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I believe that learning is a lifelong journey. I conduct workshops and training sessions helping learners of all ages develop their skills in critical thinking, reading, and communication. This site is an ongoing presentation of the conversations along my learning path. So join me.
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This has got me thinking a lot about kids. We really do see what we are looking for. How many "moonwalking bears" do we miss when we are not looking?
We've had several questions about registering for this summer's Midwest Literacy Workshop, So, we made some updates to the registration process (thanks for your valuable input).
The changes and answers:
Q - Will Credits be available?
A - Yes, both college and license renewal credits are available. Graduate credit will be offered through Viterbo University for an additional cost of $80 per credit hour. (Payable after workshop)
- 5 days = 3 grad credits
- 4 days = 2 grad credits
- 2 days = 1 grad credit
License Renewal Credit will be offered through Heartland AEA 11. Heartland credit is a FLAT rate of $20 for any type of credit. (Payable after workshop)
- 5 days - 2 renewal hours
- 3 days - 1 renewal hour
Q - Do we have to register for the full workshop?
A - Nope. We now have a partial registration (3 days or less) for $325. In other words, anything less than 4 days is $325. Otherwise, we need to have you register at the full $450 for the week. (You will be happy you did!)
Q - Are there group discounts available?
A - Yes! Any group registrations of 5 or more (registering simultaneously) receives a discount of $90 per person! Nice.
Q - What about your other workshops?
A - We'll have registration pages up for the other workshops by the end of the week.
Q- Will ELL, ESL Issues be Addressed?
A- YES! There will be both a K-5, and a 6-12 ELL consultant holding breakout sessions for teachers looking for strategies and adaptations for second language and dual language learners! Very Exciting!
 online event registration by RegOnline |
There is limited seating (only 225 seats), so be sure to register early! It is going to be a FANTABULOUS week!
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.
Amazing things this week!
Happy Friday, friends! enjoy the resources and have a great weekend!
I'm excited to be part of this year's edition of Age of Conversation. While it's probably targeted for businesses, it's also promises to be a must-read for educators. Why? It's our job to prepare our kids to go From the Classroom to the Boardroom.
I'm part of a great team of business, education and technology thought leaders to publish a tome of brilliance. All proceeds go to Variety, The Children's Charity.
Let me introduce the team of 275 (yes...275!) authors of Age of Conversation: Why Don't People Get It?
Adam Crowe, Adrian Ho, Aki Spicer, Alex Henault, Amy Jussel, Andrew Odom, Andy Nulman, Andy Sernovitz, Andy Whitlock, Angela Maiers, Ann Handley, Anna Farmery, Armando Alves, Arun Rajagopal, Asi Sharabi, Becky Carroll, Becky McCray, Bernie Scheffler, Bill Gammell, Bob Carlton, Bob LeDrew, Brad Shorr, Bradley Spitzer, Brandon Murphy, Branislav Peric, Brent Dixon, Brett Macfarlane, Brian Reich, C.C. Chapman, Cam Beck, Casper Willer, Cathleen Rittereiser, Cathryn Hrudicka, Cedric Giorgi, Charles Sipe, Chris Kieff, Chris Cree, Chris Wilson, Christina Kerley (CK), C.B. Whittemore, Clay Parker Jones, Chris Brown, Colin McKay, Connie Bensen, Connie Reece, Cord Silverstein, Corentin Monot, Craig Wilson, Daniel Honigman, Dan Goldstein, Dan Schawbel, Dana VanDen Heuvel, Dan Sitter, Daria Radota Rasmussen, Darren Herman, Darryl Patterson, Dave Davison, Dave Origano, David Armano, David Bausola, David Berkowitz, David Brazeal, David Koopmans, David Meerman Scott, David Petherick, David Reich, David Weinfeld, David Zinger, Deanna Gernert, Deborah Brown, Dennis Price, Derrick Kwa, Dino Demopoulos, Doug Haslam, Doug Meacham, Doug Mitchell, Douglas Hanna, Douglas Karr, Drew McLellan, Duane Brown, Dustin Jacobsen, Dylan Viner, Ed Brenegar, Ed Cotton, Efrain Mendicuti, Ellen Weber, Emily Reed, Eric Peterson, Eric Nehrlich, Ernie Mosteller, Faris Yakob, Fernanda Romano, Francis Anderson, G. Kofi Annan, Gareth Kay, Gary Cohen, Gaurav Mishra, Gavin Heaton, Geert Desager, George Jenkins, G.L. Hoffman, Gianandrea Facchini, Gordon Whitehead, Graham Hill, Greg Verdino, Gretel Going & Kathryn Fleming, Hillel Cooperman, Hugh Weber, J. Erik Potter, J.C. Hutchins, James Gordon-Macintosh, Jamey Shiels, Jasmin Tragas, Jason Oke, Jay Ehret, Jeanne Dininni, Jeff De Cagna, Jeff Gwynne, Jeff Noble, Jeff Wallace, Jennifer Warwick, Jenny Meade, Jeremy Fuksa, Jeremy Heilpern, Jeremy Middleton, Jeroen Verkroost, Jessica Hagy, Joanna Young, Joe Pulizzi, Joe Talbott, John Herrington, John Jantsch, John Moore, John Rosen, John Todor, Jon Burg, Jon Swanson, Jonathan Trenn, Jordan Behan, Julie Fleischer, Justin Flowers, Justin Foster, Karl Turley, Kate Trgovac, Katie Chatfield, Katie Konrath, Kenny Lauer, Keri Willenborg, Kevin Jessop, Kris Hoet, Krishna De, Kristin Gorski, Laura Fitton, Laurence Helene Borei, Lewis Green, Lois Kelly, Lori Magno, Louise Barnes-Johnston, Louise Mangan, Louise Manning, Luc Debaisieux, Marcus Brown, Mario Vellandi, Mark Blair, Mark Earls, Mark Goren, Mark Hancock, Mark Lewis, Mark McGuinness, Mark McSpadden, Matt Dickman, Matt J. McDonald, Matt Moore, Michael Hawkins, Michael Karnjanaprakorn, Michelle Lamar, Mike Arauz, Mike McAllen, Mike Sansone, Mitch Joel, Monica Wright, Nathan Gilliatt, Nathan Snell, Neil Perkin, Nettie Hartsock, Nick Rice, Oleksandr Skorokhod, Ozgur Alaz, Paul Chaney, Paul Hebert, Paul Isakson, Paul Marobella, Paul McEnany, Paul Tedesco, Paul Williams, Pet Campbell, Pete Deutschman, Peter Corbett, Phil Gerbyshak, Phil Lewis, Phil Soden, Piet Wulleman, Rachel Steiner, Sreeraj Menon, Reginald Adkins, Richard Huntington, Rishi Desai, Beeker Northam, Rob Mortimer, Robert Hruzek, Roberta Rosenberg, Robyn McMaster, Roger von Oech, Rohit Bhargava, Ron Shevlin, Ryan Barrett, Ryan Karpeles, Ryan Rasmussen, Sam Huleatt, Sandy Renshaw, Scott Goodson, Scott Monty, Scott Townsend, Scott White, Sean Howard, Sean Scott, Seni Thomas, Seth Gaffney, Shama Hyder, Sheila Scarborough, Sheryl Steadman, Simon Payn, Sonia Simone, Spike Jones, Stanley Johnson, Stephen Collins, Stephen Cribbett, Stephen Landau, Stephen Smith, Steve Bannister, Steve Hardy, Steve Portigal, Steve Roesler, Steven Verbruggen, Steve Woodruff, Sue Edworthy, Susan Bird, Susan Gunelius, Susan Heywood, Tammy Lenski, Terrell Meek, Thomas Clifford, Thomas Knoll, Tiffany Kenyon, Tim Brunelle, Tim Buesing, Tim Connor, Tim Jackson, Tim Longhurst, Tim Mannveille, Tim Tyler, Timothy Johnson, Tinu Abayomi-Paul, Toby Bloomberg, Todd Andrlik, Troy Rutter, Troy Worman, Uwe Hook, Valeria Maltoni, Vandana Ahuja, Vanessa DiMauro, Veronique Rabuteau, Wayne Buckhanan, William Azaroff, Yves Van Landeghem
Behold....the authors of Age of Conversation: Why Don't People Get It?
Related Post: The Age of Conversation - Across Disciplines
Children laugh 400 times a day until they are 4 years old, while adults laugh only 15 times a day. What's wrong with that equation? Let's change that now:
Do not underestimate the power of a good laugh! Have a GREAT Wednesday!
At Ask Angela this week, there were several inquiries about strategies and techniques to deal with difficult students. My friend and colleague, Dr. Delaney Kirk is also getting similar questions about college students, which assures me of the need to ignite this conversation at all levels.
Here are a few of the concerns our readers have shared:
We are struggling with several students who continually show disrespect—sometimes to an extreme degree—to staff members, particularly their teachers, particularly when they are asked to do anything they do not want to do. We have tried talking to them, having the social worker and/or school psychologist counsel them, and even suspending them with no positive results. We appreciate any suggestions you can give us.
I have several students that are extremely disrespectful. I am getting no parent support and consequence I have tried do not seem to be helping. I have tried
detention, letters home, using the dean, I really am at my wits end. I believe that if there was discipline in the home that I would not have to be dealing with these issues in school.
We find ourselves wondering if it is the culture in which these students live that is exacerbating the problem. Some of us were discussing how things have changed over our lifetimes. For instance, many of us recall the first time we saw a commercial on television advertising a feminine hygiene product and how
mortified we were. Now, it is perfectly normal, along with many other sexually oriented advertisements. Students are exposed to so much disrespect in the
lyrics to their songs, the movies, television programs and video games they play. How can we counteract these to teach students respect?
I would love any suggestions you have for students who seem like they do not care. I am finding that many of my students have really poor attitudes about school, even towards me. I feel frustrated, and I know that I should care about every students equally, but I have to say that with some of my students it is hard. HELP PLEASE!
Does this sound familiar to any of you? I wish that I could say that I had a magic bullet, a super-wonderful strategy, a book, anything that would fix things! Unfortunately, we all know that this is not the case. What we can do, is address the theme running throughout these voices (students included) - RESPECT.
As teachers, we are given the keys to our classrooms and told...TEACH! There is very little time studying the art and science behind the conditions that exist within the walls of a highly engaged, respectful classroom. If we can explore the principles of making learning happen; respect becomes inherent. When we tackle the elements that foster engagement and respect, we lessen the time we spend dealing with the consequences and repercussions of disengagement.
Fostering Respect: The 5 R's
Rapport: "Don't Smile Until Christmas!" This was the advice that I was given as a first year teacher. It was hailed as the strategy that would allow us gain control of our classroom and show our students "who's the boss". Thankfully, we have evolved as educators recognizing how important feeling welcome, comfortable, and validated are to our learning success.
In his book, Blink, Malcolm Gladwell makes the case that the rapport we feel in the first few seconds (two to be exact) of an experience or interaction, dramatically influences how we will respond to the person or event. I challenge us to walk into our classrooms and think about the first two seconds from a student's perspective. How can we find ways to set the tone for the experience, invite students in, and let them know they are welcome and valued? Taking only seconds out of our day, imagine how a smile, a pat on the back, a look that communicates " were gonna have a great day" would mean to our students.
Routine: Being consistent in what you do and what you expect, sounds easy, but we all know that schools (life?) are places with constant interruption and inconsistency. In saying that, we must realize that learners do best when they know exactly what is expected of them. Consistency in routine, behaviors and policies are the key ingredients for success; especially for students who interact with many different teachers throughout the day or come to us from homes with little predictability and routine.
Rigor: The brain needs challenge to thrive. When students say they are bored, we need to listen. Mundane, skill, drill, fill-in the blank tasks are an invitation for boredom and disengagement. When students are not challenged, they find ways to challenge themselves. On the other had, rigor is not something that can be demanded or assigned. If we want students to engage in critical dialogue, solve problems, take risks, and attempt difficult tasks, then we need to show them how that is done. So, the next time we assign homework, ask students to complete a project, or engage in an activity, we need to ask ourselves:
When students do not see authenticity and purpose in what they are doing, the residual effect will be off task behavior, distraction, disrespect.
Relationship: More often than not, when a student is disrespectful, it is because they student feels disrespected by the teacher. Perception, whether accurate or not, is still reality. Even the most well intentioned teachers are disrespectful in subtle and not-so-subtle ways:
But, most of all, we disrespect them by underestimating our students' intelligence and ability, by assuming that we not only know more about our subjects, but that we are superior to our students as learning beings. Teachers that set the tone of - we are ALL learners, sometimes I will lead and other times I will learn from you and follow your lead, are more likely to get the respect they seek.
Responsibility:There is no question that I desire and expect students to take responsibility for their behavior and actions. There is a responsibility on our part as well. We are solely in charge of creating the conditions for learning to exist. From the arrangements of desks to the posters on the walls, everything in our classroom speaks to students. It is our responsibility to reflect on what students are "hearing".
Do not be fooled by the simplicity of these conditions. Real progress depends on our willingness to address these issues in our classroom, without blame or finger pointing.
SIMPLE IS HARD! This dialogue is the first step. So, let the conversations begin!
Resources for Challenging Students
-Handling Difficult Situations
We all know the power that a teacher can make in our lives. A big hug to Sheryl at 21st Century Collaborative for "shining" light on this amazing opportunity to nominate a teacher who has made a difference.
Land's End is awarding 45 teachers in their Teachers Light the Way campaign in recognition of their outstanding contributions to education and society. Each will receive the coveted Land's End Lighthouse Award-representing the company's 45-year history.
Three grand prizes will be awarded:
That's not all folks-the "nominator's" are also winners. Readers who nominate the Grand Prize winning teacher will receive a $250 Lands’ End gift card. Readers who nominate an Honorable Mention winning teacher will get a $25 Lands End gift card. How great is that! If you or your readers would like to recognize an outstanding teacher, you can fill out the online entry form at www.landsend.com/teacheraward. The contest will end at midnight, April 17, 2008.
During my weekly hunt for blogosphere gold, I hit the jackpot when I discovered an online Directory for International Edubloggers. Whether blog writer or blog reader, having these resources at the tip of your hand (or courser) is a win-win for everyone! Enjoy the learning and connectivity!
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.
Amazing things this week!
Angela Maiers
Maiers Educational Svcs, Inc
Des Moines, IA
Ph:515-554-2004
Fx: 801-772-8257
Teachers need to be great learners to lead great learners. I believe that learning is a lifelong journey, an ongoing exploration and way of life. I challenge myself and others to always be striving to find and share big ideas in every million dollar conversation.
Chip Heath: Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die
Irene C. Fountas: Guiding Readers and Writers: Teaching Comprehension, Genre, and Content Literacy
Kathy Collins: Growing Readers: Units Of Study In The Primary Classroom
Jim Collins: Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't
