Saturday, May 18, 2019

Educational Links 5/19/19

Equity in Education: Where to Begin?


How student-created VR can enhance SEL and special ed


Following the lessons of learning science in schools isn’t convenient


‘We must end the unconscious bias in teaching’



How Teacher Training Falls Short for English-Learners and Students With IEPs



Why You Really, Absolutely Shouldn't Change the English Curriculum

Friday, May 17, 2019

Educational Links 5/18/19

How Can Teachers Bounce Back From Failure?

Experienced teachers key in California districts that ‘beat the odds’



It’s Time To Think Differently About Writing In The Classroom

THREE THINGS TO TRY IN WRITING WORKSHOP BEFORE THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR

https://twowritingteachers.org/2019/05/09/three-things-to-try-inSTEAM, equity, reflection, -writing-workshop-before-the-end-of-the-school-year/?fbclid=IwAR0RbmF3uyrWiPZzygVldZTjbzXvnRIf3kzqapaRM1F89FqHUF-oa8kf5Js

Motivating Reluctant STEAM Learners: Changing how you assess can inspire students

I, Too, Am America: Making All Students Feel Like They Belong

https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/05/14/31gordon.h33.html


Treating Reflection as a Habit, Not an Event


Regular reflection helps students learn, and some simple strategies can make it a regular and meaningful routine.

The Sky Is Cheap Entertainment: Full Flower Moon! And It's Blue



Blue, Full Flower Moon Coming Soon


FULL MOONS IN 2019

Thursday, May 16, 2019

Educational Links 5/17/19

17 Things Teachers Wish People Understood About Teaching



Communicating in Crisis – How Preparedness Leads to Successful Crisis Management


Teacher qualifications best predictor of student success



House Appropriations Labor-HHS-Education Committee Increases Education Funding


What Is Trauma-Informed Teaching?


Restorative Justice in the English Language Arts Classroom


Students Learn Less When They Sense Teacher Hostility


Just as many students have stories of their favorite, inspirational teacher, many also can recall at least one class spent living in dread of a teacher's acid comments. Maybe the teacher wanted to project take-no-guff sternness, or considered sarcasm the way to connect with adolescents.
Regardless of the reason, those teachers may have hurt their students' academic progress, according to a new study in the journal Communication Education.

Hey, Meet Me At Recess By the Swings!

Fitness expert has games for a 'trouble-free' playground  http://blog.mlive.com/chronicle/2008/10/curt_hinson_photos_for_centerp.html

1. Recess Makes Kids Smarter

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/recess-makes-kids-smarter 


2. Yay for Recess: Pediatricians Say It’s as Important as Math or Reading

http://healthland.time.com/2012/12/31/yay-for-recess-pediatricians-say-its-as-important-as-math-or-reading/ 

3. The 3 R’s? A Fourth Is Crucial, Too: Recess 

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/24/health/24well.html?_r=0 

4. The Role of Recess in Children’s Cognitive
Performance and School Adjustment 
5. The True Loss of Recess

All-American Music To Grill To

This is mostly for Americans. And maybe you wish to grill in quiet--that's okay, too.
Multi-generational fun.
But for us in the States, these might be fun tunes.
1. Born in the U S A Bruce Springsteen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZD4ezDbbu4

A traditional song sung with soul.
2. Ray Charles - "America, the Beautiful"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRUjr8EVgBg 

Maybe this is Juneteenth.
The History of Juneteenth
http://www.juneteenth.com/history.htm

This includes some good ole America poetry with the music.

3. Ragged Old Flag * Johnny Cash * USA 

Johnny makes non-verbal comment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIHYNPjUd50&feature=related 

 While we're on Johnny Cash and poetry, the lyrics began as a poem by Julia Ward Howe

4. Johnny Cash sings The Battle Hymn Of The Republic 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQhyWv-PeVE

Friends can have a cook out, too.

5. Simon & Garfunkel - American Tune 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCmgKSUXH18

6. Bob Dylan "With God on our side" 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAgAvnvXF9U

7.  Creedence Clearwater Revival - "Fortunate Son"

Good field for football later, soccer, or baseball.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EU7H--USv6Y 

Here's classical based on the Quaker tune, "Simple Gifts." Another poem.

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free
'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gain'd,
To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd,
To turn, turn will be our delight,
Till by turning, turning we come 'round right.[2]
Earliest American Bar B Que: Jamestown

8.  Aaron Copland - "Appalachian Spring"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7U7hPHSkNJo 

9. God Bless The USA (Lee Greenwood) 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWC8liHX_G8 

Little known fact about Jimi Hendrix--he served in the U S Army as a paratrooper. 

Jimi in the 101st

 

10. Jimi Hendrix - "The Star-Spangled Banner"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKAwPA14Ni4

And just a little homage to my home state--

11. The Beach Boys California Girls

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmIsdMWzdaE

Beautiful place for a picnic

I've heard many folks say, who were from other nations on the continents of North and South America, that they, too, could claimed to be Americans.

America the Multicultural.

So, here is Celine, our Canadian friend, to sing God Bless America.

12. God Bless America - Celine Dion (With Lyrics & History) 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXLQ2RPLO78 

 Don't forget the marshmallows and s'mores.

Here's a Youtube link to all this music from my Youtube site:

All American Music To Grill To  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZD4ezDbbu4&list=PLA2SFaAnpsdCjuzPEaokU_1-0cP6jH-Ce

Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Major Ed Websites for Teacher Resources (Truly Excellent!)


Major educational websites have topical resources that are both helpful and fascinating.

Diversity 

Find resources to help build an inclusive school community for students from different cultural, socioeconomic, and linguistic backgrounds and for children with unique instructional needs. 

http://www.edutopia.org/blogs/tag/diversity 


The Teacher’s Guides To Technology And Learning
This part of Edudemic is meant to offer you, the teacher, some of the best and most popular resources available today. We’ve combed through hundreds of resources in order to narrow down our guides into something easy to read, easy to use, and easy to share. 
http://www.edudemic.com/guides/ 

Common Core Archives

Articles concerning learning theory, curriculum design, and the use of technology in support of the standards.

http://www.teachthought.com/category/common-core-2/

 

Teaching Strategies 

Ed tech use, bilingual instruction, teaching methods, teacher collaboration, parent communication, gaming--all the important topics for education. 

http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/category/teaching-strategies/ 

 

Learning Disabilities

Learning disabilities (LD) are neurological disorders that can make it difficult to acquire certain academic and social skills. They are not the result of poor intelligence or laziness. Knowledge about LD will allow you and your child to advocate for success in learning and in life. Find out more by exploring the sections below. Learning Disabilities

https://www.understood.org/en

 

 Teaching Reading

Articles, webcasts, videos for teachers on ELA skills and early literacy.

http://www.readingrockets.org/audience/teachers 

Educational Links 5/16/19

7 Skills Students Will Always Need


What the ‘broad spectrum’ can teach us about autism

Reading Aloud to Middle School Students



Digital Citizenship: New research calls for better choices


How Schools Can Bridge Mental Health Care Gaps with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Tools



Why We Weren't Surprised to See Teachers Holding a Noose

65 Years After Brown v. Board, Our Fixation on Integration Is Hiding Gross Inequities in Our Schools. We Must Focus Not Just on Whom We Teach — but on How We Teach


   It has been 65 years since the Supreme Court unanimously outlawed segregated schools in Brown v. Board of Education — and still, more than half of American students attend schools where over 75 percent of the population is of the same race. Schools have become steadily more segregated since the mid-1980s. Majority-nonwhite districts receive $23 billion less in annual funding. Our schools are still separate, and they are certainly not equal.

Tuesday, May 14, 2019

Educational Links 5/15/19

GOOGLE UNVEILS NEW & IMPRESSIVE FREE READING APP: “RIVET”

HTTP://LARRYFERLAZZO.EDUBLOGS.ORG/2019/05/14/GOOGLE-UNVEILS-NEW-IMPRESSIVE-FREE-READING-APP-RIVET/?FBCLID=IWAR3O3L7VAHP_MOECNHHZ5HTZEGGFT-RGHP5XE9IXLPEG9F0VWXFYNCZJNNS

HOW TO GIVE GEN Z MEANINGFUL FEEDBACK


Use these powerful films to teach problem-solving and nurture students' curiosity.

'Games Absolutely Have a Role in Teaching and Learning!'


Must-Have Tech Tools for Instructional Coaches – Easy EdTech Podcast 014



Mindfulness Won't Save Us. Fixing the System Will.


Positive School Leadership: Why Do So Few of Us Do It Well?


How can we stay positive and lead our schools in the face of relentless challenges, time pressures, setbacks, and the negative events we have to manage?

IEP Meeting? Do I Have To Go?

That confusing enough for you?


Am I required to attend IEP meetings if I am not a Special Education teacher?

I've been asked that more than once as the Special Education teacher, and especially as a Resource Specialist, also known as Special Academic Instructor. The answer in our state is that at  least one general education teacher who has the student on his/her caseload needs attend any IEP (Individualized Education Program) whether it be qualifying (evaluating to see if the student will enter Special Education), annual (the once a year assessment), triennial (every third year the educational psychologist also assesses), or an addendum which is called for a unique reason at any time. However, the better school sites have the entire teaching team there. The teachers at my middle school were very dedicated (and wanted to keep their positions) and supported the Special Ed. kids very effectively with attendance.

What should I bring to the IEP as the General Education teacher?

1.  Bring a calm and caring attitude. Parents are always concerned about their kid. Even if you as the classroom instructor have concerns, even serious ones, about the child performance or behavior, a general education teacher must show a caring attitude and a calm demeanor. Even if you must fly out of the meeting at the speed of heat to finish your day's responsibilities--you are so very important to that parent and child that every bit of body language as well as spoken words means the world, and focusing on the positive will get things done better.

2. Bring your expertise and evidence of it.  All teachers have grade books (on-line or otherwise), lesson plans, records of phone calls and communication to the parent, and copies of referrals and time-outs. Just be ready with this information and how to explain the ebb and flow of your classroom. Please have some positive comments to show you know little Johnny and how well he demonstrates a skill, reveals a talent or interest, or did something right in class. If little Janie is lacking, the parent should already have communicated with you because you called, or sent information home. The Special Education teacher should already know, too, if this is a big deal (actually, even a little deal.) The team of teachers plus family can really make it happen for a kid, and communication with coordination is the key.

How Should I Interact At The Meeting?

3. Be ready to explain your testing and grading system, including homework. The child's future hinges on what you do, how you grade, and do you offer help. The parent needs to know how you grade. Is there make up work? A Special Education student usually is not an independent learner, even if they have the intelligence, because of a visual or auditory learning handicap. Do you offer homework help? Test retakes? Tutoring? When and where? The Math Department at my last school was remarkable in the regular, systematic help for all kids. And it got results.

I Don't Feel Prepared For This--What Should I Do?

4. Coordinate with the Special Education teacher. I cannot adequately explain how complex, detailed and mind-boggingly intense all this Special Ed. stuff is. But it is to your advantage as a general education teacher to share information with the RSP or SAI teacher. Most Special Ed. teachers are type B personalities (myself included) and won't bully or force anyone to do anything. But there is such expertise there, one suggestion may change a classroom situation for the better. And frequently there are Behavior Plans to implement for a rascal. The teaching team wants to keep this side of legalities, having i's dotted and t's crossed. Of course, first and foremost, we want to help the kids. A Special Education teacher has district personnel resources and knowledge that can really help.

Reverie: A State of Abstract Musing

Starry Night by Van Gogh

I've never noticed that little church in the center of the painting before.

Activating Classroom Discussions


Classroom Activities: How to Hold a Classroom Debate


Debates in the Classroom


Teaching Strategies About the Socratic Method


How I Learned to Stop Being Afraid of Socratic Seminars & Try Them in My Classes





Pinwheel Discussions: Texts in Conversation




Conver-Stations: A Discussion Strategy





ADHD--What To Do


ADHD Is Fuel for Adventure

http://www.outsideonline.com/2048391/adhd-fuel-adventure 

EARLY WARNING SIGNS OF ADHD MOST PEOPLE MISS

http://www.healthist.co/2016/01/30/early-warning-signs-of-adhd-most-people-miss/ 

4 Key Symptoms of ADHD

https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/child-learning-disabilities/add-adhd/key-symptoms-signs-adhd 

When ADHD Isn't What It Seems 

http://www.specialneedsdigest.com/2016/02/when-adhd-isnt-what-it-seems.html :

This site is an excellent resource:

http://www.additudemag.com/channel/adhd-learning-disabilities/index.html

Exercise Is Adderall Minus the Profits

https://www.inverse.com/article/10577-exercise-is-adderall-minus-the-profits 

An old-school paradigm for treating ADHD can replace habit-forming drugs, but isn't profitable enough for the pharmaceutical age.

Yasmin Tayag