New Horizons for Learning Journal: January, February, March 2002

Vol. VIII No. 1* January 2002

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View from the Observation Deck: Dee Dickinson; Time for reflection and some thought-provoking questions to ask ourselves and our students in light of recent world events.

Components of a Well Developed Thinking Skills Program: Arthur L. Costa; One of the foremost authorities on the application of cognitive research in education explains four components of a well-balanced thinking skills curriculum.

Reduce Tension and Increase Attention

Robert Dickinson

Teachers and students of all ages will find these simple and effective exercises useful to enhance mental, physical, and emotional health.

A New Generation Meets the Ancient Mariner: Raúl daSilva; Literature can come alive for students as a sensory experience by using new technologies. The text remains intact, but these technological enhancements can provide a context which connects the work to music, art, history and more.

Applying MI in Schools: Thomas R. Hoerr, Ph. D.; The Principal of New City School, a pioneer in the application of Multiple Intelligences, discusses the integration of MI theory into actual classroom experience.

Standards and Gifted Students: Gail E. Hanninen, Ed.D.; Much attention is paid to helping all students to meet educational standards. What happens to students who meet the standards two years in advance?

Middle Level Strategies for Improvement: A report from Washington State Middle Level Task Force summarizes the results of a year long search to determine strategies to enhance student learning.
*Note: It is necessary to have the most current version of Adobe Acrobat Reader on your system in order to view this document. It is available as a free download at Adobe.

Born to Be You: Why You Already ARE Who You Are Going to Be and What To Do About It: Susan M. Quattrociocchi, Ph.D.; The author asks us to examine ourselves to determine a career path that gives us joy and fulfillment.

How To Become An Elder: The Sharing of Mature Story Engrams: Renee Fuller; This article introduces a new Elder Learning area in the Building and describes the gifts that come from a lifetime of experience.

Guided Reading in the Balanced Reading Program: Melissa J. Rickey, Ed.D.; A literacy expert explains the importance of guided reading in a strong literacy program and shares lessons using the method.

How Teacher Thinking Shapes Education: Judy Yero; It is not only what teachers say and do, but how they think that can affect how students learn.

A Different Kind of Independent School Designed for the 21st Century: Marja Brandon; The principal of the new Seattle Girls School describes their unique program and may explain some of the reasons that girls' schools are springing up throughout the country.

Creating A Living Library and Celebrating the Human Garden: Bonnie Ora Sherk; The originator of A Living Library demonstrates a valuable new way to bring nature into the curriculum.

Why Write? Legos, Power and Control: Forest Poston; The author offers some useful ideas for developing one of the most essential basic skills.

Creative Dramatics in the Classroom

Dee Dickinson

All teachers can use these strategies for bringing any subject to life through dramatic improvisation.

Music and Learning: Integrating Music in the Classroom

Chris Boyd Brewer

A musician and master teacher offers successful guidelines and strategies for incorporating music into the learning environment.

Multicultural Children's Literature: Creating and Applying an Evaluation Tool in Response to the Needs of Urban Educators: Jennifer Johnson Higgins; The author examines multicultural children's literature and provides an evaluation of numerous pieces.

A Call to Action: A Global Youth Empowerment Society (YES): Gary Goldman and Allen Schmieder; The authors call for young persons in America to make significant contributions to their community, thereby energizing their lives and spearheading the revitalization of schools and neighborhoods.

GIRAFFE OF THE MONTH

We asked the folks at The Giraffe Project to let us share stories about some of the heroes they've discovered quietly sticking their necks out to make the world a better place. This month, The Giraffe Project shares the story of Jim and Cheryl White of McFarland, California.

Recommended Reading

Breathing the Breath of Life: Taiji-Qigong Video and Instruction Manual by: Robert Dickinson, L.Ac

Developing Minds: A Resource Book for Teaching Thinking Arthur L. Costa

The Truth About Testing: An Educator's Call to Action W. James Popham

Succeeding With Standards: Linking Curriculum, Assessment, and Action Planning Judy F. Carr and Douglas E. Harris

The Results Fieldbook: Practical Strategies from Dramatically Improved Schools Mike Schmoker

Moral Questions in the Classroom: How to Get Kids to Think Deeply About Real Life and Their Schoolwork Katharine G. Simon

Begin With the Brain: Orchestrating the Learner-Centered Classroom Martha Kaufeldt

Brain Matters: Translating Research into Classroom Practice Patricia Wolfe

Mapping Inner Space: Learning and Teaching Visual Mapping Nancy Margulies

A Teacher's Guide to Including Students with Disabilities in General Physical Education Martin E. Block

Park Beat; Rhymin' Through the Seasons Jonathan London

New on the Bulletin Board:

Workshops: The Soul of Education: Helping Students Find Connection, Character and Compassion in School: Rachael Kessler; Jan. 11-13, 2002; Boulder, Colorado
Press Release: Bridging the Digital Divide: Azavar Technologies Unveils Free Online Resource for Adults Seeking to Learn English as a Second Language (ESL).
Workshops: Creativity Workshop: We are all born creative, curious and imaginative but these qualities sometimes fade with the passage of time. The Creativity Workshop's goal is to help people get their imaginations back. Click on the link above for more information.
Conference: Learning Brain Expo: July 17-20, 2002 San Antonio, Texas

Conference: Kids Who Know And Do, Tenth Annual Conference: April 25-,26, 2002 San Francisco, California

Press Release: iEarn: The International Education and Resource Network - iEARN, recently began online professional development courses for educators who wish to integrate technology into their teaching and globalize their curriculum.

Tech Services from the Wilderness Technology Alliance: A non profit 501 c(3) organization whose mission is to provide technology products and services that "Bridge the Digital Divide" in Washington state schools and non profit organizations.

Have You Seen . . .

Links to websites, announcements, interesting reading and great resources.

Website: Solar Oven: One of the younger members of New Horizons for Learning's network is Ethan Clancy, 11, who sent us a link to his new website. He writes, "This is a website I created about an experiment I did. I discovered a way to make solar ovens more effective and I thought you viewers might be interested."

What a wonderful example of the talented students that abound today! We think you will enjoy Ethan's work. Ethan is in Grade 6 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He notes that he enjoys action movies, soccer, computer, playing with his big dog. and science fairs. Way to go, Ethan!!

Website: National Clearinghouse for Comprehensive School Reform

Research-based, replicable strategies for whole school, rather than piecemeal, change.

Online Newsletter: IDEA News

This free monthly online newsletter is packed with information about new regulations.

Website: The Great Library Scavenger Hunt

A wonderful activity from Johnna Christensen to help middle school students learn to use the library resources in their research.

Website: Neptune Education and Outreach

NEPTUNE offers rich educational possibilities for students of all ages with real-time data and images from very dynamic earth-ocean systems. Programs include K-12 curricula and activities, exhibits for science museums, undergraduate and graduate research, and a real-time web interface for all users.

Website: Redesigned US Department of Education

U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige announced today that the Department of Education website has been redesigned to improve its organization & function for all customers & to offer users interested in customizing the website the option to personalize it. Customized pages have been created for teachers, principals, parents & families, students, higher education institutions & grantees & technical assistance providers.

Periodical: The Technology Source

A peer-reviewed bimonthly periodical published by the Michigan Virtual University, that provides articles that will assist educators as they face the challenge of integrating information technology tools into teaching and into managing educational organizations.

Website: Talaris Research Institute

This site is dedicated to discovering how children learn, think, and feel. From birth to age five, a child observes, experiments, and begins to understand the world � a learning experience unmatched by any other.

Website: Shikshantar, The Peoples' Institute for Rethinking Education and DevelopmentStrategic, Learning Societies' Discussion

An exciting collection of diverse perspectives from around the world.

Website: Imagine Peace . . . and building peaceful classrooms

Website: Center for Development and Learning

Website: Teacher's Mind Resources: Informational site for teachers describing how teachers' beliefs, values, metaphors and other teacher thinking processes influence behavior and perceptions. Center for Development and Learning.

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