Best Articles for Educators Week of 1/12/13

We educators need to climb to the top of Bloom's Taxonomy, too. And here are some current thought-provoking articles to goad us into solutions for our kids. Check out these excellent blogs and websites, too. Mzteachuh isn't the only great one out there, you know. ;)

1. Mind/Shift

In his words, “Creativity is not an option, it’s an absolute necessity.”

Sir Ken Robinson: Fostering Creativity in Education is Not an Option

http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/01/sir-ken-robinson-fostering-creativity-in-education-is-not-an-option/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+kqed%2FnHAK+%28MindShift%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher 

“If you didn’t get a good night’s sleep, it’s really hard to learn new things because you didn’t clear out all the synaptic connections.”

Why Sleeping May Be More Important Than Studying

http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/01/why-sleeping-may-be-more-important-than-studying/ 

But there’s “zero correlation between the best ideas and the best talkers.”

 2. Edutopia

We need to "listen" to children by observing and thinking about how we can guide -- but not dictate -- their learning. We can be partners in creating a joyful experience for each child, each and every day.

A Joyful, Brain-Friendly Classroom

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/a-joyful-brain-friendly-classroom-elaine-kennedy 

Believing in students is not simply telling them that you believe in them. These words matter only if they are true and if you demonstrate them by your actions. There is no way to fake it, because kids have built in crap detectors (a phrase taken from Neil Postman, and Charles Weingartner, in Teaching As a Subversive Activity), and they can tell if you don't mean it. Here are some ways to express it. 

Believing in Students: The Power to Make a Difference

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/believing-in-students-richard-curwin 

3. Special Needs Survey
Daily News and Information for the Special Needs Community

I propose that all of our kids get an annual mental health assessment starting from the early years to the teen years and then also maybe every year following.

Do We Really Care About the Mental Health of Our Teens? 

http://specialneedssurvey.blogspot.com/2013/01/do-we-really-care-about-mental-health.html 

4. The Educator's Room

However, the male teacher is a dying breed. After reading several articles on the matter, I’ve learned many have come to the conclusion that this dilemma stems from one’s that, again, you should be obvious-decreasing lack of public respect for the position, societal factors, increased (and even unfair) demands, and, of course, money.

Raising Boys’ Achievement Involves More Male Teachers

http://theeducatorsroom.com/2012/12/raising-boys-achievement-involves-more-male-teachers/ 

So, educator, your homework is to read and comment on these articles!