I recently read the book Alchemy and Meggy Swann by Karen Cushman which was mentioned on The Picnic Basket. This is the review that I gave the book (Note: I am not being paid to give this review).

I would definitely give this book 5 out of 5. The story takes place in London during the Elizabethan era and is about a young girl who has a physical disability and how she survives life during that time. The story starts off right away with an interest grabber and I couldn’t put it down. I think this book would be great to use in a classroom to enhance different types of lessons. It can be used as historical fiction and would lend itself to many discussions in a social studies class. I think the book also uses rich vocabulary to attract a student’s interest as well as lending itself to great vocabulary lessons. I think it also touches on a lesson of social skills in dealing with people who are different and how other people treat them. I like Meggy’s spirit in the story and how she doesn’t give up and let other people’s attitudes determine how she will live her life. In addition to be a great educational tool, it is an uplifting and interesting story. I can easily see this being used on the middle school level and even the high school level in a special education class.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Source: loonyhiker

Here are some interesting sites that I’ve found this week, thanks to my PLN. As a teacher, I feel we have to keep up to date concerning research in our field and current issues in the education system. I hope some of these inspire you, inform you, and even have you asking questions. Thank you for coming by and visiting!

SlideMap - “explore the world through Flickr geotagged images”

Tenement Museum – From Ellis Island to Orchard Street. It lets students simulate immigrating to America. They fill out information for a passport and go through the different stages. They even get to see what an apartment was like.

Sciyo – “is a fast-growing open access scientific publisher, enabling barrier-free access to the latest research developments, knowledge and ideas within the field of Science and Technology.”

Fedflix – “ the best movies of the United States Government, from training films to history, from our national parks to the U.S. Fire Academy and the Postal Inspectors, all of these fine flix are available for reuse without any restrictions whatsoever.”

Historypin – “Historypin is a like a digital time machine that allows people to view and share their personal history in a totally new way. It uses Google Maps and Street View technology and hopes to become the largest user-generated archive of the world’s historical images and stories. Historypin asks the public to dig out, upload and pin their own old photos, as well as the stories behind them, onto the Historypin map. Uniquely, Historypin lets you layer old images onto modern Street View scenes, giving a series of peaks into the past.”

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: Tools by Pat Hensley

Source: loonyhiker

I just read this article on LD Online called Crickets, Books, and Bach: Develop a Summer Listening Program by David Gordon. I know that there are a lot of summer reading programs around but what about the students who have difficulty reading? I’m not saying that we shouldn’t encourage them to read but we can also get them to learn about good literature through listening.

Mr. Gordon states,

“Parents should consider assembling a summer listening list, too. When we think of literacy, we tend to think first of reading and writing. That’s because for centuries, printed text has been the dominant means of recording and sharing information. Yet for most children, listening is really the first entry point into language—the cornerstone of learning and of cognitive development. In an age when kids are regular users of personal multimedia technologies, the importance of learning to listen and listening to learn is as great as ever.”

There are so many great things to listen to and maybe my students need a break from struggling with their reading all of the time. My husband loves audio books and podcasts because he is an auditory learner and so are many of my students.

The public library has many books on CDs that students can check out. I know that when we plan on going on a long road trip, we like to listen to books together so we can talk about them. This would be a great family activity for everyone to enjoy as well as build relationships. I really don’t have any favorites but there are some books that are easier for me to listen to rather than read. For example, I will listen to Lillian Jackson Braun books on “The Cat Who…” before I will read the book. For some reason, the voices really draw me in. There are many classics that would be fun to listen to like Treasure Island, Moby Dick or Great Expectations.

There are plenty of podcasts on Itunes that are free also depending on the individual’s interest. My husband likes to listen to science podcasts that are short but interesting. I like to listen to educational, knitting, and gardening podcasts. Of course we like to listen to Prairie Home Companion and NPR’s: Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me together.

Do you like to listen to books and podcasts? If so, share your favorites.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: ‘Groove Salad‘
http://www.flickr.com/photos/40732566596@N01/109538354 by: Sean Malone

Source: loonyhiker

In Reflections from Tinkerings, Tim asks,

“What do you do with kids that continually interrupt you in the classroom?”

At the beginning of the year, I state my expectations. One of them (a big one) is Respect Others. By interrupting, we are not respecting others because we are saying that we are more important than them. Sometimes it helps the students when they see it in this way.

Another thing to think about is to try to understand why this student is continually interrupting. Are they doing it for attention or do they really need help? If it is for attention, sometimes it is just a bad habit that they have gotten into. I work very hard on ignoring the student who constantly interrupts (by saying only once that I will not recognize rude people who disrespect others) and make sure that when I pay attention to someone, I say that one of the reasons is because they waited so patiently to be recognized. Many times this takes care of the problem but it make take a week or two of patient and consistent behavior on my part.

Another reason is that sometimes students are forgotten. Have you ever had a student raise their hand and then you tell them you will be with them after you help someone else? Then when you go to help them, they have forgotten their question or you have forgotten who had their hand raised. I found an effective way to deal with this and I was truly amazed to see it work. I cut red and green foam blocks into small squares. Then I glued them together so that red is on one side and the green is on the other. On the red side, I wrote the word, “Help!” and on the green side, I wrote the word, “OK” on it. All of the students got one when they entered the class and had to put it on the corner of their desk. Everyone started with the green showing while I introduced the lesson. When they began their work, they learned to turn it over to the red if they needed help. With a quick glance, I could move around the room helping those who needed help. This also kept me from interrupting someone’s train of thought if they didn’t need help. If someone interrupted me for help, I would tell them they needed to turn their block to red and wait for me or I wouldn’t help them. They learned quickly and it was effective all year long.

Do you have any effective strategies that worked for you? Please share!

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: ‘Hey teacher! I know the answer!‘
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12836528@N00/3364591795
by: Kevin Dooley

Source: loonyhiker

In Being a teacher from TJ on a Journey, TJ Shay writes,

“A few days ago, I posted this on Facebook, ‘Teacher thought for the day….. If I grew up exactly like my student did, with the same advantages and disadvantages, the same parents, the same life, I would act the same way they do. Sure, as we get older, we can choose the person we want to be. But, until we are ‘done’ we are a product of our environment and experiences. So, show some extra patience and love to one who seems unlovable…’”

I guess this hit home because when I was in school I always felt like the unlovable one. I was never the popular kid and I wasn’t the smartest. Both of these got lots of attention from the teachers. I also wasn’t the dumbest because this person also got the teacher’s attention. The worst behaved, of course, got lots of attention from the administration. So I guess I equated attention with love. Since I was the mediocre kid who tried very hard to blend into the woodwork, I didn’t get a lot of attention and so I guess I felt unloved.

Then you had the kids who were popular among the students and they got lots of attention from the wannabes. You know these kids, they want to be just like the popular kids. But I wasn’t even in the wannabe circles. There were also kids who liked to rebel against the norm and they got their share of the attention from other students too. Of course, my parents would have killed me if I tried to rebel because they expected me to be a good, quiet girl who does what she is told. Then you had the outcasts who were ridiculed by their fellow classmates. And of course, I wasn’t even strange enough to be considered an outcast. So, once again, I blended into the woodwork, even among my classmates and felt unloved here too.

I’m not saying that I was miserable but I remember feeling like I was always looking in from the outside. I couldn’t have explained it to anyone at the time but I can still remember the feeling as if it was yesterday. I wanted to be popular and smart and loved by the teachers but I knew it wouldn’t happen. I had friends and that helped but I think we bonded together because we all kind of felt the same way.

Then I went on to a university far away from home, where no one knew me. I knew this was my chance to start new and create a new me. I really wanted to change the way I felt and how others saw me. But I really didn’t do this because it wasn’t in me. I finally realized that I was the person I was and needed to accept myself before others could.

These feelings and awareness and acceptance also helped me be a better teacher. I realized there were a lot of students out there just like me. This was my chance to make a difference. I spent my career looking for these students. I wanted to find the ones who didn’t stand out, who was the most popular, the most trouble, the smartest, the most in need of help and find the ones who thought they blended in with the woodwork. This was my chance to make a difference.

I like to think that I found some of these students and I made an impact in their lives. I hope that other teachers will remember these students when doling out the attention and praise. It really is important even if a student doesn’t show it.

Do you do this? If so, what are some things you do to include this kind of student into your circle of attention?

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: ‘Sure no one can see me‘
http://www.flickr.com/photos/64294921@N00/87000321 by: Adele

Source: loonyhiker

I had the fun of hiking the other day with two tenth graders. They were so delightful to talk to and it brought back great memories about why I love teaching. They were full of excitement and wonder about everything they saw. They were happy and smiling and their joy spilled over to everyone they were near. How I wish I could bottle this energy and happiness and sell it to other people.

I think sometimes we can be rejuvenated just by being around young people. No judgments were made and I think all of us “old people” enjoyed being around them.

My friend Linda is the one who brought these girls to our hike and one of them was her granddaughter. What a great way to share the joy of outdoors! It is also a good way to nurture a relationship away from TVs and telephones. And the girls did not seem to resent being there so I don’t think they were forced to do this.

As we hiked, it was fun to hear them talk and fill the forest with laughter. Too many times we forget what it is like to be young again. When I hear adults complain about young people and their attitudes, I will mention what I experienced. Too many times we let these negative attitudes and thoughts crowd out the good experiences.

Have you had a great experience to share?

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: Don and teens by Pat Hensley

Source: loonyhiker

Here are some interesting sites that I’ve found this week, thanks to my PLN. As a teacher, I feel we have to keep up to date concerning research in our field and current issues in the education system. I hope some of these inspire you, inform you, and even have you asking questions. Thank you for coming by and visiting!

Timesavers for Teachers – “TIMESAVERS for TEACHERS specializes in printable, often-used classroom forms, report card comments, spelling activities, practical teacher tools, worksheets and downloadable teaching materials designed to save teachers valuable time.”

Ology – this is a really cool web site for kids created by the American Museum of Natural History.

The Elements Song – song about the elements in the periodic table

The Biochemists Songbook mp3 files – songs about different science processes

The Tale of Despereaux – a story where you (or someone you know) is part of the story

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: Tools by Pat Hensley

Source: loonyhiker

As we have been doing a lot of camping lately with campfires, I have been reminded about times when I was growing up and toasting marshmallows with my family. We always made s’mores and they were so yummy. I’m sure most of you know what a s’more is but in case you don’t, here is the description. You toast your marshmallow over a campfire and then make a sandwich with it, chocolate squares and graham crackers. After you eat it, you want s’more!

Now, I’ve eaten toasted marshmallows and chocolate and graham crackers. But when they are eaten separately, they have a totally different taste than when they are eaten together. It takes all three of these things together to really make your taste buds go into overdrive.

Then I began to think about how this relates to the classroom. What ingredients are needed for our students to want “s’more”? I think having all the right ingredients make a difference but what are they? I think an effective teacher, a willing student, and the right environment are necessary to get the right combination.

But what makes me an effective teacher? I need to be willing to learn throughout my career. This means learning new techniques and tools as well as learning the true and tried ways that have worked in the past. I need to use my time out of the classroom in a way that rejuvenates me and recharges my batteries. This might mean that on the weekends I do things that may seem selfish to others but necessary for my own piece of mind. It might mean that during the summers, I take classes that I want to take but never had the time. I might take classes that can help me in the classroom but they might also be classes that have nothing to do with the classroom. But when I’m in the classroom, I’m always looking at what is in the best interest of the student and not me. I feel that once I stop doing this, I am not an effective teacher.

How do I make a student willing to learn? I need to give the student opportunities to succeed. I know that if I’m always failing at something and don’t feel there is any hope, I will give up. I need to be the advocate, and sometimes cheerleader, for the student. When the student struggles and seems frustrated, I need to look for ways to help the student overcome the obstacles. I want my student to feel like he/she is never alone and knows that I’m going to be there to help when needed. I need to help the student forget about the failures of the past and be willing to start with a fresh new start. By being the proper role model, I can show the student how wonderful it is to learn and that this is a lifelong process that I am still involved in.

How can I control the environment? I might not be able to change the school policies but I can make my classroom inviting. There is McCall’s Hospice House nearby which cares for people in their end stage of life. I haven’t been there yet but plan to go there soon to visit a friend. My pastor mentioned that it is an extremely positive place with lots of windows, cheery staff, bright colors and positive attitudes all around. What a delightful place this sounds like. I want my classroom to be seen in the same way and not as a dark and rigid place of learning. I want to be “user friendly” that makes people glad to be there.

What do you think are the main ingredients for s’mores in education? Please share your thoughts.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: ‘S’Mores!‘
http://www.flickr.com/photos/76454756@N00/2987530248 by: Kate Sumbler

Source: loonyhiker

Now, I know summer officially begins in another week or so but as soon as school is out, I consider it summer.

Summer is my busy time. Since I retired from teaching in public school, I now teach on the university level in the summer. This is my time for teaching teachers. I love teaching so much that I felt that by sharing my knowledge and expertise with other teachers, it is a way to pass it on. Of course, the best time to teach teachers is during the summer when they aren’t focused on their own classrooms as well as real life.

So, I need to get busy with planning my lessons!

One course that I’m teaching is a practicum where I will supervise 5 teachers and about 20 special education students. I will observe the teachers and evaluate lesson plans. I really enjoyed doing this last year and one of the comments on my evaluation was that the teacher/student learned more in this course than any other course. I believe the reason is that he was able to bring together all that he had learned and actually apply it. It was a real life situation.

The other course is a Procedures course which will be a hybrid course of online and face to face. There weren’t enough students to meet daily face to face so the university wants me to teach it as a tutorial where we only meet five times. But I need to make it as rigorous as if we meet face to face every day. This will be a challenge. I’m hoping to record some presentations on slideshare and post them on the wiki as part of their weekly assignments. As you can tell, I’m still working on them.

I’m also planning on doing more hiking and camping than we did last year. I really missed it but we did a lot of road traveling. This year we plan to stay closer to home and remember why we love living where we do.

We recently got our ham radio license so I am going to learn more about ham radios and how to use them. I’m wondering if they have a place in the classroom and how a lesson can be working in with it. This will take some looking into and I will let you know how it goes.

I plan to do a lot more yard work and gardening. I’ve put off a few years some things that need to be done. This is a good time for me to do it. We planted tomato plants earlier than we did last year so hopefully we will be able to enjoy them longer. I hope to freeze some to use in the winter too. We also have a ton of figs coming in and I hope to freeze some of them too.

Of course when all my teacher friends are working, I really miss them. Now that summer is here, my friends can come out and play! I’m excited about scheduling some lunches so we can catch up on what’s been happening.

In a couple of weeks there is the Upstate Technology Conference and I will get to visit with some of my online friends in person. I look forward to the 2 day event and learning lots of new stuff. I’m not presenting this year so I can attend more sessions. I might present next year though.

So, what do you have planned for the summer? I have big plans but we will see how it all pans out!

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: ‘party in the sky‘
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26720971@N02/3970279665 by: Dene’ Miles

Source: loonyhiker

In Things I Will Never Understand from TJ on a Journey, TJ Shay states,

“Our job is to TEACH and if the learning doesn’t take, we reteach. Blame doesn’t do anyone any good. Many times, in my career, I have talked to a student and tried to get to the bottom of why they are acting the way they are….if you haven’t done it, you would be amazed at what a difference that can make. Failure of a student is often a direct result of failure as a teacher/parent/adult.” And also, “When people are clearly wrong, why don’t they just say they are, apologize, and move on?”

Reading this made me want to cheer. Here is a teacher who really “gets it”! Too many times I’m in the company of a group of teachers who want to stand around and complain about the students, the parents, the school, the district or the system. Of course there are plenty of non-teachers who hear this too and it is no wonder that they have no faith in our system. I once had a principal who told me that I shouldn’t waste time blaming people and use my time and energy into working to solve the problem. I really have tried to stick to this philosophy and wish others could too.

I also feel that teachers waste too much time being negative about education in general. We need to start being cheerleaders for our profession. We need to stop focusing on the failures of our students and whose fault it is. Instead we need to say that we have this problem and let’s work towards fixing it. Let’s talk about the things that are going right in other schools and see how we can apply them to our own schools. By networking with other schools and looking for good things that are working, maybe we can turn around our own schools. We need to start collaborating with other districts, states, and even countries to find out strategies that are working. If we just keep doing the same things that we know don’t work, how can we expect to see any success? Why don’t we admit that what we are doing isn’t working and move on? Instead people stand around and blame those who pushed for implementation of things that didn’t work but I don’t see how this will help us. Sure, we may try things and they won’t work but we need to keep trying.

TJ also asks, “Why is it that in a school district, we are not all on the same team?”

I have seen this too many times in my school. We need to get past the ego trips if we are going to be successful. There was so much competition between teachers and departments that instead of pulling together, we were pulling apart. Part of the reason I feel is that there was not enough communication. Our school was like a small society where rumors abound and some people got information that others didn’t. Of course this made some people feel more powerful than others and they hoarded this information like it was gold. When others see this, they tend to react with fear and don’t think decisions through. I guess it is human nature to act this way but we need to get on the same page. Can you imagine an athletic team playing this way? I can just imagine one of the players getting the ball and hiding it so the other team players can’t see who has it. What chaos that would be!

So, I guess I should stop complaining and look for the positives.

One way to combat the negative talk would be to ask the complainer about how to solve the problem. I think we need to turn the conversations around to more positive notes. Start to talk about solutions and good things we see elsewhere that we could try. If more and more people start doing this, maybe we can break the cycle of negative talk. It may take time but someone has to take the first steps.

As for team building, I believe there needs to be better communication. Of course this needs to come from the top. The leadership needs to keep those in the system better informed. If everyone has the same information, than we can focus on working towards a common goal instead of feeding our own egos.

What do you think? Please share your ideas and comments!

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: ‘Circle of friends‘
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12142259@N00/2568204738 by: Beat Küng

Source: loonyhiker