Linda Lamirande of ESC 16 in Amarillo, Texas told us about the Disabled and Captioned Media Program, or DCMP. The program calls itself “a unique educational accessible media resource serving the United States and its territories.”

They provide a collection of free-loan accessible media, guidelines for educational description and captioning, and a variety of other services designed to support and improve the academic achievement of students who are blind, visually impaired, deaf, hard of hearing, or deaf-blind.

Best of all, its FREE!

In the current economic environment, dropout rates tend to rise and we, as teachers, struggle to find ways help our students succeed. The issue of students dropping out of school continues to be a problem for schools, society, and our students.

A practice guide is available from the Institute for Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, titled “Dropout Prevention (September 2008).” The intention of the publication is to help educators develop effective dropout prevention strategies.

This publication is a useful addition to the growing research on the dropout issue and how school systems and education advocates can prevent students from dropping out.

In my seminars, I often talk about the special difficulties faced by middle school students and the issues that middle school teachers must be aware of and deal with. As an advocate of positive discipline, I appreciated Shaun Martin’s thoughts on offering specific praise to our middle school students.

Martin, a history teacher in Baltimore Maryland, explains that general praise like, “Good job!” has very little meaning for students of middle school age. Instead, teachers should offer praise that is meaningful to students. Specific praise such as, “You showed your work on number three perfectly!” and “Awesome work! You punctuated every sentence correctly.” offer students precise information and give value to the praise.

To read Shaun’s complete article, visit http://classroom-management-tips.suite101.com/article.cfm/how_to_praise_students_in_middle_school#ixzz0Ejt9hoNr&A .

Every teacher is involved with increasing fluency and reading skills in their students.  Reading A-Z is a commercial website that offers downloadable and printable books, lessons, and other resources in support of a variety of learning styles and teaching approaches.

They also offer a selection of over 30 books and resources that teachers can download for free!  Just click on the logo and enter your email address to view and download these free resources. Enjoy!

I recently suggested that a colleague use a Jigsaw approach to cover reading material with his college students. After hearing about how successful the strategy was for him, I realized that the Jigsaw is one of those easy and effective teaching strategies that is also vastly under utilized.

While I do talk about Read the rest of this entry »

Art teachers Ondre Pettingill and Guy Wymore, from Rockwell Charter High School, talk about the value of technology tools like the Elmo projector. They also validate the value of doodling and drawing to focus attention when Ondre shows Read the rest of this entry »

Rita Bowers, a teacher at Ranches Academy in Eagle Mountain Utah enjoyed the sequence strip idea that I shared so much that she agreed to tell us what she liked about it and how she intends to use it in her classroom.

I’ve been using sequence strips with students for years. When I used to do Read the rest of this entry »

Jeanne from Kirtland, NM teaches Quadratic Equation Through Song

During the week of August 10th I was pleased to work with two great groups of teachers.  During the first great session in Kirtland New Mexico, one of the high school math teachers agreed to demonstrate how she uses music by singing the quadratic formula to the tune of “Pop Goes the Weasel.”

Teachers at Ranches Academy and Rockwell Charter HS Sing Testing Strategies!

Then I spent two awesome days in Eagle Mountain Utah with the teachers from Ranches Academy and Rockwell Charter High School.  On day two, I presented, “Memorization and Test Taking Strategies”. We talked about testing strategies and three groups of teachers agreed to share the songs they brainstormed to remember testing strategies.  Thanks to Sara, Kayla, Allie, Jamie, Stacy, Melanie, Angela, Dorothy, Tiffany, Tammy, and Sue (I hope I got everyone’s  name right) for being courageous enough to let me film them to share with the world!

Value of Mandalas in the Classroom

I’ve often talked about the value of mandalas for their calming effect on students and their ability to expand creativity. Michelle Waymouth attended one of my seminars and shared that her students love mandalas and are proud of their work. She said that one year she pieced all of her students’ paper mandalas into a “quilt” and hung it Read the rest of this entry »

Establish a Brain-Friendly Classroom Environment

As we discuss in all my seminars, there is no more brain-friendly approach to teaching than using strategies. A teacher who greets students in the morning and looks like he or she is excited about the content, process, and outcome of the learning is an integral part of the brain-compatible classroom. Marilee Sprenger, the Brain Lady, uses the following list when creating brain-compatible environments:

• No clear and present dangers. Keeping threat and stress low is imperative for the brain to function at high levels.
• Many procedures and rituals. Procedures and rituals calm the brain and free up working memory.
• Flexible grouping that encourages a sense of community. Brains work better when they are with other brains.
• Adequate wait time and time on task. Some students process slowly and require more time to access information.
• Choice. Choice is the key to brain-compatible classrooms and to differentiation. The brain loves choice because it allows it to problem-solve.
• Curriculum is meaningful. Meaningful curriculum that relates to students’ lives will be memorable. That is not an easy task, but it’s well worth it.
• Formative assessment with timely feedback is used. Ongoing assessment and feedback let the brain know what is expected of it and provide a framework for learning.
• Attractive and peaceful surroundings. An attractive environment might include plants, stuffed animals, colorful posters, student work, and natural lighting. It would also provide some climate control, because the brain works best in temperatures between 68 and 72 degrees.