a coke can on her pitching wedge and she had to balance it, that was the start of all the games she began creating. It was about finding a way to make it fun after the lesson so she could understand it.

“When we were on the mini tour, none of us could afford golf lessons. So whoever would go get a golf lesson they would come and teach us what they learned.”

She got to train with Derek Hardy, who taught her a lot, she could have gone on and qualified for the tour, but she wanted to get better and shoot under par more often, but that wasn’t happening. She changed her path.

Golfs Greenland Book by Nancy Dunn-KatoShe wanted to become a teacher, so she could understand why the lessons were so confusing. “I would cry in front of Derek Hardy all the time, because I couldn’t understand what he was saying. It was really frustrating. I never wanted anyone to feel that way. I believed in my heart that I could find a way to make it much more easy for other people.”

She joined the LPGA, started as an apprentice, and was able to move up. She was lucky to be able to study under Chuck Hogan. He was part of the LPGA teaching them how to become better teachers. He was all about making things fun, and to do it through games. When she asked him how to be a better teacher, he said don’t just tell people what to do, they need to know why they should do it.

She started on a path where I broke down the whole game.

“It’s just taking old terminologies and making everything easier and something that people can put their thoughts around and understand really quickly and it’s kind of amazing if you can use games or sensory perceptive play, which is what I love to do.”

What is SwingPlay?
She took every part of the game and separated it into modules. Then broke it down into simple understandable sensory perception with a skill game, a sound game or anything with the senses. She uses story telling. With young kids she teaches them how to make rainbows and their club is the paint brush; there’s all kinds of different rainbows for the different golf swings. She is telling them how to make rainbows, but they’re learning about a golf swing.

Kids have hands-on experiences and they become more self aware. They get to experiment all through play and self discovery. The kids have a great time. They’re learning and they don’t even know they’re learning. That’s the fun part.

She says, the educators of the world, they get it. It’s the 21st century of learning; it’s more hands on and discovery, let the people figure it out for themselves.

I’ve had high school kids and college kids help mentor these younger kids with table top projects. These kids get to be mentors and as they are helping the younger kids they are learning too.

What do you enjoy most about teaching golf?
Watching people’s reaction when they get it.

What life lessons and values do you think golf teaches?
Patience, love, respect. One thing about a golf course is, it’s like a park, it’s green and beautiful. Teach them to pick up trash and take care of the golf green. It’s a place where kids can go and be in nature.

Her book, Golf Greenland, is a 4 hour lesson all about putting, through story-telling and games. The fundamentals you learn in putting just go larger as you go up the game.

She wants to find a good home for her program. She’s really excited that Newport Beach YMCA is excited about it. She’d like to see it at more places libraries, schools, and places like restaurants. Maybe even try to standardize golf using everything she has created, make it more fun and get more people involved.

 

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Episode 57: Blog Writing to Learn with Zeb Welborn

I started my tutoring business back in 2009.  I was very fortunate because my sister was learning how to build websites at the time and she built a website for The Tutoring Solution.  6 months of blog writing opened up my world.  What many people don’t understand about social media is that it’s not just a sales and marketing tool, it’s also a learning tool and a communications tool which can make or break a business.  Learn how you can use blog writing to learn.

Blog Writing to Learn by Zeb Welborn from The Tutoring Solution, Welborn Media and the Defining Success Podcast

The Tutoring Solution’s Blog

Erin Klein started her blog Kleinspiration with the intention of keeping her students and parents updated about her classroom.  As she began to blog she started learning more and more about her profession because she was looking to create content for her blog.  As her blog grew, she had a better understanding of the needs of her students and started to develop a reputation as a forward-thinking educator.  Her blog eventually led to her being recognized by her school, then her district and has now been educating others on multiple subjects as it pertains to education.  Erin was able to use her passion for blog writing and education to build a strong personal brand for herself.

Several years ago, I implemented the The Tutoring Solution’s Blog-Based Learning Program, designed to educate students by creating daily content for their own blog.  While the blog-based learning program wasn’t successful, I still think the implementation of such an approach could have a great impact on those students who are passionate about a subject or a topic.  The one student we had who enrolled in the program was thinking about becoming a veterinarian.  Through her blog she was able to learn and discover what it took to become a veterinarian and learned some fascinating things as a result.

My recommendation to anyone looking to start a business would be to write a blog or create content (video, podcast) that will give them an opportunity to educate themselves on the topic and share what they’ve learned with others.  By working to become an expert in the field and sharing new things you’re learning you can help create buzz for your business and establish and develop meaningful relationships which will help you along your career path.

The blog I started back in 2009 set the foundation for everything I have done since I started my business.  My ideas have grown and I have been recognized as a thought leader in the industry.  In education I began to be contacted to give presentations on motivation and helping to motivate students who were unmotivated.  And I continue to learn through my blog writing through my various websites.  For anyone who is looking to change careers or who is looking to do something they love writing a blog is an excellent place to start.  If you’re not doing what you love, start creating content that will help you to develop an appreciation and an understanding of your field and learn along the way.

Learn more about how you can use blog writing to learn by listening to Episode 6 of the Defining Success Podcast titled, Blog Writing to Learn with Erin Klein from Kleinspiration.

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Episode 50: Bring Yourself Into Your Career | 4th Grade Teacher Karen Krupnick

As a 4th Grade Teacher Karen Krupnick was an excellent teacher who always brought something of herself into the classroom.  Her passion for teaching transferred itself to her students and, as a former student myself, know she changed the lives of her students.  Learn how you can bring yourself into your career in Episode 50 of the Defining Success Podcast!

Karen Krupnick on the Defining Success Podcast with Zeb Welborn Bring Yourself Into Your Career

Karen Krupnick

Karen Krupnick was my 4th grade elementary teacher.  Karen Krupnick has been a teacher for 40 years and has taught over 1,200 students, including myself.  She fostered the creativity of her students by teaching lessons that were outside of the box.

Karen had no idea she was going to be an educator.  She graduated college as a French teacher and it took a while before she made a decision to become a teacher.  A friend of Karen’s began teaching preschool and Karen decided to give it a try.

Teaching has changed completely from 40 years ago.  When she first started, there was a lot of experimentation in the classroom.  It was a time when you tried new things and when she left teaching it became a test-oriented environment.

State standards have changed the classroom many times over.  The new common core is looking to change the way teaching is done.  The one thing Karen enjoyed about teaching was that she was able to bring something of herself into the classroom (bring yourself into your career) and could teach her classroom in creative ways and now that is definitely not encouraged.

When Karen went into teaching most teachers said they went into education because they could share their passion with their students.

One of the most valuable things Karen learned about teaching was the never-ending progression of students.  Because of their different gifts, Karen came to appreciate people in a whole different way.  She found the uniqueness of the human being to be very interesting.

Karen loved teaching math and she learned many things she could bring to her students and she loved doing integrated units and bringing all subjects into these units.

The Great Race to Nome Karen Krupnick Bring Yourself Into Your Career

The Great Race to Nome

The Iditarod is a sled-dog race in Alaska where somewhere around 100 dog-sledders make this long trip along Alaska and it was immediately fascinating to Karen that human beings do this.  At the time Karen was first introduced to the race, there wasn’t a lot of stuff out there.  Students could calculate averages, do mathematical equations, read on the subject, and communicate with participants in the Iditarod.  As a result, Karen created curriculum and wrote a book on the subject which 1,000’s of teachers were using in their classrooms.  Recently; however, the state standards have forced administrators to say that this was not important and were discouraging teachers from using it in the classroom.

As technology evolved, students could do live chats with the mushers.  And students could also chat with classrooms that were located at checkpoints along the Iditarod trail.

Karen wishes people outside of education understood that the teacher’s job never stops at 3pm.  And that they’ll never understand how much time teachers put into their job over the summers.  It’s painful as a teacher that so many other professionals diminish the efforts of teachers and it would be nice if they only knew how much time, effort and commitment most teachers put into their job.

Being a member of the team to educate your child is extremely important.  Making sure they’re doing their homework and understanding what goes on in your child’s day is very important.  Good, quality parenting is always part of the education process.

One of the things Karen missed was picking up her kids at her line in the morning.  She loved seeing their energy and feeling their energy and loved questions.

Karen Krupnick

Karen Krupnick

Engaging Discussion Questions:

  • Should teachers bring a piece of themselves into the classroom?
  • What do you think is the best way to educate children?

Links to Great Stuff:

  • Iditarod.com – “It takes so much more than a field of willing mushers and anxious sled dogs to run the Iditarod Trail Race. With an annual budgetof almost two million dollars, the Iditarod Trail Committee depends on a hard working force of volunteers and supporters to raise the necessary money all year around. An annual sweepstakes isheld. Various items are sold at fairs and benefits. Banquets are planned in both Anchorage and Nome. This volunteer force and the loyal supporters from both the private and business sector make the race possible each year.”

Success Quotes:

  • “Success is being able to get up every morning and be glad that you’re going to your job.”
  • “If you love where you’re going and what you’re doing than you’re a success.”
  • “Be yourself and study the things that you love. Don’t choose what you study because of what anybody else tells you.”
  • “Be yourself.  Bring something of yourself into your classroom.”
  • “A career goes home with you.  A job, you leave behind at the office.”
  • “Good, quality parenting is always part of the education process.”

Special Requests:

Rate and Review the Defining Success Podcast in iTunes – https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-success-podcast/id619459909

 

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