Kathie Nunley's Educator's Newsletter
Sunday, May 15, 2005
Kathie Nunley's Educator's Newsletter
---Mid-May 2005 Edition--- (current subscribers: 15,002)
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News and updates to http://brains.org and Kathie Nunley's
Layered Curriculum (tm) Site for Educators: http://help4teachers.com
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SECTION ONE: Teaching Tips -
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Teaching Tip #1: I take the 8 most important ideas in a unit and turn those
into 8 learning centers. Throughout the unit, they rotate through all 8. The
stations are not choices, but within each station there are choices. When
students finish their required station work each day, they are free to work on
their choice assignments in their Layered Curriculum. Jennifer Carlson,
Fridley Middle School, MN.
Teaching Tip # 2: I make simple birthday cards printed on my computer and give
them to students along with a small piece of candy. Sometimes this is the only
recognition they get. Sephanie G., Ascension Parish, LA.
Teaching Tip #3: To track homework (or tests) handed in, have a class list
available, highlight names as work is handed in. Makes a quick reference sheet.
Coby Corley, Timberlane, MS. Pennington, NJ.
Send your favorite teaching tip to: kathie@brains.org
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SECTION TWO: Hot Topics
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HOT TOPIC #1. Recent research out of Massachusetts further supports
the idea that episodic memories (remembering) involve more inter-
hemispheric brain processing while semantic memories (knowing) involve
heavy intrahemispheric processing. This new research correlated handedness
to the whole affair. Given that a mixed-hand preference (someone who can
use their right or left hand to some extent on various tasks) usually indicates
strong interhemispheric communication in the brain, the researchers did find that
mixed-handed people tend to have a greater reliance on their episodic memories.
Those of us with a strong hand preference (can do very little if anything with our
non-dominant hand) would have less emphasis on interhemispheric
communication and indeed the researchers found this group to have a greater
strength or reliance on semantic memory.
Propper, R & Christman, S. (2004). Memory. Vol 12(6), 707-714.
HOT TOPIC #2: Persons who use vivid imagining to remember things may be
more susceptible to false memories. According to researchers at Northwestern
University, if people are asked to try to use vivid mental images to help
remember stories, words or tasks, these people are more likely to create
false memories on future recall and believe that they are actually remembering
a real event they witnessed rather than just something they were told to learn.
The vivid imagining creates an erroneous memory.
Gonsalves, B. et al. (2004). Psychological Science. Vol 15(10), 655-660.
HOT TOPIC #3: It is generally thought that children have a cognitive advantage if
their brain neurons can myelinate and thicken at a fairly rapid rate. New research
out of Sweden shows us exactly what kind of advantage this can bring. They used
diffusion tensor MR imaging to determine the extent of myelination and thickness of
axons in children's (age 8 - 18) brains. Children with thick neuronal axons
and extensive myelination in two regions of the left frontal lobe showed a greater
working memory than those children with a lesser degree of myelination. Reading
ability in children correlated with heavy myelination in the left temporal lobe.
Nagy, Z, et al. (2004). Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, Vol 16(7), 1227-1233.
and thick
More Hot Topics at the websites!
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SECTION THREE: What's new at the Websites
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**** Layered Curriculum Trainer's Week-end
We are tentatively scheduling a week-end session for Layered Curriculum
educators who are interested in becoming licensed trainers. The session will take
place in western New York on the week-end of August 5,6,7, 2005.
If you are an experienced Layered Curriculum educator and are interested in
sharing your experience with others in your district or region, you can
get more information at http://help4teachers.com/certifiedtrainer.htm
Space is very limited, so email me as soon as possible if you are interested
in attending.
**** Layered Curriculum Data Sought:
We are in the process of updating the research and hard data on
Layered Curriculum. If you are in a position in your school or district
to either share data you've collected or are willing to collect data in
the upcoming year, please let us know. We are looking for data on
reduction in failure rates, improvements in end-of-year testing, and
time-on-task. If you have that data or need information on collecting it,
please email me: Kathie@brains.org
**** BRAINS.org Shop
Our end of the year book features:
"101 Best Stunts for Principals" (summer reading for administrators looking to
get next year off to a novel start)
"Overcoming Dyslexia" (the new paperback version of Shaywitz' excellent
resource for anyone looking to help struggling readers of all ages)
"How to Explain A Brain" (The new guide for educators covering brain-based
teaching and learning terms).
We also have found new supplier for our colored overheads, so those of you who were
looking for those, they are now in stock.
You'll also find the Layered Curriculum text and workbook available at a discount
at the shop. http://brains.org/store/
**** Video Kits: Layered Curriculum training is now available in a video kit for
your school or district. The training kit consists of texts, workbooks, handout
masters, instructions and a 90 minute, two-part video on Layered Curriculum.
Order information is available at: http://help4teachers.com/video.htm
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SECTION FOUR: Kathie's Email
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Kathie, I'm sending you some units and I would really appreciate your opinion.
These have worked for our students and really got them involved and
engaged...but do they meet the real Layered Curriculum criteria? Could you
give us some guidance? Thank you, VIcky P.
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Vicki,
Thanks for sharing your lessons. You have some great ideas in here and
I'm thrilled to see that your students are all engaged. That is generally what
happens when you offer some choice to kids.
To make them Layered Curriculum units, you'd just need to move a few of
the assignments around and perhaps add a critical thinking assignment for
an A layer. Remember in Layered Curriculum units, the bottom layer involves
general rote learning and knowledge, the middle layer requires the student to
attach new learning to prior knowledge and the top layer requires mixing research
in a field with ethics, morality, values, personal opinion. (debatable issues).
Let me know how things go as you continue your work. These are great.
Thanks again for sharing. --Kathie
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Dear Kathie,
I frequently have students that will try to achieve more points in the C layer to
get a grade of B or A, rather than choose an item to work on from the B or A
layer. I do have some students in my room just recently removed from Special
Ed services, and I have no problem with them taking advantage of this, but
how can I encourage the others to work up? I also have students who do
not quite achieve the points needed in the C layer, and so complete a B
layer assignment just to make the C. Help!
Thanks, JoAnn C., Il
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Hi JoAnn,
These are both excellent issues to be addressed. I think you can fix both
problems by adding some "rules" to your unit sheet. Set a maximum
number of points for the C layer. If your C grade range is 70 - 79, then
state right on there "No more than 79 points can come from the C layer".
As you see students getting close to the 79, you can remind them it is
time to move to the next layer. You can also set a minimum number of
points required in the C layer in order to move to the B layer. For example,
"You must have 65 points in this C layer to move to the B layer".
I would really suggest you make the rules fit all the students in the room - even
your new students from the special education sector. These students need
the opportunity to apply new information to pre-existing knowledge too.
I don't think we help them by allowing them to stay down in the general
knowledge layer.
Stay in touch,
Kathie
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SECTION FIVE: Workshops/calendar schedule/misc
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I'm writing you today from Mitchell, South Dakota - home of the Corn Palace!
I've spent the day with some fabulous teachers from this region just outside of
Sioux Falls. Other than a cold gusting wind, the area is beautiful.
And speaking of beautiful, later this week I have the pleasure of returning to Victoria,
British Columbia to work again with the faculty at the Glenlyon Norfolk school.
As I fly around this week I am finalizing the revisions for my new book on
"differentiated instruction for high school teachers" which will be published by
Corwin Press early next year. We are still looking for a great title for this book.
If any of you have title suggestions we'd love to hear them.
My complete workshop calendar is posted at the website. I'll remind you that if you
need Layered Curriculum training for your school that won't fit my calendar,
you may want to consider either our video training kits or one of the 21 licensed Layered
Curriculum trainers located in various regions around North America. If you need
any assistance in locating a trainer, please email me.
As usual, my best to you and yours,
Kathie
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Dr. Kathie F. Nunley
http://help4teachers.com
http://brains.org
Layered Curriculum (tm) - because every student deserves a special education (tm)
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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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