In Memoriam of First Lady Barbara Bush 1925-2018

Literacy is an important issue for ESL teachers.

Barbara Bush by David Valdez, White House Photo Office

I was saddened to hear that Barbara Bush passed away yesterday. Barbara Bush was a champion for literacy. She was responsible for helping to pass the National Literacy Act of 1991. She started a foundation to promote literacy which you can access here.

I met her personally during a fund raiser at a Women's literacy club in Naples Florida. I was a news cameraman covering the event.. When it came time for our interview she leaned over to me and asked, "May I give you some advice in a motherly way?"

"Sure, of course!" I replied.

"You had better close the barn door before the horse gets out."

I had forgotten to zip up my pants.

- Dan

Comments

Schoolhouse Rock and Musical Intelligence

I do not intend to turn this blog into a running obituary, but I believe it is important to mention that Bob Dorough passed away on April 24th, 2018. He was 94 years old. He was one of the creators of the Schoolhouse Rock animated musical series that ran during the period from 1973-1985. They were created to help children learn and remember content they needed in their school classes. I can still sing many of these tunes I heard on TV when I was a child. There are many studies surrounding the Multiple Intelligences Theory of Howard Gardner ( Brualdi, 1998). Gardner examines seven intelligences which he defines as "the capacity to solve problems or to fashion products that are valued in one or more cultural settings" ( Gardner & Hatch, 1989). One of the seven is musical intelligence. People may possess and use forms of these intelligences in various mixtures with individuals having greater abilities in some areas than others....

Two Online Graphics Design Tools

In a previous post I showed a graphic which I designed using an online tool at canva.com. This kind of tool can be very useful for busy teachers for a couple of reasons. First, it is inexpensive to use compared to other graphics tools. Many of the templates on the site can be used at no cost, and some cost only a dollar to buy one-time use rights. Secondly, it is quick and easy to find an appropriate template and modify it for your specific use. I have a background in graphic arts and years of experience with expensive graphic design tools, but it would have taken me much longer to put together this graphic about gerunds with those than it did using canva.com. I think most teachers can figure out how it works fairly quickly, but if not, they have an extensive set of tutorials. Once you have finished your design, it is stored in a personal library, and can be downloaded in a variety of file types and resolutions. Another useful online design...

Blended Learning/Flipped Classrooms

A few years ago, during a professional development session at the language school where I taught in Brazil, one of my colleagues presented us with the concept of "Blended Learning." Shortly after that, the director put me in charge of a new High School program based on the Texas Tech University K-12 online program. This program was modified by the educational team at High School Serviços Educacionais (HSE), which is a group that has found a way to give Brazilian students the opportunity to earn an American High School diploma alongside their Brazilian one. They now work with the Mizzou K-12 program, but the concept is the same. Students study content, do projects, and take exams online, like independent study, but also meet in classrooms several times a weeks to get instructional support from a native English speaking guide. This is a "flipped classroom" type Blended Learning approach, and it is proving to be ver...

American English Dan

Search This Blog