***MUST READ*** How have the new iPads affected your classroom?

I don't know how the rest of you feel, but now that my students have iPads in our classroom, we are finding more and more uses for them. Daily, I see a need and justification for 1-to-1. Having more technology in my classroom has transformed the way that I teach, the type of assignments I give, and the way my students respond to both. My students are contributing to the lessons that I teach, which blows me away. Today we read a Christmas story with Mary Engelbreit's illustrations and my "Super Student" looked her up and then emailed the link to me. I was able to pull up the link on the Promethean and we read about how Mary Engelbreit got started as an illustrator. When we are reading or studying a topic and come across an unfamiliar word, my students will "google" the word and then read the definition to the class without being told. This technology is motivating them to participate in their own learning and contribute more to our classroom learning. 

More of the assignments that I give require research (now that we have more technology to do so) and I've been amazed by my students' response. They LOVE choosing their own topic and then conducting independent or partner research. So far, they've been great about sharing the iPads or even pairing up on one to help each other search for information. I often hear them sharing their findings with a neighbor with great enthusiasm.  

I've also noticed that my students are figuring out how to create assignments and presentations on the iPads. Today, one of my students created a collage for a project on an iPad that was incredible! Now they all want to use this app to create a collage. Another is completing the same assignment with iMovie. I'm excited to see the progression as they figure out more ways to express their ideas and learning!

This additional technology has changed our learning environment, and I feel all for the better! My kids are creating, authoring, editing, researching, teaching, and they're engaged and excited to use this new technology! It's so exciting!

Here is an article about how having iPads in the classroom has changed education - very good read! Here is an article about a Texas school that went 1-to-1 with iPads and how it transformed learning in the classroom. It mentions the need for teacher training and the importance of using technology to prepare our students for college and career-ready.

I would love to hear about your student's experiences with iPads in your classroom!

Let's meet our students where they are

With the new Common Core standards emphasizing a greater need for public speaking, I felt this article related well. We have placed greater expectations on our students to present and speak in front of peers. This article really opened my eyes to the fact that not all students feel comfortable speaking in public. I haven't noticed any of my students this year exhibiting any signs of speaking phobia, but have in prior years. I really like the idea of meeting students where they are and gradually helping them to overcome their fears of speaking. This was a good reminder to meet them where they are, not where we are or where we think they should be. I hope to be more observant of my students in the future, and hope I can help them overcome their fears. Have you noticed your students exhibiting a fear of public speaking? What have you done to help them overcome their fear? Are these students getting more comfortable with speaking as their experience increases?

***How my friend's school "label" affected him - A MUST READ!!!!***

I was visiting with a family friend today when he shared with me his experiences in school. He told me that he hated school because reading was difficult for him. When students struggle with reading, unfortunately, most of school can be grueling. Because of this, he acted out in school and purposely did things to irritate his teachers. He said, "if school is going to be this hard, I'm going to make it hard on my teachers." He acquired a label as a result of his learning difficulties and behaviors. He told me that he did not make "good" grades throughout school, and didn't think it seemed to matter what he did because that was the expectation placed on him. However, he went to college, made better grades, and even landed himself on the Dean's List. His parents were confused as to how this happened. He told me that when he went to college he didn't have any labels and desired to work hard for himself. I find it sad that he was labeled, for one. Two, I find it sad that expectations were set low. My friend is actually very bright, can think outside the box, has more common sense than most people I know, but just struggles with reading. Just think of how much his school could have offered him had he not been labeled? He had the motivation and desire to work hard, but teachers quick to place labels damaged him. I use the word "damage" because he spoke to me with anger and resentment as he explained his terrible experience in the school system. I'm so impressed that once he got to college he was able to shake off the labels and work hard for his own desires and ambitions - not all have this experience. This is just one more reminder of how critical it is that we provide a home court advantage to all students, and that we afford them all the same opportunities for learning.

Do you imagine your students as a 10? Life Chances and the Pygmalion Effect

Do you imagine your students as 10's, as in a scale from 1-10? According to DePorter, Reardon, and Singer-Nourie in Quantum Teaching, "Students get your intention faster and more accurately than they get anything you teach." The authors suggest envisioning each of our students with a "10" above his/her head and interacting with him/her as though he/she are all top students. I agree with this and believe it can drastically impact how our students view themselves and their abilities.

As much as I want to revel in the idea of treating all students as "10's", I can't avoid the fact that both the Pygmalion effect and life chances do exist. I believe they are intertwined and bound by socio-economic status. There is always the exception. We can find many examples of individuals who rose above poverty and the low expectations that were passed on to them from generations before. When families are consumed with where they're going to get their next meal, they typically aren't as concerned about education – not because they don't care, but because they are trying to survive. When I taught Kindergarten, I observed that my students who came from poverty were significantly delayed compared to those who came from middle-class homes.

I feel that the Pygmalion effect can be the result of limited opportunities (life chances), with poverty being the predominant factor. Although I have witnessed teachers who had low expectations for certain students of lower socio-economic status, I've noticed many more who had high expectations for all students. I have also observed many who diligently strived to motivate students, and bring out the best in each one.

I have one student in my class who has been labeled as a “troublemaker” and a “bully”, not only by other teachers, but also his peers. My students intentionally avoid him because they have labeled him, and I have to assign students to him when we work in pairs or he won't be chosen. He is being raised in low socio-economic status by a single mom, and has no involvement with his father, grandparents, aunts, or uncles. He happens to be the brightest student in my class. He can be a very angry, needy child, but that is what his teachers and peers have come to expect from him. He can also be a sweet and caring child – this is the side of him that I'm trying to get others to see. He and I had a rough beginning, but I was determined to show that I cared and could be trusted. I showed interest in his work, as well as his hobbies and interests. He began the year with a chip on his shoulder and acted out several times, including talking back to me and blatantly refusing to do what I asked of him. I continued to care and show interest. We still have some rough days but they are less frequent. He is working harder in class, and fighting and bullying less. Now if I could only convince his peers to drop the label and accept him.

As I mentioned above, Quantum training teaches us to envision each of our students as a “10”. I try to be very intentional in treating all of my students as “10's”. My favorite challenge as a teacher is to win over the students with labels. I show genuine care and concern for them, earn their trust, and then the door is open to help them academically, socially, and behaviorally. This is partially why I became a teacher – to make a difference in the lives of all children, especially the under dogs.

Teacher Town Hall - Education Nation

I was not able to post my comments on Education Nation for some reason, but will post them here. I really don't mean to sound negative, but I get tired of hearing politicians (Democrat or Republican) make promises with no follow-through. NCLB has been detrimental to our public schools - why we haven't created something to improve it baffles me. What we are doing in America isn't working. Waiting on our government to fix it may never happen. Therefore, I feel that individual school districts must make the necessary changes to improve education for their community. I believe many public schools are taking matters into their own hands to improve education. USD 418 is one of them. I'm so thankful that my children attend school in this district because of programs such as C-3 - this makes sense. I look forward to other positive changes that will come out of our district.

***PBL - Environment Focus Projects*** MUST READ!!!

My new passion is PBL and how I can make it work in my classroom. I've been doing some research to learn more about PBL and how to effectively implement it. I came across this article and love how environmental issues are being solved by students under the PBL method. I think using PBL to tackle a local environmental concern would be so engaging and memorable for my students. I love the idea of a hands-on project, conducting research, and solving a problem. With environmental science jobs expected to grow 25% by 2016, projects of this nature could be HUGE in motivating our students to pursue a career in that field, or other science fields. Have you done any environmental projects in your classrooms? I'd be interested in knowing about them. Thank you!

In my ideal classroom...

In my ideal classroom...

• I would have small groups for math and reading. This would require more adults so that all the needs of my students could be met.
• There would be a science lab so my students could explore, discover, and view nature and the sciences up close and personal.
• We would participate in regular problem-based learning projects that were supported both school-wide and district-wide.
• Each one of my students would have their own laptop so they could research on-the-fly.
• My schedule would allow for more science, social studies, outdoor discovery, play time, projects with younger students in the building, service projects in the community, and the list could go on and on.

The Homework Debate

As a mother of two middle school students, I got a little perturbed when I had to help my child with a cross word puzzle for class homework. I honestly could not see the purpose for it. My daughter learned absolutely NOTHING from the assignment. It was simply busy work. In my teacher training, I was told to give homework sparingly, and that there had to be a real purpose for it such as short reviews, practice, etc. I don't believe that cross word puzzles fall into that description. This article gives a good argument for at least limiting homework, and possibly disposing of it altogether. What are your thoughts on homework? How much do you assign each week? If you do assign it, what type do you assign?

ADHD - Deficit or Evolutionarily Gifted?

Interesting article about recent ADHD research. I think we've always known that students with ADHD were "late bloomers", and now new research proves that their brains are normal but develop later. The author mentions that ADHD kiddos are more playful, creative, spontaneous, imaginative, and slower to grow up. Instead of viewing this as a deficit, we should value them.  These wonderful "child-like" qualities are what our society needs in order to transform and evolve, according to the author. Some of the greatest minds of our time were ADHD - Einstein, Edison, Van Gogh, and on and on. Instead of labeling them and considering them a nuisance, how do we create an environment in our classrooms where all students, including those with ADD/ADHD, thrive and flourish? Does our current educational framework match the ADHD learning style? What are your thoughts on this?

http://thomasarmstrong.com/blog/2012/08/10/adhd-as-a-developmental-issue-not-a-medical-one/

Not Enough Time for Science?

This article discusses the fact that our schools are not spending enough time teaching science. As a result, our children are not being prepared for careers in the sciences, such as technology, medicine, engineering, inventing, etc. We are preventing students from exploring, discovering, and being innovative. I feel that my district does not currently place a significant amount of time, resources, or funding into the sciences. I have no curriculum to teach science. I have very few hands-on manipulatives to make science exciting. I'm curious...does your district provide resources, materials, manipulatives for science? Is science considered a crucial component?

http://www.kansas.com/2011/01/26/1691151/test-us-students-failing-science.html

Classroom of the Future?

Interesting article about a non-traditional classroom in Sweden. I like the idea...a cozy, creative environment instead of a boring classroom.

http://www.good.is/post/is-sweden-s-classroom-free-school-the-future-of-learning/

Dyslexia Document

Since my passion is Reading and Dyslexia, I couldn't resist this article. In my prior research on Dyslexia, I had never heard of a problem with "the medial geniculate body in the auditory thalamus not processing speech sounds correctly" as the main cause. This was new to me...very interesting. With 5-15% (this number varies depending on the researcher) of our students suffering from Dyslexia, I feel educators should do more to learn about the causes and effects on our students. How can we help them succeed? How can we help them feel confident with this unique dilemma?http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/248758.php

Philosophy of Education

I just learned today that my main teaching philosophy is "Progressivism". I did not even know what this was until I researched it. :) I would not have initially considered myself a progressivist. However, after studying the definition, I would have to agree: students are "actively engaged", lessons are designed to "evoke curiosity", and lots of "cooperative learning" takes place.

I'm a little slow but here I am!!! Be patient with me. Facebook is so much simpler!