Blogs

The arrival of spring can mean spring fever for both teachers and students. Teachers have the tough job of keeping students interested and engaged in the midst of spring break, standardized testing, and the countdown to the end of the school year. Even as the year is winding down, teachers have plenty of opportunities to bring valuable learning to their students in unexpected ways. This week’s theme on the Gateway is the human body, a topic that can be adapted to many different subjects and grade levels. A study of the human body can include different types of activities including active games, art, writing, and scientific investigations.

Last spring, I volunteered in a third grade class that was learning about the digestive system. The teacher took advantage of a warm, sunny afternoon and took her restless students outside to make chalk outlines of their partners, and draw in as many different types of body systems as they could. Most students nailed the digestive and respiratory systems, while the circulatory systems on most outlines were wildly imaginative affairs, with great swirls and loops throughout the bodies.

Service learning is an essential component of modern education. Schools have a unique opportunity to help students understand that they are capable of changing their communities and the world. I have worked with one charter school that dedicates one Friday each month to service learning. On these service-learning days, students learn about issues or problems in the community and are given a hands-on opportunity to do something about it. Students learn a lot by using what they have studied for an important and real use.

Students have long been taught that, as adults, they must contribute to society in a meaningful way and for the common good. It’s an important sentiment, and one that many students take to heart. It can be difficult, though, for students to truly understand and appreciate such lessons in civic responsibility when they don’t have the opportunity to actually experience these lessons firsthand. As a result, increasing numbers of schools and extracurricular programs have instituted service-learning projects as part of the curriculum.

It’s finally here! The very first Gateway Resource Treasure Hunt. Don’t miss out on the fun to find some great resources for the classroom while having a chance to win some cool prizes as well. It is easy to participate. Participants in this treasure hunt find specific resources on the Gateway based off a series of weekly clues. At the end of the treasure hunt, participants who’ve found the most resources are eligible to win one of three prizes offered. Anyone can join the treasure hunt at any time, even on the very last week if desired. Use each week’s clues to find the correct resources. That is all there is to it.

"It seems that for success in science or art, a dash of autism is essential" - Dr. Hans Asberger

Increased awareness of autism combined with a rising number of people identified on the autism spectrum has brought attention to the benefits and challenges of mainstream education of students with autism. People with Asberger Syndrome or High Functioning Autism (both on the autism spectrum) can be very intelligent and are often outperforming their peers academically. This academic success can be overshadowed by the social problems and “awkwardness” that frequently accompany the disorders. If teachers can help these students overcome social obstacles, these students will be in a much better place to succeed.

Social relationships can be difficult for any child. Cliques, "frenemies," and the "one-day-you’re-in-the-next-day-you're-out" revolving door of friendships is a common occurrence on the playground and in school halls. Yet while many students learn to navigate the tricky social waters at school relatively painlessly, others have a much harder time of it. For some kids, social skills are not intuitive, and their lack of social dexterity can result in misunderstandings, lost opportunities, and isolation. Students on the autism spectrum, for example, often lag behind their peers in social skills development, which can make their learning environment even more fraught with challenges.

April 15, 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, the fabled ocean liner that held such great promise in the early 20th century. Constructed over the course of three years, and at a cost of $7.5 million (over $170 million in today’s dollars), the ship was heralded as an emblem of the modern age – fast, outsized, and unsinkable.

Although the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic is a perfect reason to bring the topic into your classroom, doing so is easier said than done. As spring arrives, many teachers are scrambling to cover all the topics they are required to cover by the end of the year. Breaks and standardized testing take up even more class time, so adding in an entirely new and unrelated topic is a luxury most teachers can’t afford. In a perfect world, teachers would be able to intertwine the topic within the subjects they are trying to teach before the end of the year. In the real world, it takes a long time to integrate a new topic into tried and true lessons, and it’s easier to stick to the lessons from previous years.

April is National Autism Awareness Month. National Autism Awareness Month focuses attention on Autism Spectrum Disorders and the resources and support systems available to families affected by this disorder. The Gateway has many resources to support teachers, parents, and students around Autism.