No Cooky Cutter Class

You know your own child. You know if he is a visual person. If she has to write instructions down to remember.  There is the daughter who is creative and imaginative. The son who sees the world as black and white and is analytical to the core.  Left brain?  Right brain?  Structured.  Flexible.   The good news is that education is following suit.  Teachers are being taught how to address the variety of learning styles represented in a classroom.  If your child seems to be struggling, perhaps this learning style is the key to his /success. Chrissie 

10 ways to differentiate learning…

Once upon a time in the olden days, the teacher stood out front and taught the whole class the same material in the same way. Everyone was expected to do the same tasks, some passed and some failed and were labelled ever after. The focus was on teaching, not on learning. One size was supposed to fit all and if you learned in a different way, too bad for you.

Time passed and it turned out that everyone didn’t learn in the same way after all. The teacher realised that learners have different needs, interests and abilities. Differentiated instruction was invented. The teacher prepared different tasks for each group in her class and preparation now took a whole lot longer. The needs of the learner were being better catered for, but the teacher was up all night.

She needed to think about differentiation in a different way.

10 ways to differentiate learning…

1. Let go.

Give the students (at least some) ownership of their learning. Don’t always be the boss of the class, be part of the community of learners. Don’t make all the decisions. Allow choice. Encourage students to think about how they learn best. Have students decide how to demonstrate their learning.

2. Change your expectations.

One size does not fit all. Not everyone fits the traditional mould of school, but that doesn’t mean they can’t learn. You might need to change what you do. Remember you teach people, not subjects.

3. Change the sequence.

Learners don’t need total mastery of all the skills before they can apply them. Provide meaningful, authentic learning opportunities for everyone. Turn Bloom’s taxonomy on its head. All students can solve real problems and write for a real audience.

4. Use technology creatively.

Blogging, film making, global interactions, social media, photography, gaming (and much more!) …all provide naturally differentiated opportunities for learners with varied levels of ability, different interests and special talents.

5. Care about what matters to them.

Encourage learners to follow their interests. Know their story. Make their learning relevant. Connect with their passions… or help them to discover what they might be.

6. Assess for learning.

It’s not about a test at the end. Record student thinking and track development over time. Create meaningful assessment tasks that allow transfer of learning to other contexts. Think of everything as an assessment. Every piece of work, every blog post, every interaction, every conversation can tell us where a learner is at and where they need to go.

7. Embrace inquiry as a stance.

Create a culture of thinking, questioning, wondering and exploring. Start your questions with ‘What do you think?’ so that all responses are acceptable. Find ways to provoke learners’ curiosity and a desire to find out for themselves.

8. Don’t be the only teacher.

Students can learn from their peers, other teachers, parents, their on-line contacts, the world. Help them build their own personal learning network with and from whom they can learn.

9. Focus on learning, not work.

Make sure you and your students know the reason for every learning experience. Don’t give ‘busy work’. Don’t start by planning activities, start with the ‘why‘ and then develop learning experiences which will support independent learning.

10. Encourage goal setting and reflection.

Help students to define goals for their learning. Provide opportunities for ongoing self-evaluation and reflection. Provide constructive, specific feedback. Student blogs are great tools for reflecting on learning and responding to their peers.

If you’re the teacher in the story above, take a look at this chart, highlighting the differences between differentiated instruction and personalised learning. Personalization vs Differentiation vs Individualization by Barbara Bray.

Have a Plan

(s your teenager driving you crazy? Is all that angst, all those raging hormones, all that fighting for independence-making your home a battleground? Do you stare across the dinner table, dreaming of the day that doors don't slam, rooms stay clean and peace descends on your family once again? Dreaming of the day-your teen heads to college.

I read something sobering this weekend. In the United States today, over 50% of grown children will return to their childhood home within 5-6 years. And stay for a while.

That may leave you wondering, late at night....."Dear Lord, we didn't cover everything. They could be back by Thursday."

You frantically call your college -age children to remind them of the million things they don't remember you teaching them, Unfortunately, they are partying the night away, celebrating being liberated from their parents.

Well, all is not lost. Just remember, the time to start preparing children for adulthood is while they are still young. The alternative is a thirty-year-old teenager losing the remote control, leaving their wet towels on the floor and staying out past their curfew.

I happened upon a clever list. It outlines things teens should know before they leave home. What follows are some of the best ones.

1. They should know life is sometimes difficult so they won't get discouraged and move home.

2. They should know they now pay the bills.

3.They should know the lifestyle they enjoyed growing up is not waiting for them, just because they graduated from college.

4. They should know that if a friend's possessions make them feel bad about themselves, they should find new friends.

5. They should know the difference between washing a Lexus or owning one is education.

6. They should know to seek the advice of a mentor, not unemployed club friends.

7. They should know that if getting a good job was easy, everyone would have one.

8. They should know that self discipline is the key to solving life's problems.

9. They should know victims are never happy.

10. They should know life's challenges make us stronger, better, healthier, more spiritual and more grateful human beings.

Summer's flying by. Enjoy it with those you love. chrissie

Who am I Now?

I have been reading what I call, "a little book." It won't be on the New York Times Best Seller List. I probably won't see the author being interviewed by a talk show host. It has a limited audience but nevertheless speaks to those of us who pick it up.

The gift of an Ordinary Day - A Mother's Memoir, is a meditation on midlife. It speaks to those women who have passed babies and preschool and little league and moved on to curfews, hormones and children leaving home. It is a book about midlife want and loss. The author, Katrina Kenison assures us that mothers can reinvent themselves as their teens grow up. Mother's can truly claim new ground right along with their teenagers. Her book gives women the tools to switch gears and to find fulfillment and joy in this next part of our lives.

Kenison writes, "At mid-life, I managed to convince myself that physical movement was a prerequisite for change. Going somewhere else would satisfy a restlessness of spirit. Now, I recognize the restlessness for what it was-the first stirrings of fear that my own life would be over when my children left home. I began to ask the question, who am I now?"

"Once upon a time I took pride in the predictable patterns of our days; nap times and bath times and bed times. Later I taught my sons to cook for themselves and I proofread book reports and chauffeured carloads of boys. Now we're in a different place and a different time, and I need to become a different kind of mother. A mother who knows how to back off. A mother who's gaze is not so focused on her two endlessly absorbing children, but who is engaged in a rich full life of her own. "

"I must be a mother who trusts in who her children are, even if they aren't exactly who she thinks they ought to be. Who keeps faith in the future, even when the things her children do in the present give her pause. A mother who remembers, above all else, that the greatest gift she can give her nearly grown sons is the knowledge that, no matter what, she loves them both absolutely, just exactly as they are."
"
"What confirmed me as a mother from the first moment of birth to the now as each prepares to leave , is a heart full of love. That is the constant, the "never change". Love is the infinite, durable strand that's woven itself through all the days of a shared past and will wind it's way through our unknowable futures, no matter how much life separates us, no matter where my sons journey may ultimately lead them."

Katrina Kenison, in this small book, teaches the art of letting go and holding on. It is available at the Muskogee Public Library and on-line at Amazon. Enjoy. Chrissie

Thirteen Pink Candles

My granddaughter has a big birthday coming  up  She hits the double digits.  Ten years old.  Whoosh. The time goes in the blink of an eye. Turning ten is flirting with that pre-teen  part of a young girl's development.  Goodbye American Girl dolls.  Hello Jonas Brothers.

If Annebelle is like her Mother, she'll go kicking and screaming into this next part of growing up..  Being 10 is a golden time and I'm glad she's not in any hurry to totally leave childhood behind.  Her interest is peaked but so far, only wardrobe selection and bedroom decor seems to show a new maturity.  I hope we get to keep our little girl around a bit longer, but watching her continue to grow toward the woman she will be is a gift I look forward to. 

Blogger Shelley Emling shares a wonderful letter she wrote to her 13-year-old daughter on her birthday. Her insight and advice is right on.   If we could just open their precious, little heads and pour it all in. 
Enjoy.  chrissie


People always say that my daughter looks just like my husband and nothing like me, a remark that's a bit disheartening considering that, in their next breath, they usually note how pretty she is. But it's true. My daughter looks very little like me and is also a completely remarkable, mysterious personality, as different from me as chalk is from cheese. Whereas I was wary and reserved at 12, she is bold and effusive.
When I was pregnant with my daughter, passers-by would glance at my two sons, then at my bulging belly, and say, "Oh, I bet I know what you're hoping for." And they were right. I love my boys like mad but I always, always wanted a daughter. I imagined the two of us would share secrets, spill personal stories and watch girly movies all night.
It hasn't quite worked out that way. Like most girls on the cusp of teenagerhood, she travels as part of a pack and rarely asks for my opinion about, well, most anything. And that's exactly the way I was with my own mother at that age, a mother who -- by the time I turned 21 -- was my very best friend.
No, my dear daughter, you have turned out to be nothing like I thought you'd be. Instead, you've turned out to be so much more. Seeing the world anew through your eyes is more fabulous than I could have ever imagined. And I will always be grateful to you for that.
So Happy 13th Birthday! And before you become awash in friends and presents and giggles and silliness tonight, take a moment to read these 13 things I'd like you to know, but would never force you to sit and listen to me say. (Or at least save it for when you come up for air in about, hmmm, six years.) Often, these sorts of lists are regurgitated pellets mined from other regurgitated pellets. But I assure you, the following bits and pieces come straight from my heart.
1. Try to have fun -- and a lot of it.
I told you this last summer, when you were rolling your eyes at me for singing along with a piano player in that funky restaurant in Latin America. But it really is true. Everyone is so darn serious all the time, especially as they grow older. But even when you're 50, don't be afraid to dance all night or skip in the rain or belly laugh while watching cartoons. Accept invitations. See the world. Be spontaneous. As the former governor of Texas Ann Richards once said, "Whatever the question is, the answer is always yes -- unless it's illegal."
2. Never be afraid to say no to someone.
Of course, after Richards' quote, I probably shouldn't follow with "just say no." But this is true as well. If you say "no," and don't hem and haw, people will appreciate your honesty -- even if they don't like what they hear -- more than they'll appreciate hearing a "yes" that you have to renege on. If you can't commit to something -- or to someone -- please say so. It may be an old-fashioned truism, but that doesn't mean "say what you mean and mean what you say" isn't true.
3. It is usually not about you.
As you grow older, don't worry so much about sucking your tummy in, or making sure there's not a hair out of place. Most of the time, no one is looking. Really. People like to think everyone is focused on them but, in actuality, people are usually focused on themselves. And if someone does something to you that's hurtful, it's almost certainly related to something going on in their life that has nothing to do with you.
4. No one will ever love you the way your dad and I love you.
I know, I know. You may get married. You may have kids. You may have countless boyfriends. And they will all love you enormously. There's no doubt in my mind. But when my mother died, I realized that no one in the world would ever light up the way she used to when I walked into a room.
5. Modesty is very attractive.
No matter what you call them -- tiger moms or helicopter parents -- a lot of moms and dads these days walk around telling their offspring how bright and capable they are, that they can do everything perfectly and be anything they want. As a result, many kids exude this sort of "I'm better than everyone else" self-confidence. And no doubt it's nice to be self-confident. But being humble will draw others to you, and make you stand out, more than pounding on your chest ever will.
6. Always stay close to your brothers.
Yes, I'm talking about the boy who put the cicada down your shirt. While the three of you might compete for attention in the household now, there will come a point when you all -- I'm hoping -- will be the best of friends. Support one another. Talk to one another. Be there when they need you and they'll be there for you. (I'll talk to them later.)
7. Life can turn on a dime.
My grandparents died instantly in a car accident so I speak from experience. Nothing in life is guaranteed. Never take anything for granted. Be grateful and tell your loved ones you love them -- every chance you get.
8. This too shall pass.
You told me the other day that this was your favorite saying. And I like it as well. No matter how mad you are, or how sad you feel, it will pass. Certain losses will impact you for the rest of your life, but time does heal the pain. I promise.
9. Try not to hold a grudge.
Life's way too short to constantly be mad at someone. Everyone makes mistakes. If you've inadvertently hurt someone, the last thing you want is for them to hold a grudge against you. Let things go. Be forgiving.
10. Don't build your worth on objects, but on experiences.
You can look around our house and tell that we've always valued travel a lot more than nice furniture. And I'm so glad we did.
11. Come out of your room every once in awhile.
We won't bite and you might actually enjoy yourself.
12. I value your opinion.
I may not always agree with you, but I want to hear what you have to say. I'm the first to admit I was a horrible teenager. If there was a rule to break, I broke it. I'm going to be watching you with an experienced eye and with your best interests at heart. But I will always hear you out before coming to any conclusions.
13. It's not uncool to have mom and dad in your corner.
When I went away to London to do my junior year abroad -- nervous but trying not to show it -- my mother said to me quietly, "You know, you are the prettiest girl here," just before I got on the plane. I remember rolling my eyes and saying, "Yeah, right mom" because clearly there were much prettier girls in the waiting area. But I knew what she was trying to do. And what I wouldn't give right now to hear my mom say those words to me again.
Finally, here's one to grow on -- a nugget from your oldest brother: "Make good choices."
And if you don't, we'll deal with it. So have a fabulous birthday today. I love you, you smart, gorgeous, unpredictable, hilariously funny 13-year-old girl.

Show Me the Money

It's crunch time for graduating seniors and time to get it in gear for juniors.  College applications . College choices.  Then. The hard part. Finding the money to pay for it.  It's tempting to  go with  so called "scholarship services".   Be careful. If it sounds too good to be true- it probably is.  Research carefully before paying anything!   Below are some easy guidelines for accessing if  services and promises are viable.  Chrissie

This article was written by teen reporters from The Mash, a weekly publication distributed to Chicagoland high schools.

By Katie Jenkins, Naperville North High School

Scholarship deadlines for the 2014-15 school year are quickly approaching, and college-bound students across the nation are scrambling to finish their applications.

While receiving free money is an exciting proposition, students should know that some offers are just too good to be true. The federal government has won $22 million in judgments against scholarship scam artists, according to a 2012 Federal Trade Commission report. Finaid.org estimates that victims are cheated out of as much as $100 million each year.

However, Charles Mayfield, associate director of financial aid at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, and Carol Krashen, College & Career Center assistant at Naperville North, have advice on how to protect yourself from scholarship swindlers.

1. Application fees

A scholarship provider should only request your time, not your money. If you’re ever required to send in an application fee, you’re most likely stepping into a scam. Even if the offer guarantees a refund, it’s unlikely that you’ll ever see the money you paid up front again. Krashen and Mayfield consider an application fee to be one of the most glaring red flags you’ll encounter.

2. Limited contact information

You should always look for the sponsor’s contact information—that’s a strong indicator of whether or not a scholarship is legitimate. If you can’t find a phone number on the site’s “Contact Us” page, you may have uncovered a crucial red flag. However, a listed phone number doesn’t guarantee a valid scholarship. “If there is a phone number listed, I would Google it,” Krashen said. “If it were a scam, you are likely to find complaints and warnings from others.”

Also, be wary of scholarship foundations that list California or Florida addresses. According to FinAid, many scholarship scams are based in these two states.

3. Paying for advice on how to pay for college

You should never pay for financial aid advice. “While I wouldn’t necessarily call this a scam, we do see instances of students paying for financial aid and college financing advice,” Mayfield said. “The same information is available for free through a variety of resources—a college’s financial aid office being one or a high school counselor being another.”

The list of free resources doesn’t end there. You can search scholarships through the U.S. Department of Labor’s online search tool, careerinfonet.org/scholarshipsearch. Foundations, libraries and community organizations also provide books and information.

4. Privacy policy tricks

When a scholarship offer seems to good to be true, you should always examine its privacy policy. Here, you can discover whether or not the sponsor plans to sell your personal information to a third party. If they do, refuse the offer and continue your search.

Likewise, you should never have to give your information to a third party as part of your application. “If you have to apply for something else in order to be considered for a scholarship—for example, if you have to apply for a credit card or apply for a loan—we usually find those to be scams,” Mayfield warned.

5. Sketchy search engines

Neither Krashen nor Mayfield discourage online research, but they do advise you to be especially cautious. If you’re looking for a safe scholarship search engine, Mayfield recommends fastweb.com. “When you complete all the information for Fastweb, you’re not releasing your information for scholarships yet,” he said. “You are going to be presented with a list of scholarships, and then it is up to you to apply for each of the scholarships individually.”

Krashen agrees that national search engines have merit, but she suggests students create a separate email account if they plan to sign up for these scholarship-matching sites.

“Students have to realize that the only way that colleges are going to communicate with them is through their email,” Krashen said. “I’ve heard horror stories of students not responding to a college’s email due to the plethora of spam mail that they are getting (from such sites).”

Read more teen-written articles on TheMash.com