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Learning
"When will I ever need to use this in real life?" That's a common cry from high school students bored with academic subjects. But those dreaded words are seldom heard by NEA member Nathan Ivy at Irvington High School in Fremont, California. Ivy is the school's service-learning coordinator, and he works hard to make academic subjects more meaningful to students--by combining subjects with useful service. That can make for some unusual projects:
Both projects generated practical results while engaging the students in more traditional classroom studies. The sweatshop produced refurbished shoes for a homeless shelter. Meanwhile, the students learned about the history of work and the labor movement and wrote essays about who might have walked in the shoes they fixed up. The goose investigation led to a campaign to improve the environment, with the investigation itself incorporating an array of learned math and science lessons. At Irvington High, one of 66 schools awarded a White House commendation for excellent service-learning curriculums in 2000, all students are required to put in 40 hours of service before graduation. They can make arrangements for the service on their own, but the school also provides plenty of opportunities for academics with practical applications. "In the last four or five years," says Ivy, "we have really worked on overlapping the service with the curriculum and tying that to specific California state content standards." For example, all ninth graders go out into the community to carry out a scientific investigation of a real-world problem. Working with Ivy and other school staffers, they then develop and execute a plan for dealing with that problem. Through reports and journals, they develop their English skills. One group of students, "the Geese Brigade," set out to learn why the local geese population was growing. The culprits, they discovered, were people who feed the geese through the dry months, when natural food is scarce, causing the geese to stop migrating and attracting passing flocks. Each goose, the students learned from park rangers, produces about a pound a day of waste. The students wrote an elaborate report filled with graphs and photos to document the worsening conditions. The Geese Brigade then gave out flyers to educate offenders. Most goose feeders, students reported, accepted the leaflets, but some "were annoyed and irritated." Children, the students added, were very responsive "and highly appreciative of the junior park ranger stickers we rewarded them with." Besides what they learned on the academic front, the brigade students learned just how difficult it can be to tackle real-world problems. "Canada geese are very interesting and they have a very complex lifestyle very similar to humans," one brigade student wrote in her first journal entry. Two months later, she concluded her journal with, "I never want to see a goose again." --Alain Jehlen and Julie Leupold For More: Visit the Irvington Web site at www.irvington.org, or contact Ivy by E-mail: nivy@fremont.k12.ca.us. Dilemma When a child in my class gets sick and we cannot get in touch with anyone, and there is no nurse's office, I set the child up in the back of my room with bean bags and pillows. More than likely the child will fall asleep until someone can come, or until the end of the school day. After school, I am sure to take home the pillows to wash, and I disinfect the bean bags for the next child who needs them. Christine Bom When I taught kindergarten, I would store several clean beach towels in my classroom. If I had a child who was sick and couldn't get home, I would have them rest on one towel on the floor and cover them with another. I'd then take the towels home, wash them, and bring them back for the next time they were needed. Jim Roney I used to teach in a latchkey setting. When an ill child came to my program and I couldn't reach a parent, I'd bring out an old cot of mine and a blanket. I also kept several stuffed animals on hand for just such an emergency -- the younger students were comforted by lying with them. Matthew Yuhasz I've found the best way to handle this problem (and it is a problem) is to allow the child who is not feeling well to wash his face and hands in cold water. Regardless of what is wrong--temperature, headache, tummyache, good old homesickness--cold water can't hurt, and it will often help. This also gives the child a little one-on-one attention. Pat Brooks When I worked in special ed, we had a student who had seizure problems. The parents couldn't come and get him each time he had an episode, so we set up a quiet, cool corner with subdued light. This allowed him to come out of his spell and progress back to normal (he was quite tired after these spells). In regular ed, I had a first grader whose parents didn't seem to make it when they were called. He was sick for two weeks. We set up a cot next to the office and had a pail in the room if he needed it, and towelettes for him to clean his face. Sherry Kunz What a sad situation for a sick child, not being able to go home! A teammate of mine had this happen to a young man in her room. She placed several rug samples in the back corner of the room, made a pillow out of his jacket, and encouraged him to rest. He was able to listen to the lesson until he fell asleep. Jane Ragains First, you pray that the student doesn't have anything contagious. Then you do the best that you can to make the student comfortable until the regular dismissal time. Study the symptoms well. If the student is very sick, a doctor may have to be called. Better to be extra cautious than have a serious emergency go unheeded. Mazie Lewis Got an Answer?What do you do when students' late work hours damage their school performance? E-mail your answer to dilemma2@neatoday.nea.org. You can also fax to 202/822-7206 or use regular mail. Please include your name, city, state, job title, and grade level, if applicable. Published respondents will receive a new NEA Today mug! Idea Exchange Parents in High School This gives parents the opportunity to observe first-hand what their child is learning in class and, hopefully, opens a door of communication about school. The visits also give me the opportunity to get to know the parents a little better, too. The best reason for inviting parents to class? The students learn that their parents are really pretty sharp. Catherine Ratliff Turn Into Ms. Frizzle Cut out designs in felt (such as trees showing the four seasons, the water cycle, life cycle of a frog) and spray bonding glue on the backs. Let the glue set for at least five minutes. Apply the designs to an old apron, and you're Ms. Frizzle! The designs can be removed and stored on waxed paper, so one apron is sufficient for all your science needs. The children will love it and will be able to guess what you'll be teaching next. Anne Craighead Hanging Student Work To display student work, I hot glued clothespins to the wall in alternating rows. I glued my students' names above the clothespins. Changing displays of student work has never been easier, and the pins lift right off the wall when I'm ready to remove them. Leah Keith Works For Me For more tips from NEA's weekly E-mail service, Works4Me, send an E-mail to lyris@list.nea.org.
To submit a tip, E-mail it to: owner-Works4Me@list.nea.org. To Mexico, in Search of Roots
North Carolina English teacher Victoria Greene-Epps traveled to Mexico last summer, and brought back a lot more than tourist shots. She came away better prepared to engage her Hispanic students in learning. Just one example: In teaching about the Native American experience, Greene-Epps used to take the "Pacohontas approach"--and reference only Native Americans from the continental United States. "I was limited," she explains, "to the Native Americans I knew about." But on her trip to Mexico, Greene-Epps found herself introduced to fascinating new native cultures from the rest of the Americas--the Mayans, Aztecs, and more. These Native American experiences are now part of her lesson plan. And that's piqued the interest of her Hispanic students at J.F. Webb High School in rural Granville County, because many of them descend from these peoples. "I've seen my kids come to life," notes Ivalee Keen, another North Carolina teacher who visited Mexico this past summer. "You can see the pride on their faces," adds this fifth grade teacher at Walkertown Elementary School in suburban Winston-Salem, "when I talk about the smart Aztecs and the brilliant scientific achievements of the Mayans." Greene-Epps and Keen were among 20 North Carolina teachers who took a 12-day journey to Mexico this summer organized by the Duke University-University of North Carolina Program in Latin American Studies. The teachers learned, to their surprise, that not all Mexicans speak Spanish. In the state of Oaxaca, notes Maria Bonito, a French and Spanish teacher at Leesville Middle School in Raleigh, students speak 64 dialects of 14 different Indian languages. Many of the poorest students are learning Spanish as a second language. In Oaxaca, the visiting North Carolina teachers were also treated to a slice of life they didn't have back home: a village square. "The square was a wonderful gathering place for socializing after school or work, with ball-playing, balloons, music, dancing--there was a lot going on," said Janice Cole Gibson, a social studies and language arts teacher in Oakboro. "I'd heard Hispanic students say there's not much to do in North Carolina," Gibson adds. "Now I understand why." On their trip, the North Carolina teachers--all from communities experiencing a surge in Hispanic enrollment--saw kids in a wide range of living conditions, from tin shacks with no running water to modern homes with backyard pools, computers, and videogames. The trip was "the most inspirational thing I've ever done in my life," says Keen, whose enthusiasm wasn't dampened despite a fall that had her leaving Mexico in a wheelchair. Keen is now planning to write a curriculum and edit a videotape about the trip. Greene-Epps feels equally inspired. In past years, she had difficulty reaching and motivating some of her His-panic students. Now she feels that a door has opened, just because she went to Mexico. One girl, impressed by the photos and crafts Greene-Epps brought back from Mexico, brought into class her own pictures of Veracruz, her family's original home. That sharing, says Greene-Epps, was a sure sign she had connected. The student, says Greene-Epps, now "gives 100 percent plus to her school work." --Alain Jehlen For more: Visit www.duke.edu/web/las/outreach.html. E-mail Victoria Greene-Epps at vgreeneepps@hotmail.com, Ivalee Keen at ikeen@msn.com, and Janice Cole Gibson at wandrnlady@aol.com. How do you handle disruptive students? We all have those students in our rooms who make it their mission in life to disrupt the teaching and learning process. I believe they do this because they see us as teachers, not as individuals. When the school year begins, I identify these students quickly and purposely seek them out for casual conversations, mostly at sporting events, lunch time, in the hall, and when I see them in the community. These students begin to see me as an individual who is interested in their lives, not just a teacher. I rarely need to send students to the principal, and the teaching and learning process can continue without interruption. Bruce Denney When I have students who are disruptive, I work from the premise that they have forgotten the rules. I say things like, "Oh, you forgot that we have a rule about running in the halls." Or "Now that you remember, I'm sure you won't do it again." If the behavior continues, I look at it as an opportunity to learn a new skill and have them come in at recess to practice following the rule correctly. Laura Bleck The class rules need to be made together, signed by each student, and posted. Always maintain your serenity before the class. Pick the kid who needs the most help with control first. Remove the child from the group and talk privately -- "privately" is the key word. Explain you care for the student but will not tolerate the behavior. Make sure to set up standards of acceptability. With little children, a tiny mark on the board and a nod in their direction reminds them of the consequences. With great luck, the next in line for help may have adjusted their actions. The three keys to success: calmness, private talks, and rules made with the class. Marian Brovero When faced with a disruptive student, I have to remind myself of an adage: "Children need love the most when they deserve it least." This helps me focus on the behaviors and never respond in anger that could rob children of their dignity in front of their peers. I make sure to catch disruptive students doing what they should be doing--and give positive comments. Time and energy spent here pay off. During a disruption, I may appear to ignore it until I can quietly ask the child to step outside. There, I immediately discuss how the situation could have been handled differently. When disruptions occur frequently, I contact the parent and suggest daily communication. This can be in the form of a checklist or something as simple as a red card for a bad day, yellow for a fair day, and green for a good day. Darlys Preslar Got an Answer?What do you do with colleagues who constantly put down good ideas? E-mail your answer to dilemma2@neatoday.nea.org. Or send by regular mail, or fax at 202/822-7206. Please include your name, city, state, job title, and grade level, if applicable. Published respondents will receive a new NEA Today mug! How I Did It Donald P. Woytowick I became concerned when I realized that there aren't a lot of workshops for elementary teachers in science and math. So I created professional development workshops to provide K-5 teachers with new ways to teach these subjects. It's too often the case that students get turned off to math and science before they're really exposed to what these subjects are all about. The Planets, Light and Sound, Electricity, Fractions, Data Collection and Measurement--these are just some of the professional development workshop topics I offer. During each workshop, I cover about six different hands-on activities. We go over background information on the topic, management procedures for each lesson, assessment activities, and extension ideas for interdisciplinary activities. After the paperwork is completed, it's time for the hands-on part! In the Electricity workshop, for example, teachers explore how an electrically charged object affects other objects. Participants experiment with a bulb, a D cell, and a large paper clip to make the bulb light. Then a simple circuit is built to use as a conductor tester. The teachers build a simple switch to conduct the flow of electricity and test different materials to determine if they're conductors or insulators. The participants then construct circuit breakers and learn their function as part of the circuit. This is a fun and often new experience for the workshop participants, and, by doing the activities themselves, they better understand the material and can teach it more effectively. The lessons can be made interdisciplinary. Student interest in electricity can be sparked by reading The Magic School Bus and The Electric Field Trip. Geometry can be linked to art by having students create a quilt out of triangles. Science and math are at the core of the new Information Age we're living in. That being the case, it's imperative that our students learn the basics of these subjects while their creative minds are still fresh and eager for stimuli. |
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