Angela Maiers Educational Services

Chalk Talk - 4/16/08

Chalk Talk Friday represents conversations and brilliance I've discovered traversing my way through the Blogosphere.  From professional to personal development, these  are the posts and links have in some way touched my head or my heart.

Just a few of my favorite things:

• NBC Launches new online learnng community from teenagers- the educational arm of NBC has created a collaborative learning community for students ages 13 and up that incorporates gaming, discussion, and video resources in a safe, online environment.
• Kidsknowit - Free educational website filled with tools and treats for all ages.
• Cellphones for Learning? Check it out! Great post for great conversation!
• Edward de Bono -expert on creative thinking. Excellent video describing and defining his work.  

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Learning to Change

As the school year draws closer, we are in a position to reflect on what has been accomplished and what still is yet to do. I found this piece to be a wonderful discussion and reflection tool. Enjoy the conversations it may bring!

Two Words anyone?

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Engage Me If You Can-It's as Easy as A,B,C

David Zinger, employee engagement and leadership expert, a few weeks back posted his A to Z of employee engagement and challenged others to do the same. Although the call out was intended for business, I could not resist the chance to bring this conversation into the world of teaching and learning.

So, from the perspective of an educator, I shared 26 Keys to Student Engagement. It is exciting to share that the conversation has now been included in a  larger effort at the Employee Engagement Network in his newly published e-book (pdf) that offers readers access to  over 300 Free Employee Engagement Keys from 12 different authors.

David talks about the effort and offers some suggestions on how to use the keys to your advantage:

• Scan the authors to find ideas.
• Read the book as a primer to create your own alphabet.
• Modify it to launch a team or project group exercise on engagement.
• Choose a letter each day and focus on that letter to enhance your own engagement or the engagement of others.
• Share the alphabets with others at work.
• Offer the book as a free resource during employee engagement workshops.
• Develop your own applications based on your interest and focus on employee engagement.

*Click here to download the book.

The authors were: David Zinger, Tim Wright, Terrence Seamon, Steve Roesler, Lisa Forsyth, Raven Young, Robert Morris, Ken Milloy, Stephen McPherson, George Reavis, and Ian Buckingham. I contributed a bonus section with the student engagement alphabet. You can find out more about each of the authors by checking out their profile at the Employee Engagement Network where you will also find tons of other great EE related  resources, forums, groups and more.

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Dreaming Big at Big Dream Gathering

We have a dream.                           

A BIG Dream.

And this week, we're going to join others at the Big Dream Gathering to share, inspire, brainstorm, and support Big Dreams.

  + =   

Who are We:  Angela Maiers and Mike Sansone -- and Mitch Matthews in a Big (Dreamy) Way.
What's What: Support a Local Teacher - an organization being designed to bridge gaps between business, education, and workforce and professional development.
Where & When: Big Dream Gathering, Tuesday, May 13th. 6:30 - 10:00pm at Polk County Convention Ctr (map)
Here's How: We'll download the Big Dream sheet and post it on the wall during the gathering. You can join in the dreaming by grabbing your own Big Dream Worksheet (pdf)

Listen to some other Big Dreamers on Mitch's podccasts...then join us at the Big Dream Gathering

(this post cross-posted at Support a Local Teacher, ConverStations, and Maiers Educational Svcs)

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Happy Mothers Day! (To me!)

There is only one pretty child in the world, and every mother has it.  ~Chinese Proverb

I awoke this morning with a beautiful bouquet of flowers picked from our garden, and two sets of bright shining eyes. Never before had egg beaters and burnt peanut butter toast tasted so delicious.

This day is beautiful; a reminder of how blessed we are to love and be loved. Whether mother,father, sister, aunt, uncle, coach, or friend, today is celebration of love.  Have a great Sunday, friends!

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Chalk Talk - International Reading Conference

Chalk Talk Friday represents conversations and brilliance I've discovered traversing my way through the Blogosphere.  From professional to personal development, these  are the posts and links have in some way touched my head or my heart.

The International Reading Association Conference was a treasure trove of resources and tools to help us make teaching and learning more powerful. This special edition of chalk talk highlights my favorite finds of the conference!

• Thinkfinity is the cornerstone of Verizon Foundation's literacy, education and technology initiatives. This free, comprehensive digital learning platform providing high-quality content and extensive professional development training. Check out this incredible resource!
• Schoolwide Inc I had the pleasure of meeting the staff of this incredible company started by educators for educators. Schoolwide provides an array of resources and support materials for genre, author, and content area units of study in both reading and writing. The materials are teacher friendly, reasonably priced, and comprehensive. What a find!
• Readwritethink NCTE and IRA work together to provide educators and students with access to Instructional Resources, Professional Development sites, Research and Reference materials, and Student Resources. And yes, it is ALL free!
  Comic book museum
• Smartboard Resources - Whether you are making your presentation in your classroom or across the county, SB Communications is your audiovisual support and solution site. My friend Fred and his talented staff providing students and educators with the technology support and solutions for your most up-to-date classroom audiovisual and technology needs.
• Visual  Literacy Resources - The hot topic of the week was Visual Literacy. This site provides a wealth of resources on visual literacy. scholarly papers, and exhibits.

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IRA -Day 3: Responding to Reading First Report

The U. S. Department of Education recently released a report analyzing the impact and effectiveness of the federally funded Reading First programs at the heart of No Child Left Behind law. The report found that students enrolled in this $6 million dollar federal reading programs, are not reading or comprehending any better than those who attended schools that did not receive program money.

Specifically, the study finds Reading First has had no significant impact, even though students are spending increased class time working directly on the reading skills the program promotes (i.e., phonics, fluency, and comprehension). And, though there was some improvement in comprehension for first and second graders who entered the study a little later, that improvement disappeared in grade three.

The Washington Post quoted Grover J. “Russ” Whitehurst, director of the Institute of Education Sciences, the Education Department’s research arm, said in a briefing with reporters:

“It’s possible that, in implementing Reading First, there is a greater emphasis on decoding skills and not enough emphasis, or maybe not correctly structured emphasis, on reading comprehension,” he said. “It’s one possibility.”

Whitehurst said there are other possible explanations. One, he said, is that the program “doesn’t end up helping children read.” He said the program’s approach could be effective in helping students learn building-block skills yet not “take children far enough along to have a significant impact on comprehension.”

As you can imagine, this news rocked the sessions and the hallways this week at the International Reading Association conference in Atlanta. The Association officially responded to the report in this way:

"the latest data on Reading First should be seen for what they are - a call to look closely at what is taking place in our schools and how we can support our children and our teachers. We need to work together to develop policies in an open and transparent environment that will result in improvements in reading instruction and achievement.

The International Reading Association is calling for resources and support to schools and school districts for:

• long-term professional development of teachers that is based on both evidence and experience
• the expansion of links between schools and colleges
• district flexibility to meet the increasing needs of ELL students, struggling readers and other who need reading instruction tailored for their needs and circumstatnces
• support of middle and high school reading instruction that takes the promise of elementary school reading instructions and build on its success
• the use of a range of assessments that provides information to improve instruction

Whether friend or foe, we can logically conclude that improving reading will require more than just implementing a checklist of isolated components prepackaged in a pretty box or fancy three ring binder. My hope is that this study and all the hoopla to come will ignite the necessary dialogue  between educators and the legislature. We must move the conversation beyond "Programs"  and investing time and money in the training and support necessary for teachers and schools to comprehensively improve literacy for ALL students.

What do you think? What has been your experience with Reading First? Our voices matter, now more than ever. While the fire is hot...let's stoke the flame!

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IRA - Day 2: Harvey and the Gang

It is Day Two of the International Reading Conference in Atlanta. My neurons have not stopped firing! Learning all over the place!

Here's the scoop: I spent the morning in a session with Harvey Daniels (right), Stephanie Harvey, Ann Goudvis, Elline Keene, and Frank Serafini. What a line- up!

Big topic of the day - The Impact and Effect of No Child Left Behind on what we know in our hearts and minds about what really matters in literacy instruction. The theme running throughout their seminal work with literature circles, comprehension strategies, and classroom inquiry within a model of readers and writers workshop is:

Kids become strategic, mindful, confident readers and writers by:

• Reading (A LOT!)
  
• Writing (A LOT!)
• Talking (A LOT!)
• Thinking (A LOT!)

Example after example proved the point that kids get smart by reading,writing,listening, thinking, and investigating real world topics and issues. And...learning can and must be FUN and ENGAGING for it to last!

It doesn't seem like rocket science,does it?  Yet,the sobering results from a March 2007 by Pianta and Belsky were shared. After an intensive study of over 20,500 American classrooms, the researchers discovered students spent 91.2% of the time in school,
sitting in their seats alone, doing paper and pencil worksheets and isolated tasks.

My wondering? If we want smarter and more strategic learners, and we know students "get smarter" by reading, writing, talking, drawing, collaborating, and creating, why the disconnect? Thoughts?

Related Post:

IRA-Day One

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IRA-DAY ONE: Meeting Harvey... AND Andy

It is Monday morning, and I am sitting in an auditorium waiting for the first keynote session to start. Harvey Daniels leads a stellar group, and I am primed, planned, and pumped for a great day of learning.

 

Though, in many cases, the best learning is sitting right next to you rather than standing on the stage in front of you (no offense to Harvey - we'll talk about his great stuff in another posting). 

Lucky for me! I met a new friend, Andy Danilchick, a 7th grade teacher from Philadelphia. He introduced me to his incredible students via their e-zine, the Bulldog Buzz.

What an AMAZING group of people, this teacher and his students. During their writing workshop, his students choose relevant topics, study and select their writing genres, and then publish their work. The entire crafting, editing, publishing is done by students -- for students. Prepare to be astonished by these samples of their work:

Yoly Cruz and Xiomara Arceco on Teen Pregnancy:

U going thry 9 months
Of pain
Later on your life is going down
The drain
You going to be stuck with a
Baby
You just a young
Lady
People think it’s
Cool
But it takes u out of
School
Boys say its
Great
Boys say its
Fine
9 month later they say it
Ain't mine.

The Kiss of Death
By: Eddie Rosado/ 7th grade

I met her in a party, and her eyes were sparkling. We talked, hugged and kissed. I don’t need to stretch the rest. Well, I wasn’t protected. I went to the party one day, and the next day she was nowhere to be found.

I immediately went to the emergency room, and took a test… “I CAUGHT THE HIV VIRUS!” I felt so cold. It was summer, but it was so cold! The doctor was talking, but I couldn’t hear him. I think he was telling me something about “T-CELLS.” Where will I go? There’s no cure! There is no way that I will survive this! I should’ve never met her, I should’ve never said, “Hey.” What will I do? Oh god, when will this nightmare end? I’m dying! My future is uncertain at best. It’s getting cold now. Good bye.

Every minute of everyday,
Kids die of the HIV virus.
   Please help us keep children
      Alive.

Go to “http://keepachildalive.org”
For more information.
(This story is fictional)

Here's what I hear from teachers:
  Kids hate to write,
  Kids write poor.
  Terrible grammar and spelling;
  Kids unmotivated.?...
  NO MORE (here's why!)

"I think kids love to write if they are able to explore issues that they care about, that are personal to them." says Andy. "The passion for writing explodes and they are transformed by it. They want to write in many forms and genres, they love to celebrate and share their accomplishments. The kids do all the work. I just opened the door!"

And we've just taken the opening steps to a long friendship. More to come on these kids and their fantabulous teacher!
         

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IF I want to be better teacher, THEN...

Darren Draper, has a fantastic post on Becoming A Great Teacher. The poem he shares comes from Carl Glickman's book Leadership for Learning: How to Help Teachers Succeed. Both the poem and the book are a must read for every educator!

My Big Idea:

• IF we want smarter kids, THEN we must become smarter.
• IF we are to become smarter, THEN we need support from one another.
  
• IF we want to be a better teacher, THEN we can do that by making learning, (not teaching) the priority!

Your turn to fill in the blanks: IF____________________, THEN ____________________

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