Archive for March 2015
All Means All
From the desk of Hope… Several weeks ago as I checked in with my social network accounts I noticed the hash tag #ALLmeansall. This phrase caught my attention and I paused to think about the meaning of – “ALL means all”. All, as in all children?, All of what? I asked myself as I tried…
Read MoreEffective Reading Indicators
From the desk of Alice… People often ask me if their child is on track with reading and confess in a whisper, “I don’t know what to look for.” It can be overwhelming for a parent who now has access to more “data” about their child than ever, but really are not sure if the…
Read MoreGlass Half Full Mentality
From the desk of Leigh Ann . . . “Resilient people immediately look at the problem and say, ‘What’s the solution to that? What is that trying to teach me?’ ” – unknown Simply saying the world optimism makes me smile. It sparks this positive, more resilient tone to my thinking. Research shows that optimist…
Read MoreIndulging in Reading
From the desk of Alice… I recently trimmed back my social media time in the evenings to make more room for reading for pleasure. I have a bookshelf full of books that have been on my list for a while and I decided it was time to read them or get rid of them. Last…
Read MoreIndependent Learners, Part II
From the desk of Carol C. . . Last week we looked at some of the characteristics of independent learners. This week let’s focus on how educators can help children become independent learners. If independent learners are risk takers, how do we help our students take more risks? Once we’re sure our students understand what…
Read MoreImportance of Choice
From the desk of Leigh Ann . . . “The 3 C’s of Life: Choices, Chances, Changes. You must make a choice to take a chance or your life will never change.” – Unknown The children in our classrooms make choices all day long. They choose to obey or ignore the rules, say kind or…
Read MoreIndependent Learners, Part I
From the desk of Carol C. . . During the month of March we’re looking at the idea of autonomy in education. This week I want to look at some of the characteristics of autonomous learners. First, simply put, autonomy is the ability to take charge of our own learning. Autonomous learners are capable of…
Read MoreCitizenship in the Virtual World
From the desk of Leigh Ann . . . Technology has provided wonderful opportunities for learning autonomy. The dramatic increase of online resources, network services, educational software, and quality learning games are creating great new opportunities for self-directed learning. Developments in mobile technology and the explosion in social media have accelerated students’ interest, so it…
Read MoreSeeing Instead of Being Told
From the desk of Leigh Ann . . . As a young educator I felt the overwhelming need to be in control. I thought to be a successful teacher my schedule must run like clockwork, my students must sit quietly and compliantly following my directions, – and if all went as I had so neatly planned – the learning would flow like…
Read MoreThe Power of Losing Control
From the desk of Monica… Choice helps students. Really, it does. I admit it. I am a control freak. If I could, I would control every part of my life, my circumstances, and my career. All of it. And as I get older, I realize that the quote from that 1990s racing movie, Days of…
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