Education History in the ELL Classroom
The educational backgrounds of English Language Learners (ELLs) can vary widely. Some have received good educations in their countries of origin, and this experience will help them succeed in their new schools. Some even have more advanced academic skills than many students in U.S. “gifted and talented” programs […]
Setting School Goals for Transformation
As you begin the process of education reform through Synergizing your school or classroom, you must also begin analyzing what you want to accomplish. Keep in mind that Instructional Synergy is the process of organizing the curriculum, students, teachers, and parents so that all things and all stakeholders are working […]
RTI Tip for Teachers Conducting a Student Observation
When students present behaviors that consistently interfere with teaching and learning, school staff must objectively identify and quantify those behaviors. The teacher, or another team member, accomplishes this by conducting one or more systematic twenty to thirty minute student observations. This identifies the current rate of behavior, referred […]
Reading: What do you ALREADY know?
To better understand how reading skills are built on prior knowledge and experience, consider this metaphor: Our brain acts like a file cabinet.
The brain food we receive as babies gives us words that we use to communicate. This is what makes each of us unique. As our brain makes more […]
Teaching Tip: Buttons on a Mouse
Depending on what kind of computer a teacher is using, there are various options for using the buttons on a computer mouse.
If a teacher is using a desktop computer, it is very likely that they’re using a mouse to navigate content on the screen. Note, that a mouse for PCs generally […]
With Moodle, What You See is What You Get
WYSIWYG means What You See Is What You Get. This term is used to describe the editor used when you are using many of the tools in the Moodle Learning Management System (LMS). You can see this in the image here.
As you can see here, this editor is very similar to […]
Background Knowledge in Reading
Adolescents respond to the literacy demands of their subject area classes when they have appropriate background knowledge and strategies for reading a variety of texts.
Effective instruction develops students’ abilities to comprehend, discuss, study, and write about multiple forms of text. Comprehension is indeed a complex process—one that should not be […]
What is Autism?
Most people today know someone with autism. People on the autism spectrum are in our classes, our neighborhoods and our families. Around us, about 1 in 200 people have autism and many more have some symptoms of autism. Understanding some of the different issues people with autism must face […]
Research on Students’ Math, Reading and Writing Skills
When a task is given in school, why does one student take thirty minutes to complete it and another only eight minutes? The U.S. Department of Education, and others indicate that the source of over 80% of learning problems is weak cognitive skills.
That’s right. Over a third of America’s school age children have […]
Could Video Games Fight Childhood Obesity?
Healthcare professionals have observed an increase in levels of childhood obesity. This increase has been attributed in large part to physical inactivity. Physical inactivity can lead to obesity and poor cardiovascular health, and it can also have negative effects on bone health.
Bones function to support a mechanical load (a force exerted by body […]
