Easy class tip

So do you ever get tired of trying to pair kids up with someone? Sometimes it seems it takes longer to get everyone to pair up than to do anything else in a lesson!  This is a tip I borrowed from somewhere and honestly I don't even know where it came from.  So I'm asking forgiveness ahead of time--if you know the origin, please let me know!

Make a handout with a picture of a circular clock.  Fill in 12, 3,6, and 9.  Let the kids have a few minutes to fill in their clock with "appointments."  For example, Susie could have John's name at 12, Bill's name at 3 and Carrie's name at 6. 

Then when you reach a point in your lesson where you want kids to share with someone quickly, tell them to choose their "3 o'clock appointment" person.  So Susie would go share with Bill.  Then next time, choose another time.  This keeps kids moving, and it gives them an outlet to talk and share with various people around the room, without two people becoming so attached their conversations drift off topic.

I've used this in my classroom and my library.  It works well with middle school and high school students.  Let me know if you try this!

Gotta' keep reading!

This video is about a year old but it never fails to make me smile.  Happy Friday!

Myths about Internet filters

I found this article on Twitter the other day talking about Internet filters and blocked websites.  I wish I could give this article to some of the tech people in our district.  As librarians we have to deal with blocked sites all the time but don't have any power to unblock or do anything about the problem.  I understand the idea of protecting our kids, but as much time as I spend busting kids for using proxy servers, I think it's a moot point. 

I get tired of seeing my seniors who are taking college classes not being able to access their email.  Sites teachers are using may suddenly be blocked from one day to the next.  And then I see kids type in the word "proxy" into Google, and they find a plethora of ways to bypass the filters.  As a matter of fact, my staff and I joke that the Internet filter mainly blocks the teachers--because if the kids want to see a site, they just use a proxy server!

I wish I knew a solution.  It would be great if we could just leave things open but all it would take would be one student offended or stumbling into a site that spouts hate speech or worse, and our district would be hung out to dry. 

I would love to know what others do in this situation.  What's the solution?  Block or not to block?

Tech tip--Shmoop

Today's tech tip isn't really a tip but a shout out for a great website.  As a former English teacher, I hate to recommend sites like Spark Notes since I know the importance of reading a work in its original form.  But as a librarian, I see kids struggle on a daily basis with unfamiliar language.  I would rather these students have a working knowledge of what they are reading.  So enter Shmoop!

I tell kids Shmoop is Spark Notes on steriods!!  Not only does the site include plot summaries, they have thematic information, character analysis and questions to think about.  So the student is getting more than just a brief "this is what happened."  When a student is really struggling to understand a work, I've seen how this site can help. 

Lots of classic novels are included in the site with levels from middle school to high school.  The entries are usually written by PhD students from places like Harvard so we aren't talking Wikipedia quality here.  The best part is the entries are written in "kidspeak" so they are easy to understand. 

Not only does the site have literature help, but also has sites for US History and biology to name a few.  For a subscription cost, schools can also access PSAT, and SAT prep.  I'm not sure of the cost but I am sure Shmoop would have good quality stuff!

Next time you see a student struggling to get through a classic like Beowulf, make sure he knows about Shmoop.  It would be a shame to miss out on one of the greatest epics in literature with its timeless themes of good vs. evil all because of the hard to understand language!

Professional reading

On the advice of a dear friend who was also our library coordinator, I started reading Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard. (link courtesy of Amazon.com) I thought the book might help provide some clarity to my thinking and also help with all the changes we are seeing in my district, my school and across our state. 

The book is an easy read with lots of real world examples to make it easy to understand.  One of the biggest points in the book talks about the logical vs. the emotional side of making changes.  The authors refer to these as The Rider (logic) and The Elephant (emotions).  Obviously you can see emotions are a much larger part of the equation but logic drives us.  The key is to be sure The Rider can control The Elephant.  When the two are in sync, change is blissful--a wedding, a new baby--happy changes.

 But when the Rider and the Elephant don't operate in tandem, we see the conflicts and fear of change--Should I take this new job?  Should I sell my house?  Can I afford to go back to school? Why can't I lose weight? These situations are where we need guidance to make sure the changes can take place.  The authors use some key phrases to help--"direct the rider, motivate the elephant and shape the path."   These phrases along with real world examples to show the implementation of the ideas give the reader a guide to make the changes happen.

I see how this can work in large organizations and I suspect our district admin people are using the tools to help us navigate the forces of change facing our district right now.  We're dealing with budget cuts, personnel cuts, and a generally low morale since teachers seem to be getting the blame for most everything these days!

The book does a good job of giving the reader some tools to help cope.  I plan on buying a few copies for our professional collection and handing them out to strategic people.  Maybe we can spread the word and keep our campus on the right track.

P.S. Just a personal shout out---our local paper published my letter (see Thursday's rant).  I'm pleasantly surprised!

Monday sparkle

So do you know all your students' names yet?  I sure don't but then again, I have about 2000 students in the whole school that are "mine."  Even as a teacher I had trouble learning names fast enough.  Of course you always have those who are answering every question already so you know them.  But would you like to know a trick to ensure you pick different people to answer questions in a discussion?

Try this free site.  The Randon Name Generator from Class Tools.net is a fun way to make sure everyone is included in the discussion.  You have to load the names first and then the site spins like a Vegas slot machine randoming selecting names.  It even has sound effects!  You have the option to remove the name once you've called on a student or you can leave them in the rotation just to keep everyone on their toes!

You could use this to pick people to answer in discussions, pair up random names for partner activities, or other groupings.  We've even used it in inservice trainings to make sure everyone is paying attention.  It's so embarrassing to be called out in front of your peers and not know what's going on--whether you're a teacher or a student!

Teaching Critical Thinking

Ran across this article entitled "Ten Steps to Teaching Critical Thinking." Looks like some good advice!

On a totally different topic, but somewhat related to my rant on Friday, I found this article from the LA Times entitled "Moving Beyond Blame the Teacher."  The author talks about school districts that implement Deming's TQM principles.  My district did that  and it made a difference. Rather than always blaming teachers for problems, teachers are encouraged to work on problems. 

Both good reading for the weekend!