Click on the link below and check out how Studio 360 and a New York based design firm HYPERAKT has approached re-"branding" teachers and the education system. Watch this 5 minute video and check out our new look!
Friday, February 3, 2012
What's Your Brand?
Thursday, January 5, 2012
"Reading" the Research
As a present to the administrators in our district we were given access to a publication called the "Marshall Memo, A Weekly Round-up of Important Ideas and Research in K-12 Education." In their January 2nd edition they summarized the research behind assisting struggling readers from various sources. I was pleased to see how well it correlates to strategies we currently use inside the classroom during the "Northeast Reading Academy" as well as techniques we employ utilizing support staff. Please read below and feel free to comment on a best practice!
Marshall Memo Item - The Writing Road to Reading Proficiency
In
this Harvard Educational Review
article, Steve Graham and Michael Hebert of Vanderbilt University note that
major initiatives over the last ten years to improve reading achievement (No
Child Left Behind, Reading First, the National Reading Panel) have produced
disappointing results: while NAEP math scores improved significantly, reading
scores have flatlined and large numbers of students are far from being
proficient readers.
Why?
Graham and Hebert believe it’s because the instructional practices identified
by the National Reading Panel in 2000 and pursued with gusto across the nation
were “too narrow and not complete.” In this article, they report on a
meta-analysis of research on one of the underemphasized factors: the impact of effective
teaching of writing on students’
achievement in reading. Here are
their three research questions and what they found:
•
First, when students write about material
they have read, does their comprehension improve? Graham and Hebert found there
is significant positive impact in grades 2-12 when students are asked to write
about literature and material in science, social studies, and other expository
texts. Students did extended writing, summary writing, note-taking, and
answering and generating questions. The positive impact of this type of writing
was greatest in middle school and with students who were weakest in reading and
writing. Why is writing about reading so helpful?
-
It
fosters explicitness, as students must select which information in the text is
most important.
-
It
encourages the writer to organize ideas from the text into a coherent whole and
establish explicit relationships among the ideas.
-
It
fosters reflection because it’s easier to review, reexamine, connect, critique,
and construct new understandings from written text.
-
It gets
students personally involved by requiring them to engage in active
decision-making about what they will write and how they will treat it.
-
Students
must transform or manipulate the text’s language to put it into their own
words, which makes them think about what the ideas mean.
•
Second, does explicit teaching of writing
skills strengthen students’ reading skills? Again, Graham and Hebert found
positive results in this research, which covered grades 4-12 language arts
classes.
•
Third, does increasing the quantity of
student writing improve how well they read? Yes, say Graham and Hebert,
reporting on studies of students in grades 1-6 language-arts classes.
The
authors end on a cautionary note: “Just because a writing intervention was
effective in improving students’ reading in the studies included in this review
does not guarantee that it will be effective in all other situations,” they say.
“As a result, the safest course of action for teachers implementing
research-based practices is to directly monitor the effects of such treatments
to gauge whether they are effective under these new conditions.” They suggest
these key components:
-
Frequent
student writing;
-
Explicit
skill instruction;
-
Starting
small and measuring the impact of each initiative before embarking on others.
Marshall Memo Item - A Non-Pullout Approach for
Struggling Readers
“Teaching Struggling
Readers in the Classroom” by Lynne Vernon-Feagans and Marnie Ginsberg in Better: Evidence-Based Education, Fall
2011 (Vol. 4, #1, p. 6-7), http://www.bestevidence.org/better
Marshall Memo Item - What Works Best in Elementary Reading
Instruction
“Children
who do not read well in the early elementary grades are likely to have problems
in all areas of schooling, are unlikely to graduate, and may develop serious
behavioral or emotional problems,” says Robert Slavin (University of York and
Johns Hopkins University) in this Better:
Evidence-Based Education article. But which reading approaches work best
with readers who are falling behind? Here are the results of a rigorous
analysis of 96 studies done by Slavin and his colleagues, listing programs starting
with the most effective:
•
One-to-one tutoring by specially trained teachers with an emphasis on phonics
(for example, Reading Recovery, Early Steps, Targeted Reading Intervention, and
Reading Rescue);
•
Improved whole-classroom approaches, including cooperative learning and
teaching metacognitive “learning to learn” strategies (for example, Cooperative
Integrated Reading and Composition, Peer Assisted Learning Strategies, and
Direct Instruction/Corrective Reading); this approach was most effective in the
upper elementary grades.
•
Comprehensive school reform programs, combining cooperative learning, phonics,
teaching of metacognitive skills, and one-to-one or small-group tutoring (for
example, Success for All);
•
One-on-one tutoring by paraprofessionals – This is less effective than tutoring
by teachers, but paraprofessionals using programs such as Sound Partners can be
cost-effective.
• Small-group tutoring (2-6
students) using phonetic programs (for example, Quick Reads, Corrective
Reading, and Voyager Passport);
•
One-to-one tutoring by volunteers – This is more variable than paraprofessional
tutoring, but well-trained volunteers using programs such as Book Buddies and
SMART can have very good outcomes;
•
Computer-assisted instruction – “Of all the approaches included in the review,”
says Slavin, “technology was found to have the smallest effect on the
attainment of struggling readers.”
Friday, December 2, 2011
How About Better Parents!
On November 19th Thomas Freidman issued an op-ed article which hit a certain nerve. He was responding to the infinite number of op-ed's that ask the question "What about better teachers?" by asking the question "What about better parents?"
Needless to say from an educator's stand point.... a must read!
Monday, November 7, 2011
The Greatest Action Movie Ever!
Ad Council Collaborates
with KIDZ BOP & Twentieth Century Fox to Encourage
Kids to “Bring Out the Action Hero in You”
WASHINGTON, D.C., October
6, 2011
– In a nationwide
effort to combat the childhood obesity epidemic, McCann New York and the Ad
Council are launching new public service advertisements (PSA) that promote
physical activity and healthy eating among children, ages 6-12. The Greatest Action Movie Ever
(G.A.M.E.) campaign was developed in collaboration with KIDZ BOP to encourage
kids to “Bring Out The Action Hero in You” with cool moves and supercharged
foods. All kids are now invited to become a part of the Action Hero Alliance by auditioning
for a role in G.A.M.E., a new original short movie debuting in Spring 2012, by
uploading a video to KIDZBOP.com, the leading safe social network for kids and tweens
“In the battle against childhood
obesity, running a traditional TV campaign seems counterintuitive. After all,
what good is a commercial if kids end up watching it on the sofa with a bag of
chips on their lap?” said, Jesse Potack, McCann New York Creative
Director/Writer. Added Benjamin Vendramin, Creative Director/Art Director,
“Our challenge was how do you get 6-12-year olds up and moving? This idea takes
something kids love—action movies—to get them doing something they usually
resist—being active and eating right.”
The new television and digital
PSAs drive to www.ActionHeroAlliance.com where
educational information and recommendations for healthy eating and physical
activities are provided. The
website will also contain information about how children can submit their
audition videos for G.A.M.E through KIDZBOP.com.
“Despite an increased awareness of the
childhood obesity crisis in America, a large number of children and their
families are still not making healthy eating and fitness a lifelong priority,”
said Peggy Conlon, president and CEO of the Ad Council. “We are thrilled to
collaborate with McCann New York and KIDZ BOP to engage children nationwide to
become a part of a healthy movement through G.A.M.E.”
Lights!
Camera! Action! KIDZ BOP is holding a
nationwide casting call for G.A.M.E. at KIDZBOP.com, inviting kids to audition for an all-new short
movie that puts real kids in the
action! Physical activity and
eating well are key to the plot and through awesome moves and super charged
food, kids can use their ultimate potential to be just like their favorite
superheroes. Kids can now audition for the first three scenes, “Join the
Alliance,” “Supersonic Hearing” and “High-Speed” Chase” by uploading a short
video to KIDZBOP.com. The audition videos will be voted on by kids and the
winners will receive prizes that promote healthy habits, such as Wii game
consoles, bikes and athletic equipment. The best videos will also be selected
by a panel of judges and have a starring role in the G.A.M.E. movie. G.A.M.E auditions
from now through November 30, 2011 and the short movie will premiere in 2012.
KIDZBOP.com will also host special digital PSAs starring the
KIDZ BOP Kids, which encourage kids get to moving and make healthier food
choices.
“KIDZ BOP is thrilled to partner
with McCann New York and the Ad Council to support G.A.M.E. and First Lady
Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative,” said Craig Balsam and Cliff Chenfeld,
Co-Founders of KIDZ BOP. “By
enabling kids to create an audtion video and upload it to KIDZBOP.com, kids
will not only get an opportunity to have fun and express themselves, they’ll
continue learn about the importance of an active lifestyle.”
A
complementary series of teen targeted PSAs was developed in collaboration with Twentieth Century Fox. The new television and digital ads
feature X-MEN: FIRST CLASS characters
performing energetic action moves that encourage audiences to "get
energized, get outside, and get moving." These PSAs direct youth to visit www.ActionHeroAlliance.com
where they can download X-Men
themed activities and a monthly calendar to track their progress.
The PSAs will be distributed this week and per
the Ad Council’s model they will run and air in advertising time and space that
is donated by the media.
McCann
Erickson
McCann
Erickson New York is the flagship and largest office of McCann Erickson
Worldwide, the world’s largest advertising agency network, with operations in
more than 120 countries and a client roster that includes preeminent global
marketers and many of the world’s most famous brands. The agency is a
unit of McCann Worldgroup, a leading global marketing solutions network,
comprised of a collaborative roster of best-in-class agencies that emphasize
creativity, innovation and performance.
The Advertising Council
The Ad Council (www.adcouncil.org) is a private, non-profit
organization that marshals talent from the advertising and communications
industries, the facilities of the media, and the resources of the business and
non-profit communities to produce, distribute and promote public service
campaigns on behalf of non-profit organizations and government agencies. The Ad
Council addresses issue areas such as improving the quality of life for
children, preventive health, education, community well-being, environmental
preservation and strengthening families.
KIDZ BOP
KIDZ
BOP is the #1 music brand for kids ages 5-12 in the U.S., featuring today’s
most popular songs, sung by kids for kids. KIDZ BOP celebrates the authentic
voice of kids across the entire brand—through music, videos, live appearances,
cosumer products and its popular website, KIDZBOP.com,the leading safe
social network and video sharing site for kids and tweens with one million
registered members. The website provides a completely safe and moderated
environment where kids can express themselves—as themselves—through unique
online applications and proprietary functionality. The site’s popular “My
Channel” feature lets members safely communicate with friends via our Safe Text
Messaging System, which averages more than one million status updates per
month. Kids can also safely produce their own Web shows, create and run their
own “Super Contests,” upload videos and photos, and make music. To date, KIDZ
BOP’s team of expert moderators have screened more than 23,000 hours of video
content and nearly half a million photos before they were uploaded to
KIDZBOP.com.
Twentieth
Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, LLC
(TCFHE) is a recognized global industry leader and a subsidiary of Twentieth
Century Fox Film Corporation, a News Corporation company. Representing 75 years
of innovative and award-winning filmmaking from Twentieth Century Fox, TCFHE is
the worldwide marketing, sales and distribution company for all Fox film and
television programming, acquisitions and original productions on DVD, Blu-ray
Disc Digital Copy, Video On Demand and Digital Download. The company also
releases all products globally for MGM Home Entertainment. Each year TCFHE
introduces hundreds of new and newly enhanced products, which it services to
retail outlets from mass merchants and warehouse clubs to specialty stores and
e-commerce throughout the world.
CONTACT:
Lisa
Cullen
The
Ad Council
202-331-5052
lcullen@adcouncil.org
McCann Erickson
Susan Irwin
McCann New York
646-865-3004
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Working Out Writing Workshop
CHARTCHUMS
Friday, September 9, 2011
What Teachers Really Want to Say!
I was on CNN.com and saw this article. It is a must read! I would love to hear your reactions!
What Teachers Really Want to Say!
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
I don't want you giving any more homework!
Do you check your student's homework? No, not check.... I mean give feedback on their homework. If you're not giving meaningful feedback on the work they've done and simply marking it as "done" than..... "I don't want you giving any more homework!"
The purpose behind homework is to give students the opportunity to try applying a skill that they've learned in school. For many this is a difficult task. So difficult that they often seek help from adults or peers. Many times the assistance they've received is unreliable compared to what you have done in the classroom.
....and now they bring their work back to school.
Some (few) students return with a confident understanding of what they learned and applied. The rest, without any feedback, haven't benefited from the activity. Without meaningful feedback (You know... the kind that goes beyond writing "good job" on the top of the paper) to add clarity..... the homework is pointless.
Your reaction?
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