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============================================================
THE EDUCATION COMPANION NEWSLETTER
September 1999    Issue #5
============================================================
The companion newsletter to:
Mrs. Young's Super Charged Educational Voyage
Janet Young, Newsletter Developer, Editor and Co-Author
Subscribe:  http://educationcompanion.listbot.com/
Archives: 
http://www.fortunecity.com/millenium/garston/49/archives.html
============================================================
 
==== IN THIS "EDUCATION COMPANION" NEWSLETTER ==============
 
+ Welcome Message / Announcements
~ Janet R. Young
 
+ Team Member Updates
 
+ Mrs. Young's "New Pages On..."
 
+ The Education Companion Survey
~ Last month's poll results
~ The June poll:  Summer Homework
 
+ CONTENT AREAS
Current trends, opinions, lesson plans, methods, tips, etc.
 
Bonnie Bracey's Information Superhighway ~
TRANSFORMING CULTURE THROUGH TECHNOLOGY AND LEAPING THE
DIGITAL DIVIDE
 
~ Michelle's Multicultural Mosaic ~
A NEW YEAR AND NEW FACES!
 
~ Dr. Robert Kizlik's Teacher Education 101 ~
LESS IS MORE, MORE OR LESS
 
~ Life is One Big Classroom with Joan Berger ~
SPACE- THE HIGH FRONTIER
 
~ Technically Speaking with Kathleen A. Catapano ~
VOICING YOUR OPINION...ONLINE
 
~ Including the Physically Challenged With Sheila Estes ~
EDUCATING THE EDUCATORS
 
~ Steve McCarty's East-West Perspectives from Japan  ~
MAKING REAL HAIKU POETRY
 
~ Tammy Bailis' Senior School Musings ~
GUIDE TO DOING A WORD PROBLEM IN MATH
 
~ Audrey's Library Connection ~
CINDERELLA!  CINDERELLA!
 
+ Call for Ideas
 
==== WELCOME MESSAGE / ANNOUNCEMENTS =======================
 
Welcome back to the classroom everyone!  I hope you are all off to a
smooth start.  This issue will be sure to offer comfort and new ideas to
even our most seasoned readers.  If YOU have something to share with us,
SEND IT to me and I will put it in the NEXT issue!
mailto:mrsysuggestions@jrydevelopment.com?subject=to_post
 
~ IN THIS ISSUE ~
 
This "back-to-school" issue offers great ideas for pulling
curriculum together.  Joan Berger takes flight in her
article on "SPACE!  She has a plan (for in-depth study)
to take your students to the final frontier-  complete with
FREE materials-  just for the asking!  You have to read this
one to believe it!  Dr. Robert Kizlik, as always, keeps us
grounded in his article on teacher development.  Tammy
Bailis is still glowing from the publication of her new book
(Mathways, Volume 1;  Pre-calculus Algebra, Euclidean
Geometry and Analytic Geometry.)  Her article this month
makes sense out of solving word problems.  Bonnie Bracey
give us the low down on new-media bridging the digital
divide on the information super highway.  Get ready to "break the ice"
with "pockets" as Michelle Young brings a new look to old "getting to know
you" standards.  Audrey Ciuffo helps us bring more to the same old fairy
tale, with her fabulous selections of "Cinderella" from the four corners
of the world.  Help your students get their opinions across with Kathleen
Catapano's article on merging basic skills with practical cyber and voice
communication.  Sheila Estes shares her tips for building up effective
communication between home and school via preparation and clear
communication at meetings at the BEGINNING of the term.  In addition,
while you are communicating- get in tune with nature as you create
wonderful HAIKU under Steve McCarty's guidance.  There's nothing like
gleaning a lesson from a pro...
 
THE EDUCATION COMPANION DISCUSSION LIST ~
If you have questions, are looking for lesson plans, theme ideas, or have
a great idea to share, this is a great discussion list for you!
TO SUBSCRIBE: Send a blank email to:
the-education-companion-subscribe@egroups.com
 
I suggest that you set your "modify your subscription" to
"daily full-text digest."  This way on a busy message day,
you will not be swamped with tons of email, and you can just
skim to the postings that are of interest to you.  Then you
can simply delete the message and keep your mailbox clear. 
To do this, go to: http://www.egroups.com/group/the-
education-companion/info.html   Once you are logged on to
the info page, scroll down to the "Modify Subscription"
button.   At the "Delivery Mode" field, choose "daily full-
text digest."  Then scroll down to "Apply Change" and click
the button. That's all there is to it.  Now you will only
get one message a day with all the messages at one time. 
 
~Janet R. Young (AKA: Mrs. Young)
 
>>> Feel free to forward this to friends and colleagues, if
copied in its ENTIRETY. <<<
 
==== TEAM MEMBER UPDATES ===================================
 
~ We are proud to announce that Tammy Bailis' new book is hot off the
press!  The title is Mathways, Volume 1.  Congratulations!
 
~  Best wishes to everyone touched by Hurricane Floyd and the typhoons in
Japan.
 
==== WEB SITE REACTIONS ====================================
 
~ Web Site Productivity Survey ~
Take a few minutes to share your needs regarding this web site.
AOL USERS PLEASE NOTE!  Just send a plain old-fashioned email to
mailto:mrsy@jrydevelopment.com .  Your forms ARE NOT sent to me.  When you
fill out the form, all AOL send is a blank email.  So just start with the
plain email and give me a few sentences telling me how to better meet your
needs.  Offer article topic ideas to our Education Companion authors.  Be
heard! 
http://www.fortunecity.com/millenium/garston/49/survey.html
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
~ THE EDUCATION COMPANION SURVEY! ~
 
THE RESULTS OF THE LAST POLL
 
THE QUESTION WAS:
Do you feel that the press is fair in reporting education issues?
 
POLL RESULTS: 
It was a tie.  Folks are evenly divided in their opinion on
what the press covers in education.
 
[ED. NOTE]  If you have an opinion you would like
posted, indicate it at the top your "Poll Vote" message.
Make sure that you state 'how' you want your comments
signed.
 
>>>END<<<
 
----------------------------
THE "September" POLL!
----------------------------
 
What do you think?
 
Do you feel that teachers and students benefit from teachers "getting the
scoop" on next term's students from their previous teachers?
 
There are two camps.
 
1: Yes, teachers and students benefit from teachers "getting the scoop" on
incoming students from previous teachers.  Teachers can plan ahead to meet
student needs in strengths and weakness. They can organize groupings and
head off conflicts between students that would better be seated away from
another student.
 
2: No, teachers and students do not benefit from teachers "getting the
scoop" on incoming students from previous teachers.  Teachers will be
pre-biased towards students.  Students and their home environments change
and it is unfair to judge students based on past performance. 
 

How do you feel about this?
 
Do you believe that teachers should "get the scoop" on incoming students?
 
Share your opinion now!
 
I will post relevant list member ideas on the next issue. 
I do prefer to share opposing views.   However, in order to
do this, folks need to share their comments in addition to
just voting on the current poll. 
 
If you want your comments posted here follow this procedure:
 
-->Be sure to include a short signature tag to follow your comments. This
can include your name, location, organization/company and other
information you feel would
make you accessible to others who may want to exchange ideas
with you personally.   Do not put any information you want
private (like an email address or unlisted phone number!)  I
will not post any comments that are abusive, contain
expletives or are not of a "G" quality.  We all know what
that means...   I will also email you back to confirm that
you want your comment posted.
 
To vote YES- I agree, teachers should "get the scoop" on incoming students
go here:

E-mail:  mrsy@jrydevelopment.com?subject=Sept_YES
 
To vote NO- I disagree, teachers should NOT "get the scoop" on incoming
students go here:

E-mail:  mrsy@jrydevelopment.com?subject=Sept_NO
 
The survey results will be posted in the next issue of The Education
Companion!
 
==== THE CONTENT AREAS =====================================
 
~ Bonnie Bracey's Information Superhighway ~
TRANSFORMING CULTURE THROUGH TECHNOLOGY AND LEAPING THE
DIGITAL DIVIDE
 
A perspective...
 
Dr. Henry Jay Becker said in 1992 " It is only when
technology becomes a seamlessly integrated part of
organized lessons that a cultural transformation within
schools will be accomplished. This cultural transformation
is now under way in some classroom settings where teachers
use video materials to introduce and to structure
subsequent active learning tasks and where computer software
is used as a tool in a larger non-technology-centered effort
to help students accomplish understanding or to produce a
shareable intellectual product. But such integral uses of
technology are hardly the norm."
 
>From this point of view, the question of equity of access
to technologies is not adequately addressed merely by
examining whether black and white children or rich and poor
adolescents are equally likely to be schooled where
computers, televisions or video recorders are present. The
critical questions about equity are about equal access to
effective uses of technologies."
http://www.technos.net/journal/volume1/1becker.htm
 
What has using the Telephone have to do with the Information
Superhighway?
 
Telephone Penetration
 
Discussions of the digital divide often begin with looks at
telephone penetration, since telephone service is considered
a basic communications necessity. In _Thorough Americans:
Minorities and the New Media_ (The Aspen Institute, 1998),
Penn State's Jorge Reina Schement writes, "telephone
penetration deserves special attention because it
constitutes the access point to many of the new services,
such as e-mail and the Internet, associated with the new
technologies...When a person lacks access to a telephone, he
or she is functionally cut off."
 
Schools in many areas have had limited access to the
telephone, since schools telephones accounts were billed the
same as businesses.  Moreover, schools could not afford
connectivity. There are some extreme examples, such as areas
which have been redlined.  There are rural and urban areas
which have been redlined as well for new technology. But in
the schools, the E Rate has made a difference. Community
members and school boards, and stakeholders in a community
can help people create the school plan, and work with them
to create the E Rate application. It is a government form,
so expertise is needed in completion of the form in some
school systems.
 
Digital Divide?  Do the Teachers in Your Community have
Access?  Technical Support?
 
Information tools, such as the personal computer and the
Internet, are increasingly critical to economic success and
personal advancement. Falling Through the Net: Defining the
Digital Divide finds that more Americans than ever have
access to telephones, computers, and the Internet. At the
same time, however, NTIA has found that there is still a
significant "digital divide" separating American information
"haves" and "have nots." Indeed, in many instances, the
digital divide has widened in the last year.  The
persistence of the digital divide between the information
rich (such as Whites, Asians/Pacific Islanders, those with
higher incomes, those more educated, and dual-parent
households) and the information poor (such as those
who are younger, those with lower incomes and education
levels, certain minorities, and those in rural areas or
central cities). The 1998 data reveal significant
disparities, including the following:
 
Households with incomes of $75,000 and higher are more than
twenty times more likely to have access to the Internet than
those at the lowest income levels, and more than nine times
as likely to have a computer at home. (Chart I-2) Whites are
more likely to have access to the Internet from home than
Blacks or Hispanics have from any location.
 
Black and Hispanic households are approximately one-third as
likely to have home Internet access as households of
Asian/Pacific Islander descent, and roughly two-fifths as
likely as White households.
 
Regardless of income level, Americans living in rural areas
are lagging behind in Internet access. Indeed, at the lowest
income levels, those in urban areas are more than twice as
likely to have Internet access than those earning the same
income in rural areas.  For many groups, the digital divide
has widened as the information "haves" outpace the "have
nots" in gaining access to electronic resources.
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/fttn99/execsummary.html
 
Do the schools in your community extend the use of
technology into the classrooms for all?
 
Ideational Scaffolding for Effective Pedagogy Strategies?
 
The effective use of technology is not accomplished by
dropping hardware and tech savvy people in the learning
arena without giving teachers time to explore, learn,
conceptualize, and think about how technology can be a tool
in their classroom. There is no magic piece of software, or
magic computer.
 
It is a change that has to take place in the teacher's
construction of the learning landscape. It has to be almost
seamless, this transfer so that it is just a part of the way
one thinks when planning what will happen in the classroom.
We have to think about what the schools are being asked to
do, and what the objectives are for the schools. Schools
have many missions in our culture. There are crowded
curriculum areas, and societal goals.
 
There are classrooms where this is taking place, but there
are teachers who are being attacked for not knowing how to
use technology. Few critics ever know or understand the
culture of teaching and learning. There are now four
reports that state that teacher time to learn technology
and, the technology learning takes time. 
 
Reflected practice is involved in the George Lucas
Educational Foundation project, www.glef.org.  The George
Lucas Educational Foundation (GLEF) grows out of filmmaker
George Lucas's commitment to education and to a vision of
learning where students are challenged and engaged, have
access to interactive technologies, and are supported by
inspired teachers and involved parents and communities. He
uses his powerful medium to tell the stories of educators,
communities, schools, and integrates the voices in a film
which is a video, which is online as a toolkit, and a book.
http://www.glef.org/learnlive/toolkit/toolkit.html
 
So What If We Do Get Connected?
 
Linda Roberts of the Dept of Education states that  "We all
know that access alone does not make a difference. It's how
the technology is used which points up the critical
relationship between content, teaching, training, and
technology. "
 
There is a crisis in education, in that there is a shortage
of teachers in the US.
 
Teaching is the essential profession, the one that makes all
other professions possible. Without well-qualified, caring,
and committed teachers, neither improved curricula and
assessments, nor safe schools--not even the highest
standards in the world--will ensure that our children are
prepared for the challenges and opportunities in America's
third century. More than ever before in our history,
education will make the difference between those who will
prosper in the new economy and those who will be left
behind.  Teaching is the profession that is shaping this
education and therefore America's future--molding the skills
of our future workforce and laying the foundation for good
citizenship and full participation in community and civic
life.
 
Accordingly, what teachers know and are able to do is of
critical importance to the nation, as is the task of
preparing and supporting the career-long development of
teachers' knowledge and skills. Yet, while we do not ask our
doctors to perform surgery after just several weeks of
clinical experience, we expect students to prepare to become
teachers with only a few weeks of in-classroom training.
While employees in high-performance industries have
opportunities for professional growth and learning, many
teachers do not receive the opportunities for continuous
learning that they need to teach effectively.
http://www.ed.gov/pubs/PromPractice/chapter1.html
 
To understand the frustration that teachers in the classroom
have with using technology, sometimes you have to go there,
to see what is available, the kind of support that is
provided and the ideas that are given teachers, and
the T I M E that is given for learning about technology.
http://www.tc.columbia.edu/~teachcomm/what.htm
 
1.  What teachers know and can do is the most important
influence on what students learn.
 
2.  Recruiting, preparing, and retaining good teachers is the central
strategy for improving our schools.
 
3.  School reform cannot succeed unless it focuses on creating the
conditions in which teachers can teach, and teach well.
 
And finally, here is the piece de resistance.. from Dr.
Larry Cuban. You have to read this article. Read it
carefully and then DO something about it.
 
Dr. Larry Cuban says in Education Week..
" Most teachers use computers at home more than at school.
No technophobes here. So what's behind limited classroom use
of new machines amid a river of technology money?  Here's a
puzzle for both cheerleaders and skeptics of using new
technologies in the classroom. Out of every 10 teachers in
this country, fewer than two are serious users of computers
and other information technologies in their classrooms
(several times a week); three to four are occasional users
(about once a month); and the rest--four to five teachers
out of every 10--never use the machines at all. When the
type of classroom use is examined, we find that these
powerful technologies end up being used most often for word
processing and low-end applications. And this is after a
decade of increases in access to computers, Internet
capability, and purchases of software. In other
organizations (think hospitals, major corporations,
supermarkets), computer use is ubiquitous. Not so in
schools."
 
"How can this phenomenon of infrequent, low-end use of
technology be occurring in our schools? For experts, there
is no puzzle to be solved. The answers are straightforward
and all point to teachers: their insufficient preparation in
universities, their lack of specific training, too little
time to learn, too many older teachers, "technophobia," and
so on, ad infinitum.  Surely, some of these scattershot
explanations have merit in attempting to understand the
paradox of increasing access and infrequent use."
 
http://www.edweek.org/ew/vol-18/43cuban.h18
 
To change the face of education, to leap the digital divide,
to create a community of learners who can transform teaching
and learning with technology as a tool requires that
professional development, and professional T I M E , be
provided to teachers. 
 
Teachers as Learners - Spring 1999
http://www.glef.org/edutopia/newsletters/6.2/frontpage.html
Research shows that effective professional development
approaches are sustained and intensive, experiential,
collaborative, and connected to other aspects of school
change.
 
~ Bonnie Bracey, Arlington, Virginia USA
Independent Consultant http://www.bracey-pearl.org/
US Educationalist & Presidential Advisor on Education & Technology. The
President's National Information Infrastructure Advisory Board,
URL: http://www.iitf.doc.gov/members/members.html
read: Minutes of the Committee on Applications and Technology .
URL: http://www-12.nist.gov/cat/cat-min/941027.html
Member of Vice President Gore's Globe Institute
A member of the Challenger Center Faculty:
A Christa McAuliffe Educator for the National Foundation of Education.
URL: http://www.technos.net/journal/volume1/sb3grewa.htm
Author of The Challenge of Introducing Technology.
 
============================================================
 
~ Michelle's Multicultural Mosaic ~
A NEW YEAR AND NEW FACES!
 
School doors in the USA have begun to open again.  Are you ready with your
ice breakers? Your bulletin board will soon
become a collage of special projects, holidays, and points
of interest you hope will spark a renewed passion for
learning in each of your students.  If you're an upper
level elementary school teacher, you may be thinking of
using your bulletin board for posters featuring each student
in this year's class...
 
How will you do that poster? Will your students fill in
standard answers to those same old questions:   Favorite
color, favorite food, favorite actor, favorite group... The
questions are easy ones. But after the posters are down, how
many in the class--including you--will remember what Bobby's
favorite song is, what kind of pet Keesha has, what Miguel
did this summer, or the new student's favorite food in this
new country?
 
No, I'm not suggesting that you throw out those tried and
true questions. Multiculturalism, however, begins with each
and every one of us.  What better place to start than in the
classroom with you and your students? Use multiculturalism
as a means to ignite your students' fires and, hopefully, to
renew your own. Rather than filling in all of the pieces to
the following suggestions, most of these you'll find I've
left open-ended in hopes that I've also assisted your own
creative juices to flow. Do feel free to write to me if
you'd like to brainstorm on any of these.
 
Add pockets to your posters this year. Just imagine what can
go into those pockets! (We can explore this in a few
minutes.)
 
Make a poster about yourself *exactly* like you expect your
students to make.  Include your photo, of course, and hang
your poster with all the others from the class. After all,
you are a member of this year's class too.
 
     Before I give you the next suggestion, I must caution
     you to be prepared to accept *whatever*  answers your
     students give you.  Don't attempt in any way to correct
     their answers with *your* perceptions of what you
     *think* their answers should be. If, for *any* reason,
     you feel you cannot do this, do *not* attempt this tip. 
     It will seem like such an easy question for students to
     answer, and it will be--as long as you can accept what
     they answer: Ask your students to put down their
     national origins. Their answers can be used to make the
     country or countries of those origins from
     construction paper that can be pasted on their posters.
     There may well be students in your class who cannot
     answer this question, and if you asked them to ask
     their parents, they still wouldn't know. But do give
     their parents an opportunity to answer this question,
     should the situation arise, and get their permission to
     do the following step.   If the parent prefers to
     mention another nation, accept it.   Allow those
     students who don't know their national origins to use
     the USA, or whatever country in which your school is
     located.
 
On their construction paper countries, have students
neatly write the name of the country, look up the
capital, and place a star and the name of the capital
on that construction paper.
 
Ask them to write down, if possible, a custom, a food,
a hero, and a holiday associated with their culture.
 
How about those pockets I mentioned before? Perhaps
one pocket can hold some of the cultural explorations
students will follow this year, or how about a report on
each hero, holiday, or custom? Don't forget recipes for
some of the foods mentioned. Imagine the delights you
and your class might experience this year if some of the
parents can come to speak to the class about their
cultures--or how about an international day in which
students bring a dish representing their heritage? Those
who don't know their origins and have adopted the USA,
or wherever you are, can participate in this project with
ease because they will be the class enablers to discovering
the roots of the nation in which they're sitting.
 
Turn your students' and your introductory posters into
meaningful and tangible learning experiences for the
class and for yourself. From the first day of school,
you have tools in your hands that can pave the path
to a bright, new, and exciting school year, a year filled
with memorable experiences and the seeds for a truly
multicultural lifetime of learning!
 
~ Michelle Young, New York State, USA
http://www.fortunecity.com/lavendar/stradbroke/2/index.html
co-author, _Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow: Meeting the
Challenge of Our Multicultural America & Beyond_ (Caddo Gap
Press, 1996); _Multicultural Moments from Around the World_
(1997);
author, _Daydream: To Our Mosaic World_, in progress for
K-12;
TIPS columnist;
SRHS Trivia Trek host
 
============================================================
 
~ Including the Physically Handicapped with Sheila Estes ~
EDUCATING THE EDUCATORS
 
This is the year of which I never let myself dream. Nate is
a Senior in high school. He is mainstreamed in all classes,
remains an A, B student and is a member of the National
Honor Society. But Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy quickly
teaches a family to set short term goals and appreciate
anything that is achieved during the patient's lifetime.
More and more of the afflicted boys are reaching graduation
day and beyond. Nate has made it to this final year of high
school which will be full of special events for himself and
each of his classmates. What an exciting time this will be
for the class of 2000.
 
Each year presents changes in administration, teachers,
classrooms and physical abilities. I always contact the
school a couple of weeks prior to registration to remind
them that they will have a student with unique physical
needs in the classroom. This sets the ball in motion for the
annual meeting for all involved staff members the day before
classes begin. It is organized by the principal with the
aide of the Special Education department.
 
Nate goes to the meeting which allows new teachers to become
acquainted with him. The remainder of the conference is
conducted without his presence so everyone can ask questions
more freely. Our family has chosen to be very open and
direct with those working with Nathan. For many of the
teachers, he will be the only severely physically disabled
student they will ever have in this small community.
 
I make a few notes to take with me. At the beginning of this
informal meeting, I briefly explain that Nate has DMD and
that it is progressive. From there I go into his physical
limitations and what adaptations need to be addressed. I
attempt to dispel the myth that physically disabled goes
hand in hand with decreased mental ability. For many of the
staff, it is a review with an update of any changes that
occurred during the summer break. For others, it is their
first contact with Nate and they are often wary of having
him in their classrooms.
 
After describing what generally has worked in the past for
various routines I open the floor for questions on any topic
of concern no matter how personal. Rest room assistance,
discipline, prognosis, and length of assignments are usually
discussed.
 
Although many parents may not feel comfortable being so open
with others about their child&#8217;s condition, we have
found it to be the best method for all concerned.
 

~ Sheila Estes, Greentown, Indiana USA
Mother, caregiver and personal slave to son with Muscular Dystrophy
Author of Mr. Leviticus, the library kitten.
Guest speaker
sher51es@netusa1.net
 
============================================================
 
~ Dr. Robert Kizlik's Teacher Education 101 ~
LESS IS MORE, MORE OR LESS
 
Learning for mastery is a powerful idea. As I see it, learning should
always be for mastery of whatever it is that
is intended to be learned.  However, that principle is
sometimes blurred beyond recognition in teacher education
curricula.
 
Let me refer to my own institution as a case in point.
 
In Florida, the Legislature practically micro-manages
education at all levels. In matters relating to teacher
education, its will is implemented through the collective
actions of the Department of Education (DOE) and the Board
of Regents, which approve and authorize programs leading to
teacher licensure. Reactions to public sentiment, the
agendas of special interest groups, and lawsuits or the
threat of lawsuits have caused changes in the teacher
education curriculum. So do the requirements of accrediting
organizations such as NCATE. Whether such changes are
actually improvements remains to be seen.
 
In preparing the syllabi for my courses for the Fall
semester of 1999, I had to infuse or include a host of
objectives, activities, and experiences that relate to such
areas as technology (NCATE), Accomplished Practices, and
ESOL (DOE). Of course, part of this is related to our joint
NCATE, DOE, BOR visit in the Spring of 2000. Our syllabi
have to "look good" for the visiting team. We have added to
our curriculum about 40% more learning outcomes to the
teacher education curriculum and have deleted nothing. There
is more to teach but not any more time in which to teach it.
We have become all breadth and no depth. "Covering" material
is disconnected from any concept of actually mastering it.
Having the objectives in our syllabi is symbolic but has
little to do with what students actually learn or master.
 
Theodore Sizer, the author of Horace's Compromise and a
founding member of the Coalition of Essential Schools, is
perhaps best known for a simple, yet extremely powerful
declarative sentence, "Less is more." To me, this has always
meant study fewer "things" but learn them well.  Holding on
to that principle becomes increasingly difficult as
pressures mount to do more in the same amount of time with
no sacrifice in quality. The almost staccato-like teacher
education curriculum provides students with little time for
reflection or integration, and the possibilities for mastery
of the content are diminished. I'm convinced that such
paradigms will do little to bring about improvement in the
years to come.
 
For a look at some of the ideas and principles behind the
"less is more" philosophy, check out
http://essentialschools.org/pubs/horace/11/v11n02.html
 
Teacher education is not improved by simply adding more to
the curriculum without removing other requirements, unless
of course there can be found some way to slow the march of
time. Yes, less is more, or at least can be, more or less.
 
~ Dr. Robert Kizlik, Boca Raton, Florida, USA
Associate Professor, Florida Atlantic University
Social studies, curriculum, educational technology, thinking
skills Member, Phi Delta Kappa, ASCD. Editorial Board,
International Journal of Instructional Media
Publications include articles on dropout prevention,
thinking skills, writing objectives, teacher education and
the popular culture, curriculum innovation, and using
standardized test scores to predict academic success.
My web site is ADPRIMA: Serious educational tools and
information.
URL: http://www.adprima.com
E mail: bobk@adprima.com
 
============================================================
 
~ Life is One Big Classroom with Joan Berger ~
SPACE- THE HIGH FRONTIER
 
"These are the voyages of the Starship, Enterprise...its five year
mission...to explore strange, new worlds, to seek out new life and new
civilizations..." Sound familiar? You, too, can "boldly go where no one
has gone before", at least in your classroom.:-)
 
The Space Flight Project is now sending out its Call for Participation and
you're sure to want to come on board. What a great way to celebrate the
new millennium and Space Day! This award winning, global, science Internet
project, now in its 5th year, spans a 6 week period, from Feb. 28th-April
7th, 2000. It can be adapted to gr. 3-12 and integrates all curriculum
areas. If you are accepted into the project, a packet of materials to aid
you in your instruction will be mailed to you, free of charge.
 
The goals of the project are:
 
->Students will construct an oaktag model of the US Space Shuttle.
Students will conduct a series of test flights, recording distances flown,
with variations of thrust and weight. Students will research
the topics of flight, space shuttle, astro/aerodynamics, utilizing
library and on-line resources.
 
->Students will analyze data and submit findings via email
following form provided Students' research will be posted to
the membership Students will have the opportunity to
interact with other member classes via email-all member
addresses will be sent to every participant. (Great source
for keypals.)
 
This project has a variety of activities and resources, all
posted on the web at http://www.concentric.net/~jberger5 and
its mirror site, http://www.li.net/~jberger.
 
<sum> Ask-the-Expert-Experts in the field of astronomy,
astrodynamics,aerodynamics, and artificial intelligence will
be available each week to answer questions from the member
classes. All questions and responses will be posted to each
member.
<sum> These experts will also ask Challenge Questions each
week of the members-answers and the experts' analysis of
same will be posted to all members.
<sum> An extensive list of literature resources is listed
for submissions of student Book Reviews., which will be
posted.
<sum> Flight Hall of Fame-students create Who Am I's based
on books they have read about people related to flight-they
are posted on the web site and classes all over the globe
try to guess who these people are.
<sum> Basic concepts of flight-background material for the
teacher and student with experiments to use to support them.
<sum> Project plans for a working model of how to approach
the 6 week unit.
<sum> Coordinated weekly research topics, matched to project
plan.
<sum> Shuttle glider patterns and instructions.
<sum> NASA Resource centers across the US
<sum> NASA Publications for teaching flight
<sum> Spin-offs from the space program
<sum> An extensive list of clickable Space Flight URLs
 
The expected outcomes of this project are:
*Students will learn, through experimentation, how to
collect, record, and analyze data.
*Students will increase their skills in using the web as a 
resource.
*Students will learn the value of a human resource.
*Students will learn to seek out information from a variety
of resources.
*Students will learn the value of sharing data with other
experimenters.
 
We have great fun flying all kinds of aircraft we make and
experimenting with Bernoulli's principle. Loads of
experiment sheets are included in the materials sent.
 
As you may have guessed by now, this project is my own
"baby", a result of courses I have taken with NASA/Space
Foundation at the US Air Force Academy and Peterson AFB in
Colorado Springs. These fantastic week-long courses are the
most exciting and stimulating I have ever taken. We even got
to go inside Cheyenne Mountain where NORAD resides....shades
of "War Games". Just remember, "The only way to win, is not
to play." :-) Email me if you wish info on these courses.
 
PROCEDURE: Submit request for participation by emailing the
form below to:  jberger5@concentric.net
 
Deadline for receiving participation request is Nov.30th.
 
***Please do not request materials if you do not intend to
follow through with the activities. There is NO CHARGE for
participation or for materials.***
 
Mailings of materials will go out by Jan. 14th
 
VERY IMPORTANT*** I have found from experience, that if you
do not have available Internet access in your classroom,
participation will become difficult. The dropout rate seems
to hinge on that factor.  Please consider this carefully as
the mailing of materials is very costly and out-of-pocket.
 
In order to apply, simply copy this form into your email,
filling it in as requested. You will receive an email reply
if you have been accepted.
 
REQUEST FORM:
 
NAME _________________________________
 
INTERNET ADDRESS________________________________________
 
NAME OF SCHOOL________________________
 
SCHOOL ADDRESS________________________City__________________
 
State______________________Zip___________
 
GRADE LEVEL_________________________
 
SUBJECT AREA__________________________
 
APPROXIMATELY HOW MANY STUDENTS WILL BE PARTICIPATING?_____________________
 
WHERE WILL YOU BE ACCESSING THE INTERNET FROM?
Classroom_____Home_____Lab_____
 
DO YOU HAVE ANY SPECIAL EXPERTISE THAT YOU CAN LEND TO THE
GROUP?______________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
 
Hope you will be able to participate in the Space Flight
Project.
 
And here's a note from subscriber, Marvin Selnes, regarding
the mealworm unit:
"A great resource is the Mealworm booklet from GEMS at
Lawrence Hall of Science, Berkeley. I've had great luck with
Cream of Wheat. They seem to survive longer in it and are
more active. Have also used Oatmeal with success."
 
Thanks for the helpful hints, Marvin. If anyone else wishes
to have their hints for any of my subject areas posted,
simply email me with your suggestions.
 
Until next month......
 
~ Joan Berger
Internet Educational Consultant
jberger5@concentric.net jberger@li.net
http://www.concentric.net/~jberger5
http://www.li.net/~jberger
 
============================================================
 
~ Steve McCarty's East-West Perspectives from Japan ~
MAKING REAL HAIKU POETRY
 
Haiku poetry originated in the pithy remarks of Chinese Zen (Ch'an)
masters expressing their enlightenment experience.
One was to the effect that when a cow in one province
grazes, a cow in another province finds its stomach filled.
Easier to understand is Basho, the Japanese poet who
perfected the art of haiku several hundred years ago. A frog
jumps into a pond: Splash. That is it. Simple or deceptively
so? A frog sits still as if meditating, its attention so
concentrated as to be able to suddenly pluck a bug out of
the air.  This time, instead of looking at its reflection in
a pond, it merges with it and transcends the usual mindset
distinguishing subject from object, observer from observed.
It does make quite a splash when reflection succeeds like
that, transcending the contents of the mind, breaking
through to the identity where the mind grasps itself.
 
This is mentioned just to alert the reader that haiku is not
merely short poetry. There is another similarly short genre in Japan
called "senryu" for poetry that does not have a
deep meaning. It may refer to social trends, but it is still
expressed indirectly and with concrete, not abstract,
symbolism. The line needs to be drawn somewhere as to what
constitutes real haiku, or else it cannot be considered an
art. There is also such a thing as doing injustice to
another culture by adopting it inappropriately or
superficially.
 
In this sense poetry is generally not haiku when it uses
words like "I" that are not indirect and probably not deep
in meaning.  Metaphysical expressions such as those found in
the poetry of the West or India are alien to the way of
thinking in Japan and therefore unsuitable for haiku. To
describe one's mental contents also misses the theater of
haiku, which is nature.
 
The five-seven-five syllable form has to do with aesthetics
in the Japanese language, so it should not be a necessity in
English. I have translated a famous haiku by the modern
reformist master Shiki which, ironically, was not 5-7-5 in
the Japanese but was exactly 5-7-5 syllables in my English.
But it is more important that a deep meaning is expressed in
nature symbolism. In good haiku poetry the changes in nature
subtly express the profound changes in the mind.
 
To purists of unique Japanese sensibilities, only Japanese
language poetry generally of 5-7-5 syllables, with one and
only one seasonal reference keyword, and with one and only
one pause or grammatical break, while following other
traditional conventions as well, can qualify as real haiku.
Columbia University Professor Donald Keene, the most
eminent Japanologist, once gave a speech at the "hometown
of haiku," not far from where I live on the island of
hikoku.
 
He stated that only Japanese can write haiku, and it was
clever in a way to adopt the Japanese superficial verbal
communication style of telling people exactly what they
want to hear.
 
Some time before that my haiku poem in Japanese had been
accepted by the most competitive haiku column in a national
daily newspaper with a circulation of over eight million.
he judge passed away not long after that, probably of
natural causes rather than as the price of heroism, but his
commentary had indicated that it was a real haiku poem in
terms of meaning and aesthetic expression. So you can
imagine what I would have made of Professor Keene's speech
had there been any fruit or rotten eggs handy.
 
My collection of published haiku is available online at the
"Bilingual Haiku Scroll" (see URL below) in Japanese,
Romanized Japanese, and English versions. Japanese language
fonts are necessary to view the Chinese characters, but the
English versions can be read normally. Generally I composed
them in 5-7-5 Japanese and tried to make a poetic English
version that could stand alone while expressing the same
insight. So the bilingual haiku genre may be somewhat
unique.
 
As an example of the process, I was sitting in a park
frequented by Japanese blue herons who perch so motionlessly
that most tourists do not even notice them. Then I wrote
what I saw (in Japanese):
A blue heron / preening its heart / white feathers fly.
The moment I put the pen down the blue heron took flight.
The changes in nature had reflected the changes in myself.
 
So in teaching haiku, it may be better to have the students
view or imagine scenes in nature that they feel strongly
about, yet aiming to keep themselves, any description or
commentary out of the picture, such as a change or
unexpected turn in nature. There should be one seasonal
reference, preferably not naming or describing it but
painting a picture of it, as it were, in words. "Blue heron"
in the above example is a summer seasonal keyword, as they
most often appear in summer. Spot the seasonal reference in
a couple more English versions of my bilingual haiku:
 
To young leaves / the world seems / to spin on a branch
 
Snowy moat / ducks as if / baby swans
 
This month's selections for further reading and enjoyment:
 
"Bilingual Haiku Scroll" (Japanese-English)
http://www.kagawa-jc.ac.jp/~steve_mc/haiku.html
 
MPEG Movie of Steve in Japan (12 MB download)
http://lehua.kcc.hawaii.edu/w33.mpg
 
Bilingualism and Japanology Intersection (an Asian Studies
WWW Virtual Library 4-star site) Online Publications Menu
Mirror Site
http://www.geocities.co.jp/Berkeley-Labo/4001/epublist.html
 
~ Steve McCarty, Professor, Kagawa Junior College, Japan
http://www.kagawa-jc.ac.jp/~steve_mc/epublist.html       
an Asian Studies WWW Virtual Library 4-star site)
President, World Association for Online Education:
http://waoe.org/
E-mail: steve@kagawa-jc.ac.jp
 
============================================================
 
~ Tammy Bailis' Senior School Musings  ~
GUIDE TO DOING A WORD PROBLEM IN MATH
 
Doing a math word problem is like knowing where you are and where you want
to be and having to find the way to get to there from here. Though that's
true about life in general, in Math, there's one extra condition governing
the action -- in Mathland, you must find THE BEST WAY -- THE MOST
EFFICIENT AND PRECISE WAY -- to get to there from here. So doing a math
question can be compared to having to find a specific path of stepping
stones across a wide river -- a path which begins on the stone where you
are on this side of the river, ends where you want to be -- on the last
stone -- on the other side of the river -- when all the stones in between
are unknown -- they have ?s on them. The objective of the exercise is to
find those unknown stepping stones.
 
In math, as in life, there are often many ways to get to where you want to
be from where you are, but in Mathland, your mission is to find the
straightest road between the two. You're looking for a bee line from here
to there. You're not looking for the scenic route -- you want the
autoroute -- the expressway. So how do you find it? You can't look at a
map like you would if you were going from one city to another. What you
must do is find the right combination of given facts and previously
learned properties which leads to the solution of the problem.
 
Say you're working with this problem: A farmer buys 1000 yards of fencing
in order to enclose a rectangular field. If he wishes to enclose a maximum
area, what dimensions should he make the field? In a case such as this,
the first thing to do is make a diagram! Since you know that the field is
rectangular and you know that opposite sides are equal, your diagram
should indicate that.
 
Now, say we make the width of the field x yards. (Put x on 2 sides in your
diagram)This means he has to use 2x yards for the fence along 2 sides,
leaving 1000 - 2x yards to split between the other two sides. So each of
those other sides is ½(1000 - 2x) or 500 - x yards long.(put this in your
diagram too) Now you know that the area of a rectangle is base times
height, so we can express the area of the field as A = x(500 - x) or A =
-x2 + 500x. This of course, you should recognize as a parabolic function
that has a maximum value for A since the coefficient of the x2 term is -1.
You simply solve for the x value that yields the maximum for this function
and you will have answered the question. We can see that the zeros of this
parabola are x = 0 and x = 500, so the axis of symmetry, which is half way
between the zeros happens at x = 250. The answer then is to make the field
a square that is 250 yards on each side.  (I tried to get the following
image to line up properly.  If it didn't come across with straight
lines, you will be able to see it correctly on the online version
when it is put up.)
   
          500-X
      ************
      *          *
   X  *          *  X
      *          *
      ************
          500-X
 
So how did we find the solution? We used the two facts given in the
question: ie. that the field was rectangular and had a perimeter of 1000
yards, and our knowledge of the area function for a rectangle as well as
our techniques for finding the x-coordinate of the vertex of a parabola.
We therefore have found the most direct route from where we were to where
we wanted to be. This is what all math questions are about, finding the
most direct route from what we know to what we want to know.
 
~ Tammy Bailis, Montréal, Québec
BA (McGill U.)
Masters in Teaching Mathematics (Concordia U.)
Author:
- Mathways, Volume 1:  covering pre-calculus Algebra,    Euclidean
Geometry and Analytic Geometry.
- Sinostrology: A Guide to the Zoo (published 1998 by The American
Federation of Astrologers); (French version published 1990 by les Editions
de Mortagne)
E-mail: piglet@vif.com
 
============================================================
 
~ Technically Speaking with Kathleen A. Catapano ~
VOICING YOUR OPINION...ONLINE
 
Isn’t it frustrating that you don’t usually have time to
send your ideas or messages of support or protest to the
places where they will have an impact? The thoughts and
words are right at hand, but the time to actually write the
letter and mail it is most difficult to find. There is hope!
 
Your computer is a great way to send your remarks to the
appropriate places easily and efficiently.  Email is the
answer. Dashing off a reasoned message to your senator,
congressperson, television network, or favorite sports team
is convenient and effective. Email addresses for the United
States Congress are available at
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/1411/index.html. The
Senate Email List and Tutorial
http://www.northernwebs.com/senate/) offers guidelines for
writing letters of opinion. Additionally, many institutions
now have websites --- stores, schools, sports teams,
airlines, and even the White House --- where messages can be
left. Access them and share your opinion.
 
Using the web or email to voice an opinion is a wonderful
project for students as well. It encourages writing,
requires knowledge of a situation, analysis of the issue and
development of an informed opinion. Youngsters can
learn to express and defend both their negative and positive
opinions in an appropriate and informed way. What a powerful
lesson that is.
 
~ Kathleen A. Catapano, Brooklyn, New York USA
Educational Technology,
Medgar Evers College - CUNY
E-mail: catapano@mec.cuny.edu, pkcatapano@aol.com
 
===========================
 
~ Audrey's Library Connection ~
CINDERELLA!  CINDERELLA!
 
Welcome back to school! As a librarian, I'm looking forward
to kick into high gear so that our students will be
motivated to begin library usage. I thought that I would
begin with something to spark interest in reading and
borrowing books.
 
As I have each class come to the library for their
orientation, I do a mini lesson on some of the "Cinderella"
stories. I explain that there are "Cinderella" stories frome
all over the world. First I ask a class to describe the
original version of Cinderella. Then I read one of the
various Cinderella stories from another country or region to
the class. I had the class compare and contrast the stories
using a graphic organizer. The children enjoyed hearing a
different version of an old familiar story, and at the same
time got to use study skills. I displayed quite a few
different versions and the children were clammoring to take
out those titles.
 
Some of the books I used in this lesson are:
> Smoky Mountain Rose - An Appalachian Cinderella by Alan
   Schroeder, Dial Books 1997
> The Talking Eggs by Robert D. San Souci,Dial Books 1989
> The Egyptian Cinderella by Shirley Climo,Harper Collins,
   1989
> The Korean Cinderella By Shirley Climo, Harper Collins
   1993
> Jouanah - A Hmong Cinderella by Jewell Reinhart Coburn,
   Shen's Books 1996
> Chinye - A West African Folk Tale by Obi Onyefulu, Viking
   Press 1984
> The Enchanted Anklet By Lila Mehta, Lilmur Publishing 1985
> The Irish Cinderlad by Shirley Climo,Harper Collins 1996
 
Have fun using these different books.
 
If YOU have a theme you would like me to address in this
column, send your suggestion to:  mailto:aciuggo@ps161.com
 
Have a great school year!
 
~ Audrey Ciuffo, New York, New York  USA
Teacher, Mentor, Library Technologist
http://www.ps161.com/libpower.html
E-mail:  aciuffo@ps161.com
 
==== CALL FOR IDEAS ========================================
 
Do you have tips or opinions on current theories/methodologies to share?
Do you have a great site you think I should add to Mrs. Young's Super
Charged Educational Voyage
? Submit it!
E-mail:  mrsysuggestions@jrydevelopment.com
 
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Mrs. Young's Super Charged Educational Voyage, Janet Young,
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Companion Newsletter
" ~~
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