California Educator

February 09

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CTA photos by Scott Buschman Good Teaching Conference: What members had to say “Teaching 101” wasn’t the theme of the event — but 101 was exactly the number of workshops that participants had to choose from at CTA’s 58th annual Good Teaching Conference. Some 900 CTA mem- bers attended the Northern California edition of the event, which took place Jan. 9-11 at the Hyatt Regency in Burlingame. innovative ways to teach stu- dents their letters and numbers with bouncing balls and twirl- ing pieces of yarn. “Kids sit still way too much these days,” she said. Sheila Gradwohl, Vallejo Educa- tion Association “I chose ‘Teaching Creatively in a World of Standards’ because the emphasis is on how to raise test scores naturally. I want to be able to raise scores without my stu- dents feeling stressed.” Janet Eberhardt, Unit- ed Educators of San Francisco “I find that having ‘cen- ters’ where students can play math games is a good way to keep them focused during noontime and in study hall,” said Eberhardt after visit- ing Ruthie Fagerstrom’s “Putting the Fun Back in Math” workshop. She plans to use the new strategies for students that she works with who re- quire extra help. Jill Breslin, Shasta Unified Elemen- tary Association After visiting the “Flags Around Janet Eberhardt the World” workshop — which showed how teachers can use flags to give an overview of the Euro- pean colonization of the New World and offered participants a CD with lesson plans — Breslin enthused, “I teach fourth and fifth grades and am looking for ways to make them excited about history. I’ll be able to take those tools right into my classroom and put the flags up on my Smart Board.” Nadine Alberts, Cala- veras Unified Educa- tion Association After attending the “Don’t Bore Them: Combining Music, Mo vement an d Le arning” work- shop, Alberts found 24 California Educator | february 2009 Angie Cabrera, Fresno County Schools Office of Education As- sociation The session “Conscious Class- room Management: Laying the Foundation for Succeeding with Difficult Students” taught Ca- brera that she needs to be strict- er, especially with students who play the role of attorney and ar- gue on behalf of other students who get into trouble. “I have a lot of kids who argue like that, and now they are going to get ex- tra consequences. This session really hit home for me.” Pam DiSibio, Red Bluff Uni- fied High School Teachers As- sociation The “No Teacher Left Behind, No Teacher Left Standing” ses- sion was enlightening for DiSi- bio, who felt she learned more about the lies behind NCLB. She plans to use the hypocrisy of NCLB as an example to her students of how politicians spread misinformation by claiming there was a zero drop- out rate in Texas schools with mostly low-income, immi- grant students. “I learned that the Ruthie Fagerstrom ‘Texas Miracle’ was built upon a house of cards. I think my students will find it quite interesting.” sherry Posnick-GooDWin Heads Up! • The 2009 Equity and Human Rights Conference, “Embracing Diversity: Connecting the Generations,” captures the essence in CTA’s Mission Statement: to ensure that the dignity and civil rights of all children and youth are protected, and to secure a more equitable and democratic society. The conference will be held at The Fairmont in San Jose, March 6-8. Visit www.cta.org/mycta/profession/ conferences/cta for more information. • CTA is a co-sponsor of the Secondary Literacy Summit IX, with sessions that highlight best practices for schoolwide literacy, benchmark, strategic and intensive interventions, and closing the achievement gap. The conference will be held at the Hilton Orange County, Costa Mesa, April 1-2. For more information, call ACSA’s E ducational S er vices Department, (650) 692-4300 or (800) 672-3494. • Taking Center Stage – Act II (TCSII) is an online resource offered by the California Department of Education that focuses on ensuring success and closing the achievement gap for California students in the middle grades. Its purpose is to share what experts, researchers, advocates, and practitioners know about the best ways to address the critical academic and developmental needs of middle- grade students. Delivered through a dynamic Web portal, TCSII is designed to facilitate collaboration among educators and provide easy access to research-based content, vignettes of school practices, connections to middle- grade organizations, and helpful resources. Visit pubs.cde. ca.gov/tcsii.

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