Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
LARRY FERLAZZO’S WEBSITES OF THE DAY
LOOK FOR MY BOOK IN MARCH, 2013
"Self-Driven Learning: Teaching Strategies for Student Motivation"
will be a sequel to"Helping Students Motivate Themselves"
This Week’s “Round-Up” Of Good Posts & Articles On Education Policy
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 7 hours ago
Here are several relatively recent useful articles on education policy: Seattle eases rules on exams teachers are boycotting is from The Seattle Times. I’m adding it to The Best Resources On The Seattle Standardized Test Boycott. With Vouchers, States Shift … Continue reading →
Quote Of The Day: “Time To Collaborate”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 9 hours ago
What teachers need and reformers ignore: time to collaborate is an important column by Linda Darling-Hammond that appeared in The Washington Post this week. I’m adding it to The Best Posts & Articles About The Importance Of Teacher (& Student) … Continue reading →
“Presenter” Is A New Free Site For Creating Infographics & More
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 9 hours ago
Presenter is a new free online tool for creating online presentations, animations and — at least in my mind — most importantly, infographics. Most of the options on Presenter all look impressive but, for my technologically incompetent tastes, are just … Continue reading →
The Value Of “Mimic Writing”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 9 hours ago
I’ve written about the value of “mimic writing” in some of my books, and today read a post by Daniel Coyle that put the value of mimicry much more succinctly and and accurately than I have ever described it. But … Continue reading →
Search & Use One Million Images at Imgembed
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 12 hours ago
Imgembed is a “crowdsourced” collection of what’s now up to one million images that are free to use as long as you credit the photographer (it automatically appears with the embed code). You can also pay if you don’t want … Continue reading →
What A Great Video On “Perception”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 13 hours ago
This short video would be great to teach “perception” in IB Theory of Knowledge classes. Thanks to Michelle Henry for the tip:
This Week’s “Links I Should Have Posted About, But Didn’t”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
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 →
Gates Perspective On Student Surveys Was Bad, But Now It’s Getting Weird
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
I have posted numerous times about how I use student evaluations in my class, their results, and why I think it’s a terrible idea to connect them to the teacher evaluation process (see The Best Posts On Students Evaluating Classes … Continue reading →
More On Korea
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
Here are two new additions to The Best Sites For Learning About The Korean War (& Tensions Since Then, Too): North Korea v South Korea in figures – interactive is from The Guardian. North Korea v South Korea: every incident … Continue reading →
This Is Pretty Easy & Useful: Turn Your Google Analytics Result Into An Infographic
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
If you have a blog or website, there’s a good chance you’re using Google Analytics to see the traffic coming to your site. You may also be like me — apart from being able to see where raw numbers of … Continue reading →
Lesson Of The Week: Sandra Cisneros & “Authentic Writing”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
(Have you developed a particularly creative and successful lesson for your K-12 English, Social Studies, or IB Theory of Knowledge class? If you have, and can describe it in 400 words or less (not including student hand-outs you might want … Continue reading →
“This Is Boring” — Part Two
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
I’ve previously posted about a short lesson I’ve done on being bored and what students — and teachers — can do about it (see Have You Ever Had A Student Say “This Is Boring”? Here’s A Lesson On It I’m … Continue reading →
Anybody Out There Using “Instructional Conversations” In Your Classroom?
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
Today’s ASCD SmartBrief included an article about teachers in Georgia using a method they called Instructional Conversations, particularly though not exclusively with English Language Learners. I’ve never heard of it before, which is probably a commentary on my ignorance but, … Continue reading →
Quote Of The Day: “Strong Relationships…Keep Them Engaged”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
Today our school was featured in The Sacramento Bee as having one of the largest increases — if not the largest increase — in high school graduation rates in the region. Here’s what our principal, Ted Appel, believed contributed to … Continue reading →
“How Can We Use The CCSS With English Language Learners?”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
How Can We Use The CCSS With English Language Learners? is the new “question of the week” at my Education Week Teacher column. Feel free to leave your responses there or here….
Even More Resources On Wage & Wealth Inequality
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 3 days ago
Here are new additions to The Best Resources About Wealth & Income Inequality: ‘Trickle-down consumption’: How rising inequality can leave everyone worse off is from The Washington Post. Diverging Fortunes for Men and Women is from The New York Times. … Continue reading →
Quote Of The Day: Linda Darling-Hammond On Atlanta Testing Scandal
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 3 days ago
Here’s a quote from Linda Darling-Hammond that appears in the article “Atlanta’s School Scandal Isn’t Local How education reform’s “no excuses” motto causes cheating’ at The New Republic: You might also be interested in The Best Posts & Articles About … Continue reading →
Helping Students Make A Connection Between What They’re Learning In School To Their Goals In Life
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 3 days ago
I’ve previously posted, and written in my books, about a study that showed the value of having students write a few sentences after lessons about how what they just learned can be connected to their life (see “Relevance” & Student … Continue reading →
More Resources On Nutrition
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
Here are some new additions to The Best Sites For Learning About Nutrition & Food Safety: Discussing Junk Food With English-Language Learners is from The New York Times Learning Network.
“How Code-Switching Explains The World”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
How Code-Switching Explains The World is a great NPR story discussing code-switching, which they describe as: In one sense, code-switching is about dialogue that spans cultures. It evokes the conversation we want to have here. Linguists would probably quibble with … Continue reading →
Another Nice Review Of My New Book
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
Empowering Self-Driven Learners is the latest positive review of my new book, Self-Driven Learning: Teaching Strategies for Student Motivation. It’s written by educator Julie Dermody and appears in Middleweb.
Quote Of The Day: “I Was Tired Of Giving In”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
There’s an excellent review of a new biography of the late Rosa Parks in The New York Times, including this great quote:
Education Week Blogs Temporarily Off-Line Today
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
My blog post at Education Week Teacher this week, Ways To Observe Teachers Without Demoralizing Them, has been especially popular over the past couple of days. Unfortunately, Education Week began having some technical issues later today, and all their blogs … Continue reading →
Video: “Giant Panda Facts”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 days ago
I’m adding this video to The Best Sites To Learn About Pandas:
The Best Pink Panther Fight Scenes For English Language Learners
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 days ago
I’m a big fan of the old Pink Panther fight scenes, and they’re great videos for language-learning. Students love them, and they’re particularly good for reinforcing verbs and household vocabulary. I thought it would be useful for me, and for … Continue reading →
“Stories from Terezín: the Nazi transit camp with a musical legacy – interactive”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 days ago
Monday is Holocaust Remembrance Day, and The Guardian recently published Stories from Terezín: the Nazi transit camp with a musical legacy – interactive. Here’s how they describe it: During the second world war, great composers were imprisoned at the Terezín … Continue reading →
How Much Do You Think Common Core Standards Will Actually Affect What We Do In Our Classrooms?
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 days ago
As I’ve shared on more than one occasion, I’ve been skeptical of Common Core, though I’ve also recognized it as a reality and have begun to explore what it means for my work. Jay Greene, with whom I generally disagree, … Continue reading →
Holocaust Remembrance Day is Monday
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 days ago
Holocaust Remembrance Day is on Monday. You might find The Best Sites For Learning About The Holocaust useful.
Quote Of The Day: “Think Only Teenagers Earn The Minimum Wage?”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 days ago
Five myths about the minimum wage is from The Washington Post. Here’s an excerpt: I’m adding it to The Best Resources On Why Raising The Minimum Wage Is Important.
More Resources On North Korea
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 days ago
Here are some new additions to The Best Sites For Learning About The Korean War (& Tensions Since Then, Too): North Korea’s Nuclear Threat is an AP interactive. Missile defence systems deployed to counter North Korea threats: interactive is from … Continue reading →
“Ways To Observe Teachers Without Demoralizing Them”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 days ago
Ways To Observe Teachers Without Demoralizing Them is my new post over at Education Week Teacher. It includes guest responses from four educator/authors: Trent Kaufman and Emily Dolci Grimm; PJ Caposey, and Brian Nichols.
Video: Wild Rube Goldberg Machine
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
Here’s the newest additions to The Best Resources For Learning About Rube Goldberg Machines:
Quote Of The Day: Giving Feedback
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
How to Give Effective Feedback, Both Positive and Negative is useful column in today’s New York Times. Here’s an excerpt: I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Learning How To Best Give Feedback To Students.
“The Politics Of Naming”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
I teach lessons about “naming” in several of my classes. In Theory Of Knowledge, students examine the history of their names in the context of studying language. In ESL, it’s a great high-interest topic for creating language-learning opportunities, especially when … Continue reading →
“The average high school student asks one question of substance per month in a classroom” — I’m Not Sure About This Data
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
This week, The Big Think published a short video of Hal Gregersen, a co-author of Clayton Christensen, where he says that he has data showing that “the average high school student asks one question of substance per month in a … Continue reading →
Video Clip: “Singin’ In The Rain”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
I just saw this clip tweeted out by The Kids Should See This, and thought it would be a great one to show English Language Learners — especially in the context of learning about weather vocabulary. Many would think it … Continue reading →
Impressive PBS News Hour Report On Project-Based Learning
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
This week, the PBS News Hour aired an impressive report on project-based learning in a Kentucky school district. I’m embedding the video below, but it might not come through on an RSS Reader: Watch School District Uses Project Based Learning … Continue reading →
April’s Best Tweets — Part One
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
Every month I make a few short lists 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. I’ve already shared in earlier posts several new … Continue reading →
Quote Of The Day: “Using cheating as an ethical lens….”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
It’s Time for a Real Code of Ethics in Teaching is an excellent column in The Atlantic. Here’s an excerpt:
Special Edition Of “Links I Should Have Posted About, But Didn’t”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 week ago
(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 →
This Week’s “Round-Up” Of Good Posts & Articles On Education Policy
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 week ago
Here are some relatively recent useful posts and articles on education policy issues: Ten Reasons Value-Added Measures Are a Bad Idea is by John Spencer. I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Learning About The “Value-Added” Approach Towards Teacher … Continue reading →
“Ideas for English-Language Learners | Earth Day and the Environment”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 week ago
Ideas for English-Language Learners | Earth Day and the Environment is my new post over at The New York Times. I think teachers might find it interesting, and it includes a lesson building on the work of Paulo Freire.
Quote Of The Day: “Authentic Humility”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 week ago
There’s an old community organizing adage that says “community organizing is just another term for building relationships” and, in many ways, the same thing can be said about teaching. I’ve previously shared examples suggesting that Martin Luther King, Jr.’s success … Continue reading →
Two Good Geography Links
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 week ago
Here are two new additions to The Best Geography Sites For Beginning & Intermediate English Language Learners: Holt, Rinehart & Winston has an excellent resource, though you have to make a few clicks to get to it. First, you go … Continue reading →
The 32nd ELT Blog Carnival Just Been Posted!
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 week ago
David Deubelbeiss has just posted The 32nd ELT Blog Carnival! And you can check out all previous editions here….
Has Bill Gates Changed His Position On Merit Pay?
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 week ago
After endorsing teacher merit pay less than three months ago, Bill Gates appeared to reverse that position in an op-ed column he wrote for The Washington Post today: You might also be interested in The Best Resources For Learning Why … Continue reading →
Quote Of The Day: “Data & data sets are not objective”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 week ago
The Hidden Biases in Big Data is by Kate Crawford and appeared in The Harvard Business Review. Here’s a quote from it: I’m adding it to The Best Resources Showing Why We Need To Be “Data-Informed” & Not “Data-Driven.”
Writing Prompts — Feel Free To Contribute Your Own!
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 week ago
The University of California requires incoming freshmen and women to take the Analytical Writing Placement Exam to determine their English placement. We use their model a lot in our high school English classes — both during our regular classes and … Continue reading →