A Parent's Resource Guide to Social and Emotional Learning
Encouraging Kindness and Empathy Cultivating Kindness and Compassion in Children (Center for Child and Family Well-Being, University of Washington, 2014) This summary of a public lecture by Kimberly Schonert-Reichl underscores the importance of promoting social and emotional learning, reviews some of the research about cultivating kindness and compassion in children, and discusses five practical strategies that parents can try. For even more parent tips, read Schonert-Reichl's Kindness Booklet. Why It’s Imperative to Teach Empathy to Boys (KQED MindShift, 2014) Gayle Allen and Deborah Farmer Kris discuss the importance of empathy and the gender stereotypes that may put boys at risk for failing to learn this important skill; the authors describe three strategies that parents of boys can implement. Back to Top Cultivating Perseverance and Resilience Fostering Gratitude Mindfulness, Emotional Intelligence, and Focus Home, School, and Community Partnerships Additional Resources
What Every Parent Should Know About Differentiated Instruction
It’s the first week of school, and you receive the following note from your child’s teacher: Dear Parents, This summer I attended a workshop on differentiated instruction, and I’m excited about using it in my classes. My goal with differentiating is to meet the needs of all of my students, so I’ll be using many different teaching and learning strategies over the course of the year. I hope that you’ll see your child learning and enjoying school. Please do not hesitate to call or e-mail with your questions or concerns. Your first thought is, “This sounds great.” Challenging as it may be, your child’s teachers should make it their business to care about the growth of all their students Here’s a practical definition of differentiated instruction: It’s a teacher’s proactive response to students’ needs as defined by their abilities, learning styles, and interests. So how do you know if differentiation is working in your child’s classroom?
Education Week
The Flipped model can clearly be a fad, but it doesn't have to be if it is done with integrity. Old model of parent communication - Monthly newsletters with important dates & info. New model of parent communication - Classroom websites, district Facebook pages, school Twitter pages... and monthly newsletters . But what about flipping communication? Most schools are looking for new and innovative ways to engage parents. Unfortunately, due to outside influences such as increased accountability, or to inside influences such as...well, staff and school leaders that don't get along, some school leaders are nervous about flipping anything. They have a fear that the reaction to flipping will look something like this... (iStock Photo) Last year I posted a blog about flipping parent communication and there were mixed reactions. To many educators, flipping faculty meetings or parent communication sounded like an odd thing to do and I received the following questions. Why Flip Our Communication?
iPads in the World Language Classroom by Jillian Hautman on Prezi
10 Excellent Social Bookmarking Tools for Teachers
February, 2014 Social bookmarking is a new concept that has seen the light with the emergence of bookmarking services like the ones I cited below.Semantically speaking, ' social bookmarking' is made up of the the term " social " which is related to society and general interactions between people, and the verb " to bookmark " (used here as a gerund ending in ing) which has to do with recording and/or saving content for both later use and quick access. Weaving the semantic reference of the two words results in social bookmarking as we know it today : a collaborative and collective saving and sharing of web content.' Below are some of the best social bookmarking websites I would recommend to teachers and students. Have a look and let us know what you think of them on our Facebook page. 1- Diigo This is my favourite tool for socialbookmarking. 2- Livebinders This is another powerful tool for saving and organizing your bookmarks. 3- Scoop.it 4- Pinterest 5- Edshelf 7- Educlipper
A Parent’s Guide to School Shootings | Active Response Training
I walked into the high school wearing two guns and a bullet resistant vest. I had a rifle, six spare magazines, and a ballistic helmet stashed close by in my car. It was Wednesday, April 21st 1999, the day after what had been the worst school shooting in United States history. Parents, students, and teachers were worried about a copycat shooting in the town where I worked as a police officer. Students and teachers were asking me questions about what they should do in the event that their school was the next to make the headlines. Fortunately, I didn’t have to deal with any violence at the school during my two days of patrolling the halls. There is a lot of conflicting information available about the phenomenon of school shootings. Recognizing the Shooter and Preventing the Shooting Contrary to popular belief, there is no single profile that describes the school shooter. The idea that school shooters are always trying to “get even” with people that have bullied them is not accurate.
A Must Read Parent Guide-Apple ID for Students
Apple has recently published a PDF guide for parents on the importance of Apple ID and how it could be used to improve kids overall learning. I have just finished reading it and I must say that you definitely need to download it if your students and kids are going to use iOS products in their learning. Though the app is for parents but it also applies to teachers using iPad with their students. Click HERE to download the guide. Below is the quoted introduction of this guide. Enjoy This guide provides an overview for parents and guardians on how to manage an Apple ID for Students on iOS devices such as iPad.
43 Apps, Games, and Websites Transforming This Year's Classrooms
In the middle of October, we invited educators to tell us about the "apps, games, and websites that are helping to tranform their classrooms this year." We asked that you submit your responses in the form of Field Notes and we received more than 700 submissions! 43 products emerged with several votes and strong, detailed Field Notes to explain just how they are being used effectively at school. We are also pleased to announce the winner of the $250 Amazon gift card. What apps, games, and websites are transforming your classroom? Related Posts: 5 Easy Steps to Writing a Great Field Note
