Dr Kathie Nunley's Educator's Newsletter
---November '08 Edition--- (current subscribers: 21,147)
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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:Color code papers for students according to importance.
Papers going home for a parent are one color, papers they can throw out
after they work it are another color, papers that are a review are another
color, etc. Kelxer Flynn, NV.

Teacher Tip #2: I put my lectures online so students can stream them and
watch at their convenience. Dr Stephanie Katz, Greenhills School, MI.

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: The ability to detect emotion develops at a very young
age. BYU researcher, Ross Flom, has discovered that babies can
detect the emotion elicited from music as young as 5 months of age.
Using dis-habituation techniques, Flom found that babies can pick out
the "happy" song from others at 5 months of age, and can pick out the
"sad" song from others at 9 months of age. (2008) Oct 7. "Babies
and Beethoven: Infants can tell happy songs from sad, BYU study
shows". BYU News Release.

HOT TOPIC #2: Students tend to lose self-confidence in their ability
to manage their own academic activities as they move through the
educational system. Particularly as they move from junior to senior
high school, the increasing academic demands, complexity of topics,
and increasing social activities can overwhelm and confuse may adolescents.
New research shows that those students who have high self-efficacy in
their ability to regulate their own thoughts, motivation, affect and action,
tend to make better grades, and are less likely to drop out of school.
So while much research has been done on student's self-efficacy for
academic achievement, this is the first study to look at student's
self-efficacy for self-regulation. Caprara, G., et al. (2008). Journal
of Educational Psychology, Vol 100(3), 525-534.

More Hot Topics at the websites!

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------SECTION THREE: WEBSITE UPDATES------
at HELP4TEACHERS.COM and BRAINS.ORG
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===There is a short downloadable (and free) video tutorial on the
homepage of Help4Teachers that addresses one of the most frequently
asked question: "Where do I start with Layered Curriculum®?" Available
for PC formats, you can find it in the right column at: http://help4teachers.com

===NEW BOOK
"THE SUCCESSFUL EDUCATOR'S GUIDE TO EARNING EXTRA INCOME".
-- A break from my usual topic of differentiation - this book addresses another
side of the educator's world. You can get more information and / or order a
copy of the book at: http://www.brains.org/teacherincome/

New recommended book bundles and book study kits are available at both
websites.

For Differentiating with Layered Curriculum, visit:
http://help4teachers.com/books.htm

For recommended books on a variety of subjects specific to education, visit:
http://brains.org/store/index.htm

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------SECTION FOUR: KATHIE'S EMAIL------
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Kathie,
I'm trying Layered Curriculum for the first time this year after a friend
introduced me to it. I like most of what's happening, but I'm getting a lot
of students that want to do nothing in class and then turn everything in
at the end of the week. I end up with way too much to grade on Friday.
Sarah M., 7th grade science, TX.
===================================
Sarah,
I think it's very important to require students turn something in every day.
Students need tight structure - particularly middle school students and
especially if they've never been in a student-centered classroom before. You
can really help them out by requiring something each day. You might even
want a rule such as, "no more than 2 assignments can be turned in on any
given day". That should eliminate your end-of-the-week pile up. - Kathie

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------SECTION FIVE: WORKSHOPS / SCHEDULE / MISC------
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If you haven't already, Vote - Please!

Happy November. Today, I'm on my way up to Alberta, Canada for the week.
I'll be working with teachers in Edmonton and Lethbridge on differentiating the
high school classroom with Layered Curriculum.
I want to give a big thank you to the teachers at Greenhills and Emerson
Schools in Ann Arbor, Michigan for a great day there last week. Also thank you
again to the Toronto District School Board. I always enjoy my visits there.

New workshops are in the making for New York City, Nevada, Illinois, and
Ontario. As details are worked out, you can find registration information
at the calendar page. http://help4teachers.com/calendar.htm

For those of you looking to schedule a "Differentiating with Layered Curriculum"
workshop for your school, my summer and fall 2009 calendars are open.

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 @ 4:43 PM