Kathie Nunley's Educator's Newsletter
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Dr Kathie Nunley's Educator's Newsletter
---mid-November '10 Edition--- (current subscribers: 21,417)
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News and updates to Kathie Nunley's Layered Curriculum® Sites for Educators:
http://Help4Teachers.com
http://brains.org
Do you have a NEW EMAIL address? You can unsubscribe your old one and
subscribe the new one using the link at the bottom of this newsletter.
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--------SECTION ONE: TEACHING TIPS ------
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TEACHER TIP # 1: Have student's design the A layer questions for a unit
(of Layered Curriculum®) from current newspaper or TV news. They can
then use the news story as one of their sources. Workshop participant, Toronto.
TEACHER TIP # 2: In my 5th grade classroom we have a fraction and decimal
of the day for the first 100 days of school. Day 1 = 1/100 or .01, Day 25
is 25/100 (which we reduce to 1/4), or 0.25, etc. Jana Bjelkevig, MI.
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: Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is the number one cause of childhood
death and disability in the US. In young children, TBI usually stems from either
child abuse or sports injuries. In adolescents, it's generally car accidents. When
working with children of any age with TBI, you need to address all areas of social
competence including social interactions, peer group entry and relationships in
social adjustment. Kids with TBI frequently lose their friends which can lead to serious
social issues including suicide attempt. Keith Yeates, PhD. Nationwide Children’s
Hospital. "Social Outcomes of Traumatic Brain Injury in Children." Presented
August 14, 2010, American Psychological Association Annual Conference, San Diego.
HOT TOPIC #2: Adolescents who engage in non-suicidal self injury (hurt themselves
intentionally, with no intent to die, (NSSI) tend to have a poor ability to tolerate distress.
They also tend to make poor choices in problem solution strategies. There are 4 reasons
why youth may use self-injury: (1) to stop bad feelings (2) to feel something (3) to get
attention (a means of communicating) (4) to avoid having to do something else. Why do
they engage in NSSI? Social modeling of peers / media, a form of self punishment, or
for pragmatic reasons - research shows self-inflicted pain is an effective and immediate
distractor. It is a very effective way to de-arouse Matthew Nock, PhD. Harvard University.
“Why Adolescents and Young Adults Hurt Themselves: Advances in the Understanding
of Suicidal and Non suicidal Self-Injury." Presented August 13, 2010, American Psychological
Association Annual Conference, San Diego.
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---SECTION THREE: WEB UPDATES ---
BRAINS.ORG & HELP4TEACHERS.COM
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New video lessons & hot topics on my YouTube Channel:
#47 Confusion on distinguishing between the Autism Spectrum Disorders
and simple things to look for in young children suspected of having autism.
http://www.youtube.com/user/
#46: Active vs. Passive Procrastination
http://www.youtube.com/user/
Watch the 4-part video mini-lesson to help you get started with Layered Curriculum®:
http://help4teachers.com/
New BOOKS in the bookshop:
=> Using Humor to Maximize Learning by Mary Kay Morrison
=> Beyond Differentiated Instruction by Jodi O'Meara.
=> Robert Sylwester's BRAND NEW "A Child's Brain"
As always, we have discounted prices on all Layered Curriculum® materials and
the Layered Curriculum® study kit for individual teachers.
http://brains.org/store
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-----SECTION FOUR: KATHIE'S EMAIL
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I am a high school history teacher in Connecticut. I just wanted to write
to let you know how much I love the philosophy behind your Layered
Curriculum approach. I recently read your book and companion workbook,
and can't wait to implement this system with my ninth grade classes. I am
going to start with the daily method, and gradually give students more
freedom as they become more comfortable with the structure of the units.
Thanks so much for posting everything online--I especially like the Youtube
videos where you model the various elements of the Layered Curriculum
process. - Joe Marangell
==============================
Joe,
Thanks so much for the note. You are smart to start with the daily method - not
so overwhelming for you and your students. Keep in touch and let me know
how its going. I hope you share some units.
- Kathie
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------SECTION FIVE: WORKSHOPS / SCHEDULE / MISC CHAT------
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I know most of us here in the US have a short week before we head home
to enjoy turkey and pie with our loved ones. Before you go, I want to wish
all of you a wonderful and Happy Thanksgiving.
I recently returned from several trips to Canada, where they enjoyed
Thanksgiving weeks ago. I want to thank all the teachers in Toronto for
a couple of terrific days working on Layered Curriculum®. I'll be anxious
to see what units you design.
Except for a quick trip to St. Louis next month, I'm home now for the holidays.
I'll be catching up on email and hopefully getting my new book finished before
the new year starts.
Workshops and conferences for my spring calendar include Los Angeles, New York,
Missouri, and South Africa. I look forward to meeting Layered Curriculum® teachers
from both coasts and around the world. If you are looking for a workshop in your area,
visit my calendar page: http://help4teachers.com/
spring and summer 2011 and have just opened my fall 2011 calendar. Email
me with your needs and dates.
As always, my best to you and yours,
Kathie
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