Stenhouse Newslinks
March 9, 2004
C O N T E N T S
1) Learning strategies for students & teachers
2) PD Corner: Collaborating with colleagues
3) Slate diaries of a 6th grade teacher
4) Praise for MAKING THE MATCH
----------------------------------------------------------------
1) Learning strategies for students & teachers
----------------------------------------------------------------
Joe Landsberger's Study Guides and Strategies Web site has dozens
of short, engaging guides on a wide range of topics such as
managing stress, avoiding procrastination, tutoring, and
preparing for tests. Useful for the middle grades through
college, the site is easy to navigate and may be freely copied
for educational purposes:
http://www.studygs.net/
And here are two practical study skills resources from Pembroke
Publishers, available in the U.S. from Stenhouse:
LEARNING TO LEARN
Student Activities for Developing Work, Study, and Exam-Writing
Skills
Mike Coles, Chas White, and Pip Brown
2003 * 128 pp/paper * $18.00
Focuses on seven major factors that are essential for effective
student learning and success in grades 4-12.
http://www.stenhouse.com/8153.asp
TAKE THE STING OUT OF STUDY
Get Organized, Manage Your Time, and Conquer Exam Anxiety!
Frank McGinty * 128 pp/paper * $15.00
An easy-to-read guide for students that will help them master the
study skills they need in grades 6-12. Review the entire text of
this book on-line for a limited time:
http://www.stenhouse.com/8164.asp
----------------------------------------------------------------
2) PD Corner: Collaborating with colleagues
----------------------------------------------------------------
*March Quote of the Month*
"Don't impale yourself on the appeal that 'all teachers are
teachers of reading and writing.' They are not. Content-area
teachers use reading and writing as tools and in ways peculiar to
their subject matter. Their goals are content achievement and
student success. We attack their identity and value when we tell
them who we think they should be. They know who they are."
--Harry Stein, from the November 2002 issue of Educational
Leadership (ASCD)
In "Opening the Doors of Your Practice," NSDC's Joan Richardson
argues that many teachers have a wealth of knowledge and
experience to share with colleagues. But there need to be more
opportunities for teachers to learn from each other in schools.
This brief article is the perfect length for reading and
discussion at a faculty meeting:
Opening the Doors of Your Practice
Cris Tovani's new video series COMPREHENDING CONTENT demonstrates
one model for collaborating with colleagues around literacy
issues. In Tape 3: Reading Like a Mathematician, she and math
teacher Jim Donohue work together with a class of struggling
readers to demonstrate the unusual literacy demands of math
problems on standardized tests. The tape includes teacher
modeling, individual conferences with students in a high school
classroom, and Cris and Jim discussing their collaboration. Get
more details on this 4-part video series, including the free
Viewing Guide:
http://www.stenhouse.com/0375.asp
(Click the "Viewing Guide" link at the beginning of the product
description.)
----------------------------------------------------------------
3) Slate diaries of a 6th grade teacher
----------------------------------------------------------------
At 2:40, after I dismiss my class for the day, I join my fellow
teachers in the library for our weekly "Professional Development"
workshop...afterward, during a Q & A session, a young math
teacher asks, "I have students who can't write. How can I be
expected to do a writing project with them?" My principal, a true
Board of Ed. veteran, tells him, "Look, if they could read, write
and do math, what would they need us for? That's our job, to
teach them."
Slate's week-long journal recently featured Tom Moore, a sixth
grade teacher in the South Bronx. It's a wonderful snapshot of
the ups and downs of teaching, complete with photos of "The
school" and "My lunch":
http://slate.msn.com/id/2095876/entry/2095882/
----------------------------------------------------------------
4) Praise for MAKING THE MATCH
----------------------------------------------------------------
"Lesesne not only informs but also inspires educators to rise to
the challenge that Kylene Beers, a colleague of Lesesne, presents
in the foreword--to acknowledge that 'a dislike of reading is an
acquired taste' and to undo the cycle that creates an aversion or
an apathy in students toward reading books as they progress
through their education."
Read the rest of this review of Teri Lesesne's MAKING THE MATCH
in the Teachers College Record e-journal, and explore the
extensive array of articles and book reviews on this site:
http://www.tcrecord.org/content.asp?ContentID=11281
For more details on the book:
MAKING THE MATCH: The Right Book for the Right Reader at the
Right Time, Grades 4-12
Teri Lesesne * 248 pp/paper * $21.00
http://www.stenhouse.com/0381.asp
----------------------------------------------------------------
Please send comments and questions to Chuck Lerch, Newslinks
Editor, at 
or call (800) 988-9812.
View archives of past issues here:
http://www.stenhouse.com/nlindex.asp
To subscribe to Stenhouse Newslinks, please send an e-mail with
your request to or visit our Web site at
http://www.stenhouse.com.
Stenhouse respects your privacy, and we never share e-mail
addresses with anyone. If you no longer wish to receive e-mail
communications from us, just forward this message to
.
Stenhouse Publishers
P.O. Box 11020
Portland, ME 04104-7020
Tel (800) 988-9812
Fax (800) 833-9164
http://www.stenhouse.com
----------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright (c) 2004 Stenhouse Publishers
