A playful approach....

Great article:

A playful approach to learning means more than imagination and exploration.

"Origami" map.

Interesting article: 

THE MAP THAT SHOWS WHAT THE WORLD REALLY LOOKS LIKE

The traditional map of the world, known as the Mercator map, may be the most often seen image of our planet but it is also considered highly inaccurate because Antarctica and Greenland are greatly distorted.

Now, a Japanese artist and architect believes he has solved this 447 year old problem with an 'origami map' that represents landmasses and seas as accurately as possible.

You can buy the map HERE

It would be a wonderful activity to try with our students. What do you think?

The Window and its Cloud.

After writing the post: 

 grammatica-della-fantasia 

I could not help but experience with the first activity that the book proposes: THE FANTASTIC BINOMIAL.  It was during an after school club. Without anyone seeing him, one child wrote,  on one side of the paper the word CLOUD; another, on the other side, the word WINDOW. Then they have to invent a "title" in which the two words appear: they decided it would be THE WINDOW AND ITS CLOUD. And this is what they built using LEGO STORY STARTER... As you see, it is an activity which gives us a very simple starting point to stimulate the imagination and start up a story. 

Grammatica della fantasia. Introduzione all'arte di inventare storie.

After visiting Gianni Rodari Primary School in Saronno, I would like to share with you one of the most inspiring books I have ever read regarging teaching in primary school: Grammatica della fantasia. Introduzione all'arte di inventare storie, by Gianni Rodari. It is a superb "manual" to stimulate the creativity of students.

This little book written by Gianni Rodari, teacher, journalist and writer of children's fiction, is a valuable tool for teachers and for all those who, through words and games, want to discover the colors of images and the power of imagination.

Written in 1973 after a series of meetings with teachers in elementary and middle schools throughout Italy on the theme of "Fantastica", the book by Rodari offers ideas, tips and tools for those who believe in the pedagogy of creativity and gives a right educational and instructional value to imagination.
I guess all these ideas, tips and tools can make a perfect match with LEGO STORY STARTER. Does anyone want to try?

Warm and Fluffy in class O.

Class O has recently heard the story of Warm and Fluffy. Later they created their vision of the story with LEGO. Each child chose one part of it and in the end they described their works.


In the end, we came to the conclusion that kindness and good are the notions, which once introduced to our hearts, lead to happiness in life.

By Marzanna Karpińska

10 Children´s Books That Teach Acceptance and Empathy.

Wonderful site:

  http://homegrownfriends.com/new-start-here.html

 I hope you enjoy it. In this post http://homegrownfriends.com/home/10-childrens-books-that-teach-acceptance-and-empathy/ you can find the links to the books. 

Wonder by J.R.Palacio

Fernando Beltrán recommended me the book titled ‘Wonder’ by R.J. Palacio.

‘Wonder’ is about a young boy, August Pullman, who has a congenital facial abnormality. After being homeschooled, he enters school for the first time in fifth grade and has to cope with a range of reactions to his unusual appearance, as well as a lot of typical middle school drama. Some kids use hateful language, and some people suggest that Auggie is mentally deficient. These situations are upsetting, as are other hardships that Auggie's family endures, including loss of a beloved family pet. However, goodness wins out, and readers should find it inspiring and uplifting.

Here you have the webpage where you can even find questions to discuss in your classroom maybe with students at secondary school. http://rjpalacio.com/index.html

If you are not yet decided to read it, have a look inside the book in this link :

Look inside

Book review

'Suggestions for the Training of Teachers of English in the European Educational Context' is a book written by Ramiro Durán , Sonsoles Sánchez-Reyes and Fernando Beltrán, all of them teachers at different Schools of Education part of the University of Salamanca.

When Fernando Beltrán knew what our project was about, he told me about this book because in a way, it is related with our project.

It is a manual full of suggestions, ideas and experiences. It presents the different European frameworks where the teacher training can take place so that we can enrich our didactic and linguistic approach to the teaching of English.

You can find in the book different ways to introduce vocabulary in the classroom, how to use storytelling, songs and rhymes, guidelines for teaching CLIL, etc.

In conclusion, it is a very valuable book, not only for teachers of English but also for university students who are studying for being teachers.

Finnish Lessons

Finnish Lessons is a firsthand, comprehensive account of how Finland built a world-class education system over the past three decades. The author traces the evolution of education policies in Finland and highlights how they differ from those in the United States and other industrialized countries. Rather than relying on competition, school choice, and external testing of students, education reforms in Finland focus on professionalizing teachers' work, developing instructional leadership in schools, and enhancing trust in teachers and schools. This book details the complexity of educational change and encourages educators and policy makers to develop effective solutions for their own districts and schools. 

Pasi Sahlberg recounts the history of Finnish educational reform as only a well-traveled insider can, offering the insight and facts necessary for others to constructively participate in improving their schools - even in a tightening economy.

World Water Day

A day for water and water for

sustainable development

                            http://www.unwater.org/worldwaterday

How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character

Why character, confidence, and curiosity are more important to your child’s success than academic results. The New York Times bestseller. 

In a world where academic success can seem all-important in deciding our children’s success in adult life, Paul Tough sees things very differently.

Instead of fixating on grades and exams, he argues that we, as parents, should be paying more attention to our children’s characters.

Inner resilience, a sense of curiosity, the hidden power of confidence - these are the most important things we can teach our children, because it is these qualities that will enable them to live happy, fulfilled and successful lives.

In this personal, thought-provoking and timely book, Paul Tough offers a clarion call to parents who are seeking to unlock their child’s true potential – and ensure they really succeed.

Beyond Bulimic Learning

Students are bingeing on large amounts of information and then, in government induced bouts of vomiting otherwise known as national tests, they spew it all out. This is how Frank Coffield introduces the term Bulimia Academica, which he treats every bit as seriously as its medical counterpart. Students resort to bulimic learning to cope with a testing regime that ministers in England would have you believe is robust and rigorous, but is in fact purgative and emetic. This book presents not only a powerful critique of current government policies, but also a considered response to that all-important question from classroom teachers: Within the tight parameters set by government policy, what could I do more effectively in class next Monday? This book argues that, although there is no such thing as ‘best practice’ to identify and copy, there are a number of far more effective approaches, such as harnessing the potential power of feedback. Three co-authors also make important contributions that extend the scope of the book. John Webber introduces the notion of ‘studentship’ – the skills, behaviours, and beliefs that students need to become better at learning and thinking. Cristina Costa shows how students’ creativity can be released by using new technologies. And Walter Müller points to the damaging effects on German schools of politicians treating them as economic instruments in the global race, subjected to market discipline. Written in a clear, engaging, and thought-provoking style with a compelling evidence base, Beyond Bulimic Learning is much more than a ‘how to’ book to improve teaching in the adult and further education sector. It also explores in detail the central question: Can we transform classrooms and colleges without first transforming the role of the state?

Multiple intelligences

The geneses:

Last year the team of teachers attended a lecture by two Canadian teachers, Mr Gervais Sirois and Mrs Sylvie Dubé about “Multiple intelligences”. We pointed out our thinking and practice on ourselves first, to be able to transfer this experience to the pupils. Since then, some of us are teaching with this new point of view, especially with children with special needs. The teachers pay special attention to make the pupils use different ways of learning by proposing them different attitudes regarding the 7 types of intelligences.

What do multiple intelligences mean?

I invite you to read the article by Carla Lane from "The Distance Learning Technology Resource”.

Howard Gardner of Harvard has identified seven distinct intelligences. This theory has emerged from recent cognitive research and "documents the extent to which students possess different kinds of minds and therefore learn, remember, perform, and understand in different ways," according to Gardner (1991). According to this theory, "we are all able to know the world through language, logical-mathematical analysis, spatial representation, musical thinking, the use of the body to solve problems or to make things, an understanding of other individuals, and an understanding of ourselves. Where individuals differ is in the strength of these intelligences - the so-called profile of intelligences -and in the ways in which such intelligences are invoked and combined to carry out different tasks, solve diverse problems, and progress in various domains."

I invite you to read more about Howard Gardner’s works on Wikipedia or on many other websites. Nowadays most of the teachers are teaching using different ways to help the understanding and learning; but the strength of the method is to combine and to think about all this intelligences to make it easier for the children, especially the ones who resist at “traditional teaching”. When you propose Playmobil to learn a foreign language you use bodily-kinesthetic intelligence by using the body, touching things.

Dominique Mottet – teacher of Sainte Thérèse for pupils with special needs

How to talk so kids can learn at home and in school

Using the unique communication strategies, down-to-earth dialogues, and delightful cartoons that are the hallmark of their multimillion-copy bestseller How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk, Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish show parents and teachers how to help children handle the everyday problems that interfere with learning. 

Anyone who works with children should use this book as a reference and re-read it every year or two. Not simply because these methods are effective - which they absolutely are, when practiced faithfully - but because Faber and Mazlish promote a style of teaching/parenting that helps a child develop a positive self-image, strong skills of communication, empathy for others, and self-control.

The Underachieving School

John Holt, the “grandfather” of homeschooling, shook up the education establishment and started parents thinking about better ways to teach their children. In this book he lays out his basic arguments about how schools fail our children and offers a wealth of inspiring ideas for what to do about it. 

The Underachieving School is a collection of essays and articles written and compiled by Holt, each brimming with inspiration and ideas on how to teach children. Taking into account how children actually learn, this book shows us the difference between learning and schooling through his original thinking; clear, thoughtful writing; and firsthand accounts of what does and doesn’t work in education. 

“Education is something a person gets for himself, not that which someone else gives or does to him.”

From the book

http://playpen.meraka.csir.co.za/~acdc/education/Dr_Anvind_Gupa/Learners_Library_7_March_2007/Resources/books/underachieving.pdf