Help Students Learn Like the Cleveland Browns Football Team

Sometimes a teachers has students that believe they will be the next sports superstar.  And sometimes they don't like school or doing the work in school very much.  Now there is a new motivator tool available for teachers.

From the Wall Street Journal, August 12, 2014 "The Browns'Strategy: Write This Down" written by Kevin Clark explains to a teacher why students need to write down their notes.  If pros have to write down information to remember it, then it proves that students need to write things down to remember them.

"I would talk to teachers all the time and they would say, 'To write is to learn,' Pettine", 1st year Brown's coach.  "When you write stuff down, you have a much higher chance of it getting imprinted on your brain."

Two university professors discovered in a study " that, because the hand con't possibly keep up wight he speaker's words, the writer must rephrase what was said in his or her own words, which in turn processes the information at a deeper level."

I especially like the phrase "if you make it too easy for students to learn something, they won't remember it".  Wow, teachers need to make it touch.

Because I work with special education students I spend most of the year demonstrating how to take notes and summarize.  I lecture and turn to the smart board and make notes of the important things.  Later I can change that into a pdf and post it on my web page.

The next step is to lecture and then stop and have the students' summarize the important things.  I lead a guided discussion about what is important.  Again I put their words on the smart board.  Each students has a spiral notebook to take notes and I grade it.  Five points for each day's lecture.  Many students won't copy the board.  So I still need help in motivating students who don't want to learn.

One way that I help my students after they have had written their notes is to type them.  To review for a test, I want them to say the words they see from their notes and type them in the computer.  This helps for all learning styles.  They hear the words (Audio learner) they see the words (Visual  learner) and they touch the letters (Kinetic learner)

See, you can learn educational ideas from the Sports page.

Proverbs 12:1

Somewhere I found this translated as "To learn, you must want to be taught."  I just love this.  When I tutor students who don't really want to learn I feel like I am talking to a brick wall.

So I need suggestions on how to help someone want to learn.

So I looked up the verse in New International Version and found, "Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid."  That does sound a little rough.

The title of chapter 12 in the Message translation is,  "If You Love Learning".  That is a nice title.  Verse one reads, "If you love learning, you love the discipline that goes with it--how shortsighted to refuse correction!"

When I am around pre-schoolers or kindergarten students, they all seem to want to learn.  They go to school excited and full of joy.

When I enter a middle school classroom, most of that is gone.  What happened?  I still enjoy everyday and try to learn something new every day.

Can we blame it on negative teachers?  Can we blame it on boring curriculum?  Do most students in private schools still have joy and excitement about learning?

I would love to hear opinions on this issue!  Please send feedback!

Delay Common Core Testing

"Delay Urged On Actions Tied to Tests By Schools" by Motoko Rich, New York Times, June 11, 2014

There should be a two year wait before school districts make decisions on teachers by the results of the new common core testing results.

The process of putting the new core in place and then developing the tests to see what the students know has been too fast.

Schools in California are suppose to have each student taking the tests online.  As a substitute teacher. I see net-books used that are small to see the questions, log ins not working, networks crashing.  Middle school students switch to different web pages to listen to music while they work.  Many students do not care about standardized testing so it seems like a weak link when evaluating a teacher.  Are you a 'bad' teachers if you have a room of students who do not care about their education?

I have students that have trouble reading and the new core shows them far below basic because that can't read.  They may know the material but are being tested a way that does not show their knowledge. 

I would love to see other teacher's comments on this article!

An Undecorated Classroom?

An article in the New York Times, June 10, 2014 says that a busy, decorated classroom distracts students from learning.  I don't remember too many discussions, while earning my teaching credential ,about what the classroom walls should look like.

By sixth grade, children have more ability to tune out the distractions all over the walls.  So when you enter your classroom next year, think about what the students will be looking at while you are trying to teach.

It is simple really, just don't go overboard on classroom decorations.

• have a simple calendar section
• post only current art projects that the students make
• have a simple word wall
• use less neon colors and attention borders
• put most of the distracting materials in the back of the classroom so you can tell who is looking at them and not at you while you doing direct instruction.

When in doubt just remember less is best.

(Based on an article by Jan Hoffman "A Wall as a Barrier to Learning".)

Math Anxiety

When you worry about a math test it can lead to a decrease in working memory so you really can not remember.

When learning new formulas, I recommend rewriting the formula every time you use it.  I also recommend you say the formula out loud.  This lets you see it many time, hear it many times and write it many times.  When you take a test you don't need to worry because you will recall it.  It may seem like overkill but it works.

Also tests should not be timed anymore.  The stress of time makes a student worry.  Ask to take the test in the library for as long as you need.  If your grade improves you and your teacher will understand the time is creating your anxiety.  A good teacher will let you take all your tests that way.

Also when you feel like you are not good a math.  Some will say, " you just don't have a math brain", so you just give up.  You may not be good at math but what you do need is more practice with math.  Maybe most of the class totally understands new material after doing 10 problems but you might need 20 problems.

So you need to work harder and perhaps hire a tutor to work with you.  Math is like a foreign language.  You need to learn the vocabulary and understand each step.

From "Reducing Math Anxiety by Liana Heitin June 10 ,2014

Idea of a New Attention Disorder Spurs Research, and a Debate

This is an article by Alan Schwarz published in the New York Times 4/12/2014.   It states that there are more than six million children in the US with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.  There is concern over this being too often diiagnosed and too much medication.

But now there is a new disorder called sluggish congitive tempo.  This consists of students show lethargy, daydreaming and slow mental processing.  Researchers feel this in present in around two million children.  This disorder has been identified back in 1980 but it was not recognized the the Diagnositc and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

They feel some students are not hyperactive but merely inattentive.  This diagnosis would be for the childre who are the daydreamy ones, the ones who don't turn inthe homework, forget to put their name on their papers.

The drug companines are involved trying to find a medication to fix this problem.

But think about it.  Isn't day dreaming part about what being a kid is all about.  Don't children learn responsibility when they forget to turn in their homework.  I think many children are just being children and don't need medication or a diagnosis.  They just need to be kids.

Intensvie Tutoring and Counseling Found to Help Struggling Teenagers

I found this article in the New York Times, January 27, 2014 by Motoko Rich.

According to testing about half of the African American boys have not master basic math skills.  there have been a few studies which show with intense tutoring and behavioral counseling in eight months they can learn three years of normal math.

Administrators understand that 'it is nearly impossible for a teacher in a class of 25 or 30 students to tailor lessons to individual needs, particularly with those who struggle to understand concepts they should have learned years earlier."

To meet the needs of these students experts are arguing an hour of tutoring a day can make a different.  The tutor would be in the classroom with them keeping them focused.  They can be paid only $17 per year because they don't need to be credentialed teachers.  These tutors would not be having to manage large classes.  These tutors might also need to help the students with emotional coping skills to calm themselves during classes.

Students who have faced failure in math probably don't have a lot of positive or stable adult role models and these 'new' tutors could make a difference in a life of a child.

I think the most important item for success is a change of attitude within the child.  A child needs to determine they want to learn.  By that attitude change, learning can take place.