Reader's Theater: A Reason to Read Aloud
The Reader's Theater strategy blends students' desire to perform with their need for oral reading practice. RT offers an entertaining and engaging way to improve fluency and enhance comprehension. Included: RT tips from the experts!
Tools for Teaching: Rules, Routines, and Standards
Classroom management expert Fred Jones explains why educators need to teach -- not just announce -- classroom rules and routines. In this month's column, he offers effective strategies for getting students to take your standards seriously.
Teacher Training:
Capitalizing on Conferences
How can you be sure the conferences and conventions your staff attends make the
best use of the limited time and money available? Tips on selecting, preparing
for, and getting the most from conferences and conventions.
Teacher Training:
A Matter of Timing
How to motivate teachers to make the most of the training opportunities you provide.
Voice of Experience: Alleviating
Appraisal Anxiety -- Lessons Learned from 29 Years of Evaluations
Max Fischer has taught for 29 years, but he still gets a little nervous each time
he is observed! Over the years, however, Fischer has learned a lot about reducing
anxiety during observation and appraisal time.
Tools for Teaching: Effective Room
Arrangement
Classroom management expert Fred Jones identifies "three zones of proximity" and
discusses how knowing what they are can help you "work the crowd" in your own
classroom.
Back to School Checklist
Are you ready for the first day of school? These twenty Education World resources
can take you from the first day to the last.
In a Million Words or Fewer...
A simple activity offers a powerful tool for learning about your students and
connecting with their parents. "I was suddenly a part of each child's life," teacher
Trisha Fogarty said.
Voice of Experience: Summer -- Time to
Regenerate
People who joke about teachers having summers off are clueless! In this week's
Voice of Experience essay, Max Fischer reflects on the key role summertime plays
in restoring tattered psyches, reviving tired lessons, and regenerating passion.
Wire Side Chat: Helping "Fake Readers"
Become Proficient Life-Long Readers
Cris Tovani, author of the best-selling "I Read It, but I Don't Get It,"
chats with Education World about her checkered reading past and about her widely
acclaimed work with students and teachers in the area of reading comprehension
strategies.
Voice
of Experience: Of "No Child Left Behind" and Blueberries
Max Fischer has worked for a year under the shadow of the No Child Left Behind
Act. Now he feels the need to react, to point out what's really needed in order
to "leave no child behind." It's all about blueberries!
Teacher
Diary: April Horrors
Monica reflects on recent stresses and successes as the school year ends.
Voice
of Experience: How to Keep the Fire Burning (Or Lessons Learned from Edith,
the Kids, and "the Fear")
In this week's Voice of Experience essay, Max Fischer shares how, after almost
30 years as a classroom teacher, he keeps things fresh -- for himself and for
his students. Where does he get his inspiration? He says it comes from the students,
"the Fear," and Edith!
Teacher
Diary: The Experience of a Lifetime
Stephanie accepts the Milken award, and discovers that encouragement is empowerment.
Put
the "Memory" Back in Memorial Day
Some teachers, concerned about students' ignorance of the origin and meaning of
Memorial Day, have created programs that stress the importance of remembering
and honoring U.S. war veterans on that day.
Voice
of Experience: Connecting Our Students to Their Past -- A World War I Project
With so few veterans of WWI still alive, who will make sure the world remembers?
Brenda Dyck shares how primary and secondary resources became the vehicle for
connecting her students to some of history's most important lessons.
Twenty-Five
Activities to Keep Kids' Brains Active in the Hot Summer Sun
As students set out on summer adventures, send their parents a much-needed "life
preserver" -- a list of 25 activities to share and enjoy with their children.
These fun activities cover all subjects and grades; you will find something for
everyone.
Voice
of Experience: It's Quittin' Time!
Some teachers seem to give up on teaching earlier and earlier each year. Teacher
Brenda Dyck looks at ways to keep students learning until the last minute of the
last day. Included: Ideas for making the last few days of school more meaningful.
This
is SBNN Broadcasting Live...from F. H. Tuttle Middle School
Armed with newly acquired research and technical skills, 13 middle school students
from South Burlington, Vermont, produce a weekly live news show that has become
their school's "must-see TV." Video of an SBBN news broadcast!
Voice
of Experience: Make Time to Teach -- Ten Tools for Reducing Paperwork
What happens when paperwork starts to crowd out time with students? Is there a
way to streamline the forms that can take over a teacher's life? Educator Brenda
Dyck has found ten online tools that help her reduce paperwork and give her more
time to teach.
Shaking
Willy's Hand: A Collaborative Project Teaming Teens and 'Tweens
A teacher in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, recently completed a project in which Grade
4 and Grade 10 students collaborated to read, understand, and perform Shakespeare's
A Midsummer Night's Dream. Learn how she did it and how you can do it too.
Voice
of Experience: Finding "New Cheese" Requires Adjustment To Change
So many education mandates fail because they lack the teeth to move teachers'
"cheese." Will the No Child Left Behind Act be different? Educator Max Fischer
has high hopes that NCLB has the teeth to support teachers and bring about real
change for students.
Teacher
Diary: Teaching and the Test
Monica works to increase her students science scores -- and prays she succeeded.
Wire
Side Chat: Lessons of the Holocaust
To help you provide your students with the information and insights they need
to understand the events and implications of the Holocaust, Education World interviews
Warren Marcus, a teacher educator for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
in Washington, D.C.
Voice
of Experience: Handling Parent Complaints -- The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Seasoned teachers will recognize all three types of parents -- the good, the bad,
and the ugly -- described in this week's Voice essay. Less seasoned teachers will
learn from educator Max Fischer's thoughts about how to handle all types of parent
complaints.
Plan
Your Summer Vacation Today!
To help make the upcoming summer as productive -- and as pleasant -- as possible,
we asked members of the Education World Tech Team to tell us about their favorite
summer professional development activities.
Teacher
Diary: Am I Good Enough?
Stephanie weighs the pros and cons of obtaining National Board Certification.
Teaching
Study Skills: Ideas That Work!
Faced with poor student performance on tests and assignments, teachers often recognize
that the root of the problem lies, not in a lack of understanding, but in poor
study skills. Discover how three teachers introduce students to more effective
ways of studying.
Voice
of Experience: Revisiting Walden Pond in 2003
If your students were to head for a modern-day Walden Pond, what would they take
with them? Kathleen Modenbach shares an activity that helped her students grasp
Thoreau's sacrifices and appreciate his work. Included: Cross-curricular activities
extend the lesson.
Awesome
Summary Notes Make Studying a Breeze
The Awesome Summary Notes system provides students with an easy and efficient
method for organizing information and studying for tests. Included: Directions
for creating summary notes and tips for using them for studying and review.
Voice
of Experience: Written Communication:
An Educator's Calling Card
Today -- with the proliferation of e-mail, classroom Web pages, and newsletters
-- a teacher's writing ability is more important than ever. Max Fischer wonders
What do your written communications with parents say about you? Included:
Writing tips.
Lessons
in Life: Connecting Kids and Soldiers
Many teachers are finding that both they and their students want to do something
to help U.S. troops abroad. Education World has compiled a list of organizations
that link classes with deployed servicemen and women
Lessons
for War
As the war in Iraq heads into its third week, teachers at every grade level are
struggling for ways to help students deal with the war and with issues related
to the war. To aid you in that effort, Education World has collected some age-appropriate
online lesson plans.
Voice
of Experience: When Molding Minds Gets Messy
The war in Iraq has educator Brenda Dyck probing the heavy responsibilities that
go along with shaping -- without bias -- the minds of students. Included: Resources
to help teachers facilitate discussions that can help students reach their own
conclusions about the war.
Educator
Astronaut Program Continues
Undeterred by the tragic loss of the space shuttle Columbia February 1, teachers
are continuing to apply for NASA's Educator Astronaut program, which is designed
to select and train three to six teachers for future space missions.
Voice
of Experience: Looking At Your Students in the Future Tense
Brenda Dyck reflects on a night spent watching some of her former students perform
before an audience. She wonders how she might have missed some of the potential
she saw realized in them. Plus: Links to articles that shed light on the middle
school years.
The
Concept-Mapping Classroom
By providing a framework that allows users to focus on topics, and a structure
that permits them to easily convert diagrams to outlines and back again, Inspiration
and Kidspiration simplify the task of organizing thoughts into effective project
plans.
Teacher Diary: Hello? Is Anybody
Home?
Stephanie reflects on the difficulty of communicating with parents who won't communicate.
Teaching Kids to Make Moral Decisions
Colorado attorney Michael Sabbeth teaches an ethics framework to fifth graders
-- to arm them with the skills for making moral decisions.
Voice of Experience: Back from the Iditarod
-- Teaching Is a Lot Like Mushing!
Educator Jeanie Olson is home from her trip to the 2003 Iditarod Sled Dog Race.
As she reflects on her Alaskan adventure, she sees quite a few similarities between
the skills it takes to be a dog sled musher and a classroom teacher!
Online Book Club Promotes Student Literacy
Are you looking for new ways to encourage students to read and write with greater
effort and enthusiasm? Students in Kentucky have demonstrated both since the Literary
Book Club -- an online forum that offers students a real audience and incentive
-- was formed.
Voice of Experience: Middle Schools
Are Getting a Bum Rap
A recent USA Today news story took a few swipes at middle schools. In
this weeks Voice essay, educator Max Fischer defends the middle school concept
against its critics and nay-sayers. Included: Five components of a successful
middle school.
Dealing with War and Terrorism in the
Classroom
With security alerts now part of American life and the number of troops in the
Middle East growing daily, avoiding the topics of war and terrorist threats is
becoming increasingly difficult for teachers. Today, Education World offers educators
tips on how to address those issues with their students.
Voice of Experience: Service Projects
Help Students Find Their Voices
Educator Brenda Dyck describes a service project in which her middle school students
participated. She reflects on how she might be able to take the passion and energy
they demonstrated for that project and apply it to the prescribed curriculum.
Tales from the Trail: Iditarod Teacher
Readies Lessons, Long Johns
Iditarod "Teacher on the Trail" Cassandra Wilson sees a sled-ful of lessons in
the annual race.
Voice of Experience: Choice -- The Ultimate
Tool for Engaging and Empowering Students
Educator Max Fischer recalls a childhood trip to East Germany. In 1966, life in
that country stood in stark contrast to the freedom of choice he enjoyed in his
life. Today, Fischer provides his students with choices in projects, writing assignments,
and tests. Choice is "the avenue to empowerment," Fischer says.
Teaching Students to "Go Fourth" Peacefully
Go Fourth, an anti-bullying program based on classroom discussions and exchanges
among children around the globe, recently brought teachers, parents, and fourth
grade students from East Greenwich, Rhode Island, school to Shaoguan, Guandong
province, China, on a mission to promote respect for cultural diversity.
Voice of Experience: Is Student Disinterest
Curable?
What happens when students "check out" of the learning process? Is it an educator's
job to re-engage them? If so, how can that be accomplished? This week, educator
Brenda Dyck reflects on some ways to tackle the sticky problem of student disinterest.
Cheating: How to Prevent It (and How
to Handle It When It Happens)
Have you ever considered that there are things you might do to head off cheating
before it occurs? Classroom management expert Howard Seeman offers tips for preventing
cheating and for handling it if it does happen.
Voice of Experience: The Power of Written
Praise
Being roused from a sound sleep by a parent can be a rude awakening. But in one
case it got educator Max Fischer reflecting about the power of written praise
to raise student achievement. Included: Six reasons to put praise for students
in writing!
Helping the Healing: Tips for Teachers
After the Columbia Tragedy
As NASA investigators struggle to find answers for the loss of the space shuttle
Columbia and its seven astronauts on February 1, teachers also search for answers
to students' questions about the tragedy. Education World has compiled a list
of resources.
Helping Kids Deal With the Space Shuttle
Tragedy
On Saturday, February 1, 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia broke up over Texas,
only a few minutes before its scheduled touchdown. Today, Education World offers
resources to help you help your students deal with the Columbia tragedy, and to
help them understand the history and goals of the space program.
Voice of Experience: Seeing is Believing
-- Harnessing Online Video Clips to Enhance Learning
Educator Brenda Dyck reflects on the Net as a valuable source of video that brings
history to life for her students. For students of the video- and technology-age,
seeing is believing! Included: Dyck recommends great sources of online
video!
Show Me the Money: Tips and Resources
for Successful Grant Writing
Many educators have found that outside funding, in the form of grants, allows
them to provide their students with educational experiences and materials their
own districts can't afford. Learn how they get those grants -- and how you can
get one too!
Voice of Experience: The Schoolhouse
Rocks -- Using Music to Engage Learning
Educator Max Fischer reflects on the first time he used pop music lyrics in the
classroom. Since then Fischer has found many ways to introduce music -- from the
Rolling Stones to Steve Martin -- to achieve learning objectives. Included: Tips
for getting started.
Six Online Projects Anyone Can Join
Looking for something to jump-start students during the post-holiday blahs? Education
World has found six teacher-created collaborative projects sure to engage kids
and teachers.
Voice of Experience: A Poetry Slam Cures
the Midwinter Blahs
Educator Brenda Dyck reflects on how she uses a poetry-slam event to focus her
students. She shares how they took this 1980s art form and turned it into an opportunity
to connect with their peers and teachers. Included: Benchmarks for student presentations.
Making Parents Part of the "In"-volved
Crowd
Parents can be invaluable partners in their children's education, but many take
themselves out of the equation because of mistrust, misunderstanding, the demands
of work and home, or other factors. Learn how you can overcome those obstacles,
get parents involved, and promote better home/school communication!
Voice of Experience: "No Child Left
Behind" Places Premium on Reading Instruction in Content Areas
Every teacher is a teacher of reading, and the No Child Left Behind Act is about
to make that more obvious than ever! But what about teachers who haven't had a
reading course since their undergrad days? Included: Strategies for teaching reading
in the content areas!
Teacher Diary: Reflections on Teaching
and Learning
In Reflections on Teaching and Learning, Education World's teacher diary
series for 2003, three teachers in three different classroom situations take turns
reflecting on their professional experiences, problems, successes, and concerns.
We hope their reflections will help you as you face your own classroom experiences.
Kids Count Clams to Spur Community Cleanup
Students in one Maine school count clams instead of Cuisenaire rods and enter
data into PDAs instead of notebooks. But they aren't just learning how to use
technology to count clams, they're learning that what they do in school can benefit
the entire community.
Voice of Experience: Chess, Anyone?
-- Chess As an Essential Teaching Tool
Educator Brenda Dyck contemplates whether smart kids play chess or chess makes
kids smart as she considers the integration of chess into the curriculum. Included:
Links to resources and research about the impact of chess on students' skills,
thinking and organizational abilities, and self-esteem.
Orphan Train: A Social Studies Project
that "Clicked" with Students!
Two 4th grade teachers ride the rails of the "Orphan Train" as they use technology
to add vitality to their social studies curriculum. Included: Links to lessons
and resources you can use to develop your own Orphan Train project!
Voice of Experience: Wouldn't It Be
Nice to Have a Computer Lab With Working Computers?
Educator Kathleen Modenbach wonders why so little money in the budget is devoted
to maintaining the large investment schools have made in computer technology.
But Modenbach is making the best of the situation Included: Modenbach finds a
silver lining!
Could Your School Be a "Wiener?"
The Oscar Mayer School House Jam Talent Search offers schools the opportunity
to win enough money to start or restart their music programs. All it takes is
a song!
Voice of Experience: Teaching Religion
in Public Schools: Removing the Angst
Do you run from any mention of religion in your public school classroom? How do
you escape that during this month of holy celebrations? Educator Max Fischer has
been thinking about this issue, and his thoughts might help relieve some of your
angst.
Wire Side Chat: Sheila Tobias on Re-Thinking
Teaching Math, Science
In an Education World e-interview, author and educator Sheila Tobias talks about
her approach to teaching math and science -- and about teaching in general.
Fighting 1960s Mental Models of the
Perfect Classroom -- and the Perfect Mom
Brenda Dyck reflects on her mental models of the 1960's classroom and 1960's mom.
Those models still haunt her from time to time, even though she knows they won't
prepare her students -- or her own kids -- for the world they will face.
Bang Bang's Message Reverberates
Author William Mastrosimone has been overwhelmed by students' response to his
Showtime movie Bang Bang You're Dead. Mastrosimone hopes schools will use
the movie as part of their own anti-bullying efforts.
The Author's Picks: Must-Read Books
For Young Adult Readers
In recognition of National Children's Book Week, the authors of some of today's
best books for children and young adults share their favorite young adult books
with you.
Voice of Experience: Handling Difficult
Students -- Lessons from Mrs. G
Educator Perri Gibbons pays tribute to teacher Deb Graudins, whose success with
the most challenging students wins respect from students and colleagues alike.
Her measured, consistent approach could hold lessons for any teacher who must
handle difficult students.
The Author's Picks: Must-Read Books
For Elementary Students
Are you looking for the best books to read with your elementary school students
during National Children's Book Week? This week, those in the know -- the authors
of some of today's best-loved children's books -- share their personal favorites
with you.
Voice of Experience: In Search of National
Board Certification -- One Teacher's Perspective
Considering a bid for National Board Certification? Educator Max Fischer shares
his experience. It was the most challenging -- and rewarding -- teaching exercise
of his career. Included: Fischer's tips.
Learning Geography Through E-Mail
A month ago, some students in Bellingham, Washington, weren't even sure where
to find Arizona on a map of the United States. Now they can find Australia, Korea,
and even Azerbaijan on a map of the world, thanks to an e-mail activity initiated
by their school's library media specialist.
Voice of Experience: Your Students --
No Two Are Alike
Educator Brenda Dyck reflects on how she focuses the first weeks of instruction
on helping students become familiar with their learning strengths. Surveys and
activities help students learn which intelligences they favor. These beginning-of-the-year
activities will be revisited throughout the school year.
Toshiba's ExploraVision Launches Student
Researchers
The Toshiba/National Science Teachers Association ExploraVision Awards program
is one of the nation's largest K-12 science and technology competitions. The program
allows students to be creative as they use research and scientific principles
to design inventions. Included: Comments from last year's winners plus registration
info.
Voice of Experience: What I've Learned
About Cultivating Parent Involvement
Educator Max Fischer has found that successful teaching often hinges on employing
a wide variety of instructional methods to meet student needs. In this Voice of
Experience essay, Fischer reflects on how getting parents involved in their students'
education also requires a variety of approaches.
Meeting With the Parents -- Making the
Most of Parent-Teacher Conferences
Research has shown that parental involvement is the most important factor in a
student's success in school. For many parents, however, that involvement is limited
to attendance at parent-teacher conferences. Learn how to make the most of the
opportunity! Included: Specific strategies for involving urban parents and a printable
conference planning sheet and conference report form.
Voice of Experience: Driven By Data --
What It's Like to Teach in the Age of Accountability
Brenda Dyck reflects on how collecting data has become an essential part of teaching.
But data collection often can become such an obsession that it actually gets in
the way of student learning. Included: Eight questions to help determine if data
gathering will be worth the effort.
Wire Side Chat: "Mister Rogers" Reflects
on Respect, Diversity, and the Classroom Neighborhood Mister Rogers' Neighborhood lives on in reruns; Fred Rogers, however, has
turned his attention to designing other materials that support children, families,
and educators. As a part of his work with Family Communications, Inc., Rogers
has published videos and print materials to help teachers create a nurturing classroom
environment. In this Education World e-interview, Rogers offers advice to teachers
who want to promote a "neighborly" feeling among their students! Included: Rogers
shares ways to promote respect and help students cope with stress!
Voice of Experience: Lessons Learned from
Howard Gardner and the TV Remote Control
This week, educator Max Fischer's first days in a middle school classroom -- after
years at the elementary level -- were eye-openers. Would he ever be able to reach
the students whose "deadpan stares, wet-noodle postures, and other lethargic body
language screamed Go ahead, make me learn! I dare you!'"?
Wire Side Chat: Reporter Reflects on
Year as a Teacher
"I've come to think that only a radical change can address the deep-seated problems
in our poor, inner city schools," says Christina Asquith, a former Philadelphia
Inquirer reporter who spent a year teaching in a Philadelphia middle school.
Asquith, who was hired as an emergency certificated teacher, recounts her struggles
as a teacher -- and her insights -- in this Education World interview.
Voice of Experience: Reaching the Hard-to-Reach
Student
This week, educator Kathleen Modenbach reflects on her summer "vacation." Like
most teachers, summer is a time to reflect on the school year just ended and come
up with new ideas for improving learning in the year ahead. Modenbach has been
thinking a lot about how she might do a better job of reaching her hard-to-reach
students.
Educating Students to Fight Hunger
Hunger is not the condition caused just by a lack of food; hunger is an issue
tied to food access, distribution, and utilization. These are among the lessons
of Feeding Minds, Fighting Hunger, a curriculum about hunger issues tied into
World Food Day, October 16. Sponsors of the program hope widespread awareness
of hunger will lead to widespread efforts to eliminate it.
Voice of Experience: Yearlong Themes Spur
Learning and Fun!
In this week's Voice of Experience column, educator Cindy Farnum shares
her thoughts about using a yearlong theme to motivate students and create fun
in the classroom. She shares a bunch of ideas from her "plant-astic" plant theme
and seeks your help with her latest theme idea.
Learning While Teaching the First Year
New Teacher Academy, a seminar program based at Teachers College at New York's
Columbia University, offers new teachers advice, information, and support throughout
their first challenging school year. The program aims to ease the teahers' adjustment
and keep them teaching.
Class Meetings: A Democratic Approach to
Classroom Management
Patterned after family meetings in her own home, teacher Donna Styles established
a format for class meetings that enabled her students to share their thoughts
and solve classroom issues on their own. In Styles's model, students take turns
acting as a discussion leader, while the teacher promotes a respectful atmosphere
and participates as a group member. Encouraged by the students' positive response
to her approach, Styles decided to share her expertise with other teachers.
That's the Way the Cookie Tumbles!
In the online collaborative project That's the Way the Cookie Tumbles, students
stack Oreos one at a time until the cookies come tumbling down. The results of
their experimentation, combined with the project's supplementary interdisciplinary
activities, help students have fun as they learn math, science, geography, technology,
teamwork, and more. The project is open to students around the world; so far,
classes from more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Australia, and Uzbekistan have
signed up. What about you?
Student Books Capture Feelings About 9/11
Ongoing class discussions about the terrorist attacks on September 11 made teachers
realize that students needed more outlets for their thoughts and feelings. Many
educators turned to writing and art projects that culminated in published collections
of students' work, providing the children and others with a permanent emotional
record of 9/11 and the days that followed.
Teaching About Islam, the Middle East
Teachers fielded many questions from students in the aftermath of the September
11 attacks, some of them dealing with the history, culture, and religions of the
Middle East. To better prepare themselves for questions this year, about 60 Connecticut
teachers attended a weeklong seminar in July about the region and how to use the
information in the curriculum.
Voice of Experience: Weighted Grading
Can Work
Max Fischer shares his approach to grading, which takes into account all elements
of his students' performance. It's a weighted system that Fischer believes truly
reflects the needs of his students -- and it has the support of parents too. "No
grading procedure completely shields a teacher from parental criticism," writes
Fischer. "However, weighted grading categories offer teachers the opportunity
to tailor their assessment practices to the skills they believe are most critical
to student success within their classroom."
Wire Side Chat: Schwarzenegger Seeks
to 'Terminate' the Danger Zone With After-School Programs
Long known as a successful actor, Arnold Schwarzenegger in recent years also has
become an influential activist. the beneficiaries of his efforts? Children! For
more than a decade, building on his past experience and his years of service to
Special Olympics, Schwarzenegger has turned his attention to after-school programs
for children. In this Wire Side Chat, he tells Education World how he became involved
with this important issue in education and why he feels after-school programs
should be available to every child.
Voice of Experience: Inclusion Can Work
-- Without Too Much Work!
Educator Janice Robertson shares how she looks forward to integrating special
needs students into her sixth grade science classes. That was not always the case,
though! The simple modifications she made to her usual teaching practices benefit
all the students in her classes.
Truckers, Kids Make Good Buddies
Truck drivers who travel the country often have no one with whom to share anecdotes
and insights. A program called Trucker Buddy International offers such drivers
an eager audience. The program pairs truckers and classes, giving students a driver's-eye
view of the world and prolific pen pals.
Voice of Experience: In Classroom, Computers
Often Yield More Glitz Than Guts
Brenda Dyck reflects on how, in our zeal to integrate the most up-to-date technology
in our classroom, we can settle for more "glitz than guts." Dyck suggests that
the main goal of educators should be to move past a focus on the technology tools
themselves to how those tools can be used to help students construct new knowledge
and deeper understandings.
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