Connection is Why We're Here- Sean Robinson's P3

Sean Robinson has been teaching for over 20 years in classes from kindergarten to high school and in cities from Jakarta to Vancouver. He currently teaches Science and Digital Literacy at Riverside Secondary in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia. Sean is a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert. He is the creator of Connections Based learning and the Co-founder of Connected Learning Partnerships, a grassroots initiative to bring together educators from around the world to collaborate on global projects. Sean is also one of the founding ambassadors for #TeachSDGs aiming to help teachers address and contribute to achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals for 2030. He has a passion for global connection and wants to help teachers implement more effective pedagogy.

Sean is an author and presenter. He writes for a bevy of different spaces including blogs, articles for Microsoft and other publications. Sean is the author of Connections-based Learning: A Framework for Teaching and Learning in a Connected World, which is available through Amazon. I first became aware of Sean’s exciting work through my friend Rola Tibshirani. She introduced Connections-based learning to my vocabulary and, now that she started podcasting, you can tune in to her second episode of The Missing Link where Sean explains more about his book and his work. Connections-based learning is such an essential component of modern learning in a social environment.

Sean described the context of his nostalgic song choice in illustrative detail. This song reminds him of a formative period in his life, and he describes it with images of unkempt spaces, a “revolving door of roommates” jammed together, and a budgie on a pole in the living room with branches of drumsticks poking out . “These guys were reenacting scenes from Star Wars, eating Kraft Dinner, Mr. Noodles and we’re on our own. We were becoming who we are, but we are also developing through the relationships that we have.” While this alludes to the title of the track that takes him back, this song is about the lyrics and the music. As a drummer, Sean learned about this drummer and, through his connection, he learned about this album and particular song. “It’s about relationships- about putting one’s self out there, and it just clicked with me.” Here is the live version of Peter Gabriel's Secret World with Manu Katché on the drums:

Sean is reading Brene Brown’s Daring Greatly through which he has learned to value the importance of vulnerability in making connections. As Brown wrote, "Vulnerability is not about weakness. It's about showing up and being seen." She also wrote that, "Vulnerability is the core, the heart, the center, of meaningful human experiences." In many ways, Sean's identity song is about how every day is a new day and, although we are vulnerable, we have to seize the day and appreciate each moment. Sean wants to give his students “a moment’s worth and then some.” He also wants to make the most of all his moments and “do each stage really well.” Sean embraces teaching as a precious gift and tries to make every experience count. Here is Five for Fighting with 100 Years:

Sean was really excited to get to the next song, and he was eager to share why it really gets him going. “Right from the first riff there’s expectations. As a musician, you think about all this building. You’ve got that guitar that starts out building, growing, and then you’ve got the other instruments coming in.” It’s his wife’s favourite band and he described seeing the “immense joy on her face” when her took her to see them live, and they began to play. The song is about not being reduced to your address, which can reflect your economic status or religion. He connected the song lyrics to his own experience of the connotations that can come with the name of the street where you live and how it shouldn't define you. Here’s U2’s Where the Streets Have No Name:

When asked if there was a song missing from his playlist, Sean mentioned a few. He was thinking about a song by Matthew West called Forgiveness. He also pondered using Ennio Morricone’s work from The Mission soundtrack noting, “I used to, every night, put The Mission soundtrack on just quiet enough so I could sleep but just loud enough that I could hear it.” In the end, Sean was very happy with his P3 song choices feeling that they connect to who he is and what drives him. If you want to get in touch with Sean, you can find him on Twitter, on his blog, and through his website. Sean wants you to connect with him and each other. If you are interested in joining his Voxer chat, you can get more info here.