Stenhouse Publishers: Newslinks Dec. 21, 2006

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Stenhouse Newslinks
December 21, 2006

C O N T E N T S

1) Author Conversations: Pat Johnson
2) Standardization erodes teacher professionalism
3) PD Corner: Observation: assessment that informs
4) Engaging the family to build community and literacy
5) Season's greetings from Stenhouse

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1) Author Conversations: Pat Johnson
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"I kept getting similar questions from teachers: 'How can I help
the child who's really struggling--not just a little bit behind
grade level, but a child who's really struggling in my classroom.'
What if we looked in closely at that one child? We would learn how
to observe with an eye and an ear toward what it is that this
child can do, can almost do, or can't do at all."

Pat Johnson has spent most of her career working side-by-side with
elementary classroom teachers in Fairfax County, Virginia. In our
latest audio podcast, Pat talks about her new book One Child at a
Time: Making the Most of Your Time with Struggling Readers, K-6.
Listen here:

http://www.stenhouse.com/html/mp3patjohnson1.htm"

You can browse the entire text of One Child at a Time online:

http://www.stenhouse.com/0434.asp?r=n102

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2) Standardization erodes teacher professionalism
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"I didn't have to think. But what sort of teaching is it when I'm
not required to think?"
--Sarah, a pre-service English teacher in Australia, after
teaching a scripted phonics lesson

In this opinion piece from The Age (Melbourne), teacher-educator
Graham Parr laments the push toward an efficient, centrally
controlled curriculum in Australia. Many of the issues he raises
will be familiar to U.S. educators:

http://www.stenhouse.com/rdnational.htm

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3) PD Corner: Observation: assessment that informs
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"Listening while you work: Using informal assessments to inform
your instruction" shares one teacher's advice on effective
approaches to observation and active listening. This article is
part of The First Year, an online collection of essays from LEARN
NC at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of
Education:

http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/firstyear/2.2

How do you rate as a listener? The International Listening
Association (http://www.listen.org) defines listening as "the
process of receiving, constructing meaning from, and responding to
spoken and/or nonverbal messages." Check your listening skills
with this four-minute Listening Self-Assessment:

http://www.highgain.com/SELF/index.php

In "Transforming Learning and Teaching through Quality Classroom
Assessment: What Does the Research Say?" Anne Davies emphasizes
the importance of observation and student involvement in the
assessment process. Her article leads off the October 2004 issue
of NCTE's School Talk newsletter, which also includes "Using
Assessment to Support a Struggling Learner" and "Involving Parents
in the Assessment Process":

http://www.highgain.com/SELF/index.php
(1.6 MB PDF file--download time may be long on slow connections.)

Beth Critchley Charlton explores the power of informed assessment
practices on teachers, instruction, and most of all the literacy
success of students in her book Informal Assessment Strategies.
She challenges teachers to explore the why, what, and how of
assessment, and presents techniques to help busy teachers listen,
question, and observe students. These observations form the
foundation for lessons that build on what students know:

http://www.stenhouse.com/8181.asp?r=n102

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4) Engaging the family to build community and literacy
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The current issue of Teaching K-8 magazine features an innovative
parent-school involvement program at Tower Street Elementary
School in Westerly, Rhode Island. This initiative not only
provides a multitude of opportunities for families to get involved
in the educational community, but also makes every effort to make
those opportunities accessible:

http://www.stenhouse.com/rdfamily.htm
(Click on the link at the end of the article for a list of over a
dozen program events and resources.)

The new book Family Literacy Experiences by Jennifer Rowsell
invites teachers to recognize diverse literacy experiences outside
the classroom and how they can be brought from home to school to
drive meaningful reading and writing instruction. Browse the
entire book online:

http://www.stenhouse.com/8207.asp?r=n102

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5) Season's greetings from Stenhouse
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This is the last issue of Newslinks for 2006. From everyone at
Stenhouse, we wish you happy and safe holidays and a successful
2007!

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