Even though he was mainly known as a movie star, Bruce Lee was also an accomplished martial artists. One of Bruce’s biggest accomplishments in the martial arts was the creation of Jeet Kune Do (JKD). The concept behind JKD was simple.
Absorb what is useful, discard what is useless.
As he created JKD Bruce Lee analyzed different techniques and evaluating their effectiveness. Techniques that were deemed effective were added to the system while techniques deemed ineffective were quickly discarded. With that being said Lee believed that the individual could only make this assessment by being honest with themselves.
So what does this have to do with teaching? In teaching there are numerous theories and ideas that we are bombarded with. Some of them work for everyone while others only work for some people. As technology using teachers it is important that we are honest with ourselves when evaluating a piece technology. Yes the tool may be fun and look cool, but does it help your students learn? Does it enhance your student’s learning experience? If you answered either question with no then discard the tool. If you answered both questions with a yes then keep the tool. Only keep the tools that benefit your students. Over time you will end up developing your own JKD and will be better prepared to teach your students.
-Ryan
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hong_kong_bruce_lee_statue.jpg