Someone recently
asked me how I kept current with research and professional issues. I’ve always felt that part of our job
as professional educators is to keep growing and to learn as much as we can.
First, I believe
it’s important to be a part of professional organizations. I am a member of NAEYC (National Association
for the Education of Young Children),
IRA (International Reading Association), and NKA (National Kindergarten
Alliance). It’s very powerful if
you have the ability to attend their local and national conferences, but you
can also stay connected by reading their newsletters and visiting their
websites.
naeyc.org
ira.org
nka.org
I’m also always on
the look out for meaningful books that validate best practices and that help us
“teach smarter.” Here are some
books that I’d let you borrow if you lived near me!
PROUST AND THE SQUID
by Maryanne Wolfe
“How a child first
learns to read is a tale of either magic and fairies or missed chances and
unnecessary loss.”
Here’s what one of
the top reading researchers suggests to help young children learn to read:
1. Lap reading. Language + books = LOVE
2. Oral language. Oral language and cognition are intertwined.
3. Laughter, tears, and friends – books are
safe.
4. The language of books
5. Alphabet knowledge.
6. Phoneme awareness with Mother Goose.
7. Logographic reading.
WHY
GENDER MATTERS by Leonard Sax
Anyone
who teaches school certainly recognizes there is a difference in how boys and
girls act in the classroom and how they learn. What an insightful book for educators and parents!
MIND
IN THE MAKING by Ellen Galinsky
Galinsky
has grouped the research into these seven critical life skills that children
need to know:
1. Focus and self-control
2. Perspective taking
3. Communicating
4. Making connections
5. Critical thinking
6. Taking on challenges
7. Self-directed, engaged learning
SMART
MOVES by Carla Hannaford
This
book explores the mind/body connection so pertinent to classroom learning. Hannaford explains WHY children must
move and HOW to help them move to increase learning potential.
The
interesting thing here is that all of the experts in the field are saying BACK
TO OUR ROOTS! Talk to them, read
to them, sing to them. Let
children move, play, and explore! A
“good education” is more than a reading or math score on a test. Maybe some of our administrators and
decision makers need to read these books and trust teachers to implement more
creative strategies in their classrooms!!!!!!