Using Visuals to Teach Direct and Indirect Objects in English Classrooms

I was a substitute today in a ninth-grade English classroom.  The students were reviewing direct and indirect objects.  While their textbooks had good examples and practice sentences, I found the need to create a visual that could communicate the basic ideas clearly and quickly, with graphic reinforcement of a simple English sentence.  I created a graphic and shared it with the afternoon classes.

This helped several of the students master the basic concepts quickly.  Those that were still challenged by the concept do not seem to have paid much attention to the graphic example.

Pictures and graphics are frequently great ways to anchor concepts in English and especially for non-native English speakers (English language learners).  Students in the classroom where I was a substitute today already speak English and the graphics help them as well.

"Do What You Love and the Money Will Follow"

"Do What You Love and the Money Will Follow"  Following this link on http://www.amazon.com/ will lead to a list of books related to the idea of passion and Spirit as a focus of life.  When I am engaging in something I find to be worthwhile, I am aware of a sense of joy that I share with the people around me--family, clients, friends, coworkers.

This sense of joy is more important to me that the monetary reward I receive for my efforts--not that I have anything against money.  I have found joy in doing work that I was highly rewarded for and joy in work that had little or no money connected to it.

I'm looking for more joy in my life--and if there's good money involved as well . . ., so much the better. :-)

iPods and MP3 players for Education

This post came as part of a LinkedIn dialog in the "Faculty Room" group. Go to the link to view the group and all of the dialogs.

"iPods as Reading Tools" by Linda Bomar, L. (2006, May-June). iPods as reading tools. Principal, NAESP.org, pp. 52-53

Don't Turn 'Em Off, Tune 'Em In! (2007, September). NEA Today, 26(1), 17. Retrieved July 28, 2009, from Research Library. (Document ID: 1360186081).

I work with technology with both adults and school children. A literacy coach worked with the school district I was in last year and actually got the students to use text messages to improve their writing skills--and to get them totally hooked into his class.

Students love to explore the technology and, at various ages, many love to find porn or anything off-task--true in school and at work. Let's look at a "begin with the end in mind" perspective. If students don't learn to use technology appropriately in school, what do you think they'll do on the job after they finish school?

In the schools I worked in most recently, we did not have enough computers for all students. I had a variety of tasks for students to do on computers (see http://drm-ms-resources.wikispaces.com/). The school had firewalls and monitoring programs so that, for the most part, students had access to what they needed to work on.

While iPods and MP3 players were not used in school, I had students who read at a 3rd grade level able to quote the lyrics of some favorite songs. At the end of the year I was working with eAudiobooks--downloadable books that they could have on their iPods or MP3 players next to their music. The next task is to get them to listen to the books.

Technology is a part of our lives--whether or not we actually own the technology. MP3 players are becoming more and more widespread at lower and lower cost. When we can use the technology as a learning tool, it becomes much more powerful--and even becomes perceived by students as more relevant to their lives.

We do need to educate students and parents about how to be "safe" using technology. (See my "Learning Passport" wiki site--a link on the site I referred to earlier.)

Some observers report that our students have dwindling attendion spans. Our key as educators is to create engaging activities that students want to focus their attention on--and then make the engagement something they value and want to continue. Technology can help--if educators take the time to find out how to use it as a support tool rather than a distraction.