Beyond Ceramics and Milk Jugs

Kids lose attention fast. That is old news. But integrating art into the typical classroom curriculum may be the solution. Art can come in the form of paint, dance, or music. Natalie Kidd touches on this subject in her article titled, "Could Arts-Integrated Education Help Your Child Succeed?" She discusses reseach that has proven that children are more engaged when an art-integrating curriculum is used. At-risk children benefit more than any other student group. Art connects the students to the information being taught in a new way. When students connect to the material, they learn it better. And who doesn't remember loving art in elementary school? It is a fun way to learn, and sadly it is not used enough in schools.
In the article, Kidd points out that although many teachers would love to integrate art into their lessons, they do not have the time or resources to do so. Continuing education for teachers is focused on subjects such as math, science, or other core subjects. But things are looking up.

"With new education funding being dedicated to innovative school programs that get the job done, the chances are better than ever that your child's school could be the next to adopt the arts-integrated approach."

So be looking out for new arts-integrated lessons in schools. Students, teachers, and parents will benefit.

Kidd, Natalie. "Could Arts-Integrated Education Help Your Child Succeed?" Education.com.

The Information Ocean

Stephanie Rosalia is a librarian in Brighton Beach, an immigrant community. She is featured in a New York Times video, where she discusses her view on the 21st century information world. She states that "where i was in the information desert, they're in the information ocean, and they're drowning." How true is that? If a student were to search Christopher Columbus on Google, there would be millions of returns. How is a student supposed to know where to start? They need to be taught how to navigate the internet, search for the information that they are looking for, and determine whether a source is valid or not.
Librarians used to be in schools only to help students find books and encourage literacy. Now they are much more than that.

"I connect kids with books, and also with information."

It is Rosalia's job to help her students navigate this world of information. That may be through the books they read, the videos they watch, the audiotapes that they listen to, or the internet that they are searching. The possiblities are endless now, and there is more of a need now than ever for someone to step in a teach children how to navigate.

link to video: http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/02/15/arts/1194837851726/the-21st-century-librarian.html?ref=education

Encouraging Literacy at Home

Tips for teachers are given in this month's issue of The Reading Teacher, and one that I found interesting was the idea of sharing with parents the natural ways to incorporate literacy at home. Families typically write lists, write in journals, and enjoy jokes whether they are in comics or on TV. All of these things incorporate reading and writing, and if parents are aware of ways to encourage their children to participate and practice their literacy skills then students will be more successful in the classroom.
Parent involvement is important, but not always easy to come by. Instead of asking a lot of parents when it comes to homework help, teachers can share ways to use routines that are already in place to help their children learn. A lot of the issue currently is that parents don't know how to help. It is the job of the teacher to keep parents informed.
The article written by Timothy Rasinski and Nancy Padak calls this way of literacy instuction "Family literacy". If the family is involved in the student's learning, then the student will be encouraged to do better.

Timothy Rasinski
Nancy Padak "Family Literacy: Write Soon!" The Reading Teacher. April 2009.

Violence in Schools, Remembering Columbine

It is hard to believe that a decade has gone by since the shooting at Columbine that woke people up to the reality of violence in schools. Sadly, time makes people forget. Until another incident hits the headlines like the Virginia Tech shooting, and then we're awake again. In an article in Education Week, Debra Viadero reflects on the Columbine shooting and highlights lessons that can still be learned from the tragedy. One of her main points is that teens having problems is a reality in school. There are differences that need to be taken into account, and students who need attention. Mr. Langman, a teacher at Columbine, quotes in the article, “If you get stuck thinking that there’s a certain kind of kid that we can identify, then we’re going to be missing kids who are potential dangers.”
As educators, we need to be aware of all of our students and their differences. When they feel neglected, they act out, and that is when trouble happens.
I remember watching a video in one of my classes last year about a kid who shot people at school. The video included interviews with his parents and older sister. They were oblivious to the behaviors that he was demonstrating before the shooting, and obviously did nothing about it. Just because you think that a tendency of a child is "just the way they are", doesn't mean you shouldn't address it. Parents and teachers need to work together to address these issues.

Viadero, Debra. "Lessons Sifted From Tragedy at Columbine". Education Week. April 7, 2009.

Teaching: Not just a job, but a mission

As I was reading Elle Magazine today I was reading an article about 12 intelligent women of today. Number 2 in the article was a woman by the name of Michelle Rhee. She is a Washington D.C. school chancellor who has been pushing for reform in hiring of teachers. She believes that " a child's success in school, and therefore in life, is wholly entwined with how good her teachers are." She has taken this idea and fired many of the system's bureaucrats (270 teachers and 36 principals to be exact) in order to hire teachers who are there for the right reasons-- the students. She is also trying to push for paying teachers based on merit and getting rid of the tenure system altogether. This may not sound like the best idea for teachers who have been teaching for years and are set in their ways, but her intention is to have quality teachers in the school systems.
There is a reason that Michelle Rhee is included in this article. She is bold, and not afraid to speak her mind and fight for what she believes. I believe that her intentions are good. As a future teacher, my hope is that I would fall into the category of teachers that she would want teaching her students. I care about the students and want the best for them. Rewarding teachers for merit would be a great motivator for teachers who have forgotten why they got into teaching in the first place. Students should always be the priority, and if it takes a woman like Michelle Rhee to remind us of that, then I say go for it.

"The Mentalists". Elle Magazine, p.229. April 2009.

School Days Too Short?

I can just hear the groaning and booing that would come from students if school days were announced to be longer in length and one day added to the week. But this is the viewpoint of some in the U.S. right now. Their argument is that in order to compete with students abroad, students need to spend more time in school. Education Secretary Arne Duncan says, "I fundamentally think that our school day is too short, our school week is too short and our school year is too short." So does that mean that we will be seeing a change any time soon? Probably not.
There is way to much that goes into changing the school calendar and changing the length of a school day. Personally, I hope that there is no change made. Students are young and cannot focus for longer than they are already required to. If the school day was lengthened, there would less kids making the effort to focus and learn. Also, there is a scheduled summer break for a reason. Students need that break. They need to play and have fun outside of school so that they have the energy and motivation to come back and learn. Motivation would be lost if the time that students were in school was extended. The quality of teaching needs to step up in order for students to be prepared for the competition abroad, not the hours of school per year.

The Associated Press. "U.S. Schools Chief Says Kids Need More Class Time". April 7, 2009.

SMALLab: The classroom of the future

I am blown away with the ways that technology is being incorporated in K-12 classrooms. In a recent article in Education Week, Katie Ash touches on the high-tech simulations that are being used in classrooms such as the SMALLab (Situated Multimedia Arts Learning Lab). With this form of technology, there is a floor matt with trussing around it that can be used as a simulation tool.
David Birchfield, an assistant professor in the arts, media, and engineering program at Arizona State University quotes, "We’re trying to really bring together emerging technologies with what’s known about K-12 learning, and advance the two of those together." An idea like this is not new, but to see programs such as SMALLab in schools is encouraging. Students can but their knowledge into action with these digital games. Word problems come to life, and for many students, this is just the ticket to learning.
In my Educational Media class at Auburn, we are always asked to talk about how we will incorporate technology into our own classrooms in the future. These kinds of programs are ones that I could definately see myself using if the resources were available to me at the school I am teaching at.

Ash, Katie. "High-Tech Simulations Linked to Learning". Education Week. April 6, 2009.

Transitions Between Grades a Big Shock: "I wish we had some sort of warning"

Today on the airplane I sat next to a mom and her daughter who is in the 3rd grade. We got to talking about where we were from and why we were travelling, and the mother shared with me what a big jump it was for her daughter when she came into the 3rd grade from 2nd grade. I have always heard (and seen) that there is a lot more work in the 3rd grade. Not just homework, but class work as well. A big part of this, I think, is that testing begins in the 3rd grade so there is more pressure on students to do well.
The mom today shared that it was even more than just more homework. In the 2nd grade, her teacher did not do any text book work. Then when her daughter got to the 3rd grade her teacher was asking them to do work straight out of the text book. Instructions like, "Turn to page 200 and answer questions 15-20" were foreign to her, yet her teacher expected the work to be done correctly without further help.
Obviously, there is some lack of communication going on between the grades and the teachers in the schools. I feel like this problem could be fixed if the teachers were clear about what was to be expected in the coming grade so that the students are prepared when they come in. If the students do not know how to simply read a text book, then they are definately not going to be learning the information that the text book is saying. Being straighforward is key. And communicating with parents should always be a main priority for teachers.

School Traffic

Traffic safety is an issue in many schools in big cities. The traffic problem is a cycle that will not get better without more funds and training. In a recent article in the Los Angeles Journal titled, "Giving Lessons in Traffic Safety at Middle Schools," Jennifer Steinhauer addresses the issue by focusing on a handful of elementary and middle schools in the Los Angeles area. According to the article, from January to November of 2008 there were 153 traffic-related injuries around schools in Los Angeles. Even more specifically, last year there were two eighth-grade girls in the area who were hit by vehicles near school, and one girl was left partly paralyzed. Tragedies such as this are a wake-up call to administrators. The students' safety should come first, but unfortunately getting the funds for better traffic safety is not as easy with the current state of the economy. “The problem is that there are not enough resources,” said Michelle McGinnis, a prosecutor in the office. “And those resources are diminishing."
Although traffic saftey is an issue that needs to be addressed in large cities with growing populations such as Los Angeles, funds are not easy to come by. Schools with issues like these should follow the example of L.A. and use a training program and buy traffic safety equipment — bright vests, traffic cones — in order to “professionalize” parents and other volunteers. All it takes is an initiative, and change can be made.

Citation:
Steinhauer, Jennifer. "Giving Lessons on Traffic Safety in Middle Schools." L.A. Journal. April 9, 2009.

Relationship between Reading Fluency and Comprehension

Reading teachers and researchers are constantly debating the relationship between reading fluency and comprehension. If a student can ready fluently, does that mean that they are reading well and comprehending the text that they are reading? What is the goal: reading quickly? Or reaidng to undestand and remember the content?"
In a recent article in The Reading Teacher, Mary DeKonty Applegate, Anthony J. Applegate, and Virginia B. Modla identified students who have been labelled as strong and fluent readers and found that one-third of them were poor comprehenders. So what does this tell us? This is evidence that just because a student can read a text in a certain amount of time, it does not mean that they are understanding or remember the material. To these readers, the text is just words on a page that they must get through. The text has not meaning, and therefore they will not remember it.
As reading teachers, we must reinforce fluency instruction with reading comprehension instruction. There needs to be a balance between the two in order for reading instruction to be successful.

Article:
Applegate, Mary DeKonty, Anthony J., Modla, Virginia B.
“ 'She's My Best Reader; She Just Can't Comprehend': Studying the Relationship Between Fluency and Comprehension" The Reading Teacher March 2009.

National Math and Science Initiative

While I was watching the Master's on TV today, a commerical from Exxon came on talking about the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI). I had seen a couple of these commercials before, but had never paid attention to what they were talking about. I decided to find out more information. I went to the website (see below), and watched the video and found out a lot of information. It is great to see that a company like Exxon is using their resources to make a difference and take action in the future of our country.
The goal of the NMSI is to "help America maintain its global leadership position in technological innovation" by providing students with the resources they need to be motivated and learn math and science. A major part of this is providing students with teachers who are dedicated to education and teaching math and science. In the video a contributer stated that "if we can provide quality teachers who can explain why a math problem is relevent to their life, then we can make a huge difference."
I agree with this viewpoint. People are always talking of making a difference in the future through the education of young people, and saying that kids are our future. This is a true claim, and it is motivating to see a company who has an influence taking an initiative in education.


"why a math problem is relevant to their world"

Who benefits from including students with autism in literacy classrooms?

In a recent article in The Reading Teacher titled "Why Everyone Benefits From Including Students With Autism in Literacy Classrooms," Kelly Chandler-Olcott and Paula Kluth argue for the inclusion of students with autism in such classrooms. They believe that benefits include the expansion of literacy concepts, more variations for classroom participation, a focus on outcomes in instructional planning, families have more of an opportunity to become partners, and teachers are positioned as inquirers in the classroom.
I can see the author's point in the article. It gave me a different perspective on the way a classroom can run with students who have autism participating in the same activities as the other students. So often, these students are pulled out for literacy instruction because they are on a lower reading level, or do not seem to benefit from the same instruction as other students. In this article, the authors shed light on a form of literacy instruction that is beneficial for all students-- including students with autism. I think that it is important for teachers to have a similar outlook on teaching as the authors of this article and consider the best way to include all of their students when planning instruction.

Distance Learning Grows

In an article written in the New York Times, Sam Dillon discusses the rising participation in distance learning and the positive and negative affects that it has on our children. Recently, distance learning has expanded, and more opportunities for taking classes online have been provided for not only middle and high school students, but for elementary students as well. The issue is that some of these classes are funded by the state taxes, and others are not. As these types of classes become more popular, a more standardized set of restrictions should be in place. Many of the schools have freedom to do what they please with their funds, and in the long run this could take away from the public school system.
From the educators perspective, such classes are a great opportunity for students who do not have the educational resources that they desire offered where they live. A child living in a rural area, away from a school that offers a foreign language for example, can get this type of class online instead. The schools that offer these classes should be kept in check as far as the quality of education that they are offering as well.
It can be concluded that although distance is more convenient and a great option for many students, the schools need to be held responsible for the way that they spend their money and the quality of education that they are providing.

Citation: Dillon, Sam. Online Schooling Grows, Setting Off a Debate. New York Times Magazine. 1 February, 2008. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/01/education/01virtual.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

Obama's Pre-school Plan

As a part of Obama's education plan, he wants to spend $10 billion for states to offer universal pre-school and expand federal early-learning programs like Head Start. It doesn't look like the economy can support such funding right now, but according to the Wallstreet Journal article by Robert Tomsho a plan such as this would be beneficial to young learners. The article focuses on the issue that children coming from middle-class families are not getting the support that they need because all of the funds have been going toward lower income children. There is no doubt that these children need the support, but if adjustments aren't made middle class children will be left in the dust. The article reports that "12 states spend nothing at all on preschool [and] among the 38 that do pay for such programs, funding ranges from $1,600 a child in South Carolina to nearly $10,500 a child in New Jersey." New Jersey has seen success in their students testing and it is evident that the money they are spending on pre-school programs is beneficial. If students are coming in with background knowledge from preschool, they will be ready for what they are learning in kindergarten.
I found this article important because I will be seeing the affects of preschool on my students first hand. Children need that attention early on so that they are prepared for elementary school academically and socially. Obama's plan to fund states with money for universal preschool sounds appealing, but I do not know how realistic it is seeing as the economy is struggling. A lot needs to happen before classrooms will see the affects of such a program.

Humor in the Classroom

After reading an article by Peggy F. Hopper and Sue S. Minchew, I feel I have a new insight on using humor in the classroom. A sense of humor is important to me in all aspects of my life and I have wondered how to incorporate it in my own classroom without losing structure and discipline. In their article titled Techniques for Using Humor and Fun in the Language Arts Classroom, they discuss specific lessons that incorporate humor in language arts lessons. The grade level for these lessons is older than I plan on teaching, but can be adapted for the younger grade levels. The purpose of using humor in teaching is to motivate students and keep their attention. One of my favorite examples from the article is the way they used the anonymous piece called “My Resume” that uses word play. The students have to pick up on the words that are being played on each other, and not only are they learning multiple meaning words, but they are paying attention to the text and learning how to comprehend different forms of writing. As with any subject, if the students have a connection with the material they will understand it better and remember it later. What better way to keep the class' interest than using a sense of humor?