Kathie Nunley's Educator's Newsletter
Thursday, April 01, 2010
Dr Kathie Nunley's Educator's Newsletter
---April '10 Edition--- (current subscribers: 21,391)
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News and updates to Kathie Nunley's Layered Curriculum® Sites for Educators:
http://Help4Teachers.com
http://brains.org
You can subscribe to this newsletter at:
http://help4teachers.com/
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--------SECTION ONE: TEACHING TIPS ------
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Teacher Tip # 1: Take broken left over crayons and break them into
smaller pieces and place them in silicone bakeware. Bake at 350 degrees
for 3 - 5 minutes. Stir w/ a wooden stick and let cool - new crayons!
Elizabeth Guiterrez, Elkins Elem., TX
Teacher Tip # 2: Use zipper baggies to keep math lab materials together
for each kid. Less chance materials get lost. Lisa Pehl, Prairie Visla MS, TX
Send your favorite teaching tip to me at Kathie@brains.org
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------SECTION TWO: HOT TOPICS in Neuro & Educational Psychology------
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HOT TOPIC # 1: "Serial Order" Short Term Memory (STM) refers to our
ability to remember a particular sequence of items, such as a phone
number. This skill is different than just "Item" Short Term Memory which
remembers items irrespective of sequence order. A new study shows a
strong correlation between serial order STM and vocabulary acquisition in
young children. Children between the ages of 4 and 5 who were provided
tasks which increase serial STM, had a greater vocabulary development
during that time period than did the children who were simply presented
with item STM. Leclercq, A. & Majerus, S. (2010). Serial-order short-term
memory predicts vocabulary development: Evidence from a longitudinal study.
"Developmental Psychology", Vol 46(2), 417-427.
HOT TOPIC #2: Children with autism have 3 areas of atypical cognitive function
- Theory of Mind (awareness and understanding that other people have a different
view point and mind perspective),Central Coherence (a local rather than global
information processing system or a focus on the parts of the system rather than
the whole) and Executive Function (planning and organization). Traditionally
these issues have been viewed and studied independent of each other. New
research however, shows that these functions are actually quite interwoven.
Tests for Executive Function and Central Coherence in young people with autism,
can positively predict changes in the development of their Theory of Mind as they
grow older. Thus the 3 areas are in fact dependent and intertwined in autism.
Pellicano, E. (2010). Individual differences in executive function and central
coherence predict developmental changes in theory of mind in autism.
"Developmental Psychology". Vol 46(2), Mar 2010, 530-544.
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---SECTION THREE: WEB UPDATES ---
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====WEBSITE UPDATES====
Holly Curry in Overton, TX sent in several new high school units for Science.
You can see all the Layered Curriculum® sample units at:
http://help4teachers.com/
I have new videos posted covering hot topics and Layered Curriculum
#31: Part 1 in a 4 part series on designing Layered Curriculum®
lesson plans.
http://www.youtube.com/
#30: Listening to music while studying or testing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
====FROM THE BOOKSHOP ====
We have several new released now in the bookshop including David Sousa's
new
Patricia Belvel's RETHINKING CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT
Shop for all the best teaching and learning books at
http://help4teachers.com/
------SECTION FOUR: KATHIE'S EMAIL -----
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Good afternoon Kathie! Attached are a few lessons I have completed. Thank
you for doing this website! I have seen a great improvement in my students
learning and grades on assessments. Thank you again. Holly Curry,
Overton High School, Overton Texas
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Holly - Thanks for sharing all the units. Keep them coming!
- Kathie
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------SECTION FIVE: WORKSHOPS / SCHEDULE / MISC CHAT------
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Welcome to April and spring! After our floods this week here in New
England, today's sunshine is very welcome.
I have a favor to ask of you who teach lower elementary. As you may
remember, I'm making my first trip to Uganda later this month to bring
materials and teaching strategies to a poor rural village school. The
teachers are primarily untrained members of their community who teach
children aged 4 - 12 basic reading, writing, math and health. They need
teaching strategies and lessons. I'm hoping some elementary teachers
may have or be able to put together some simple (1 page) lessons as
far as how to teach alphabet (perhaps a sheet explaining how to teach
each letter, or cursive), math, hygiene, etc. I'm not looking for "handout
masters" as the school has no electricity nor paper, so lessons are done
verbally using a chalk board. I just need ways that the adults can learn
HOW to teach elementary concepts. I can also take electronic "power point"
presentations for teachers as they do have a laptop that they charge in town
and then can bring out for the teachers to view. Email me if you need more
information or are interested in helping in other ways utilizing your own
students to construct lessons.
Before my trip to Uganda, I'll be returning next week to Toronto for a day of
Layered Curriculum® training at North Albion Collegiate and then to
Oklahoma City for a day at Heritage Hall.
New workshops are in the planning for New York and Oklahoma. My calendar
is posted on the website. If you are looking to schedule a workshop for the next
school year, please send me and email or visit:
http://help4teachers.com/
Kathie
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Workshop information is available at the website
http://help4teachers.com/
Email: kathie@brains.org
Brains.org and Help4Teachers is located at:
54 Ponemah Road
Amherst, NH 03031
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