Whole Child

Whole Child
Interesting findings in a new report "Supporting Teacher Effectiveness: The View From Generation Y" http://bit.ly/114EhH While Gen Y teachers are more open to rewarding teachers differentially for their performance and responsibilities in the classroom than earlier generations, paying for performance is seen as the lea...st important policy option for improving teacher effectiveness and retention. Let's hear from Gen Y'ers: Will performance pay or other incentives make a difference for you or should policymakers simply focus on ensuring conditions that support teachers’ ability to be more effective with their students?Read More

Supporting Teacher Effectiveness: The View From Generation Y
Source: www.learningpt.org
Two overarching themes were uncovered in this analysis of teachers’ views on emerging policy and practice strategies intended to inform the successful management and retention of our most talented teachers: Teachers’ views on the best ways to structure teacher compensation are evolving and teachers’...
Mon at 8:01am
Bob Sullo
Bob Sullo
Here is some research about the success of "pay for performance" initiatives: “As long as the task involved only mechanical skills, bonuses worked as they would be expected: the higher the pay, the better the performance. But once the task called for even rudimentary cognitive skill, a larger reward led to poorer performance.” (Federal Reserve Bank... Read More of Boston).

“We find that financial incentives...can result in a negative impact on overall performance.” (London School of Economics, after reviewing 51 “pay for performance” incentive programs.)

Want to REALLY improve student learning? Then let's move beyond the limits of the reward/punishment model and align our practices with what works.
Mon at 9:00am
Diane Darrow
Diane Darrow
I think if our congressmen and senators got bonus pay for supporting educational change... then teachers may end up getting higher pay and schools get what they need to perform better. We are putting the cart before the horse. It's the national attitude toward the value of public education that needs to be addressed first.
Mon at 9:15pm
Whole Child

Whole Child Download the Nov. Whole Child Podcast "Supporting Students to Succeed: Keeping Kids from Checking Out and Dropping Out" http://bit.ly/kP8bi Research, experience, and common sense reaffirm the need to support students. Tune in to hear how we can accomplish this goal and what's at stake if we don't.

Supporting Students to Succeed: Keeping Kids from Checking Out and Dropping Out
Source: www.wholechildeducation.org
Download ASCD's Whole Child Podcast: Changing the Conversation About Education on the first Thursday of every month and listen to archived episodes. The Whole Child Podcast features educators and policymakers ...
November 5 at 10:56am
Whole Child

Whole Child Get a FREE copy of Supporting the Whole Child: Reflections on Best Practices in Learning, Teaching, & Leadership! http://bit.ly/3kFW7b Today through November 17, ASCD's newest e-book is free to download. Be sure to share this great opportunity with others!

E-Book: Supporting the Whole Child:
Source: www.ascd.org
This e-book explores what it means to support the whole child. In these articles, authors ponder the various meanings of support in the classroom, school, and community.
Amy Valens

Amy Valens When parents talk about what they hope their children will learn at school what they describe is the education of their whole child--listen and look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7LI-pT9MgE

October 29 at 6:46pm · Report
Whole Child
Whole Child
Another great video, Amy! Thanks for sharing on our page.
November 4 at 1:31pm
Amy Valens
Amy Valens
I'd gladly post it on your fan videos, but I don't see how to do that now!
November 4 at 4:01pm
Whole Child

Whole Child True or false: Shaquile O'Neill was an English literature professor at Yale University? http://bit.ly/4tvNgE

October 23 at 11:21am
Whole Child

Whole Child Thank you to all who have contributed to the engaging conversations on the Whole Child Facebook page! Be sure to share this page with other committed educators, parents, policy makers, and community members. Together we'll change the conversation about education!

October 22 at 8:36am
Soraya
Soraya
great to be with a group of educators all over the world
October 23 at 2:19am
Whole Child

Whole Child Research says that learning becomes better if conditions are arranged so that students make errors. http://bit.ly/30s1F Given the results of this study, what are the implications for the classroom?

Getting It Wrong: Surprising Tips on How to Learn: Scientific American
Source: bit.ly
People remember things better, longer, if they are given very challenging tests on the material, tests at which they are bound to fail. In a series of experiments, they showed that if students make an unsuccessful attempt to retrieve information before receiving an answer, they remember the informat...
October 21 at 1:57pm
View all 15 comments
Scott
Scott
Students making errors ... Good Golly - what a concept! No one learns from being perfect ... no one! I'd propose that we do away with tests that have at their core the idea that an individual raw score is "better" than another simply because the number is higher. I would love to see this idea discarded with the trash, and a new idea of basing objective "grading" on IMPROVEMENT in knowledge aquisition.
October 23 at 5:40am
Whole Child

Whole Child Some schools are replacing scores of zero with fifty percent making it easier for students' grades to recover from a few bad results. http://bit.ly/45EcLj What do you think of this practice?

Unioto High School piloting no zero policy | chillicothegazette.com | Chillicothe Gazette
Source: bit.ly
Unioto High School no longer will give out zeroes to students after the Union-Scioto school board passed a resolution Monday to pilot the program.
October 14 at 2:02pm
View all 18 comments
Heather
Heather
Lots of people suggested letting students redo/retake the test or assessment until they earn a "passing" grade. So here's my question: do you also let the students passed but know they can do better retake the test? My high school had this problem. Students who made below an 80 retook the test. So a student with a 79 got to retake and potentially earn an 100 while the student with the 80 just had to be content. Now that hardly seems equitable to me.
October 15 at 4:44pm
Laurie
Laurie
I think some people are missing the point. It's not about letting kids pass so there is no failure. It's about letting kids fail that test with a 50 instead of a zero. Why? A failure is a failure whether it's a zero or a 50. The difference is what that zero does to the overall grade and to the student's motivation. In some cases it's impossible for a student to pass a class after earning a zero.
October 21 at 7:08pm
Eric Munro

Eric Munro The non-profit Education For Life Institute which trains teachers for the Living Wisdom Schools does offer online teacher training to anyone with a sincere interest.

http://livingwisdomschool.net/adult-programs.php

Eric Munro

Eric Munro
At this site are videos that outline some of the practices and techniques used for whole child development at Living Wisdom School, a non-profit, private school.

The school makes a child's inner, interpersonal, emotional, and social development as much a priority as academics. While these practices are more suited for s...mall classrooms, other teachers may find them helpful.

http://vimeo.com/channels/51498
http://www.youtube.com/user/LivingWisdomSchoolPA

I've personally been so impressed with what this school does, as my two sons attend, that I now volunteer full time to help them out.

Eric MunroRead More

Whole Child

Whole Child In a recent poll, 49% said kids need more time in school, yet 65% oppose moving to a year round calendar. http://bit.ly/vtNZd What do you think? http://bit.ly/vtNZd

49% Say U.S. Kids Need More Time in School - Rasmussen Reports™
Source: bit.ly
President Obama says U.S. children need to spend more time in school to make them more competitive with students from other countries, and 49% of Americans think the president is right.
October 9 at 11:57am
View all 9 comments
Diane Darrow
Diane Darrow
I think maybe the first step would be to fund schools well enough that they don't have to revert to a 4 day week first.
Want to save time, quit spending the first 4 months of school reviewing the previous year. Our quick learners may as well stay home until January and they could still get everything they need.
October 10 at 5:14am
Jeanette Alsabah
Jeanette Alsabah
more time in school that provides more a well rounded student..educating the "whole child" ..specifically physical and social development ....
October 10 at 6:22am
Whole Child

Whole Child What does "authentic learning" look like?

October 9 at 8:19am
View all 10 comments
Dawn Miller-Fulton
Dawn Miller-Fulton
When as a teacher I can say, "I hadn't thought of it that way!"
October 10 at 8:20am
Soraya
Soraya
when what is learned addresses what the student of today needs to be able to function in society
October 11 at 10:39pm
Whole Child

Whole Child Is your state one of the many that has proclaimed October "Parent Involvement Month"? http://bit.ly/YZKOo What can states do to really make this meaningful? http://bit.ly/YZKOo

October Is “Parent Involvement Month” | Engaging Parents In School...
Source: bit.ly
Much to my surprise, I've learned that October has been proclaimed Parent Involvement Month by Governors of a number of states to recognize the importance of
October 8 at 2:28pm
Bob Sullo
Bob Sullo
"One of the most unproductive perceptions we can develop is "These parents don't care." Unfortunately, I have heard it said repeatedly over the years. In over 30 years of working in public education, I have encountered many parents with poor parenting skills, but I have not met one about whom I would say, "This parent doesn't care."
Whether we are ... Read Moretalking about effective parents or ineffective parents, well-educated parents or poorly educated parents, financially well-off parents or economically disadvantaged parents, couples or single parents, all of them want their children to be successful. They may not have the skill to demonstrate their desire clearly, or we may not be skilled enough to see it, but all parents care about their children.
Inspiring teachers ask, "Does it help me to see some parents as uncaring? Would it be more helpful and just as reasonable to see parents as caring but unskilled in some way or uninformed about something I think is important?" The latter approach helps you view parents more favorably, work more comfortably with them, and take on a positive role: to provide skills and information that will help parents become more effective." p.121 "The Inspiring Teacher: Making a Positive Difference in Students' Lives." http://store.nea.org/NEABookstore/control/productdetails?item_id=2955000
October 9 at 7:25am
Sandra Lovelady Alford
Sandra Lovelady Alford
I agree with Bob Sullo... parents do care
October 9 at 9:11am