Kathie Nunley's Educator's Newsletter
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Dr Kathie Nunley's Educator's Newsletter
---June '09 Edition--- (current subscribers: 21,473)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
News and updates to Kathie Nunley's Layered Curriculum®
http://Help4Teachers.com
http://brains.org
You can subscribe to this newsletter at: http://help4teachers.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
--------SECTION ONE: TEACHING TIPS ------
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Teacher Tip # 1: As a "C Layer" assignment option - offer a "secretary"
position. This means that the student can type, proofread, copyedit, etc
another student's assignment. Not only does this help those students with
learning challenges, it benefits the "secretary" as they learn from proofing
the other assignment. I limit each student to no more than 2 secretary jobs
per unit.
Teacher Tip #2: I start each day by visualizing the classroom culture that I
want to achieve. Valerie Holland, East York Collegiate, Toronto, ON
Send your favorite teaching tip to me at Kathie@brains.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
------SECTION TWO: HOT TOPICS------
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HOT TOPIC # 1: While woman have been blaming all sorts of cognitive
impairments on hormones and cycles, here's some research that may
have us re-thinking that old excuse. Research has long shown that stress
and the resulting cortisol increase, causes problems in memory retrieval.
However, new research shows that .the gonadal steroids produced during
a woman's luteal phase (the day after ovulation through the end of the cycle)
negates the stress-effect on memory. So apparently only men and women
during the pre-ovulation stage of their cycle have stress-related memory deficits.
Schoofs, D. & Wolf, O. (2009). Behavioral Neuroscience. Vol 123(3), 547-554.
=============
HOT TOPIC #2: Social stress during adolescence has long been associated
with psychopathology in adults. Researchers are using rats to try to link specific
types of stress (in this case "social defeat" stress) during mid-adolescence to adult
behavior problems in males. Rats who experienced social defeat in adolescence
were more anxious as adults, more excitable in novelty situation and had significant
altered monoamine levels in the limbic areas of their brains - dopamine,
norepinephrine and serotonin levels were all changed compared to the rats in the
control group. Watt, M. et al (2009). Behavioral Neuroscience. Vol 123(3), 564-576.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
------SECTION THREE: WEBSITE UPDATES------
at HELP4TEACHERS.COM and BRAINS.ORG
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
===Layered Curriculum® Units:
Attention Math Teachers - I have had many requests for more math sample
units. I need some "traditional" lesson plans for math - all areas and grades
to use to convert. If you will send me a traditional math lesson plan - including
the length of class time you normally devote to the unit, length of class period
and grade level, I would like to convert them to Layered Curriculum® math
units for everyone to see. If you have some time over the summer, please
email the units to me. Thanks!! - Kathie
==============================
Notes from the Bookshops (Brains.org & Help4Teachers.com)
==============================
Summer Reading / Learning Projects:
==>NEW Layered Curriculum® study kit for individual teachers.
I've made a narrated DVD of slides designed to accompany the
texts and workbook. The first one (using HS Science examples) is
now available. You can order it now at http://help4teachers.com/
If your class is interested in helping us get teaching materials to a village
school in Uganda - just let me know. Further information is available at:
http://help4teachers.com/
A Brains.org EXCLUSIVE kit including a narrated powerpoint on
Layered Curriculum® to accompany Chapter 4 of the Facilitator's Guide.
http://www.brains.org/store
WHAT'S AT THE Brains.org BOOKSHOP???
==> Ever Popular - Layered Curriculum® Video Training Kits
==> All sorts of recommended books on a variety of subjects specific to education.
We appreciate your business. http://www.brains.org/store
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
------SECTION FOUR: KATHIE'S EMAIL------
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kathie,
With Layered Curriculum do you still lecture and do other teacher-led activities?
I teach Language Arts at the high school level at an alternative high school and
I am always looking for ways to reach the students.
Thank You,
Mark M. Canton, OH
==============================
Mark,
Yes, most Layered Curriculum® teachers (myself included) have a portion of
the day for "whole class Instruction" (ie: lecture). You may want to watch the
tutorial on the homepage regarding "how to get started". It clarifies that issue.
Best, Kathie
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Summer is just about upon us. I know many of you are now "out" for the
summer, and some of us have a couple more weeks left. My best wishes
first-off to everyone for a restful and joyful summer.
Before I take off for a bit of summer fun, I'm heading out on the road next
week for Layered Curriculum® training with the teachers at Cashman Middle
School (Las Vegas) , the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest
(Santa Fe), and Eagle Mountain-Saginaw School District (Fort Worth).
You can check my calendar page at any time to see when I'll be in your area
and find out if workshops are open to outside participants. We have several
available now at:
and conferences and to see what new units have been posted.
And finally as a reminder, I have my Spring / Summer 2010 calendar open if you need
to schedule a workshop for this next school year. Information is available online at: http://help4teachers.com/
Kathie
==============================
Workshop information is available at the website
http://help4teachers.com/
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/
You are receiving this newsletter because you requested to be on my
mailing list by entering your email address at one of the two websites.
I NEVER share or sell my newsletter list, nor is it used for any other
purpose other than this bi-monthly newsletter. Should you need to be
removed from the list, or need to CHANGE your email address, you
can do so by simply clicking this link:
http://s1.seffylists.com:81/
Dr Kathie F Nunley
Layered Curriculum
