Bad Dreams Teachers Have.... and What Do They Mean?

I'm sure we have all lost sleep at night over a pending school issue.... Thought this would be a fun article for you to read. Please feel free to comment on what your nightmare was!

“Even your worst nightmares are just your brain doing its thing to help you become a better teacher,” says Florida teacher Roxanna Elden in this Educational Horizons article. Here are her interpretations of some recurring teacher nightmares:

            • You come to school in a bathrobe, your pajamas, or the clothes you went out in last night. Interpretation: feeling vulnerable, inadequate, afraid of being unprepared.

            • You are already running late and then get lost on your way to school. Interpretation: perhaps a desire to avoid responsibility, or perhaps just fear of being late.

            • Your subject or grade level has been changed at the last minute. Interpretation: fear of wasting all that preparation you’ve done for your classes due to capricious administrators.

            • Students come to your house and start helping themselves to bowls of cereal from your kitchen cabinets while you think of ways to keep them busy. Interpretation: you think about your students all the time.

            • You are in a physical fight with a student, fellow teacher, or administrator. Interpretation: fight dreams express a desire to defend your honor, values, or personal space. They may also reveal anger, frustration, or a genuine desire to hurt the person in question.

            • Your classroom is in the cafeteria, an open field, or an irregularly shaped room in which you can’t see all your students and they can’t hear anything you say. Interpretation: preparing oneself for the worst possible teaching scenario.

“Class Dismissed! Your Unscientific Guide to Interpreting Teacher Nightmares” by Roxanna Elden in Educational Horizons, October/November 2012 (Vol. 91, #1, p. 31)

Bullying in the News..... Literally!

On October 2nd news anchor Jennifer Livingston decided to take to task a watcher who chose to comment on her Facebook page with a remark about her weight. She cited that this type of bullying behavior is inappropriate and damaging.

I found this video to be a helpful tool in showing children that bullying exists in our world at all levels. Also, that not learning to communicate effectively early in life could lead to continued bad decision-making. It reminded me that as an adult we are still potential targets and need to know how to address it when it happens.

One of the tenets of the RESPECT Campaign is "Name it!...Claim it!...Stop it! Jennifer definitely did just that.

Please watch this video and feel free to use it in your classroom.

Caine's Arcade

As many of you have requested I have supplied here the video for Caine's Arcade as well as the link to this video on You Tube.

Remember the lesson behind the video. It takes only one person to take an interest in a child to change their course. Be that person.

Please feel free to share this video with your students. I'm sure they will be as inspired and motivated as you were. (I'm already working on building my own school out of cardboard!)

I welcome and appreciate any additional comments about the video or an experience you have had.

Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faIFNkdq96U 

Reading Comprehension: Ten Principles

            In this article in The Reading Teacher, University of Pennsylvania/East Stroudsburg professor Maureen McLaughlin lays out the goal of reading instruction – “teaching students to become active, strategic readers who successfully comprehend text” – and presents ten principles of reading comprehension she believes every teacher should know:

            • Principle #1: Comprehension is the active construction of meaning as the reader makes connections between prior knowledge and the text.

            • Principle #2: Most of what we know about comprehension comes from studying good readers. They work at making sense of what they are reading, have clear goals, ask themselves questions as they read, monitor their progress, have a repertoire of strategies, problem-solve and “fix up” when they aren’t understanding, discover new information on their own, think about their thinking, and read widely in a variety of texts.

• Principle #3: It’s all about good teaching. Effective teachers believe all children can learn; differentiate instruction using a variety of techniques and groupings; understand that students learn best in authentic situations; orchestrate print-rich, concept-rich environments; have in-depth knowledge of reading, writing, speaking, and listening; provide lots of opportunities for students to read, write, and discuss; draw on insights gained from good readers; and constantly use assessment evidence to fine-tune instruction.

• Principle #4: Motivation is a key factor. Effective teachers make students want to read by creating the right environment, making compelling texts available, and instilling intrinsic motivation.

• Principle #5: Explicitly teaching a variety of reading comprehension strategies builds students’ reasoning power. These include previewing, self-questioning, making connections, visualizing, knowing how words work, monitoring (Does this make sense?), summarizing, and evaluating.

• Principle #6: Vocabulary development is essential. It is fostered by building students’ interest in learning and using new words, developing precision in word use, getting students actively involved in the process, studying how words work, exposing students to new words multiple times, and extending vocabulary development to other subject areas.

• Principle #7: Students should read a variety of types and levels of text. These should include instructional-level books for teacher-guided lessons and easier texts for independent reading. Motivation and achievement increase when students read texts that interest them.

• Principle #8: Students should use multiple modes to represent their thinking. Oral and written responses are fine, but students should also be able to sketch, dramatize, sing, and create projects about their reading.

• Principle #9: Constantly check for understanding. Teachers should observe students as they read and discuss, look at their informal written responses, and use other assessments – and use insights gained to follow up and fine-tune instruction.

• Principle #10: Push students to comprehend at deeper levels. Students need to go beyond passively accepting a text’s message and read between and beyond the lines, thinking about the author’s purpose and the underlying message of the text. “Critical literacy focuses on the problem and its complexity,” says McLaughlin. “It addresses issues of power and promotes reflection, action, and transformation.”

“Reading Comprehension: What Every Teacher Needs to Know” by Maureen McLaughlin in The Reading Teacher, April 2012 (Vol. 65, #7, p. 432-440), http://www.reading.org; the author can be reached at mmclaughlin@esu.edu. 

How Far Would You Go To Give Your Child a Voice?

Recently in the news was the story a father from Cherry Hill New Jersey who felt like his son Akian Chaifetz was not acting his usual self. Akian who is a 10 year old boy diagnosed with autism did not have the voice to express to father why his mood had shifted from pleasant to moments of emotional outbursts. Stuart, Akian's father, began to grow suspicious of the school that Akian attended.


After growing frustration Stuart Chaifetz took a daring step and wired his son with a camera and microphone before sending him to school. What he discovered confirmed his suspicions. 


Mr. Chaifetz was so appalled by the behavior of Akian's teachers that he posted some of the video to YouTube and it has since gone viral with over 3 Million views!


There a lot of issues that have arisen from this case. Three I can immediately consider are; 


1. Did Stuart take the right steps in giving his son a voice?
2. What are the implications for schools if students have cameras on them?
3. How does the ability of "going viral" impact our profession?


Please take a moment to reflect on this pressing scenario. I appreciate all comments and welcome your own questions.


Below is a link to the full story including a video. You can also search the actual footage on YouTube.


Stuart Chaifetz, Father, Puts Wire On Son With Autism, Records Verbal Abuse From Teachers (VIDEO)

The Khan Academy

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With a library of over 3,000 videos covering everything from arithmetic to physics, finance, and history and 315 practice exercises, we're on a mission to help you learn what you want, when you want, at your own pace."

This is the message that welcomes you to Khan Academy! Check it out! It can be an amazing resource or amazing recreation! Click on the link below to watch a video about Khan Academy that aired on 60 minutes this past Monday. I welcome you comments!

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What's Your Brand?

Have you ever thought about why teachers still get so many apples? Or why the "little school house" still represents what a school looks like? Why do we still brand our profession with age old images?

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!

STUDIO 360