Angela Maiers Educational Services

The Promise Poem: The SlideShow

I so thoroughly enjoy Angela's Promise Poem, after creating the Wordle yesterday, I invested some time in creating The Promise Poem slideshow. Hope you enjoy rereading as much as I do:

Angela Maiers Promise Poem

View more documents from Mike Sansone.

Would love to see different renditions or presentations on this work (movies, voiceovers, etc.). Let us know.

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Mini-Lesson: Turning Good Readers into GREAT Readers!

What do great readers do? How would you answer this question? How would your students?

As GREAT readers we...

• read for meaning
• understand and think about Big Ideas
• think deeply about the message and meaning as it relates to ourselves and the world
• we recognize how genre, text structure, and medium influence the message and the strategies we use to unlock it
• word aware - thinking carefully about how to most efficiently decode the form, syntax, and language style used in conveying the message
• mediate meaning in reflective and social ways - talking to and sharing our thoughts with other readers to ensure that we are understanding at the deepest levels
• learn from writers by attending to and appreciating the tools and strategies they use to construct and deliver their Big Ideas

GREAT reading is not determined by age, "level", or score on a test. Great readers are developed over time, and become more competent and confident the more they practice this work across increasingly more complex texts.

The goal of today's literacy conversation is to answer this question with conviction and specificity .Listen in as I define what "Great Reading" means, model how great readers approach their work, and ensure students that I believe and expect them to be ...GREAT READERS!

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Passion - A Difference Maker (Part 4 of 4)

Passion is the most critical, creative and disruptive force in teaching and learning.

Close your eyes for just a few minutes and recall your favorite teacher of all time – anyone from kindergarten to graduate school. Now, consider what brought that individual to mind. What about that person made a difference to you or those around you?

I love the conversation this exercise ignites. It is always interesting to hear how in some way these wonderful memories follow from the passion of the teacher. It is a reminder that our students may not remember the content of our course,the lessons we slaved hours over, or the books we so carefully selected, but they will they never forget the fire in our belly, the power of our connection, or our desire to make a difference in their life.

We may never know what the magnitude of our impact will be or how the passion we transmit may ripple out into the world. Over the years, I've heard many stories about how a few words or a simple act have changed a students life forever. We may not walk into our classrooms everyday thinking:  "I'm going to change the world today!"? Yet, that is exactly what we do. We DO make a difference. We DO change lives. The question we need to consider is this:

What KIND of difference do we intend to make?

We can choose to make a BIGGER difference by transmitting and sharing our passions with students. Here are some questions to get you started:

• Do I openly talk about my passions to students, parents, colleagues?
• Would students characterize me as "passionate"?
• How would students describe or recognize my passion?
• Do I write about my passions, making my commitment public and permanent?
• Did I enable students to explore and discover their passions?
• What effect do my passions have on students?
• Once I have learned of a students passion, have I taken steps to nurture and sustain it?
• Did I help students think about, write about, and share their passion in meaningful and relevant ways?
• Do students have role models of passionate learning?
• Do my students recognize the necessity and benefit of discovering and pursuing their passions?

There is no amount of content knowledge, no curriculum powerful enough, no new tools or technologies that have the power to transform teaching and learning in the way that passion does.

You DO make a difference. You make a difference to each and every student, parent, colleague, and staff member you come in contact with. Your passion can be the invite, the energy, and driving force behind the change you wish to make.

Be remarkable, Be re-memorable, BE PASSIONATE!

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• Education is For the Passionate..Isn't It? (Part 1 of 4)
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Reading WITHOUT Meaning - Reading Poverty (Part 4 of 4)

If the riches of the Indies, or the crowns of all the kingdom of Europe,
were laid at my feet in exchange for my love of reading,
I would spurn them all.
~ Francois FéNelon~

Poor are the readers who do not know of this love. Poor are the students who sit before us starved for meaning. Poor are the students fed a bland diet of narrow reading experiences. Poor are the readers given sparse access to new texts, forms and literacies. Poor are the readers who come into our classrooms hungry for knowledge, and leave unfulfilled and empty. Poor are the readers who chose to give up on the power literacy affords them by never picking up a book again.

Reading without meaning provides no nutrition for the mind, body or soul. We have a responsibility to bring meaning back, providing students with the rich literacy experiences they will need in order to leave our classrooms powerful readers, writers, and communicators.

 Bringing Meaning back requires the following:

1. Close Examination of Our Reading Goals: Our vision statements promise lifelong reading, our bulletin boards say "reading is fundamental", and we claim reading excellence. But, how do we define excellence? Is it speed? accuracy? questions answered on the test? We lose our way when we fail to describe and recognize the true signs of reading excellence - passion, endurance, curiosity, adaptability, stamina, strategy, and imagination.
2. Do As Real Readers Do: If schools are serious about their promise of creating life long readers who can handle themselves in the real world, we must be equally serious about aligning classroom practices with the work and behaviors of real readers in that world; asking ourselves:  Would this be something that REAL readers would do? If the answer is no, then we should not ask our readers to engage either. This sideshow is a glimpse of REAL READERS in action, and can provide a head start to the conversations!
3. Share OUR Reading Lives with Students. Let students know why you read, what you read,and how you read. Reveal your habits, your passions, your joys and challenges. Be the first to answer and the proudest to model how reading has changed your life. Here is a GREAT example from my friend, Vicki Davis:  Reading to Improve Your Life. I love using this video from Barnes and Noble to get me thinking about WHY I READ?
4. Demonstrate "Their Brain on Reading"- Reading makes your brain smarter, stronger, and more able to handle the world. Chris Hale's brilliant video explains how neuroscience confirms this.
5. Let Them Read! Remember what Dr. Seuss taught us? The more you read, the more you know, the more you know, the more places you will go! Students do not need more worksheets, more skills,or more silly "activities". They need MORE BOOKS, (ones they like and can read), and MORE TIME to read those books, and more opportunities TO SHARE WHAT THEY READ with other readers. So, please, please, please...listen to the doctors, and let them read! 
6. WRITE! - Reading and writing are inseparable acts of literacy. Readers and writers need one another. When we teach students to read with the writer in mind, and write with the reader in mind, they see the connection and want to get better at both!
7. Pass the Test that Matters Most: Every school year I ask my students two questions about reading: What is reading? Who is the best reader you know and why? Their poignant, honest answers tell me what I need to teach, and ultimately let me know if my instruction made a difference. When they leave my classroom understanding that reading is power, then, and only then, will I have done my job.

Rich reading instruction and experience does not come from buying a program, or following a script. The lessons that matter most come from a teachers heart. Teachers can eradicate reading poverty by bringing meaning back into the process and creating experiences that will stay with students for the rest of their lives. The riches of their future lie in our hands. What kind of reader will leave your classroom?

Photo on Flickr by Tariq Fantasy World

• Reading WITHOUT MEANING - Part 1 of 4
• Reading WITHOUT MEANING - Part 2 of 4
• Reading WITHOUT MEANING - Part 3 of 4

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What Measures Success?

My head and heart are still in overdrive from the multimedia, global conversation we had from the University of Northern Iowa on Monday night centering around the Habitudes in the College Classroom.

Dr. Leigh Zeitz hosted an event with out voices heard around the world on Ustream, Cover-It Live, Twitter, and Accordant.

One great thing about the world we live in is how these conversations can spread using the toolset available to us. And though the tools extend the conversation, the conversation is about the mindset - not the toolset. 

One of my new friends, Morgan "Neo" Johnson, had some great things to say about the event.

I've included the UStream below:

Live Video streaming by Ustream

Related 

• SCAMPER Your Way to College Success
• How to Be a Good College Student
• Ultimate Goal of College
• College Student Leadership
• Smart Students, Successful teachers

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SCAMPER Your Way to Success

I spend my most of days with gifted students and teachers in K-12 schools. I love helping them think critically and creatively -- teaching them strategies and techniques to fuel their imaginations, sustain their passionate curiosities, and challenge them to persevere as they problem solve through difficult tasks and content. Tomorrow, I will be taking these Habitude-building conversations to the college classroom.

I will be sharing with University students one of my favorite strategies called SCAMPERing.

SCAMPER was created by Bob Earle and popularized by Michael Michalko in his excellent book, Thinkertoys. to strengthen a learners ability to question, imagine,and adapt. See why it is one of my favorites?

SCAMPER requires learners to:

S - Substitute - components, materials, people

C - Combine - mix, combine with other assemblies or services, integrate

A - Adapt - alter, change function, use part of another element

M - Mix, Modify - increase or reduce in scale, change shape, modify attributes (e.g. colour)

P - Put to another use

E - Erase/Eliminate - remove elements, simplify, reduce to core functionality

R - RePurpose/ReverseReUse - turn inside out or upside down.

SCAMPER

View more presentations from angelamaiers.

SCAMPERing can add fluency, flexibility, originality ,and "Ummmph" to any idea or project. It is a powerful and easy way to stay motivated, relevant, and excited about what we do! You are welcome to participate love or join here with your own SCAMPER SUCCESS stories! We will be streaming the event live!

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ASCD - It's All About Learning

Learning was the theme of the week at ASCD's 2009 convention, so it was fate that my last session of the day was all about what it takes to make powerful learning happen. I have been a big fan of Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey's  work for some time and was very excited for their session describing a framework for learning based on Pearson & Gallagher's Gradual Release of Responsibility Model.

View more presentations from angelamaiers.

Both presenters made a very compelling case for collaboration, something that is often neglected as a necessary part of the teaching and learning cycle.  In their words:

Learning innately a social endeavor. It is during collaboration with others that we consolidate content. We would never get from good to great if we are not forced to make meaning with other people.

This struck me even more powerfully as I reflected on my experience as a learner at the conference. The sessions that I got the most out of were those I had a chance to interact, share, and learn with others. There were many sessions that I sat through, quietly "receiving" the speakers message, and was given no opportunity to talk, share, or  negotiate meaning with another. Those sessions were frustrating and forgettable. My thoughts went out to students, many experiencing the same conditions in their classrooms.

This is such important work, as it cuts across content area, grade, and age. How about you, when and how do you learn best? What role does collaboration play in your learning process? Lots to ponder here!

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Putting Images in Your Wordle

Many have asked about putting photos and images into a Wordle cloud. It's really quite easy and can increase the value of your Wordle, whether your use the tool for analytical or communicative purposes.

Of course, the first thing you need to do is construct your word cloud on Wordle. Once your cloud is generated, you'll need to take a screen capture of the image. You can do this using a screenshot tool like Snagit (which I use) or Jing, or a simple way can be found at Take-a-Screenshot.

For the purposes of this exercise, we'll use a recent post, Strategy Talk: Comprehension First and create our wordle cloud. Once I've chosen the layout, colors, font - I then capture the screenshot and crop it so just the word cloud appears.

 

After I've chosen a few images and photos, I then start placing them around the wordle. The latest version of Snagit will allow you to re-size a photo on the fly. If you don't have the latest version, you can also use PowerPoint to re-size an image into your word cloud.

You may have to play around with the images. There may be some struggle at first, but remember -- mistakes are tuition. Here's our finished Wordle with images (click to enlarge)

I hope this helps. Both Jing and Snagit are wonderful tools. I've been using Snagit for over a decade and always recommend it.

Photos on Flickr
 - Top center by ali edwards
 - Bottom left by John Flinchbaugh
 - Bottom right by smellyknee
 - Other images are stock

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Writing in the 21st Century

NCTE really gets it!  They get that 21st Century literacy is not about technology - it's about powerful communication. As I read Kathi Yancey's recent report on Writing in the 21st Century this point came through in many ways:

• Writing is life work not desk work - in the 21st Century we are ALL citizen journalist. The web is a platform where anyone can have a voice. Writers and their audiences are everywhere!
• Writing is fueled by curiosity, passion, and authenticity - today's writers do not writer to "publish" to complete an assignment, 21st Century Writers write because they get to. They "get to" share, discuss, connect, and participate in conversations that matter to them!
• When we make writing authentic and meaningful, we empower students not only to become better writers, but to want to become better writers.

Traci at NCTE's Inbox suggest three simple things that we can do to support our 21st century writers:

1. Welcome all writing.
   Writers express themselves in text messages, blog posts, and wiki entries. They compose fan fiction, angry rants, and email messages. They write reviews on Amazon, item descriptions on eBay, and status updates on Twitter and Facebook. And sure, in the classroom, they write test answers, book reports, and journal entries. We have to recognize, value, and allow everything. Not just the customary classroom genres. All writing matters.
   
   
2. Call students writers.
   That's right. It's the simplest and most effective thing teachers (and families) can do. From the beginning, we need to recognize students as writers. Not "student writers," and certainly not just "students." They are writers, no matter how much they write or how polished their writing may be. When people believe they are writers, a whole world of possibilities opens up.
   
   
3. Celebrate all writers equally.
   There is no special admissions test you have to pass to become a writer. The texts written in the classroom are just as important as those published in the textbooks. Make every writer in the classroom a role model. Use great openings by students alongside those in the textbook. Share effective word choice by students at the same time you share the diction of Maya Angelou or William Shakespeare. Emphasize that students don't have to aspire to be writers—they are writers, and every writer matters.

I would add the following:

1. Assume all children are writers and that they can be successful as writers from the first day and communicate this often.
2. Share Yourself and Your Writing Process - Show them that writing is life work, and you engage in it everyday in multiple ways and forms. Model how you write, when you write, the challenges you face as a writer. Let your students know that the process is no different for them.
3. Give them TIME to write - writers get better when they have time to read and write! It's just that simple, and it's just that hard!

Photo on Flickr by carf

.

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Lessons in Critical Literacy: What's Your Opinion

Can students really have an opinion? Many students feel that, having only done a few hours of reading on a topic, they can't argue against an author who has spent many years writing a book. Yet, one of the main purposes of teaching critical literacy is to enable students to read , analyze, evaluate, and take action on what they read.

Critical readers and learners:

• resist manipulation
• ask powerful questions
• base judgments on evidence
• look for connections between subjects
• are honest with themselves
• are intellectually independent

All text/arguments are written from a someones perspective and are driven by the authors background and experiences. Critical reading requires readers to consider not only what is being said about the topic ( the content) but also who is doing the speaking ( the writer). I call this READING WITH THE WRITER IN MIND.The following questions help students develop these attributes and come to understand that no author has total authority and their opinions do matter:

• What is the topic of the book or reading?
• What issues are being addressed?
• What conclusion does the author reach about the issue(s)?
• What is the writers Big Idea?
• What are the author's reasons for his or her statements or belief?
• Is the author using facts, theory, or faith? Facts can be proven. Theory is to be proved and should not be confused with fact. Opinions may or may not be based on sound reasoning. Faith is not subject to proof by its nature.
• Does the author seem neutral? What words or emotions are conveyed about the topic through the authors choice of word?
• What do other writers say/think about the topic?
• Do you agree?
• What support do you have for your thoughts/opinions?

So, the next time your are talking to students about what they are reading, be sure to ask them this questions: What's your opinion? Just imagine where this conversation can take you!
Photo on Flickr by Felipe Morin

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