Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
LARRY FERLAZZO’S WEBSITES OF THE WEEK
As regular readers know, I have been teaching International Baccalaureate Theory of Knowledge classes at our school for years, along with many other courses. This year, for the first time, I’m excited to be teaching two TOK classes that also include several of my former English Language Learner students. Thanks to TheoryofKnowledge.net, I just learned that IB released the May 2015 essay titles. Yo
This Week In Web 2.0
In yet another attempt to get at the enormous backlog I have of sites worth blogging about, I’ve recently begin a regular feature called “The Week In Web 2.0.” (you might also be interested in The Best Web 2.0 Applications For Education In 2013). I also sometimes include tech tools that might not exactly fit the definition of Web 2.0: Comment Bubble lets you have a virtual discussion via comments
Excellent NY Times Column: “The Original Charter School Vision”
The Original Charter School Vision is an excellent Op-Ed in The New York Times, written by Richard D. Kahlenberg and Halley Potter. Here’s an excerpt: I’m adding it to The Best Posts & Articles Analyzing Charter Schools.
New Resources On Race & Racism
© 2012 zeevveez, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio Here are new additions to A Collection Of Useful Posts, Articles & Videos On Race & Racism: Three quarters of whites don’t have any non-white friends is from The Washington Post. For first time, minority students expected to be majority in U.S. public schools this fall is from The Washington Post. Is Everyone a Little Bit Racist? is by Nicholas
August’s (2014) Best Tweets — Part Four
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
September 16th is Mexico’s Independence Day — Here Are Related Resources
© 2009 grahamc99, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio September 16th is Mexico’s Independence Day. You might be interested in The Best Resources For Learning About Mexico’s Independence Day.
Dilbert Demonstrates How The Concept Of “Grit” Can Be Misused
You might also be interested in my Washington Post piece, The manipulation of Social Emotional Learning, where I elaborate on how Social Emotional Learning skills like grit have a place in the classroom, but also have to be kept in its place. The Best Resources For Learning About “Grit” might also be of interest.
More Resources On Accompanied Minors Coming To U.S. As Refugees
© 2011 Takver, Flickr | CC-BY-SA | via Wylio Here are new additions to The Best Resources For Learning About The Children Refugee Crisis At The U.S. Southern Border: A day in S.F. court with undocumented kids flooding the system is from The San Francisco Chronicle. S.F. school for immigrants offers soft landing to new kids in town is from The San Francisco Chronicle. After Journey From Honduras, B
“Look at Life Through Autistic Eyes”
© 2010 hepingting, Flickr | CC-BY-SA | via Wylio Two film-making students: created an animated simulation of life through the eyes of a non-verbal child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) “and her constant struggle to cope with the world around her,” as they write in their artist statement. That description comes from an article in the New York Times headlined Look At Life Through Autistic Eye
Gov. Jerry Brown Appeals Awful Vergara Court Ruling
California Governor Jerry Brown, with the encouragement of state Supt. of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, has announced the State of California will appeal the awful Vergara court ruling, which blames teachers for all of education and society’s ills. You can read about the decision to appeal in these two articles: Gov. Brown appeals ruling that struck down teacher job protections is from the LA
“Imagining Successful Schools”
I’ve previously shared a number of posts that Marc Tucker has written about teacher evaluation. Today, New York Times columnist Joe Nocera has written a column about Tucker’s ideas and a new report his organization has published. The column is headlined “Imagining Successful Schools.” Here’s an excerpt: Here’s a link to Tucker’s report: Our report calls for a new system of school #accountability
YESTERDAY
Video: Captain America & Thinking Outside The Box
I’m adding this video to The Best Videos Showing “Thinking Outside The Box”:
Four New & Useful Links About Instruction
© 1995 Seattle Municipal Archives, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio Here are several new and useful links about classroom instruction: New Study: Engage Kids with 7x the Effect is from Edutopia. I’m adding it to The Best Posts & Articles On Student Engagement. Want to Take Over My Class? Be My Guest! is from Edutopia. I’m adding it to the same list. Encouraging student questioning is by Warren Berge
ASCD’s Ed Leadership Is Online – Here Are My Recommendations
© 2012 Steven Depolo, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio The newest issue of ASCD’s Educational Leadership publication is now online, and its theme is Motivation Matters. Here are three pieces that are not behind a paywall that I would highly recommend: Rick Wormeli has a typically great article that’s titled Motivating Young Adolescents. It includes a list of “Top 12 Demotivators” that I think should be
Around The Web In ESL/EFL/ELL
© 2013 Jinho Jung, Flickr | CC-BY-SA | via Wylio 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: Here’s How Russian, French, Portuguese, And German Native Speakers Screw Up English is from Business Insider. Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners is a w
9/11 Anniversary Is Coming Up – Here Are Related Resources
© 2001 The U.S. National Archives, Flickr | PD | via Wylio The anniversary of the 9/11 attacks is coming up soon. You might be interested in The Best Sites To Help Teach About 9/11.
AUG 28
All My Ed Week Posts On Brain-Based Learning In One Place!
My latest Education Week Teacher column brings together all my posts on brain-based learning — in one place! Here’s an excerpt from one of them:
USDE Unveils “Teach To Lead”: Do We Really Need Another Online Community To Promote Teacher Leadership?
Education Secretary Arne Duncan today announced a new site that is supposed to promote teacher leadership and develop some kind of online community. It’s called Commit To Lead and is part of Teach To Lead, which in turn is connected to RESPECT program he announced earlier this year (you can read about that program in a post by Barnett Berry and another one by Stephen Lazar). With all the online t
“If you’re observant about things happening around you, there are insights waiting to be discovered”
Parking Behavior May Reflect Economic Drive is the title of an NPR piece on a new study suggesting that a nation’s economic health can be evaluated by if its drivers back-in or drive-forward into a parking space. The study itself has big enough holes through which you could drive a truck, but that’s not that important for how I envision using it in my International Baccalaureate Theory of Knowledg
New Resources On Students & Sleep
© 2011 Pink Sherbet Photography, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio Here are some new additions to The Best Resources For Helping Teens Learn About The Importance Of Sleep: Let Them Sleep In: Docs Want Later School Times for Teens is from NBC News. Students Aren’t Getting Enough Sleep—School Starts Too Early is from The Atlantic. High school will keep starting too early. Here’s why. is from Marketplace.
“Education Is Not ‘Moneyball’: Why Teachers Can’t Trust Value-Added Evaluations Yet”
Education Is Not ‘Moneyball’: Why Teachers Can’t Trust Value-Added Evaluations Yet is an excellent Ed Week piece by William Eger. Here’s an excerpt: I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Learning About The “Value-Added” Approach Towards Teacher Evaluation.
AUG 27
“The Dos and Don’ts of Classroom Management: Your 25 Best Tips”
Apparently, long ago when, for awhile, I moderated a classroom management forum at Edutopia, I invited readers to share their best classroom management tips. Well, Edutopia just put them all together in a a nice slideshow that I think readers will find useful. I’m adding it to The Best Posts On Classroom Management.
September 8th Is International Literacy Day — Here Are Related Resources
© 2013 Stephen Luke, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio UNESCO has declared September 8th to be “International Literacy Day” for the past forty years. You might find The Best Resources For International Literacy Day useful. By the way, the International Reading Association is working with NASA on a related project — Story Time From Space.
“‘Building A Better Teacher’: An Interview With Elizabeth Green”
‘Building A Better Teacher’: An Interview With Elizabeth Green is my latest post over at Education Week Teacher. For today’s author interview, Elizabeth Green has offered to answer a few questions about her book, Building A Better Teacher. Here are two excerpts:
AUG 26
This Week’s “Round-Up” Of Useful Posts & Articles On Education Policy
© 2010 Dave, Flickr | CC-BY-ND | via Wylio Here are some recent valuable posts and articles on educational policy issues: A Quick Look At The ASA Statement On Value-Added is from The Shanker Blog. I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Learning About The “Value-Added” Approach Towards Teacher Evaluation. Do Evaluations Penalize Teachers of Needy Students? is from Ed Week. I’m adding it to the sam
Zaption Adds “Ready-To-Use” Video Gallery
Zaption is a tool that lets you easily add videos with interactive questions for students, and then you can track student progress. They recently made it free-of-charge. It’s on A Potpourri Of The Best & Most Useful Video Sites list. Today, they announced a “gallery” of ready-to-use video collections that have been created by educators and that others can use. They look pretty good, especiall
August’s Infographics & Interactives Galore – Part Four
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
Excellent “Reading Research Summary” From Scholastic
Scholastic has just unveiled a new website focused on the joy of reading. It includes a number of materials, including videos and a free downloadable book with contributions from educators about their own reading experiences. In my mind, though, the most valuable part of it is a Reading Research Summary on the “Joy and Power of Reading.” I don’t think you’re going to find a better compilation any
Video: “Watch what a 6-magnitude earthquake does in China vs. the US”
I’m adding this video to The Best Sites For Learning About Earthquakes:
Sunday & Monday (2nd Wk) Tweets About #Ferguson #MichaelBrown
© 2014 Mike Licht, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio [View the story "Sunday & Monday (2nd Wk) Tweets About #Ferguson #MichaelBrown" on Storify]
Two Of The Most Student Accessible Articles I’ve Seen On Self-Control
© 2011 Daniel Oines, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio I’ve written a lot — both on this blog and in my books — on strategies to help students motivate themselves to develop self-control. Here are two of the most accessible, if not THE most accessible, pieces I’ve seen for students to read on the topic (both are from Fast Company): 6 SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN WAYS TO BOOST YOUR SELF-CONTROL 5 QUICK TRICKS TO
AUG 25
Creating Positive Relationships With Students
Creating the Ideal Relationship with Your Students was the topic of a recent BAM! Radio show where I was one of three guests. You might also be interested in The Best Resources On The Importance Of Building Positive Relationships With Students. And, speaking of BAM! Radio, in two weeks I’ll start doing new ten-minute weekly broadcasts with educators writing responses for my Ed Week teacher advice
“Personal Writing Based on The Times’s Sunday Routine Series” Is A Nice Idea From The Learning Network
Reader Idea | Personal Writing Based on The Times’s Sunday Routine Series is a very useful post at The New York Times Learning Network. It’s a simple teacher-suggested lesson plan that includes some very useful student hand-outs that is particularly timely at the beginning of the school year. I obviously didn’t write it but, for now (until I create another “Best” list), I’ll be adding it to My Be
“Leap.it” Could Be A Useful Search Engine For English Language Learners
Leap.it is a new search engine that portrays search results in a visually attractive way (see the above image and compare it to the image below from Google searching the same topic: Christopher Columbus). I don’t really understand how — apart from the display — that it’s different from Google or Bing, but TechCruch explains it in this post, though after reading it I still don’t have a clue what t
The 51st Anniversary Of The March On Washington Is Thursday– Here Are Related Resources
© 2013 John Flannery, Flickr | CC-BY-ND | via Wylio August 28th is the anniversary of the March On Washington. You might be interested in The Best Resources About The March On Washington.
AUG 24
Just Sent-Out Free Email Newsletter
I’ve just mailed out the June issue of my simple free monthly email newsletter. It has over 2,000 subscribers, and you can subscribe here.
August’s “The Best” Lists — There Are Now 1,341 Of Them!
Here’s my monthly round-up of new “The Best…” lists I posted this month (you can see all 1,341 of them categorized here): The Best Resources For World Humanitarian Day The Best Resources For Learning About The Rosetta Mission “The Best Advice On Engaging Parents At The Beginning Of The School Year” “My Best Posts On ‘Conditional Cash Transfers’” How Many Of Our Students Feel This Way? (Resources
August’s Best Posts From This Blog
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 older Best Posts of the Month at Websites Of The Month (more recent lists can be found here). Here are some of the posts I personally think are the best, and most helpful, ones I’ve written during this pas
Updated List Of Teaching Ideas For #MichaelBrown #Ferguson
© 2014 Elvert Barnes, Flickr | CC-BY-SA | via Wylio I’ve previously posted this list of my choices for the best resources/ideas for teaching about the tragedy of Michael Brown’s shooting death in Ferguson. I’ve since added some new resources and thought it would be useful to share this updated list: [View the story "Teaching Ideas For #Ferguson #MichaelBrown" on Storify]
All My Ed Week Posts From Past 3 Years On Teaching Math & Science — In One Place!
My latest Education Week Teacher column brings together all my posts from the past three years on teaching math and science. Here are a couple of excerpts:
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 blog but, just because of time constraints, have not gotten around to doing. Instead of letting that backlog grow bigger, I regularly grab a few and list them here with a minimal description. It forces me to look through these older links, and help me organize them for my own use. I hope others will find them helpful, too
More Resources On California’s Drought
Photo Credit: QQ Li via Compfight Here are new additions to A Beginning List Of The Best Resources On California’s Drought: Drought in California – in pictures is from The Guardian. Tapping the final reservoir is an infographic from The Washington Post. 14 Facts Everyone Should Know About The California Drought is from BuzzFeed. California’s three-year drought just went from bad to dreadful: htt
Labor Day Resources
Photo Credit: Rakesh JV via Compfight Labor Day is coming up here in the United States. You might be interested in The Best Websites For Learning About Labor Day.
AUG 23
Friday & Sat. (2nd Wk) Tweets About #Ferguson #MichaelBrown
[View the story "Friday & Sat. (2nd Wk) Tweets About #Ferguson #MichaelBrown" on Storify]
August’s (2014) 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