Parent Engagement Resources From The Department Of Education
The United States Department of Education has a Parent and Family Engagement page on its website. The resources seem surprisingly limited, but maybe they’re planning to upgrade it soon….
Louisiana District To Try Shame As Their Parent Engagement Policy
“Twice a year, they’re going to publish in the local newspaper the list of parents or guardian who for whatever reason did not participate in the parent conference,” said Long. That quote comes from an article about how one Louisiana school district is using a state law that allows them to act against parents who [...]
“Community & Family Engagement: Principals Share What Works”
“Community & Family Engagement: Principals Share What Works” is a report from The Coalition For Community Schools, and looks useful. Thanks to Joe Mazza for sharing it on Twitter.
“What Parents and Educators Want from Assessments”
What Parents and Educators Want from Assessments is the title of an Edutopia blog post today from Anne O’Brien. It’s about a recent report on assessment, which I’ve previously posted about — see “What Parents & Educators Want from Student Assessments.” Anne makes some very interesting points. It’s worth reading the entire post, but here [...]
“The Power of Family-School-Community Partnerships”
The Power of Family School Community Partnerships: A Training Resource Manual is a pretty big packet, including a PowerPoint, from the NEA Priority Schools Campaign. Here’s how they describe it: Drawing upon decades of research, the Manual provides simple, but provocative, strategies for uncovering what gets in the way of partnering and outlines clear paths [...]
“Parent Partnership Solutions”
Parent Partnership Solutions is a useful new article from the NEA Priority Schools Campaign. Here’s an excerpt: In a recent Parenting magazine and National Education Association (NEA) survey of public school parents and educators, both groups categorized their relationship with the other as “open,” but they also reported significant obstacles to forming true partnerships. But for each partnership [...]
#PTchat 8/1/12 – Principal As Family Engagement Deal-Breaker
Guest Post by Joe Mazza Each year, schools have the opportunity to engage and re-engage families in the education of their children. The success of these efforts depend on many things including but not limited to current and past strategies put in place, leadership, current and past relationship with family and community stakeholders, access, fear, [...]
New “Brief” On Family Engagement From WestEd
WestEd has just published a short “brief” on family engagement. I’d say its list of suggestions is not very strong. However, I do think its analysis of dividing family engagement into three kinds is useful. They describe them as: * Random efforts are offered in piecemeal, without a systematic, intentional goal or design. These efforts [...]
Irony Alert — Walmart Sponsors Concert To “Salute Teachers” & Support Anti-Teacher “Parent Trigger” Movie
It’s a cliche, but sometimes truth is, indeed, stranger than fiction. Walmart is sponsoring a concert to “salute teachers” and benefit Teach For America, where they’ll also show scenes from an upcoming anti-teacher movie on the “parent trigger.” I’ve previously written several posts about the movie, and here’s the trailer: Thanks to Leoni Haimson for [...]
“Nevada PTA Sets Example on Male Engagement”
Nevada PTA Sets Example on Male Engagement is a useful post over at Education Week. Here’s how it begins: Making fathers and male family members feel welcome in public schools can have a powerful impact. After a concerted effort by the Nevada PTA to engage men in the education of their children, grade point averages rose and [...]
Do You Know A Story/Quote That Can Be Used To Show The Importance Of Asking Good Questions?
I’ve got a resource list on The Best Posts & Articles About Asking Good Questions. However, it doesn’t include stories or quotes (preferably referenced) that show the importance of being able to ask good questions. Do any readers have ideas?
Make An Animation At “The Exquisite Forest”
The Exquisite Forest is a very unique project that’s sponsored by Google and The Tate Museum of Art. Users can collaboratively create animations. You can learn more about it in this video and also be reading Richard Bryne’s blog. The … Continue reading →
Follow Me On Other Social Media
If you’re interested in learning about even more resources I find, you might want to “follow” me on other social media: Twitter Facebook Google+ LinkedIn
“10+ Getting to Know You Activities for Teens & Adults”
Shelly Terrell has created another very useful Slideshare presentation, “10+ Getting to Know You Activities for Teens & Adults.” I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Planning The First Day Of School. 10+ Getting to Know You Activities for … Continue reading →
Official Infographic Explaining “Deferred Action” (DREAM Act Lite)
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has released an infographic explaining the new “deferred action” law — the Obama’s “quasi” DREAM Act: Thanks to APALC, who posted a photo of it.
Department Of Homeland Security Updated Info On Implementing “DREAM Act Lite” Today
The Department of Homeland Security just announced updated info on how they plan to implement the new quasi-DREAM act letting certain undocumented young people obtain legal status. It doesn’t seem to me that they shared a lot of details, but … Continue reading →
Nice Video Interview With Oscar Pistorius
NBC did this interesting interview with double-amputee runner Oscar Pistorius. I’m adding it to The Best Sites For Learning About The London 2012 Olympics: Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Even More On The Mars Rover Curiosity
Here are some more new additions to The Best Sites For Learning About The Mars Rover Curiosity: Curiosity Just Days Away From Mars is a photo gallery from The Atlantic. Here’s an infographic from Popular Science. The Discovery Channel has … Continue reading →
“doSketch” Is Another Nice Online Drawing Tool
Though I’m not convinced the world needs another online drawing tool, doSketch is an easy one where you can draw and save your creation with no registration needed. I’m adding it to The Best Art Websites For Learning English, where … Continue reading →
Anniversary Of Atomic Bombings On Japan
The anniversary of the atomic bombings on Japan are coming up in the next few days, and I’ve just updated The Best Resources For Learning About The Atomic Bombings Of Japan. Additional suggestions are welcome.
Advice For New Teachers
Earlier this week, I reminded readers about The Best Resources For Planning The First Day Of School. I realized it might also be a good time for a reminder about another “The Best…” list, The Best Advice For New Teachers.
Different Ways To Illustrate Bloom’s Taxonomy
In my book, Helping Students Motivate Themselves, I include an extensive and engaging lesson plan on Bloom’s Taxonomy. Portions of it can also be found at The Best Resources For Helping Teachers Use Bloom’s Taxonomy In The Classroom (oops, sorry, … Continue reading →
This Week’s “Links I Should Have Posted About, But Didn’t”
I have a huge backlog of resources that I’ve been planning to post about in this blog but, just because of time constraints, have not gotten around to doing. Instead of letting that backlog grow bigger, I regularly grab a … Continue reading →
More On The Mars Rover Curiosity
Here are the newest additions to The Best Sites For Learning About The Mars Rover Curiosity: Here’s NASA’s official site for the Rover. Here’s a video on the Rover narrated by William Shatner:
This Sure Is One Impressive Interactive Infographic About English Language Learners
Mapping Language: Limited English Proficiency in America is a very impressive interactive map (among other things) showing where English Language Learners are around the United States. It’s from the National Journal. I’m adding it to The Best Ways To Keep-Up … Continue reading →
Study Finds Listening To Music You Like Hurts Cognitive Ability, Listening To Music You Don’t Like Is Not As Bad, But Quiet Is Best
A new study has found, as my headline says (it may be the longest headline I’ve ever used on a blog post), working in quiet is the best atmosphere for cognitive work, listening to music you don’t like is next, … Continue reading →
“Ten Natural Wonders You’ve Never Heard Of”
Here’s a video on the “Ten Natural Wonders You’ve Never Heard Of.” I’m adding it to The Best Sites For Learning About Various “Seven Wonders”:
Nice Career Exploration Site
GCFLearnFree.org is on a number of “The Best…” lists because of all its great sites and tools. Today, I learned that they have recently updated their Career Exploration page with interactives and videos. It’s looks very good. I’m adding it … Continue reading →
Our New Book On Teaching English Language Learners Is Out Three Weeks Early!
My new book, “The ESL/ELL Teacher’s Survival Guide: Ready-to-Use Strategies, Tools, and Activities for Teaching English Language Learners of All Levels,” (co-authored by Katie Hull Sypnieski), is now available — three weeks earlier than scheduled! Electronic versions, though, may not … Continue reading →
Unbelievable! Loss Aversion Researchers Continue Their Disconnection To Classroom Reality In Upcoming Third Study
I’ve previously written (as others have) a lot about the recent loss aversion studies where both students and teachers have been given cash or prizes and then had them taken away if test scores didn’t measure up to expectations — … Continue reading →
“For ‘Connected Educator Month,’ Tips From 33 Educators We Admire”
For ‘Connected Educator Month,’ Tips From 33 Educators We Admire is a very helpful post over at The New York Times Learning Network. Here was my contribution: Larry Ferlazzo | Luther Burbank High School Ideas for English Language Learners series 1. I … Continue reading →
August Is “Connected Educator Month”
This month is Connected Educator Month: Secretary of Education Arne Duncan declared August, 2012 Connected Educator Month a month-long exploration and celebration of online communities and networks dedicated to broadening and deepening educator participation in learning and sharing, and bringing … Continue reading →
Photo Galleries Of The Week
Obviously, photos can be great educational tools with English Language Learners and with any students (see The Best Ways To Use Photos In Lessons). I post about many photo galleries, also called slideshows. To do it in a little more organized … Continue reading →
Research Studies Of The Week
I often write about research studies from various field and how they can be applied to the classroom. I write individual posts about ones that I think are especially significant, and will continue to do so. However, so many studies … Continue reading →
New Ongoing Project: Video Interviews With My Students’ Favorite Authors
The PBS News Hour had an interview with author Walter Dean Myers today, and he’s one of my students’ favorite authors (I’ve embedded the video below, but you can see both the video and read the transcript here). That got … Continue reading →
Nice Slapstick Video For ELL’s
Slapstick film often has engaging scenes to show to English Language Learners and for them to write and talk about what they saw. In fact, as I’ve previously written, I remember being shocked when I first showed some old silent … Continue reading →
“10 TED talks from inspiring teachers”
10 talks from inspiring teachers is a post from TED Talks that lists and links to….10 TED Talks by teachers. I’m adding it to The Best Teacher Resources For “TED Talks” (& Similar Presentations).
“The 20 Most Influential Americans of All Time”
TIME has just published an accessible feature called The 20 Most Influential Americans of All Time. The Discovery Channel published a similar project a few years back. Here’s the simple assignment I gave my students using it (and, the next … Continue reading →
For Email Subscribers Only
Feedbltiz is generally pretty reliable for sending out all my posts in a daily summary to email subscribers. However, yesterday they just didn’t include all the posts that were published. So, if you’re an email subscriber, you might want to … Continue reading →
“Exit,” “Voice” & Schools
Malcolm Gladwell has written a profile of the famous distance runner Alberto Salazar in this week’s New Yorker magazine (unfortunately, most of it is behind a paywall). Here’s a passage that struck me (I hope you can see it in … Continue reading →
This Looks Interesting: The Against Violent Extremism (AVE) Network
The Against Violent Extremism (AVE) Network is an organization with an engaging website. Here is how it describes itself: The Against Violent Extremism (AVE) Network is a unique and powerful new global force in the ongoing struggle to tackle violent … Continue reading →
“This Day In Tech”
This Day In Tech is a regular Wired feature highlighting important moments in the history of technology. I’m adding it to The Best Sites For Learning About The History Of Technology.
Resources On The Mars Rover Curiosity
The Mars Rover Curiosity is projected to land on Mars this weekend. Here are the newest additions to The Best Sites For Learning About The Mars Rover Curiosity: Precision Landing on Mars is a New York Times graphic. NASA Mars … Continue reading →
This Week In Web 2.0
In yet another attempt to get at the enormous backlog I have of sites worth sharing, I’ve recently begin a regular feature called “The Week In Web 2.0.” It’ll be a short compilation of new decent sites that are worth … Continue reading →
Today’s Resources On The Olympics
Here are the newest additions to The Best Sites For Learning About The London 2012 Olympics: Immigrants on the U.S. Olympic Team is from About.com. Here’s a great U.S. Olympic Team Tribute To Muhammad Ali: Visualizing The Evolution Of Olympic … Continue reading →
The 30th Edition Of The ESL/EFL/ELL Blog Carnival Is Up!
David Deubelbeiss has just posted the 30th Edition of The ESL/EFL/ELL Blog Carnival. Here’s how he described it in his invitation for submissions: The theme for this blog carnival is The Best Posts For Helping New Teachers. September is a … Continue reading →
Resources For The First Day Of School
A new school year will be beginning for most of us sometime over the next five weeks, and I’ve just made some new additions to The Best Resources For Planning The First Day Of School. I’ll also be making it … Continue reading →
Happy Seventh Birthday, Edublogs!
Edublogs, the platform hosting this blog and two million others, is celebrating its seventh birthday today! It’s been hosting this blog since I began writing it five-and-a-half years ago. I think it’s the best place for any teacher or student … Continue reading →
Vocabulary Instruction Ideas From #ELLCHAT
#ELLCHAT takes place every Monday evening. This chat was about making vocabulary instruction meaningful, and I’ve made a quick “Storify” of the information and resources shared. I’m also adding this to The Best Sites Where ELL’s Can Learn Vocabulary. [View … Continue reading →
“First line of defense for ESL students are ESL teachers”
Source: shareasimage.com via Larry on Pinterest Gaby Pacheco, a leader of the campaign to get the DREAM act, spoke at the American Federation of Teachers Convention. Here organization’s website, United We Dream, is clearly the best place to get … Continue reading →
The Best Sites For Learning About The War Of 1812
The 200th anniversary of the start of The War Of 1812 was last month, but I figured a “The Best…” list would still be useful. I’m going to list some resources here, but the bulk of the best sites can … Continue reading →
Three Apps I’m Downloading To My iPad Today
My wife bought me an iPad a couple of weeks ago and, slowly but surely, I’ve been testing it out. Here are three apps I’m downloading today that I thought readers might be interested in (and I’ll add them to … Continue reading →
Monthly Email Newsletter Sent-Out
I’ve just sent out the regular free monthly email newsletter for this blog. You can subscribe here.
July’s “The Best…” Lists — There Are Now 936 Of Them
Here’s my monthly round-up of new “The Best…” lists I posted this month (you can see all 936 of them categorized here): The Best Resources On Using Improvisation In The ESL/EFL/ELL Classroom The Best Ideas To Help Students Become Better Listeners … Continue reading →
Everything You Wanted To Know About Assessment, But Were Afraid to Ask….
I’ve just posted a compilation of my Education Week Teacher columns on assessment in schools. You might find it useful….
Today’s Resources On The Olympics
Here are today’s additions to The Best Sites For Learning About The London 2012 Olympics: Infographic: discontinued sports of the modern Olympics is from The Telegraph. The Independent has an incredible collection of interactives on each of the sports. Scroll … Continue reading →
Photo Galleries Of The Week
Obviously, photos can be great educational tools with English Language Learners and with any students (see The Best Ways To Use Photos In Lessons). I post about many photo galleries, also called slideshows. To do it in a little more organized … Continue reading →
“A Serious Design Flaw Is Suspected in State Tests”
Source: shareasimage.com via Larry on Pinterest Interesting…. Read the entire article at The New York Times.
The Best Resources For Learning About The Drought Of 2012 (& Beyond)
Much of the United States, and other parts of the world, is suffering from drought this year, and there’s a danger of it continuing. You might also be interested in: The Best Web Resources About Somalia’s Drought & Famine The … Continue reading →
Today’s Resources On The Olympics
Here are today’s additions to The Best Sites For Learning About The London 2012 Olympics: Here’s the official London 2012 video: And here’s a nice story — not about this Olympics, but a previous one: Great Olympic story – Lawrence … Continue reading →
Special Edition Of “Links I Should Have Posted About, But Didn’t”
(Usually, I just post a weekly version of this regular feature. However, sometimes I post an extra “Special Edition” when I have more good links than usual) I have a huge backlog of resources that I’ve been planning to post … Continue reading →
July’s Best Posts
I regularly highlight my picks for the most useful posts for each month — not including “The Best…” lists. I also use some of them in a more extensive monthly newsletter I send-out. You can see my previous Best Posts of the … Continue reading →
July’s Best Tweets — Part Two
Every month I make a short list highlighting my choices of the best resources I shared through (and learned from) Twitter, but didn’t necessarily include them in posts here on my blog. Now and then, in order to make it a … Continue reading →
Video: Jon Stewart Interviews Joseph Stiglitz
Jon Stewart did a very good interview with Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz about wealth inequality in the United States. I’m adding it to The Best Resources About Wealth & Income Inequality: The Daily Show with Jon StewartGet More: Daily … Continue reading →
Video: Diane Ravitch Speaks At The American Federation Of Teachers Convention
Here’s a video of Diane Ravitch’s speech this weekend to the American Federation Of Teachers Convention in Detroit: Thanks to Big Education Ape for the tip.
The Best Places On The Web To Write Lesson Plans — Who Have I Missed?
We’re not required to prepare formal lessons though, obviously, skilled teachers do tons of planning. About the only time I write up formal lessons is when I have to communicate what I do in the classroom for one of my … Continue reading →