New performance standards for early language

Jerlean Daniel and a panel of literacy and early childhood experts are quickly dispelling the old adage that children should be seen and not heard. They've recently released research and instruction-based standards for early language development titled Speaking and Listening for Preschool through Third Grade.

The product of two years' work by the New Standards Primary Literacy Committee, this book and CD-ROM show speech as the building block to literacy and offer guidance on what speaking and listening abilities educators should expect from children at different ages.

"As adults, we communicate with the written word. But preschoolers become literate through speaking and listening," says Daniel. "They're working on literacy without ever having written a word or being able to read."

In 1999, New Standards-a joint program of the Learning Research and Development Center at the University of Pittsburgh and the National Center on Education-produced the widely adopted Reading & Writing Grade by Grade.

Intended as a companion guide, Speaking and Listening describes the various oral language skills children need, such as narrating, explaining and seeking information, and giving and understanding directions.Video clips show preschool though primary-grade children participating in book talks to demonstrate each standard.

"These standards call attention to the highly social nature of literacy," says Daniel, associate professor of education at the University of Pittsburgh and a former child care center director.

"Children and adults work together to help the child explore language, think about experiences they've had, and explain what they've seen through storytelling."

Daniel sees particular relevance of such standards in today's climate of accountability because, unlike test scores alone, they give parents and teachers solid information and skills to help a child move toward literacy.

For More: Visit www.ncee.org.

Caught Up in the Webbed Classroom

At first, Ted Nellen didn't want to teach about computers. He was a Shakespeare scholar and an English teacher. But he was also the only teacher without tenure at New York City's Murry Bergtraum High School, so he didn't have much choice. That was in 1984.
"I went reluctantly into the computer room," he recalls. "But I soon realized the power of technology."

Nellen has since become a pioneer in turning traditional classes into webbed ones. His inner-city students publish every assignment, from haikus to research papers, on their Web sites.

A retired teacher came across Nellen's class site while surfing the net and started sending notes to the students. She told friends, who told their friends, and now business executives, teachers, and college students communicate with the students via E-mail, which makes the students take their writing more seriously.

"A lot of these students have experienced many failures, so they are not enthusiastic about education," Nellen says. "Self-publishing empowers them."

His students often come in early, skip lunch, and stay late. "By using the Web, we reinforce the notion that schools are for kids, not adults," he says. "We teach them to think, not regurgitate."

Today, at Bronx Technol-ogy High School, he helps other teachers integrate technology with their classes.
"Teachers don't have to master technology in one semester," he says. "They just have to start."

For More: Explore http://tnellen.net/cyberenglish/ and www.infotoday.com/MMSchools/jan99/nellen.htm. Or try www.tnellen.com/ted/#pu.

Texas Drivers Teach Bus Safety

Three years ago, in response to a teacher's request, Plano, Texas bus drivers Irene Sayers (left) and Dona Hambly went looking for a good bus safety videotape. But all they found were outdated cartoons and a film called "Death Zone," which depicted children getting run over by buses.

The film was shown, but "the teacher and students were horrified," says Hambly.

Hambly and Sayers set out to create a school bus safety curriculum everyone would be proud of. They spent over a year contacting other school districts and viewing an endless stream of videos.

"All of the materials were either boring, outdated, or too remedial. So we wrote our own lesson plans and worked with teachers to pilot them," says Sayers.

Aimed at K-5 students, the 45-minute lessons cover basic rules and give children useful pointers like: Make eye contact with the driver when you cross in front of a bus.

The lessons are tailored for each grade level. For the youngest students, the main goal is to get them to sit in their seats. "We teach them the 4Bs: back-to-back and bottom-to-bottom," says Hambly.

Older children learn where to find the flares and how to help in an emergency.

"Teachers have been grateful," says Hambly. "Having a real bus driver in the classroom talking about safety gives the lesson credibility and urgency."

For More: Contact Hambly and Sayers: jhdh21@home.com or gasayers@juno.com.

Paraeducators On the Team

NEA member Kent Gerlach is a veteran special education teacher, professor--and a strong advocate of more cohesive teamwork among teachers, paraeducators, and administrators. His new book, Let's Team Up: A Checklist for Paraeducators, Teachers, and Principals, was recently released by the NEA Professional Library.

What inspired the checklist?
Paraeducators have been part of our school systems for 50 years. But little work has been done to define their roles.
Today, we face a teacher shortage, larger classrooms, a more diverse student body, and more students with special needs. As a result, we're using more paraeducators than ever before.

It's critical that they be able to work effectively with teachers and administrators.

How does the checklist help build partnership?
It clarifies roles and relationships among teachers, paraeducators, principals, and students in a way that can be adapted to any education environment. Once such roles are understood and respected, you can build teamwork. And teamwork is fundamental to the education mission.

How should the checklist be used?
Individual paraeducators can use it throughout the year to help formulate questions or clarify their duties. Teachers and principals can use it the same way to strengthen their leadership. It can also be used by schools and school districts for team-building and on-the-job training.

It also offers a valuable guide to multimedia resources on teamwork.

What's an example of a situation in which the checklist can be useful?
Paraeducators used to be seen as clerical assistants. Now, they're expected to be instructional assistants. But many have had little training for this role.

So let's say a paraeducator is working directly with special education students. A teacher in this situation has had many hours of specialized training in how to interact with these students. The paraeducator may have had none.

The checklist would guide the paraeducator to seek appropriate assistance from the teacher. It would guide the teacher to be aware of his or her vital supervisory role. And it would make principals and other administrators more aware of the demands being placed on paraeducators, so that they can make training available.

For More: Let's Team Up is available to NEA members for $5.50. Order on the Web at www.nea.org/ books or call 800/229-4200.

Teachers Plan Their Staff Development

For years, Minnesota's public school educators have been pressing legislators to do more for professional development.
That effort paid off last year when the legislature gave Education Minnesota, the merged NEA-AFT state affiliate, $800,000 to evaluate professional development in each school district and to recommend improvements.

Education Minnesota decided its own members know better than anyone else what's happening in their districts. So the union trained more than 500 members to do the evaluation as part of a program called Teachers as Learners and Leaders, or TALL. Most districts now have two trained Education Minnesota "professional development activists" who know what's needed and are working with the local union and school administration to make it happen.

One of the new professional development activists is Jay Anderson, a curriculum specialist in the Osseo district north of Minneapolis. "TALL was a nice way to collaborate and find out what other districts are doing," he says.
His colleague Candace Gordon, also in the Osseo district, calls TALL "a terrific experience" with great potential to lead to higher student achievement.

Education Minnesota staff member Sara Gjerdrum says TALL has already led to the creation of professional development committees in districts where there were none before. New programs for teachers will begin running this fall.
"TALL has activated hundreds of people to become involved in staff development, and they are involving others," notes Gjerdrum. "The response has been phenomenal. Things will never go back to where they were before."

For More: Go to www.educationminnesota.org/index.cfm?SECTION_ID=8.