Teaching

Thumbs up, thumbs down

May 31, 2013 Feedback and encouragement

The importance of meaningful feedback My husband just came in to read a bit of consumer feedback on a product he was researching. The book received rave reviews but the reviewer gave the author three out of five stars because “the box was dented.” We’ve all seen this kind of feedback. Excellent restaurants downgraded because [...]

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Stress and the Brain

May 4, 2013 Body and Brain

Fact Sheet: The impact of stress on learning and behavior Here are a few things to remember about the impact of stress on the brain, and on an individual’s ability to function effectively— academically and behaviorally— in a learning environment. While originally developed for educators, this information is also relevant to parents, and applies to [...]

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Leading Learning with Glenn Capelli

January 26, 2013 Body and Brain

The art, science, and craft of teaching Episode Summary: Did you ever have a teacher who changed your life? Dr. Jane Bluestein talks with author, speaker, and songwriter Glenn Capelli about how teachers can have a powerful impact on a child’s life— for good or bad. They discuss the importance of new and different experiences, including [...]

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Improving Student Behavior through Positive School Climate

January 13, 2013 Behavior Management

It’s not about the rules! From the January 2013 newsletter: There is a strange myth around kids’ behavior that if we just have enough rules (and severe enough punishments), the misbehaviors will disappear. What I’ve observed, however, is an even stranger reality in which the opposite tends to be true. In schools, the longer the [...]

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Stressful or Painful School Experiences

January 6, 2013 Counselors

Events and experiences that can compromise emotional safety The items on this list were compiled from a number of print resources as well as surveys and interviews conducted over a two-year period. (Many items suggested in the literature overlapped or were repeatedly expressed in interviews and surveys.) Feel free to add your own observations and experiences [...]

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So You Want to Write a Book?

December 28, 2012 Blog

Tips for Would-Be Authors (and Speakers) This article is included in The Book of Article Reprints, written a few years ago after numerous requests for help from individuals who aspire to seeing their ideas in print. The following ideas are based on my own experiences and conversations with other authors. There are numerous books and articles [...]

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Jane Bluestein Discusses Emotionally Safe Schools

December 26, 2012 Assessment and Testing

Interview by Kate Bedford ©2001 Kate Bedford, Six Seconds Jane Bluestein is an award winning author and speaker. Her newest book, Creating Emotionally Safe Schools, is a comprehensive look at how we can make any educational institution safer— from an emotional, academic, behavioral, social, and physical standpoint. Formerly an inner-city classroom teacher, crisis-intervention counselor, and [...]

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What About Homework?

December 4, 2012 Counselors

Considerations for educators and parents I google the word “homework” and discover 70+ million results, many of them, on the first few pages, at least, pointing to Web sites offering homework help, tools, or information to use in assignments. Look for research and you can support just about any position you’d like! This is an [...]

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Ways to Model Respect with your Children

November 28, 2012 Behavior Management

Practical ways to teach respectful behavior This list was compiled for a book for parents. Many of these tips will also apply to educators and others who work with young people. • Listen. Make eye contact when your children are talking to you. Make an effort to really hear and appreciate what your children are [...]

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Test Time

November 28, 2012 Assessment and Testing

Bringing balance and sanity to our schools How often do you hear yourself urging a student, “Come on, you have to learn this. It’s going to be on the test!”? I hear this appeal in classrooms all the time, and am certainly guilty of having uttered it myself. Still, I have to laugh, because after [...]

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Working with Different Modality Strengths and Limitations

November 26, 2012 ADD/ADHD

Characteristics and strategies Individuals of all ages tend to learn better when presented with new information in a way that makes sense to their brain and nervous system. Here is some information to help learners of different abilities. Appreciating and accommodating these differences whenever possible can reduce a great deal of stress for everyone concerned— teachers, [...]

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The “Ideal” Student

November 26, 2012 ADD/ADHD

The students we were taught to teach Traditional classrooms tend to favor students with the following characteristics or strengths: Strong in linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligences Academically on grade level (not too far ahead or behind) Learning Preferences: Prefers working in a quiet environment Best time of day: Early morning, afternoon Social: Prefers working quietly alone [...]

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Synthesis of Research Findings on Homework

November 26, 2012 Counselors

by Chick Moorman and Thomas Haller Note from Jane Bluestein: An angry middle school teacher wrote to Chick Moorman and Thomas Haller, asking them to defend the research cited in previous newsletter articles, (two of which are included on this site in the links following this post). Although Moorman and Haller stated that the “burden [...]

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Taking a Stand Against Homework

November 26, 2012 Counselors

by Chick Moorman and Thomas Haller You know what’s happening with homework in American education. Simply put, more homework is being assigned than ever before and it is being assigned to younger and younger children. But is it good? More teachers are beginning to think not. Many professional and thoughtful educators across the country are [...]

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Making Homework Work

November 26, 2012 Counselors

Building Flexibility into Your Homework Policy Any teacher who has ever given out homework has certainly encountered a student the next day saying, “I don’t have my assignment.” Whether pitiful or indifferent, this admission often places us in the unfortunate position of asking why, which puts us in the even more unfortunate position of having [...]

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Is Your Child’s Homework Worth Doing?

November 26, 2012 Counselors

by Chick Moorman and Thomas Haller Note from Jane Bluestein: Here’s another terrific article about Homework for parents and educators. Click here for my perspective in a separate article on this topic. Also note, the emphasis (boldface) in this article is my doing. The drive to assign more and more homework to children at younger [...]

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“Testing, Testing…”

November 17, 2012 Assessment and Testing

And the impact on school climate High scores—not high standards—have become the holy grail. — Barbara Kantrowitz and Daniel McGinn [43] Excessive emphasis on testing can lead to low teacher morale, a narrowed curricular focus, a diminished sense of professionalism among teachers and unethical placement practices. — Larry Lashway [44]

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Presentation: Becoming a Win-Win Teacher

November 9, 2012 Avoiding burnout

Success with Kids, Parents, and Colleagues Presentation by Dr. Jane Bluestein Oh, the challenges of becoming an educator in today’s fast-changing world! We’ll explore what keeps so many schools rooted in win-lose philosophies and practices, personal assets that will increase the odds of your survival and success, and specific strategies for winning in a win-lose system.

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