Dr Kathie Nunley's Educator's Newsletter
---Mid-Summer '08 Edition--- (current subscribers: 20,737)
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News and updates to http://brains.org and Kathie Nunley's
Layered Curriculum(R) Site for Educators: http://help4teachers.com

~~The NO-MEMBERSHIP-REQUIRED website which blends current
psychology research with education.

You can subscribe to this newsletter at: http://help4teachers.com/newsletter.htm
Unsubscribe & EMAIL CHANGE information link at the bottom of this newsletter

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--------SECTION ONE: TEACHING TIPS ------
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Teacher Tip # 1: In 3rd grade, tattling can be a big problem. I keep a
"tattle box" on a table near the door. (small cardboard box with a slot in
the top. ) The rule is: You have to write out the tattle, sign it, and put it in
the box on your way out of the room. This helps reduce traffic to the box.
I promise to take care of the situation but the students would not
necessarily know when or how I dealt with it. At the end of each day, I
scanned them to determine which ones I could overlook and which ones
I needed to deal with. Vicky Campbell, Beebe School District, AR.

Teacher Tip # 2: In my 8th grade room, each student has a 3 ring binder
which is kept in bookshelves. As the students come in, they take their
binder. It helps in taking attendance as missing student's notebooks
are still on the shelf. We have their "partner" put handouts in the notebook
for absent students. No Name, workshop participant, Lakes Country, MN.

Send your favorite teaching tip to me at Kathie@brains.org

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------SECTION TWO: HOT TOPICS------
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HOT TOPIC # 1: More fMRI research on how the sleepy brain works
(or doesn't). Researchers at the Univ of PA had subjects take various
visual tests while scanning their brains with a fMRI. Half the subjects
were well rested, half were sleep deprived. In the sleepy brains, regions
in the frontal, parietal, visual sensory and thalamic cortices all showed
reduced activity. Occasionally though, the sleepy brains looked and
functioned just like the well rested brains. Apparently a sleepy brain
alternates between normal activity and an involuntary sleep impulse - a
sort of "zoning out" sensation when trying to complete a task while sleepy.
Dinges, D. (2008). Journal of Neuroscience, Vol 28, (21), 5519-5528.

More Hot Topics at the websites!

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------SECTION THREE: WEBSITE UPDATES------
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**From HELP4TEACHERS.COM and BRAINS.ORG

New Layered Curriculum® units:
Cora Antonio sent in a new unit on Religion - Old Testament Prophets.

Read all the sample units at:
http://help4teachers.com/samples.htm

Need help getting started with Layered Curriculum®?
Watch the tutorial titled "How do I begin Layered Curriculum®"
on the homepage, http://help4teachers.com

Our Brains.org Shop has a selection of my most recommended
books. Each order is charged and processed individually by a real
human - and yes, we do take Purchase Orders. We appreciate
your business. http://brains.org/store/index.htm

New: A Facilitator's Guide is now available for "Differentiating the High
School Classroom". We've bundled it with a special narrated PowerPoint
exclusively from Brains.org. You can find book-study kits at:
http://help4teachers.com/video.htm

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------SECTION FOUR: KATHIE'S EMAIL------
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Hi Kathie. I tried Layered Curriculum in my high school Earth Science
classroom but had to discontinue it because of cheating. Kids were
using the divide and conquer strategy, unbeknown to me. They would
each work on a different assignment then copy the others work
completing a unit in no time. I was spending my time giving directions
on how to complete assignments or trying to get around and quiz
students and did not notice the cheating at first. Later, I found it
impossible to monitor. My classes of 33 make it hard to get around
to every student every day. Thank you for any ideas you my have,
Brenda

===================================
Hi Brenda,
It sounds like maybe you're putting too much emphasis on the "doing" of
assignments rather than the learning. Try leaving ALL the answer keys
and samples out for everyone to use a reference - or self-check. Award
very few, if any, points for the actual 'doing" (that completely removes the
whole concept of "cheating"). Encourage them to work together, learn from
each other - but credit is awarded for the actual learning of the objective.

I know it's real hard to get past our old notions of students copying work from
each other as "cheating". The neat thing about putting emphasis on learning
rather from "doing", is that you eliminate this situation all together.

If you have the text, look in Chapter 4 under "Grading the C Layer." If you don't have
the text, take a look at the video on the homepage of the website. That may help
you get started. Start slow - one or two objectives each day with lots of structure
and routine assessment.

And yes, it can be done in large classes - I've had as many as 51 in some classes.
Don't try to get around to everyone every day for oral defense though - look at some
of the alternate ways of assessment.
Best, Kathie

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------SECTION FIVE: WORKSHOPS / SCHEDULE / MISC------
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Hope everyone is enjoying their summer. While it will still be a few weeks
before most of us head back to the classroom, I do like to put out a little
mid-summer newsletter, just to check in with you.

I'm enjoying my summer in my western NY cabin, as usual. I did break away
for a day though last weekend for the SDE national DI conference in Las Vegas.
It was great to meet so many of you there.

August will be here before you know it! A busy month for everyone, but for
me, one of the most exciting. I'll be heading to Boston for the national APA
conference again and will fill you in on what I hear and learn. The latter half of
the month will take me to Utah, Idaho, Texas and Minnesota for Layered
Curriculum workshops. I hope to see a lot of you at those.

My spring / fall 2009 calendar is now open. If you need to schedule a workshop,
just send me an email. In the meantime, enjoy your day.

As always, my best to you and yours,
Kathie

=================================================
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

Layered Curriculum® is a trademark developed by and registered
to Dr. Kathie F Nunley. Usage information available at:
http://help4teachers.com/usage.htm
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Dr Kathie F Nunley
Layered Curriculum(R) . . . because every child deserves a special education (tm)
- posted by Kathie @ 6:19 PM