I Like the Real Thing

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq4dsB-mzXzDmWAuSI0P3CyDs4J7GkmZQu4z8AyPMYQzgcuzm2eyGjMxRgOvCEqZ168MlILgF8I2u7NG3TB7MdhSbE0QxF-iPMD903GvYIyP4oOgd_zYIgrX3YtQbs0MURG5hbN2x0TlM/s1600-h/zoo+6-09+019.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352886366922259362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq4dsB-mzXzDmWAuSI0P3CyDs4J7GkmZQu4z8AyPMYQzgcuzm2eyGjMxRgOvCEqZ168MlILgF8I2u7NG3TB7MdhSbE0QxF-iPMD903GvYIyP4oOgd_zYIgrX3YtQbs0MURG5hbN2x0TlM/s320/zoo+6-09+019.JPG" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" /></a><br />Earlier this month I accompanied my granddaughter's first grade class to a museum of 'natural history.' I'm always disappointed to see a bunch of stuffed animals. There is something quite 'unnatural' about it to me, almost creepy. I guess this is one way we can learn about animals, but....<br />Last week I went with my six grandkids to the zoo. Now THAT was natural. I don't care how many times I go, the animals fascinate me in some way. I certainly came to the conclusion that for me, there is nothing like the real thing when learning about animals.

I Like the Real Thing

Earlier this month I accompanied my granddaughter's first grade class to a museum of 'natural history.' I'm always disappointed to see a bunch of stuffed animals. There is something quite 'unnatural' about it to me, almost creepy. I guess this is one way we can learn about animals, but....Last week …

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Round Up

There haven't been any posts on here for a while, so here's a round up of recent reports in the early years sector:<br /><br />The government has announced plans to make it a legal duty for themselves and local authorities to <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8095775.stm" target="_blank">eradicate child poverty by 2020</a>. To achieve this they have published a Child Poverty Bill which sets out how this aim should be achieved. The full text of the bill is available from <a href="http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmbills/112/09112.i-ii.html" target="_blank">this link</a>, while a 7 page overview can be obtained by <a href="http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatters/_download/?id=6085">clicking here</a>.<br /><br />The government has also moved to <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/jun/11/home-education-parents-face-tighter-regulation" target="_blank">tighten the regulations on home education</a>, by forcing parents who choose to educate their child in this way to register with local authorities and undergo inspections. The plans are outlined in Graham Badman's <a href="http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/consultations/downloadableDocs/PDF%20FINAL%20HOME%20ED.pdf" target="_blank">Review of Elective Home Education in England</a>, with all the report's recommendations being accepted by the government.<br /><br />The NSPCC has published <a href="http://www.nspcc.org.uk/Inform/research/Findings/breaking_the_wall_of_silence_report_wdf66135.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Breaking the Wall of Silence</span></a>, which is a detailed investigation into practitioners' experiences of dealing with children who have been trafficked. A <a href="http://www.nspcc.org.uk/Inform/research/Findings/breaking_the_wall_of_silence_summary_wdf66137.pdf" target="_blank">summary version</a> is also available.

Round Up

There haven't been any posts on here for a while, so here's a round up of recent reports in the early years sector:The government has announced plans to make it a legal duty for themselves and local authorities to eradicate child poverty by 2020. To achieve this they have published a Child Poverty B…

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Here We Go Again...

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjncgnXlvT51GTCmKFCk5_XA2H2OMeQWTHC5qC6CDSHp3N-ybBYBB9OV1vaaJou9SrV9EKTKqKna6aUoRjT1vXZNL1JbHBWChOyS1nKc7JnNDQ3ZQ2NQ7ehVT51gTkyG9g43FzPQFEt93U/s1600-h/Picture1.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348509064452533954" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjncgnXlvT51GTCmKFCk5_XA2H2OMeQWTHC5qC6CDSHp3N-ybBYBB9OV1vaaJou9SrV9EKTKqKna6aUoRjT1vXZNL1JbHBWChOyS1nKc7JnNDQ3ZQ2NQ7ehVT51gTkyG9g43FzPQFEt93U/s200/Picture1.png" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 142px; height: 200px;" /></a>I recently heard from a former coworker who taught with me for a number of years. She mentioned that in her new district they are always reinventing the wheel with educational practices. That seems to happen often. Sometimes I chuckle at the 'latest' teaching method or curriculum because often it is an old technique reorganized. I have been working on a workshop highlighting the RTI (Response to Intervention) teaching methods. Although founded in special needs, it is an organized way for the classroom teacher to provide support for all children, particularly those who need extra help. The first tier requires the teacher to have clear-cut goals/guidelines and an organized way of tracking the progress of each child. When we wrote <a href="http://www.discountschoolsupply.com/Product/ProductDetail.aspx?product=17046&keyword=pocet&es=10423400000" target="_blank">POCET (Preschool Outcomes Checklist and Evaluation Tool)</a> several years ago, that was exactly the philosophy. Give preschool teachers a clear roadmap of skills that is easy to understand, in developmental order, and provide a way to track each child's progress in mastering those skills. So, I'm reinventing my POCET workshop to the first tier of RTI. The good news is that great teachers can adjust to the new label and still perform their good teaching practices. Ya gotta satisfy the boss. :-)

Here We Go Again...

I recently heard from a former coworker who taught with me for a number of years. She mentioned that in her new district they are always reinventing the wheel with educational practices. That seems to happen often. Sometimes I chuckle at the 'latest' teaching method or curriculum because often it is…

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Supporting Young Carers

A new report from Ofsted has concluded that children who have caring responsibilities are often <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8091043.stm" target="_blank">"unidentified, unsupported and without a voice."</a> Research for the study was carried out in November and December last year, with 50 young carers who were responsible for either disabled parents or siblings being interviewed.<br /><br />The full report - <span style="font-style: italic;">Supporting Young Carers: Identifying, Assessing and Meeting the Needs of Young Carers and their Families</span> - can be downloaded in either Word or PDF format from <a href="http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/Ofsted-home/Publications-and-research/Browse-all-by/Documents-by-type/Thematic-reports/Supporting-young-carers" target="_blank">this link</a>. For an insight into the life of a young carer, take a look at this <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8091883.stm" target="_blank">BBC article</a>.

Supporting Young Carers

A new report from Ofsted has concluded that children who have caring responsibilities are often "unidentified, unsupported and without a voice." Research for the study was carried out in November and December last year, with 50 young carers who were responsible for either disabled parents or sibling…

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School Leadership

The DCSF has just published <a href="http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/DCSF-RR108.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Impact of School Leadership on Pupil Outcomes</span></a>. This is a lengthy report which reports on a three year study carried out in conjunction with the National College of School Leadership, to establish the links that exist between school leadership and pupil's attendance, attainment and behaviour.

School Leadership

The DCSF has just published The Impact of School Leadership on Pupil Outcomes. This is a lengthy report which reports on a three year study carried out in conjunction with the National College of School Leadership, to establish the links that exist between school leadership and pupil's attendance, a…

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We're Still Here!

A number of students have asked in recent days whether the library is open during the summer. The answer, as in other years, is yes! From the week beginning 29th June, the opening hours will be as follows:<br /><br />Monday 9am - 5pm<br />Tuesday 9am - 5pm<br />Wednesday 9am - 7pm<br />Thursday 9am - 5pm<br />Friday 9am - 5pm<br />Sat/Sun Closed<br /><br />Please also note that from next week, any books which you take out will be due back at the beginning of October.

We're Still Here!

A number of students have asked in recent days whether the library is open during the summer. The answer, as in other years, is yes! From the week beginning 29th June, the opening hours will be as follows:Monday 9am - 5pmTuesday 9am - 5pmWednesday 9am - 7pmThursday 9am - 5p…

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Creative Summer

The Guardian is launching a new series entitled Creative Summer, which will explore how teachers, teaching assistants and pupils are finding new and different ways to learn in the classroom. The series begins today with <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/jun/02/john-hegley-creativity" target="_blank">'Deckchairs Don't Fly'</a>, in which poet John Hegley shares some of his tips for engaging with a young audience. Readers are also invited to <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/mortarboard/2009/jun/02/creativity-your-thoughts" target="_blank">share their contributions</a>, while all creativity-related features from the Guardian can be accessed from <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/creativity-in-the-classroom" target="_blank">this link</a>.<br /><br />The blog has already addressed the subject of creativity on a number of previous occasions. To view all previous relevant posts with information about useful websites, reports and TV programmes, just look at the 'Hot Topics' menu in the right-hand column and click on the 'Creativity' link.

Creative Summer

The Guardian is launching a new series entitled Creative Summer, which will explore how teachers, teaching assistants and pupils are finding new and different ways to learn in the classroom. The series begins today with 'Deckchairs Don't Fly', in which poet John Hegley shares some of his tips for en…

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She Can't Talk!

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_OFm0CVabOfNkb_nCVGUGizaujgfZ4MQCDcgwpbLZ5oqQ2TdnQu_WYjfbOleBBkn7iHO8_w_Wek6AIvMIcMAZWe1umWlJcmoux_WOxqpnqX3ED9ksBxmbys6r7oSxRMVczgLJz4L1HQ8/s1600-h/turtle.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342503594886018130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_OFm0CVabOfNkb_nCVGUGizaujgfZ4MQCDcgwpbLZ5oqQ2TdnQu_WYjfbOleBBkn7iHO8_w_Wek6AIvMIcMAZWe1umWlJcmoux_WOxqpnqX3ED9ksBxmbys6r7oSxRMVczgLJz4L1HQ8/s200/turtle.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 148px;" /></a>Every spring the turtle in our backyard pond goes wandering. We think it has something to do with trying to lay eggs, but we need to keep one hole underneath the gate blocked so she can't leave the yard. Neighbors have found her in the street, etc. I took this picture of Gertrude trying to escape and sent it to my grandkids in California. When my daughter showed it to her 2 year-old and said, "Papa's turtle just came out to say hello." My granddaughter replied, "She can't talk!" It reminded me of the old story about the answer from a kindergarten boy when listening to a story of the Three Pigs. When the first pig asked the man for straw to build a house, the teacher asked, "What do you think that man said?" The little boy replied, "I'll be damned, a talking pig!"<br /><br />Children are so literal and yet so imaginative and creative if given a chance. I love <a href="http://www.discountschoolsupply.com/Product/ProductDetail.aspx?product=26327&keyword=funpup&es=10423400000" target="_blank">big mouth hand puppets</a> because they give the child an opportunity to allow the animals to talk and tell their own stories. Something tells me that my granddaughter wouldn't have any problem allowing a turtle hand puppet to talk! She is coming to visit soon, we'll see what she finds out about the turtle.

She Can't Talk!

Every spring the turtle in our backyard pond goes wandering. We think it has something to do with trying to lay eggs, but we need to keep one hole underneath the gate blocked so she can't leave the yard. Neighbors have found her in the street, etc. I took this picture of Gertrude trying to escape an…

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