AEG Blog

Students today utilize technology throughout their day without even giving it a second thought. It is such a part of their world that it is easy for the adults around them to assume that they are proficient and savvy with its use.  However, there is a significant difference between utilizing technology and the skillful manipulation of it and the information it provides.

In Information Literacy on Edutopia, Andrew Marcinek addresses the need to have students do more than simply search for information by typing some words into Google.  Students need to be taught how to effectively do research and make the most of the online tools. Marcinek describes his desire to teach his students how to make the most of the resources available:

I wanted my students to use Google, however, I wanted them to use it effectively and efficiently. I could have demonstrated another lesson in developing precise search criteria, however, I decided to delve deeper into the world of Google search options.

This idea came from one of my favorite librarians, Dr. Joyce Valenza. I cannot even utter the phrase "Information Literacy" without evoking her name and her expertise. She was presenting Google Search options at edcamp Philly this past May and suggested many different ways in which teachers and students could work together and make Google more effective for all involved. Her fundamental message was that students need to filter down beyond a typical Google search results and find quality information efficiently.

Marcinek explains how he introduced his students to Google Timeline during a lesson on the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.  Using Google Timeline, the students were able to interact with primary sources from that particular historical time period which created a higher level of engagement with the research project.  Marcinek knew he had been successful when he made the following observations:

After this lesson, I found my students using Google Timeline in other classes and they were able to hear questions outside of my class and apply a skill, a search tool to that question. This is learning. This is information literacy. It is our responsibility as educators to educate students not only on the content but how to filter the content and get to the heart of the question. When we teach students how to seek information correctly and efficiently, we create learning opportunities for life.

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When the school year ends, everyone breathes a sigh of relief.  Weeks on end of no homework, practices and general juggling of schedules. But even though school is out, it doesn't mean learning should be shelved until the fall.  Many studies have shown that children lose a great deal of academic progress if they take a complete break from learning during the summer months.  Even small activities each day will keep students sharp and ready to hit the ground running when school starts again.

In LD Online's Summertime and the learning is easy, Ann Dolin explains the importance of summertime learning:

According to the foundation Reading is Fundamental, children who do not read over the summer experience a loss of reading fluency and comprehension skills. Students who engage in summertime reading actually gain skills. Research also shows that students who have not engaged in summer learning score lower on standardized tests at the end of summer break than they do on the exact same test at the end of the previous school year. In math, students lose approximately 2.6 years of grade level equivalency over the summer if they are not stimulated.

Given the importance of retaining a student's hard-earned progress, Dolin suggests a variety of activities that will help parents make the most of the summer in an easy-going yet valuable way.  Her ideas fall into three general categories: make reading a priority, don't forget writing, and incorporate math and science.  Dolin suggests ideas such as creating a summer journal or scrapbook, board games that naturally develop math skills as part of playing the game, and utilizing free online games that build reading and math skills. 

Dolin also suggests setting measurable goals with your child and tie them in with rewards.  Keep track of the goals and rewards as a means of motivation.

Although some children might initially be reluctant to do "school work" during the summer, it is possible to make the learning fun.  And when the school year begins in the fall and your student is ready to jump in without any loss of progress, the time spent doing the little extras over the summer will definitely be worth it!

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Children with learning differences can fall into many broad categories.  One of those is gifted.  Adults often look at a gifted child and see the vast array of possibilities and abilities not available to other children. But the gifted children themselves often struggle with the consequences of being "different".

Tamara Fisher, a K-12 gifted education specialist, asked her students to respond to the topic "Sometimes I wish I wasn't so smart because..."  In I Don't Want To Be A Smarty Anymore at EdWeek, Fisher shares the anonymous responses of her students.  Here is just a sampling:

"I feel like I am different from other kids and sometimes I feel that they think I should be treated specially. Sometimes people point out my intelligence and make a big deal of it. I try to be humble about it because I don't like the idea of being different from others." Olive, 9th grade

"Ignorance is bliss. Being smart has allowed me the ability to watch the world. This isn't a horrible situation. My regret arises whenever I want to experience the world without watching, to have flares of emotion without questioning 'why' or 'how,' to experience life to the 'fullest' without asking why the rain makes people sad or happy." Zim, 12th grade

"Because I focus more on school than my social life, I am an outcast. I rarely go over to my 'friends'' houses, or go anywhere for that matter. Sometimes I have to ask myself if I really even have any friends. I never talk to any of these people except for the somewhat off-topic comments exchanged in class or a light conversation at lunch, and nearly all of that 'conversation' I am the listener not the talker. Sometimes I wish I wasn't so smart because I want to be included, accepted by a group of people who I can call friends not 'friends.'" Jane, 12th grade

"The teachers stop calling on me because they know that I know all the answers." Chang, 7th grade

"Sometimes it's hard to talk to people. My vocabulary is a bit bigger than others. I get the 'what?' look all the time. I also get teased and questioned and poked and picked by teachers and kids!" Lillian, 5th grade

"I get scared for the world. Being smart allows me to see the world and what trouble we're really in." Alexander, 8th grade

Fisher also writes about the many myths associated with gifted children.  In Dispelling Myths about Gifted Students and Gifted Education, Fisher lists several myths with links to research about each one.

Being a gifted child comes with its own unique rewards and struggles.  Listening to gifted children to hear how they are experiencing their giftedness is an important part of providing them with the personal and emotional support they need.

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Every college student understands the pressure associated with timed exams.  This is perhaps nowhere more apparent than in the high stakes situation of the ACT and SAT.  With so much riding on a few tests, students are under tremendous pressure to perform well and to do it as quickly as possible.  But an increasing number of people are asking if timing these exams is in the best interest of the students and if such rapid-paced test taking is truly an accurate reflection of a student's academic ability.

Valerie Strauss writes in Stop timing the ACT and SAT for The Washington Post that part of the challenge lies with the companies who administer the tests:

Why, exactly, are these tests timed the way they are? Why, for example, do students have exactly 60 minutes to take the ACT math section but 25 minutes to write an SAT essay?

It’s not because extensive research has shown that subjecting students to exactly this amount of time to complete these academic problems reveals something important about a teenager.

It’s because the entities behind the tests, ACT Inc., and the College Board, say so. The big thinking is that high school students need to be tested under pressure to see how they will fare in the pressure-filled environments in college. The other problems cited is the problem of securing and paying proctors and test sites for unspecified amounts of time.

Strauss is not the first person to suggest that timing should be eliminated.  In 2002, Howard Gardner, professor of cognitive psychology at Harvard Graduate School of Education, suggested that tightly timed, high-stakes testing proves very little in terms of future success in college and beyond.  Gardner wrote in The New York Times op-ed, Test for Aptitude, Nor for Speed:

Nothing of consequence would be lost by getting rid of timed tests by the College Board or, indeed, by universities in general. Few tasks in life -- and very few tasks in scholarship -- actually depend on being able to read passages or solve math problems rapidly. As a teacher, I want my students to read, write and think well; I don't care how much time they spend on their assignments. For those few jobs where speed is important, timed tests may be useful. But getting into college, or doing satisfactorily once there, is not in that category.

Indeed, by eliminating the timed component, the College Board would signal that background knowledge, seriousness of purpose and effort -- not speed and glibness -- are the essentials of good scholarship. What matters is not what you have at the starting point, but whether and how well you finish.

Strauss further explains that it is challenging for students who truly need more time to qualify for it.  There are numerous hoops to jump through, many of which involve expensive testing to prove a true need and cooperation with already overburdened high school guidance counselors. She suggests that many students who do need extra time in order to successfully take the tests never get it because they do not have access to the additional expensive advocacy they need.

It is a widely acknowledged fact that many students need individualized instruction or accommodations in order to be successful in school.  Their struggles are not due to a lack of intelligence or desire.  Some students simply learn differently and can be very successful when given the opportunity to approach school in a different way. Eliminating the timed aspect of the ACT and SAT would give all students the opportunity to perform to the best of their ability and demonstrate their true knowledge and aptitude.

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All children need to learn responsibility and one important way to do so is by contributing to the needs of the family.  By having specific chores or jobs to do around the house, children gain valuable experience that prepares them for life.  For ADD children, it also serves as an important way to learn self-discipline.

ADDitude magazine online provides some helpful insights in Better ADHD Behavior Through Chores. As to the importance of participating around the house, the article states:

Household tasks help the ADHD child feel like an important member of the family. Because he may experience more disappointments, failures, and frustrations than the average child, it is imperative that he knows he is needed at home. Choose chores that you know he can complete successfully. This will build self-esteem.

The article offers sensible, easy to implement suggestions. These suggestions include considering the child's age and abilities, demonstrating how to do the chores correctly, and establishing deadlines.

Although ADD children may struggle with organizational skills, they can be helpful and contributing members of the family.  By planning ahead and focusing on success, children can learn new skills and feel good about their role in the family.

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The lure of the television, video games, and online activities means that children today are spending less and less time outside.  Recently labeled Nature Deficit Disorder, there is growing concern that children today are completely disconnected from any meaningful interaction with nature.

Education.com offers a list of The Ten Actions Parents Can Take to Prevent Nature Deficit Disorder.  Among the ten are:

• Plant a garden
• Plan a weekly or monthly surprise outdoor adventure
• Take a daily or weekly walk together as a family after dinner

The article provides other ideas for getting children involved with the great outdoors including a list of links to organizations with helpful suggestions for making the most of a child's time in nature.

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A long-term study by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development indicates that children who receive low-quality childcare during the first four and a half years of their lives show continued problems on into adolescence.

As reported in The Washington Post in Study finds that effects of low-quality child care last into adolescence, the federally funded study has followed over 1,300 children since their infancy in 1991.

The researchers collected detailed information about the type and quality of care the children were receiving through age 4 1/2 , including whether their custodians were parents, other relatives, nannies, babysitters or day-care centers in or outside a home, as well as the number of hours of which kind of care each child received. The subjects underwent tests assessing their academic and cognitive skills, and parents and teachers answered questionnaires about each child's behavior. The quality was assessed based on observations of a host of factors, including the caregivers' warmth, sensitivity, emotional support and how much cognitive stimulation they provided.

Higher-quality care was linked to children having fewer behavior problems as they grew older as well as higher achievement in areas such as math, reading and other cognitive skills. Children who spent time in low-quality care suffered the negative effects of it regardless of the family's socioeconomic standing.

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Children who are both gifted and learning disabled (known as 2e or twice exceptional) face unique challenges as do their parents and teachers.  Correctly identifying 2e students is the first step in meeting their specific academic, personal and social needs.  The 2e Newsletter offers a helpful overview in Twice-exceptional Students: Who Are They and What Do They Need? by Micaela Bracamonte.

Specifically identifying students has become somewhat easier as researchers have uncovered some distinct tendencies among 2e children.  Bracamonte writes:

By analyzing the records of students currently in 2e programs, researchers have developed a profile of twice exceptionality. 2e students typically perform at very high levels on some, but not all, of the gifted screening tests used by public schools. On the other hand, they tend to simultaneously perform very poorly on one or more of the local, state, or national standardized assessments used to measure individual student progress. One of the hallmarks of twice- exceptionality, then, is inconsistency in performance and, in particular, in test results.

Bracomonte provides four profiles of "typical" 2e students. These short overviews give a glimpse of the complexity of identifying 2e students in the school setting. She then offers five strategies for working with twice exceptional students:

• Play to their strengths
• Address social and emotional needs
• Incorporate counseling support
• Provide organizational guidance and one-on-one tutoring opportunities
• Integrate technology

Bracomonte clearly recognizes the need to provide these twice exceptional students with an appropriate education.  She writes in closing:

The ideal classroom environment for the twice-exceptional student is very far from what exists... With a handful of exceptions, highly promising, creative students with learning differences continue to be systematically denied what they need in school – a flexible combination of acceleration, remediation, and social/emotional supports – whether the context is general, gifted or special education.

To meet the needs of these children, there must be a paradigm shift from a remediation or deficit model to a strength-based model of education. This is particularly true as a growing body of research demonstrates that learning disabilities also appear to afford and coexist with unique learning strengths. These children need programs and schools that transform the research on twice exceptionality into a daily commitment to combine academic rigor with individualized accommodations and adaptations.

One million of our nation’s most promising, most innovative thinkers – bright children who learn differently, not “deficiently” – constitute a neglected national resource. Twice-exceptional children need an education that fits, and it’s in all of our interests to give it to them.

After school and evenings are packed with activities for the average family.  Homework, sports, meals, more homework and trying to spend at least a little time together as a family means that every minute counts.  If there is a child with ADHD in the mix, then the evenings can become even more overwhelming.

ADDitude magazine has a list of suggestions for families seeking to better manage the after school and evening routine. ADHD Organization Help: 9 Strategies for Stress-Free Evenings at Home takes a look at some of the biggest challenges facing parents and children and offers practical solutions.

Their suggestions include:

• Focus on nutrition
• Consider early evening meds
• Be realistic
• Watch your words
• Run. Jump. Kick.

Their nine tips offer helpful and practical ideas for approaching the evening routine.  ADHD children and their parents may likely benefit from implementing one or more of these tested strategies.

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Groups based on ability have been a fixture of  American schools for decades.  Whether it is reading groups or another area of education, schools frequently divide children into groups for both the ease of the teacher and the perceived betterment of the students.  One teacher discovered that grouping by ability has unexpected consequences.  Put in her own lower level group, the teacher realized the implications of these choices.

Cris Tovani wrote in I Got Grouped for Educational Leadership that her own experience with ability grouping for technology training made her realize some of the challenges faced by her struggling readers.  She writes of the four insights she had as a result of this troubling experience:

• Beliefs affect effort -- and effort affects success.
• Learners need both time and experts to improve.
• Past performance is just that... past performance.
• Because reading levels change, we should change how we group.

When reflecting upon the first insight, Tovani wrote:

I started to wonder whether our beliefs about struggling readers had inadvertently given students permission to give up. I know from experience that when people believe in my abilities, I work harder to prove them right. When colleagues ask me for help with reading instruction, I know they trust me to know what I'm doing. This belief encourages me to produce and perform.

Expressing belief in someone's ability is powerful—especially if the person dishing out the belief is in a position of authority. As a result of being grouped, I realized that people I respected didn't have a lot of confidence in my computer abilities. This public declaration almost forced me to give up my goal of becoming proficient with technology. My initial reaction was, why try? Because no one believed in my abilities, there was no pressure to perform. I was off the hook.

We have inadvertently given many struggling readers the message that no one believes they can or will read in school. Our low expectations give students an excuse to opt out of improving. Struggling readers, like all struggling learners, need confidence, or they won't take risks. And if they don't take risks, they won't improve. Of course, just saying to struggling readers, "I think you're the best reader in the world!" isn't going to magically make them so. But there is a valuable middle ground. Having reasonable expectations and providing scaffolding with strategy instruction may not be flashy, but it's effective.

Success begets success and students who are struggling are in even greater need of experiencing success.  Quite often the first step toward success is to simply have someone cheering them on, encouraging them that they can do it and believing they have the ability to grow and learn. Tovani explains in the rest of the article how she has refocused her own teaching as a result of the experience.

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