I.
Some useful web sites
A.
Middle School Associations
"National
Middle School Association Home Page"
http://www.nmsa.org
Description:
This site offers the latest information from the National Middle School
Association. Links include articles, research, professional development
opportunities (including NMSA conferences), and other professional
resources. Also worth checking out is NMSA's new position on integrating
the curriculum.
B.
Transescent Development
"Adolescence:
Change and Continuity"
http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/n/x/nxd10/adolescence.htm
Description:
The site contains links to many resources and articles related to
transescent development. This is a great site for middle school teachers
because it contains information about transescent development including
information ont he dimensions of transescent development.
"Middle
School Students and School Life"
http://www.middleweb.com/ContntsStudn.html
Description:
This web site contains many outstanding resources about the transescent
for teachers and parents. This web site also contains additional links
for information on topics including helpful hints on making the transition
into middle school, character education, middle school counseling,
how a transescent's brain works, movtivation and the student mentoring
program plus MUCH, MUCH more.
"Connect
for Kids: Guidance for Grownups"
http://www.connectforkids.org
Description:
This web site is designed for adults who interact with kids of all
ages or adults who wish to make communities better places for kids.
Within the "Topics A-Z" subheading, there are many topics
of interest for teachers and parents of transescents. A section on
development contains articles on transescent sleep needs, puberty,
sexual orientation, and a number of informative brief articles about
"Normal Adolescent Development Facts." Teachers would also
benefit from going to the secondary education area where they will
find, among others, an article called "Middle Grades: Feeling
the Squeeze" dealing with transescent development and the education
of middle grades teachers.
"ADOL:
Adolescence Directory On Line"
http://education.indiana.edu/cas/adol/adol.html
Description:
This site is an electronic guide to information on transescent issues.
It is maintained by the Center for Adolescent Studies at Indiana University
and provides health and developmental information to teachers, parents,
researchers, health practioners, and transescents. The web site includes
resources, magazines, forums, and numerous links to other resources.
"National
Institute of Mental Health: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder"
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/adhd.cfm
Description:
This web site has a great deal of vaired information about Attention
Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Some of the areas that are addressed
include symptoms, other disorders that accompany ADHD, causes, how
to get it diagnosed, educational options, treatments, current research,
and other sources for information and support. This site is beneficial
for both teachers and parents.
"The
Empower Program"
http://www.empowerprogram.org
Description:
This site provides abundant information on a variety of topics that
affect a typical young person's day: cliques, peer pressure, bullying,
violence, substance abuse, and sexual harassment. It includes current
resources, publications, articles, and links to educate teachers who
work with transescents. A variety of fact sheets, newsletters, and
actual stories from teens are also available at the site.
"Teen
Pregnancy"
http://www.teenpregnancy.org/teen/default.asp
Description:The
aim of this web site is to discuss the issue of teenage pregnancy,
and inform teenagers of the risks associated with sexual activity.
The web site also informs parents how to best open the lines of communication
with their transescent child.
"Talking
with Kids About Tough Issues"
http://www.talkingwithkids.org
Description:
This web site aids parents and adults who talk with transescents about
sex, violence, AIDS, drugs, alcohol, events of 9/11/01 and any other
tough subjects. It gives tips on starting conversations and has a
question and answer page.
"Mariquana
and Teens"
http://www.theantidrug.com
Description:
This web site calls parents the anti-drug! It has articles on marijuana,
news, advice for parents and teens, and drug information.
"Transescent
Needs"
http://www.augie.edu/educ/middle/Education/Patrick/adneed.htm
Description:
This is a web site by a middle school teacher that gives helpful information
about transescents. It has many useful links to other sites on transescent
development and theory.
"Family
Education: Teen Newsletters"
http://newsletters.fen.com/email/login/?yi_home&ni_p?wtlAC=FE_nlcwin4v2fe,ha-fe
Description:
This web site is a newsletter specifically for parents of teens. It
is helpful for teachers as well. The newsletter changes every 2-4
weeks.
C.
The Classroom
"Terri
Husted's Homepage"
http://www.people.clarityconnect.com/webpages/terri/terri.html
Description:
This homepage was created to give new math teachers and veteran math
teachers ideas and suggestions to help with teaching. Several links
are on the homepage that guide teachers to sites about how to connect
with students, classroom management, lesson plans, professional math
organizations, research and development, and several other helpful
sites.
"PBS
Online"
http://www.pbs.org
Description:
This
provides teachers, parents, and children a multitude of resources.
Teachers have access to 3,500 lesson plans, are able to chat live
with authors, and can purchase materials to supplement their lesson
plans. There is a specific page for parents and children that has
a listing of programs, issues and advice, and a fun and games section
for parents to play with their children. Additionally, there is an
adult learning service for people seeking to continue their education.
"The
National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented"
http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/nrcgt.html
Description:
This web site is organized by research teams from the University of
Connecticut, University of Virginia, and Yale University. The purpose
of the site is to give information to teachers and parents regarding
the need to develop high-end learning and challenge the highest levels
of learning and creativity in students of all ethnic and socioeconomic
backgrounds. The areas that are the most useful for teachers are (I)
current research, newsletters that have short, (2) concise articles,
and (3) very specific subject links to other sites.
"The
You Can Handle Them All Web Site"
http://www.disciplinehelp.com
(Select "Behavior Management Overview and Foundations)
Description:
This is the MASTER Teacher Web Site. Although this web site is primarily
a shopping expedition, the behavior management page is an excellent
resource. This site explains how meeting the physiological and emotional
needs of students will reduce discipline problems in the classroom.
The site addresses 117 different behavior types and how to effectively
handle each type by meeting the individual student's needs quickly
and easily.
"MiddleWeb"
http://www.middleweb.com
Description:
This site has a wide varitey of pages devoted to middle schools, middle
school reform, resources and links to other middle level-relevant
sites. MiddleWeb offers chat lists for educators, discussing current
interests in education; news and information about standards-based
reforms; and a "resource library" for teachers to access.
"Project
Better"
http://www.mdk12.org/practices/good_instruction/project
better/middley/index.html
Description:
This web site offers brief research-based suggestions on many different
topics relevant to educators. It gives suggestions in a few core subject
areas as well as middle school in general. The middle school section
has a category devoted specifically to at-risk kids and a general
category that discusses classroom management, learning skills, benefits
of homework, and many other middle level classroom concerns.
The information
is based on the Maryland Department of Education's "Project BETTER,"
with a database of results available.
"Character
Education"
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/programs/character.html
Description:
This is a web site describing character education. It has an online
brochure describing the program, resources for teachers, strategies
to implement into the classroom, expectations, teachers' role, and
a definition of character education.
"DiscoverySchool.com"
http://school.discovery.com/schoolhome.html
Description:
This
web site is presented by the discovery channel and is packed with
useful information for teachers, students, and parents. Students can
research many topics, including information from programs they have
seen on the Discovery Channel. They can also participate in activities
such as web quests. Teachers can use the site to generate lesson plans,
activities, puzzles, and many other instructional aids. Finally, parents
can also access the site to gain a wealth of information concerning
their children or activities they may be participating in.
"Education
Planet - The Education Web Guide"
http://educationplanet.com
Description:
This site gives teachers, students, and parents access to educational
resources. Teachers should definitely browse this site when looking
for new lesson plans. (You can search by subject area.) Teachers can
also utilize this site to develop hand outs. Other educational web
links are also provided. Plus, you can sign up to receive their online
monthly newsletter containing great educational information.
"My
School Online"
http://www.myschoolonline.com
Description:
This web site is now a subscripion web site where teachers can post
their own web pages. It used to be a free web site, but contain popup
ads. It now costs around $20 per year, but has no advertisements.
It is a valuable tool for teachers touse to communicate information
about their classes to parents and students, as well as anyone interested
in education. Some teachers use it to keep parents and students informed
about upcoming events, reminders about field trips, and to post their
homework assignments. It is also useful to use as a link to places
where students can go to get help with their homework.
"Rubistar"
http://4teachers.org
Description:
This web site is an excellent resource for creating grading rubrics.
The site allows teachers to create rubrics that can be specified for
specific types of projects. It can also be used as a guide for creating
personalized rubrics for the specific type of project that is being
graded.
"CNN
Newsroom"
http://learning.turner.com/newsroom
Description:
CNN airs a news program aimed at students from 4:30 a.m. to 5:00 a.m.
Set your VCR! The news programs are commercial-free and organized
into segments. As you enroll, have the daily lesson plans e-mailed
to you. The news programs provide an excellent means of enhancing
units for gifted and talent students. The programs also are a good
way of reinforcing basic geography skills.
"National
Geographic"
http://www.nationalgeographic.com
Description:
National Geographic has lessons for teachers as well as simulations
for students. An example of one such simulation for students is a
"virtual trip" on the Underground Railroad. During each
simulation, the students have to make decisions at crucial points
along the way. This site offers students an opportunity to learn in
a manner other than traditional lecture, and brings a high level of
interest to the subject matter.
II.
Middle Grades Reference List |
|
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Beane, J.A. (1993). A middle school curriculum: From rhetoric to reality
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Caissy,
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I.
Some Useful Web Sites
"Brains.org"
http://www.brains.org
This web site
is fantastic, and an incredible resource for teachers as it provides
the latest topics on brain-based learning, how to include brain-based
learning into the curriculum, and provides education, parenting, and
brain articles. The web site contains six main sections on the home
page, and offers a large variety of other information once a user
has selected one of the sections. In addition to the six main sections,
there is a question and answer section where teachers can ask questions
about brain-based learning and get an answer.
"Enhance
Learning with Techno"
http://members.shaw.ca/priscillatheroux/brain.html
This web site
is maintained by the Enhance Learning Organization, and is filled
with more information than the "Brains.org" web site. This
site has fourteen major divisions which include, "A Welcom Page,"
"Changing Attitudes," "Learning Strategies," "Teacher
Resources," "Integrating Technology Sections," "Integrating
Outcomes," "Exploring Projects," "Sample Lesson
Plans," "Planning Projects," "Thinking Skills,"
"Developing Web Pages," "Assessing," "Tutorials,"
and "Questions." The "Welcome Page" is extremely
informative and shows a person exactly how to use the web site and
includes recent links to brain-based research.
The information
on this web site is presented in a very user friendly manner and it
contains a wealth of information that all teachers could benefit from.
Some highlights include a brain-based research, information on how
the brain works, valuable lesson plans, ways to use technology in
the classroom, and how to tutor students in order to improve their
thinking skills.
"Brain-Based
(Compatible) Learning"
http://eduscapes.com/tap/topic70.htm
This is Susan
Kovalik's web site. This web site is based on Caine and Caine's web
site on brain-based learning and the three conditions the Caines identify
as conditions for complex learning to occur, i.e., relaxed alertness
(a low threat, highly challenged state of mind), orchestrated immersion
(multiple, authentic experiences), active processing (making meaning
through experience). In addition to the connection of this web site
to the Caine's web site, there are eight other main sections, including
"Artful Minds," "Brain-Based Learning," "Brain-Compatible
Learning," "The Brain Lab," "Brain Connections:
The Brain and Learning," Brain Research Concepts," "Is
Brain Research Justified?," and "The Surprising Truths about
Brain Research." The "Brain Research Concepts" section
contains information about Howard Gardner's multiple intelligences,
and how personality type can affect an individual's ability to learn.
"Multiple
Intelligences, Bloom, and Brain Research"
http://www.gp.k12.mi.us/ci/ce/computer/brainbased.htm
This site contains
nine main categories. These are "Brain Research and Learning,"
"Language," "Learning," "Learning Styles,"
"Math," "Multiple Intelligences," "Music,"
"Reading," and "Teaching." In addition to these
nine categories, there is information about Bloom's taxonomy at the
end of the web site.
| |
Thinking
Skills Resources |
|
I.
Some Useful Web Sites
"What
Is Higher-Order Thinking?"
http://www.selu.edu/Academics/Education?TEC/think.htm
This
web site helps teachers define and clarify the definition of higher-order
thinking. The page opens with a brief activity that is both revealing
and humorous. This activity presents a sentence that uses made-up
words adn then presents a series of questions about the sentence.
The first five questions you can actually answer accurately without
understanding any of the words in the sentence. This of course reveals
the mindless nature of some questions. The last two questions make
you realize that you actually don't really know anything about the
sentence at all. This activity could be used with students to illustrate
the distinction between mindless responses and thinking responses.
The next section was also very useful as it presents thinking words
to embed in assignments. They are also organized according to Bloom's
taxonomy. The nex section presented a list of questions to use in
the classroom when you are trying to clarify or investigate assumptions.
This is followed by a list of definitions of different types of thinking.
This list is obviously more useful for teachers than students, but
could be used in the classroom to help students become more metacognitively
aware. Then there is a relatively useful list of specific items that
help foster higher-level thinking within a classroom. The web site
concludes with a list of higher-level thinking questions which are
organized by purpose. The one drawback of the site is that, until
you are familair with the site, it is difficult to navigate.
"In2Edu"
http://www.in2edu.com
This
web site is a rather extensive and worthwhile source for educators.
Several features of this particular site are links to free thinking
and learning resources, pre-made crtificates adn banners for all subjects
to use in the classroom, research related to higher-level thinking,
thematic integrated units, free software, opportunities for educational
competitions, staff development, and more. There were strengths of
this site. One strength of this site was that it is easily navigated.
Each page you go to offers straightforward subheadings and the ability
to link to various other sites with little confusion. The thematic
integrated units section offers higher-level thinking lessons for
every subject and topic imaginable. Another positive aspect of this
site was that it offers several links to explain what higher-level
thinking is, how to assess thinking skills, and downloadable banners
and information to use in the classroom. In general, this site gives
educators access to information and lessons that are highly adaptable
to any classroom to create an atmosphere of higher-level thinking.
One weakness may be that several of the links require the downloading
of certain operating software to allow you to retrieve information
from the site. This is a rather time-consuming process. Also, some
of this downloadable information is not offered through a secured
site.
"Critical
Thinking Consortium"
http://www.criticalthinking.org
This is Richard
Paul's web site. Though the site does give examples of strategies
and some curriculum, the site is not teacher friendly, unless one
whishes to order the Critical Thinking Consortium material. The site
seems to be little more than a market selling its wares. The site
is divided into three basic areas consisting of, College and University,
Primary and Secondary, and Business and Professional. Each of these
is divided inot sub-categories, Events (which lists upcoming conferences),
Resources (which lists many of the books, pamphlets, and videosfor
sale by the Critical Thinking Consortium), Library (which lists what
could be every book ever published on critical thinking), Bookstore,
and Professional Development (which lists everything you can order
to teach assess students, and improve your own development. Business
and Professional also adds material used in the training of critical
thinking for corporations and their employees.
"Bloom's
Taxonomy"
http://www.covington.k12.tn.us
This
web site is a resource from Covington Schools in Tennessee. It displays
Bloom's Taxonomy in a way that will jelp teachers ask better questions
of their students, and also prepare better lessons. The six levels
of the taxonomy are displayed in a colorful fashion a number of times.
The first set of taxonomy levels is written horizontally. Select the
one you want to use and you will get the skills that will be demonstrated
at that level, a chart of words to use as question cues, ideas for
activities that develop that level of thinking, links to teacher resources
in other areas. A second set of the same set of words gives you ideas
on question prompts. It lists the start of many questions for you
to use when formulating questions. The next set of taxonomy words
gives you many more ideas for activities. The list of activities covers
both left-brain and right-brain activities can can be adapted to any
level. At the bottom of the lists of words there are links to Questioning
Levels and Effective Classroom Questioning. The main strength of this
web site is that it covers the taxonomy so completely.
"Kagan
Publishing and Professional Development Web Site"
http://www.kagancooplearn.com
This
site promotes the teaching/learning techniques developed by Dr. Spencer
Kagan through research in how students respond to cooperative learning
with certain ;types of situations which Kagan calls structures. The
simple structures Kagan promotes and continues to develop are easily
used by teachers and taught to students so they can be used and reused
through classroom activities. Kagan suggests the use of the structures
to develop community between the learners and to enhance master. The
site includes information on training (Kagan offers teacher training
to use the structures he has developed), Products (Kagan offers a
wide range of teaching tools and books to assist the teacher in implementing
the structures), a Magazine (Kagan publishes a quarterly on-line magazine
that can be subscribed to via e-mail), Articles (Kagan Online Articles
focus on the most advanced educational theory and research behind
the Kagan Structures, and Discussion (Kagan offers an on-line help-line).
This site is a great resource for the teacher interested in brain-based
learning. It is, however, a for-profit company site that splits its
focus between selling its professional development and "wares"
and its belief in good brain-based teaching techniques. The split
objective does have its positive side in that the site will continue
to evolve and develop because the company has the finances to drive
it.
"Critical
Thinking and Problem Solving Skills"
http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/critical.htm
This
site is organized into three categories, General Sites, Curriculum/Lesson
Plans, and Bibliography. The list of general sites leads to links
that show research and information on critical thinking. The lesson
plan links are all about lessons that directly teach thinking skills.
The bibliography section offers a wealth of resources about critical
thinking. The links that are on the site connect to sites that have
extensive research and results published about higher-order thinking
studies from reputable professors and universities. The curriculum/lesson
plan sites can be used to get small, quick lessons specifically on
teaching thinking skills. You can get lists of related books, professional
journal articles, tools, etc. that relate to teaching thinking skills.
"Creativity
Breakthroughs with Children using Higher-Level Thinking"
http://www.triz-journal.com/archives/1998/02/1998-01f
The
web site walks you through many interesting ways of teaching higher-level
thinking. Many teachers might decide to use some of these concept
if they were to know about them. The site explains class exercises
that a teacher can do including one called "Positive Negative"
which leads students to think more objectively about situations. There
are several activities for teachers to do which explain some of the
benefits of higher-level thinking. One of the core activities includes
a new problem solving language: The Symbol of Triads. Through this
language students learn to express their ideas using language, graphs,
and charts to rapidly express their understanding of a problem situation.
It is designed to expeditiously express ideas similar to a high level
scientist or engineer. There are simple ideas to complex dieas explaining
how one can teach for higher-level thinking. Many of these ideas could
be easily and effectively used in the classroom.
| II.
Thinking Skills Reference List |
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