The most effective teachers, like the most effective students, are lifelong learners. While  many schools require educators to have ongoing training and professional development, many educators can craft their own learning experiences just like the most motivated and active students.  Teachers like this provide a model for students of vibrancy, imagination, and active learning; they  prove to all of us that learning doesn’t end with a certificate or degree.

Traditional professional development can be more nebulous than it appears. Some teachers work in environments that have outdated curricula that are as unwavering as the brick-and-mortar institutions they teach in. Other teachers may be in a district that’s completely overhauled the curriculum and left the teacher instructing from entirely new material. Throw in the fact that new advancements in technology, student trends, and education dos-and-don’ts will continue to surface daily, and it can be hard for the already overworked teacher to find time, reason, or the appropriate resources to change their challenging teaching routine.

That being said, making change a staple of your teaching style should do more than fulfill your school’s requirements of you. Changing your routine accomplishes these two things for starters:

• What skills can you learn this summer that would make you a more effective teacher? Every teacher’s answers will be different, but could include listening, organization, availability, media literacy, or allowing more personal time during the work week.  Think about the books you want to read this summer which will enrich and expand your mind.  Some that I recommend are:  IMAGINE, by Jonah Lehrer,  THE 10x Rule:  The Only Difference Between Success and Failure  and ALONE TOGETHER: Why We Expect More From Technology and Less From Each Other.
• What professional development training can you have over the summer, or look forward to in the next school year? Use the summer months to find a professional development training that aligns with your personal and professional goals.  Sign up to attend a local Ted Talk or download a podcast that interests you, like THIS AMERICAN LIFE.
• How can becoming an academic coach help you become a better teacher? Academic Coaches help students arrive at their own answers through asking a series of powerful questions, which can greatly change the classroom dynamic as well as the way teachers interact in their own lives. When teachers don’t give students the answer, students ultimately learn how to coach themselves by use of powerful questions to get through scenarios in school, career, and life. LifeBound’s Academic Coaching Training dates in Summer 2012 are  June 18,19, 20 and July 23, 24, 25. 
• How can you strengthen your digital skills? There’s always room for growth in the digital arena. This summer you might get more familiar with social media by creating a Twitter account and following the hashtag #edchat for classroom insights from educators around the world. You could also take a community or online class to gain skills in blogging, digital photography, photoshop, digital design, Word Processing, and more.  Or, hire one of your best digital students to teach you and your friends skills.  You will learn a lot and your student will get some great entrepreneurial training experience.

Change can open new opportunities that you never knew possible. Consider using your free months to relax, explore, and set goals that inspire change, personally and professionally. You will return to school in the fall invigorated, with many new dendrites and the passion which can inspire even the most apathetic students. Beyond that, you will have nurtured and restored yourself in ways that will last all year as you transform young minds into tomorrow’s chemists, lawyers, mechanics, doctors, entrepreneurs, researchers, and, because of your impact, twenty-first century teachers.

Summer vacation will be here before we know it, and while it is an exciting time for students to take a break from academia, it is also where students experience the largest learning losses. No student is safe from summer learning losses if their brains aren’t kept active throughout the summer months. However, students in lower-income families are generally at a much higher risk to suffer from learning losses which continues to increase the achievement gap between lower and higher income youth.

According to the National Summer Learning Association:

• More than half of the achievement gap between lower- and higher-income youth can be explained by unequal access to summer learning opportunities. As a result, low-income youth are less likely to graduate from high school or enter college (Alexander et al, 2007).
• Parents consistently cite summer as the most difficult time to ensure that their children have productive things to do (Duffett et al, 2004).

This week, the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading announced more than 100 communities across the country pledged to improve literacy among early learners. This national campaign hopes to close the reading achievement gap by addressing the top issues that keep underserved students from reaching their full potential. The four topics the campaign will focus on are:

• Chronic Absence
• School Readiness
• Summer Learning Loss
• Parent Engagement

In 2011, an unprecedented study found forty-five percent of students made no significant improvement in their critical thinking, reasoning or writing skills during the first two years of college. Many were stunned by the number of college students entering and graduating from college without critical thinking skills, a core 21st century skill necessary for making smart personal and professional decisions.

Even though the subjects of the study were second-year college students, this study also showed us that critical thinking doesn’t get enough emphasis in the K-12 classroom leading up to higher education. Learning to think critically is not something that can wait until students are in their young adult years when they are starting to make some of the most important decisions of their lives.

In the article “Critical Thinking: A Necessary Skill in the Age of Spin,” former teacher Randy Kasten illustrates why maturing kids are especially in need of critical thinking skills to navigate their changing world.

“….Young people — without significant life experience and anxious to fit in — are especially vulnerable to surface appeal,” says Kasten.

Critical thinking is one skill that can keep kids’ social and emotional pulls to surface appeal in check and help them make well-informed decisions.

Consider the decisions students make from an early age that have the power to impact future outcomes. Kasten lists targeted advertising that creates their buying and eating habits, friends that help them make good or bad decisions, and romantic relationships that do or don’t end well. Strong critical thinking skills help students make healthy choices for their academic, personal, and professional lives.  It also gives them the courage to say “no”, manage impulsivity,  resist peer pressure and manage conflict diplomatically.

Developing critical thinking skills must be a priority for educators, students, and parents before students leave their K-12 education.  LifeBound’s book CRITICAL AND CREATIVE THINKING FOR TEENAGERS asks students to solve today’s biggest problems, by  developing an inquisitive mind, strong investigation skills, the ability to ask powerful questions, and the skills to imagine, dream and create.

When and where do  you see students exercise their critical and creative thinking skills? What is the cost when students  aren’t exercising their critical and creative thinking skills? Do you think critical and creative thinking skills could solve our nation’s “innovation crisis”? What could strong critical thinking skills do for us in terms of solving problems around the world like poverty, AIDS, the aging population, the  sex slave trade and the exploitation of workers on foreign shores?

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Source:

“Critical Thinking: A Necessary Skill in the Age of Spin,” by G. Randy Kasten. 2 March 2012. Edutopia. Accessed on 5 March 2012. http://www.edutopia.org/blog/critical-thinking-necessary-skill-g-randy-kasten

It is estimated that 160,000 children miss school every day due to fear of attack or intimidation by other students.

1 in 7 students in grades K-12 is either a bully or a victim of bullying.

71% of students report incidents of bullying as a problem at their school.

www.makebeatsnotbeatdowns.org/

Bullying and cyberbullying have been high profile stories in recent years. There isn’t evidence that points to bullying being on the rise, but rather that awareness is on the rise due to a combination of variants like bullying getting more dangerous, new forms of digital bullying emerging, and too much/lack of parental vision, according to education.com.

Many companies, schools, and organizations have rallied behind the movement to raise awareness and end bullying using a variety of methods. Charles Maclay Middle School decided to take the approach of ending problems before they really begin.

Maclay was a school known for student conflicts until they implemented the peer mediation program, funded by the Center for Civic Mediation, a nonprofit based in Los Angeles, according to the article “Settling School Disputes Before They Escalate.” In the peer mediation program, a group of students are trained to be mediators who their peers can confide in, instead of having to go to the principal or another authority figure when a problem arises. Mediators don’t pick sides or offer advice. They sit with students who are having a dispute and extinguish the problem by opening the problem up to conversation before it escalates to a full-blown altercation.

In the 2007-08 school year, before the school implemented the peer mediation program, the school had 418 days of suspensions. This last year the school cut it down to 152. ”Peer mediation models for them the appropriate way to speak when you have a conflict,” the principal said in the article. “That’s why it works.”

LifeBound’s books People Smarts and Success in Middle School were adopted by the Cheyenne Mountain District to use in their elementary classes. After using the books for four years, the district saw a decrease in principal referrals and an increase in their test scores as students were learning more about themselves emotionally as well as how to plan, read, and anticipate what is ahead in middle school.

How could peer mediating be adopted in your school or class? How about peer mentoring? Can you use the influence of peers to positively influence your class and student community? What can you teach students about Academic Coaching that could help them help their peers?

Carol’s Summary:
The method by which to identify gifted students at a New York City high school is now being challenged, as the school admits students based on the results of a single test, which is written by a teacher at the school. This test ultimately determines a student’s eligibility to attend, and has  sparked a debate about what qualifies a student as gifted, particularly because this test has caused a decline in black and Hispanic student enrollment at the school.

Critics say that the test gives certain students an unfair advantage, whereas many others who come from less fortunate backgrounds may not be as well-prepared to take such a test. The cost of prep materials and tutoring gives wealthy students a good chance at being accepted, while students who come from less fortunate families may not be able to pay for the preparation.

Therefore, they may not be as well-prepared to take such a test. They say that the admissions tests should utilize several kinds of evaluations, including portfolios of students’ past work, essays, and interviews.

There are currently 3 million students nationwide who are identified as gifted, and it is believed that there are many more who have not yet been noticed or who have undergone one-sided tests such as the one previously mentioned. It is necessary to employ various strategies to identify gifted students, so that they may receive the education they deserve.

To hold back a student who is gifted may make the student likelier to grow bored with school and possibly even drop out, because their abilities are not being recognized. At LifeBound, we believe it is incredibly important to tailor teaching to individual students, their abilities and their needs. In our curriculum that accompanies each of our books, we have included activities for both gifted and at-risk students, so that no child’s needs are left unattended to. Visit www.lifebound.com or e-mail contact@lifebound.com for more information about our books and curriculum.

Article:
Identifying Gifted Students
By Walt Gardner

The latest chapter in the gifted student saga was on display at Hunter College High School in New York City when a graduating senior delivered a commencement address that called into question the basis for admission to the storied school (“Diversity Debate Convulses Elite High School,” Aug. 5). The school uses a single, teacher-written test that has not changed for decades. Although the test is defended by Hunter College, which oversees the high school, as “very valuable in terms of preserving the kind of specialness and uniqueness that the school has,” it has resulted in a decline in the percentage of black and Hispanic students enrolled.

To read the full article: www.edweek.org

Carol’s Summary:
An estimated one in five middle school students has been affected by cyberbullying. Bullying has always been an issue that teachers and principals have had to handle. However, in middle and high schools lately, the problem has evolved to involve technology. Schools are now finding ways to cope with issues of cyberbullying, in which children are harassed through text messages and social networking websites.

Much of cyberbullying occurs after school and on weekends, when children are not under the guidance and care of the school system.

Cyberbullying can affect a child’s academic success, self-esteem, social skills and emotional growth. While this is a relatively new problem that students, school officials and parents must deal with, it is spreading fast and has proven to be dangerous.

Many school districts are conflicted with whether or not they have the right to inspect students’ cell phones and social networking accounts, unless the issue deals directly with a conflict within the school. There are legal issues involving privacy which makes many school officials either nervous or leery about doing so.

Many administrators are concerned about the possibility of looking through a child’s cell phone and finding compromising photos and text messages that could bring about child pornography cases. There is also the issue of how students should be punished if they are cyberbullying other students.

Cyberbullying is growing into a major conflict in today’s schools, and not only for the students involved. Teachers and parents are finding themselves concerned for the well-being of children, but are not always able to get involved since technology is the medium for these behaviors.

LifeBound’s Making the Most of High School, 2nd Edition and the accompanying curriculum shows students how to use technology in a beneficial and safe manner. To find out more about Making the Most of High School and other LifeBound materials, visit www.lifebound.com or e-mail contact@lifebound.com

Article:
Online Bullies Pull Schools Into the Fray
By JAN HOFFMAN
June 27, 2010

The girl’s parents, wild with outrage and fear, showed the principal the text messages: a dozen shocking, sexually explicit threats, sent to their daughter the previous Saturday night from the cellphone of a 12-year-old boy. Both children were sixth graders at Benjamin Franklin Middle School in Ridgewood, N.J.
Punish him, insisted the parents.
“I said, ‘This occurred out of school, on a weekend,’ ” recalled the principal, Tony Orsini. “We can’t discipline him.”
Had they contacted the boy’s family, he asked.

To read the full report: www.nytimes.com

Developing emotional, social and cognitive intelligence is important to understanding and becoming a great leader according to Dr. Richard E. Boyatzis. Professor of Organizational Behavior and Psychology at Case Western Reserve University and Professor in Human Resources at EASDE in Barcelona, Dr. Boyatzis sees leadership as the ability to connect emotionally with others and inspire them. He states in a recent podcast that “Adults can improve their emotional, social and cognitive intelligence competencies—those that distinguish outstanding performance in management, leadership and other professions, by as much as 70%!”

Emotional and social intelligence is at the center of LifeBound’s mission to prepare students for college, career and life success because these skills are not only important in the world of work, but also throughout school. Students need to be able to form strong relationships with others in order to function effectively in teams, participate in study groups and join extracurricular activities. Life success requires not just book smarts, those who struggle academically, do better when challenged emotionally and socially which teaches them how to persist.

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ARTICLE:

The Hay Group posted a 4 part podcast by Dr. Richard E. Boyatzis titled, “Developing emotional, social and cognitive intelligence in graduate, undergraduate and executive students.”

To listen to all 4 podcasts visit http://www.haygroup.com/ww/Media/Details.aspx?ID=27430.

CAROL’S SUMMARY:

The data on remedial courses in college is startling. According to the Associated Press article below:

• Nationwide, about a third of first-year students in 2007-08 had taken at least one remedial course, according to the U.S. Department of Education. At public two-year colleges, that number rises to about 42 percent.
• In a 2007 ACT National Curriculum Survey of college professors, 65 percent said their states poorly prepare students for college-level coursework.
• The Alliance for Excellent Education estimates the nation loses $3.7 billion a year because students are not learning basic needed skills, including $1.4 billion to provide remedial education for students who have recently completed high school.

High schools today teach a broad understanding of a wide range of subjects, but college requires more specific skills and knowledge. Also, the recent focus on higher education has pushed academically weak students into college when they would otherwise prefer vocational training. “We’re telling kids you’ll be a third-class citizen if you don’t go to college,” said Marty Nemko, an education policy consultant and author. “And colleges are taking kids who in previous generations would not have gone to college.”

Properly preparing college-bound students, while giving students options such as apprenticeship programs similar to those offered in Finland, Japan and Germany would create a stronger workforce and ultimately strengthen the US economy. LifeBound’s books are designed to make cross-curricular connections with the courses students are already studying so that they connect their learning in class to their lives and other courses. Our new book, LEADERSHIP FOR TEENAGERS: From Antiquity to the 21st Century, exemplifies this strategy while helping students build the practical skills they need to make a difference in school, their community and the world as a whole.

ARTICLE:

Nation has high college remedial education rate
By CHRISTINE ARMARIO
Associated Press
May 11, 2010

DAVIE, Fla. — Professor Derron Bowen teaches high school math to college students, patiently chalking equations on the board on basic arithmetic topics such as the speed of a driver on a a 20-hour trip.

Bowen’s class at Broward College in South Florida is for students who didn’t score high enough on an entrance test to get into college-level math. In all, about two-thirds of students entering the community college need to take at least one remedial course in math, English or reading.

Nationwide, about a third of first-year students in 2007-08 had taken at least one remedial course, according to the U.S. Department of Education. At public two-year colleges, that number rises to about 42 percent.

Education observers worry that the vast numbers of students coming to college unprepared will pose a major roadblock to President Barack Obama’s goal for the United States to once again lead the world in college degrees.

To view this entire article visit www.google.com

CAROL’S SUMMARY:

Students with more credit hours than necessary to graduate, but chose to stay in college for more than four years, or “super seniors,” are now seeing a push from California State’s 23 campuses. Due to budget cuts that led to enrollment reductions, the campuses hope to encourage super seniors to graduate in order to make room for new students.

The Cal State administration feels this program is a low-cost way to reduce enrollment pressures and possibly raise their graduation rate (in the fall of 2008, 3 percent of all undergraduates at the Northridge campus alone consisted of super seniors). Each campus will take differing actions, but according to the Chronicle of Higher Education article below, “most will involve holding departments responsible for super seniors, expanding focused advising services, and setting new limits on financial aid.”

The difficulty will be determining which students are staying to party and avoid the real world of work and which students are truly lost, trying to find their desired career path through trial and error. College is a time of self-discovery and character building, and like with most things, each person is on their own clock. We don’t want to rush students through such a pivotal time in their lives. That’s why LifeBound’s materials help 5-12 grade students discover their gifts and talents, become emotionally intelligent, encourage critical and creative thinking and develop effective study habits – to lead them to earlier self-discovery and prepare them for academic, social and emotional success in order to make the most of college. My book, MAJORING IN THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, is a great resource for students unsure of their direction in life and seeking guidance. To learn more about LifeBound’s resources or to request a free review copy of any of our texts visit www.lifebound.com or email contact@lifebound.com.

ARTICLE:

Chronicle of Higher Education
May 2, 2010
Lingering Seniors Get a Soft Shove From Cal State
Like other colleges, the system seeks to help longtime students move on
By Josh Keller
Northridge, Calif.

California State University at Northridge just wants Randy Vitangcol to graduate already.
Mr. Vitangcol has been in college since 2005. He is on his second major. By the time he plans to finish college next spring, he expects to have amassed twice as many credit hours as he needs to complete the requirements for his current major, financial services.

“I’ve been in college for so long, sometimes it feels like I don’t know anything else,” he admits. He compares himself to Van Wilder, one of a long line of cinematic college students who party endlessly and studiously avoid graduation.

The Cal State system has historically taken a lax attitude toward “super seniors,” students with large numbers of credit hours who linger in college for more than four years. But no more. After budget cuts forced sharp enrollment reductions over the past few years, many of the system’s 23 campuses have taken aggressive measures to thin their ranks and make room for new blood.

To view this entire article visit www.chronicle.com

CAROL’S SUMMARY:

Bullies have a large impact on the people they taunt and torment, but how do you as a parent or teacher encourage children to not become one? In the Time article below it states that “Increasingly, neuroscientists, psychologists and educators believe that bullying and other kinds of violence can indeed be reduced by encouraging empathy at an early age. Over the past decade, research in empathy — the ability to put ourselves in another person’s shoes — has suggested that it is key, if not the key, to all human social interaction and morality.” According to the article, “The first stirrings of human empathy typically appear in babyhood: newborns cry when hearing another infant’s cry, and studies have shown that children as young as 14 months offer unsolicited help to adults who appear to be struggling to reach something. Babies have also shown a distinct preference for adults who help rather than hinder others.”

Instilling empathy into children is part of making them emotionally intelligent. LifeBound’s title PEOPLE SMARTS FOR TEEANAGERS: Becoming Emotionally Intelligent has been used with sixth graders to effectively create a positive classroom culture. To receive a free review copy call 1-877-737-8510 or email cynthianordberg@lifebound.com

ARTICLE:

How Not to Raise a Bully: The Early Roots of Empathy
By Maia Szalavitz
April 17, 2010
Time

Since the Jan. 14 death of Phoebe Prince, the 15-year-old in South Hadley, Mass., who committed suicide after being bullied by fellow students, many onlookers have meditated on whether the circumstances that led to her after-school hanging might have been avoided.

Could teachers have stepped in and stopped the bullying? Could parents have done more to curtail bad behavior? Or could preventive measures have been started years ago, in early childhood, long before bullies emerged and started heaping abuse on their peers?

To view this entire article visit www.time.com