Interactive Tools for Teaching and Learning

Want some neat tech tools to use in your classes?  Here are some excellent ones that can also be shared with your classroom teachers.  There are dozens of embedded links in this article.  I'm sure you'll find some that suit your purposes.  Great ideas!

Which ones appeal to you?  Try some and share with your colleagues.

Celebrating Interactive Scaffolds. Joyce Valenza  2.17.13.  School Library Journal.
http://blogs.slj.com/neverendingsearch/2013/02/17/celebrating-interactive-scaffolds/

Number Sense is the Main Predictor of Math Ability

Contrary to previous views, this study involving researchers at University of Missouri, Columbia, and Carneige-Mellon  tracked students who also participated in a longitudinal study of kindergarten through 9th grade.  Results showed that students who could identify and work with sets of numbers in 1st grade performed better on a test of functional numberacy given years later in 7th grade.
The reality is that math tests in early grades tend to focus on counting skills and simple arithmetic, rather than problems such as fractions which require students to think how number operate in sets.

A horrible statistic to ponder:  More than one in 5 American adults are considered "functionally innumerate," unable to solve 8th grade math problems!

All of this in interesting and appalling, but the question we have as Title I teachers is this, "What strategies can we incorporate in our classes?  One of our 6 shifts can help - Relevancy.  Creating problem situations that allow students to think of numbers in sets that have meaning in their lives.  And if possible involve parents at home to share in this thinking.  (Some, obviously won't be successful given the above statistic.)

What ideas to you have?  Please share.

Number Sense, Not Counting Skills, Predits Math Ability, Says Study. 2.4.13 Sarah D. Sparks.  Education Week - Inside School Research.
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/inside-school-research/2013/02/early_number_linkages_not_coun.html?cmp=ENL-CM-NEWS2

Envoy - a cool student management system!

Although "Envoy" is used in an entire school, I can see our Title I teachers employ similiar methods to manage students and settle them for learning.  I believe some of our teachers already do this and save teacher-voices for instruction. 
Quieter classroom, halls within Talahi. Danielle Clintron. 1.29.13.  sctimes.com
http://www.sctimes.com/article/20130130/NEWS01/301300008/Quieter-classrooms-halls-within-Talahi
Read more about the Envoy Program on this website. MGA Michael Grinder and Associates, Corporate and Edcuation Non-Verbal Communication Experts.
http://www.michaelgrinder.com/education-professionals/envoy/program-research/

When kids are settled, they are ready to learn.  Share your thoughts.  What non-verbal communications have you used that were effective?  (My kids always told me my eyebrow told them the story!) 

Our Kids Need to Learn More Words - What can T1 do?

This must read article states difficulties, realities, and potential ways of changing the low vocabulary levels of our disadvantaged students who have limited vocabulary.  Not only does the article describe the dismal state of language in so many impoverished children, but the lack vocabulary instruction is evident even in kindergarten.  Informal teaching of vocabulary has led to major discrepancies in the number and difficulty of vocabulary words.  Haphazard teaching occurs at best.  Very discouraging
Noteworthy in this article is the 3 tier system developed by Isabel L. Beck

• Tier 1: basic words that can be learned without instruction
• Tier II:  academic words used over many subject areas
• Tier III:  Difficult, content - specific words.

What do we as Title I teachers do?  Common Core is pushing teachers to do 2 things:  Don't neglect vocabulary in the text you are reading, but at the same time you, as the teacher, are responsible for expanding students' vocabulary.  We also need to collaborate with our classroom teachers about vocabulary that is being used in the classroom so that our work reinforces vocabulary and makes it more relevant to our students.  Above all we need to engage parents with greater success in helping their children develop vocabulary skills

Excellent article, yet quite discouraging.  What are your views?  What have you done that really helped your students?  What ideas do you have to engage parents?    Please share your ideas.

This article first appeared as a subscription only to read the whole post.  Because the content is so important, Education Week has now posted it as a Premier Article.  It also contains a correction made 2/12/13 and so the date and url have been changed in this blog post.


Students Must Learn More Words, Say Studies.  Sarah K. Sparks. 2.12.13. Education Week - Premium Article.
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/02/06/20vocabulary_ep.h32.html?tkn=PLQFQaV7iAn1UMneOfuEhiptOtFbFkgkvbL3&cmp=ENL-CM-NEWS1

Surveying Your Students

This article is interesting from several aspects.  First, the teacher creates a survey to better know his/her students so that teaching methods can be tailored to fit student preferences.  In this article the survey was sent home for parents to transcribe their childrens' responses.  The side benefit here was that the parents gained new insight about their own children.  I, on the other hand, thought the same survey was too long, but I thought the idea was a good one in our efforts to build positive relationships with our students.
Listening to Students.  Elena Auilar. 9.27.12.  edutopia.  http://www.edutopia.org/blog/listening-to-students-elena-aguilar

What is your reaction to this type of survey?  Would parents follow up?  What are your thoughts?

Personalize Algebra for Your Students

I know some of you are providing concrete examples for algebra problems your students encounter.  In fact our teachers are beginning to offer similiar examples for basic arithmetic  calculations.  Doing this is a great leap forward toward understanding what often is a confusing problem for kids.  Give them a reason, an example that relates to their lives and then bingo, the light goes on.

Studies Find Payoff in "Personalizing Algebra.  Sarah D. Sparks.  9.25.,112 Education Week - Premium Article.  http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/09/26/05personalize_ep.h32.html?tkn=USPFPxkZnsBZ34YaX4sjBvB5ucNe1Jys4GUO&cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS1

Please offer some examples for your colleagues.

Looking for Tips? --- RLA Common Core

This excellent post will help our Title I teachers find ideas to use in implementing  RLS common core standands.  What we all need to do is ask....."Is this new strategy helping students learn?  How can I tell if this way is better than my old way?
One of my favorite Education Week bloggers is Larry Ferlazzo who elicits responses from his readers.  This blog is the first of a 2-part series. 

Response: Best Ways to Prepare Our Students for CCSS in Language Arts. Larry Ferlazzo. Education Week: Classroom T & A. 1.20.13.
http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/classroom_qa_with_larry_ferlazzo/2013/01/response_best_ways_to_prepare_our_students_for_ccss_in_language_arts.html

Did you find ideas that you might try with your reading groups?  If you already have used one of strategies in your group, how did it work.  Please comment on your reaction to this post.