Unconventional Learning

October 13, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
2 Comments

I was reading in the local paper today that Westminster Primary School teacher, Brooke Topelberg, was last nigt awarded the Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools. She was awarded at a ceremony at Parliament House in Canberra.

The judges praised her for using unconventional methods to teach students including the use of puppets and garden patches. Well done Brooke.

I’m wondering what unconventional ways have you learnt something. I remember back in 2000 having a bicycle accident on a ride across Australia. I learnt, by rubbing my face along the edge of the road at high speed after coming off my bike, that the signs that said, “Beware – Soft Edges” weren’t necessarily truthful. They weren’t soft at all.

Have you learnt something the hard way or just in an unconventional way? Sitting in a classroom may be necessary but we often learn in very different ways. Can you remember a teacher who did things a little differently? Did that help you learn?

What unconventional ways have you learnt something important?

Please leave a comment or two about your own learning experiences.



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Gumby Still a Favourite

October 13, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
2 Comments

GumbyArthur C. Clokey, the creator of Gumby, brought a lot of happiness to a lot of children. His legacy lives on with many Gumby products still available for sale today. Sadly his childhood wasn’t as happy as many of those he entertained. Art died peacefully in his sleep the morning of the 8th of January 2010 at the age of 88.

The blog post I wrote at the time of his death still attracts visitors every day and with Google celebrating what would have been Clokey’s 90th birthday yesterday, I’ve seen a big increase in hits on this blog.

After the Gumby series, Art Clokey went on to create the Christian animation series, Davey and Goliath. The Lutheran Church and Art Clokey teamed up to make the first Davey and Goliath episode in 1960 called “Lost In A Cave”. In 2004 Art Clokey’s son, Joe, produced a new episode, “Davey and Goliath’s Snowboard Christmas.”

I loved my Gumby toy when I was a child and I still have a Gumby on my desk at work. Gumby is a reminder of a happy childhood. I didn’t know the truth behind the childhood of his creator until after he passed away.

When Clokey was 9 years old, his parents divorced and he stayed with his father. After his father died in a car accident, he went to live with his mother in California, but was placed in a half-way house orphanage after one year because his stepfather did not want him around. At age 12, he was adopted by Joseph W. Clokey, a classical music composer and organist who taught music at Pomona College in Claremont, California, and who encouraged young Arthur’s artistic inclinations. The aesthetic environment later became the home of Art Clokey’s most famous character, Gumby, whose name derives from Art Clokey’s childhood experiences during summer visits to his grandfather’s farm, when he enjoyed playing with the clayey mud called “gumbo.” – Wiki

What a sad start to life for Clokey but what an amazing turn around.



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