Animal School Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8limRtHZPs

Great video!

Doing Too Much…

Do you ever feel that as teachers and parents we do too much for kids?

Think about learned dependency…

With the best of intentions, we sometimes for our kids what our kids could do on their own.

Learned dependency is the unfortunate result. I was thinking  about that as I was walking the beach every morning while I was on vacation in Florida. Every day I would see this bird and I am quite sure that it was the very same bird hanging around a local “fisherperson.” The fisherperson  changed daily but the bird remained the same. The routine never changed. Once the fishing pole began to jiggle, the bird would flap her wings and the fisherperson would throw her a fish.  One for you and one for me! The bird had learned that there was no reason for her to fish for herself. She was a happy camper! She was trained to be dependent on that fisherperson. Do you know a few kids who may have something in common with that bird. We need to be careful not to do too much…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8limRtHZPs

photo credit: cletch

NMSA Conference Outline for “101 Strategies to Help Struggling Students Succeed”

photo credit: Dennis.Vu

Linda Tilton

Breakout session NMSA November 5, 2009

Do you have students who are struggling every day in your classroom? Students on IEPs? 504 plans? Students falling through the cracks? This highly practical session is filled with “take back and use” ideas especially for them! Activities in this fast-paced session will include demonstration of a wide variety of tools for reinforcing vocabulary, teaching note taking skills, improving reading comprehension as well as tools to help your students get organized and work independently.

Part One: Taming the Paper Monster

• Accordion Folder
• Page Protector Organizer
• Human Billboard
• No Loose Papers
• Flexible Folder
• Near point Map
• Cornell Notes

Part Two: Responsibility and Accountability

• Student Number
• Buddy System
• Assignment Notebooks
• Managing Assignments

Part Three: Summarization and Checking for Understanding

• Flipbook
• Fold a book
• Stop Draw
• Key Ring Learning
• Ticket out the door
• T book
• If I say…
• On a Stick
• Whiteboards
• Under my chin
• Hit the buzzer
• Simon says

Part Four: Compensating Strategies

• Multiplication grid tool
• Microphones
• Tips and Tools for Figeters

Part Five: Vocabulary Tools and Technique

• Vocabulary fringe
• Flexible folder
• Paper plate review
• Key rings
• Act it out
• Picture cues
• Fold a book
• W Vocabulary
• Matchbook words
• Peripheral learning
• Address book vocabulary
• T Books

Most Topics and Strategies are from: The Teacher’s Toolbox for Differentiating Instruction

NMSA Outline for “Ideas!Ideas! Ideas! The Teacher’s Toolbox for Differentiating Instruction

photo credit: jimmiehomeschoolmom

Session name: Ideas! Ideas! Ideas! The Teacher’s Toolbox for Differentiating Instruction

by Linda Tilton

Outline for Breakout NMSA Nov 5, 2009

How can we differentiate instruction to maximize student learning?

Part One: Building Relationships

To engage our students, we first have to get to know them, build trust and acceptance.

• Class quilt
• Photo bulletin Board
• Labels
• Tickets
• On a Roll Round
• Round of Applause
• Student card

Part Two: Engagement

Differentiation by Style

• V
• A
• K

Varying group size based on purpose and assessment

• L
• F
• P
• I

Review and Reinforcement Activities for use as a Warm Up, Do Now, Anchor, Bell Ringer or Summarization Tool

• Bluff
• What’s Missing
• Zap
• Slam It
• Grab it
• Innie and Outie
• I Have Who Has
• Pass the white board

Part Three: Choice Boards

Choice Board and Choice Folders

Reasons to offer choices

Considerations

• Purpose
• Plan
• Procedure

Format Options

• Limited choices to multiple choices
• Bloom’s Taxonomy
• Points
• Tic-Tac-Toe
• Row by Row
• V-A-K
• Complexity
• Open Choice
• Create Your Own
• Folders

It is important to use only familiar activities or options when providing choices

Identify the rubric for each possible task see:  www.rubistar4teachers.org

Post a rubric board for common choices

Start Small

Collaborate

Remember: The objective drives the activity

Most Topics and strategies from: The Teacher’s Toolbox for Differentiating Instruction

TeachersFirst.com Online Resource

photo credit: krossbow

I saw this great resource on Twitter from @keisawilliams for teachers and wanted to share it!

TeachersFirst.com has classroom safe websites and resources on:

• Art
• Biology
• Computers
• Chemistry
• History
• Math
• and much more!

Location! Location! Location! Creature Comforts for Staff Development

Content that is meaningful, research-based and relevant are critical components of effective staff development. But there is another factor that makes a difference and is often overlooked: Location. If it is decided that professional development training will begin with a large group session followed later by small group facilitation and classroom implementation, determining where to hold that large group session is going to be held is also extremely important.

After being involved in professional development facilitation and follow up training for over 30 years, I speak from experience on the importance of the initial large group meeting and its location. The location room that you choose to use has an atmosphere of its own and will have a tremendous impact on the presentation before the session even begins. In fact, one of the most important decisions in planning for professional development is the choice of location.

“We always meet in fill ( in the blank)..gym, cafeteria, auditorium, media center, music room…” Most often staff development is held on site. Think about moving it off campus. Off-site meeting spaces offer enormous advantages. An off-site location will reduce distractions and minimize interruptions. Announcements over the PA, messages from the office, parents or students stopping in, trips to the classroom, office or locker room are eliminated. Participants enjoy meeting off-site and are better able to focus on the content.

Check with a local hotel for prices of a conference rooms. Some are very willing to work with schools at reasonable rates. If this option is prohibitively expensive, consider a wide range of options in addition to hotels that may meet your staff development site needs at minimum or no cost:

• Local public library meeting rooms
• Nature centers
• Community colleges
• VFW halls and other community meeting spaces
• Churches and Synagogues
• Local camps
• Environmental learning centers
• Country clubs and golf clubs off season
• Supper clubs and restaurants

Most of the spaces listed will allow participants to be seated at tables to encourage discussion and engagement in a comfortable setting. After all of the hard work involved in planning effective professional development, ensure its success in a learner-friendly environment. Location, location location!

This is part 1 of Creature Comforts for Staff Development

Photo Credit: Coffee by Alan Light

Get Your Students Organized

photo credit: Jolante

150 hours per year

That’s how much time is spent by the average person looking for papers and items.

Think about some of your students. Can you even imagine how many hours each school year some students devote to searching for assignments, books, notes, clothing and other items? Can you imagine how many of these searches are fruitless? It boggles the mind. If those 150 hours could be spent learning rather than looking, our students would be far ahead academically.

A critical component of school success lies in organizational skills. The late Erma Bombeck loved to accuse the washing machine of eating socks. At school, socks may not be a problem but how many of you have come into contact with homework-eating backpacks? Students’ lockers can be an even bigger culprit.

In working with students at all grade levels, I have used many, many different organizational approaches and techniques. Here are five of my favorite “tried and true” strategies that really work!

#1. Tame the Paper Monster

Many students have a paper problem. It’s all over the place- crumpled in the bottom of

the backpack, strewn in a locker, stuffed into books and falling out of folders. Loose

papers confuse, distract and overwhelm the student. The most important rule of paper

organization is: No Loose Papers!

One of the best ways that I have found to contain paper is the accordion file. Sturdy plastic expandable files are available at discount stores and come with a variety of divisions. Six pockets are handy. The concept is simple and easy to implement. Encourage students to label pockets in the same order as the student attends class during the day. Every paper has a “home.”  Think about math. Every math paper, worksheet, assignment list, review page, anything related to math goes into that math pocket. Retrieval is easy later when students know where to look.

Many accordion files have zipper pockets in front to hold supplies. It is important for students to go through the folder periodically. Many students need guidance in deciding what to keep, what to throw out, when and where to store papers that will be needed later.

One parent told me that her children, both of whom had significant learning disabilities, found this tool to be the single most effective organizational strategy all the way through high school. Both successfully managed their classes by always carrying their accordion files with them wherever they went.

An accordion file with twelve pockets is an excellent tool for parents to use in creating a school file for each child in the family. It becomes the designated place to save report cards, portfolio summaries, awards and standardized test scores. Everything is arranged by grade level from first through high school graduation. Parents may also want to file a photo of each child at each grade as well as include copies of birth certificates and other important papers.