Education World Professional Development Newsletter -- Volume 2, Issue 15

Dear Education Leaders, Welcome! This free newsletter is published biweekly by Education World®, the largest free, independent resource on the Web for educators. If you enjoy this newsletter, please feel free to forward it to others. If this newsletter has been forwarded to you, you may sign up at http://www.educationworld.com/maillist.shtml. To unsubscribe, see instructions below. Education World remains a free resource thanks to the support of our advertisers -- so please click on ads of interest and visit our advertisers' sites. Thank you. ============================================================================ Capella University.  Move your education career forward with a degree online. Gain the knowledge and skills you need to increase your effectiveness in today's elementary and secondary schools. Whether you wish to add to your classroom teaching techniques or move into administration, our online degree specializations are designed to help you make a positive, lasting impact. Relevant areas of study include: Curriculum and Instruction (MS, PhD) K-12 Studies in Education (MS, PhD) Leadership in Educational Administration (MS, PhD) Instructional Design for Online Learning (MS, PhD) Reading and Literacy (MS) Click here and register to receive more information. ============================================================================ Volume 2, Issue 15 July 30, 2008   Emma McDonald: The New Teacher Advisor Managing Student Talking It used to be that when students were in the classroom, silence reigned. That changed with the onset of collaborative learning and hands-on learning activities. So, how do you manage the talking in your classroom now without stifling creativity and learning? http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/columnists/mcdonald/mcdonald021.shtml Teaching Special-Needs Students in the Regular Classroom Although it might feel like it sometimes, we are not alone when dealing with special-needs students. Unlike the old one-room schoolhouse teacher, educators today have a number of support resources available through their schools and districts. http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/columnists/mcdonald/mcdonald022.shtml Dr. Fred Jones: Tools for Teaching The Body Language of Commitment When kids go to school, they already have a Ph.D. in parent management, and all of those skills will transfer to the teacher. They will know what you are going to do before you do it, because you will tell them -- with your body language. http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/columnists/jones/jones010.shtml Follow Through and Pseudo-Compliance In the body-language-poker game, teachers fold when they turn away from a situation before the students have folded. Students fold when they abandon pseudo-compliance and actually get back to work. You have to stay in the game until the students fold. http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/columnists/jones/jones011.shtml Professor Joe Martin: The Educator Motivator Medicate to Educate What do I tell those teachers who ask me for my secret to staying motivated in the classroom? I tell them to "get medicated." But what I'm referring to isn't a prescription; it's more of a philosophy. It's the secret weapon I like to call "the medicine cabinet." http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/columnists/martin/martin008.shtml Who Said You Have to Change? There's nothing wrong with making mistakes; the problem is when we fail to correct those mistakes based on stubbornness, ignorance, fear, pride, or even anger. Whenever I find myself guilty of that, I describe it as being "stuck on stupid." http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/columnists/martin/martin009.shtml Cathy Puett Miller: The Reading Coach Conferencing With Young Writers: Time, Content, and Purpose Conferencing with young or inexperienced writers can be challenging. For them to become writers, it must become personal. How can we help students discover that writer within through our conferencing time with them? http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/columnists/miller/miller022.shtml Integrating Reading and Writing Instruction into Content-Area Classrooms The 2005 National Assessment of Educational Progress reports that less than one third of U.S. high school students read or write at grade level. What can local schools do? http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/columnists/miller/miller023.shtml Dr. Ken Shore Cyberbullying Cyberbullying is a new and growing form of bullying that has emerged with the advent of technology. And it's a problem that schools must deal with. http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/shore/shore078.shtml Understanding School Bullying Bullying takes place when a stronger or more powerful child intentionally and repeatedly hurts, threatens, or torments a more vulnerable child. Bullying is deliberate, happens more than once, and represents a marked imbalance of power between bully and victim. http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/shore/shore063.shtml Angela Powell: Getting It Together Organizing Corrected Work Getting graded papers home to parents is simple when you have a filing system so easy your students can be in charge of it. http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/organization/organization036.shtml Versatile Boxes Visit your local shopping mart to pick up empty cardboard boxes. http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/organization/organization025.shtml Each week, Education World spotlights books of interest to educators. This week, read a brief summary of two more of our "top 50 books for educators." The Writing Teacher's Book of Lists Subtitled, "with Ready-to-Use Activities and Worksheets," this book adds an extra level of practicality to the idea of a book of lists. Interestingly, the activities and worksheets in each section come before the lists of words themselves, which demonstrates the emphasis the book places on its practical features. The lists represent great variety, with some based on traditional groupings, like synonyms, etc., and others based on such groupings as "Advertising Words," "Words of Folklore," or special lists for student writers such as "Traits of Good Writers" and "Books for Students about Writing and Writers." Click to learn more or to purchase this book. Teacher Under Construction: Things I Wish I'd Known!: A Survival Handbook for New Middle School Teachers One of the books from the revived Weekly Reader presses, this handbook (it's only 110 pages) is a good, brief, practical guide for the middle school educator. Features such as a parent conference checklist, a "5-10-15-20" rule of time management, and other common-sense tips are indeed the kinds of things experienced teachers can usefully offer newcomers. A great balance between the nuts and bolts practicalities and the human aspects of the job, and a book concise enough to fit into your bag! Click to learn more or to purchase this book. Click the icon to the right to see more books and many other products that are available in the Education World MarketPlace. Reader's Theater A Field Trip to Remember When Allie and Scott accidentally take a wrong turn on a class field trip, they find themselves in a mysterious gallery where they learn some fascinating facts about presidents' pets. http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/reading/ReadersTheater/ReadersTheater016.shtml Writer's Block When his teacher assigns what seems like a simple writing exercise, John discovers he's out of ideas -- until characters from his imagination help him overcome "writer's block." http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/reading/ReadersTheater/ReadersTheater017.shtml Reading Tips Let's Party! Encourage independent reading by turning reading time into party time. http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/reading/tips/tips008.shtml Beyond the Spelling List Add another element to your students' spelling practice. http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/reading/tips/tips009.shtml Best Books for Teaching About… Each week, Education World presents our Editors' Choices for the best books for teaching about popular classroom themes. Check out our choices and add your own recommendations to the Readers' Voices section of this week's themed booklists: Best Books for Teaching About... Whales Best Books for Teaching About... Friendship Total Reader How Cool Is That! http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/profdev/profdev149.shtml From the Math Corner Wendy Petti's "Math Cats Math Chat" Even Teachers Make Mistakes Last year, when a student caught me in a careless math mistake, I laughed it off and said, "This is the first math mistake I've ever made!" From that point on, students took it as a friendly challenge to catch the math teacher making another math mistake. http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/mathchat/mathchat011.shtml Mathematicians Throughout History Mathematics did not drop from the sky. We know that, of course…but do our students? http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/mathchat/mathchat007.shtml Go Figure Car Shopping Which car should Melanie buy? Figure out how far each car has been driven. http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/math/go_figure/go_figure008.shtml The Bird or the Egg? How many birds can you hatch from just one egg? http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/math/go_figure/go_figure009.shtml Math Mnemonics The Numerator Is Above the Denominator http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/mnemonics/mnemonics013.shtml Add, Subtract, Multiply, or Divide http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/mnemonics/mnemonics014.shtml From the Math Machine Tangram Game Students click and drag shapes to build a figure. (Grades K-6) http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/mathmachine/mathmachine009.shtml Star Gazing Students locate planets by entering the angles at which they can be found. (Grades 2-6) http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/mathmachine/mathmachine010.shtml Featured Articles Planning for Your First Day of School Online resources for a variety of back-to-school planning needs, including welcome letters, bulletin board ideas, and back-to-school activities. http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr360.shtml Building Communication Before School Starts Many teachers and administrators have started introducing themselves to parents and students before school starts. Some have even provided "survival kits" to help students weather the first few days of school. http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr358.shtml Teacher Features Family Game Night Marcia Baldanza's students game their way to greater understanding. http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/teacher_feature/teacher_feature020.shtml Run the Capitals George Mussar's phys ed students run the state capitals. http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/teacher_feature/teacher_feature021.shtml Strategies of the Week Parent Involvement Research shows that children are more likely to succeed academically, and less likely to engage in violent behavior, if their families are involved in their education. In many schools, teachers are working hard to bridge the gap between school and home. http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/strategy/strategy005.shtml Pretzels This primary-grade strategy from the Northeast Foundation for Children focuses on students' kindnesses and results in improved classroom behavior. http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/strategy/strategy029.shtml Backpacktivities Family Collage Students explore the adjectives that describe their families. http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/homework/pdfs/backpacktivity_016.pdf Gelatin Fun Families learn about friction. http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/homework/pdfs/backpacktivity_017.pdf Tips Library Classroom Management: Homework Help Behavior Management: Be Prepared Motivating Kids: Contests Count Book Report Makeover: Character Traits Homework Tips: Teams Best Idea: Closure Testing Tips: The Long and Short of It http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/management_tips/management_tips016.shtml http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/behaviortips/behaviortips016.shtml http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/motivation/motivation016.shtml http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/bookreport/bookreport016.shtml http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/homeworktips/homeworktips016.shtml http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/bestidea/bestidea016.shtml http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/testing/testing016.shtml ============================================================================ Education World now incorporates www.SchoolNotes.com ~ "everybody on the same page!" The leading school-to-home communications platform, with FREE pages for teachers and automatic notification of parents and students when new homework is posted! For a modest $24.95 PER YEAR, upgrade to Personal Edition, "Super SchoolNotes," with thousands of resources linked to your state's standards! Click here for more information   The Principal Poet Mr. Ivan, Education World's Principal Poet, presents this week's poem, "The Lunch Line Pioneer." In history class last Friday I learned of pioneers Who drove their covered wagons Way out West for years… http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/columnists/ivan/ivan027.shtml Brenda Dyck's Blog The Year of the Laptop Be wary of our tendency to ascribe magical powers to the technological gizmos of our generation. Tools are just tools unless they are harnessed to effective teaching. Poor teaching with technology attached is still poor teaching. http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/columnists/dyck/dyck009.shtml Doug Johnson's Tech Proof The One-Afternoon Second Life Tour A tour of "must-see" sights for educators in Second Life, one of the 3-D virtual environments gaining popularity with educators. http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/columnists/johnson/johnson020.shtml Nancy Willard's Cyber Savvy Online Danger: Prevention and Intervention It is necessary to consider the ability, authority, and responsibility of school officials when it comes to prevention of, and intervention in, cyberbullying in each of the locations where school related cyberbullying occurs. http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/columnists/willard/willard007.shtml Larry Bell's Somebody Needs You! Creating a Classroom Culture of High Expectations for All Students When I was in the classroom my goal was to make every child feel that he or she is the reason I teach. By doing that, I felt I could create a classroom culture that set high expectations for all students. To accomplish that goal, I employed a handful of tools… http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/columnists/bell/bell003.shtml Starr Points No Break Today Faced with a need to find more time to meet increasing educational standards, 40 percent of schools in the United States have either cut recess or are considering doing so. Eliminating recess, policymakers say, gains more time for learning. But does it gain more learning time? http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/issues217.shtml Recess Before Lunch Can Mean Happier, Healthier Kids Recess follows lunch almost as predictably as four follows three, because it always has been that way. Principals who have put recess first, though, have noticed children eat more and behave better after lunch. Included: Ideas for making the change to recess before lunch. http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin389.shtml If I Were Emperor of Education Chemistry teacher Dr. Richard Chapleau outlines his formula for school reform, which includes tough measures for teachers and parents. http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/soapbox/soapbox009.shtml Rewards Can Work Do rewards motivate students? Some say no, but many teachers think they do. Education World takes a look at a wide variety of rewards used by teachers in the classroom. If you are looking for a way to reward successful students or good behavior, you might find the ticket here. http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin119.shtml Templates of the Week Classroom Door Sign http://www.educationworld.com/tools_templates/classroom_sign.doc A Classroom Newsletter http://www.educationworld.com/tools_templates/newsletter1.doc 2008 Summer Olympics The best athletes from around the world are gathering for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China. As the Games get underway, Education World offers you ten gold-medal lessons. Included: Involve students in creating time lines and graphs, writing biographies, and much more. http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson201.shtml Techtorials of the Week Creating a Podcast You don't need a Mac or an iPod to listen to podcasts. As for creating them, this is one more instance in which it's less important to be a tech geek than it is to be well organized and take your time. http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/techtorial/techtorial092.shtml Do It With Audacity Learn how to record, edit, and share sound files with Audacity (a free sound editor for both PC and Mac), and Lame, an mp3 encoder. http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/techtorial/techtorial106.shtml Wire Side Chat Do Good Manners Contribute to Academic Success? Etiquette expert Linda Williams discusses what etiquette is, what educators can do to help students learn proper etiquette and good manners, and how practicing good manners can help children be successful in life. http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/chat/chat134.shtml School Doodle Ready or Not, Here They Come! http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/school_doodles/school_doodles73.shtml   We hope you enjoy receiving this Education World e-newsletter. Did you know that Education World offers eight other FREE weekly newsletters? Have you signed up to receive the... Education World SITE REVIEWS NEWSLETTER? Each week, Education World's Site Reviews Newsletter reviews three new Web sites of interest to PreK-12 educators. The weekly reviews spotlight some of the best resources on the Web for teachers and students. At least a couple times a month, we also shine the spotlight on a topic of wide interest to teachers; we present five or more great resources for teaching about that topic. Would you like to see a sample of the Education World Site Reviews Newsletter? If so, simply click the link below: http://www.educationworld.com/newsletters_images/sr_sample.shtml If you would like to subscribe to the Education World Site Reviews Newsletter, simply click the following link: http://www.educationworld.com/maillist.shtml#reviews If the Site Reviews Newsletter is not of interest to you, do you know somebody else who might benefit from it? Perhaps you could pass this information along to that person. ******************************************************************** If you enjoy this Education World Professional Development Newsletter, please feel free to forward it to other teachers. If this newsletter has been forwarded to you, you may sign up for it -- and any of the other Education World newsletters -- at http://www.educationworld.com/maillist.shtml. =================================== Education World® http://www.educationworld.com/ profdevnewsletter@educationworld.com =================================== Education World 1062 Barnes Road Suite 205 Wallingford, CT 06492 ================================