It's that time of the year again, when Time releases their list of the top 100 Most Influential People of the last year or so.
Some of the entries this year are no surprise - Mark Zuckerberg, Colin Firth, Julian Assange, a racy picture of "Tiger Mom" Amy Chua...
Some more surprising include: Angry Birds creator Peter Vesterbacka, Glee's Chris Colfer, Aussie actress Mia Wasikowska, PBS's Rebecca Eaton (who has had a hand in producing many of the acclaimed period dramas of recent years), and Pastor Rob Bell, of Nooma fame. Justin Bieber has replaced Lady Gaga as the headline influential pop artist, reflecting current trends.
This could make for interesting class discussion. You might even compile a class list of the people considered by the class to be the most influential.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Fox News Gaffe
Proofreading is an extremely important aspect of producing good written work. I was just teaching this concept to students this week.
Unfortunately, someone needs to teach this to Fox News. They made the rather embarrassing gaffe this week of having their banner at the bottom of the screen proclaim to the world "Obama Bin Laden Dead", which apparently prompted mass panic.
I shall show this to my students next week to further reinforce my point, methinks.
Unfortunately, someone needs to teach this to Fox News. They made the rather embarrassing gaffe this week of having their banner at the bottom of the screen proclaim to the world "Obama Bin Laden Dead", which apparently prompted mass panic.
I shall show this to my students next week to further reinforce my point, methinks.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
The 50 Most Influential Books of the Last 50 Years
As has been commented before on this blog, lists of the "top/most {insert adjective here} books" may often seem arbitrary and objective (and even questionable - e.g. the alleged BBC books list that goes around on Facebook).
The SuperScholar website has released a list of the "50 Most Influential Books of the Last 50 (or so) Years". The list contains the usual suspects, such as Atkins, Spock, Friedan, Dawkins, etc., but also some other more interesting selections - Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged, Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, John Gray's Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus.
I particularly applaud the inclusion of Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs and Steel, Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird and Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life.
As is often the case, J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series has been incorporated as one item, coming in at number 35.
Check out the list and let me know what you think. How many have you read and consider to be worthy choices? Is it too limited to restrict the list to 50?
The SuperScholar website has released a list of the "50 Most Influential Books of the Last 50 (or so) Years". The list contains the usual suspects, such as Atkins, Spock, Friedan, Dawkins, etc., but also some other more interesting selections - Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged, Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, John Gray's Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus.
I particularly applaud the inclusion of Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs and Steel, Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird and Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life.
As is often the case, J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series has been incorporated as one item, coming in at number 35.
Check out the list and let me know what you think. How many have you read and consider to be worthy choices? Is it too limited to restrict the list to 50?
Friday, April 1, 2011
Princess Party
Today, with my pastoral care class, we did a kind of self-esteem building activity.
This term, we have been watching the film Ever After, and discussing it along the way. The film teaches us to remain true to ourselves and not to "be overcome by evil {stepsisters}, but overcome evil with good" (NIV Bible, Romans 12:21). The main character, Danielle (Drew Barrymore), gets her prince in the end through courage and honesty, not by devious means.
We linked this to the upcoming royal wedding of Kate Middleton (a "commoner") and Prince William. I showed them an article from The Courier-Mail, "Website puts royal gloss on Kate", and we discussed random questions such as:
I then tried to link the discussion to Psalm 139, about how we are all princesses in God's eyes because we are "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14), and that you don't need to marry a prince to be a princess! (Aww....)
Next, we proceeded to make a right royal mess by crafting our own princess crowns out of cardboard, ominous amounts of gold glitter, fake jewels and whatever else we could get our hands on. Sadly, I forgot to take my camera again so I can't show you any of the lovely creations!
Some of the students said they would go off to their next class wearing their crowns and command the teacher to bow to them...!
We finished the lesson by eating pink cupcakes. A happy, sticky ending.
This term, we have been watching the film Ever After, and discussing it along the way. The film teaches us to remain true to ourselves and not to "be overcome by evil {stepsisters}, but overcome evil with good" (NIV Bible, Romans 12:21). The main character, Danielle (Drew Barrymore), gets her prince in the end through courage and honesty, not by devious means.
We linked this to the upcoming royal wedding of Kate Middleton (a "commoner") and Prince William. I showed them an article from The Courier-Mail, "Website puts royal gloss on Kate", and we discussed random questions such as:
- If you were Kate Middleton, how would you be feeling right now, with your wedding not far away?
- Do you think Kate Middleton is under pressure to live up to expectations of being as good a princess as William's mother, Princess Diana?
- Is Kate's weight loss in preparation for the wedding a bad sign of the stress/responsibilities to come, considering Princess Diana was anorexic/bulimic when she was a princess?
- How do you think Kate is coping with all the media attention?
- Do you think she feels pressure to produce a male heir?
- How are things different these days now that princes can choose whom they want to marry, rather than having to marry someone chosen for them by their families (cf. Prince Henry's frustrations in Ever After)?
I then tried to link the discussion to Psalm 139, about how we are all princesses in God's eyes because we are "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14), and that you don't need to marry a prince to be a princess! (Aww....)
Next, we proceeded to make a right royal mess by crafting our own princess crowns out of cardboard, ominous amounts of gold glitter, fake jewels and whatever else we could get our hands on. Sadly, I forgot to take my camera again so I can't show you any of the lovely creations!
Some of the students said they would go off to their next class wearing their crowns and command the teacher to bow to them...!
We finished the lesson by eating pink cupcakes. A happy, sticky ending.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Get Down to GOMA
The exhibition is spread over all 3 levels of the gallery. Highlights include:
- Carston Holler's spiral slides in the foyer, which, if you fancy, will take you from the top floor of the gallery to the bottom floor really quickly (if you're willing to join the queue).
- Leandro Erlich's Swimming pool which you can experience from above ground and from inside (in case you've ever wondered what's it's like to be inside a swimming pool and be able to breathe...)
- a giant arch made out of cardboard boxes
- a wall of wishes, where you can take a "wish" (i.e. a ribbon with a wish printed on it) that you most identify with and leave your own wish on a piece of paper. This is the one I chose (above). It says, "I wish to find pleasure in things as much as I used to as a child". I was going to take the one that said, "I wish wishes came true", but that seemed a bit pessimistic.
- Martin Creed's Work No. 956 composed of a room half-filled with giant purple balloons - perfect place to lose a child, if you so desired. Be warned that there may be a long queue for this one also.
- a giant sculpture made out of plastic bags (see the pic in the brochure above). Supposed to be a comment about waste, recycling, etc.
- Olaf Eliasson's The cubic structural evolution project made up of famous buildings built in white Lego. You can pull up a chair and add to it.
- A print of Damien Hirst's infamous diamond-encrusted skull, surrounded by crushed diamonds - very blingy!
Friday, March 25, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
The People's Prince?
I'm not a republican by any stretch of the imagination (I'm a Pom!), but even I found Trent Dalton's coverage of Prince William's recent visit vomitous (to use a friend's favourite word): "In the darkest hour, a handsome prince did come to southeast Queensland...It was the arrival of a rockstar. Sunburned face. Warm demeanor. Hands for shaking." Even the picture is a bit OTT.If you can get hold of this Monday's Courier-Mail (March 22), there is a double-page spread of Dalton's article, pictures, etc. (see image above - pardon the food marks!).
But then, in true teacher style, I began thinking about how we could use it in the classroom, and it struck me that this is a prime example of bias and hyperbole being used to position readers. Lots of great words and phrases to analyse!
- To take things even further, you could then get students to consider the notion of perspective and persuasion by imagining they are a member of the Australian Republican Movement and writing their own report of Prince William's visit. How might this influence your word choices?
This might be an interesting activity as part of preparation for the NAPLAN persuasive writing task.
If you get a chance to try it out, let me know how it goes!
Saturday, March 19, 2011
"Say No to Bullying!"
With all the talk about schoolyard fights being filmed and posted online, it was appropriate that yesterday was the inaugural "Say No to Bullying" Day.
If you missed it (as I did), it's not too late to check out some great resources online which you can use with your students. We must all join together to celebrate diversity and tolerance, and say "no" to discrimination and violence.
Check out the Australian Government's The Line website and 97.3FM's Robin, Terry and Bob in the Morning, where you can make a Facebook pledge to say "no" to bullying.
The 97.3FM website also includes videos about bullying, as well as interviews with a parent who caught his children bullying a child and dobbed them in to the local police. His children were charged with assault.
Tough love? What would you have done?
If you missed it (as I did), it's not too late to check out some great resources online which you can use with your students. We must all join together to celebrate diversity and tolerance, and say "no" to discrimination and violence.
Check out the Australian Government's The Line website and 97.3FM's Robin, Terry and Bob in the Morning, where you can make a Facebook pledge to say "no" to bullying.
The 97.3FM website also includes videos about bullying, as well as interviews with a parent who caught his children bullying a child and dobbed them in to the local police. His children were charged with assault.
Tough love? What would you have done?
Monday, March 14, 2011
Japan Earthquake and Tsunami
The recent devastating events in Japan have, sadly, provided useful teaching tools for my junior SOSE class. We have been studying volcanoes and earthquakes. The last few days have been an extraordinary reminder to us of the power and destruction of nature, as well as why it is important to study things like the effects of tectonic plates shifting.
Today, I got my students to look at the ABC's excellent Japan Earthquake Live site which provides rolling coverage of all the developments, including links to useful websites (e.g. scientific reports), videos, audio and images.
The students' task was to find 5 Fascinating Facts about the earthquake/tsunami and present this as a handout with visuals. We watched some of the videos together and discussed implications, e.g. the effects of explosions in the nuclear power plants, etc.
We all learnt something new, as well as lots of things to pray for.
Today, I got my students to look at the ABC's excellent Japan Earthquake Live site which provides rolling coverage of all the developments, including links to useful websites (e.g. scientific reports), videos, audio and images.
The students' task was to find 5 Fascinating Facts about the earthquake/tsunami and present this as a handout with visuals. We watched some of the videos together and discussed implications, e.g. the effects of explosions in the nuclear power plants, etc.
We all learnt something new, as well as lots of things to pray for.
"Alas, poor...Tchaikovsky?"
It's coming up to one of my favourite times of the year - teaching Hamlet. Such a great play.
So it is fitting that I accidentally came across this ABC news article the other day - "Human skull dumped from Dr Who's Hamlet". When ex-Doctor Who David Tennant was playing Hamlet for the 2009 RSC production, the skull that was used as Yorick's was in fact the real skull of pianist Andre Tchaikovsky (as far as I can see, no relation to the Russian composer).
Andre Tchaikovsky left the skull to the RSC in his will, asking specifically that it be used as a prop. Apparently, until David Tennant used it, no one had been brave enough. The ABC report states that the skull was discontinued as a prop because audiences found it disturbing, however Wikipedia reports that the skull was kept in use throughout the production's transfer to London, as well as in BBC DVD recording.
In keeping with this Shakespeare/Dr Who connection, YouTube has some great clips from the Dr Who episode, "The Shakespeare Code", in which the Doctor (David Tennant) and Martha travel back in time to help Shakespeare battle witches who disrupt the writing of his new play, Love's Labours Found. A fun episode, though note that it does contain witches who cast spells, etc.
I've also started using the film Shakespeare in Love as an introduction to Shakespeare and Elizabethan England. This film is rated M15+ for medium level sex scenes, so you may need to choose clips if you intend showing it to younger grades. The many cultural references are hilarious - blink, and you'll miss them! Can't believe this movie is 13 years old! It was one of our faves in high school.
So it is fitting that I accidentally came across this ABC news article the other day - "Human skull dumped from Dr Who's Hamlet". When ex-Doctor Who David Tennant was playing Hamlet for the 2009 RSC production, the skull that was used as Yorick's was in fact the real skull of pianist Andre Tchaikovsky (as far as I can see, no relation to the Russian composer).
Andre Tchaikovsky left the skull to the RSC in his will, asking specifically that it be used as a prop. Apparently, until David Tennant used it, no one had been brave enough. The ABC report states that the skull was discontinued as a prop because audiences found it disturbing, however Wikipedia reports that the skull was kept in use throughout the production's transfer to London, as well as in BBC DVD recording.
In keeping with this Shakespeare/Dr Who connection, YouTube has some great clips from the Dr Who episode, "The Shakespeare Code", in which the Doctor (David Tennant) and Martha travel back in time to help Shakespeare battle witches who disrupt the writing of his new play, Love's Labours Found. A fun episode, though note that it does contain witches who cast spells, etc.
I've also started using the film Shakespeare in Love as an introduction to Shakespeare and Elizabethan England. This film is rated M15+ for medium level sex scenes, so you may need to choose clips if you intend showing it to younger grades. The many cultural references are hilarious - blink, and you'll miss them! Can't believe this movie is 13 years old! It was one of our faves in high school.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Celebrating Creativity
One of my English classes recently finished a unit on exploring our God-given creativity, in which they had to write a short story.
As a fitting end to this unit, we celebrated the notion of individual creativity by learning about the artist, Vincent van Gogh, whose genius was, sadly, not recognised until after his death.
Van Gogh only sold one painting in his lifetime. The rich, vivid hues and vibrant brushstrokes of his "Expressionistic" style were the hallmarks of his artistry, which was before its time, but also of his struggles with anxiety and mental illness. It is perhaps unfortunate that he is well-known for cutting off one of his ears after fighting with fellow painter Gauguin.
Fortunately, people do now recognise his genius. Van Gogh's Irises was bought by Australian businessman Alan Bond in 1987 for the princely sum of $US 53.9 million. His Portrait of Dr Gachet (a copy of which is hanging in my toilet) was purchased in 1990 for $US 82.5 million by Ryoei Saito of Japan, who caused controversy when he asked that the painting be cremated with him when he died (info courtesy of Barry Jones, Dictionary of World Biography, 1994, pp. 298-299).
I showed the class an episode from the most recent series of Dr Who, "Vincent and the Doctor", in which the Doctor and Amy see a strange figure in a van Gogh painting in an art gallery and decide to travel back in time to solve the mystery. They meet van Gogh and experience something of the artist's isolation as he is ridiculed by the townspeople as a madman and failed artist.
Amy and the Doctor form a deep attachment to van Gogh as together they battle the creature that is terrifying the town. In spending time with the painter, they come to understand and appreciate his unique view of the world.
Without giving too much away, the episode is a lovely and thought-provoking reflection on the nature of genius and creativity, as well as a sensitive treatment of depression and mental illness.
The students appeared touched and affected by the episode, with one student commenting: "We need to appreciate people's creativity so that they don't commit suicide."
As a fitting end to this unit, we celebrated the notion of individual creativity by learning about the artist, Vincent van Gogh, whose genius was, sadly, not recognised until after his death.
Van Gogh only sold one painting in his lifetime. The rich, vivid hues and vibrant brushstrokes of his "Expressionistic" style were the hallmarks of his artistry, which was before its time, but also of his struggles with anxiety and mental illness. It is perhaps unfortunate that he is well-known for cutting off one of his ears after fighting with fellow painter Gauguin.
Fortunately, people do now recognise his genius. Van Gogh's Irises was bought by Australian businessman Alan Bond in 1987 for the princely sum of $US 53.9 million. His Portrait of Dr Gachet (a copy of which is hanging in my toilet) was purchased in 1990 for $US 82.5 million by Ryoei Saito of Japan, who caused controversy when he asked that the painting be cremated with him when he died (info courtesy of Barry Jones, Dictionary of World Biography, 1994, pp. 298-299).
Amy and the Doctor form a deep attachment to van Gogh as together they battle the creature that is terrifying the town. In spending time with the painter, they come to understand and appreciate his unique view of the world.
Without giving too much away, the episode is a lovely and thought-provoking reflection on the nature of genius and creativity, as well as a sensitive treatment of depression and mental illness.
The students appeared touched and affected by the episode, with one student commenting: "We need to appreciate people's creativity so that they don't commit suicide."
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Lost in Pride and Prejudice - The Ultimate Nerd Collection
Forget about Pride and Prejudice and Zombies! Yay for Austen purists!
Okay, enough ranting.
I have found the ultimate nerds' edition of Pride and Prejudice:
In this annotated edition, you get the text on the left-hand page, and lots of notes on the right-hand page, e.g.:
This guy must really love the book to annotate every single page! There's lots of useful notes on things like social conventions, clothing, carriages, and furniture, as well as useful stuff, like maps.
And if that doesn't satisfy your Darcy-lust, check out this sticker my friend brought back for me from England:
Do I dare to put it on my car??
The ABC is currently replaying one of my favourite Austen-related series, Lost in Austen. For those who haven't tasted its delights, the show is about Pride and Prejudice devotee Amanda Price, who one day finds Elizabeth Bennet in her bathroom and a gateway into the novel through the back of her bathtub.
Great hilarity and plot twisting ensues as Amanda tries desperately to make the action follow the course of the book. A fun series and a great way to teach intertextuality, as the show also references the well-loved BBC series which featured Colin Firth and that wet shirt. The Lost in Austen spoof can be viewed here.
Episode one is on iview.
Okay, enough ranting.
I have found the ultimate nerds' edition of Pride and Prejudice:
In this annotated edition, you get the text on the left-hand page, and lots of notes on the right-hand page, e.g.:
And if that doesn't satisfy your Darcy-lust, check out this sticker my friend brought back for me from England:
The ABC is currently replaying one of my favourite Austen-related series, Lost in Austen. For those who haven't tasted its delights, the show is about Pride and Prejudice devotee Amanda Price, who one day finds Elizabeth Bennet in her bathroom and a gateway into the novel through the back of her bathtub.
Great hilarity and plot twisting ensues as Amanda tries desperately to make the action follow the course of the book. A fun series and a great way to teach intertextuality, as the show also references the well-loved BBC series which featured Colin Firth and that wet shirt. The Lost in Austen spoof can be viewed here.
Episode one is on iview.
Traditional Bookshops Bordering on Extinction?
This is the question being posed in recent days as Borders and Angus and Robertson announced they were going into receivership, with the rising popularity of internet bookshops thought to be a major contributing factor.
Angus and Robertson Armidale franchisee Paul McManus told The Armidale Express that it would be "business as usual", because the A&R's franchising system offers protection to some extent.
Meanwhile, Dymocks is trying to take advantage of the situation by enticing Borders and A&R rewards card holders to transfer their allegiance. Those who are willing to surrender membership cards of the troubled chains will be given a Dymocks Booklovers card with 1000 points. See their website for details.
In other news, no doubt people in the US are preparing to camp outside Apple stores in anticipation of the release of iPad Mark II, expected out on March 2 (later in the year for Australia).
I've also been trying out Zinio, a site which allows you to buy digital copies of the latest magazines from all over the world. The software was a bit problematic to download, but seems to be working fine now.
I bought the March 2011 issue of InStyle UK, and although the pages are a little slow to load, it was easy to browse - helped by having a clickable contents page which takes you straight to the bits you want, and a zooming tool. All of this for AUD$5, and knowing that I'm not contributing to landfill or the dusty pile of old magazines in the corner of my room!
Do these developments signal the death of physical bookstores and hard copy texts? Consider this: no matter how hard you sniff your computer, you will not be able to get that new book smell or the whiff of perfume samples in your favourite magazine...
Angus and Robertson Armidale franchisee Paul McManus told The Armidale Express that it would be "business as usual", because the A&R's franchising system offers protection to some extent.
Meanwhile, Dymocks is trying to take advantage of the situation by enticing Borders and A&R rewards card holders to transfer their allegiance. Those who are willing to surrender membership cards of the troubled chains will be given a Dymocks Booklovers card with 1000 points. See their website for details.
In other news, no doubt people in the US are preparing to camp outside Apple stores in anticipation of the release of iPad Mark II, expected out on March 2 (later in the year for Australia).
I've also been trying out Zinio, a site which allows you to buy digital copies of the latest magazines from all over the world. The software was a bit problematic to download, but seems to be working fine now.
I bought the March 2011 issue of InStyle UK, and although the pages are a little slow to load, it was easy to browse - helped by having a clickable contents page which takes you straight to the bits you want, and a zooming tool. All of this for AUD$5, and knowing that I'm not contributing to landfill or the dusty pile of old magazines in the corner of my room!
Do these developments signal the death of physical bookstores and hard copy texts? Consider this: no matter how hard you sniff your computer, you will not be able to get that new book smell or the whiff of perfume samples in your favourite magazine...
The Future of Girls' Education in Afghanistan
A thought worth pondering from The Courier-Mail yesterday - the withdrawal of foreign countries from Afghanistan may endanger recent gains in the number of girls receiving education there.
Here is an excerpt from the article, "Girls' education threatened in Afghanistan":
"The number of girls in education has risen from 5000 in 2001 when the Taliban were ousted, to 2.4 million today, although many do not attend regularly and are forced to drop out early, the study from groups including Oxfam said...
"...Abdul Waheed Hamidy of Afghan NGO Coordination for Humanitarian Assistance added: 'It's crucial that donor governments sustain their support for development, especially education, even once their troops leave the country.'"
The plight of girls under the Taliban regime in Afghanistan was memorably depicted by Khaled Hosseini in his acclaimed and engrossing novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns.
As we well know, education is an important stimulus for change, and it would be terrible to see a return to the days when the Taliban actively attacked schools and persecuted young women who wanted an education.
Here is an excerpt from the article, "Girls' education threatened in Afghanistan":
"The number of girls in education has risen from 5000 in 2001 when the Taliban were ousted, to 2.4 million today, although many do not attend regularly and are forced to drop out early, the study from groups including Oxfam said...
"...Abdul Waheed Hamidy of Afghan NGO Coordination for Humanitarian Assistance added: 'It's crucial that donor governments sustain their support for development, especially education, even once their troops leave the country.'"
The plight of girls under the Taliban regime in Afghanistan was memorably depicted by Khaled Hosseini in his acclaimed and engrossing novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns.
As we well know, education is an important stimulus for change, and it would be terrible to see a return to the days when the Taliban actively attacked schools and persecuted young women who wanted an education.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Love, Love, Love
Yes, Valentine's Day has passed us yet again, and I meant to post some teaching ideas up before the event, but...anyway, better late than never!
It's always good to reflect on the notions of love with teenagers and get them to consider how love might be viewed differently from different perspectives, such as secular, Christian, Muslim, etc. This is particularly relevant for teenagers as they are going through an important phase in their lives when they try to figure out how relationships work.
The following activity could be done at any time of the year, not just Valentine's Day:
Love and Spiritual Food
This year, I found this rad t-shirt at Kmart:
It appears to be a crossword made up of random words/thoughts/concepts to do with love. I used it as a lesson hook with my pastoral care class, to see who could work out the most number of words.
We went on to brainstorm the Fruits of the Spirit, as found in the Bible (Galatians 5:22-26): love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness and self-control (whew! Thank God for Sunday School songs that helped with memorisation!).
I then got them to answer 2 questions as a means of self-reflection and to help with caring for others in the class:
It's always good to reflect on the notions of love with teenagers and get them to consider how love might be viewed differently from different perspectives, such as secular, Christian, Muslim, etc. This is particularly relevant for teenagers as they are going through an important phase in their lives when they try to figure out how relationships work.
The following activity could be done at any time of the year, not just Valentine's Day:
Love and Spiritual Food
This year, I found this rad t-shirt at Kmart:
We went on to brainstorm the Fruits of the Spirit, as found in the Bible (Galatians 5:22-26): love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness and self-control (whew! Thank God for Sunday School songs that helped with memorisation!).
I then got them to answer 2 questions as a means of self-reflection and to help with caring for others in the class:
- Which fruit(s) do you think you possess the most of?
- Which fruit(s) would you like more of?
Saturday, February 12, 2011
National Professional Standards for Teachers
In case you haven't heard, the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) released National Professional Standards for Teachers on February 9.
According to their website, the standards aim to "promote excellence in teaching and provide a nationally consistent basis for recognising quality teaching. They make explicit what teachers should know, be able to do and what is expected of effective teachers across their career".
There are 7 standards:
Standard 1: Know students and how they learn
Standard 2: Know the content and how to teach it
Standard 3: Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning
Standard 4: Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments
Standard 5: Assess, provide feedback and report on student learning
Standard 6: Engage with professional learning
Standard 7: Engage professionally with colleagues, parents/carers and the community
These standards are arranged around 3 domains:
Professional Knowledge (1, 2)
Professional Practice (3, 4, 5)
Professional Engagement (6, 7)
And recognise 4 career stages:
Graduate Teachers
Proficient Teachers
Highly Accomplished Teachers
Lead Teachers
Apparently, these standards are part of a push towards greater acknowledgement of teachers' work, particularly as many leave the profession because of the lack of career advancement.
According to their website, the standards aim to "promote excellence in teaching and provide a nationally consistent basis for recognising quality teaching. They make explicit what teachers should know, be able to do and what is expected of effective teachers across their career".
There are 7 standards:
Standard 1: Know students and how they learn
Standard 2: Know the content and how to teach it
Standard 3: Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning
Standard 4: Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments
Standard 5: Assess, provide feedback and report on student learning
Standard 6: Engage with professional learning
Standard 7: Engage professionally with colleagues, parents/carers and the community
These standards are arranged around 3 domains:
Professional Knowledge (1, 2)
Professional Practice (3, 4, 5)
Professional Engagement (6, 7)
And recognise 4 career stages:
Graduate Teachers
Proficient Teachers
Highly Accomplished Teachers
Lead Teachers
Apparently, these standards are part of a push towards greater acknowledgement of teachers' work, particularly as many leave the profession because of the lack of career advancement.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Teaching Teens
A thought-provoking article written by Herbert Puchta was published recently in The Guardian. Puchta, who is president of the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language, claims that teachers of teenagers should spend less time trying to find trendy teen pop culture artefacts to engage students and more time on what he calls "emotional engagement".
He cites a book called Romantic Understanding by Kieran Egan as a source for this claim:
"According to those insights, teens – as cool as they may seem on the surface – often feel, deep down, threatened by the world. One reason for their insecurity is caused by the fact that they ask themselves questions that are of an existentially threatening nature, because teens cannot find any answers to them: Will I be successful in life? Will I be able to find a good job and earn good money one day? When will my parents die? When will I die? What happens when I do? Who will miss me when I die? etc.
"Although the world of teens is basically a contact culture, they hardly ever share their real fears with others, and this often leads to a feeling of loneliness and the assumption that they are the only ones in the world suffering from such problems. The only way out of this situation seems to lie in trying not to be an individual – not an easy task given the particular phase in their lives is also about developing their sense of self, their identity – and so they engage in copying each other: wearing the same brands of T-shirts and trainers, adoring the same kind of heroes and heroines, and finding the same kind of things either 'awesome' or 'gross' (current UK teen expressions for good and bad).
"Such behaviour, together with their choice of heroes, often seems to suggest superficiality to the adult observer. But it's anything but that. When teens choose their idols – the likes of Lady Gaga and Jay-Z maybe – they do so because they intuitively feel connected with what they perceive as the best human qualities through their heroes, whereas for adults every single one of those stars may well be representative of a tinsel world."
One method proposed by Puchta of emotionally engaging students is to spend more time discussing moral dilemmas/scenarios. He gives the example of "Subway Hero" Wesley Autry, who had to decide whether or not to rescue a man who had an epileptic fit and fell onto rail tracks, just as a train was approaching. {Another one might be that of Jews in hiding during the Holocaust, where a crying baby threatens to give them away, and the mother has to decide whether to kill her own child to save them all}
Food for thought.
He cites a book called Romantic Understanding by Kieran Egan as a source for this claim:
"According to those insights, teens – as cool as they may seem on the surface – often feel, deep down, threatened by the world. One reason for their insecurity is caused by the fact that they ask themselves questions that are of an existentially threatening nature, because teens cannot find any answers to them: Will I be successful in life? Will I be able to find a good job and earn good money one day? When will my parents die? When will I die? What happens when I do? Who will miss me when I die? etc.
"Although the world of teens is basically a contact culture, they hardly ever share their real fears with others, and this often leads to a feeling of loneliness and the assumption that they are the only ones in the world suffering from such problems. The only way out of this situation seems to lie in trying not to be an individual – not an easy task given the particular phase in their lives is also about developing their sense of self, their identity – and so they engage in copying each other: wearing the same brands of T-shirts and trainers, adoring the same kind of heroes and heroines, and finding the same kind of things either 'awesome' or 'gross' (current UK teen expressions for good and bad).
"Such behaviour, together with their choice of heroes, often seems to suggest superficiality to the adult observer. But it's anything but that. When teens choose their idols – the likes of Lady Gaga and Jay-Z maybe – they do so because they intuitively feel connected with what they perceive as the best human qualities through their heroes, whereas for adults every single one of those stars may well be representative of a tinsel world."
One method proposed by Puchta of emotionally engaging students is to spend more time discussing moral dilemmas/scenarios. He gives the example of "Subway Hero" Wesley Autry, who had to decide whether or not to rescue a man who had an epileptic fit and fell onto rail tracks, just as a train was approaching. {Another one might be that of Jews in hiding during the Holocaust, where a crying baby threatens to give them away, and the mother has to decide whether to kill her own child to save them all}
Food for thought.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Balancing Kiwis
Oh a happier note, here's another fun activity you can do with small groups or a pastoral care class. Also safe for young kids as it doesn't contain small parts and is made from solid wood.This game comes from New Zealand and is called Balancing Kiwis. It's made up of kiwis carved from wood, and you have to arrange them in such as way that they balance in formation, a bit like cheerleaders.
The bonus challenge at the end is the first group that gets all the pieces back in the box!
It has the potential for being even more fun if you use more than one set.
The company, Tarata, makes lots of different sets, including different balancing animals, coloured shapes, alphabets (a bit pricey), jigsaws, etc. See their online shop for prices. The jigsaw clock looks pretty cool!
How Do You Decide What Makes a "Good" Teacher?
The whole debate about performance-based pay for teachers rears its head once again.
The Sunday Herald Sun recently conducted an online poll of 5000 Australians about the quality of schooling parents want for their children (read an article about it here).
Of the 794 Victorian parents who responded, 63% felt that under-performing teachers (in terms of academic results produced) should be "expelled", while 79% believed that teachers who produced good academic results should be paid more than their colleagues.
The article isn't entirely one-sided; it does acknowledge that things like NAPLAN tests should not be relied on as an indicator of teacher success.
Of course, teachers would ask the same old questions, too, in response to this:
And so the debate continues...
The Sunday Herald Sun recently conducted an online poll of 5000 Australians about the quality of schooling parents want for their children (read an article about it here).
Of the 794 Victorian parents who responded, 63% felt that under-performing teachers (in terms of academic results produced) should be "expelled", while 79% believed that teachers who produced good academic results should be paid more than their colleagues.
The article isn't entirely one-sided; it does acknowledge that things like NAPLAN tests should not be relied on as an indicator of teacher success.
Of course, teachers would ask the same old questions, too, in response to this:
- what if I teach in a school in a low socioeconomic area? Is it fair to assess me against the same criteria?
- what about schools that follow the common practice of streaming classes? Why should a teacher given a gifted class be paid more than a teacher given e.g. a non-OP class? Shouldn't it be the other way around?!
- what about the part that parents play in their child's education?
- what about the part that students play in their own education?
And so the debate continues...
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Lego - Ancient History?
Who said Lego was dead?
For the Ancient History teachers out there, Lego has produced a kit called Ramses' Pyramid (my punctuation!) where you get to re-create an Egyptian pyramid in Lego and then it becomes the "board" for a game. Here's the finished product:
I haven't played this, but have seen adults scratching their heads trying to follow the instructions for building the pyramid! As you can see, there are some quite intricate parts, particularly the bits and pieces (treasure, etc.) that go inside the pyramid.
This could make for a fun and interesting resource. Not being an Ancient teacher myself, I'm not sure how accurate it is!
For more info, check out the Lego site. There are also a few videos on YouTube about this game if you're interested in seeing how it works.
The adults present at the game's first playing also suggested that a set like this could be used to teach a Sunday School lesson about the tabernacle or sanctuary, etc.
For the Ancient History teachers out there, Lego has produced a kit called Ramses' Pyramid (my punctuation!) where you get to re-create an Egyptian pyramid in Lego and then it becomes the "board" for a game. Here's the finished product:
I haven't played this, but have seen adults scratching their heads trying to follow the instructions for building the pyramid! As you can see, there are some quite intricate parts, particularly the bits and pieces (treasure, etc.) that go inside the pyramid.
This could make for a fun and interesting resource. Not being an Ancient teacher myself, I'm not sure how accurate it is!
For more info, check out the Lego site. There are also a few videos on YouTube about this game if you're interested in seeing how it works.
The adults present at the game's first playing also suggested that a set like this could be used to teach a Sunday School lesson about the tabernacle or sanctuary, etc.
Magnetic Poetry - Playing with Words
I picked up a bargain in Borders this week for $3 (on sale, of course) - the Original Magnetic Poetry. If you haven't used it before, Magnetic Poetry is a set of words printed onto magnetic sheets, which can be separated and used to form sentences.It's a great way to encourage literacy and vocab development, teamwork, etc.
I'm planning to use it next week to teach parts of speech.
Over the years, I have given away many a set to family and friends.
I gave my cousin a Kids' Kit when she was little. She proceeded to decorate the fridge with a very long, wordy and highly descriptive story of (I think) a frog, a princess and a castle. At that stage, she was too young to grasp the concept of run-on sentences and why they are bad. But to see a kid having fun playing with words - priceless!
Another time, when my aunt was leaning Chinese, I gave her a set of Chinese Magnetic Poetry - same concept, but with the Chinese characters and (I think) pinyin one one side, and English translation on the other.
I also gave someone a Pick-Up Lines set, and the Office set is currently adorning my filing cabinet at work. This has been used to form "toilet paradigm", something about working with monkeys, and other appropriate phrases. One of my lovely colleagues has used it to make a mural.
There is also in my possession Shakespearean insults and love quotations which I picked up at Anne Hathaway's cottage in Stratford-on-Avon. Not Magnetic Poetry, but similar.
The Ultimate Teacher's Gift
Looking for a gift to give a hardworking teacher? Look no further than kikki.K:
This cute stamp set will look lovely on any teacher's desk. Plus, it's a gift that keeps on giving - an apple a day for the teacher to give to their students.
This cute stamp set will look lovely on any teacher's desk. Plus, it's a gift that keeps on giving - an apple a day for the teacher to give to their students.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
The King's Speech
A big congratulations to Colin Firth for winning the Golden Globe for Best Actor recently for The King's Speech. If you haven't seen it yet, I command you to go. Now!
The King's Speech will make an excellent resource for teaching about public speaking, and why good oral skills are important for persuading and positioning an audience. You may, though, have to skip the bits with the swearing!
While we wait for the DVD to come out, here are some resources to use in the meantime:
As many a keen-eyed person has noted, the film reunites Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. Firth and Ehle enjoyed sparks both on and off screen during the 1995 BBC Pride and Prejudice, and are now possibly the most loved Lizzy and Darcy of all time. If you're interested in how the reunion went, this article contains some comments from Colin Firth.
The King's Speech will make an excellent resource for teaching about public speaking, and why good oral skills are important for persuading and positioning an audience. You may, though, have to skip the bits with the swearing!
While we wait for the DVD to come out, here are some resources to use in the meantime:
- The King's Speech trailer
- The King's Speech film official website (some nice pics)
- A recording of the original speech by King George VI (may put students to sleep)
As many a keen-eyed person has noted, the film reunites Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. Firth and Ehle enjoyed sparks both on and off screen during the 1995 BBC Pride and Prejudice, and are now possibly the most loved Lizzy and Darcy of all time. If you're interested in how the reunion went, this article contains some comments from Colin Firth.
Speaking about Speaking
This arrived in the mail the other day, courtesy of The Book Depository:
Hopefully, it will be a useful resource for teaching about the importance of good oral skills and how to use language to greater effect (persuasive techniques, emotive language, etc.). It's the new edition, which includes Kevin Rudd's "Sorry" speech and Obama's "Yes We Can". The book has a nice, clear layout, and each entry has biographical information, historical background and speech excerpts:
Jesus, JFK, Gandhi, Churchill, etc. also feature.
This new edition also provides a DVD:
The DVD contains videos about some of the speakers featured in the book. Each video gives background info/historical context, and either footage or audio of speeches.
Unfortunately, while the background info in the videos makes good visuals for students, the footage/audio of speeches are only excerpts, so if you were using this in class, you would probably still need to supplement this DVD with the full speech from YouTube or another DVD/CD of speeches (of which there are many around).
Nevertheless, this makes for a handsome addition to the teacher's bookshelf or coffee table. Don't you just love the smell of new books?
This new edition also provides a DVD:
Unfortunately, while the background info in the videos makes good visuals for students, the footage/audio of speeches are only excerpts, so if you were using this in class, you would probably still need to supplement this DVD with the full speech from YouTube or another DVD/CD of speeches (of which there are many around).
Nevertheless, this makes for a handsome addition to the teacher's bookshelf or coffee table. Don't you just love the smell of new books?
Welcome to Teaching!
A quick shout out to all the new graduate teachers for 2011.
Welcome to one of the hardest and most rewarding professions.
This year, you'll probably laugh and cry more than you ever have before, but hang in there! The statistics on teachers leaving the profession after five years or less are dreadful - don't become a statistic!
Anyone like to offer advice to first year teachers?
Welcome to one of the hardest and most rewarding professions.
This year, you'll probably laugh and cry more than you ever have before, but hang in there! The statistics on teachers leaving the profession after five years or less are dreadful - don't become a statistic!
Anyone like to offer advice to first year teachers?
The Best Teachers on Celluloid
This is what one of my brothers gave me for Christmas:
I'm not a big fan of the show or Chris Lilley, but it does seem like a lot of teachers do like both him and it. I'm more of a Gleek myself.
It got me thinking, though - what makes TV shows and films about school and teachers so popular?
Whenever I show The Triumph: The Ron Clark Story to a class, regardless of their age, they watch it in fascinated absorption, even though they know it is a feelgood story with a happy ending. They can't really identify with the Harlem students in the movie {btw, you can find out more about Ron Clark and his academy here}, and yet something about the story of the persevering and triumphant teacher strikes a chord.
What do you think are the best depictions on celluloid of teachers and/or teaching?
These are the ones in my collection:
And some I wish I had:
It got me thinking, though - what makes TV shows and films about school and teachers so popular?
Whenever I show The Triumph: The Ron Clark Story to a class, regardless of their age, they watch it in fascinated absorption, even though they know it is a feelgood story with a happy ending. They can't really identify with the Harlem students in the movie {btw, you can find out more about Ron Clark and his academy here}, and yet something about the story of the persevering and triumphant teacher strikes a chord.
What do you think are the best depictions on celluloid of teachers and/or teaching?
These are the ones in my collection:
- The Triumph: The Ron Clark Story
- Dangerous Minds
- Freedom Writers
And some I wish I had:
- Dead Poet's Society
- To Sir, With Love
- Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel
Thursday, January 13, 2011
365 New Words a Year
And now for a welcome distraction from the terrible news on TV:
I know it's probably a bit late now, but I found the perfect present for English teachers at The Book Depository (best online bookstore; free delivery to pretty much anywhere in the world):
The words come from the Merriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary. Expand your vocab while keeping track of what day it is (which is useful for busy teachers)!
Every day, there is a new word for you to learn, complete with the type of word (noun, verb, etc.) and an example of how to use it in a sentence.
Did you know, for example, that there is a verb "flack", meaning to promote or publicise someone or something? Not to be confused with the noun "flak", meaning criticism, as in "the cricket selectors copped flak over their decisions in the Ashes series".
The best bit is, if you turn the page over, it gives you the origin(s) of the word:
You could also use the calendar in the classroom for expanding the students' vocab.
This year, I am planning to do a Word of the Week:
I know it's probably a bit late now, but I found the perfect present for English teachers at The Book Depository (best online bookstore; free delivery to pretty much anywhere in the world):
The words come from the Merriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary. Expand your vocab while keeping track of what day it is (which is useful for busy teachers)!
Every day, there is a new word for you to learn, complete with the type of word (noun, verb, etc.) and an example of how to use it in a sentence.
Did you know, for example, that there is a verb "flack", meaning to promote or publicise someone or something? Not to be confused with the noun "flak", meaning criticism, as in "the cricket selectors copped flak over their decisions in the Ashes series".
The best bit is, if you turn the page over, it gives you the origin(s) of the word:
You could also use the calendar in the classroom for expanding the students' vocab.
This year, I am planning to do a Word of the Week:
- at the beginning of each week, take the word from the calendar for that day, and write it on the board, together with the type, definition and example.
- read the "Did You Know?" bit out to the students if you have time. Some of them are quite amusing.
- the prize at the end of the week goes to the student who has managed to use the word correctly and creatively in either classwork or homework.
NAPLAN 2011
With all that's going on at the moment, it's hard to think about school, which starts again in a week and a bit.
This means...it's time to plan for NAPLAN 2011! This year, the big change is that the writing task will require students to write a persuasive text, rather than a narrative as in previous years.
The sample task provided on the NAPLAN website looks more specifically like an argumentative-type task, and chooses the topic for the students. Whether this will be case in the real thing is not confirmed.
I'm off to read the marking guide!
This means...it's time to plan for NAPLAN 2011! This year, the big change is that the writing task will require students to write a persuasive text, rather than a narrative as in previous years.
The sample task provided on the NAPLAN website looks more specifically like an argumentative-type task, and chooses the topic for the students. Whether this will be case in the real thing is not confirmed.
I'm off to read the marking guide!
Queensland Floods 2011
We are still in the midst of the historic and devastating 2011 Queensland floods. Unfortunately for some people, it is a twice-in-a-lifetime event (and hopefully not more than twice). The clean-up has began, and there are calls for donations of clothing, and for people to volunteer with cooking meals and cleaning. You can check out www.volunteeringqld.org.au/home/ for more details (although increased traffic to the sight seems to have slowed it down).
Citipointe Church and Hillsong Church have also got suggestions of ways in which you can help.
Citipointe Church and Hillsong Church have also got suggestions of ways in which you can help.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Queensland Flood Relief Appeal
Please give to help those who have lost everything. The aftershocks of the floods will be felt for a long time - the loss of homes, businesses, schools, livestock, etc.
You can donate online at http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/donate.html, in person at banks and Coles, or by phone, net banking or mail.
Let's put the Ashes behind us and give generously!
You can donate online at http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/donate.html, in person at banks and Coles, or by phone, net banking or mail.
Let's put the Ashes behind us and give generously!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Excellent Exhibitions in Sydney
Sydney seems to be the place to go at the moment for excellent, highly educational exhibitions. I spent a week there recently. Here are my picks of exhibitions worth visiting:
"The First Emperor: China's Entombed Warriors", Art Gallery of NSW, December 2, 2010 - March 13, 2011
Lots of wonderful and intriguing artefacts from the time of the First Emperor of China, Qin Shihuang, who died in 210BC.
There is plenty of pottery and gold jewellery to ooh and aah over, but by far the most popular aspect of the exhibition is the examples of the ten types of terracotta army statues - eight different kinds of warriors and two kinds of horses. They stand under spotlights in an almost completely darkened room, giving them a mysterious and quite creepy aura.
What surprised me was how big they were - pretty much life-size when you get up close. It's amazing to think that of the 1900 warriors they have uncovered so far, no two are identical. Were the modelled on real-life soldiers? And, as the popular myth suggests, were these soldiers then encased alive in the clay?
At the end of the exhibition, you get some freebies to take home with you:
terracotta warrior paper doll, which you can dress up in different outfits, and his horse:
and your very own General's breastplate, to pop out and wear if the fancy takes you:
Additional comments:
"Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer's Life, 1990-2005", Museum of Contemporary Art, 140 George St, The Rocks, November 19, 2010 - March 27, 2011
Celebrating the life and works of photographer Annie Leibovitz.
The exhibition includes Leibovitz's fascinating portraits of celebrities, such as Nicole Kidman (my personal favourite - the one featured on the poster), Brad Pitt, the Trumps and Demi Moore (including the controversial Vanity Fair cover of Moore when pregnant), as well as landscapes from some of her travel assignments. You can see some of her pictures on the MCA's website (click on the link above).
The exhibition also documents Leibovitz's close relationship with the writer Susan Sontag, and her family, including the 3 children that she had when in her 50s.
Additional comments:
"An Edwardian Summer", Museum of Sydney, Cnr Phillip and Bridge Streets, December 11, 2010 - April 26, 2011
Immerse yourself in the Edwardian era in Australia, thanks to the photographs of Sydney lawyer and socialite Arthur Wigram Allen.
His photos are a wonderful glimpse into the era, including the development of the motorcar and the fun of going on picnics to the bush, the ridiculous rules on swimsuits for bathing at beaches, and more sombre events, such as the death of Queen Victoria and the troops leaving for World War I.
You can even try on some Edwardian hats for size!
"The First Emperor: China's Entombed Warriors", Art Gallery of NSW, December 2, 2010 - March 13, 2011
Lots of wonderful and intriguing artefacts from the time of the First Emperor of China, Qin Shihuang, who died in 210BC.
There is plenty of pottery and gold jewellery to ooh and aah over, but by far the most popular aspect of the exhibition is the examples of the ten types of terracotta army statues - eight different kinds of warriors and two kinds of horses. They stand under spotlights in an almost completely darkened room, giving them a mysterious and quite creepy aura.
What surprised me was how big they were - pretty much life-size when you get up close. It's amazing to think that of the 1900 warriors they have uncovered so far, no two are identical. Were the modelled on real-life soldiers? And, as the popular myth suggests, were these soldiers then encased alive in the clay?
At the end of the exhibition, you get some freebies to take home with you:
terracotta warrior paper doll, which you can dress up in different outfits, and his horse:
Additional comments:
- could be used to supplement teaching in ancient history or Chinese
- great exhibition if you think you may never make it to China and/or the tomb warriors
- the exhibition seems a little short for what you pay for, so take your time when browsing
- book your tickets online before you go. We went on a public holiday and had to queue for tickets for an hour, and then had to queue again to get into the exhibition.
"Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer's Life, 1990-2005", Museum of Contemporary Art, 140 George St, The Rocks, November 19, 2010 - March 27, 2011
Celebrating the life and works of photographer Annie Leibovitz.
The exhibition includes Leibovitz's fascinating portraits of celebrities, such as Nicole Kidman (my personal favourite - the one featured on the poster), Brad Pitt, the Trumps and Demi Moore (including the controversial Vanity Fair cover of Moore when pregnant), as well as landscapes from some of her travel assignments. You can see some of her pictures on the MCA's website (click on the link above).
The exhibition also documents Leibovitz's close relationship with the writer Susan Sontag, and her family, including the 3 children that she had when in her 50s.
Additional comments:
- the educational applications are not immediately apparent, though I felt strongly when I was there that older students in particular would benefit, even just to see what good photography looks like
- probably not recommended for young children, although I did see some there. There is some nudity and sexual references. The teenage boys seemed very interested in the shot of Melania Trump wearing a gold bikini while standing in a jet!
"An Edwardian Summer", Museum of Sydney, Cnr Phillip and Bridge Streets, December 11, 2010 - April 26, 2011
His photos are a wonderful glimpse into the era, including the development of the motorcar and the fun of going on picnics to the bush, the ridiculous rules on swimsuits for bathing at beaches, and more sombre events, such as the death of Queen Victoria and the troops leaving for World War I.
You can even try on some Edwardian hats for size!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
The Art of Conversation
In order to encourage caring and sharing in my pastoral care group, I made little conversation cards. Each card had a question on it, e.g. "What's the weirdest dream you've ever had?", "What fruit would you say best describes you and why?", "If you were Prime Minister for a day, what's the first thing you would do?".
Every lesson, one student would choose a card and had a maximum of 2 minutes to answer the question on it. The rest of the students then each awarded the speaker a score out of 5 for "interestingness".
As is always the case in teaching, I have since realised that in making and laminating these cards I was just reinventing a wheel that already exists. It's called "The Art of Conversation" or TAOC - the children's version. This is a set of cards I bought from a local bookstore on sale for $5 which, as the packaging says, "includes 200 brilliant conversation builders for young people and above":
Each card has 2 questions of varying difficulty. According to the rulebook, you can allow children to choose which question to answer. Questions include: "What is something fun to do that doesn't cost any money?", "How can you help make another person's life happier?" and "What would be a useful invention for the future?".
The rulebook also provides useful tips for e.g. "What to do if someone talks for a very long time", and a list of manners, such as not correcting another player's answer or taking over the conversation.
Looks like a great resource for encouraging caring and sharing, and working on public speaking skills. Or maybe you could use it to entertain yourself and your friends on a rainy day!
Check out the TAOC website - they have many more interesting resources.
Every lesson, one student would choose a card and had a maximum of 2 minutes to answer the question on it. The rest of the students then each awarded the speaker a score out of 5 for "interestingness".
As is always the case in teaching, I have since realised that in making and laminating these cards I was just reinventing a wheel that already exists. It's called "The Art of Conversation" or TAOC - the children's version. This is a set of cards I bought from a local bookstore on sale for $5 which, as the packaging says, "includes 200 brilliant conversation builders for young people and above":
Each card has 2 questions of varying difficulty. According to the rulebook, you can allow children to choose which question to answer. Questions include: "What is something fun to do that doesn't cost any money?", "How can you help make another person's life happier?" and "What would be a useful invention for the future?".
The rulebook also provides useful tips for e.g. "What to do if someone talks for a very long time", and a list of manners, such as not correcting another player's answer or taking over the conversation.
Looks like a great resource for encouraging caring and sharing, and working on public speaking skills. Or maybe you could use it to entertain yourself and your friends on a rainy day!
Check out the TAOC website - they have many more interesting resources.
Smiley Face Biscuits
On a lighter note, if you're ever stuck for a fun activity with children/students, try making Smiley Face Biscuits. We know kids love to get messy and to eat, so why not combine the two? I have done this in secondary as part of pastoral care, and encouraged the students to give their finished biscuit(s) to a friend or a teacher to brighten their day.
You will need:
You will need:
- a packet of plain biscuits (e.g. milk arrowroot) - enough for at least one per child
- food colouring
- small bowls - one for each colour
- spoons, knives (plastic, of course!)
- icing sugar
- various small sweets for decoration (snakes, M&Ms, etc.) - get the students to bring these if possible
- water
- newspaper or something to cover the table with
- Mix up small quantities of coloured icing. I would recommend you do this yourself, preferably beforehand. I let the students do this once, with the result being an entire bottle of food colouring poured into a small bowl of icing sugar. Very difficult to rectify, unless you have a lot of icing sugar!
- Students can spread icing over the biscuit to form foundation, and then create smiley faces using the sweets.
- Eat or give away!
RIP Pete Postlethwaite, 1946-2011
As you may have heard, the acting world has lost one of its great character actors, Pete Postlethwaite. He was instantly recognisable by his wonderfully expressive face, which The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw reflects on in a lovely tribute.
Postlethwaite will be remembered for immortal roles in such films as The Usual Suspects, In the Name of the Father, Brassed Off and Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet (especially his Hawaiian shirt!), but also for his passion for helping people understand and enjoy Shakespeare.
I wanted very much to go to the UK's National Association for the Teaching of English (NATE) Annual Conference in 2010. Postlethwaite was scheduled to teach teachers about the art of adapting Shakespeare for the screen and to encourage students' engagement with Shakespearean texts. Whether he made it to the conference or not, I don't know.
The NATE quoted Postlethwaite as saying: "Shakespeare is an important part of our literary heritage, but I think it's fair to say the text can be quite intimidating if examined in isolation. That's why it's important that young people studying the work are given the opportunity to engage with the performance rather than just the text. It's only when the script is performed that you can have a true appreciation of the work and all its nuances."
Fortunately for us, Postlethwaite's turn as the Friar in Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet has been recorded for posterity, and so that many more young people can benefit from his passion and wisdom through his performance.
Postlethwaite will be remembered for immortal roles in such films as The Usual Suspects, In the Name of the Father, Brassed Off and Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet (especially his Hawaiian shirt!), but also for his passion for helping people understand and enjoy Shakespeare.
I wanted very much to go to the UK's National Association for the Teaching of English (NATE) Annual Conference in 2010. Postlethwaite was scheduled to teach teachers about the art of adapting Shakespeare for the screen and to encourage students' engagement with Shakespearean texts. Whether he made it to the conference or not, I don't know.
The NATE quoted Postlethwaite as saying: "Shakespeare is an important part of our literary heritage, but I think it's fair to say the text can be quite intimidating if examined in isolation. That's why it's important that young people studying the work are given the opportunity to engage with the performance rather than just the text. It's only when the script is performed that you can have a true appreciation of the work and all its nuances."
Fortunately for us, Postlethwaite's turn as the Friar in Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet has been recorded for posterity, and so that many more young people can benefit from his passion and wisdom through his performance.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Word.Nut
I've found the solution to the problem I identified with Bananagrams and Scrabble (the lack of punctuation). It's called Word.Nut.
Word.Nut is like Bananagrams, but it has punctuation marks and also the option of using upper or lower case letters - you flip them over depending on which you want. It's made by a New Zealand company called Logical Toys. I came across it in a games shop and bought it as a Christmas present for my cousin's kids.
They duly cracked it open on Christmas day (pardon the pun) and gave it a go. One of the drawbacks appears to be the vagaries of the instruction booklet which seemed to suggest that you could actually make up your own rules for the game. This could be good or bad depending on how you look at it.
After the Christmas festivities it was too much brainwork to figure out the actual rules, so we made our own simplified version - you have 12 letters at any one time and try to make as many words as you can (they don't necessarily need to join). You may not swap letters with other players, but you may replenish your supply.
Here is an example of what one player did:
Another example, showing what the case of the game looks like (punctuation added by George!):
It would be even better if they had retained the points scoring system from Scrabble! But that would probably have been a patent infringement, or something. According to the official rules, you score one point (I think) for each word, which doesn't really account for levels of difficulty of vocab.
I do think the game has potential for a class activity, but it would have to be thought through carefully or refined through several playings!
Check out your local games store, or IQ Toys if you're in Australia.
Word.Nut is like Bananagrams, but it has punctuation marks and also the option of using upper or lower case letters - you flip them over depending on which you want. It's made by a New Zealand company called Logical Toys. I came across it in a games shop and bought it as a Christmas present for my cousin's kids.
They duly cracked it open on Christmas day (pardon the pun) and gave it a go. One of the drawbacks appears to be the vagaries of the instruction booklet which seemed to suggest that you could actually make up your own rules for the game. This could be good or bad depending on how you look at it.
After the Christmas festivities it was too much brainwork to figure out the actual rules, so we made our own simplified version - you have 12 letters at any one time and try to make as many words as you can (they don't necessarily need to join). You may not swap letters with other players, but you may replenish your supply.
Here is an example of what one player did:
I do think the game has potential for a class activity, but it would have to be thought through carefully or refined through several playings!
Check out your local games store, or IQ Toys if you're in Australia.
SMH's 15 Books Every Australian Should Read
Speaking of Ruth Park, she made it on to the SMH's list of "15 {Australian} books every Australian should read" ("Words to the wise", Sydney Morning Herald Summer, 29/12/10, pp. 4-5).
(I put the first "Australian" in squiggly brackets because they seemed to omit that when referring to the article elsewhere in the paper, something I found irritatingly misleading but which you might find pedantry on my part.)
So to carry on (hence why I added "ramblings" to the subheading of my blog!), the selection was made by SMH's literary editor, Susan Wyndham. As with all lists, the criteria used to justify the selections is open to debate. As Wyndham herself states, "This is a list to use and argue with and perhaps to inspire your own".
Why 15? She doesn't really say why her editor chose this number. She does, however, mention that one of the works she drew on for inspiration was Jane Gleeson-White's Australian Classics, a book I heartily recommend as an English teaching resource. In particular, it has a quite pithy analysis of Oodgeroo of the Tribe Noonuccal's "No More Boomerang".
To summarise, this was her selection (it doesn't appear to be ranked):
I particularly like this comment:
"They forced us to watch the film, 'My Brilliant Career' at school. That was a couple of hours I'll never get back." Mojo
From an English teacher's point of view, it does make one consider how our selections of texts may positively or negatively influence our students' regard or disregard for literature. There are many more out there like Mojo who bemoan the texts they were "force fed" while at school.
But the problem remains - so many books, so little time!
(I put the first "Australian" in squiggly brackets because they seemed to omit that when referring to the article elsewhere in the paper, something I found irritatingly misleading but which you might find pedantry on my part.)
So to carry on (hence why I added "ramblings" to the subheading of my blog!), the selection was made by SMH's literary editor, Susan Wyndham. As with all lists, the criteria used to justify the selections is open to debate. As Wyndham herself states, "This is a list to use and argue with and perhaps to inspire your own".
Why 15? She doesn't really say why her editor chose this number. She does, however, mention that one of the works she drew on for inspiration was Jane Gleeson-White's Australian Classics, a book I heartily recommend as an English teaching resource. In particular, it has a quite pithy analysis of Oodgeroo of the Tribe Noonuccal's "No More Boomerang".
To summarise, this was her selection (it doesn't appear to be ranked):
- For the Term of His Natural Life - Marcus Clarke
- My Brilliant Career - Miles Franklin
- The Man Who Loved Children - Christina Stead
- The Harp in the South - Ruth Park
- Voss - Patrick White
- The Tyranny of Distance - Geoffrey Blainey
- A Boy's Life - David Malouf
- A Fortunate Life - A.B. Facey
- The Children's Bach - Helen Garner
- Cloudstreet - Tim Winton
- Night Letters - Robert Dessaix
- Eucalyptus - Murray Bail
- True History of the Kelly Gang - Peter Carey
- Carpentaria - Alexis Wright
- The Slap - Christos Tsiolkas
I particularly like this comment:
"They forced us to watch the film, 'My Brilliant Career' at school. That was a couple of hours I'll never get back." Mojo
From an English teacher's point of view, it does make one consider how our selections of texts may positively or negatively influence our students' regard or disregard for literature. There are many more out there like Mojo who bemoan the texts they were "force fed" while at school.
But the problem remains - so many books, so little time!
The Future of Teaching?
I clipped a little article from The Sydney Morning Herald ("Robot teachers", 29/12/10, p. 9) about a new pilot program which has just started in South Korea. In this program, children are taught English by robots. Is this a sign of things to come?
The robots can also sing and play games with students. Here is an excerpt from an expanded online version of the article:
"The 29 robots, about one metre high with a TV display panel for a face, wheeled around the classroom while speaking to the students, reading books to them and dancing to music by moving their head and arms.
"The robots, which display an avatar face of a Caucasian woman, are controlled remotely by teachers of English in the Philippines - who can see and hear the children via a remote control system.
"Cameras detect the Filipino teachers' facial expressions and instantly reflect them on the avatar's face, said Sagong Seong-Dae, a senior scientist at KIST."
I was relieved to read that the robots will have varying facial expressions, as this is something I sometimes say to students is lacking in their oral presentations. Somehow, it seems harder to trust someone who doesn't display a range of facial expressions, including some politicians.
Anyways, back to the point. Should teachers be alarmed by such developments? Can a robot be an effective replacement for a living human teacher?
Later in the article, Sagong states that during this trial phase the robots will complement the current teachers, but he sees them taking on a bigger teaching load in the future.
He goes on to say that one of the great things about these teacher robots is that they don't complain about working conditions! They merely require "a repair and upgrade every once in a while". If only life were so simple!
Read the full article at: http://m.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/schools-plug-in-robot-english-teachers-20101228-19975.html.
The robots can also sing and play games with students. Here is an excerpt from an expanded online version of the article:
"The 29 robots, about one metre high with a TV display panel for a face, wheeled around the classroom while speaking to the students, reading books to them and dancing to music by moving their head and arms.
"The robots, which display an avatar face of a Caucasian woman, are controlled remotely by teachers of English in the Philippines - who can see and hear the children via a remote control system.
"Cameras detect the Filipino teachers' facial expressions and instantly reflect them on the avatar's face, said Sagong Seong-Dae, a senior scientist at KIST."
I was relieved to read that the robots will have varying facial expressions, as this is something I sometimes say to students is lacking in their oral presentations. Somehow, it seems harder to trust someone who doesn't display a range of facial expressions, including some politicians.
Anyways, back to the point. Should teachers be alarmed by such developments? Can a robot be an effective replacement for a living human teacher?
Later in the article, Sagong states that during this trial phase the robots will complement the current teachers, but he sees them taking on a bigger teaching load in the future.
He goes on to say that one of the great things about these teacher robots is that they don't complain about working conditions! They merely require "a repair and upgrade every once in a while". If only life were so simple!
Read the full article at: http://m.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/schools-plug-in-robot-english-teachers-20101228-19975.html.
How Important is Ethnicity to a Student's Success?
Sorry to harp on about The Sydney Morning Herald, but they do have some excellent and thought-provoking articles which have relevance or application to education.
One entitled "Chinese students top the tests out of habit, not ethnicity, study shows" (SMH, 29/12/10, p. 3), seems to uncover reasons behind what many teachers and parents have often wondered about - why Asian children tend to perform better at school than those of other ethnic backgrounds. Why, for example, can an Asian student who has only been in an English-speaking country for less than 5 years, outperform native English speakers who have been through that school system, maybe even to the point of being crowned dux in year 12?
People who grew up in Asian families will probably chuckle wryly and say that it was because they were "forced" from a young age to work hard at studies - school, music, Chinese, etc. This article, however, seems to suggest that it is more to do with habits formed early on.
The article details the findings of Megan Watkins from the University of Western Sydney, who studied children from Chinese, Pacific Islander and Anglo-Australian backgrounds to determine the importance of study habits on success later in educational life. Unfortunately, the article doesn't mention how many children she surveyed, though it does say that she consulted and observed "pupils, parents and staff from primary schools across Sydney".
Some of Watkins findings will no doubt bring smiles to the faces of the many teachers who are currently enjoying a well-deserved summer holiday! Other findings are Quite Interesting and could potentially be of value to teachers, parents and students alike:
One entitled "Chinese students top the tests out of habit, not ethnicity, study shows" (SMH, 29/12/10, p. 3), seems to uncover reasons behind what many teachers and parents have often wondered about - why Asian children tend to perform better at school than those of other ethnic backgrounds. Why, for example, can an Asian student who has only been in an English-speaking country for less than 5 years, outperform native English speakers who have been through that school system, maybe even to the point of being crowned dux in year 12?
People who grew up in Asian families will probably chuckle wryly and say that it was because they were "forced" from a young age to work hard at studies - school, music, Chinese, etc. This article, however, seems to suggest that it is more to do with habits formed early on.
The article details the findings of Megan Watkins from the University of Western Sydney, who studied children from Chinese, Pacific Islander and Anglo-Australian backgrounds to determine the importance of study habits on success later in educational life. Unfortunately, the article doesn't mention how many children she surveyed, though it does say that she consulted and observed "pupils, parents and staff from primary schools across Sydney".
Some of Watkins findings will no doubt bring smiles to the faces of the many teachers who are currently enjoying a well-deserved summer holiday! Other findings are Quite Interesting and could potentially be of value to teachers, parents and students alike:
- the importance of where you study in your home: "children of Anglo-Australian backgrounds were more likely to do their homework at a kitchen bench or in the loungeroom. Children with a Chinese background tended to sit at a desk in their bedroom. Just under half the children of Pacific Islander backgrounds tended to do their homework in their bedroom, but while sitting on a bed or in a communal setting"
- the importance of how long you study for: "The children of Chinese background spent about an hour every night of the week, compared with children of Pacific Islander background - 10 minutes for two to three nights a week - and Anglo Australian children - about 20 minutes on only some nights during the week"
- the importance of when you begin to form study good study habits: "many Anglo-Australian parents in the study seemed to place little emphasis on homework before high school. Children of Chinese backgrounds had formed homework habits in primary school."
- And a telling quote from Watkins which will have secondary teachers nodding emphatically: ''If they hit high school and haven't developed a habit of learning it is not automatically going to happen. These are habits acquired over time.''
RIP Ruth Park, 1917-2010
The great Australian novelist, Ruth Park, passed away recently. Park wrote such acclaimed works as the once shocking The Harp in the South and Playing Beatie Bow, a long-time staple text of English curriculums.
Read The Courier-Mail's obituary here: http://www.couriermail.com.au/ipad/a-writer-for-the-nations-poor/story-fn6ck8la-1225974019448.
Or The Sydney Morning Herald's: http://www.smh.com.au/national/obituaries/novelist-shone-a-light-on-slums-20101216-18zid.html.
Read The Courier-Mail's obituary here: http://www.couriermail.com.au/ipad/a-writer-for-the-nations-poor/story-fn6ck8la-1225974019448.
Or The Sydney Morning Herald's: http://www.smh.com.au/national/obituaries/novelist-shone-a-light-on-slums-20101216-18zid.html.
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