November 2007

SchoolsMovingUp – “Critical Science Vocabulary”

If the concepts and vocabulary of science are not taught in grades one through four, students in middle school and beyond will be faced with an inordinate number of challenging words, representing complex and unknown concepts. In this presentation, Elfrieda H. Hiebert, Adjunct Professor at the University of California at Berkeley, will discuss the need to make science vocabulary education a priority in grades one through four.

For more information on how to attend this online events or more information about them please visit: http://www.schoolsmovingup.net/cs/wested/print/htdocs/online_events.htm

Tenth Annual Family Café Conference

A call for proposals and for exhibiting space has been released for the Tenth Annual Family Café conference. The deadline for submitting proposals for presentations is December 22, 2007. The Annual Conference provides a unique environment, where exhibitors can reach thousands of Floridians with disabilities and their families in a single location. This conference routinely attracts a range of state agencies, durable medical equipment dealers, non-profits and other service providers. The deadline for submitting an exhibitor agreement is March 29, 2008.

The Tenth Annual Family Café Conference

June 13-15, 2008

Disney Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, Florida

For more information visit www.familycafe.net or contact Jeremy Countryman at (850) 224-4670.

MATH HANDS: BE A MORE EFFECTIVE PROBLEM-SOLVER BY

Don’t just talk with your hands. Solve math problems with them as well. Go figure. University of Chicago psychologists have found that gesturing can help kids accumulate new problem-solving strategies that can be applied to mathematics and kids that gesture are more likely to succeed on future problems. In the study, children who were told to move their hands when explaining how they would solve a problem were four times as likely as kids given no gesturing instructions to express correct new problem-solving methods. A follow-up study also found that gesturing pupils learned more effectively in subsequent instructions. After the test, when children were given an additional math lesson, gesturing children were able to solve 1 .5 times more math problems than children who were told not to gesture during the test. The researchers hypothesize that gesturing helps children produce new problem-solving strategies that go beyond simply writing things down.

To read more visit: sciencedaily.com

Empowering Parents School Box

This fall, the U.S. Department of Education released a tool kit to empower and support parents to be involved in their children’s education. The tool kit provides information on No Child Left Behind and tips and tools parents can use to support learning at home and in school, as well as posters and brochures. For a free copy of the tool kit, call 1-877-4ED-PUBS or visit the website.

www.ed.gov

Lowe’s Outdoor Classroom Grant Program

Build an Outdoor Classroom at Your School

Mission: To provide outdoor, hands-on science education to students in grades K-12 and assist schools in enhancing their core curriculum in all subjects.

Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation, International Paper and National Geographic Explorer! classroom magazine have partnered to create an outdoor classroom grant program to provide schools with additional resources to improve their science curriculum by engaging students in hands-on experiences outside the traditional classroom. All K-12 public schools in the United States are welcome to apply.

To find more information and/or to apply please follow:
www.lowes.com

GenevaLogic Foundation Initiatives

The GenevaLogic Foundation supports initiatives that further the innovative use of technology to improve teaching and learning, and provides programs and grants to provide educators with resources and technology products to advance education.

Maximum Award: $10,000 value

Eligibility: accredited, not-for-profit K-12 schools and community colleges and universities in the United States and Canada.

Deadline: December 28, 2007.

For more information visit: http://www.genevalogicfoundation.org/

NINE WAYS TO HELP CHILDREN WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES ACHIEVE

For kids with learning disabilities, homework can be exceptionally trying. Homework also has a dramatic effect on parents who watch their children struggle, without knowing how to remedy the situation. The guide “9 Ways to Have Success at School” provides tips for parents to help them steer their children through a successful school year. Among the recommendations are starting a homework group — having one or two classmates over so kids can work side by side offers dual benefits: a parent can see other children’s homework habits, and the child has the built-in incentive of getting to play after homework is completed. Another suggestion is to identify a dedicated homework location somewhere in the house — but not necessarily in the child’s room. In addition it might be advantageous to reward even small homework accomplishments, with things like a cookie, a grape or a gold star. Parents may be rewarding children with small trifles in the short-term, but by bolstering their education, they are providing a life-long reward.

To read more tip visit: http://www.additudemag.com/RCLP/sub/2728.html

How Well Do You and Your Community Support Education?

The Give Kids Good Schools quiz on “How Much Do You and Your Community Do To Support Public Education-” asks people five questions about how involved they are in supporting public education and five questions about how involved they think their communities are. Upon completion, respondents immediately see how they and their communities compare with those of others taking the quiz. The quiz is intended for a wide audience and should provide valuable insight into the level of care a public school system receives.

The website for the quiz: http://www.givekidsgoodschools.org/main/act.cfm

Mix It Up; Honors, Regular & Special Education in One Classroom

In three classrooms at Blue Ridge Middle School in Loudoun County, Va., educational convention has been turned upside down. Three teachers began an experiment last year by placing honors, regular and special education students in the same classes, and also creating a combined social studies and English course. Putting students with different achievement levels together would, the school’s administrators thought, help slower-developing children see new possibilities. In one period, students read from self-chosen recreational books and science fiction novels but also sports magazines. In the second year of the experiment, there was a tendency for students at or below grade level to try books and projects considered above their abilities. Also, while the honors students are assigned projects that demand more thought an d imagination, every student has a chance to volunteer for more difficult work and students go over what they learn in inclusive discussion groups. Some of the special education students loved doing group work in history, because while they were not able to put their thoughts down on paper, they were excellent at discussing their knowledge. Another positive outcome of combining history and English is that when students see the connections between subjects, it makes the lessons more relevant to the outside world.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/14/AR2007101401152.html

HAVING PROBLEMS FINDING TEACHERS- GROW YOUR OWN.

A few years ago, Chicago public schools would have passed over college dropout and teacher candidate Anita Sanders, a 42-year-old mother of three, because she lacked teaching credentials. However, after growing tired of seeing first-year teachers flee to suburban schools, the city is now targeting teachers like Sanders. Illinois is spending $7.5 million to help people like Sanders become teachers in underperforming schools as part of the Grow Your Own Illinois initiative which aims to prepare 1,000 teachers by 2016. The candidates, mostly women of color from low-income communities, will receive forgivable college loans of up to $25,000 in exchange for a minimum five-year commitment to teach in underserved schools. In order to qualify, candidates had to show promising ability, as gauged by transcripts, an interview and performance on a test. According to Anne Hallett, director of Grow Your Own, these teachers know and love the kids and “want to make their neighborhood schools better.” For the Illinois candidates, the biggest challenge is combining the responsibilities of schoolwork, jobs and family life.

To continue reading visit: http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/2007/10/12/grow-your-own-teachers.html

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