A while back, I asked some Facebook friends if they knew of some websites where I could find storybooks read aloud to children online, and ...
Lists are an incredible tool for getting your life organized. They help you to visualize things and get your brain flowing. They are also a productive way to stay on top of your responsibilities an…
Welcome to the first in our series of blog posts to support beginning teachers. The following tips for beginning teachers have been sourced from teachers
My dad's really good at fixing computers. Me, not so much. My computer broke, and although I do own a book that could teach me how to fix it, I just had my dad do it. My dad joked that I was too lazy to fix it myself. "You have a master's degree," he said. "I think you could figure it out!" But that's really not why I asked him to do it. Life has taught me time and time again that I'm just not great at fixing computers. The last time I tried to fix my computer I broke it permanently and lost all of my important work. I was afraid to attempt it this time. Does this ever happen in your classroom? Do you have students that could solve a problem if they really tried, but they just won't? Do certain problems make them shut down? Are they constantly asking for help or putting forth minimal effort? Your students aren't lazy. They're learned helpless in some areas. Here's how it works. Educational Consultant Rick Lavoie described something called "Differential Diagnosis." A doctor sees two patients for headache symptoms. He determines that one patient needs brain surgery, and the other has allergies. They both are prescribed very different treatments. Doctors are skilled in differential diagnoses. Conversely, a teacher sees five students with their heads on their desks and assumes that they are all lazy. We've got to get better at differential diagnoses. One student may have been up all night helping a sick parent, while another may be suffering from learned helplessness in reading. This child has learned from experience that each time he attempts to read, he is unable and feels frustrated and embarrassed. Brain Based Learning theorist Eric Jensen described common learned helpless behaviors and provided ideas for replacing them with learned helpful behaviors. Learned helpless behaviors apathy sabotage positive outcomes give up before they have started refuse to follow directions engage in passivity rather than activity adhere to limits that they have set upon themselves believe that things will happen regardless of their input enjoy humor that is hostile argumentative avoid learning activities feign illnesses engage in “class clown” type behaviors express a “Why try?" mentality What educators can do to replace with learned helpfulness engaging students in community service giving students activist roles encouraging active hobbies implementing physical activity practicing personal skills encouraging students to begin making contributions to family redirecting negative states in class enhancing positive states in class giving students choices providing plenty of opportunities to increase self-worth utilizing confidence-building activities thanking students for something they've done helping students increase feelings of inclusion and ownership giving specific positive praise and encouragement Rick Lavoie compared learned helplessness to an elephant at the zoo. A baby elephant was tied to a post in a zoo and tried to pull away, but no matter how much the elephant tried, the chain wouldn't budge. Eventually, the elephant stopped trying. After a few years, the elephant was full grown and strong enough to tear that tiny post right out of the ground and break free-- yet the elephant had been trained to stay put. Students with learned helplessness are a lot like this elephant and should be encouraged to "give the chain a tug." Lavoie tells the story better than I do. Watch him here! (The whole video is awesome. Fast forward to 3:31 into the video for the learned helplessness information) Buy the whole video Motivation Breakthrough by Rick Lavoie here: Do you have any students who exhibit learned helplessness? Do you have any strategies that help? Share in the comments below! Happy helping, A Peach for the Teach
Of course you follow your competition, watching how they grow, they’re marketing efforts, their product offerings. But do you track what others say about them? What is the industry saying abo…
If we don't want to write characters who are too perfect, we have to layer in a few flaws. That means we might be writing characters who are "broken" in some way, and we don't want to get the details wrong. Luckily, I know just who can help us get this right.
Liven up your next Socratic Seminar with these fun games and strategies to get students talking about ANY text!
You are used to being chased. And why should you not be? You do not have to do anything, nor to take the lead and […] Read More
Daily prayer is downright powerful. Prayer makes such a difference in our lives. Discover what to do when you're ready to start praying powerful prayers.
Your child's teeth are probably the last thing in your mind when it comes to parenting. That is until you wind up in the pediatric dentist's office and hear that your barely three-year-old has a
50 more things to do together, other than watching movies. A good list that applies to friends, dating couples, marrieds, roommates and more.
Internet puppets Fafa the Groundhog, Mario, and Johnny T of Glove and Boots share their wisdom while explaining how we can fix some of the most common
I never practiced healthy eating habits growing up. I’d skip breakfast every single day out of convenience. When it came to the rest of my meals, I ate whatever I wanted. I was an emotional eater and…
Teaching ethos, pathos, and logos is paramount for older students. They should understand these famous persuasive techniques to better their speeches and papers. When teaching rhetorical analysis, you will also cover ethos, pathos, and logos. This bundle demonstrates examples of ethos, pathos, and logos with commercials and asks students to analyze how these incorporations persuade audiences. As a culminating activity, students will sort topics into their best label: ethos, pathos, or logos. Included in this ethos, pathos, and logos activity: ✓ Power point: covers the definitions of ethos, pathos, and logos; examines audiences; includes four (clean, school-appropriate) commercials links. ✓ Questions: includes analysis of each commercial through the persuasive techniques. ✓ Culminating questions (can be done alone or in groups): ask students to evaluate and judge the best incorporation of the persuasive techniques, and to apply the knowledge to their speaking and writing. ✓ A "sort." The topics are editable. Print and cut the pieces, and ask students to sort the speech topics into an ethos, pathos, or logos pile. Ask them to defend their answers. Suggestions for use are included. I have coached a speech team for four years as well as taught a public speaking class for seven years. I have used commercials to emphasize that famous speakers and marketers use exactly what I want students to use: ethos, pathos, and logos. This product is also in the Public Speaking Unit: Impromptu, How-To, Narrative, Informative, and More. Do you need more public speaking activities? • How To Speech Assignments • Prized Possession & Favorite Person Speech Assignments • Teaching Audience Analysis with Commercials • Monroe's Motivated Sequence Unit ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Couple Tips: * Be sure to click the "follow" button that is located next to my picture so that you can hear about sales, updated products, and new activities. * By providing feedback on your purchased products, you can earn points, which ultimately translate into cash toward future purchases.
These are 5 of the best TED Talks for anxiety, each featuring someone with a fascinating, inspirational story to tell and a unique perspective on anxiety.
I am SUPER excited about our new CVC Word Family Watches! This has been on my list of things to make for some time and I am so happy to have finally
Empower your students' reading journey with AI! Explore how eSpark's Choice Texts, infused with AI, can make reading passages for students.
These are 5 of the best TED Talks for anxiety, each featuring someone with a fascinating, inspirational story to tell and a unique perspective on anxiety.
Have you ever lost your temper only to see your child watching you? If you need to apologize to your child, here are some great tips to make it effective.
We all strive to be successful in the world. It is the goal that once we graduate, we will enter the workforce, and BOOM, it will all just fall into place.
Are you tired of hearing I'm bored? Check out these 11 fun things to do at home when bored for kids that don't involve watching a screen!
In high school, I had a fan girl crush on John Boy of "The Waltons”. I loved it when everyone sat around the radio and listened to "tonight's episode".
Inspirational TED talks that will help you to feel better when you're having a rough day! These TED talks will help you no matter what you're struggles are.
Are you tired of hearing I'm bored? Check out these 11 fun things to do at home when bored for kids that don't involve watching a screen!
Empower your students' reading journey with AI! Explore how eSpark's Choice Texts, infused with AI, can make reading passages for students.
Direct cremation is when the body of the deceased is cremated after death without a prior memorial service and without the involvement of a funeral home.
The best storytelling podcasts that will make you forget about tv, and keep you company on your long commute! Great storytelling podcast recommendations
