Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
LARRY FERLAZZO’S WEBSITES OF THE DAY
Stop The Presses! Tom Friedman Writes Second Column In Four Months Related To Ed That Makes Sense…
New York Times opinion writer Thomas Friedman is generally as incoherent as most of The Times’ editorial writers when it comes to education-related issues. However, he wrote a very good piece in October (see Stop The Presses! Thomas Friedman Actually Writes Something Semi-Coherent About Education) and, today, he’s done it again. His column today is basically an interview with the head of hiring f
Around The Web In ESL/EFL/ELL
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: I’m adding these first two posts to The Best Ideas For Using Games In The ESL/EFL/ELL Classroom: 3 fun ways of incorporating games into beginner level classes is by Adam Simpson. A homemade revision game is by Sandy Milli
Video: Excellent Update On What’s Happening In Ukraine
Channel 4 in Great Britain created this short and excellent report on what happened in Ukraine today. I’m adding it to The Best Resources On The Protests In Ukraine.
Two Excellent Analyses Of Learning Videos (Plus A Bonus!)
I’ve previously published the two videos I’m posting at the bottom of this post. However, both times I didn’t provide much commentary. Joe Bower, on the other hand, has done an excellent job providing short, simple, and very insightful posts highlighting what we can learn from both of them. Make a point of reading his analyses of the South African reading commercial (the first video) and of the vi
Quote Of The Day: Have You Ever Wondered How Many Decisions We Teachers Need To Make Each Day?
In an excellent post awhile back, Larry Cuban summarized research related to how many decisions a teacher has to make each day: *Researchers Hilda Borko and Richard Shavelson summarized studies that reported .7 decisions per minute during interactive teaching. *Researcher Philip Jackson (p. 149) said that elementary teachers have 200 to 300 exchanges with students every hour (between 1200-1500 a d
This Week’s Round-Up Of Useful Posts On Education Policy
Here are some recent useful posts and articles on educational policy issues: Teachers union head calls for Core ‘course correction’ is from The Washington Post. I’m adding it to The Best Articles Sharing Concerns About Common Core Standards. The Case Against Tenure Seems Weak is by Paul Bruno. I’m adding it to The Best Articles For Helping To Understand Both Why Teacher Tenure Is Important &
Excellent Wash. Post Piece: “You think you know what teachers do. Right? Wrong.”
Valerie Strauss at The Washington Post has published a piece by Sarah Blaine that is sure to go “viral” among educators. It’s titled You think you know what teachers do. Right? Wrong. Here’s an excerpt:
Saturday’s New Sochi Olympics Resources
Here are today’s additions to The Best Sites For Learning About The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games: A Brief History of Sexism in TV Coverage of the Olympics is from The Atlantic. The Sochi Olympics, Frame by Frame is from The New York Times. Olympians’ Least Favorite Questions is from The NY Times. ‘To everybody, it’s my 1st Olympics, but to me, it’s my 1,000th’: Journals help Shiffrin prep is f
“Ways To Engage Students In Reading”
Ways To Engage Students In Reading is the final post in a three part series at my Education Week Teacher column. Today, Jason Flom and many readers share their suggestions… Here’s an excerpt:
Great Video For Language Development (& For Ethics Discussion): “Would you give your jacket to Johannes?”
Here’s a great video created by an organization in Norway to raise awareness of the plight of Syrian refugee children. English Language Learners can describe what they see happening the video and discuss what they would do….
Any EFL/ELT Teachers In The Ukraine Willing To Be Interviewed?
Three years ago, I began a new irregular 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 places. As you can see from previous interviews, I’ve been able to contact teachers in lots of different “hot spots.” I write up a few questions, and then they respo
YESTERDAY
This Looks Interesting, Though I Have Some Concerns: Angela Duckworth Creates “Grit” Organization
Thanks to Alexander Russo, I just learned about an interview with “grit” researcher Angela Duckworth at Scholastic. The interview is fine, though most of it won’t be new to people familiar with her work or the info at The Best Resources For Learning About The Importance Of “Grit.”…. Except, however, for the news that she’s begun her own non-profit organization called Character Lab. It sounds like
Resources For Understanding The “Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome” (SOLO) Taxonomy
Photo Credit: amira_a via Compfight In yet another example of how much I do not know, I’ve recently learned about the Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome (SOLO), which can be characterized as an alternative to Bloom’s Taxonomy. I read about it this week at Peter DeWitt’s fine Education blog in his post, What’s Our Best Taxonomy? Bloom’s or SOLO? I’ve spent a little time trying to understa
Video: “Start Small Before Moving Big” Is Good Classroom Management Advice
The citation for the research cited in the video can be found on the video’s YouTube page. I’m adding it to The Best Posts On Classroom Management.
FEB 20
February’s Best Tweets — Part Three
Every month I make a few short lists highlighting my choices of the best resources I 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 resources I found on Twitter — and where I gave credit to those from whom I learned about them. Those are not included again in post. If you don’t use Twitter, you can
The Best Resources On The Protests In Ukraine
I’ve previously posted about the Ukraine protests, but the escalation of the violence is so tragic and on-going, I thought a “Best” lists would be useful. You might also be interested in You might also be interested in The Best Sites For Learning About Protests In History. Kiev Truce Shattered, Dozens Killed is a photo gallery from The Atlantic. Ukraine’s deepening political crisis is an infograp
National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition (NCELA) Reopens For Business
The National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition (NCELA), which was created by Congress forty years ago to be a…clearinghouse for info on English Language Learners, appears to have reopened for business after a dramatic contracting saga that went on for a longtime, and which you can read about at Learning The Language. They just sent out what they say will be a bimonthly email newslett
Thursday’s New Sochi Resources
Here are today’s additions to The Best Sites For Learning About The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games: Russian Riot Grrrls Beaten but Not Arrested in Sochi is from The New York Times. Champions of the corruption race is an interesting interactive.
FEB 19
How My ELL Students Evaluated Me At The End Of First Semester
As regular readers know, at least twice each year I have students in all my classes anonymously evaluate the class and me (they also do a self-evaluation that, 95% of the time, turns into their grade. Here’s the form they usually use). In addition, they know ahead of time that I publish the results and also send them to my colleagues and administrators — warts and all. And believe, there have bee
“Reading Is a ‘Means to Bigger and Better Things’”
Reading Is a ‘Means to Bigger and Better Things’ is Part Two in my Education Week Teacher series on developing life-long readers. Today, educators Kristi Mraz, Marjorie Martinelli, Kathy Barclay and Cindi Rigsbee contribute their thoughts. Here’s are some excerpts:
FEB 18
Wednesday’s Sochi Resource Update
Here are today’s additions to The Best Sites For Learning About The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games: The New York Times has finally gotten around to putting all their Olympics’ interactives in one place. 6 Olympians who became educators is from Education Dive. What’s the Most Dominant Country In Each Winter Olympic Sport? is from The Atlantic. 2 in Russian Protest Band Held, Then Freed, in Sochi
Video: “I Am A Ukranian”
In light of what’s happening in Kiev right now, I thought readers might be interested in this English-language video that the protesters made to explain what they’re doing. For more information about what’s happening right now, you can check out this constantly update page from The New York Times and this updated Associated Press interactive. You might also be interested in The Best Sites For Lea
February’s Infographics & Interactives Galore – Part Two
There are just so many good infographics and interactives out there that I’ve begun a new semi-regular feature called “Infographics & Interactives Galore.” You can see others at A Collection Of “The Best…” Lists On Infographics and by searching “infographics” on this blog. I’ll still be publishing separate posts to individually highlight especially useful infographics and interactives, but you
My New BAM! Podcast: “How Can We Reduce Teacher Attrition at High-Poverty Schools?”
My latest nine-minute BAM! podcast tackles the question “How can we reduce teacher attrition at high-poverty schools?” My guests are Barnett Berry and Ilana Garon, who have both contributed a written response to a future column on this topic at my Education Week Teacher blog. It’s a Part Two to my podcast from last week, which was on Why Precisely Do Teachers Leave High Poverty Schools?
Well-Done Interactive: “The Cost Of Living In The United States”
Produced By Online Accounting Degrees
Music Video: Jamaican Bobsled Team reggae song
I’m adding this new official Jamaican Bobsled Team song to The Best Sites For Learning About The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games:
FEB 17
“Sea Of Liberty” Looks Like An Excellent U.S. History Site
Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson, has just announced several new online education resources. The one that really stands out for me is Sea Of Liberty. After registering for free, teachers can create virtual classrooms and student can make lots of online interactive posters and projects using Monticello resources. I’m adding it to The Best Websites For Teaching & Learning About U.S. His
New Helpful Resources For Google+
Here are some new helpful resources that I’m adding to The Best Resources For Learning What Google+ Is All About: 12 Reasons Google+ Isn’t As Bad As You Think is from The Huffington Post. The Plus in Google Plus? It’s Mostly for Google is from The New York Times. 10 Growing Google+ Communities In Education is from Teach Thought. 28 Google+ Ed-Tech Communities for Educators, Instructional Designer
Resources For “World Read Aloud Day”
March 5th is World Read Aloud Day in 2014. You might find The Best Resources For World Read Aloud Day useful….
The Best Posts, Articles & Lesson Plans On The Jordan Davis Tragedy & Verdict: Our “Classrooms Are Full Of Him”
Another young African-American man is dead and another verdict is in… Here are some useful articles and posts (I hope readers will contribute more): The Best Resources For Lessons On Trayvon Martin could be helpful. Fight With Us Too, Damnit (Educators and Jordan Davis) is by Jose Vilson. I took the quotation in the headline of this post from his post. Jordan Davis in our Classrooms is by Diana L
WRITE Institute Unveils New Website
Recent WRITE activity spotted in Woodland, CA classrooms during Seal of Excellence walkthrough. Impressive! pic.twitter.com/5PPkRU7biF — WRITE Institute (@WRITEinstitute) February 12, 2014 As I’ve often written in this blog, and as my co-author Katie Hull and I have written in our ESL book, The WRITE Institute is a great writing curriculum to use with English Language Learners. They have just un
Around The Web In ESL/EFL/ELL
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: Who ordered the McNuggets? is a thoughtful blog post by Scott Thornbury. Recent CCSS for ELLs Resource Roundup is by Diane Staehr Fenner. Writing skills practice from The British Council Learn English Teens site has excelle
Video (& Writing Prompt): “A failure isn’t a failure if it prepares you for success tomorrow”
John McCarthy shared this short video clip of U.S. Olympic bobsledder Lolo Jones. She begins by sharing her favorite quote (though doesn’t cite the source and I can’t find it online, either): “A failure isn’t a failure if it prepares you for success tomorrow” I’m going to show the video to my students, along with writing that quotation on the board. Then, I’ll ask them to respond to this writing
From The Archives: “What Does It Mean To Be A Good Citizen?”
I’ve recently re-started an effort I’ve tried to do previously by regularly highlighting previous posts and articles I’ve shared in previous years that I think might be worth a second look. Last year, one of my New York Times posts for English Language Learners was titled “What Does It Mean To Be A Good Citizen?” Here’s an excerpt:
Resources For International Mother Language Day
February 21st has been designated International Mother Language Day by UNESCO. You might be interested in The Best Resources For International Mother Language Day.
This Week’s Round-Up Of Useful Posts On Education Policy
Here are some recent useful posts on education policy issues: How Universal Pre-K Could Redistribute Wealth—Right Here, Right Now is from The Nation. Yes, I Am a Teacher and No, I Did Not Stay at a Holiday Inn Express Last Night is from Education Week. Common Core Curriculum Now Has Critics on the Left is from The New York Times. Vergara Show Trial Highlights Gates Foundation Snake Oil is by John
FEB 16
Monday’s New Resources For the Sochi Olympics
Here are today’s new additions to The Best Sites For Learning About The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games: Top 10 viral videos of the 2014 Winter Olympics is from NBC. New Scientist shares the odds of getting injured in each Olympic sport. The 2014 Olympics By The Numbers is a neat NY Times interactive. Ancestral Enemies Meet at Olympics for a Toast to Amity is an intriguing NY Times article. Prime
Let Them Eat Character
I am a big supporter of educators helping students develop many of the qualities highlighted in the concept of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) — perseverance (or “grit”); self-control; personal responsibility, etc. I apply it regularly in my classroom, write in my blog about practical ideas on implementing SEL lessons in schools, and have even authored two books on the topic (and will have a th
More Presidents’ Day Resources
Here are the latest additions to The Best Resources About Presidents’ Day: Why Presidents Day is Slightly Strange is from The Washington Post. Presidents’ Day Activities is from The National Education Association. Presidents’ Day is from The History Channel
“Ways To Develop Life-Long Readers”
I just published my latest post at Education Week Teacher, Ways To Develop Life-Long Readers. Donalyn Miller, Mark Barnes and Christopher Lehman contribute their ideas. Here are some excerpts:
Great Chart: “the differences between teaching writing and teaching writers”
I’m adding this to The Best Websites For K-12 Writing Instruction/Reinforcement (even though it’s obviously not a website): A chart that illustrates the differences between teaching writing and teaching writers #engchat #elachat #nctechat pic.twitter.com/Hk6rwK34Uj — Allison Marchetti (@AllisonMarchett) February 6, 2014
Infographic: “Top 7 Common American Hand Gestures That Can Get You in Trouble Abroad”
I’m adding this infographic to The Best Sites For Learning About The World’s Different Cultures: via Pimsleur
Video (& Comments): Shanker Institute Conference On Foundations & Education
I’ve written a lot about the role of private foundations in education (see The Best Resources For Learning About The Role Of Private Foundations In Education Policy). The Shanker Institute just hosted a short conference on that topic, and you can see all their videos from that date here. In this post, though, I just want to focus on Joanne Barkan’s presentation and, even more specifically,specific
This Weekend’s New Sochi Resources
Here are the latest additions to The Best Sites For Learning About The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games: Our Favorite Moments of the Sochi Olympics (So Far) is from The Atlantic. Crazy Olympic team uniforms at Sochi is from The BBC. Jamaica Has an Official Song to Sync to Its Bobsled Run is from The Atlantic. An Olympics Performance Perfect For A Lesson On “Grit” is a post I wrote earlier. Ski Jum
FEB 15
Tweets From My “Integrating Social Emotional & Brain-Based Learning Into Instructional Strategies” Workshop
As I mentioned in a previous post (If You Weren’t Able To Attend Our Workshop On “Developing A Self-Motivated Student Culture,” These Tweets Have It Covered), I presented two workshops at this weekend’s Learning And The Brain Conference in San Francisco. You can see the PowerPoints and supporting materials for both of them here. In addition, Kevin Washburn, a great educator and writer out of Alab
If You Weren’t Able To Attend Our Workshop On “Developing A Self-Motivated Student Culture,” These Tweets Have It Covered
I presented two workshops at this weekend’s Learning And The Brain Conference in San Francisco. You can see the PowerPoints and supporting materials for both of them here. In addition, Kevin Washburn, a great educator and writer out of Alabama, was at the conference sending out excellent tweets from all the workshops he attended. In addition to being lucky enough to meet Kevin after years of conn
Video: “Antarctica Condition 1 Weather”
I’ll definitely be showing this video to my Geography class when we study Antarctica:
“Emotions Of Sound” Is A Great Interactive For ELLs & For IB Students!
Emotions Of Sound is a neat interactive that plays different sounds, along with images. You’re then show several different “emotional” words and have to pick the one that the sound and image elicits from you. After each answer, results are shown for how many people have chosen each word. At the end of the all the questions, the site tells you, overall, how alike or different your responses were f
An Olympics Performance Perfect For A Lesson On “Grit”
You may have seen the amazing performance by U.S. skater Jeremy Abbott on Friday when he took a terrible fall but then recovered to finish very strongly. The video of happened (I can only link to it since it’s not embeddable) will be a perfect addition to The Best Video Clips Demonstrating “Grit” though, since its seven minutes long, you probably want to only show the fall and its aftermath to s