Education Short List

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Life and learning include a lot of difficult tasks and lessons. So, whenever the opportunity presents itself to make that learning more interactive and creative – good educators reach for the chance to do just that. Which is why, I believe, game playing activities are a valuable resource in a teacher’s tool kit.

In recent years, wit the implementation of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and National Stated Standards for Curriculum and Instruction, teachers are finding it a bit more difficult to bring those game learning lessons into their classrooms. But, it shouldn’t be that way. For starters, game playing is important to learning and relevant to experiences students will have when they are older. Games also provide learners with new and different ways to retain and recall information and lessons. It teaches them about team work, taking turns, and being successful independently.

Furthermore, there are hundreds of resources available, many are online, that can assist teachers in turning lessons into games; or how to supplement a learning unit with game playing.

http://www.g4ed.com/

www.standardsrfun.com

Hispanic Latino Heritage Month

September 15 was chosen as the starting point for the celebration because it is the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. They all declared independence in 1821. In addition, Mexico, Chile and Belize celebrate their independence days on September 16, September 18 and September 21, respectively.

For educators, this is an opportunity to celebrate diversity found in your classroom and/or your community. Personally, I believe that diversity should be integrated into lessons all the time, and that we shouldn’t necessarily focus on people’s racial backgrounds. However, having a dedicated time to honor the accomplishments of people from Latino decent should still be acknowledged.

Here is a grouping of six websites that are dedicated to providing teachers and instructors with materials and lessons that are directly related to teaching about Latino Heritage Month. And although the month of celebrating this month ends on October 15th, several schools and districts continue these types of lessons until the end of October.

EDUCATION WORLD LATINO LESSONS

http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson023.shtml

SCHOLASTIC HISPANIC LESSONS

http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/hispanic/index.htm

SMITHSONIAN’S EDUCATION HISPANIC RESOURCES SITE

http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/resource_library/hispanic_resources.html

TEACHING TOLERANCE SITE

http://www.teachingtolerance.org

TARGET’S DREAM IN COLOR SITE
http://scholastic.com/dreamincolor/

IMPORTANT FIRSTS BY HISPANIC AMERICANS

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0933896.html

Teachers are constantly being taught and told how to better instruct their students. From ‘teaching to the test’, thematic units, and multicultural education, there are a variety of strategies that can be implemented into lesson plans. When I was in graduate school I felt overwhelmed by the options available to teachers. The one that I related to the most is Multiple Intelligences.

Howard Gardner developed the theory of Multiple Intelligences in the 1970s. He viewed intelligence as ‘the capacity to solve problems or to fashion products that are valued in one or more cultural setting’ (Gardner & Hatch, 1989). And he believed that people learned and retained information in different ways, thereby meaning that their intelligence, or expertise, was lead by that certain method of learning.

Howard Gardner originally believed there were seven intelligences, and in the 1990s added the eighth – naturalistic. If I am correct in my research, he is currently conducting research to see if there are more.

Bodily-Kinesthetic

This area has to do with bodily movement and physiology. In theory, people who have bodily-kinesthetic intelligence should learn better by involving muscular movement, i.e. getting up and moving around into the learning experience, and are generally good at physical activities such as sports or dance.

Interpersonal

This area has to do with interaction with others. They communicate effectively and empathize easily with others, and may be either leaders or followers. They typically learn best by working with others and often enjoy discussion and debate.

Verbal-linguistic

This area has to do with words, spoken or written. They are typically good at reading, writing, telling stories and memorizing words along with dates. They tend to learn best by reading, taking notes, listening to lectures, and discussion and debate.

Logical-mathematical

This area has to do with logic, abstractions, reasoning, and numbers.

Visual-spatial

This area has to do with vision and spatial judgment. People with strong visual-spatial intelligence are typically very good at visualizing and mentally manipulating objects.

There appears to be a high correlation between spatial and mathematical abilities, which seems to indicate that these two intelligences are not independent.

Naturalistic

This area has to do with nature, nurturing and relating information to one’s natural surroundings. They are also good at recognizing and classifying different species. They must connect a new experience with prior knowledge to truly learn something new.

Intrapersonal

This area has to do with introspective and self-reflective capacities. Those who are strongest in this intelligence are typically introverts and prefer to work alone. They are usually highly self-aware and capable of understanding their own emotions, goals and motivations. They often have an affinity for thought-based pursuits such as philosophy. They learn best when allowed to concentrate on the subject by themselves. There is often a high level of perfectionism associated with this intelligence.

Musical

This area has to do with rhythm, music, and hearing. Since there is a strong auditory component to this intelligence, those who are strongest in it may learn best via lecture. In addition, they will often use songs or rhythms to learn and memorize information, and may work best with music playing in the background.

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Graph of Multiple Intelligences

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I use Multiple Intelligences strategies because I feel that when students understand how they learn, they are more enabled to make lessons and life work for themselves. Also, as a classroom teacher by integrating Multiple Intelligences ideas into your lessons, it allows you to be more flexible and creative with their presentation. In math, have students write their answers on paper or wipe boards; use pictures to calculate results. Do more hands on experiments in science; take the class outside to read. Once you start adjusting your lessons and inserting Multiple Intelligences into it, you are making a variety of lessons, thereby bringing more creativity to the format, and engaging a larger range of your students.

An added benefit, is that when the theory of Multiple Intelligences is that when it is explained it can assists you in better understanding how you learn and retain knowledge and experiences. Therefore, by knowing how you learn you are then better-abled to ensure that when information is presented to you, that you in turn remember it in such a way that is best for your learning style.

To see what your learning style is, print out this quiz provided by Scholastic.

http://printables.scholastic.com/printables/detail/?id=36447&ESP=PRT/ib//acq/teachersapprec///teachersarticle/freeprintable

http://printables.scholastic.com/printables/detail/?id=36447&ESP=PRT/ib//acq/teachersapprec///teachersarticle/freeprintable

Do you know what time of year it is??? Just open an newspaper advert or watch TV commericals and it’s clear. No, not Halloween, Hannukah, Christmas, or Yom Kippur — it’s Back to School time! (Although if you just pay attention to commercials you would have thought that school started back in July. Yes, it’s back to school; the time of year that parents and families love as much as teachers and students dread (don’t kid yourself, teachers want summer vacation to go on forever).

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/31892691

The Today Show gives us guides and guidance on how to best transition your children back to school.

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2009/08/frugality_is_cool_in_backtosch.html

An article from The Oregonian discusses how to send the kids to school without breaking the piggybank.

http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3751875&ESP=Teachers/ib/20090901/awa/free_bts_printables_3_5///thlp/tout////

Free Printables for teachers from Scholastic

http://www.edhelper.com/Back_To_School.htm

Ed Helper’s specialized selection of new school year materials

If you already aren’t back in the classroom or haven’t already pushed your kids out the door – here are some last minute sites to help get you prepared. For those that are already in the groove of school, perhaps these can give you that final answer you were looking for.

Earlier this month, the United States had witnessed a historical moment, a teachable moment. This is, of course, the swearing in of Judge Sonia Sotomayor as a Supreme Court Justice. Whatever your political views may be, there is a sense of pride in knowing how valuable this moment is. Sotomayor is the 111th Justice ever, the 3rd woman, and the first Latino Supreme Court Justice. And knowing that, it now presents an opportunity for educators to create a teachable moment and lesson.

For teachers, you can make this time in American history; even though it will be in the recent past once the school year begins. Furthermore, this isn’t a lesson that is limited to any particular age group or grade level; for each grade there is a way to integrate the swearing in of Sonia Sotomayor into your classroom. For example, in high school you could focus on the judicial branch of the government, the role that the Supreme Court has, the way in which a person becomes a Justice in the highest court of our land. Plus, this would be a perfect time to discuss the development of the United States’ government and Supreme Court; as well as why they were necessary, and continue to be needed today. These types of lessons could also be implemented in middle school grades as well. For elementary aged students, this could become the chance to introduce the concept of the judicial branch, laws, government, right from wrong, rules and obeying those rules.

Another aspect of this time in history, is to create a teachable moment for students that looks at the person Sonia Sotomayor is and her background. Sonia Sotomayor is a woman, so an educator should take the time to create a lesson that discusses the accomplishments of women in recent times; as well as the advancements that Hispanic people have brought to the United States. Also, Ms. Sotomayor was born in New York (here there is the potential for enriching lessons for those students in New York state) an instructor could talk about the resources in NY and where it is in location to their home state. Ms. Sotomayor’s family is from Puerto Rico. Here too teachers can talk about the U.S.’s relationship with Puerto Rico, it’s geographical location, the resources that come from there and that are exported from the island.

Perhaps some may feel that learning these factoids about Ms. Sotomayor and her background may not be as significant as learning about the Supreme Court and the government of the United States. But take a moment to think of this. For all the girls in your class, the Latinos who are sitting in your room, the future lawyers you are lecturing to – wouldn’t they find something inspiring by the accomplishments of this person? Wouldn’t that be reason enough to teach about them? And, if your students don’t fit any of those descriptions, wouldn’t it be just as valuable to educate your students about those accomplishments, in order to broaden their views of people in the world? Thereby making them more aware and appreciative of their fellow Americans?

No matter how you are able to integrate this moment, please take the time to do so. Below are some of the more reputable resources on the topic, as well as lessons to use in the classroom. Plus, I have included a slideshow of the event and a YouTube video of the swearing in.

Articles on the Subject

New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/09/us/politics/09sotomayor.html

Latina

http://latina.com/lifestyle/news-politics/sonia-sotomayor-sworn-nations-first-latina-supreme-court-justice

You Tube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=032K9yzRevA

Lesson Opportunities

White House

http://www.whitehouse.gov/our_government/judicial_branch/

Scholastic Lessons

http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/scholasticNews.jsp?FromBrowseMod=true&Ns=Pub_Date_Sort|1&CurrPage=scholasticNews.jsp&TopicValue=Scholastic%20News&ESP=SN/ib/20090806/awa/sn_sotd_new_supreme_court_justice_approved_1_5///thlp/tout////

Supreme Court Website

http://www.supremecourtus.gov/

White House 101

http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/white_house_101/

Sonia Sotomayor Slideshow

http://www.whitehouse.gov/photogallery/Sotomayor-Bio/ (video)

Two weeks was Earth Day; and although it would have been great for me to list some resources for teachers to utilize, I felt like taking a different approach. This time I wanted to share how I received Earth Day lessons from my students and others around me; thereby creating true and genuine ‘teachable moments.’

When I was a long-term substitute teacher, I was also involved in a program called AmeriCorps. Through this program I learned valuable skills that enabled me to be a stronger and more cognizant teacher.

One such experience was that of Earth Day. I prepared several tools and little mini lessons that I was going to integrate throughout the day. But my students had another idea in mind.

Before school even started, a student of mine ‘Juan’ came running up to me with some trash he had found around the school. He proceeded to tell me that the trash made the school ugly and sometimes he was embarrassed to come here. Well, that changed my whole view. During our P.E. time and some of our recess time, the majority of my students helped me pick up trash from all around our school. We were even an inspiration to other classes, who wanted to help out.

For me, the real lesson was the one my students gave me. It didn’t matter to them that I had spent the better part of my weekend preparing, what mattered to them, was having a “not ugly school.”

On this past Earth Day, I was watching a television program (Oprah). As I watched the program, I was thinking of all the good things I do already to take care of the environment; how I definitely do my part. Yet, I was reminded of my students and how important it was to them to have a clean place to go to school. Each week since watching that Earth Day program I have gone around my neighborhood to pick up the trash – because I want a pretty place to live.

In both of these situations, I had preconceived notions of what should be done and what part I had to play in both. However, by taking the time to listen to the ideas that others had – I learned more myself and found new ways to be the student, not just the teacher.

Today, March 17th, is a day when people celebrate their Irish heritage, even if they don’t have any. For me, being Irish means a great deal, much more than just one day could ever measure.

Every year, no matter where I was, I would use this day to create teachable moments; and not just with children. I did programs in college, with my colleagues, and everyday folk.

Here are a few links that you could use to create one of your own teachable moments. And realize, that St. Patrick’s Day is much more than drinking green beer and watching Riverdance.

Erin Go Braugh

Links for information

1. Learn Random Facts About Ireland and St. Patrick’s Day

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,509487,00.html

2. Ed Helper’s Education Lessons

http://www.edhelper.com/st_patricks_day.htm

3. The History Channel

http://www.history.com/minisites/stpatricksday/

4. A Quiz testing your Irish Knowledge

http://www.history.com/content/stpatricksday/all-things-irish-quiz

5. Wikipedia’s History of Ireland

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Patrick%27s_Day