Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
LARRY FERLAZZO’S WEBSITES OF THE DAY
“National PTA installing first African American male president”
Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 15 hours ago
National PTA installing first African American male president is a post from Valerie Strauss at The Washington Post. Here’s how it begins: The National PTA is installing its first African American male and a veteran of the Iraq war as its president this weekend. Otha Thornton, a senior operations analyst with General Dynamics in Fort [...]
“Community Schools: A Model for the Middle Grades”
Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 21 hours ago
Community Schools: A Model for the Middle Grades is an article in Education Week that’s worth a look. I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Learning About Community Schools.
“Irate Parents Fight to Keep Information on Their Kids Private”
Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 21 hours ago
Irate Parents Fight to Keep Information on Their Kids Private is the headline of an article about an effort to create a national student data base with inBloom. I have to admit that I haven’t been following this issue very carefully, though I did previously post a link to a good article on it from [...]
“LAUSD passes guidelines for Parent Trigger, seeks changes in state law”
Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 1 day ago
Here’s an excerpt from LAUSD passes guidelines for Parent Trigger, seeks changes in state law in The Los Angeles Daily News: Following a ruckus over the use of the Parent Trigger law at two Los Angeles Unified schools, the board set guidelines Tuesday for to better deal with efforts to handle the takeover and transformation [...]
The Best Resources On Pre-School Parent Engagement
Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 2 days ago
I have many “Best” lists on multiple aspects of parent engagement, but thought with all the recent talk about expanding early education, a list on pre-school parent engagement would be useful. You can see all my parent engagement “Best” lists here. Here are my choices for The Best Resources On Pre-School Parent Engagement: Preschools Aim [...]
“Parents need help, not shame, in school involvement”
Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 2 days ago
Parents need help, not shame, in school involvement is the headline over a letter to the editor at The Chicago Tribune. It’s written by the authors of an important study on parent involvement that I’ve previously posted about. More important than their letter, though, is a link within it to a very readable summary of [...]
Bill Cosby’s “Unproductive” Perspective On Parent Involvement
Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 4 days ago
Bill Cosby’s ‘Tough Love’ Is Counterproductive at TIME offers a wise perspective on all advocates of “tough love” for public schools. Here’s an excerpt: Then there is education. “Interview some schoolteachers. How many parents, on parent-teacher day, actually show up?” Cosby asks. “Not to Dunbar or some school where people are saying they want their [...]
“Linking home and classroom, Oakland bets on community schools”
Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 5 days ago
Linking home and classroom, Oakland bets on community schools is a fairly in-depth report on…community schools in Oakland, California, and is published by the Hechinger Report. I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Learning About Community Schools.
Parent Involvement & The New NCLB Reauthorization Bill
Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 1 week ago
The United States Senate is considering a new No Child Left Behind Reauthorization bill and, even though it’s highly unlikely it will go anywhere, it does appear to have some positive parent involvement elements. You can read more details about the parent involvement particulars over at Education Week. Two things stand-out, both which I’ve written [...]
Hmmm, Why Don’t I Have Much Confidence In Chicago Superintendent’s Parent Engagement Plan?
Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 1 week ago
Weeks after announcing the largest school closure plan in United States history — one developed with little or no parent input — the CEO of Chicago Public Schools announced a new parent engagement plan. Her plan — to start parent “universities”: Byrd-Bennett’s action plan promises to launch “Parent Universities” across the city to “help parents [...]
Promoting Parent Engagement With ELLs
Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 1 week ago
In the Classroom with Liliana X. Aguas: Promote Parental Engagement is a short piece over at ASCD that offers some ideas on engaging parents of English Language Learners. It’s worth a read…
This Week’s #PTchat On Twitter
Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 1 week ago
image credit: gpb.org By Dana Sirotiak As in the words of Alice Cooper “Schools Out for Summer”! Well, at least it is very close. As another school year comes to an end, families contemplate what to do with their children over the summer break. If parents are contemplating keeping their children home for the [...]
“A Guide to Hosting Your Own ParentCamp”
Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 1 week ago
A Guide to Hosting Your Own ParentCamp is a post by Joe Mazza over at Edutopia. Here’s how it begins: Since Knapp Elementary held its first “ParentCamp” on April 27, our learning community has been engaged in conversations far beyond those 27 discussion sessions led by local parents and teachers. Vision: The ParentCamp experience, by [...]
The Best Resources About The “Supermoon”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 48 minutes ago
Watch for a Supermoon today and tomorrow — it’s the closest and biggest full moon of the year. Here are some useful resources on it: How to watch this weekend’s supermoon is from CBS News. What does a supermoon look … Continue reading →
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 some relatively recent good posts on education policy issues: Policymakers, do your homework on evaluation reform is an important post by Barnett Berry. I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Learning About Effective Student & Teacher Assessments. … Continue reading →
How My IB Theory Of Knowledge Students Evaluated Me This Year
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 10 hours ago
Yesterday, I posted how my ninth-grade mainstream English students evaluated our class and me. Today, it’s time to report how my IB Theory of Knowledge felt about our class. As regular readers know, I’ve been publicly posting the results of … Continue reading →
Cool Visualizations Of How We Spend Each Day
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 16 hours ago
There are a number of visualizations reflecting research how people in the United States tend to spend each minute of their day. The Bureau of Labor Statistics just came out with their annual report on that topic, and news organizations … Continue reading →
Infographic: “Over The Centuries: A Technology Timeline”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 18 hours ago
I’m adding this infographic to The Best Sites For Learning About The History Of Technology: Over The Centuries: A Technology Timeline infographic by Webrevolve.
June’s Best Tweets — Part Three
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 20 hours 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 … Continue reading →
The Best Theory Of Knowledge Resources In 2013 – So Far
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 22 hours ago
As regular readers know, I teach an International Baccalaureate “Theory of Knowledge” class. Our school structures our IB program a bit differently from many others by having a whole lot of students take individual IB classes and we have relatively … Continue reading →
More Resources On Sleep
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
Here are some new additions to The Best Resources For Helping Teens Learn About The Importance Of Sleep: Cheating Ourselves Of Sleep is from The New York Times. Study Links Workplace Daylight Exposure to Sleep, Activity and Quality of Life … Continue reading →
My Best Posts On New Research Studies In 2013 — So Far
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
I’m continuing to do early versions of “The Best Of The Year” lists so in December, when I do the final ones, I won’t have to review an entire year’s worth of posts. I write many posts about recent research … Continue reading →
Intriguing New Study On Student Engagement
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
Something must be in the air today — first there was the new study by Carol Dweck, and now another intriguing study — this one by University of Pittsburgh researchers on student engagement. Unfortunately, unlike Professor Dweck’s research, which was … Continue reading →
How My Ninth-Grade English Class Evaluated Me This Year
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
Our school year ended last Thursday, and I’m spending some time today reviewing anonymous student evaluations of my classes (you might also be interested in The Best Posts On Students Evaluating Classes (And Teachers) ). I’m starting with what is … Continue reading →
Videos: World Refugee Day
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
Here are two videos I’m adding to The Best Sites For Learning About World Refugee Day:
Interesting New Study By Carol Dweck
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
Readers of this blog are no strangers to the work of Carol Dweck, and you can find a collection of resources related to her work at The Best Resources On Helping Our Students Develop A “Growth Mindset.” Professor Dweck and … Continue reading →
Lots Of Interactive Resources On Refugees
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
Today is World Refugee Day. Here are several new interactive resources I’m adding to The Best Sites For Learning About World Refugee Day: Where Are the 50 Most Populous Refugee Camps? is an interactive map from Smithsonian Magazine. A Refugee … Continue reading →
The Best Online Learning Games Of 2013 — So Far
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
Time for another mid-year “The Best…” list…. As usual, In order to make it on this list, games had to: * be accessible to English Language Learners. * provide exceptionally engaging content. * not provide access to other non-educational games … Continue reading →
The Best Places To Find The Most Popular (& Useful) Resources For Educators – 2013 (So Far)
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
I periodically post “most popular” lists of websites (and books) that I think educators might find useful. Of course, there are a number of ways to gauge “popularity.” I just view these lists as opportunities to check-out some new sites, and … Continue reading →
Fourth Of July Resources
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
July 4th is Independence Day in the United States. You might find The Best Websites For Learning About The Fourth Of July useful.
The Best Articles I’ve Written In 2013 — So Far
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
In addition to the thousands of posts I’ve written in this blog over the past six years and my five books, I’ve also written over one hundred articles for different publications. You can access all of them here. You can … Continue reading →
World Refugee Resources
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
Tomorrow is World Refugee Day. Here are new additions to The Best Sites For Learning About World Refugee Day: UN warns of worst refugee crisis in nearly 20 years is from The Guardian. Source: Uploaded by user via UNHCR Source: … Continue reading →
How Many Studies Must A Man Do Before He Gives Up On Trying To Prove Extrinsic Motivation Works?
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
The headline of this post is a feeble attempt at mimicking Bob Dylan’s “Blowing In The Wind,” and refers to yet another failed attempt by Roland Fryer in his seemingly limitless capacity to try to prove that extrinsic motivation works. … Continue reading →
“The Best Resources On Pre-School Parent Engagement”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
I just posted The Best Resources On Pre-School Parent Engagement over at my other blog, Engaging Parents In School. You can find all my “Best” lists related to parent engagement here.
Feedly Comes To The Web
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
As Google Reader’s closure becomes imminent, and Feedly becomes the choice of more and more people as a replacement, one “rap” on it has been the need to download it as an app. Today, though, it opened itself up as … Continue reading →
The Best Tweets Of 2013 – So Far
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
Here’s my latest mid-year “The Best…” list. It’s a lengthy one, but it may be the best one I’ve published yet. You might also be interested in: Best Tweets Of 2012 Best “Tweets” Of 2011 Best “Tweets” Of 2010 Best … Continue reading →
The Best Ways To Create Online Content Easily & Quickly In 2013 – So Far
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 3 days ago
This mid-year list brings together what I think are this year’s best ways to create online content easily and quickly. These web tools are excellent ways for English Language Learners, and others who might not be very tech-savvy, to have … Continue reading →
This Week’s “Links I Should Have Posted About, But Didn’t”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 3 days 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 →
Hot Spot Interview — Report From Brazil
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 3 days ago
Two years ago, I began a new regular interview series. There are always lots of “hot spots” around the world — places where there are natural disasters, political upheavals, etc. And English teachers can be found in most of those … Continue reading →
The Best Science Sites Of 2013 – So Far
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 3 days ago
I’m continuing my mid-year “The Best…” lists …. You might also be interested in: The Best Science Sites Of 2012 — Part Two The Best Science Sites Of 2012 — Part One The Best Science Sites Of 2011 The Best … Continue reading →
Looking For Assets, Not Deficits
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 3 days ago
I’ve tried to apply the idea of looking for assets instead of deficits throughout my community organizing and teaching careers, and have written a lot about it in my books and in articles. One key strategy to make this work … Continue reading →
Newsela Provides “Leveled” News Articles & Quizzes
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 3 days ago
Newsela provides several “levels” of the same newspaper articles, along with accompanying online quizzes, that students can read and take. Teachers can create a virtual classroom, assign articles and monitor student progress. I wouldn’t say it promotes higher-level thinking but, … Continue reading →
The Best Articles, Videos & Posts On Education Policy In 2013 – So Far
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
Here’s yet another mid-year “The Best…” list…. You might also be interested in: The Best Articles, Videos & Posts On Education Policy In 2012 — Part Two The Best Articles, Videos & Posts On Education Policy In 2012 — Part … Continue reading →
Quote Of The Day: “The Satisfaction Of Teaching…”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
Over at his blog, Larry Cuban has published a commencement address by Elliot Eisner, Professor Emeritus of Education and Art at Stanford University. Here’s an excerpt:
World Refugee Resources
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
World Refugee Day is on June 20th. You might be interested in The Best Sites For Learning About World Refugee Day.
The Best Videos For Educators In 2013 – So Far
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
Here’s the latest in my mid-year“The Best…” posts…. You might also be interested in: The Best Videos For Educators In 2012 — Part Two The Best Videos For Educators In 2012 — Part One The Best Videos For Educators In … Continue reading →
Nice Find By Richard Byrne: Flow Reader
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
Flow Reader looks like a nice alternative to Google Reader, and you can read more about it at Richard Byrnes’ blog. For a person like me who gets stuck in his ways, it’s particularly nice since it seems to look … Continue reading →
Wonderground Is A Neat Geography & Science Game
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
Wonderground is a game from General Electric where you visit various cities in The United States and are given “missions” to explore them and make discoveries related to science and history. It would be accessible to high Intermediate English Language … Continue reading →
eduCanon Could Be Useful For Creating Video Lessons
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
eduCanon is a new site that lets teachers create video lessons relatively easily, along with have a virtual classroom where you can monitor student responses to questions you include in the lesson (thanks to TechCrunch for the tip). I’m adding … Continue reading →
Digg Announces Their Google Reader Replacement Is Coming Out Next Week
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
Digg just announced that they are unveiling their Google Reader replacement next week — they’re certainly “cutting it close” with Google Reader shutting down on July 1st. The screenshots look promising. I’m looking forward to trying it out. I’m adding … Continue reading →
Quote Of The Day: “Was adopting Common Core a mistake?”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
Today’s Los Angeles Times editorial, Was adopting Common Core a mistake?, makes some great points. Here’s an excerpt: I’m adding it to The Best Articles Sharing Concerns About Common Core Standards.
The Best “Quotes Of The Day” In 2013 – So Far
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
A few months ago, I begin periodically posting “quotes of the day.” Here are my favorites so far this year: The Dictatorship of Data: Robert McNamara epitomizes the hyper-rational executive led astray by numbers is an excellent article in the … Continue reading →
Video: “85 Seconds” Is A Very Innovative Use Of Storytelling
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 days ago
This short video tells a story in a very unusual way, and would be great to show English Language Learners and have them retell what they saw:
This Week’s “Round-Up” Of Good Posts & Articles On Education Policy
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 days ago
Here are some relatively recent useful pieces on educational policy issues: Common-Core Online Practice Tests Unveiled is from Education Week. I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Learning About The “Next Generation” Of State Testing. Research Overwhelmingly Counsels an … Continue reading →
The Best Social Studies Sites Of 2013 – So Far
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 days ago
Here’s the latest mid-year “Best” list…. You might also be interested in: The Best Social Studies Sites Of 2012 — Part Two The Best Social Studies Sites Of 2012 — Part One The Best Social Studies Sites Of 2011 The … Continue reading →
The Best Web 2.0 Applications For Education In 2013 – So Far
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 days ago
It’s that time of year again when I start posting mid-year “The Best….” lists. There are over 1,100 lists now. You can see them all here. As usual, in order to make this list, a site had to be: * … Continue reading →
A Response To Questions About Sugata Mitra
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 days ago
A few days ago, I posted Questions About Sugata Mitra & His “Holes In The Wall.” Here’s a guest post Rory Gallagher wrote in response. Feel free to continue the conversation in the comments section. Rory Gallagher’s “bio”: Teacher of … Continue reading →
Well-Done Infographic: “Father’s Day”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 days ago
I’m adding this pretty well-done infographic to The Best Father’s Day Sites: Source: visualoop.tumblr.com via Larry on Pinterest
All My Ed Week Posts On Student Motivation In One Place!
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
Q & A Collections: Student Motivation is the title of my new post at Education Week Teacher. It brings all my Ed Week posts on student motivation together in one place. I’m adding it to The Best Posts & Articles … Continue reading →
More On Different Cultures
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
Here are some new additions to The Best Sites For Learning About The World’s Different Cultures: 13 Things That Americans Do That The Rest Of The World Just Finds Bizarre is from Business Insider. Languages of love: 10 unusual terms … Continue reading →
“Travel Videos” Looks Like A Useful Geography Site
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
Travel Videos is a site that has….lots of categorized travel videos. Most, if not all, seem to come from YouTube. I’m not quite sure how they curate them, but it does seem to get better results than just searching on … Continue reading →
What I’m Writing This Summer….
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
Last week, I published a guest piece over at Education Week sharing what I was planning on reading this summer, and thought I’d publish a short post here sharing what my writing projects are over the same period of time. … Continue reading →
Infographic: “Our National Parks: The Pride of America”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
I’m adding this infographic (which I think is very well done) to The Best Sites For Learning About Yosemite & Other U.S. National Parks: Source: onlinempa.unc.edu via Larry on Pinterest
Excellent Short Video On Making Mistakes
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
Jason Flom shared this great video on the importance of making mistakes. I’m adding it to The Best Posts, Articles & Videos About Learning From Mistakes & Failures.
Video: A Cow’s Digestive System As A Rube Goldberg Machine
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
I’m adding this rather unusual video to The Best Resources For Learning About Rube Goldberg Machines: Cow from Nova Jiang on Vimeo.
My Most Popular Posts In 2013 — So Far
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
I’ll be posting various 2013 “so far” lists over the summer, and thought I’d start with my most popular posts of the year — so far (based on 600,000 visits to my blog in the first six months of this … Continue reading →
Around The Web In ESL/EFL/ELL
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
I’ve started a somewhat regular feature where I share a few posts and resources from around the Web related to ESL/EFL or to language in general that have caught my attention: Year-End Review: A Recap of Our CCSS for ELLs … Continue reading →
Perception Tests
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 week ago
Here are some online tests I’ve had my IB Theory of Knowledge students take when we study perception: Lab In The Wild Test My Brain Games With Words Let me know if you know of similar sites.
Questions About Sugata Mitra & His “Holes In The Wall”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 week ago
Professor Sugata Mitra is famous for his “holes in the wall” experiments where he placed computers in impoverished Indian communities and students “self-organized” their instruction. Now, with a substantial grant from TED Talks, he’s planning an ambitious expansion of his … Continue reading →
Video: “Your Life As A Dog”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 week ago
This is a fun and engaging video I’m adding to The Best Sites For Walking In Someone Else’s Shoes:
Great “Flag Day” Resource
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 week ago
One Country! One Language! One Flag! is a great Flag Day (it’s today) learning activity by Bill Bigelow at The Zinn Education Project. I doubt that you’ll find any better lesson out there… I’m adding it to The Best Sites … Continue reading →
Facebook May Unveil Google Reader Replacement
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 week ago
Google Reader is shutting down on July 1st, and there is no shortage of potential replacements (see The Best Alternatives To Google Reader Now That It’s Being Shut Down). However, Facebook has announced a major event on June 20th, and … Continue reading →
