Accreditation- Fact or Farce
Emotional Rooms- Poisoning the well
Classroom Tips
Early Childhood Education-which Early Skills best predict School success
Talks we like on TED,
Scott Kim takes apart the art of puzzles
We post this talk in tribute to the late Martin Gardner
Book Review,
Student Diversity
Meeting the needs of diverse learners in our classrooms is a challenge. Indeed, it’s a crucial issue to address in the typical classroom of today where students range from those who are gifted, to students struggling with ESL issues, and where students present many different special needs and diverse learning issues. Thankfully, three outstanding Canadian educators have met and tackled this challenge and offer hands-on, well-tested strategies to deal with inclusion and diversity in the classrooms of this new millennium. Faye Brownlie, Catherine Feniak and Leyton Snellert’s book, “Student Diversity,” is an excellent guide on how to apply current research in education using engaging, fun and easy-to-use learning strategies. What becomes evident in “Student Diversity,” is that good teaching to diversity is good teaching for all. These well-articulated ideas, learning sequences and lesson plans will enhance learning in any classroom from Grades 4 through 12!
A well-organized and practical resource, Brownlie, Feniak, and Snellert present a broad range of effective ways to meet the needs of all students. “Student Diversity” outlines a wealth of diverse teaching strategies which enable all students to successfully learn. Within its covers, educators will find a wide array of practical examples based on the authors’ experiences in their own classrooms. The book also offers a variety of diverse and purposeful ways for students to represent and demonstrate learning. Simply put, the authors of “Student Diversity” have produced a powerful model using what we know to be best practice in teaching and learning in order to make a difference for all learners.
“Student Diversity” is grounded in current research about wise educational practice in literacy, numeracy and formative assessment. Each lesson or strategy is founded on what we know makes a difference for students in teaching and learning. Geared for educators from Grades 4 through 10, Brownlie, Feniak and Snellert offer practical ideas for teachers of diverse grade levels and across all content areas. The book demonstrates models of collaborative practice between classroom and resource teachers that move learners forward. Through the use of concrete examples from real classrooms, thoughtful cross-curricular literacy strategies, and helpful templates and graphic organizers, “Student Diversity” definitely makes the grade!
The intended learning outcomes for the book are to contribute to the discussion of practices that further professional learning, to showcase and foster ongoing formative assessment, and to model options to track ongoing summative assessment of students and programs. It meets the target. Written in an easy-to-read format, the chapters of “Student Diversity” not only build on one another in crystallizing a vision of education that embraces and includes all learners, but also function as stand-alone reference points in the individual chapters. This approach allows teachers to grasp the overarching big ideas, and also to focus on specific areas of their practice which they want to enhance.
“Student Diversity” includes chapters on using the Standard Reading assessment to inform instruction, and to plan lessons that improve reading informational text. The reader is guided towards successful lesson plans for implementing writing workshops and improving narrative writing. Likewise, explicit ideas and strategies for literature circles, an incredibly powerful literacy practice using diverse text are outlined. Another chapter discusses new ways to approach the single-class novel while meeting the needs of learners with ESL, learning disabilities or those who are gifted. Integration of Social Studies and English Language Arts themes, strategies to improve reading in Science, and problem-solving strategies in Math round out the array of ways “Student Diversity” addresses the needs of all students.
Jobs,
Appointments
BEIRUT
Needed
Elementary Arabic teacher
with at least three years experience and a Bachelors degree for a school in Abu Dhabi, UAE
Interested applicants kindly send your CVs to
consulting@rearden-educational.com
Secondary IT teacher needed with at least three years experience and a Bachelor’s degree for an academic institution in Beirut - Lebanon
Interested applicants kindly send your CV to: recruitment@rearden-educational.com
Secondary Math teacher needed with at least three years experience and a Bachelor’s degree for an academic institution in Beirut - Lebanon Interested applicants kindly send your CV to: recruitment@rearden-educational.com
Needed for a school in Akkar, North Lebanon: Secondary Math Teacher with at least four years experience Interested applicants kindly send your CVs to consulting@rearden-educational.com
Full Timer BEIRUT, LEBANON Are you interested being a member in an educational project with schools for only four months? Are you passionate about the educational field and would like to work in a NGO team? Kindly send CVs to info@rearden-educational.com
Experienced consultants Needed for a project in Beirut, Lebanon Interested applicants kindly send your CVs to consulting@rearden-educational.com
Full Timer needed for BEIRUT office Candidates must have a degree in education and at least five years experience in the field Kindly send CVs to info@rearden-educational.com
Web Designers Needed Beirut Candidates must have experience with html, asp, php and MySQL Kindly send CVs to info@rearden-educational.com
Part timers BEIRUT CAIRO DOHA DUBAI Have you had any experience in the education field? Are you looking for a part time, task-based job? Are you passionate about the education field and would like to work with a dynamic, creative team? Kindly send CVs to info@rearden-educational.com
Strong command of both Arabic and English languages, French is a plus.
DUBAI
Office Manager DUBAI
Candidates must have experience related to the education field, managerial skills, and strong command of both Arabic and English languages.
Kindly send CVs to: info@rearden-educational.com
Personal Assistant to the Managing Director DUBAI
Smart individual with a high sense of responsibility who is energetic, hard working, able to multi-task and function well under pressure. Strong command of both Arabic and English languages.
Kindly send CVs to: jobs@rearden-educational.com
Columns,
Letters To Editor
Dear Middle East Educator (MEE) readers,
We want to hear and read your opinions, comments, criticism, praise or suggestions. Your “Letters to the Editor” will help us deliver the information that you need and in the manner that you need it.
The MEE reserves the right not to publish any letter the magazine deems non constructive or void of added value to our readers. The MEE will, when necessary, shorten a letter for size and space considerations.
Your input is very important to us.
We are all ears.
The editorial team
The Middle East Educator magazine
Dear Editor, I wanted to offer my congratulations for the diversity which you offer in your publication. In recent months, I have seen you explore very serious topics which clearly need to be addressed by both the regional as well as the global communities, alongside more instructional subjects that can prove beneficial to readers such as myself as well as your foray into the lighter side of education. But what has particularly grabbed my attention is the passion with which you tackle topics, irrespective of how controversial they may be. Thank you for your efforts. Carmen, Dubai
Dear Editor, I have to say the “Early Childhood” section which you have introduced has really proven popular among my colleagues. The curious thing is there’s such a wealth of information and insight there, and I find myself nodding as I read the articles. These are things we should know, which perhaps we do know, but reading it in such a well-presented manner and explaining the various issues so clearly makes it a treasure for both educators and parents. Maya, Bahrain
Dear Editor, Thank you for the updates the magazine is providing us, educators, throughout the year. I always wait enthusiastically for the “news in brief,” which widens and summarizes what is going on in the world of education around us. I would also like to express my delight at seeing a fair balance between regular sections and novel topics among the articles included in the Middle East Educator. Reem, Beirut
Ask Your Peers,
What Do You Do When A Student Asks You A Controversial Question
I don’t give them my personal opinion about those debatable questions, as students tend to get influenced by their teachers, especially if they like them. Moreover, I usually show the students the different points of views that the question holds and leave it to them to come up with their own answers. Sometimes, it is also beneficial to ask the students to read about the relevant question and then discuss it with them the next day.
Julie from Beirut
The most important thing is to never let the student sense if the topic makes you feel uncomfortable. They look up to you as a teacher, and you must remain objective to retain that image. In my own opinion, if you feel you can’t answer, instead of avoiding the topic or misleading them, explain to them if possible that the question is in fact debatable and help them understand the reasons behind the controversy. Some topics should best be handled by their parents, while others should be handled by a school counselor or someone with training in the field.
Nayla from Qatar
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. I suppose it depends on the question which the student asks. As an educator, I believe in encouraging students to think for themselves, and that means I have a responsibility to share what facts are available to me without influencing their decision-making process. Some subjects are controversial due to the number of conflicting view, and such a case, I would try to make them understand the reasons behind all the opinions, and let them decide for themselves. In other cases, the topic may be one which the student’s parents are best suited to address, and in such a case I would tell them exactly that.
Mirna from Beirut
Question for the next issue for the Middle East Educator:
How do you help students discover their career ambitions at an early age?
Local News,
Abu Dhabi Schools Take Green Route
As part of an initiative designed by the Abu Dhabi Environment Agency, some 50 schools will strive to go green by curtailing their ecological footprint. The Al-Madaris Al-Mustadama initiative, or sustainable schools, will assist academic institutions in the emirate to conduct “green audits” and adopt firm and effective measures to curb their affect on the environment. As part of the initiative, the institutions will train their educators to be able to impart awareness of environmental issues to their students.
Classroom Tips,
Classroom Tips
Box your ideas
Before beginning a science lesson, give each student a box that includes a bunch of things that the lesson is about. For example, if you are learning about energy you can put a chocolate bar, a small car, an energizer bunny, batteries, etc… After you give each child or each group of children a box, ask them to write down what they think the lesson is about. This will stimulate their interest before the lesson and also give them an idea of the different components of the lesson.
You Need a Passport to Get into the Classroom??
Since it is a new school year, with a new group of students and a new teacher, let each of the students create their own passport in order to help them introduce themselves to the classroom. Ask the students to put their pictured on an index card and write a little bit about themselves and keep it on their desks or seats. This way, students will have their passports to “exchange” as a way of getting to know one another.
You Owe Me and IOU!
To start teaching the students the concept of “give and take,” start an IOU board. Whenever a student misbehaves, he or she owes the teacher or another student something, whether it’s a chore or extra homework. Also, when students do well, they can have positive IOUs where they ask a teacher for certain privileges or can be “owed” a reward from the teacher. This keeps student behavior under control while enforcing certain values.
Local News,
Private School Teachers In Saudi Arabia To Take Skills Test
The Saudi Education Ministry has required private international teachers in the kingdom to take the basic skills examination, with the date for the test to be determined once the names of all teachers have been received by a November 2 deadline. The move is aims to ensure that educators wield the basic academic skills needed for their profession. Subjects in the basic-skills test include Islamic religion, Arabic language, English language Maths, Chemistry, Biology, Physics, History, Geography, Computer Sciences, Art, Physical Education, Sociology, Psychology and Geology among others.