INSPIRED TEACHER BLOG
Seeds of Knowledge
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...When I think about the trajectory of our discoveries together since Leal first found his avocado seed, I marvel at what teachers and students could learn if they had the same freedom of time, imagination, and curriculum.
I set out to make a salad - but together we found the magic of seeds. What wonderful things like this are being missed each day because we focus so much on finding the things we know, and not on the things our children can teach us?
READ MORE...
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Help Spread the Word!
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 Inspired Teaching has begun recruitment for the 2010 class of Inspired Teaching Fellows. You can learn all about our innovative teacher certification program on its website.
Please click on the image above and forward the linked electronic flyer wherever you see fit. Don't hesitate to contact us should you have any questions about this program.
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Classes and Grants
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ROMEO & JULIET: Shakespeare to Engage Today's Students
Thursday, February 4, 2010 ยท 4:30-6:30 pm
This workshop is a co-production of American University and the Folger Shakespeare Library featuring Student performances, strategy sharing, and news about teacher resources.
Location: American University's Harold and Sylvia Greenberg Theatre 4200 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20016 (near Van Ness Street N.W.)
CONTACT: Caitlin Smith at csmith@folger.edu
to register. There is no fee for this workshop, but you do need a reservation!
The Phillips Collection O'Keeffe Teacher Program - March 11 4-8pm $12 Explore exciting ways to infuse your classroom with O'Keeffe's life and art. This program explores the special exhibition Georgia O'Keeffe: Abstraction and Teach with O'Keeffe, a national art and education program.
To learn more and register online for the program click here!
Classroom Earth's 2010 National High School Challenge provides grants up to $4,000 to help support innovative projects to incorporate environmental education into all subject areas. Classroom Earth is committed to helping teachers integrate environmental education into their curricula to inspire their students to help solve environmental problems.
Teachers from all subject areas are encouraged apply. Deadline: Monday Feb. 22, 2010
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Inspired Teaching is now on Twitter as InspireTeach. Follow us to get regular updates! These are new ways you can stay connected to Inspired Teaching and, even better, a way we can stay connected to you!
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Are my students healthy?
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This is Part II in a series on Teaching the Whole Child. Read the previous issue (What does it mean to teach the Whole Child?) here.
When it comes to teaching the whole child, it's easy to wonder if ensuring their health should really be part of our job. But think of it this way: if your students don't come to you healthy, all the planning in the world isn't going to make your excellent lessons stick. Every day that a struggling student is absent she loses yet another day of classroom learning. Every day a student comes to school hungry or hurting, his attention is further diverted from the lesson at hand. Whether you teach kindergarten or high school biology, the poor health of your students will find its way into your grade book. This problem actually affects your effectiveness as a teacher. So, what can you do about the fact that your students would rather play video games than run around outside? How can you change the fact that some of your students rely on school lunches that are loaded with salt and saturated fat? How can you ensure they go to bed early? How can you prevent the inevitable onslaught of the flu?
You can't fix everything, but as a teacher you possess the greatest panacea of all: Knowledge. You can arm your students with awareness and be advocates for their mental, and physical health just as you are an advocate for their academic success. Here's how: - Exercise bodies as well as minds. It's recommended that children exercise at least 60 minutes a day. How many of those minutes can you fit into your lessons?
- Teach about nutrition. This is an interdisciplinary exercise that can involve almost anything: reading articles, doing food experiments, evaluating data, studying cultural diets, measuring for recipes, writing health brochures, the list goes on and there are more ideas in the resource sections below.
- Shine a light on lunch. If the school lunches aren't healthy, tell someone about it. But don't just present the problem - look for alternatives. Mobilize parents behind the issue and teach students how and why to make healthy choices based on what's available.
- Make health a community issue. Create a committee to discuss overall health issues at the school and look for solutions. For example: if the mental health of your students is a concern, find health professionals who might be willing to volunteer their services for a few days each month.
Inspired Teachers are always finding new ways to take care of their students, and the idea of integrating more physical activity into our lessons is kind of a no-brainer. But think how deep our well of teaching resources would be if we shared our strategies with one another! Please email more ideas to Jenna Fournel ( jenna@inspiredteaching.org) and she'll be sure to include them in future newsletters. |
Inspired activities that get students moving!
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Research and Resources
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RESEARCH found on the ASCD Whole Child resources page
Wellness Policy - a National Perspective
This is a study from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2009. (PDF, 102 pgs.) While most students nationwide are enrolled in a school district with a wellness policy on the books, these policies are weak, failing to provide our children with the healthy foods and physical activity they need to learn and grow.
School-Based Heath Interventions and Academic Achievement
This report provides important new evidence that links students' health and academic performance. It identifies proven health interventions and practical resources that can positively affect both student health and academic achievement.
RESOURCES
Action for Healthy Kids
A nonprofit and volunteer network fighting childhood obesity and undernourishment by working with schools to improve nutrition and physical activity to help our kids learn to eat right, be active every day and be ready to learn.
PE Central
This site has literally hundreds of lesson activities for PE and Health Educators - the best news is that the activities are actually interdisciplinary so there are physical activities for math, social studies, language arts, etc. The activities seem to be mostly designed for the elementary grades but there are several health lessons tailored to the middle and high school range.
Move in the Classroom
Dr. Julian Reed, a professor at Furman University, has created a whole training for teachers on integrating movement into
instruction. This site includes a rather comprehensive list of
suggested activities for virtually every subject. While most activities
are written for an elementary school age - they can certainly be
adapted for older students. Check out the activity samples on the
sidebar.
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Center for Inspired Teaching is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that exists to ensure schools make the most of children's innate desire to learn. We do this by investing in teachers. Please visit our website to learn more about our philosophy, programs, and results.
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