Teacher Wiki
Christine, Jenn, And William
"By learning you will teach, by teaching you will learn." - Latin Proverb
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Friday, September 28, 2007
Teaching With Blogs
Middle school students are bursting with self-expression. All you have to do is look at the artwork that they create in my class to realize this.
Using blogs for this age group would definitely give these students an excellent outlet. One of my favorite topics that I use to challenge the minds of my students is that of the Elgin Marbles.
(Check out the debate)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/greeks/parthenon_debate_01.shtml
My students could read or view video on the Elgin Marble debate and then propose a solution that they feel is fair. Their proposals would be excellent fuel for blogging. They could back up their argument with links to other blogs or sites.
Using blogs for this age group would definitely give these students an excellent outlet. One of my favorite topics that I use to challenge the minds of my students is that of the Elgin Marbles.
(Check out the debate)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/greeks/parthenon_debate_01.shtml
My students could read or view video on the Elgin Marble debate and then propose a solution that they feel is fair. Their proposals would be excellent fuel for blogging. They could back up their argument with links to other blogs or sites.
One Laptop Per Child
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStoryRSS.cfm?ArticleID=7385
I found an interesting bit of info on Eschool News about XO laptops. These are the low cost laptops that were developed for K-12 students in mind. I would love to see the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative become a reality. I know that my writing process has totally changed since I bought my first computer 11 years ago. My first college experience in the 1980’s didn’t require me to touch a mouse, but when I returned in 2000 it was a whole different ball game.
The latest information on the XO is that U.S. and Canadian educators will be offered these laptops for $400 during November. This promotion will be a BOGO (buy-one-get-one). You won’t get the second one for yourself, though. The second laptop will be given to a child in a poor country. It’s a warm, fuzzy idea that I hope takes off like a rocket.
The OLPC initiative can help us give our elementary and high school children the tools they need to succeed. To get the background on this program go to the following link:
http://laptop.org/vision/index.shtml
I found an interesting bit of info on Eschool News about XO laptops. These are the low cost laptops that were developed for K-12 students in mind. I would love to see the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative become a reality. I know that my writing process has totally changed since I bought my first computer 11 years ago. My first college experience in the 1980’s didn’t require me to touch a mouse, but when I returned in 2000 it was a whole different ball game.
The latest information on the XO is that U.S. and Canadian educators will be offered these laptops for $400 during November. This promotion will be a BOGO (buy-one-get-one). You won’t get the second one for yourself, though. The second laptop will be given to a child in a poor country. It’s a warm, fuzzy idea that I hope takes off like a rocket.
The OLPC initiative can help us give our elementary and high school children the tools they need to succeed. To get the background on this program go to the following link:
http://laptop.org/vision/index.shtml
Summer Prep
Last summer and the one before I spent time working on my curriculum for the following year. This summer I decided to concentrate on classroom discipline. I reasoned that I could present a solid constructivist art education to my hundreds of students more efficiently if things went even more smoothly. My research gave me serious cause for reflection and definitely impacted this school year.
Setting Limits in the Classroom by Robert J. Mackenzie is one book that gave me insight into my teaching methods. The author must have been present in my room because he practically scripted one or two of my most challenging classroom moments. I strongly reccommend this book for middle school teachers.
The book that really fascinated me this summer is the old stand-by Discipline With Dignity by Curwin and Mendler. Undergraduate work had introduced me to these two, but I had never actually read the book until my rainy camping trip to Vermont. The research on body language and violent crime was very interesting. Prisoners who were guilty of violent crimes were shown video tape of random individuals walking down a street. The walkers were rated by the prisoners by how "muggable" they were. The study showed that people who walked swinging right arm with left foot, heel to toe were the least "muggable". There is more here worth reading the book for.
The most useful idea in this book was that of a social contract for the classroom. I used this idea for my third, fourth, and fifth grade students. I keep the signature page with a home telephone number in a binder, organized by class. I also use this binder to write consequences that I have applied to individual students before contacting parents or involving the principal. This has worked wonders for me. I encourage all teachers to read this book, no matter how great things are going in the classroom, your students deserve the best. It has helped me to give my best to my students.
Setting Limits in the Classroom by Robert J. Mackenzie is one book that gave me insight into my teaching methods. The author must have been present in my room because he practically scripted one or two of my most challenging classroom moments. I strongly reccommend this book for middle school teachers.
The book that really fascinated me this summer is the old stand-by Discipline With Dignity by Curwin and Mendler. Undergraduate work had introduced me to these two, but I had never actually read the book until my rainy camping trip to Vermont. The research on body language and violent crime was very interesting. Prisoners who were guilty of violent crimes were shown video tape of random individuals walking down a street. The walkers were rated by the prisoners by how "muggable" they were. The study showed that people who walked swinging right arm with left foot, heel to toe were the least "muggable". There is more here worth reading the book for.
The most useful idea in this book was that of a social contract for the classroom. I used this idea for my third, fourth, and fifth grade students. I keep the signature page with a home telephone number in a binder, organized by class. I also use this binder to write consequences that I have applied to individual students before contacting parents or involving the principal. This has worked wonders for me. I encourage all teachers to read this book, no matter how great things are going in the classroom, your students deserve the best. It has helped me to give my best to my students.
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