effective practices for teaching

Un artículo muy interesante:

http://everyonelearns.blogspot.com/2007/01/why-we-need-schools-we-need.html

... But, teaching these students are extraordinary circumstances requiring extraordinary efforts. Teachers need to not just try or work hard; they need to try the right things and work hard at effective practices. Teachers need to be using “high payoff” motivators, such as

• project-based learning,
• connecting with students,
• connecting learning to the community and the students’ lives,
• focusing on higher order thinking activities,
• learning by doing,
• making learning interesting, and
• involving students in designing their learning.

But moving teachers in this direction is a big effort. Teachers need more than informational workshops. They need good models, both the kind they can observe (videos or classroom observations), and the kind they can try out (model units/lessons). They need coaching and support. They need access to the right resources. And they need strong leadership that clearly expects this work and backs it up with how they supervise and evaluate teachers.

Yauco comple 251 años...

El Prof. José Antonio Giovaneti y Román nos comunica desde el Pueblo del Café:

En la próxima semana, Yauco… pueblo del café, buen pan de huevo, Capital Taína—según algunos--- Capital Corsa de América---según otros---cumplirá 251 años de haber sido fundado por Don Fernando Pacheco de Matos el 29 de febrero de 1756. Es un Pueblo-Ciudad bisiesto. Cuna de grandes poetas y mujeres hermosas. Fué aquí donde en el 1903 llegó el primer carro, traído por don Alejandro Chaly Franceschi, donde por primera vez se celebra el Primer Día de las Madres en mayo de 1915 y donde se originó el Primer Círculo Cultural de Puerto Rico. La Primera Junta Local de la Asociación de Maestros se reunió en éste Pueblo con forma de trompo o Y griega.

Acá nacieron el Prof. don Amaury Veray Torregrosa, autor del Villancico Yuacano, Don Carmelo Filardy, el gran caricaturista y Moisés Rodríguez el guitarrista de música clásica. Fue por estos lares donde una famaceútica creo la pomada Ruizol y un farmaceútico creó Angelor. Don Arturo Medina fabricaba la brillantina Sonia mientras en la calle Dr. don Manuel Pasarell se hacía el Chocolate Perla cerca de la fábrica de Galletas Borinquen Biscuit.

Hace más de medio siglo se cantó por primera vez el Villancico Yaucano en el Templo de la Iglesia Católica por María Amelia Lugo de Lucca. El Artista del pincel y del grabado, don Carlos Marichal gustaba visitor nuestro Pueblo y algunos de sus trabajos artísticos tuvieron su inspiración en esta Ciudad bicentenaria donde la tertulia todavía tiene su espacio y el Abuelo Juancho narra los datos con humor y picardía-

Algunos desconocen que el Dr. don Manuel Zeno Gandía vino acá con una encomienda médica y se enamoró de una yaucana con la que contrajo nupcias y tuvo tiempo para escribir parte de su Novela, La Charca, mientras residía en el pueblo con aroma del café y buen pan de huevo…. Donde en antaño se escuchaban los pregones yaucanos con los ofrecimientos de viandas, dulces y servicios… y se canta La Plena a Yauco con alegría.

En el Libro Memorias del Abuelo, presentado en el mes de octubre, se recogen los nombres de 77 gemelos de Yauco, 5 trillizos y 25 comadronas. En esa publicación está la receta del pan de huevo y de un rico postre de los años 40, Chipolata. Se menciona además alrededor de 160 apódos, casi todos con los nombres naturales de esas personas, Algunos se repetían, como Tiriguilly y Guaro. Prof. José Antonio Giovanneti- Yauco

Se puede comunicar con el profesor Giovanneti a: abuelojuancho@hotmail.com

Understanding 'Math Anxiety'

  Les recomiendo este arículo que apareció en Teacher Magazine:

Stellar athletes, successful entrepreneurs, and motivational speakers like to say that pressure makes diamonds. The higher the stakes and the harder the circumstances, the thinking goes, the more likely we are to overcome our fears and doubts and produce results.

If only it were that simple in mathematics.

In recent years, researchers and educators have delved further into the topic of “math anxiety,” or the ways in which students’ lack of confidence in that subject undermines their academic performance. Today, the issue is receiving renewed attention from academic scholars and others, who believe that developing a better understanding of the causes and implications of math anxiety is a key to improving achievement for many students...

Artículo completo en:

http://www.teachermagazine.org/tm/articles/2007/02/21/ew_math.html

The Heart of Teacher Leadership

The Heart of Teacher Leadership

By Jim Brooks

One of the things most difficult about leadership is that we often must make decisions on the spot. Given enough time to weigh options and seek input, we might arrive at very different solutions than we do when circumstances demand immediate attention. Each decision we make informs the next situation in which we must take timely action. A clear vision coupled with a strong conviction for what we want to accomplish informs the leadership instinct we sometimes must rely upon.

Full article at:

http://www.teachermagazine.org/tm/articles/2007/02/14/16tln_brooks.html

Do More: Online To Do Lists Compared

Time is our most valuable commodity. Productivity pays. Procrastination costs us time and money, and leaves us stressed, exhausted and unreliable in the eyes of others.

For many, the classic “To Do” list is the remedy. But for heavy web users, there are a number of recently launched to-do list products to choose from, with convenient sharing and other features, and easy to use interfaces.

We’ve taken a look at five of the best.

Web 2.0 To Do Lists

• Bla Bla List
• Ta-da List
• Tudu List
• Remember The Milk
• Voo2Do

Personally I selected Tudu List. To read the complete article follow the link:

http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/08/do-more-online-to-do-lists-compared/

Get CNN Student News via Video Podcast

 Get CNN Student News via Video Podcast

By Craig Nansen on January 21, 2007 in Classroom Life. Discuss it below

CNN Student News is a great resource for teachers to cover current events. It is a 10 minute, commercial free newscast covering the major news stories from the previous day. This newscast is geared for students. It is broadcast each day, Monday through Friday, at 3:12 am on the CNN Headline News channel.

We have been promoting the use of CNN Student News in our district for years, with limited success. A small percentage of teachers have been dedicated enough to set their VCRs to record the newcasts on a daily basis. We even set up a VHS recording and duplication system in our district tech office to handle those times when there was a high interest story and teachers who didn't get it recorded wanted copies.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/eti/2007/01/001595.php

Or visit: http://www.cnn.com/services/podcasting/

Teach with passion

Tough Love

Bill Cosby talks about what teachers need to do better.

By Denise Kersten Wills

Bill Cosby made headlines in October when he urged teachers to do a better job of explaining to students the importance of the subjects they teach.

—Erinn

The comedian, best known as the beloved Dr. Huxtable from TV’s long-running hit The Cosby Show, has been outspoken in recent years about what the black community needs to do to close the racial achievement gap.

The Cos isn’t a classroom veteran, but neither is he a stranger to education—he holds master’s and doctorate degrees in the field.

We followed up with Cosby and asked him to explain his remarks.

http://www.teachermagazine.org/tm/articles/2007/01/01/04cosby.h18.html

Education to change the world

Change arrives at FETC 2007
Speakers at Florida's venerable ed-tech event urged attendees to 'change the world,' adapt to changing technologies, and respond to the need for students to master new skills
From eSchool News staff reports

For the teachers, administrators, and educational technology experts who attended this year's Florida Educational Technology Conference, change was a common theme that resonated throughout the three-day event: changing the world, changing technologies, and changing expectations for today's students.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStoryts.cfm?ArticleID=6858

Augmented reality helps kids learn

 'Augmented reality' helps kids learn Research project uses handheld computers to teach kids math and literacy skills
By Laura Devaney, Associate Editor, eSchool News

Researchers at Harvard, MIT, and the University of Wisconsin at Madison have developed a project that uses "augmented reality" to teach students math and literacy skills. The project involves teams of students gathering data on handheld computers to explain why aliens have landed, and in the process students "interview" virtual characters they encounter at certain GPS hot spots. The researchers say the project holds great potential for engaging students and teaching high-level skills.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showstoryts.cfm?Articleid=6817