Teacher Tom: An Intellectually Creative Affair: Teacher Tom's Play Summit

Teacher Tom: An Intellectually Creative Affair: Teacher Tom's Play Summit

An Intellectually Creative Affair: Teacher Tom's Play Summit

My journey as an early childhood educator began in 1996, the year our daughter was born. In the back of my mind, I'm sure I was aware that my wife and I were going to be her primary "teachers," at least for the time being, but I recall secretly telling myself that this aspect of parenthood could wait. My instinct was to simply love her, care for her, respond to her, and, well, make every moment as perfect as I could. Any "teaching" that I was going to do would come later, I told myself, sort of thinking that I could hold it off at least until we could carry on a conversation.

That was more or less my concept of education back then: adults telling and doing things to children. The Baby Einstein company (now owned by Disney) was founded in 1996, but it wasn't alone in promoting theories about things one could do to boost your newborn's learning potential, like hanging certain types of mobiles over her crib, buying special toys, and the playing of classical music. Well-meaning people gave us these things as gifts, but they went into closets to wait until I thought we were ready for teaching. They felt like distractions or intrusions into our little three-person triangle of love. 

It wasn't until our daughter was two-years-old that I was first exposed to preschool. I'm forever grateful to the random mother I met on a local playground who told me about cooperative preschool. We were loath to send our little girl off CONTINUE READIG: Teacher Tom: An Intellectually Creative Affair: Teacher Tom's Play Summit

Florida: State Commissioner Fires Teacher for Supporting BLM | Diane Ravitch's blog #BLM #BLACKLIVESMATTER

Florida: State Commissioner Fires Teacher for Supporting BLM | Diane Ravitch's blog

Florida: State Commissioner Fires Teacher for Supporting BLM

Richard Corcoran, state commissioner of education in Florida, announced that he fired Amy Donofrio, a teacher in Duval County, because she supported #BlackLivesMatter.

Corcoran made his decision known during a lecture at conservative Hillsdale College in Michigan. He was speaking about “critical race theory” and curriculum oversight and used her as an example of his cleansing of the ranks. Donofrio learned of her termination on a YouTube video. If you look at the photograph accompanying the story, you will see that she teaches at Robert E. Lee Hgh School. (Irony alert.)

Richard Corcoran is not an educator. He was the Speaker of Florida’s House when he was appointed to run the state system. His wife is or was a board member of a charter school associated with Hillsdale College. The Corcorans’ six children were home-schooled.

Corcoran has made clear his hostility to public schools CONTINUE READING: Florida: State Commissioner Fires Teacher for Supporting BLM | Diane Ravitch's blog

Explore U.S. History at our Nation’s Most Hallowed Ground - ED.gov Blog

Explore U.S. History at our Nation’s Most Hallowed Ground - ED.gov Blog

Explore U.S. History at our Nation’s Most Hallowed Ground

Arlington National Cemetery  (ANC) is considered America’s most hallowed ground and a sacred shrine to service and sacrifice. More than 400,000 people are laid to rest at ANC including former presidents, astronauts, civil rights activists, medical professionals, and prominent military figures.

ANC recently launched an education program for students, families, and lifelong learners. The program aims to honor the sacrifices and extraordinary lives of American service members and their families, support remembrance of the past and present military conflicts and circumstances surrounding them, and invite personal exploration of connections to America’s diverse history. As the school year draws to a close, this program provides a great summer learning opportunity to explore and discover U.S. history through the unique lens of ANC.

The ANC education program highlights four educational themes:

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is ANC’s most iconic memorial. For nearly 100 years, it has stood at the heart of the cemetery, serving as a site for reflection on service, valor, and sacrifice. The Tomb sarcophagus stands above the grave of an Unknown Soldier from World War I, buried when the Tomb was dedicated on November 11, 1921. Two additional crypts, for Unknowns from World War II and the Korean War, were added in 1958. The Unknowns represent all unidentified service members who gave their lives for the United States.

African American History at Arlington National Cemetery

A microcosm of the nation’s history, the history of the Arlington property encompasses slavery, emancipation, segregation, and civil rights. At the cemetery, gravesites and memorials honor the dedication and sacrifice of African American service members who served their country and fought for racial justice.

Understanding Arlington

Whether you are planning to visit the cemetery or are exploring it from home, download guides  to understand more about the history, traditions and operations of ANC. The guides include:

• Appropriate Behavior at Arlington National Cemetery
• A Short History of the Arlington Property
• Differences in Grave Markers
• Elements of Military Funerals
• Horticulture and the Grounds at Arlington National Cemetery

The Spanish-American War

Famously described as a “splendid little war,” the Spanish-American War lasted for only four months in 1898. Despite its brevity, it had a tremendous historical impact. The United States acquired overseas territories, established itself as the dominant nation in the Western Hemisphere and began a new era as a major world power.

ANC contains more Spanish-American War monuments and burial sites than any other location in the continental United States. Use the materials in this module to explore the legacy of this war and the experiences of individuals who served — as soldiers, sailors or military nurses.

For more information about ANC’s education program and to access their materials, visit education.arlingtoncemetery.mil.

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Explore U.S. History at our Nation’s Most Hallowed Ground - ED.gov Blog

Russ on Reading: Defeating the Science of Reading Narrative, Part 4: Addressing School Boards, Legislatures and the Public

Russ on Reading: Defeating the Science of Reading Narrative, Part 4: Addressing School Boards, Legislatures and the Public

Defeating the Science of Reading Narrative, Part 4: Addressing School Boards, Legislatures and the Public

This series of posts has taken aim at the false Science of Reading (SOR) narrative that posits that the Simple View of Reading (SVR; Gough and Turner, 1986) is the scientifically proven best way to teach reading and all schools and all teachers should be adopting it. The first post in the series showed that SOR was far from settled science. The next three posts addressed ways to defeat this narrative by first focusing on the individual child, then talking to parents about the child, and then working with colleagues to improve everyone's breadth of understanding of the issues. In this post, I would like to address the need for teacher advocacy on the political level. Several respondents to the previous posts have noted that school boards and legislators are forcing the SOR instructional design on teachers through policy and legislation. Neither the school board members nor legislators are the professionals here. Neither is the journalist, Emily CONTINUE READING: Russ on Reading: Defeating the Science of Reading Narrative, Part 4: Addressing School Boards, Legislatures and the Public

2021 Medley #7 – Playing catch up | Live Long and Prosper

2021 Medley #7 – Playing catch up | Live Long and Prosper

2021 Medley #7 – Playing catch up

Teacher shortage, Punishing schools, Privatization, Facts, Rationality

Apparently, retirement is needed so there’s enough time to go to all the doctor appointments you’re going to need as you age.

Things have been quiet on this blog lately…for a variety of reasons. Now that things are a bit better I have a backlog of unposted Medley entries. To make it a bit easier, I’ll limit my own comments to one, or sometimes two, sentences max (Warning…prepare yourself for compound and run-on sentences)…

THE TEACHER SHORTAGE HASN’T GONE AWAY

‘Perfect storm’ of events causing teacher shortage crisis in Michigan

Who would have guessed that demonizing, overworking, reducing job security, and underpaying an entire profession of people would make that profession unattractive…leading to a shortage of teachers nationwide. Legislatures in large part caused the problem, and are now scrambling to fill classrooms with anyone, even those who are unqualified.

Carol Baaki-Diglio, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Oak Park CONTINUE READING: 

2021 Medley #7 – Playing catch up | Live Long and Prosper

School Privatizers Attack a Central Institution of American Democracy | janresseger

School Privatizers Attack a Central Institution of American Democracy | janresseger

School Privatizers Attack a Central Institution of American Democracy

Introducing a column by the Network for Public Education’s Carol Burris on the explosion this year of legislation across the 50 state legislatures to expand school privatization, the Washington Post‘s Valerie Strauss begins: “While many Americans see 2021 as the year that may bring back something close to normalcy after the coronavirus pandemic, it has instead been declared the ‘Year of School Choice’ by the American Federation for Children, an organization that promotes alternatives to public education and that was once headed by Betsy DeVos. Anyone who twas thinking that the departure of DeVos as U.S. education secretary would stem the movement to privatize public education should think again. In numerous states, legislatures have proposed or are considering legislation to expand alternatives to the public schools that educate most American schoolchildren, often using public funding to pay for private and religious school.”

In the piece that follows, Carol Burris examines the contention by Paul Petersen, the Harvard government professor who Burris reminds us is “a longtime cheerleader for market-based school reforms,” and Jeanne Allen who runs the Center for Education Reform, and who, “has never been shy in her hostility toward unions and traditional public schools,” that the legislatures considering school choice are doing so because parents are angry that public schools shut down during the pandemic.

Burris demonstrates that Petersen and Allen are wrong.  The states most active in promoting privatization are instead places where legislatures have tipped toward Republican majorities and in some cases Republican supermajorities.  And they are states where well-funded CONTINUE READING: School Privatizers Attack a Central Institution of American Democracy | janresseger

Seattle Schools Community Forum: SPS Continues Its Long History of Rushed Surveys; Is OSPI Getting the Real Story?

Seattle Schools Community Forum: SPS Continues Its Long History of Rushed Surveys; Is OSPI Getting the Real Story?

SPS Continues Its Long History of Rushed Surveys; Is OSPI Getting the Real Story?

 Seattle Schools, like all school districts in Washington State, are required to submit a reopening plan to OSPI (Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction). 

In the Board agenda for the May 19th, we see SPS’ plan. 

There is a survey attached for parents; I have no idea how many parents know about it and are weighing in but considering the district gave it about a week, I feel confident in saying they are not particularly interested in parental input.  You have until Tuesday noon to give input. I can say it’s quite the word salad and it’s complete bullshit to submit it to OSPI and say “yes, we asked for input.” 

SPS Academic and Student Well-Being Recovery Plan

Wednesday, May 26, 2021 4:30 PM-6:00 PM

Meeting to be held remotely

By SPSTV Broadcast and YouTube Streaming (See details below) By Teleconference: 206-800-4125 (Conference ID: 279 213 332#)

What does this Reopening Plan say?

- It’s a “model of Listen, Act, Deliver.” Sure.

- It’s “a comprehensive plan for the well-being of students” in a “Culture of CONTINUE READING: Seattle Schools Community Forum: SPS Continues Its Long History of Rushed Surveys; Is OSPI Getting the Real Story?

NYC Public School Parents: Results from our Parent Action Conference: how should the eight billion dollars in state and federal funds for our schools be spent? check it out!

NYC Public School Parents: Results from our Parent Action Conference: how should the eight billion dollars in state and federal funds for our schools be spent? check it out!

Results from our Parent Action Conference: how should the eight billion dollars in state and federal funds for our schools be spent? check it out!

On Sat. May 22, 2021, we had a great Parent Action Conference, co-sponsored with NYC Kids PAC and Teens Take Charge, to brainstorm on how parents, educators and students would like the $8B in additional federal and state funds should be spent to meet our students' needs. Thanks to all her participated! 

 Our terrific keynote speakers were from the federal, state and local levels: former NYC principal and now US House Rep. Jamaal Bowman, State Senator Robert Jackson, who was a parent and former D6 School Board member and original CFE plaintiff, and former NYC teacher, City Councilmember Mark Treyger, now chair of the Council Education Committee.

We presented a brief power point (also below) that included more info on the resources our schools are receiving, and summarized the results of our online survey. We then broke into six different groups focused on Elementary schools, Middle and High Schools, Students with Disabilities, Multi Language Learners, Health and Safety, and a student group led by Teens Take Charge. Members of our groups wanted to emphasize the need for smaller classes, more counselors and social workers, a nurse for every building, more extracurricular activities and programs and more. 

 Here is a recording of the session with Passcode: w!vhA8LG. The Jamboard with ideas from our breakout groups is also below.   

 

As US schools resume testing, large numbers are opting out - AP THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

As US schools resume testing, large numbers are opting out

As US schools resume testing, large numbers are opting out

Standardized tests are returning to the nation’s schools this spring, but millions of students will face shorter exams that carry lower stakes, and most families are being given the option to forgo testing entirely.

With new flexibility from the Biden administration, states are adopting a patchwork of testing plans that aim to curb the stress of exams while still capturing some data on student learning. The lenient approach means large swaths of students will go untested, shattering hopes for a full picture of how much learning has been set back by the pandemic.

“We will end up with a highly imperfect set of data,” said Robin Lake, director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education at the University of Washington. “This is something our country will have to commit to tracking and learning about for at least the next few years, and maybe the next decade.”

Some of the nation’s largest districts plan to test only a fraction of their students as many continue to learn remotely. In New York City, students must opt in to be tested this year. In Los Angeles, most students are not being asked to take state exams this year. Other districts are scaling back questions or testing in fewer subjects.

It’s the latest episode in a long-fought battle over school testing and, as in the past, parents are polarized. Some are demanding tests to get a sense of their children’s progress. Others see no need to put their children through that kind of stress.

As a teacher, Jay Wamsted believes there’s value in testing. But when his sixth-grade daughter Kira asked to opt out this year, he saw no reason to object. He already knows she needs to catch up on math after months of remote learning. And as a teacher at her school, he knew that many CONTINUE READING: As US schools resume testing, large numbers are opting out

Punished by Rewards - (Book) - Alfie Kohn

Punished by Rewards - (Book) - Alfie Kohn

Punished by Rewards

The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A’s, Praise, and Other Bribes

Our basic strategy for raising children, teaching students, and managing workers can be summarized in six words: Do this and you’ll get that. We dangle goodies (from candy bars to sales commissions) in front of people in much the same way that we train the family pet.

In this groundbreaking book, Alfie Kohn shows that while manipulating people with incentives seems to work in the short run, it is a strategy that ultimately fails and even does lasting harm.  Our workplaces and classrooms will continue to decline, he argues, until we begin to question our reliance on a theory of motivation derived from laboratory animals.

Drawing from hundreds of studies, Kohn demonstrates that people actually do inferior work when they are enticed with money, grades, or other incentives. Programs that use rewards to change people’s behavior are similarly ineffective over the long run. Promising goodies to children for good behavior can never produce anything more than temporary obedience. In fact, the more we use artificial inducements to motivate people, the more they lose interest in what we’re bribing them to do. Rewards turn play into work, and work into drudgery.

Step by step, Kohn marshals research and logic to prove that  pay-for-performance plans cannot work; the more an organization relies on incentives, the worse things get. Parents and teachers who care about helping students to learn, meanwhile, should be doing everything possible to help them forget that grades exist. Even praise can become a verbal bribe that gets kids hooked on our approval.

Rewards and punishments are just two sides of the same coin — and the coin doesn’t buy very much. What is needed, Kohn explains, is an alternative to both ways of controlling people. The final chapters offer a practical set of strategies for parents, teachers,  and managers that move beyond the use of carrots or sticks.

Seasoned with humor and familiar examples, Punished by Rewards presents an argument that is unsettling to hear but impossible to dismiss.

Punished by Rewards: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A's, Praise, and Other Bribes: Kohn, Alfie: 9780618001811: AmazonSmile: Books - https://smile.amazon.com/dp/0618001816?tag=amz-mkt-chr-us-20&ascsubtag=1ba00-01000-s1100-win10-other-smile-us000-pcomp-feature-scomp&ref=aa_scomp

Punished by Rewards - (Book) - Alfie Kohn

Table of Contents

---

Preface
PART ONE – The Case Against Rewards
1	Skinner-Boxed:  The Legacy of Behaviorism
2	Is It Right to Reward?
3	Is It Effective to Reward?
4	The Trouble with Carrots:  Four Reasons Rewards Fail
5	Cutting the Interest Rate:  The Fifth Reason Rewards Fail
6	The Praise Problem
PART TWO – Rewards in Practice
7	Pay for Performance: Why Behaviorism Doesn’t Work in the Workplace
8	Lures for Learning: Why Behaviorism Doesn’t Work in the Classroom
9	Bribes for Behaving:  Why Behaviorism Doesn’t Help Children Become Good People
PART THREE – Beyond Rewards
10	Thank God It’s Monday: The Roots of Motivation in the Workplace
11	Hooked on Learning:  The Roots of Motivation in the Classroom
12	Good Kids Without Goodies
	Afterword 1999
	Afterword 2018
Appendix A:  A Conversation with B.F. Skinner
Appendix B:  What Is Intrinsic Motivation?
Appendix C:  The Behaviorists Talk Back

Punished by Rewards - (Book) - Alfie Kohn

N.Y.C. will eliminate remote learning for the fall, in a major step toward reopening. - The New York Times

N.Y.C. will eliminate remote learning for the fall, in a major step toward reopening. - The New York Times

N.Y.C. will eliminate remote learning for the fall, in a major step toward reopening.

New York City will no longer have a remote schooling option come fall, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced during a television appearance on Monday, a major step toward fully reopening the nation’s largest school system.

This school year, most of the city’s roughly one million students — about 600,000 — stayed at home for classes. When the new school year starts on Sept. 13, all students and staff will be back in school buildings full-time, Mr. de Blasio said.

New York is one of the first big cities to remove the option of remote learning altogether for the coming school year. But widespread predictions that online classes would be a fixture for school districts may have been premature. Gov. Philip D. Murphy of New Jersey announced last week that the state would no longer have remote classes come fall, after similar announcements by leaders in Connecticut and Massachusetts.

New York City’s decision will make it much easier to restore the school system to a prepandemic state, since students and teachers will no longer be split between homes and school buildings.

But the mayor’s announcement will no doubt alarm some parents who are concerned about sending their children back into school buildings, even as the pandemic ebbs in the United States. Recent interviews with city parents have shown that while many families are looking forward to resuming normal schooling, some are hesitant about returning to classrooms.

Nonwhite families, whose health has suffered disproportionately from the virus, have been most likely to keep their children learning from home over the past year. CONTINUE READING: N.Y.C. will eliminate remote learning for the fall, in a major step toward reopening. - The New York Times

A VERY BUSY DAY Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007 #tBATs

 Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007

A VERY BUSY DAY

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

The latest news and resources in education since 2007

THIS WEEK IN EDUCATION

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

The latest news and resources in education since 2007 -

http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/05/this-week-in-education-larry-ferlazzos_22.html

Video: Vice-President Kamala Harris’ Video Commencement Address To High School Graduates

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h

Vice-President Kamala Harris recorded this video commencement for high school seniors. You might also be interested in The Best Commencement Speeches .

Monday’s Must-Read Articles On School Reopenings

by Larry Ferlazzo / 10h

wiredsmartio / Pixabay Here are new additions to THE BEST POSTS PREDICTING (& SHOWING) WHAT SCHOOLS LOOK LIKE DURING THE PANDEMIC (you might also be interested in SCHOOLS WENT REMOTE A YEAR AGO – HERE ARE MY CHOICES FOR THE BEST PIECES WRITTEN ABOUT SCHOOL REOPENING SINCE THEN): How Teachers Are Reacting To Utah’s Lifted Mask Mandates is from NPR. Why A Few Big SoCal School Districts Are Sticking

Pins Of The Week

by Larry Ferlazzo / 10h

I’m fairly active on Pinterest and, in fact, have curated 22,000 resources there that I haven’t shared on this blog. I thought readers might find it useful if I began sharing a handful of my most recent “pins” each week (I’m not sure if you can see them through an RSS Reader – you might have to click through to the original post). You might also be interested in MY MOST POPULAR PINS OF 2020 Here

SEL Weekly Update

by Larry Ferlazzo / 10h

I’ve recently begun this weekly post where I’ll be sharing resources I’m adding to The Best Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Resources or other related “Best” lists. You might also be interested in THE BEST SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING RESOURCES OF 2020 – PART TWO. Finally, check out “Best” Lists Of The Week: Social Emotional Learning Resources . Here are this week’s picks: Why you don’t learn from f

Video: “Accent Expert Gives a Tour of North American Accents – (Part 3)”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 10h

pencilparker / Pixabay I’m adding this new video from Wired to The Best “Language Maps” You can find Parts One and Two there, too.

Infographic Of The Week: “The Happiest Countries in the World”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1d

OpenClipart-Vectors / Pixabay I’m adding this new infographic from Statistica to The Best Sites To Learn About…Happiness? : You will find more infographics at Statista

Around The Web In ESL/EFL/ELL

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1d

BiljaST / Pixabay Six years ago I began this 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. You might also be interested in THE BEST RESOURCES, ARTICLES & BLOG POSTS FOR TEACHERS OF ELLS IN 2020. Also, check out A Collection Of My Best Resources On Teaching English Language Learners. In additi

My Favorite Posts That Appeared In May

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1d

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 ). You can also see my all-time favorites here . I’ve also been doing “A Look Back” series reviewing old favorite

Today Is The International Day for Biological Diversity – Here Are Teaching & Learning Resources

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1d

The United Nations has declared May 22nd to be the International Day for Biological Diversity . You might be interested in The Best Resources For World Biodiversity Day (& Endangered Species Day) ,

George Floyd Was Murdered A Year Ago On May 25th – Here Are Teaching & Learning Resources

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1d

George Floyd was murdered nearly one year ago. It was terrible, and Mr. Floyd was just one of many African-Americans who have been the victim of police violence. You might be interested in: HELPFUL RESOURCES FOR TEACHING ABOUT GEORGE FLOYD’S DEATH CLASSROOM LESSON IDEAS TO DISCUSS THE CHAUVIN VERDICT – PLEASE SUGGEST MORE New & Revised: A Collection Of Advice On Talking To Students About Race & R

The Guardian Publishes Amazing Visual Guide To Racist Monuments & Brands Removed Over Past Year

by Larry Ferlazzo / 2d

How Centuries Of Racist Images Came Down In One Year – A Visual Guide is an amazing interactive from The Guardian. It highlights Confederate monuments, ones to colonization, and product brands that have been removed since George Floyd’s murder. I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Teaching About Confederate Monuments .

Saturday’s Must-Read Articles On School Reopenings

by Larry Ferlazzo / 2d

stevepb / Pixabay Here are new additions to THE BEST POSTS PREDICTING (& SHOWING) WHAT SCHOOLS LOOK LIKE DURING THE PANDEMIC (you might also be interested in SCHOOLS WENT REMOTE A YEAR AGO – HERE ARE MY CHOICES FOR THE BEST PIECES WRITTEN ABOUT SCHOOL REOPENING SINCE THEN): Schools Are Dropping Mask Requirements, But A New CDC Study Suggests They Shouldn’t is from NPR. The Rush to Reopen Schools

Classroom Instruction Resources Of The Week

by Larry Ferlazzo / 2d

Each week, I publish a post or two containing three or four particularly useful resources on classroom instruction, and you can see them all here. Of course, this is a crazy time for “classroom” instruction…. You might also be interested in THE BEST RESOURCES ON INSTRUCTION IN 2020 – PART TWO . Here are this week’s picks: Teach About Inequality With These 28 New York Times Graphs is from The NY T

 Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007