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January 28, 2013

Collaborating to advance literacy learning

Transforming Literacy Learning

Verbalizing lessons helps English learners in Pa. district
The North Penn School District in Lansdale, Pa., is using an instructional method called Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol to teach English learners their core subjects while teaching them the English language. Using a $1.7 million Keystones to Opportunities grant, the district trained 30 ESL and core subject teachers in the method. Strategies include having students work in small groups and repeat what they are learning in their own words to help them understand the subject content as well as develop their English skills. Montgomery News (Fort Washington, Pa.) (1/24)

Targeted instruction helps struggling readers in Neb.
Kasey Hansen, an interventionist at Shell Creek Elementary School in Columbus, Neb., works with small groups of five or fewer students in 30-minute blocks to help them work on reading skills including fluency, comprehension and vocabulary. The targeted instruction, which began earlier this month, aims to improve test scores but it also has helped students gain confidence, increased classroom participation and boosted grades in classes that require more reading such as social studies, said principal John Mlinar. The Columbus Telegram (Neb.) (1/24)

NCLE: Building insider knowledge: Teaching students to read, write and think within ELA and across the disciplines

Literacy Everywhere

Mentoring program helps Chicago students work on literacy
A workplace mentoring program in Chicago pairs elementary-school students with business professionals with the goal of improving literacy and confidence among students. Through the Working in the Schools program, mentors visit older students at school, but younger students ride the school bus to visit nearby businesses to work with their mentors. Those involved with the program say students are thriving and there has been noticeable improvement in academic achievement. Chicago Tribune (tiered subscription model) (1/28)

Recycling is ideal for project-based learning
Challenging students to help their community increase its recycling is just the kind of project-based learning idea that resonates with students, writes education consultant Suzie Boss. That's because it addresses a real-world issue, one students can relate to and actually help solve, she writes in this blog post. Recycling and composting also are topics that can be addressed with projects suitable for the age and abilities of all students, she writes. The New York Times (tiered subscription model)/The Learning Network blog (1/23)

How to use QR codes as teaching tools
There are many ways that quick-response codes can be used in classroom lessons, offers educator and blogger Monica Burns. In this blog post, she writes that QR codes can make it easier for students to access certain websites and help students avoid search engines that can bring them to the wrong website. QR codes also are easy to make and time-savers in the classroom, Burns writes, while allowing deviation from routine to keep lessons fresh and engaging for students. Edutopia.org/Monica Burns' blog (1/23)

Education Policy

N.M. develops plan to fill math, science teaching posts
Citing a shortage of math and science teachers particularly in rural and low-income areas in New Mexico, state officials are proposing a plan that calls for $2 million to bring qualified teachers in those subjects to the schools that need them most. The plan includes student loan forgiveness, bonuses, and the expansion of Advanced Placement math and science course offerings. "Math and science are at the core of New Mexico's efforts to ensure that today's students can get a job in the market that will demand those skills when they graduate," Gov. Susana Martinez said in a statement. Education Week/Curriculum Matters blog (1/23)

Leadership and Capacity Building

Principals have a powerful role in improving education
The school principal has a powerful impact on the school and should play a central role in moving education forward, writes Diann Woodard, president of the American Federation of School Administrators. In this blog post, she writes about the significant role principals play in student achievement, the creation of effective and meaningful evaluation systems for teachers and prioritizing professional-development opportunities and resources for education. The Huffington Post/The Blog (1/24)

Professional Learning

Tenn. teacher among 12 to help shape education policy
Tennessee high-school English teacher Brittany Clark is among 12 teachers selected for a yearlong Hope Street fellowship that aims to give educators a voice in shaping education policy. One of Clark's goals is finding ways to offer more advanced professional-development opportunities to teachers already performing well in the classroom. Hope Street will connect Clark with educators and policymakers in other parts of the country doing similar work, and Clark's job will be to develop a plan to make her idea work in Tennessee. The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, Tenn.) (free registration) (1/23)

NCLE Spotlight

Let's think together
In this post, Anne DiPardo writes, "If you're anything like me, lots of different influences inform how you design learning opportunities and respond in the moment -- including people you meet on the page, down the hall, and in your classroom. I need as much support as I can get, because no matter how much we hear that "all the research shows" this or that, real classrooms are hardly sure-answer territory. For every guidepost that helps us, there's another question just around the bend..." Read on.

Vocabulary instruction across the content areas
In this Web seminar, presenters Doug Fisher and Carol Rothenberg demonstrate the benefits of focusing on a five-part framework for teaching vocabulary, addressing these main goals: Make it intentional: purposefully select words for instruction and use the word lists wisely; Make it transparent: model word-solving and word-learning for students; Make it useable: offer peer collaboration and oral practice to lock in concepts; Make it personal: provide independent practice so students own words; and, Make it a priority: create a school-wide initiative or word learning. Read on.

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If fate means you to lose, give him a good fight anyhow."

--William McFee,
British-American writer

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