AccessArt

http://www.accessart.org.uk

AccessArt is a charity employing new and creative approaches to teaching and learning particularly for those who learn best visually, spatially and kinaesthetically. The AccessArt web site is a richly textured, dynamic and inspirational resource bank aimed at pupils, students and life-long-learners, as well as teachers, gallery educators and artists.

Visit online workshops and the AccessArt forum to explore sculpture, drawing, photography, installation art, colour and the 'Immersive Learning Space' which celebrates teenage creativity.

Download pdf's which enable an exploration of materials, techniques and ideas.

sites for new teachers

Over 125 sites, categorized and briefly described. http://tinyurl.com/zp4ee

Maths Hangman

http://www.subtangent.com/maths/hangman.php

An interactive version of this old fashioned game. It would be great to use with an interactive whiteboard and is suitable for upper primary age. It has a collection of math related words, but also allows user input on the word.

The Universe in the Classroom [pdf]

From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2007. http://scout.wisc.edu/

From dark matter to the transit of Venus, "The University in the Classroom" has all the astronomical bases covered for educators. This electronic educational newsletter is published by The Astronomical Society of the Pacific and has been published since 1984. Each issue is designed to help teachers learn more about astronomy themselves, and then they can bring this new knowledge into their classroom. On the newsletter's homepage, visitors can read the current issue, subscribe to receive updates, and also browse through the archives, which stretch back to late 1984. Within each issue, visitors can read an in-depth exploration of a certain astronomical subject, complete with classroom activities and links to other related resources.

http://www.astrosociety.org/education/publications/tnl/tnl.html

Beijing 2008 Olympic Games

http://www.olympics.com.au/Education/

The Australian Olympic Committee has produced a national primary resource containing over 60 primary cross-curriculum lessons themed around the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. The resource is available to download for free from olympics.com.au by joining the a.s.p.i.r.e. school network. It is available from 8 November 2007.

Film Australia Digital Learning's Digital Resource Finder

http://www.filmaust.com.au/learning

The Digital Resource finder is a quick and easy-to-use search engine for teachers and educators that features over 1000 free Australian video clips to view or download, combined with dedicated curriculum-based notes and class activities utilising its extraordinary 60 years of documentary archives.

Slide rule for a good night's sleep

http://www.unisa.edu.au/news/2007/190707.asp

Researchers at the University of South Australia have found that a general lack of awareness about the amount of sleep that children need at different ages is a contributing factor to sleep loss. As part of a broader public health strategy addressing sleep, health and learning in children, they have developed the Sleep Slide Rule for use in the classroom to illustrate the relationship between children's age and their sleep needs.

Free Resources: Teaching Tools from the National Air and Space Museum

The National Air and Space Museum offers a variety of classroom resources, including online activities and teaching materials, designed for use in learning across the curriculum.
The museum’s online activities include:
-Airplane Anatomy – A curriculum program focused on the Wright brothers and the first airplane.
-Black Wings – A curriculum program built around the stories of African-American aviation pioneers.
-CyberCenter – A simulated research center at the National Air and Space Museum. Students can try on the role of an intern (level one), a research assistant (level two) and a principal investigator (level three).
-Geography from Space - An online quiz that tests geography knowledge. The Geography from Space 2007 contest begins in the fall.
The Air and Space Museum also offers electronic field trips available via the Apple Learning Exchange, interactive videoconferenced lessons and professional development workshops.
In addition, free posters and classroom materials are available online.
National Air and Space Museum, http://www.nasm.si.edu/education/index.cfm.

Reading for Junior Primary

Here's a great reading website for JP students. The Starfall learn-to-read website is offered free as a public service.

It is US based and 4 sections from ABC to learn to read and I'm reading.

www.starfall.com

It has some thematic sections as well. A good addition to a book-based reading program!

Could be used at home.

Earthquake Science Explained

From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2007. http://scout.wisc.edu/

-A Series of Ten Short Articles for Students, Teachers, and Families [pdf]

http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/2006/21/gip-21.pdf

That swirling bard of American letters and transcendentalism, Ralph Waldo Emerson, once opined “We learn geology the morning after the earthquake.” This need never be the case for educators and members of the general public who give careful consideration to this excellent pamphlet created by the United States Geological Survey. Compiled by Matthew A. D’Alessio, this document contains ten short articles on earthquakes designed for classroom use. The articles originally appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, and they include such titles as “Find the Fault: Recognizing Active Faults”, “Looking into the past with earthquake trenches”, and “How do we make buildings and roads safer?”. Additionally, each article contains helpful graphics, illustrations, and photographs.

Videos show how math, science relate to real-world applications and careers

Math and science educators will find free video resources that can help connect their lessons to real-world applications at TheFuturesChannel.com. The site produces short documentary-style videos that take students behind the scenes with professionals from a wide range of careers. As the subjects of these video clips discuss why math and science are so important in their respective fields, they help answer the common question, "Why do I need to learn this?" The site's Hand-On Math section features movies on counting numbers and integers, algebra, fractions, geometry, measurement, and statistics. One clip incorporates measurement into a video about college students who must measure food for animal feedings. Teachers can download classroom activities based on the video content. All videos and classroom activities are available free of charge. http://www.thefutureschannel.com/index.php

The Effects of Project Work in a First-Grade Classroom

A Little Goes a Long Way
This article discusses how a brief project-based unit promoted the learning of children in a first-grade classroom. The children attended a public elementary school located in a southeastern university town in the United States. Approximately 94% of the students in the school were from economically disadvantaged families. No children in this classroom were Caucasian, and most of them came from single-parent households. We compared the children’s learning and performance in a teacher-directed science unit on animals versus a project-based unit on chicks. Results revealed that more state-mandated objectives were covered during the project-based unit than during the teacher-directed unit and that children had “more to say” by using more words and expressing more specific and accurate ideas after the project-based instruction. The project also provided more enriched learning opportunities than the traditional teacher-directed unit. Implications for early childhood teacher education are included.
Read on ...

Virtual staffroom

: conversations with leading teachers about technology in the classroom

http://www.virtualstaffroom.net/wordpress/

Virtual Staffroom is run as a community podcasting project by Chris Betcher. The site provides educators of young people with the opportunity to engage in conversation and dialogue which explores the impacts that new technologies will have on classrooms. By providing a communication channel for leading teachers to voice their ideas about 21st century classrooms, it hopes to enable others to tap into that collective wisdom and make the classrooms of tomorrow the best possible experiences for our students.

What Explains Toddlers' Linguistic Leap? Math

Simple math may explain why toddlers experience a sudden burst of words—and why some talk earlier and more than others.
Read on ...

The Water Cycle and Global Warming [pdf]

[From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2007. http://scout.wisc.edu/ ]

The Baylor University College of Medicine continues to work at a furious pace on their delightful BioEd Online site, and educators everywhere love them for their work and dedication. Recently, they placed this “ready-to-go” lessson on the water cycle and global warming online, and it’s a true delight. As with the other lessons in this series, the materials here include a brief description of the lesson’s objective, along with information on the intended audience, the materials required to complete the lesson, and so on. Teachers will note that they will need to download a slide set, several activity sheets, and a “State of the Climate Report” offered from the National Climatic Data Center

http://www.bioedonline.org/lessons/water-cycle.cfm

Library of Congress: Poetry

[pdf, Real Player]
http://www.loc.gov/poetry/
On a recent visit to the Library of Congress: Poetry website, the first line of a poem by William Stafford appeared on the top of the page. The poem in question was “At the Un-National Monument Along the Canadian Border”, and it just one of many poems that can be found on this simple delightful site. Amidst this cornucopia of poems, visitors can also learn about the current poet laureate and take in a few webcasts from the “Poet Vision” series. It is an august group indeed, and some of the programs include those that profile Rita Dove, Louise Gluck, and Stanley Kunitz. Visitors can also look over a list of poetry news and events and breeze on through the related resources offered by the Library of Congress. Educators and students will want to pay close attention to the “For Teachers & Students” area, where they can find resources designed to bring poetry into the classroom in an experiential fashion.

Venn Diagrams

[Via The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2007. http://scout.wisc.edu/]

[Macromedia Flash Player]

http://mathdl.maa.org/mathDL/3/pa=content&sa=viewDocument&nodeId=1555

Unions, intersections, and differences: This can all be quite confusing to students trying to enter the potentially tricky world of Venn Diagrams. Fortunately, Alfredo Jiminez of Pennsylvania State University, Hazleton has created this handy Flash-enabled teaching application designed to provide students with an engaging way to learn about this subject.

The project is party of the Digital Classroom Resources at the MAA Mathematical Sciences Digital Library, and visitors will find this particular learning activity quite easy to use. The interactive tool contains seven sections, including those dealing with the principles of union and intersection, distributive properties, and De Morgan’s laws. Within each section, visitors can try their hand with a series of short questions and then take advantage of some review materials and, of course, a few basic tests.

The Mysterious Bogpeople

From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2007. http://scout.wisc.edu/

[Macromedia Flash Player]

http://www.bogpeople.org/

Despite the seemingly spooky title of this site, visitors should not be afraid of entering and exploring around the contents of this very interactive site.

Created through a collaborative partnership between organizations such as the Canadian Museum of Civilization and the Drents Museum, this site concerns itself with the artifacts and material world created by the so-called “bogpeople” of northwestern Europe who lived approximately 10,000 years ago. Visitors can explore their world through sections that include “Science”, “Timeline”, “Profile” and “Mediatheatre”. The “Mediatheatre” section is a good place to start as visitors can view short film clips that cover the mysteries of the bog, fishing with a harpoon, and the fabled Ubbena wheel. Moving along, the “Timeline” area gives some nice chronological context to the events and transformations covered by the site, and the “Science” area includes some insights into what archaeologists do in the field.

BBC: Schools – Games

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/games/

An extensive and varied collection of educational games, vetted and assessed under the auspices of the BBC, are available for both primary and secondary students. The games are graded according to age and themed by subject.

Bullying at School and What to Do About It

http://www.education.unisa.edu.au/bullying/

The serious problem of bullying is the focus of this comprehensive site created by Ken Rigby, who is an Adjunct Research Professor and educational consultant at the University of South Australia. Content includes background information, practical advice, a video and additional links to related sites.

Ecological Footprints: Calculators

http://www.epa.vic.gov.au/ecologicalfootprint/calculators/

Victoria's Environment Protection Authority has produced a fascinating interactive resource that students and staff can use to measure 'how much nature we have, how much we use, and who uses it. It shows us how much biologically productive land and water a population (an individual, an organisation, a city, a country, or all of humanity) requires supporting current levels of consumption and waste production, using prevailing technology.'

Teens: Too Old for Booktalks?

Booktalking for teens seems to be generating a bit of discussion these days. Should we bother? Of course. Should we use booktalks in our lessons? Absolutely.

Teens deserve an opportunity to hear about books, and booktalking is still a great way to get the word out. Below are a few titles to help newcomers give it a go or to add to an already-developed repertoire.

Read on ...

Boys learning

... If a boy prefers to sit on the floor, he can lower his desk to accommodate that preference as well. Stahler told me that the performance of her boys improved “200 percent” when she eliminated the requirement that students sit quietly in the classroom. I can share similar success stories from public schools in Foley, AL; Deland, FL; and Seattle, WA. These schools offer all-boys’ classes where students are welcome to stand, twirl, buzz, or hunker down on the floor; and in each instance, boys have become more engaged with academics and storytime.

REad the whole article=

A collection of resources and videos related to the history of Australian Indigenous people and their culture.

Film Australia
http://www.filmaust.com.au/learning

Aboriginal people in the Gibson Desert
http://dl.filmaust.com.au/module/721/

Indigenous health workers
http://dl.filmaust.com.au/module/729/

Aboriginal people make a canoe and hunt a turtle
http://dl.filmaust.com.au/module/724/

Dreamings, through Indigenous art
http://dl.filmaust.com.au/module/726/

The Microscope Imaging Station

The Microscope Imaging Station at the Exploratorium provides a unique opportunity to explore the microscopic world. In Summer 2004, the Exploratorium launched the most ambitious microscope facility ever created for use by the general public, the Microscope Imaging Station. The initial phase of the project gives visitors the ability to image living specimens, as well as control the microscopes themselves. At the museum, you can select among various specimens, move over them, change the magnification and focus, and, where appropriate, change the lighting to illuminate the specimen or use reflected light and fluorescence to dramatically change how the specimens look.
Visit the Imaging Station

Once Upon a Time: Storytelling, Drama, and Readers Theatre for Grades K-6.

Judy Freeman's new workshop is October 5, 2007 in Edison, NJ at the Pines Manor:

This day promises to be a fun, action packed day with draw-and-tell tales, stories with music and chantable refrains, script-writing techniques for children and adults and much more.

Registration fee is $179.00 Hours: 8:30-3:00 (doors open at 8:00 with a continental breakfast), lunch included and 5 professional development contact hours (certificate given after the workshop).

Come join Judy Freeman at her hands-on, show-and tell day that is packed with easy-to-learn stories, poems, and songs.

Go to www.lu.com/onceupon to download a registration form.

The History of Light

Via Family first an interesting look at the history of light.

It veers all over the map in telling the story of light, and I think you'll find it fascinating. It begins with the origin of the universe, as espoused by Immanuel Kant in 1755. We progress through the ages as man begins illuminating the night with crude torches, mastering the dark. Eventually, we find our way to the nineteenth century, when electricity first began to be used for lighting.

Obscure devices are recounted, including Alexander Graham Bell's sunlight-transmitted telephone. Stage lighting is given a special emphasis, and I found the saltwater dimmers used for adjusting the volume of light to be amazing to read about. These devices consisted of an electrode at the bottom of a tank of brine, and another electrode that was raised or lowered in the liquid to adjust the voltage going to the bulbs. The brine would boil, heating the backstage area.

Cool stuff, see for yourself.

CSIRO to develop total wellbeing diet for kids

A children's version of the popular 'The CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet' will be developed with federal funding. The Australian Government is putting $3 million into the ABC guide to dieting for juniors, modelled on the bestselling CSIRO health regime. The fat-fighting diet and exercise book may be distributed to the nation's four million children through schools by 2009.

Read more ...

Quotation for the week

Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.

James Baldwin

More quotations about teaching and education

Education of the future?

[From Fast Company]

On the face of it, Philadelphia's High School of the Future, a
collaboration between Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and the city's public-school district, seems like the kind of out-in-left-field experiment guaranteed to inspire dissent. Yet the school opened last September to almost universal acclaim. Breathless press reports read like an old Jetsons script: Interactive whiteboards! Combination-free lockers! A laptop for every student! An NPR feature titled "In Philly 'Future' School, Books Are So 20th Century" went all gooey over the school's universal Wi-Fi and student-ID smartcards, glossing over just how these bells and whistles were supposed to revolutionize
education.

But the news reports captured only part of the project and, in many ways, the least-important part. The School of the Future is not just a high-tech overlay on the traditional curriculum--it represents a wholesale tearing apart of that traditional curriculum. The three Rs are gone; science, English, math, writing, and the rest are being taught not as separate"disciplines," but as a set of interdependent tools for understanding real-world problems. And while the School of the Future may occupy a relatively radical position on the spectrum, corporate involvement in the education system is becoming commonplace, a role that has stirred plenty of controversy.

For example - this comment from Stephen Downes:

When schools come to depend on the infusion of talent and money from a corporation, what happens when the corporation pulls out (or threatens to pull out unless the learning takes on a pro-corporate spin)?

and this from Tim Stahmer

I’m somewhat ambivalent about allowing big business to direct the course of American education. It’s certainly good that elements of the larger community are interested in improving teaching and learning.

On the other hand, K-12 education should not be all about training “a future generation of Redmond cubicle warmers” or building “a nation of pitchmen”.

Nursery Rhymes

Nursery Rhymes are generally brief, anonymously written songs or verses intended for children. Though these rhymes are thought to help develop vocabulary and counting skills, scholars have actually linked many of these rhymes to historic events. For example, some believe that "Pop Goes the Weasel" is about silk weavers bringing their shuttles or bobbins (known as "weasels") to pawnbrokers to exchange for drinking money. What event does “Ring a Ring O'Roses” supposedly reference?
More...

Switch Awards 2007: Energy Safety Week competition

The Switch Awards are open to all primary and secondary schools in Victoria, South Australia and Queensland. Schools participating in any program or activity that engages their community in energy and the environment are eligible to enter. Winning schools will share in prizes worth $30,000, including two fully installed solar systems (each valued at $10,000). Schools that register their participation before 29 June could win a $100 or $200 early bird assistance grant. Entries close Monday 17 September.

http://www.originenergy.com.au/osj/template.php?pageid=1789

Using test scores to evaluate teachers

http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2007-02-13-effective-teachers_x.htm?csp=N009

Comment from Biglearning:
Please show me a profession where beating people over the head with threats of dire penalties for someone else's work, while taking away their autonomy, has led to sustained performance improvements. No, it doesn't matter - I still wouldn't wish it on our teachers. Even the bad ones.

Research study on preprimary care and education

Researchers from the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation have reported on the results of the IEA Preprimary Project, a longitudinal, cross-national study of preprimary care and education. Many diverse countries participated and used common instruments to measure family background, teachers' characteristics, structural features of settings, children's experiences, and children's developmental status. Consistent findings related to language and cognitive performance have implications for early childhood education.
Read on ...

Schoolboards: net dangers over-rated; bring social networks to school

[Via Tech.Blorge]

The internet isn't as dangerous as people think, and teachers should let students use social networks at school.

That's the surprising new recommendation from the National School Boards Association — a not-for-profit organization representing 95,000 school board members — in a new study funded by Microsoft, News Corporation, and Verizon.

Is it important, as Stephen Downes points out to notice those last five words?

But the study was funded by funded by Microsoft, News Corporation, and Verizon - organizations that are not exactly neutral about the outcome.

New Copyright Challenges for Schools

http://www.copyrightaware.gov.au

This website focuses on copyright law, its operation in schools in each State and its implications for various members of the school community. The nucleus of the content covers recent changes to hard-copy printing costs, moral rights for creators and the extension of copyright law in relation to advances in communication technology.

World Tales

http://www8.sbs.com.au/worldtales/frontpage.php

Australian animators have created twenty films based on folk tales, myths and legends from around the world. The interpretations of these tales highlight the beliefs from various cultures and are told in both English and the story's native language.

10 free Harry Potter activity sites

Listed here: 10 Free Harry Potter Activity Sites at Free Stuff 4 Kids

Welcome to Basin Kids

A component of the Murray Darling Basin Commission website, this section allows students and teachers to explore issues and facts relating to the area. Online content includes a quiz, puzzles, teachers' guide, specific background information and details on the recent native fish strategy.

http://kids.mdbc.gov.au/_data/page/337/animation2.swf

Global Sacred Sites

http://www.sacredland.org/world.html

Produced by the Earth Island Institute, this website profiles both renowned and less well-known sacred sites in a bid to increase public understanding of sacred places, indigenous cultures and environmental justice. The content highlights the often complex histories of these places and cultures, conflicts over preservation, the impact of tourism and diverse spiritual practices.

Figure This! Math Challenges for Families

http://www.figurethis.org

This engaging and absorbing site has been designed to allow students and their families to undertake a series of challenges that highlight the entertaining aspects of mathematics. Associated information on the site provides information to assist parents to better support their children in studying mathematics.

Design a Satellite

http://www.eduweb.com/portfolio/designsatellite

Primary students studying communication technologies will be enamoured with this interactive website. With the assistance of the animated inhabitants of Littleton, students can design a TV satellite, incorporating the necessary parameters to be able to relay signals to space.

Classics and Ancient History

MetaSites
http://www.library.auckland.ac.nz/subjects/classics/classicsmeta.htm
Ancient history teachers and students can access a range of document collections, databases, digital image collections, journals, atlases and encyclopedias encompassing Greek history, Roman history, Egyptian history and the history of the Near East. This website is maintained by the University of Auckland Library.

Lesson plans and resources

I have updated the following pages of lesson plans and resources for teachers.


Books like Unfortunate events
Thinking skills
Books about refugees to Australia
Values books
Reading comprehension
Books with a rugby league theme
Computers & ICTs
Thinking hats picture books
Geography
Books about self-control
Picture books for P.E.
Weather

Learning::a quotation

In times of change, learners inherit the Earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.
Eric Hoffer

Enterprising Australians

Enterprising Australians provides free DVDs, teaching resources and support for schools in Victoria and Queensland.

As part of Enterprise Learning in the 21st Century they are providing free resources that are mapped to ELS for Victoria and Queensland in domains of English, Maths, Humanities-Economics, Civics & Citizenship and ICT.

The resources incorporate a unit of work, DVDs, worksheets and online support.

For more information please visit www.enterprising.com.au or call 03 9473-3688

Choose the Best Search for Your Information Need

This award-winning website is an easily used and straightforward guide to the major search engines. Teacher librarians can use this website as a teaching tool to demonstrate the range of options available when searching for information and the most appropriate search engines to fulfil a variety of information needs.

http://www.noodletools.com/debbie/literacies/information/5locate/adviceengine.html

A history of light

[Via Family first]

...an interesting look at the history of light. It veers all over the map in telling the story of light, and I think you'll find it fascinating.

It begins with the origin of the universe, as espoused by Immanuel Kant in 1755. We progress through the ages as man begins illuminating the night with crude torches, mastering the dark.

Eventually, we find our way to the nineteenth century, when electricity first began to be used for lighting. Obscure devices are recounted, including Alexander Graham Bell's
sunlight-transmitted telephone.

Stage lighting is given a special emphasis, and I found the saltwater dimmers used for adjusting the volume of
light to be amazing to read about. These devices consisted ofan electrode at the bottom of a tank of brine, and another electrode that was raised or lowered in the liquid to adjust the voltage going to the bulbs. The brine would boil, heating the backstage area.

Cool stuff.

See for yourself.

Surf's Up: a cross - curricula resource for primary schools

Surf's Upis a free teaching resource developed by the Surf Life Saving Australia, it provides students with an understanding of beach safety and surf awareness

Educational podcasting for teaching and learning

[Via OLDaily]

... quality podcasts from over 360 carefully selected podcast channels for educational use - ideal for teaching and learning activities with children, young people and educational professionals.

http://www.recap.ltd.uk/podcasting/

Digital Cameras

Show your students what can be done:

Little Grebe
Digital Cameras Enhance Education

Cities Around the World

"over 6,100 photographic images from the slide collections of the American Geographical Society Library." Search, or browse by city or country, by Views, Architecture, City and Town Life, by People, or by the 100 cities with the most photos.

http://www.uwm.edu/Libraries/digilib/cities/

Geometry from AMATYC

http://or.amatyc.org/geometry.htm

Along with their substantial instructional resources, the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC) has worked to place valuable mathematical materials online to aid both teachers and students. This particular site contains links discovered and vetted by George Alexander, who works on behalf of the AMATYC. Here visitors will find links to materials that can be used to teach students about the fundamentals of geometry, including plane motion, polyhedras, symmetry, and tessellations. In total, there are links to 33 resources here, and suggestions for new materials are always welcome.

Open-content learning portal

A new online content resource center, formally launched March 9 by the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education (ISKME), will make more than 8,000 classroom materials available to teachers, faculty, and learners worldwide, at no cost. In the weeks before its public launch, more than 10,000 people reportedly visited the newly created OER (Open Educational Resources) Commons ... Full Story

Creating a Literate College Community

Marj Kirkland outlines the process of one school's approach to form a Whole School Literacy Plan. The plan focuses on the effectiveness of existing literacy initiatives and how it can further improve literacy outcomes for all students in the years ahead.
REad on ...

Educational Coloring

Pictures http://www.edupics.com/coloring.html Educational images and coloring pictures for teachers in primary school. Categories include animals, buildings, cultures, space travel, holidays, time, and transport.

DrawingNow - how to draw tutorials

http://www.drawingnow.com/index.html
Learn how to draw with step by step drawing tutorials. Includes Manga art, cartoons and 3D drawing.

Famundo for Organizations - FREE online calendar and file library

Famundo is the central hub for your organization’s scheduling and document storage where members can get an easy to read, holistic view of everything that is going on within your organization.
visit Famundo

Learning to read in Australia

http://www.assa.edu.au/Publications/op.asp?id=95
This paper from the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia outlines what is known on the process of learning to read, and reports on the Australian national survey of children's reading levels and of classroom practices in the teaching of reading. The review concluded that for any reading program to be effective, it must include throughout its first two or three years extensive systematic explicit instruction in synthetic phonics. This paper summarizes what has been done so far in response to the 2005 review.

Report gives poor grades to nation's schools

The Arizona Daily Star reports that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has joined with a prominent liberal think tank to warn of potential long-term damage to the U.S. economy caused by the failure... Full Story

Schools banning ipods to beat cheaters

Banning baseball caps during tests was obvious — students were writing the answers under the brim. Then, schools started banning cell phones, realizing students could text message the answers to each other. Now, schools across
the country are targeting digital media players as a potential cheating device.

Read on ...

Traditional children's games from around the world

http://www.topics-mag.com/edition11/games-section.htm

Discover how children from Venezuela, Mexico, Korea, China, Germany, and many other countries play different versions of the same traditional games such as jump rope, marbles, tag, top spinning, hopscotch, jacks, and card games. It includes games for toddlers.

National Autism Awareness Month: Helping Children With Autism Learn

April is National Autism Awareness Month and the OUPblog is sharing excerpts from two different, but equally useful books.

http://blog.oup.com/2007/04/children_autism/

Japanese cultural celebrations photo gallery

http://www.pbase.com/selvin/japan_culture

A collection of Japanese cultural celebration photographs: tea ceremony, lion dancers, Obon dancers, Obon Festival etc.

Japanese Crafts and activities

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/japan/
This page on Japanese crafts for kids provides ideas for simple crafts with things found around the house. Included are: Japanese doll, miniature Japanese garden, hanging fish and simple origami projects.

Art and life in Africa

http://www.uiowa.edu/%7Eafricart/teachers/lessons/index.html
This site contains a database of 47 lesson plans created by the Art and Life in Africa Project Teachers' Forum related to Art, French, Music, Science, Social Studies/World Culture. A selection graded 'Elementary' are suitable for primary school.

Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation

The Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation exists to develop life-long healthier and happier eating habits in a new generation of Australians by engaging them in growing, harvesting, preparing and sharing delicious and healthy food at primary school.
http://www.kitchengardenfoundation.org.au/

War and identity - education

The Anzac Day Commemoration Committee has constructed this site to help with teaching about Australia's military history and heritage. It includes an interactive component which are categorised into age appropriate levels.

http://www.warandidentity.com.au/default.asp

Australian state bans YouTube in schools

CNN.com reports that Victoria, Australia's second-most populous state, has banned YouTube from its 1,600 government schools in an effort to combat cyber-bullying.

Full Story

Highly recommended typing tutor

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing/

Flash earth

Flash Earth allows you to switch between any of 8 different mapping
sites, including Google Maps, Microsoft Virtual Earth, Yahoo!, Ask, OpenLayers, and NASA.

http://www.flashearth.com/

BECTA approval for comic-strip learning

BECTA, the Government agency supporting UK education departments in their strategic ICT developments, has approved the use of interactive comic-strip software program, Storywriter Toolkit.

Read on ...

Australia trials low-cost laptop

A prototype children's laptop, One Laptop Per Child (OLPC), is showcased at the 2007 International Consumer Electronics Showin Las Vegas.
The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project aims to put low-cost laptops into the hands of impoverished children in the developing world, but work is already underway to trial them among indigenous populations in Australia.

Banning MySpace - at home

[Via Stephen Downes]

St. Hugo of the Hills Catholic School students were informed recently that under a new school policy, Think First, Stay Safe, the use of MySpace.com will be prohibited at school and at home.

Read on ...

2007 is...

2007 ...
United Nations Environment Programme: Billion Tree Campaign
http://www.unep.org/billiontreecampaign/

The billion tree campaign aims to raise awareness of the importance of trees
in all cultures and how forests provide environmental protection.

Chinese Year of the Boar
http://www.new-year.co.uk/chinese/calendar/boar.htm

International Heliophysical year
http://ihy2007.org/

International Year of Rumi
http://www.poetseers.org/the_poetseers/rumi

2007 International decade of...

International decade for action - water for life, 2005 - 2015
http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/

United Nations International decade for the culture of peace
and non-violence for the children of the world 2001-2010
http://www.unac.org/peacecp/decade/background.html

United Nations literacy decade 2003-2012
http://portal.unesco.org/education/en/ev.php-URL_ID=5000&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

United Nations decade for education for sustainable development
http://portal.unesco.org/education/en/ev.php-URL_ID=23279&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

United Nations decade to roll back malaria 2001-2010
http://www.rollbackmalaria.org/

Homework, the tip of the iceberg

[Via Stephen Downes]

Witnessing the effects of six hours of homework after a six hour school day has had my mind churning so much that I cannot sleep. Consider this an open letter to the New Brunswick Department of Education and all educators.

Read on ...

Boosting intelligence among poor is child's play

Giving pre-school children toys to play with boosts their mental development even if they suffer from malnutrition, a report said on Friday.

The report, published in the Lancet medical journal, said several studies had found a clear link between intelligence and child's play
Read on ...

Embracing Technology in the Classroom: One Professor's Story

By Chris Procello

Laurel Amtower, professor of English and comparative literature, was becoming concerned about how to reach her students. Each semester her classes became larger, and, correspondingly, students were banking on their anonymity. Class attendance had become more sporadic and a good portion of her students sat in the back of her classes, not engaged. Assigned papers were seen as hurdles where students saw no connection between what they were being asked to do and what skills they are supposed to gain as a result of the class.

Read on ...

Targeted teaching of civics and citizenship needed

Formal education in civics and citizenship is urgently required if Australian students are to increase their familiarity with key historical civic events...

Read on ...

Schools to face national standard

PARENTS can expect a national school curriculum regardless of which party wins this year's federal election after the Labor leader, Kevin Rudd, joined the Coalition in pushing states and territories to set common standards.

Read on ...

Gaming advances as a learning tool

This article from America gives teachers ideas on how to capture the interest of
'digital natives' by using games in the classroom.

Read on ...

Sharing the enthusiasm

From Harold Jarche

As a learning professional, it’s time to take a stance. Enabling learning is no longer about disseminating good content. Enabling learning is about being a learner yourself, sharing your knowledge and enthusiasm and then taking a
back
seat

Read the whole article

BBC Plans Online Children's World

A "safe, secure" virtual world which children can inhabit and interact with is being planned by the BBC in England.
Read on ...

Some thoughts about school 2.0

From Chris Lehmann

It's really not about the computers. School 2.0 is older than that. School 2.0 is the tradition of Dewey. School 2.0 is born out of the idea that active, engaged, constructivist learning will lead to active, engaged students and people.It's about the pedagogy.Too much educational software just attempts to turn these really powerful devices into the next version of the workbook. That's criminal.Computers and internet technology should allow us create, to communicate and to research.

Read on ...

International Polar year

International Polar Year

During International Polar Year (IPY), from March 2007 to March 2009, interdisciplinary research will be undertaken into climate change and the interactions of climate, oceans, ice, land, ecosystems and human society in the Arctic and Antarctic.

Teaching activities

Antarctic Dad (MP)
Getting to know the polar regions (LS)
Melting ice (UP)
Sea level rising in South Pacific (U/Sec)

More resources on Polar Regions and Antarctica

Rand McNally delivers fee-based geography content online

Rand McNally recently launched a new web-based service to deliver comprehensive geography content, interactive games and activities, and skills-based lesson plans for teachers.

Read more ...

One hundred years of surf lifesaving in Australia

I tend to take the surf lifesavers for granted. I surf = I swim between the flags - no question. So I'm so glad to be able to celebrate with the surf lifesavers.

Here is the website -
http://www.slsa.com.au/default.aspx?s=yearofthesurflifesaver

And for the classroom
Between the Flags education kit
To celebrate the 2007 International Year of Surf Lifesaving in Australia, the National Museum of Australia has developed an education package

Treating (Teaching) Children "Equally" is Unfair

You hear these statements all the time…

We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal…
Everyone is equal before the law.
Teachers should treat all students equally.

One platitude after another…

Who can disagree with these assertions?

After all, isn't treating everyone equally the same as fairness?

Teaching is Different than Running a Lunch Counter

This article is about providing love, service, protection and caring instruction to every child.

In fact, children of illegal immigrants, the children of the same religion of the terrorist airplane hijacker, the children who come to school wearing the same dirty tee-shirt for weeks at a time…deserve to be treated fairly.

But, for all the compassion, empathy and caring that teachers hold; for all the dedication that teachers donate to students and our society by perfecting their instructional skills; treating children equally is unfair.

In fact, treating children equally turns out to be stingy, uncaring and unkind.

Here we expose some of the effects of the "Treat/ Teach all children equally" prescription…

http://classroomtoolkit.net/serendipity/archives/80-Feature-Article.html#extended

Playground fun

Playground fun aims to bring together traditional and modern playground and street games for children aged 7–9 and aims to encourage children to take part in physical activity through education.
Teaching materials contain worksheets, teaching ideas and curriculum references to help you integrate the Playground fun website and the games on it into your teaching. The Playground fun project consists of six "lessons" that promote the effective use of ICT, digital cameras and the Internet. There are also links back to the website. These lessons are aimed at Years 3 and 4 but can be adapted to suit your class.

Visit Playground Fun

Learned Helplessness: A Habit we Don't Want for Ourselves (or Our Students)

Situations exist. How we interpret situations determines our reaction to these situations. Our interpretation also determines our mood, and long-term, determines our beliefs.

Learned helplessness refers to what happens when, after countless attempts, people come to believe that their work, strategies, techniques and efforts "get them nowhere, provide no positive payoff."
If a teacher comes to believe that a situation is hopeless, and the results of their work and effort are uncontrollable, a number of outcomes (all negative) are possible.

http://classroomtoolkit.net/serendipity/archives/79-Short-Article.html#extended

Reading Recovery in the Classroom

"I consider myself to be a Reading Recovery teacher. I was trained in 1999 and worked for four years as a Reading Recovery/literacy support coordinator. During that time I worked with teachers and gave tips on how they could use Reading Recovery techniques in the classroom. I was very proud of the fact I could teach them how to use running records and sound boxes. I devised a whole list of activities that could be done in the classroom. All of this had merit, but I think I missed the bigger picture of what Reading Recovery is about. It is about looking at the children and thinking of what I can do to help them understand the reading process. It is about being explicit, not wasting time and getting the most out of them as learners. The other things are the tools we use in order to achieve our aims.
This year I have returned to the classroom. I was a bit worried as it had been a long time, and I was given a prep grade. It is funny with classroom teaching, when you are doing all the things necessary to run a class you just do it, but on reflection you think about the lunchboxes, the meetings, the parents, the ‘I want to go home’, ‘he won’t play with me’, ‘she took my lunch’ and you wonder: how did I do it all? Anyway, being a positive person, I decided if other people could manage, I could manage too.
My year started this year as most prep grades do. The children would come in to school, there would be activities on the tables and the children would move around the room as they pleased. As a Reading Recovery teacher I was very mindful about introducing them to their books, so I took the opportunity while they were playing to select a book for them that would match their needs. I was amazed at the rapid improvement in their reading levels. I was treating each child as a Reading Recovery student, introducing them to a new book and prompting them according to their needs.
I began to wonder, was it the time the children were allowed to develop or was it the explicit teaching or was it both?
So I thought I would analyse what else has changed. ..."

Read on ...

Vic schools a 'war toy free zone'

Toy soldiers, model war planes and wrestling figurines have been banned in Victorian schools.
The ban is part of a move towards political correctness.
Primary schools and kindergartens are now "war toy free zones".

Read on ...

Here is a list of the web pages for teachers that I have just

Space
History and Timelines
Booklists
Values books
Ancient Egypt
Internet Research
Maths
Special days
Kindergarten Longer Read-alouds
Year Six Novels
Books for autistic children
Asia - General

"Replacing books with computers shows promise"

The Anchorage Daily News reports that at Wendler Middle School, Sixty seventh-graders have received free-to-use laptops. While the students can't take the laptops home, they can take them into classes, use them for taking notes, and access wireless internet to assist with assignments. The theory underpinning the initiative is that if children have constant access to technology, they will read more often, learn better, and have fun while doing it.

Read more ...

Six ed-tech trends to watch in 2007

Service-oriented architecture, ‘cloud computing’ among the developments sure to have an impact on educational technology in the coming year

Read the whole article

Educated?

To be able to be caught up into the world of thought -- that is educated.

Edith Hamilton


More quotes about education and teaching

Education is ...

Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught.

Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

More quotes related to education and teaching

Education 2.0: The next evolution of school software has arrived

Emergence of open technologies and open-source alternatives makes customizing school software a reality

By Corey Murray, Senior Editor, eSchool News


Aiming to customize their solutions to meet the individual needs of teachers and students, a growing number of school systems are ushering in a new breed of school software that relies on open technologies--whether it's open-source software on their servers and desktops, or so-called Web 2.0 services available free of charge online.

Economics and advancements in technology are fueling this latest trend in school software, proponents of the movement say--but it's also about customization, and the desire to employ a variety of solutions as users see fit.

Read the whole article

An Author in Every Classroom

By Nick Glass

This article highlights specific ways you can replicate these personal connections to authors and illustrators by optimizing a variety of multimedia and online technologies. I will review specific types of virtual author programs, give examples you can freely experience, share how you can use them in your school, and guide you toward bringing an author into every classroom.

-->http://www.mmischools.com/Articles/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=12208

Learning to use technology - videos of real experiences

Here is a site of free teacher videos of teachers teaching and learning to use technology. These are National Board Certified teachers, and all of the resources are free.

ITunes.http://ali.apple.com/ali_sites/deli/nav2.shtml

Principals beg for more preschools

PRIMARY school principals will campaign for more preschools before the state election in March, following a survey that shows a clear disadvantage for children who skip early childhood learning.

The Primary Principals' Association surveyed public schools and will press Labor to match the Coalition commitment to build more preschools and provide fee relief for families. NSW has the lowest preschool attendance in the country and highest fees - about $30 a day.

Read on ...

Books for Boys

There is a challenge sometimes in getting boys to read. I have always admired the teachers who generated a love of reading in my boys. If you are looking for the sorts of books to recommend to boys, especially reluctant readers, check out the book list I have collected.