TASHE program

I'm currently working as a mentor in a fabulous program with Palm Beach Community College.They provide a teaching certification program for second career seekers (mostly of hispanic descent- but not necessarily) called TASHE: Transitioning and Supporting Hispanic Educators. As mentors, we provide the support that the mentees need, whether it is information needed for coursework, or assistance in the classroom with curriculum, classroom management, and/or behavioral challenges with challenging students. The mentors are such a supportive group; we are constantly in touch with one another making sure we are up to date with what the mentees are in need of, we have held our first mini-conference where we discussed ESOL strategies, reading strategies, CRISS strategies, Reading and Writing workshop, and setting up a classroom, and we are planning on holding our next conference within the next four weeks. We are now working on implementing VoiceThread within the website, and updating our current website with resources for our mentees and other students who are enrolled in the teaching program at PBCC. We (those of us who want to see all educators- preservice and currently employed- succeed) want to make sure anyone and everyone has access to these resources that we believe are helpful to all educators!

Check out our links and some of our mentors websites!!!
http://www.palmbeachschooltalk.com/mcdonaldl/Literary_Lady/Welcome.html
http://www.pbcc.edu/TASHE.xml
http://www.projectcriss.com/

Lesson Study.. What is it? How can it help?

Why is it that Japanese students seem to outperform us in mathematics and science when we study the results of testing? Many seem to 'generalize' the answer to one notion...they have better students...This is not true. A typical classroom in Japan would look very similar to one here in the U.S. The difference is in the teaching practices and the delivery of material.



Japanese educators continually develop themselves and their teaching practices through the practice of Lesson Study. In their practice of Lesson study, Japanese teachers will work in small teams to develop lesson plans based on content/curriculum goals and the learning/emotional goals of their students. Once lesson plans are completed and agreed upon by the team, one teacher will deliver the lesson to his/her class while the other teachers observe.

After the lesson has been taught, the teachers meet again and discuss the lesson as a whole, delivery of instruction, interaction of students, achievement of instructional and affective goals. The lesson is then revised upon all the findings and then taught by a second teacher to a different group of students, while teachers observe.



In Japan, lesson study is a very important component of professional development. Japan's emphasis on this process has gained the attention of the National Council of Teacher's of Mathematics and the National Science Foundation. Check out the following link to find multiple resources on the process of lesson study, materials to help implement lesson study, and research that supports it's use in schools.



http://www2.edc.org/lessonstudy/lessonstudy/

Banyan Creek second-graders learn more while enjoying their education

September 29, 2008
Banyan Creek second-graders learn more while enjoying their education
> Posted by DAve DiPino at 4:01 PM

At Banyan Creek Elementary School, Susanna Livingston teaches a class of gifted second-graders and has found an innovative way to motivate her students.“First, and foremost, I prepare my students to be the world's future scientists, researchers, cancer curers by using inquiry skills,” Livingston said. She said her class has been renamed “the Livingston Township" at Banyan Creek Elementary School. Through regularly scheduled activities, some students who previously were uninterested in science are now excited about the subject.

Donations from parents and support from area businesses have allowed Livingston to purchase a pair of durable plastic goggles for each child to protect their eyes. Plus every child has his or her own lab coat, purchased slightly larger than their current size so that it will fit them through out elementary school.


The class also has participated in a recent “Read-In Celebration” held each month at the Livingston Township. In September, the read-in's theme was Dr. Seuss.focus was
Each student brought in as many Dr. Seuss books as they had at home and could physically carry to school, along with a blanket and pillow or sleeping bag, since the day's focus was to read, relax and enjoy, Livingston said.

Edutopia

Edutopia- What works in public education...
George Lucas Foundation

Early in 2008, I subscribed to an educational magazine called Edutopia. I did it on a hunch knowing that what I was looking at was some powerful writing... I had never seen the website nor the magazine ever before.

It was a typical early evening; after having cooked dinner, fed the children, washed the dishes, I finally got to my favorite part of my day... surfing the web in my totally rad wetsuit looking for some useful resources for the classroom. Before it became time for the alarm clock to ring, right before the moment my arms started becoming noodled, I came across the Edutopia website and was VERY impressed, you could even say I was amped! I thought, what the hay, it's a free trial subscription... how can it hurt??

Call it a woman's intuition or just a knack for detecting great educational resources, I was right on the money with my prediction. Well, I don't just love my magazines- I crave them, I can't wait for them to come in the mail- beware the hands that would ever dare to throw an issue away, that would be like throwing a first edition of Dickens to the men in gray suits!! I find myself keeping them for tons of reasons.... I will refer to them for information to give others, or I may 'tab' a page with a great article with some awesome links. I might even suggest an article for a parent. They offer everything a classroom teacher needs, information from trends in technology to how to reach all multiple intelligences in the classroom.

The best part of all is that you can access their website and gain access to archived magazines and articles, blogs kept by Edutopia authors, and other wonderful resources. You don't necessarily have to purchase a subscription but for the low rate in comparison to other magazine subscriptions and organizations, Edutopia is well worth the money. Trust me- I am not a Junkyard Dog, a Mushburger, or a Kook....I double pinky promise!!


****My application of surfing terms is dedicated to my daughter Sara who has become a surfer-girl, beach bum, fun-in-the-sun, Florida- beauty.... I love you pooh bear...xoxoxo

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A Literacy Must-Have Resource!

One of the most useful tools that I've come across during my years of teaching has been the International Reading Association's (IRA) website, ReadWriteThink.org. It has resources, links, downloadable materials available for all educators from Kindergarten throught 12th grade! If you find that you've found a great lesson on how to create a "flip-book" but have no idea what a "flip-book" is because you are new to the education field as you're previous job was being the CFO of the Trumpt National Bank; well have no fear... there are video lessons on how to create a variety of resources that teachers use in the classroom, i.e. a 'flip-book'.

Check out the following resources and look for some of your own!
http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/flipbook/
http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/alphabet/

The best part of IRA's ReadWriteThink is that there is no cost to access any of the materials... They are completely free!! There are benefits to being a member of IRA, and having been one myself for over 12 years, I can only state that I find the benefits FAR outweigh the price of membership. If you'd like to visit the IRA's website and see about membership and current research regarding literacy and language, check out their wonderful website; another wonderful tool for educators of all areas!
http://www.reading.org/General/Default.aspx

Guided Reading or Reader's Workshop

I've just finished attending the most fabulous Reader's Workshop professional development that I've seen in quite awhile. Conducted by the Teacher's College of Columbia University, the focus was on teaching reading and writing through the use of the Reader's and Writer's Workshop. I have used both in my classroom for quite sometime, though the emphasis in the district where I am employed is focused more towards the Guided Reading approach, there can be no denying that the Reader's Workshop works. By looking at the amazing gains that this school has made because of the implementation of this system and the informal research I have conducted within my own classroom setting, it is clear to me that the better approach is the Reader's Workshop. I will be posting information on how to implement the Reader's workshop in the classroom setting within the next 2 weeks. Those using it already- PLEASE- leave your comments!!

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Welcome...and needing some advice...

I am an educator by birth! I've always known that I was meant to be a teacher. I've just finished my 12th year in the classroom; the grades I have taught have ranged from teaching first grade as an interim teacher to Drop out prevention 4/5 split, to gifted and talented learners. I've even spent a year instructing K-5 in a science lab but as this year closes out I look forward to a change in direction. A position as a Learning Team Facilitator awaits me at 2 different Title 1 schools. I will no longer have a classroom of my own. My poor daughters (2 of them)!

Most of my career has been spent in both 3rd and 4th grade classrooms, and (if your an educator in Florida as I am) typically preparing students for the dreaded FCAT. I do- in some ways- believe in some form of standardized testing, however felt an immense amount of pressure to focus on my students who were not performing at grade level standards. I'm sure there are many teachers out there who feel the same way.

What I am curious to know.. is the following.....

*Transitioning from a classroom to a more "coaching" type of position, what should I expect? (I'm feeling a bit 'bittersweet' about my move...)

*How many teachers/educators out there are unsatified with their jobs because of the pressure that administration places on 'us' because of state standardized testing?