Resources for Learning and Teaching

Just a thought!

                                Kerri

I am currently reading Gary Paulsen's new autobiography, Gone to the Woods. Gary Paulsen is one of my favorite young adult writers. His books transformed the way I teach writing and literature and always nurtured a love of reading in my students, regardless of their ages, interests, and backgrounds. In his autobiography, Paulsen recounts the influences that shaped him as a person, reader, and writer. His story is especially inspiring because he attributes his love for books, reading, writing, and literature to one person. The person was not a family member, not a grade-school teacher, not a neighborhood friend, nor a college professor. She was a librarian, and Gary Paulsen doesn't even remember her name. However, he remembers the difference she made in his life. You can read an interview with Gary Paulsen and learn a little about this librarian here:  Gary Paulsen and the Librarian. You can learn even more about Paulsen, the library, the librarian, and the birth of a powerful writer in Gone to the Woods. 

One child, one library, one adult, one library card, one book, another book, and then another, one composition book, one pen, one listener, and one reader. And as a result, millions of books, millions of young readers, and ripples in the waters of young adult fiction that cannot be measured. Inspiration for millions of readers, millions of writers, and "one child" everywhere!

                     Just some thoughts!                                 

                                Kerri

Do you fidget, doodle, or need to be moving? Many of us do, and many of our students do this as well. Some teachers struggle with students who tend to play with anything within reach, stand up and visit the trash can and pencil sharpener constantly, and doodle all over their papers. It can be distracting, make papers difficult to read, and make an academic atmosphere hard to maintain. So, should these behaviors be banned? It's a good question, and there are two camps in this controversy. I know teachers who are very casual about academic structure in the classroom, and I know teachers who believe students need strict discipline and constant structure in the classroom to succeed. Extreme stances are usually not ideal. Just as all teachers have teaching and learning styles, every student in a classroom has a unique learning style. Learning styles include processing, attending, comprehending, exploring, creating, and movement needs. Classroom teachers should recognize and appreciate learning needs while cultivating a healthy appreciation for working together to promote and accommodate the needs of all class members and the teacher. We need to find strategies for compromise that promote academic progress while allowing students' learning styles and needs to be respected. Here are a few suggestions:

• Brain Breaks - There are numerous sources for brain break activities for classrooms at all levels online. These "breaks" give quick opportunities for students to move around, re-energize, and refocus. GoNoodle is a popular website full of ideas, but it is only one of many resources available.  Do a quick search, and you will be amazed!

• Fidgets - Many fidget items are noisy, expensive, distracting, and a problem in the classroom. There are some, however, that are silent and easily accessible. A furry strip of cloth attached to the underside of a desktop with double-sided tape can provide a tactile "fidget" that is unseen by others but accessible and silent for the student to stroke. A sticky note next to a notebook can provide a place to doodle without making class notes and assignments difficult to read. A sticky note can also be rolled and unrolled on the desktop to provide a silent fidget that is not distracting to others.

• Music - Background music that is played at an appropriate level without distracting lyrics can promote focus for many students. There are lists of recommended titles for classrooms available online.

• Furniture - Some children benefit from a chair specially designed to help them concentrate, stay focused, and combat restlessness.  The chair may wobble or wiggle with the child, or provide a stretchy band for students' feet, allowing them to flex their legs and feet. Many classrooms today also offer desks where restless students can stand out of the line of view of other students while they stretch their legs and move around a little.

• Novelty and multi-sensory activities - The ideas listed above are just a few suggestions for meeting the needs of students who need tactile and kinesthetic outlets in the classroom beyond the novel and multi-sensory lessons that good teachers provide daily. Discovery, enthusiasm, exploration, and fun built into school lessons go a long way in helping students maintain interest, engagement, and focused energy for learning! 

Just some thoughts!

          Kerri