Angela Maiers Educational Services

7 Power Thinking Tools: Synthesis

Synthesis is defined in research as "the evolution of understanding." The result of this evolution or change is an end result that is new or different. To explain the concept of evolving change, I have use the example of a growing seed.

To help students understand this highly complex cognitive process, I bring in a small bag of seeds. Together we  explore the idea of change and growth as we discuss how the seed will blossom and eventually turn into something new or different. We continue to talk about what "ingredients" are necessary for that change to occur.

I am able to then explain this same process happens in our brain. All thinking starts with an idea or "seed." As we add "nutrients" or new information, our thinking grows as well. Over time, we combine our idea "seeds" with new information (ingredients); we will evolve as learners as well.

At some point, the seed in a flower "blooms." This is the moment where we say "Ah!" That's what it is supposed to be. Wow!  At points in our thinking, we reach that same "Ah-ha" moment where we say "Wow!" That's it! I Get it?

That is synthesis -- the moment where understanding opens up and becomes clear. When our thinking "blooms," we have synthesized!

Related Posts:

-7 Power Thinking Tools

-Determining Importance

-Inferrring

Photo on Flickr by Loupiote

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The Age of Conversation - Across Disciplines

Last year, I was just beginning to blog when The Age of Conversation was published. I've grown to know several of the contributors -- and this year, I'm excited to be part of the team.

All proceeds of the book go to Variety: The Children's Charity. It is an honor and privilege to be working for such a wonderful cause and to be among such great voices.

Here are a few of the contributing authors already talking about the second edition:
Drew McLellan, Luc Debaiseieux, Ryan Karpeles, Greg Verdino, Lori Magno, Gavin Heaton, Connie Reece, The Kaiser, Katie Chatfield, Tim Jackson, Doug Meacham, C.B. Whittemore, Becky Carroll, Gordon Whitehead, Daniel B. Honigman, Daria Rasmussen, Jay Ehret, Jasmin Tragas, Jamey Shiels, Organic Frog, Bill Gammell, Nathan Snell, Stephen Landau, Stephen Collins, Stephen Smith, Mark Earls, Steven Verbruggen, Neil Perkin, Brett Macfarlane, Dino Demopoulos, Chris Wilson, Asi Sharabi...and I'm sure more will be forthcoming shortly.

Here are the authors of the first Age of Conversation,:
Gavin Heaton, Drew McLellan, CK, Valeria Maltoni, Emily Reed, Katie Chatfield, Greg Verdino,Mack Collier, Lewis Green, Sacrum, Ann Handley, Paul McEnany, Roger von Oech, Anna Farmery, David Armano, Bob Glaza, Mark Goren, Matt Dickman, Scott Monty, Richard Huntington, Cam Beck, David Reich, Luc Debaisieux, Sean Howard, Tim Jackson, Patrick Schaber, Roberta Rosenberg, Uwe Hook, Tony D. Clark, Todd Andrlik, Toby Bloomberg, Steve Woodruff, Steve Bannister, Steve Roesler, Stanley Johnson, Spike Jones, Nathan Snell, Simon Payn, Ryan Rasmussen, Ron Shevlin, Roger Anderson, Robert Hruzek, Rishi Desai,Phil Gerbyshak, Peter Corbett, Pete Deutschman, Nick Rice, Nick Wright, Michael Morton
Mark Earls, Mark Blair, Mario Vellandi, Lori Magno, Kristin Gorski, Kris Hoet, G.Kofi Annan,Kimberly Dawn Wells, Karl Long, Julie Fleischer, Jordan Behan, John La Grou, Joe Raasch, Jim Kukral, Jessica Hagy, Janet Green, Jamey Shiels, Dr. Graham Hill, Gia Facchini, Geert Desager, Gaurav Mishra, Gary Schoeniger, Gareth Kay, Faris Yakob, Emily Clasper, Ed Cotton,Dustin Jacobsen, Tom Clifford, David Polinchock, David Koopmans, David Brazeal, David Berkowitz, Carolyn Manning, Craig Wilson, Cord Silverstein, Connie Reece, Colin McKay, Chris Newlan, Chris Corrigan, Cedric Giorgi, Brian Reich, Becky Carroll, Arun Rajagopal, Andy Nulman, Amy Jussel, AJ James, Kim Klaver, Sandy Renshaw, Susan Bird, Ryan Barrett,Troy Worman, S. Neil Vineberg,C.B. Whittemore, Mike Sansone

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Those Who CAN Teach

Those of us who are in this world to educate-to care for-young children have have a special calling that has very little to do with the collection of expensive possessions, but has to a lot to do with the worth inside of heads and hearts. In fact, that's our domain: the heads and hearts of the next generation, the thought and feelings for the future.

               ~Fred Rogers~

I came very close to missing my calling as an educator. I went to college to become a doctor. I was challenged by the learning and passionate about science, but continued to wonder if it was the work that I was meant to do.

To pay for medical school, I worked at a daycare center, an in-home facility for autistic adolescents, and as a part time intern at the child psychiatric center of the University's Hospital. All three jobs in some way drew me to children.

Just weeks before my MCAT exams, one of my professors suggested that I not pursue something that I did not have pure passion for. The quote he shared that day is one I still hold with me: Real success is finding your lifework in the work that you love.

I knew that my lifework was with children. That weekend of my senior year in college, I changed my major to education. My love and passion for teaching and learning still burns strong. As I look back at my two decades in education, I feel so blessed that I had a mentor in my life that encouraged me to answer the call.

I teach because I can. What about you? What's your story? Is your lifework work you love?

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Chalk Talk 1/25/08

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.

Lots of great stuff this week:

• Dave Rothhacker has a great lesson on learning and life posted on Joyful Jubilent Learning entitled: I Won't Learn Less!-this is a wonderful sentiment to learning and an inspiring lessons on how mindset really does matter!


• Check out Karl Fish's new project with has set up a phenomenal project with ninth graders studying Dan Pink's book, A Whole New Mind. Dan Pink will even be blogging with the class.  It is going to be a great project to see unfold!


• Renee stretches our thinking about how school schedules impact teaching and learning in her provocative article on Teacher Leaders Network: Stretching Out thinking About Scheduling.


• The Librarians' Internet Index is a publicly-funded website where a team of librarians ferret out the best and brightest online resources for a myriad of subjects. Check out their listings here.


• World of Quotes-this is a treasure trove of quotes and notes. Great for teaching and learning for students and ourselves!

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7 Power Thinking Tools: Sensory Image

A picture is worth a thousand words, and in reading comprehension, that picture increases your ability to remember, think about, and understand those words. Readers who lack the ability to create visual images struggle with reading and comprehension. Meaning breaks down as readers are unable to create, describe, and utilize their brains image making capacity to aid in comprehension.

Although students are regularly confronted with images from television, video, and computer technologies, visual representations are created for them rather than by them. They have little chance to build this powerful thinking tool. This lesson seeks to capitalize on students' familiarity and comfort with images, while developing this strategy necessary to fully engage with and comprehend text.

I begin this million dollar conversation by letting students know great readers create pictures in their minds as they read. These pictures or images not only make reading more fun and  interesting but are critical to understanding and remembering the text. 

The "brain's camera" is much more sophisticated than any images taken with a camera. Readers have the extraordinary ability to take a two dimensional image and transform it through our senses:

• We see the image
• We taste the image
• We can feel the touch of the image
• We can smell the image
• We hear the sounds within and around the image
• We experience the image with emotion and experience-as if we were in the image.

I demonstrate this by sharing a photograph of a family member describing what I see, feel, smell, taste, touch, along with the emotions I feel. After this explicit sensory description, I ask which image was clearer: the one taken by the ordinary camera or the image as my brain sees it?

Students soon realize they have this same capability. They can take things they read,see, and hear and create amazing and lasting understandings through images. The "brain's camera" will help them remember more, see things more clearly, and make reading and learning come alive!

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Ron Clark: In a Class All His Own

My teacher knew I could do better. I couldn't let him down.
                          By Tamara Laurianois Age 10

Yesterday, I had the privilege of seeing Disney's Teacher of the Year, Ron Clark. I was thrilled, awed, and inspired by Ron's dynamic and passionate presentation. He demonstrated the same spirit, energy, and enthusiasm that allowed him to inspire some of the most difficult students. Using innovative methods, creativity and lots of outside the box thinking, Clark was able to raise test scores and achievement rates in some of the most challenging schools. His teaching experiences in Harlem was the focus of a 2006 made-for-TV movie, The Ron Clark Story, (also known as The Triumph in Australia and the Philippines), starring Matthew Perry.

In Clark's words:

I approach each year with the knowledge that I have only one year to make a life's worth of difference in each child in that classroom, and I give it everything I've got. I didn't know much when I first entered the classroom, but I was determined to give my students a different life, a better life.

It is not a wonder that when Oprah met Ron, she bestowed upon him the title of "The First Phenomenal Man."  Ron shares his secrets for motivation and teaching in his best selling book: The Essential 55.

I wish that every teacher, administrator, and parent could see Ron speak. Ron is a testament to what I have always believed most: TEACHERS and GREAT TEACHING MATTER! Regardless of challenge, circumstance, and background, every child can and will learn, with a great teacher leading the way. What a message!

Check out The Ron Clark Academy - Great teaching and learning happening here!

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7 Power Thinking Tools: Monitoring and Fix Up

I often liken the process of reading to that of driving a car. We hop in our vehicles each day with very little thought to the sophisticated and complex set of skills and strategies we use to get ourselves from Point A to Point B. 

Just as drivers stay active and aware, readers must do the same to as they navigate their way to meaning. This keen awareness that their reading is "staying the course" is called comprehension monitoring.

Comprehension monitoring involves the control and management of reading and thinking. Metacognitive readers, those that are aware of and think about their thinking, are clear about what they do understand, what they don't understand, and what they are prepared and equipped to do when comprehension breaks down.

Using the driving analogy can help readers see themselves in the "drivers seat" with text. We teach students to monitor their comprehension by helping them understand the comprehension strategies that allow them to arrive at meaning and be equipped to handle themselves when meaning breaks down.

Related Posts:

-Keys to Critical Learning

-Determining Importance

-Inferring

-Using Schema

Photo on Flicker by Twentyeight

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Shift Happens

Many of you have most likely seen Karl Fisch's infamous video: Shift Happens. I just discovered this powerful slideshow on Slideshare that supports the content. What a great piece to share with staff, students, and parents. I still remember the first time that I saw Karl's video. It is an important reminder to us all  how quickly the world is shifting.

| View | Upload your own

 

As you watch or revisit the video, think of the implications that it will have both your business, your life and your family. What does this all mean to you?

    * How will the changing demographics of the world affect you and your school/business?
    * How can/are you adjusting differently?
    * How can you embrace and take advantage of the world that is becoming?

Great stuff to ponder-Enjoy!

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Chalk Talk 1/18/08

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.

Lots of great finds this week:

• Christopher D.Sessems has a great piece entitled Read/Write Library: A Makeover Story exploring how amazing librarians are using participatory media, the Internet, and World Wide Web as new tools to engage the world and each other.


• Songs for Teaching: Top educational pros offer practical suggestions on ways you can use music by popular artists to enhance teaching and learning in multiple academic subjects. Lots of classroom pointers and extension activities along with thousands of lyrics and sound clips.


• Gamequarium:This is a site that "swims" with learning fun! A portal to more than 2000 interactive learning activities and games for preschool through grade 6. Readquarium, a section dedicated to literacy, was recently added.


• What social networking type are you? a Netpreneur?, Connector?, Transumer? or Essentialist? Check out the results of a new Facebook funded study regarding social networking on John Connell's blog.

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Grassley Engages with Educational Conversations

One of great things about snowstorms in Iowa is that you never know who you are going to meet in a rural coffee shop.

Recently, it was my distinct pleasure to engage in a conversation with Senator Charles Grassley. His passion about education, students, and their futures is obvious when watching him talk. His leadership shows through in his words (Education Legislation) and his actions (Weekly Podcast).

It was a wonderful opportunity to brag some about the Iowa teachers and schools that I work with and adore!

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