Instructional choices:
* Children will be most productive when they are happy and safe.
* Children learn by doing things for themselves. Active learning increases memory retention. Excitement about a topic also increases factual retention.
*A teacher should ask more often than tell. The two best questions are,"How do you know?" and "Does that make sense?". Both have hundreds of versions.
* Language arts should be taught in combination with all the other objectives because providing a context and purpose for an activity is motivating. Providing a child centered and genuine purpose for writing is motivating.
* Integration of the curriculum is the best way to teach higher order thinking skills. Practice in higher order thinking skills (in any grade level) is the best preparation for TAAS.
* Phonics taught as a skill in isolation of others is a necessary but not sufficient condition in learning to read.
* The language experience activity that proves change over time is the best proof of why we use language to remember.
* When learning a second language two conditions are necessary but not sufficient: Personal need and regular exposure.
* Open syllables, rhyme and rhythm in traditional Spanish poetry and songs are wisely used to bridge spoken language to a written form. The skill of reading syllables with consonant blends also has to be taught.
* Both teachers and students should be readers, writers, learners and thinkers.
* It is constructive to give children choices only if they are capable of learning from the resulting mistakes.
* Teachers should exceed all official and legal measures of accountability.
Developmental Stages- Basic Principles
There are developmental stages in every aspect of growth
Higher or later stages are not "better" than earlier stages.
Stages are not necessarily age related.
If we understand stages we don't need to pressure our children unnecessarily.
We cannot push a child into the next stage of development.
Stages in different areas of development are related to each other.
Stage growth is continuous.
Interaction with the physical and social environment results in growth.
Weather | Pets | Magnets | Plants | Rocks | Colors | Dinosaurs | Experiments | Static | Oceans