the teenage years entail both difficult and rewarding moments. During the years between the cute child and the mature adult, character is molded. I surely remember how my Grandpa Cleophas accepted me and my flaws as a growing child. Grandpa hardly judged me. Instead, grandpa always threw me a reassuring smile that he was on my side and that he is rooting on all of my achievements. He also reassured me time and time again, and even encouraged me with that "big, wide, warm smille" at times that I goofed or scratched myself. As a girl it was kind of strange to hear grandpa Cleophas telling me to "get up and clean your mess" ..... everytime I booboo ....
With his broken English ... one day he told me .. "that you are one excellent girl who likes to explore the universe, and that makes you -international."
My grandpa Cleophas meant a whole lot to me .. then ..... and always. I was devastated when he died at a very early age ... I was only 14 years old.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
FROM: ALGONQUIN TO LAKE MEAD/SIMMONS
FROM: ALGONQUIN TO LAKE MEAD/SIMMONS ---
- FROM CORNER OF SIMMONS/SOUTH,
- WALK ABOUT 20 METERS FROM 7/11 STORE, GOING SOUTH ….
- THEN, THE "BREAD OF LIFE" CHURCH IS ON THE LEFT ACROSS THE STORE ON CORAN LANE.
- CHURCH PHONE FOR APPOINTMENT … 702-648-8844
- LEAVE A MESSAGE TO CHURCH SECRETARY – "Donna Gilbert"
OR TO PASTOR SIMMIE /BESSIE RICHARD
BUS ROUTE:
On the Flamingo/Maryland Pkwy side
By gasoline station/Bus Shed/Stop
- Take BUS 202 - West @ 6:30 AM
- Bus 202-West will take you to Flamingo/Paradise around 6:37 AM
- From there, take Bus 119 North leaving 6:42 to – Lake Mead/Simmons.
- From the corner of Lake Mead/Simmons walk toward South about 20 meters
Friday, September 11, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
revamp the traditional learning environment to include virtual learning
What do twenty-somethings want?
T-shaped people. 100 mpg cars. Global classrooms.
IBM started a conversation about how we can make our planet smarter and invited hundreds of university students and faculty from around the world to join us. Over the three-day online jam, here's what we learned:
- 8 out of 10 students want universities to revamp the traditional learning environment to include virtual learning, videoconferencing and more interdisciplinary curricula.
- There is a strong need for "T-shaped" people who have deep knowledge in one discipline and broader knowledge in other areas.
- 90 percent of students want to start or join a Green Advocacy group.
- 64 percent think we can reverse carbon emissions by 2025.
- 60 percent think education and transportation are our best hope for more sustainable cities.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS
COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS: 800.641.0400
IDAD Greater Trinidad Chamber of Commerce
Learn More About Trinidad
Trinidad's Climate
October's the New September!
Trinidad's climate is completely dominated by the breathtaking power of the Pacific Ocean. While there are definite rainy and dry seasons, Trinidad rarely goes more than a few days without the sun breaking through for a few hours. The rainy season lasts from November through April accounting for about 90 percent of the annual precipitation, averaging about 40 inches.
This dramatic weather pattern brings an early Spring explosion of some of the most diverse wildflowers you are likely to find anywhere. The dry season, lasting from May through early November, is typically marked by low clouds and fog which usually clear by late morning. Early mornings in "summer" can be so calm that the Bay looks like a lake more than an ocean - good time for salmon fishing. Early afternoon is generally sunny with the low clouds moving back in by evening. Fall weather is absolute paradise - still sunny days, warm temperatures, and calm seas. When the winter storms hit the Trinidad Coast, people line the headlands to watch. The winter swells travel hundreds of miles from the Gulf of Alaska, and often reach 25 to 30 feet in height! Seeing " a perfect 10 over Pilot (rock) is an unbelievably exciting event here.
Temperatures are quite moderate, and the annual range is one of the smallest in the lower 48 states. The record high in nearby Eureka is only 85°(F) while the record low is 20°(F). During a typical year, the coldest lows are in the mid 30s and the warmest highs occasionally reach the mid 80s.
The Pacific Ocean's cold and often unexpected upswells, along with chilling blasts or blankets of fog can change the weather in an instant. In "summer", while we're enjoying our natural "air-conditioning", and appreciating the fog nurturing the Redwoods, inland communities have huge ranges in temperature. Areas just over the coastal mountains, about 40 miles east of Trinidad, can experience summer highs above 110 degrees, and winter lows in the teens! Driving east on 299, you can watch the temperature go up a degree per mile.
Layers, layers, layers. Trinidad visitors should always grab a light jacket. While the locals whip out their shorts and surfboards and hit the beaches even in February, many tourists aren't accustomed to the rapid weather changes that can occur over the course of a day.
Trinidad Weather from the National Weather Service - NOAA
Trinidad Weather from: Wund.com
- Visitor Guide [+]
beauty and romance, fishing and whale watching, winter storms and nature at its finest
Where the Redwoods
Meet the Sea
Greater Trinidad Chamber of Commerce
P.O. Box 356, Trinidad, California 95570
707 677 1610Thanks for stopping by
Copyright © 2002-2008 The Greater Trinidad Chamber of Commerce. All rights reserved
Copyright Michael Morgan © October, 2008
scootHome | scavengeSite | shoutOut
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Children Overcome Auditory Processing
Children Overcome Auditory Processing
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Study Shows Variety of Approaches Help Children Overcome Auditory Processing and Language Problems Embargoed For Release Contact: For children who struggle to learn language, the choice between various interventions may matter less than the intensity and format of the intervention, a new study sponsored by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) suggests. The study, led by Ronald B. Gillam, Ph.D., of Utah State University is online in the February 2008 Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. NIDCD is one of the National Institutes of Health. The study compared four intervention strategies in children who have unusual difficulty understanding and using language, and found that all four methods resulted in significant, long-term improvements in the children's language abilities. The aim of the study was to assess whether children who used commercially available language software program Fast ForWord-Language had greater improvement in language skills than children using other methods. This program was specifically designed to improve auditory processing deficits which may underlie some language impairments. Children who have auditory processing deficits can jumble the order of sounds that are heard in close sequence. Researchers believe that this deficit can interfere with vocabulary and grammar development. "These results show that any of a number of intensive educational approaches can make a tremendous difference for children whose language and auditory processing skills are lagging," says NIDCD director James F. Battey, Jr., M.D., Ph.D. "Even play with peers seemed to support the improvements the children in this study made." "We had a very positive outcome," says Dr. Gillam. "Our results tell us that a variety of intensive interventions that we can provide kids will improve auditory processing and language learning." While most children are chattering easily by the time they are toddlers, about 7 percent struggle to speak, read and understand language despite having adequate hearing, intelligence and motor skills. Children with language impairment have trouble learning language or expressing their thoughts through language. They often have difficulty learning new vocabulary words or sentence structures, comprehending what's said to them, holding conversations, or telling stories. These children tend to perform poorly on measures of auditory processing and standardized tests of language development. Many of these children are hindered academically throughout their formal education, explains Dr. Gillam. To address auditory processing problems, a different group of language researchers developed the computer software package called Fast ForWord-Language several years ago. The program uses slow and exaggerated speech to improve a child's ability to process spoken language. As children advance through the program, subsequent language exercises use gradually faster and less exaggerated speech. Dr. Gillam's team designed a study that would compare Fast ForWord-Language to three other interventions. He and colleagues at the University of Kansas, the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Texas at Dallas enrolled 216 children in the trial. All were between ages 6 and 9 and had been diagnosed with language impairment. The children, from Northeast Kansas, Central Texas or North Texas, were randomly assigned to receive one of four possible interventions. In addition to Fast ForWord-Language, the trial included another computer-assisted language intervention, an individual language intervention with a speech-language pathologist, and a nonlanguage academic enrichment intervention that focused only on math, science and geography. The other computer-assisted language intervention, which used Earobics and Laureate Learning Systems software, differed from Fast ForWord-Language in not using slow or exaggerated speech. Groups of children worked on the computer intervention exercises at their own pace wearing headphones and supervised by a speech-language pathologist. Children assigned to the individual language intervention worked one-on-one with a speech-language pathologist for the duration of the trial. In their sessions, the children read picture books that contained a variety of age-appropriate vocabulary words. In the academic enrichment intervention, children worked on educational computer games designed to teach math, science and geography. This intervention was delivered in the same way as the language-focused computer interventions. It served as a comparison group against which the researchers could measure the results of the language interventions. All of the interventions were delivered in an intensive, six-week, summer program that also included day camp activities such as arts and crafts, outdoor games, board games and snack time. The children attended the program five days per week for three and a half hours per day. They practiced their assigned interventions for an hour and forty minutes each day. The children took a standard language test—the Comprehensive Test of Spoken Language— and completed a variety of auditory processing measures at the beginning and end of the program as well as three and six months afterward. The children in all four groups demonstrated statistically significant improvement on the auditory processing measures and the language measures immediately after their six-week program. The children showed even greater improvement when their language skills were tested again six months later. Even a subgroup of children with very poor auditory processing skills made improvements on the auditory processing tasks and the language measures. About 74 percent of children in the Fast ForWord-Language group made large improvements on the language measures. Sixty-three percent of children in the computer-assisted language intervention group made large improvements. Of those who worked with a speech-language pathologist, 80 percent made large gains, and in the general academic enrichment group, almost 69 percent made large gains. These gains are much larger than the improvements that have been reported in long-term studies of children who have received language therapy in public school settings. The researchers were surprised that such a large percentage of the children who worked on the math, science and geography computer games improved their auditory processing and language skills. They speculate that all the children may have benefited from the opportunities to listen carefully, to decide on an appropriate response based on what they heard, and to practice language skills with each other. The recreation and play time built into each day of the six-week program gave the children the chance to form friendships with peers who were functioning at similar language levels. The intensive delivery of the interventions—500 minutes per week—may also have benefited kids in every intervention group. In comparison, school systems typically offer speech-language pathology services to students with language impairment for 30 minutes twice per week. "I urge speech-language pathologists to engage children with auditory processing problems and language impairments in activities in which they have to listen carefully, attend closely and respond quickly, and to do it in an intense manner," says Dr. Gillam. "And clinicians should provide children with ample opportunity to converse, socialize and interact with kids at their same developmental level." The language intervention trial was also supported by a grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) to the Kansas Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Center at the University of Kansas. NICHD is also part of the National Institutes of Health. The NIDCD supports and conducts research and research training on the normal and disordered processes of hearing, balance, smell, taste, voice, speech and language and provides health information, based upon scientific discovery, to the public. For more information about NIDCD programs, see the Web site at www.nidcd.nih.gov. NIH—the nation's medical research agency—includes 27 institutes and centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov. | ||||
Contact Us || Privacy || Accessibility || Web Site Policies & Important Links || FOIA || Frequently Asked Questions || Free Publications National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Page last updated: 1/30/2008
National Institutes of Health
31 Center Drive, MSC 2320
Bethesda, MD USA 20892-2320
E-mail: nidcdinfo@nidcd.nih.gov
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Raspberry/Apricot Linzer Bars
Raspberry/Apricot Linzer Bars
The crust for these raspberry bars has plenty of spices and walnuts—the perfect foil for tangy-sweet raspberry preserves.
Makes 2 dozen bars
ACTIVE TIME: 30 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 1 1/4 hours
EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts, divided
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 large egg
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons water
3/4 cup seedless raspberry jam
1 tablespoon orange juice
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-by-9-inch or 7-by-11 1/2-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Combine flour, sugar, 1/2 cup walnuts, cocoa, orange zest, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves in a food processor. Pulse until walnuts are finely chopped. Add egg, oil and water; process until moistened. Transfer to prepared pan. Press into an even layer. Bake crust until dry to the touch and barely golden, 20 to 25 minutes.
3. Whisk jam and orange juice in a bowl. Spread evenly over the crust. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons walnuts. Bake the bars until jam bubbles, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Transfer pan to a wire rack and cool completely before cutting into bars.
NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per bar: 112 calories; 3 g fat (0 g sat, 1 g mono); 9 mg cholesterol; 20 g carbohydrate; 2 g protein; 1 g fiber; 46 mg sodium; 31 mg potassium.
1 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 1 other carbohydrate, 1 fat
Friday, May 22, 2009
The ocean is a great reminder of how something so seamless and wide can bring people together in amazing ways
"in this vastness Oh Lord, You still found me? Amazing."
Friday, May 15, 2009
African Futari with coconut milk
Futari
A tasty combination of squash, yams, and coconut milk. Squash and yams are very common in Africa.
What you need
- one onion, chopped
- one pound squash, peeled and cut into bite-sized cubes (hubbard squash is recommended, sweet pumpkin can also be used)
- a pound or two of yams (sweet potatoes may be substituted), peeled and cut into bite-sized cubes
- oil to sauté
- one cup coconut milk (see the note about coconut milk on the Wali wa Nazi recipe page)
- one-half teaspoon ground cinnamon
- one quarter teaspoon ground cloves
- salt to taste
What you do
- Fry onion in skillet, stir and cook until tender. Stir in all other ingredients, and heat to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and stir occasionally. Cook until vegetables are tender (ten to fifteen minutes).
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Tips and Strategies from First-Year Teachers
What to Expect Your First Year of Teaching, September 1998
First-year teachers had a lot of it to offer to new teachers who follow them. Their tips ran the gamut—from memorizing students' names right away to making peace with the realization that some children cannot be reached. Teachers also offered practical advice on classroom management, working with parents, and more.
Broader themes were the need for clear, high expectations for students' academic performance and behavior. Overall, teachers recommended an approach that is nurturing but firm. And, they advised, prepare for classes and then prepare some more.
"Before you begin on the first day, be as prepared as you possibly can. Set up your room. Look around. Is there anything anywhere that would distract you if you were a student? Move around the room and ask the same question from a number of different spots, e.g., spots from which students should be working and observing. Always put your plans on the board—before class begins. Everyone here would be lying if they didn't admit that they were nervous on the first day!"—Thomas Muller, 9th-12th grades, Oregon
"Think about every stupid question that could be asked as a result of your lesson plan. Do they contain any words that could set students off? I didn't realize how silly kids can be. Something as simple as a squeaky chair will set them off. You need to develop a range of appropriate responses and be able to deliver them with a straight face. Sometimes it is important to let them be kids and be silly when they want to, but you should choose those times."—Catherine McTamaney, 9th-12th grades, Tennessee
"Over plan! Prepare two hours for every hour of actual teaching. The day will go faster than you expect. You need to avoid the dreaded 15 minutes at the end when you will be asking yourself, `What do I do now?'—Catherine McTamaney, 9th-12th grades, Tennessee
"You have to be very organized. Five minutes of unorganized time can lead to chaos."—Phu N. Ly, 2nd grade (inclusive), Massachusetts
Prepare, but then again . . . be prepared to wing it if that's what it takes.
"I had to turn in my entire week's lesson plans on Monday to the principal. I learned not to stick with the lesson plans. The teachable moments go further. Too much structure can make you too stressed out to be creative."—Kerry Kapper, 5th grade (inclusive), Vermont
"Often I just ripped up my lesson plans. Teach the kids, don't teach the lesson plans." —Thomas R. Leinheiser, 3rd grade, Alabama
Set clear, reasonable expectations that communicate consistency and high standards.
"Set expectations and standards in clear language. Establish a vision and stick to it. Even in little things like the right heading at the top of the paper. Expect the best of all your students."—Lisa M. Shipley, 7th and 8th grades, Missouri
"Set high expectations for the students from the first day. Even if it means taking extra time for some students, high expectations—high results." —Jeffrey Breedlove, 10th-12th grades, Kansas
Many teachers summarized their classroom management strategies in a single word—respect.
"Keep it simple. . . . You don't have to spell out everything. Respect. . . ." Conni Neugebauer, kindergarten-4th grade, South Dakota
"Always live up to the same rules you set up for them. Keep them simple and justifiable. `Respect' is the only rule I have on my classroom wall." —Catherine McTamaney, 9th-12th grades, Tennessee
"I don't like to have too many rules or kids will forget them. My students help set up the rules, which makes them more respectful of them."—Mark White, 5th grade, Nebraska
Stay cool under fire. Criticism can be turned to an advantage.
"Sometimes it is so easy to want to defend yourself with the principal or parents. I learned how to listen, to try to understand where they're coming from. Parents' concerns are very real."—Phu N. Ly, 2nd grade (inclusive), Massachusetts
"You can feel like you are being critiqued. Instead of being defensive, you can say, `Hey, that's right'."—Scott D. Niemann, 3rd and 4th grades, Alaska
Use innovations in teaching, technology, and rewards.
"Dividing topics into smaller, more manageable, and therefore, more achievable tasks has encouraged students to take it one step at a time. Presenting a variety of student-centered lessons that require active student participation has stimulated student interest. Relating information to students' lives and establishing a reason for learning has increased student participation. Second, I have established a very pro-active (some might call it aggressive) make-up policy. My No Zero Tolerance program uses computerized grade software to track students. Students receive a weekly status report that lists grades and highlights any zero."—Grace D. Clark, 9th-11th grades, Virginia
"I have `cool cash rewards' that can be redeemed in the `Shipley Store,' which has things that local businesses have donated. Rewards will take you further than punishments in the long run."—Lisa M. Shipley, 7th and 8th grades, Missouri
Other recommendations included:
- Make friends with the custodial staff—you'll need them;
- Reach out to parents and form relationships with them before problems begin;
- Get to know your students by coaching or taking part in an extracurricular activity;
- Take care of yourself physically and spiritually, and
- Don't forget, you're only human.
"Reach out to the parents. Let them know from the start that you know they are very important to their child's education and that you want to work with them. That they are central to the process. That you are looking for their interest and concern. Formally or informally form some kind of parent-teacher contract. Make regular, positive calls home, not just negative or critical ones."—William C. Smith, 7th grade, New York
"I have two rules: get parents on your side, and allow yourself to make mistakes."—Phu N. Ly, 2nd grade (inclusive), Massachusetts
"I make a lot of home visits. This challenged me to love the kids more. The home visits were made both on school time and on my time. Every Wednesday I visited the homes of the kindergarten kids. This helped me relate to the kids a lot better."—Christopher W. Albrecht, kindergarten-7th grade, West Virginia
"Right before school started we set up a `sneak preview' of what those first days of school were going to be like. Before school officially started, we invited kids and parents to come by for an hour so we could talk and share."—Mark White, 5th grade, Nebraska
"Develop a really good relationship with the administration. You question, `Will they back me up?' Lots of time they are viewed as the enemy—teachers versus the administration. You need the administration and the office. Secretaries make or break you. Teaching is very political. Who you know and having access."—Jeffrey Breedlove, 10th-12th grades, Kansas
Get to know another side of the kids.
"Extracurricular activities. I got to know the kids better and watched them mature and see the leadership side of their personalities. I have some of the same kids in class. The kids see me beyond the instructor role, see me as available for questions, and that builds the relationship."—Sebastian C. Shipp, 9th_12th grades, North Carolina "I recommend coaching to give you an edge. I coach volleyball. And teaching drama allows me to work with all students. You must have a high energy level and be willing to put in the extra time. They will appreciate it."—Stephanie D. Bell, 9th and 10th grades, South Carolina
"Being involved in drama production after school was one of the highlights. Like many teachers, during my regular schedule, I teach students at only one grade level, while in drama I worked with kids from all levels. They were very generous and I was able to develop a much broader range of relationships than in class."—Sara M. Hagarty, 10th grade, Delaware
Additional quick tips follow:
"Learn students' names correctly and quickly." —Delissa L. Mai, 9th grade, Wyoming
"Learn to laugh at yourself. A sense of humor is critical."—Katharine L. Hager, 7th grade, Hawaii
"My advice is to develop rapport with the kids, to adapt to hit it off with the kids—you need to click. Beyond the curriculum—you have to click." —Jeffrey Breedlove, 10th-12th grades, Kansas
"Expose yourself as being human and being real. Don't be afraid to get down and dirty, do what they're doing, work when they are working. Keep a written list of what needs to be changed for next year. Try things and if they don't work, write them down."—Jill P. Clark, 9th and 11th grades, Pennsylvania
"First year teachers have to remember that, `We can't save everyone' and not take it personally. I had one child who just dug in and did not want my help. I have to balance my guilt and how much I could really do to help."—Allison L. Baer, 4th-6th grades, Ohio
"Teachers can't forget about the importance of their own mental and physical health or they will fall apart. Find time to go out with your colleagues to talk about mutual ideas and problems—let off steam. There are tons of kids sneezing and coughing on you every day. You need to be healthy to be a good teacher. I jog in the morning like any good prizefighter."—Christopher D. Markofski, kindergarten, Washington
Teaching is not a popularity contest, and students are not your best friends. Respect is more important than affection, teachers said.
"It is okay if kids don't like you. They need to respect you. A lot of teachers want to be buddies."—Katharine L. Hagar, 7th grade, Hawaii
"You are not friends. You have to distinguish." —Phu N. Ly, 2nd grade (inclusive), Massachusetts
"Don't hang out with high school kids—you establish friendly rapport, you don't want to be pals."—Jeffrey Breedlove, 10th-12th grades, Kansas
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[Challenges] 
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Common Criticisms of "Bi-Lingual Education"
Some research indicates that immigrant students who have been subjected to traditional Bi-Lingual Education often find that they are well behind the performance of other students in academic subjects once the students are finally "main streamed" into English-only classrooms.
Critics have called Bi-Lingual Education "racial segregation" and compare putting immigrant students into non-English speaking classes to the outlawed practice of putting blacks into black-only classes.
1. How is diversity reflected in the culture of the United States?
Dsicussion3
MSTaylorQ#1, pg 271
- How is diversity reflected in the culture of the United States?
We also have to observe that new diverse nationalities, just don't carry their tired backs nor their baggage of any form, but also they bring in their life's functional/operation mode and influences. Teachers are faced with serious challenges. However, parents play distinctive roles in helping 'baby' correspond to the norms and expectations they will encounter in the mainstream of the United States of America. I for one, was my children's home-mentor when they first got here from the Far East. It is amazing how they quickly caught up with the school, their classmates, and even the football team and the local girl-scouts.
The diverse cultures in the US can adapt to the mainstream sophistication through education (the teacher, the parents, the media) and exposure to the arts; thus, these children are learning a new skill and advancing their respective interests (like my son as he joined the school's football team right on the very first year of contact USA), yet maintain their diverse flavors or uniqueness.
Some of these children may be limited in their ESL, but in the long run exceeds the academic norms of locals from advantaged environments. Indeed, this is where cooperative learning takes center-stage at school; and at home with guardians/helping-hands organizations/ mentors.
As a teacher, "your aim is not to develop a different curriculum for each group of students – rather your curriculum should increase student's awareness and appreciation of the diversity in US cultures (272). Again, teachers have to teach all children their worth.
How can I make my classroom inclusive to include learners of all ability levels?
One sure thing, no two students are alike in their learning styles. As a teacher, I have to be aware that students progress differently through the stages of cognitive, social, moral and emotional development. Most importantly, I have to be more aware of the subject, and to become more an intentional and/or effective teacher; and, that takes practice and lots of tenacious endeavor. I have to teach myself, too. More like run or monitor a check list so often. I once observed a local elementary school teacher, and I asked her about how all children in her class seems to get along just wonderfully. She smiled so brightly and told me: "In my classroom there's no word like 'disability' or 'special learners'." I strongly believe, as to this teacher and advocates of inclusive education that focusing on this facet of teaching will benefit all learners. Indeed, as a teacher I have to be equally alert with the school's personel, the social worker, the special education facilitator, and even the parents – for students who exhibit any behavioral characteristics, and so to early identify any learning disabilities. (pg 306)
TAYLOR, MARITESS S
4/25/2009
As a teacher, are you ready for the future ….
201 ed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A-ZVCjfWf8&feature=related
Respond to the clip. How do you think this will impact you as a teacher in the future
Learning with technology: Response to SZAFRANSKI, JENNIFER L
4/25/2009
Just as our colleague, Jennifer LS was commenting about that even though we are in the digitized age and we are quite proficient with programs and other technological gadgets, we are to remind ourselves that they are just gadgets, and that the Intentional Teacher of the future has to balance her instructions with what is new and what is traditional.
I've visited an elementary school where my friend teaches 5th grade. She shown me an array of computers by the main corridor; but, she professed that her school does not put a lot of importance on technology. Rather, the school highly emphasizes on lesson quality presentation with clarity/substance, and scaffolding the students with Peer associated cooperative learning with-in and in-between ability groups. It seems like the children (including exceptional children in the room which I can't even tell the difference, from the rest of the class) are excited reading the book for the day in pairs;
Maybe, with the availability of technological devices, it's very easy to create teacher's NoticeBoard, with the aid of the curser you can just click where it says "Build a Wall" and you'll see a new wall with other options to complete it. Nonetheless, teaching children to use their hands/ their senses to build a Giant Ship Collage made by: sticking cloth, pieces of paper, cut-up photographs, used buttons, ribbons, other objects; and making a journal/snapshots/drama & narrative afterwards - – is one therapeutic experience and learned attachment that the children will benefit in their socio-emotional development for a lifetime. Indeed, computers cannot replace the children's "I feel it, cuz I made it" Aha!- moments.
Szafranski.Week8discussion
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SZAFRANSKI, JENNIFER L
4/25/2009
0
Are you ready for Education in the Future?
I hope I am ready for the education of the future. I feel there needs to be a strong balance between technology in education and the traditions of the past. I grew up at a perfect time when technology was just apprearing more strongly in the education system. It was by no means even close to what it is today but I did have many technological opportunities while I was still in high school. I am one of the lucky people who has a good balance of the two. I am very fluent with the computer but also feel that there is so much more to life than sitting in front of a digital machine. I hope the students I teach will understand the importance of both and I hope that our school systems stay true to both extremes.
I like that education is turning more toward new technologies every year and am excited to be able to integrate these into my classroom.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
What’s up with “THE NAME
Posting # 3 Tell Me Something New "In the Shadow of the Strip"
Argue in favor of:
- Shop clerks dressed in stern lines, as in Michael Ventura's "You Saw Me Crying in the Chapel"
- What's up with "THE NAME" in "Bowling with the Christ Child" by Dayvid Figler
In the short story "You Saw Me Crying in the Chapel", a familiar line pricked my consciousness in the same way Virginia resented the clerk's reception towards her. Let us take a glimpse at this event: the store's clerk dressed in stern lines [132] asked Virginia "Is there something you would like to buy?"[133]. This excerpt from the story suggested a condescending tone in the way the shop's clerk approached the pregnant Virginia regardless of how the latter looked or dressed. The clerk was rude and lacked the appropriate mission statement. Similarly, such a rude reception was no different from my own shopping experiences in some of the stores in Las Vegas. Like Virginia, I want the clerk to let me know what I need to know, and when I need to know it. In the same manner, I totally feel uncomfortable when a store clerk follows me around.
On the other hand, equally delightful was the short story "Bowling with the Christ Child" by Dayvid Figler (even his name sounds funny). Figler's short story got me off with rollicking and hilarious laughter. This literary work certainly loose me up quite a bit and was a joy-read. I certainly snuggled in with-the-groove and I felt funny tears running down my cheeks. Consequently, I've come across characters similar to some of the characters illustrated in Figler's short story: i.e., folks looking like Sean Penn and their blonde or blonde-looking spouses. On a closer look, some of these blondes appear to represent as close-encounters of Viking-Bruhildas' minus the long braids. Toss in silk nails and baseball caps and you get a pass of Jessica Simpson and Britney Spears look-alike. If you want to laugh, read these stories repeatedly and keep the book! Sequentially, I couldn't agree more regarding the "Christ Child's Name". It is one eponym spoken and breathed out too often. This Name represents a kind of exhilaration one could pair with: folks' first/last names, reverent as an epithet, screamed out loud in jubilation, at birth times, loosing a car/house title at a craps table and etc.. Likewise, most folks will agree that this particular Name could pose as an allegory, as to shock, death, joy, or even orgasm.
"I like words. I use them".
Maritess S. Taylor, College of Southern Nevada
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
What knowledge do you need to teach
Answer the Discussion Board question and respond to one of your classmate's postings.
- In the subject line,
- type your first initial,
- your last name,
- the page of the question you are doing,
- and the question number with a period as a separator between your last name and the page number as in
- the following example: TWyckoff.p37#1.
Focus Questions
This chapter aims to help you answer the following questions:
- What knowledge do you need to teach?
- What are five views of the teacher knowledge base?
- How do reforms in teacher education affect you?
- What can you learn from observing in classrooms?
- How can you gain practical experience for becoming a teacher?
- How can you develop your teaching portfolio?
- How can you benefit from mentoring relationships?
- What opportunities for continuing professional development will you have?
My Philosophy of Education is:
I teach for passion, yet thinking critically and taking time to reflect take a high priority in the day's itinerary. I will extend care one on one. My welcome mat is an open-door policy with appointment slips of first come first served basis. You know your turn is up when a brilliant-colored Giant Sail (the class Icon) unfolds in front of you: Common In, Let's Go Sailing!
I uphold a peer-oriented classroom. The class's Peers is to classroom, as the President's cabinet members is to the Oval Office. Students will know if the follow the Class Giants they too are in the process of becoming one. I am catalyst. I care for people of all sorts. I am always curious, always want to know why children/folks/things/ do what they do; yet, help them appreciated their own competence and my own as well. Worry has no place in my world. Work will. How I support my students is what will make my day as a teacher. In return, my students will support the teacher! Moreover, education is not just a privilege; to me it is a birthright! I put a greater emphasis with parents participation. Parents will play major role in bringing up "baby". Parents will go in sync together with teacher's Efficacy - inseperably.
We are The Hybrid generation in a digital driven world. However, we will start class even under the Sycamore tree! We will keep on trying relentlessly until all students succeed. Somewhere, some persistent work, and/or some neo teachers' practices will push a lily out of a cobblestone at any kind of weather.
Maritess S Taylor
College of Southern Nevada
- TWyckoff.p37#1. Or
- MTaylor.p ____#___
How can you develop your educational philosophy?
Edu 201 Wyckoff DQ # 2 Chapter 3
How can you develop your educational philosophy?
I am working on becoming as an Intentional teacher.
- I want to know how things work, and existing evidences and solutions.
- Through teachers' research I can apply realistic alternatives, incorporate findings in the curricula and lesson plans.
- Decisions should be weighed down several times
- As Intentional teacher, I will combine my passion for children, for growing things, my love for History and Science, my knowledge of neo disciplines, principles, my Teacher's Portfolio as my Compass' Rule, my Internship Experience, and my flare for Creativity/Theater
- Classroom Peers are the classroom's corporals. All students will benefit each other with an active exchange of feedbacks.
- PRAISE is classroom's LOGO. Praise has to come from all. These elements are all magnanimous ingredients in the making of Students' Distinguishable Accomplishments and as an integral and significant member of family and nation.
"when the soul is happy, the soul harvests plenty"
tess
Saturday, April 18, 2009
cooperative learning with children?
- What are some positive reasons for doing cooperative learning with children?
- Cooperative learning with peers or groups will give growth to socio-emotional development. Self –esteem increases academic skills. Acceptance is the key word to any group project or learning. Acceptance will boost production
- With groups tasks or paired with a Star Peer, students learn to work with others.
- Cooperative learning will enhance student's accountability and increase industry skills which are long-lasting.
- When students are working on their own, they really don't know how they sum up or the probability of their success. Working as a team, gives the student the mastery of skills, because the cooperative group is in one accord/voice for the success of the Team. This means everyone in the Team is an essential factor for the Team's success.
- Students, who learn to explain more, learn more.
- The joy with working with others is universal and even at Santa's North Pole!
- What are some negative aspects of cooperative learning that must be taken into consideration for this method to be successful?
- Maybe, teachers have to take into consideration that some children lack social skills, however initial growth will start somehow or out of the cobblestones.
- Name calling such as "stupid, dummy, nerd". Some of team members need to learn to believe in themselves. Name calling is form of abuse.
- Lessons among teams or with peer mentor should be simple and carefully planned to follow, and not complex. Presentation, presentation, presentation.
- Maybe some members defend on Peer or Team leader to do their part of task. Invite parents or guardians over sometimes. Students, teachers, and parents can all learn a new skill altogether.
- Consider building Team first before moving on to academics.
Massed practice
Chapter 6 Discussion posting Massed practice 4/12/09
Massed practice would bring anxiety to most children. Massed practice or some work that are tightly packed together, will not result to retention on newly learned skills; and, does not provide practice, but cram.
The role of distributed practice not only enhances students' learning, it also enhances my own study points or what are Chapter Concepts Study Guides/ Daily Chapter Questions of the course. I highly prefer the distributed practice because, it helps students to map out (like a compass or an itinerary) significant information by utilizing "reviewing and recapitulating" (213). Spaced or distributed practice will provide students a chance to "practice skills learned in one setting at one time and in another setting at a different time (home)" 213. No student can take all that information without practice. Practice will assist perception. Practice will assist students to get a grip on concepts even if it comes around again in a different format. Bottom line is, if we value children's diverse minds, and provide secondary reinforcements or paired association; just like Mrs. Rico telling me what I was very good at in the early grades. Children will feel good about themselves, and homework will get done ahead of time.
Maritess S Taylor, College of Southern Nevada
“To reinforce themselves”(Bandura)
to reinforce themselves" (Bandura) (151).
CHAPTER 4 and 5 DUE April 8, 2009
220 EDUC T. NORRIS
CHAPTER 5 DP DUE April 8, 2009
220 EDUCATION T. NORRIS
CHAPTER 5 Discussion Board Posting
How do we know what to use to reward student behavior and what is our ultimate goal in using rewards to enhance children's learning?
To act with goal in mind as to what reward to use to student behavior is an essential part of curricula; and, especially students, the teacher, and members of the family are all involved; and, recognized themselves as the Team that created the Reward & Consequences Board of Merits.
If students are encouraged to process their own Behavior Chart with support from teacher and parents in creating the chart, a social theory is formed. Nonetheless, "self-regulated learning (Bandura) that represents a form of cognitive behavior modification", contributes to students the self-concept that is originally formed from experience. Rewards, praise, and "more-enjoyed activities" (151), or what we learn as Extrinsic rein-forcers will result to help weaken the negative behavior; and will enhance children's learning. More so, students "should be taught to have expectations for their own performance and to reinforce themselves" (Bandura) (151). Indeed, I can use this model. Hurray Bandura!
JOURNAL/04/06/09
Maritess Taylor
College of Southern Nevada
Teachers’ Research in the Millenia
Teachers, practicing teachers, as well as students play major roles in classrooms. Change is inevitable and so are perspectives on learning. The structures of educational programs have never been so defined due to the increase, availability, and the assimilation of knowledge of the 21st century. We are THE Hybrid of all generations. Teachers and classrooms can make a presence at any location, at any rate, and speed.
Teacher research is actually done by the teachers. Actual practice takes place in the classroom. So long as research will result to successful strategies, insights, productivity, fun and teamwork; and, also stimulate creativity. Millennial teachers who welcome change will benefit considerably through research as oppose to subjective judgments, personal opinions, using labels and/or stereotypes. Again, teachers may welcome and/or pass such crucial questions on dominant social and cultural issues. Yet, the classrooms of the future will focus on realistic studies to disseminate knowledge. As a result, teacher's research will encourage quality/ lively participation and productivity, not only in our classrooms but also in our homes, our communities, and our nation at large.
Enclosed is a personal favorite a WebJournal by: Gail Ritchie was a K-1 teacher at Kings Park Elementary School in Fairfax County, Virginia. She was named Fairfax County Teacher of the Year in 1999-2000.
"My first experience with Teacher Research occurred seven years ago. A colleague and I conducted research about how multiple intelligences theory could impact student learning. We saw effects far beyond those we had read about. That research affected me so profoundly that I now organize my classroom within a multiple intelligences framework. My classroom centers are related to the different intelligences, I teach children to value and respect the "different kinds of smart," and I invite children into the classroom community of learners by "opening windows" (Gardner) to their strengths and interests". gse.gmu.edu/research/tr/
Maritess S Taylor
College of Southern Nevada
Friday, April 10, 2009
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