Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
LARRY FERLAZZO’S WEBSITES OF THE DAY
LOOK FOR MY NEW BOOK
"Self-Driven Learning: Teaching Strategies for Student Motivation"
will be a sequel to"Helping Students Motivate Themselves"
“One School, One Year: A Look Inside Oyler School”
Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 5 hours ago
“One School, One Year: A Look Inside Oyler School” is a special NPR Markeplace report on a community school in Cincinnati, Ohio. I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Learning About Community Schools.
Great Parent Trigger Post By Diane Ravitch
Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 7 hours ago
I’ve previously posted in my other blog about controversy regarding wording recently used in a blog post about the parent trigger by Diane Ravitch. It appears that some people in public life have remarkably thin skin. Diane has just posted … Continue reading →
“Parents Taking Assertive Stance in Children’s Education”
Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 1 day ago
Parents Taking Assertive Stance in Children’s Education is a useful compilation of tweets, articles and videos on various recent examples of “parent activism.” It’s worth a look….
What’s Missing In “Stand For Children” Article On Parent Engagement? Only The Most Important Thing….
Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 1 day ago
The Hechinger Report just published an article by the leaders of the “school reform” group Stand For Children. It’s titled We’re not doing enough to engage parents, even though it improves achievement. It actually has a fair amount of good … Continue reading →
“Professor: Time to Redefine ‘Data’ for School Closings”
Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 1 day ago
Professor: Time to Redefine ‘Data’ for School Closings is a useful article over at Education Week. Here’s how it begins: Parent and community input—and the historical perspective of a community—represent overlooked data sets in decisions about school closings, according to … Continue reading →
“Chicago School Closures Galvanize Parent Activists”
Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 1 day ago
I think it’s safe to say the Chicago Public Schools have not generated a lot of the kind of parent engagement they would like as a result of its heavy-handed closure of 49 schools. However, their actions has indeed resulted … Continue reading →
Article & Video: “Parent-mentor program helps with education involvement”
Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 1 day ago
I’ve published several posts about the parent mentor in Chicago sponsored by the Logan Square Neighborhood Association. Here’s another article, along with a video, on it. It’s titled Parent-mentor program helps with education involvement.
“Metro schools work with SurveyMonkey, Harvard to assess parental involvement”
Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 1 day ago
I’ve previously posted about concerns I have related to Harvard working with SurveyMonkey to help school districts do parent surveys (see I’m A Bit Wary Of Harvard’s Plan For Online Parent Surveys). I guess they’ve actually begun putting their plan … Continue reading →
L.A. Times Has Good Editorial On Parent Trigger Mess
Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 1 day ago
The ‘parent trigger’ trap is a good editorial in today’s Los Angeles Times. Here’s how it ends: Reformers might fear that a more open process would lead to more misinformation and even intimidation of parents by teachers or others with … Continue reading →
Another Story About How The Parent Trigger is Destructive To Just About Everybody….
Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 1 day ago
Watts teachers urge public notice for parent trigger campaigns is the headline of an L.A. Times article depicting the destructiveness of the parent trigger. It joins a long list of similar stories, many which you can find on this blog….
“Growing Readers” Offers Helpful Bilingual Advice
Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 1 day ago
Growing Readers offers a sizable collection of bilingual (English/Spanish) materials offering advice to parents on how to…grow young readers. You can also sign-up to received a new article free by email every month. I’m adding it to The Best Multilingual … Continue reading →
“School leaders say Oakland’s community school movement will continue, even without Tony Smith”
Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 1 day ago
School leaders say Oakland’s community school movement will continue, even without Tony Smith is a good article from Ed Source about ambitious plans for community schools in Oakland. I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Learning About Community Schools.
This Week’s #PTchat On Twitter
Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 1 day ago
Guest Post by Joe Mazza Image credit: graphics8.nytimes.com Last year the @NYTimesLearning blog held a conversation on summer reading, sharing many resources which added to the 2012 #PTchat discussion on summer reading. This week we’ve got a variety of amazing connected educators … Continue reading →
““Parent trigger” as a pale shadow of community involvement”
Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 1 day ago
“Parent trigger” as a pale shadow of community involvement is a very thoughtful post by Sherman Dorn. I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Learning Why The Parent Trigger Isn’t Good For Parents, Kids Or Schools.
“Helping or hovering? When ‘helicopter parenting’ backfires”
Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 1 day ago
Having parents “too involved” with their children’s lives is not something I have had much experience with, but I do know that some teachers face that challenge. If you do, I’d encourage you to read this article from NBC News, … Continue reading →
Interview On Parent Engagement
Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 1 day ago
Hotchalk recently published an interview on parent engagement Pamela Moreland did with me. You might find it useful and/or interesting….
New Study: “Parent Involvement in Grade School Boosts Child’s Social Skills” (not the biggest surprise)
Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 1 day ago
Parent Involvement in Grade School Boosts Child’s Social Skills is an article summarizing the not-surprising result of a new study: The research team found that parents who increased school visitations and encouraged educational progress at home saw their child’s social … Continue reading →
The Consequences Of Approving A Parent Trigger Petition
Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 1 day ago
Check out today’s Los Angeles Times article, Popular principal’s dismissal leaves a South L.A. school divided, to learn about some of the harmful consequences of a parent trigger petition. You can find out about lots of other negative consequences at … Continue reading →
“Teaching Secrets: Learning From Parents”
Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 1 day ago
Teaching Secrets: Learning From Parents is a nice little refresher at Education Week Teacher on the basics of what teachers can do to develop better connections with parents. It’s definitely worth a read….
Head Start’s “Importance of Home Language Series” Is Very Useful
Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 1 day ago
Head Start has a series of downloadable flyers in their Importance of Home Language Series that are in English and Spanish. They’re useful for educators and for parents. I’m adding it to: The Best Multilingual Resources For Parents The Best … Continue reading →
“Refining ‘parent trigger’ “
Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 1 day ago
Refining ‘parent trigger’ is the headline of a Los Angeles Times editorial that highlights a problem in California’s parent trigger law that has long been an issue for many of us: If enough parents sign a petition to initiate the … Continue reading →
“Parent End of Year Survey”
Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 1 day ago
Pernille Ripp just published a parent end of year survey she does with parents of her students every year. It’s a good idea. She does it online, but it can also be done with pen-and-paper. Of course, even though I … Continue reading →
Video: “Hans Rosling explains population growth and climate change”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 hours ago
I’ve previously posted many of Hans Rosling’s great video explanation of world demographics and their economic and social implications. Thanks to Flowing Data, I just learned about this new one, where he uses Legos to explain population growth and climate … Continue reading →
Video: “Book Domino Chain World Record”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 hours ago
“Book Domino Chain World Record” is a video from The Seattle Public Library. I’m adding it to The Best Fun Videos About Books & Reading.
This Week In Web 2.0
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 7 hours ago
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 →
Even More On NCLB Replacement
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 11 hours ago
Here are two more additions to The Best Posts & Articles On The New NCLB Reauthorization Bill: Slim chances for new version of No Child Left Behind is from The Hechinger Ed blog. Plans to replace ‘No Child’ law bring … Continue reading →
The Economic Value Of Education
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 11 hours ago
The New York Times has published a report on a new study they title The Premium From a College Degree. Here’s a graph they reproduced: Source: economix.blogs.nytimes.com I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Showing Students Why They Should … Continue reading →
Great Video On Motivation & Creativity
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 12 hours ago
This video has been making the rounds on Twitter today — I learned about it from Joe Bower. It demonstrates both the disadvantages of extrinsic motivation and the importance of helping our students develop creativity. I’m adding it to The … Continue reading →
Create An Online Abstract Painting With This New York Times Interactive
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 12 hours ago
You Made That is a pretty simple New York Times interactive that lets you create an abstract painting and then share the url address of your creation. No registration is required. I’m not adding it to The Best Art Websites … Continue reading →
June’s Best Tweets — Part One
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day 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 →
A Few Nice Infographics
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
Here are a few useful infographics I’ve found recently: Why Students Are Not Finishing School is an interactive infographic from GOOD. How Much Do Americans Spend on Unhealthy Living? is from MINT. I’m adding this next infographic to The Best … Continue reading →
Update On New NCLB Reauthorization Legislation
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
Here are two new additions to The Best Posts & Articles On The New NCLB Reauthorization Bill: House Republican Introduces Education Bill is from The New York Times. ELL Accountability Could Widen Under Harkin NCLB Bill is from Education Week.
Great New Maps Of U.S. Regional Dialects
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
22 Maps That Show How Americans Speak English Totally Differently From Each Other is a fun and informative sampling from an extensive new series of visualizations that have just been published. And if that sample isn’t enough for you, then … Continue reading →
“Populr.me” Is A Nice Website-Creating Tool Now That There’s No Limit On Number Of Free Pages
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
I discovered Populr.me awhile ago, and liked how easy it let you create websites. However, at that time, they had a very strict, and small, limit on the number of pages you could publish. They’ve just removed that limit, so … Continue reading →
Infographic: “Sea Level Rise & Global Warming
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
I’m adding this infographic to The Best Sites To Learn About Climate Change: Source: ucsusa.org via Larry on Pinterest
Here’s What I Do To Help My Students Combat The “Summer Slide”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
We’re all familiar with the “summer slide” — the academic losses that many young people, especially in low-income communities, experience during the time they’re out of school. And you can read more about it at The Best Resources On The … Continue reading →
Another Great Mister Rogers “Remix” — & An Opportunity to Create Your Own
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
Last year, I posted a delightful Mister Rogers musical remix from PBS and Melody Sheep (which I’ve reposted at the very end of this post). Today, they came out with another one that’s equally delightful, which I’ve also embedded below. … Continue reading →
Around The Web In ESL/EFL/ELL
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 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: Video In The Classroom is by David Deubelbeiss. I’m … Continue reading →
Video: “Best TV shows for learners of English”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
Thanks to Judie Haynes, I saw this video, Best TV shows for learners of English. I’m adding it to The Best Popular Movies/TV Shows For ESL/EFL (& How To Use Them). The same people who created this video are creating … Continue reading →
Quote Of The Day: “Which road will we choose?”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
Which road will we choose? is a post by Arthur Camins, director of the Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education. It’s related to his recent article in Phi Delta Kappan, Two Roads Diverge for American Education (unfortunately, the … Continue reading →
Two Useful NY Times Articles On Tech — Creating Websites & Saving Passwords
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
The New York Times published two useful tech-related articles today. One was on creating websites, Building Your Own Web Site, Free (you might also be interested in The Best Ways For Students Or Teachers To Create A Website). David Pogue, … Continue reading →
Pinterest Announces New Search Feature
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
Pinterest just announced that they’ve added the ability to search your “pins” based on the words you use in the pin description. This could be quite handy. I’m adding this info to The Best Guides To Figuring Out Pinterest.
Cute Video For Teaching Self-Control: “Chicken Or The Egg”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
Here’s a cute video that would be a fun introduction to the lesson on self-control in my book, Helping Students Motivate Themselves (and it could be used with any of the other ideas I share in The Best Posts About … Continue reading →
Quote Of The Day: “Should We Trust Economists?”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 3 days ago
I’ve posted in the past about my concern, and the concerns of others, about the work of many economists, especially when they base their conclusions on models and not what really happens in the world. Should We Trust Economists? is … Continue reading →
World Oceans Day
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 3 days ago
Every June 8th is World Oceans Day. You might want to explore The Best Sites For Learning About The World’s Oceans.
The Best Posts & Articles On The New NCLB Reauthorization Bill
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 3 days ago
Senator Tom Harkin has just introduced the new NCLB Reauthorization Bill (here’s the Republican’s alternative). Here are my choices for the best commentaries on the bill. Feel free to suggestion additional ones: Senate Democrats to Unveil NCLB Reauthorization Bill is … Continue reading →
More Resources On Metacognition
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 3 days ago
Here are new additions to The Best Posts On Metacognition: Bringing Metacognition into the Classroom is by Lizzie Pinard. “If you are happy and you know it clap your hands (clap clap)” a metacognitive song for kids? @smfleming — Benedetto … Continue reading →
The Power Of Stories
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 3 days ago
Dan Willingham writes on his blog about yet another study that provides “evidence that putting to-be-learned material in a story format improves learning outcomes.” I’m not going to describe that particular research here since Dan does an excellent job over … Continue reading →
More On Encouraging Students To Continue Their Academic Career
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 3 days ago
Here are the newest additions to The Best Resources For Showing Students Why They Should Continue Their Academic Career: For high school grads, the economy keeps getting worse is from The Washington Post. Life Is O.K., if You Went to … Continue reading →
Tiananmen Square Massacre Happened 24 Years Ago
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
The Tiananmen Square Massacre happened 24 years ago today. Here’s the BBC News report on the event, and you can find much more at The Best Sites For Learning About Protests In History:
This Week’s “Round-Up” Of Good Articles & Posts On Education Policy
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
Here are a few relatively recent good posts and articles on education policy issues: Monty Neill: Authentic Assessment as Part of a Testing Reform Campaign is from Education Week. I’m adding it to The Best Articles Describing Alternatives To High-Stakes … Continue reading →
The Importance Of Explaining “Why”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
I’ve often written — in articles, in my books, and here in this blog — about the importance of agitating students to explain their answers. As I wrote in The New York Times while discussing a lesson where students had … Continue reading →
Even More Videos Of The Pacific Region
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
Here are even more additions to A Beginning List Of The Best Sites For ELLs To Learn About The Pacific Region:
“eduClipper” Has Potential To Be An “All In One” Tool For Teachers & Students
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
I use Pinterest daily. However, in the vast majority of schools, it is never going to make it past Internet content filters for students. eduClipper is basically a Pinterest for schools (and I confirmed today that it is not blocked … Continue reading →
June 12th Interview With Me About “Self-Driven Learning”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
Steve Hargadon will be interviewing me about my newest book, Self-Driven Learning, on June 12, Wednesday (5pm Pacific, 8pm Eastern). You can connect to it here, and I’ll be posting more information as we get closer to the date.
The Best Resources For World Environment Day
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
“World Environment Day (‘WED’) is celebrated every year on 5th june to raise global awareness of the need to take positive environmental action. It is run by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).” Here’s the official video for 2013: ESL … Continue reading →
Videos About The Pacific Region
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
Here are videos I’m adding to A Beginning List Of The Best Sites For ELLs To Learn About The Pacific Region: Australia: Tourist Attractions (Part 1) Australia: Tourist Attractions (Part 2) Australia: Tourist Attractions (Part 3) Here are lots of … Continue reading →
This Week’s “Links I Should Have Posted About, But Didn’t”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 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 →
Quote Of The Day: “Now we have a menace that is called Twitter”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 days ago
Colleagues in the English teaching community living in Turkey, and thousands of others, are protesting in Turkey. Here’s a priceless quote from Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan published in The New York Times:
Combine Two Famous Faces To Make Something Weird With “ScreenToys”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 days ago
ScreenToys lets you combine two famous faces (or other images of your choice) into weird creatures. No registration is required, and you’re given the url address of your creation. English Language Learners can post their link on a class blog … Continue reading →
Trulia Adds Visualizations For Neighborhood Info….Everywhere (in the U.S., at least)
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 days ago
I’ve previously posted about Trulia’s visualizations showing information (crime, home prices) for some cities in the United States. Now, they have dramatically expanded the information they share (flooding and earthquake hazards, schools, etc.) and the number of neighborhoods they cover. … Continue reading →
Quote Of The Day: Use Tech To Make Education Better, Not Cheaper
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 days ago
Robots in the classroom the wrong innovation is a good article in today’s San Francisco Chronicle. Here’s an excerpt:
Infographic: “How Does The Act Of Writing Affect Your Brain?”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 days ago
I’m adding this infographic to The Best Resources For Showing Students That They Make Their Brain Stronger By Learning: Source: dailyinfographic.com
Reminder: You Can Always Subscribe To This Blog By Email
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
Many readers subscribe to this blog using Google Reader, which is being shut-down on July 1st. There are plenty of alternatives to Google Reader if you still want to subscribe using an RSS Reader (see The Best Alternatives To Google … Continue reading →
The Ten Most Popular Posts From My Ed Week Blog
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
Over at Education Week, I’ve just published a list of the ten most popular posts from my Ed Week Teacher blog. You might find it useful….
Video: “Fast & Furious” Chase Scene
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
I’m certainly adding this clip to The Best Movie Scenes To Use For English-Language Development. Students will have a lot of fun describing what happens in it:
“Pursued” Is A Fun Geography Game
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
In Pursued, you have escaped from being kidnapped and have to figure out which cities you’ve been taken. You explore the area through Google Street Views, and are given hints of what to look for. There are different levels of … Continue reading →
Infographic: “Deaths on Mount Everest”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
I’m adding this infographic to The Best Sites For Learning About Mount Everest: Deaths on Mount Everest infographic
Ask A Classroom Question, Any Classroom Question….
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
I’m beginning to organize questions and answers I’ll be covering at my Education Week Teacher blog next school year. I’ve received plenty, but could always use more. Feel free to leave them in the comments section here….
“Keep Calm & Carry On”
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 week ago
This has been a challenging year for me in the classroom. My classes, as do most at our 100% free lunch school, always have a considerable number of students facing multiple difficult challenges, but this year the number and severity … Continue reading →
Photo Galleries Of The Week
Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 week ago
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 →