Kathie Nunley's Educator's Newsletter
Tuesday, February 17, 2004
Kathie Nunley's Educator's Newsletter
---Mid-February 2004 Edition--- (current subscribers: 11,242)
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News and updates to http://brains.org and Kathie
Nunley's Layered Curriculum (tm) Site for Educators:
http://help4teachers.com
Subscription available at: http://help4teachers.com/newsletter.htm
Unsubscribe information/link at the bottom of this newsletter
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SECTION ONE: Teaching Tips
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Tip #1: A quick teacher check for understanding: "Each finger is worth
20%. Show me with a show of your hand how well you understand this new
concept (20, 40, 60, 80, 100%). A quick scan of the class along with some
quick check questions can indicated the need for re-teaching or going on.
Ted Hadley, Twin Falls High School, Idaho.
Tip #2: Headaches and depression are obvious challenges to staff and
students. A very simple daily strategy is to DRINK WATER CONSCIOUSLY
AND AGGRESSIVELY. Hopefully, this is a healthy reminder to some
and news to others. Scott Benson
Tip #3: Most white dry erase boards are magnetic and can be put to great use
if you have loose magnets on hand. David Schlesinger, Twin Falls, Idaho.
Send your favorite teaching tip to:
kathie@brains.org
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SECTION TWO: Hot Topics
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HOT TOPIC #1: Do you know someone with dyslexia? Then share with them
the new research out of Wisconsin showing that persons with dyslexia
apparently are more gifted than non-dyslexics when it comes to
visual-spatial abilities. Researchers have shown that middle and
high school students with dyslexia are faster than their peers in
recognition of impossible figures and other global visual-spatial tasks.
Their brains apparently have an enhanced ability to process information
globally. von Karolyi, et al. (2003). Brain & Language. Vol 85(3), 427-431.
HOT TOPIC #2: Those of you interested in the relationship between
eye movement and memory may want to read the new research from the
University of Toledo showing that episodic memory retrieval can be improved
with thirty seconds of horizontal saccadic eye movements. The movements
apparently improve interhemispheric brain communication which helps in
episodic retrieval. No improvement was found for semantic retrieval.
(episodic memories are your autobiographical memories, semantic are those
fact & figures types of things you intentionally learn). Christman, S. (2003).
Neuropsychology, Vol.17(2), 221-229.
HOT TOPIC #3: Children and adolescents with bi-polar disorder who do
not respond to traditional pharmacotherapy (drug treatment) may have more
success if doctors try a combination of drugs to treat their disorder. Cincinnati
Children's Hospital has found that a combination of drugs - mixing
mood stabilizers with stimulants, or antidepressants or antipsychotic - often
times was more successful with this age group. In children who were resistant to
traditional monotherapy, the research found success in 80% of their
subjects. Kowatch, R. (2003). Biological Psychiatry, Vol 53(11), 978-984.
More Hot topics are available at:
http://brains.org/hottopics.htm
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SECTION THREE: Website Updates
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**** Books:
~~My new book: "A Student's Brain: The Parent/Teacher Manual"
is available at the website along with the Layered Curriculum(TM)
text and workbook. All can be purchased at a discounted on-line
price. http://help4teachers.com/books.htm
Orders are shipped within 2 business days.
We are happy to work with University bookstores and other re-sellers.
Please email for information. kathie@brains.org
****Trainers/Training
There are a couple of slots left in the April trainers session in Dallas.
The week-end session is designed for Layered Curriculum teachers who
are interested in being trained to do follow-up in their own districts as well
as teacher workshop in other places. Details are at:
http://help4teachers.com/certifiedtrainer.htm
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SECTION FOUR: Kathie's Email
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Hi Kathie:
I will be attending the New Orleans ASCD conference and noticed on your
calendar that you will be there. What days you will present and any other
info you have? Thanks a bunch! Stephanie Cox
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Stephanie, I'm scheduled to present Layered Curriculum on Monday, March
22nd at 3:00 pm in room 286 of the Convention Center. I'll also have a booth in the
exhibit hall through the entire week-end conference. Hope to see you there. Kathie
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Hi Kathie,
I'm a teacher candidate in Mathematics at Queen's University, Kingston. ON.
My question for you is: if a student obtains a grade of less than 80% on a
C-level quiz, are they allowed to redo it in order to get their 10 marks?
Thanks, Carolyn
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Carolyn, Good question and one with many answers.
Personally, I award various marks or points based on performance. For example,
students can earn partial credit for an assignment (eg: 6 out of 10 points)
and I give them the option to take their 6 marks/points or study more and re-do
the work.
However, this is an individual teacher call. If you want to award all or nothing,
that's up to you. If you want to allow re-takes or not, that's also up to you.
One of the nice things about the Layered Curriculum model is that it
allows for a wide variation in teaching styles and standards.
See what works best for you. Kathie
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Kathie,
In response to the query [in the last newsletter] about information on research
to justify Physical Education in schools: In a recent edition of JOPERD
(Journal of Physical Education Recreation and Dance) there was a wonderful
article with just the information you need! Judith Garfinkel
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Thanks Judith. I actually got a couple of emails regarding the note in the
last newsletter. Read on.....
Dear Kathie,
I am an elementary arts education teacher specializing in drama. I read Kevin G.'s
letter inquiring about physical education improving learning in other subjects. His
efforts to find evidence that would justify P.E. to his school board are similar to the
struggle many arts educators face in securing funding for the arts in schools. While
the approach to link the value of P.E. to students' performance in other curricular
areas is tempting, especially in these days of high stakes testing and No Child Left
Behind, I would encourage Kevin, and others in his position, not to succumb to those
pressures.
I'll bet that Kevin could find some research demonstrating that regular physical
exercise during the school day improves brain function and, consequently, students' test
scores. But the choice to connect the validity of P.E. (and the arts) to test scores in
mathematics or language arts is a dangerous one for the long-term survival of our subjects.
If the people holding the pursestrings perceive P.E. and the arts as mere mechanisms for
improving performance in other areas and then the test scores do not improve, they will
cut our programs immediately. The only way to ensure support for P.E. and the arts is
to demonstrate to those with fiscal power the inherent and true value of our subjects.
P.E. and the arts are essential components of a well-rounded student's development
because of their benefits to the whole child, not just his or her test scores!
Aloha, Carolyn Wright
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SECTION FIVE: Workshops/calendar schedule/misc
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I greet you today from beautiful Twin Falls, Idaho. I always enjoy my visits to
Idaho, even though today the haze is blocking the mountain views. The Idaho teachers
were very generous with teaching tips today and you'll be seeing them in the next
several newsletter editions.
Earlier this month I was in another beautiful spot - Ottawa Ontario speaking to
the 3000 teachers of the Ottawa-Carleton Elementary Teacher Federation. Thank
you all again for your wonderful hospitality. It was my first visit to Ottawa during
Winterfest. That is a site to behold. If anyone ever has the chance to see Ottawa
in February I hope you take advantage. The canal that passes through the city is
turned into the world's biggest ice skating area. Thousands of skaters glide for
miles through the city stopping to lunch at the many ice-cafe's and booths which
also decorate the frozen canal. I felt like I just stepped into Hans Brinker's world.
Many of you have been writing to complain about the sporatic arrival of the newsletter.
Rest assured, it goes out twice a month as usual. The problem has been the increase
in spam filtering among internet service providers. While you may be on the
newsletter list, your ISP may block the newsletter periodically for any number of
reasons. I've tried as best as I can to make it "spam-filter friendly" but the situation
has really gotten out of hand in the last few months. Therefore, beginning with this issue,
the newsletters will also be available on-line as "Blogs". If you don't know what a Blog is,
don't worry - I didn't either until this month. Basically, you will be able to go to this site on
the web and read the latest issue of the newsletter.
http://nunley.blogspot.com
It should be operational within the week.
In the meantime, keep in touch. We're looking for some other innovative
changes to the site this year including chat groups for teachers interested
in visiting with other Layered Curriculum teachers in their own discipline.
New workshops are in the works for Salt Lake City, Burgettstown, PA,
and Michigan. There are a handful of openings left in the 2004 calendar. If
you need something held, please let me know right away.
You can access my calendar at:
http://help4teachers.com/calendar.htm
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Enjoy what's left of February....spring is right around the corner!
Kathie
Dr. Kathie F. Nunley
http://help4teachers.com
http://brains.org
Layered Curriculum(TM) - because "every student deserves a special education"
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Workshop information is available at the website
http://help4teachers.com/workshops.htm
or
call: 603-249-9521
email: kathie@brains.org
Brains.org and Help4Teachers is located at:
54 Ponemah Road
Amherst, NH 03031
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Monday, February 16, 2004
