Seth | Imagine This!

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Preparing students to compete in a global economy

Just a decade ago, if you asked someone which country in the world had the greatest number of proficient English speakers, they would have said the United States—and they would have been correct. If you asked that question today, the response would usually be the same; however, few people would be overly shocked to learn that India actually holds that position now. In a country of 1.2 billion people, one third of the population of India is proficient in conversational English, with around 100 million speaking well enough to communicate professionally.

The world is a much smaller place than it used to be just a few short decades ago. Advances in technology have made it possible to communicate and, more importantly, collaborate with people around the world. The economic, social, technological, and organizational effects of this flattening of the world, as Thomas Friedman called it, are countless and universally significant. Its effects on education and the future of America’s students are no less important. Read more »

Posted by Seth in Education in the news, Education links, English Learners | No Comments »

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Tips to help your students get the most from Imagine Learning English

I recently asked Imagine Learning‘s director of training to share some of the challenges educators encounter that prevent their students from getting as much from Imagine Learning English as they could. I thought it would be instructive to share some of her observations and offer some tips that can help you overcome these roadblocks if you’re experiencing them too.

The most common issue she hears is that scheduling frequently makes it difficult to give students enough time in the lab. Often it’s a tough decision of limiting the student’s exposure to another subject in favor of increasing their literacy or second language acquisition time. While it may be obvious to a student’s classroom teacher that more time spent using the program would be beneficial, if your school has specials teachers, more coordination between instructors may be needed to determine what will best serve the child.

So how have other teachers addressed this challenge? Let me share two suggestions that have worked for many schools using Imagine Learning English. Read more »

Posted by Seth in English Learners, ESL, Imagine Learning English, Tech tips | No Comments »

Monday, May 2, 2011

5 ways music can help your English learners

Research from a few years ago painted music as the panacea for all second language instruction. The ensuing buzz created several products and systems based on that assumption. Though the hype has died down, using music as one educational tool among many is still just as effective as it ever was, when used properly.

I recently spoke with my mom about her career as an educator and how music has helped the English learners she’s worked with. She’s taught first through sixth graders for the last 30 years, in the classroom and as a music teacher, and it’s always fun to hear her enthusiasm as she talks about how her students respond to the songs and instruments she uses in her classes.

Based on my conversation with my mom, as well as insights from other educators, here are five ways music can help your English learners: Read more »

Posted by Seth in ESL | No Comments »

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Is a passion for reading just as important as knowing how to read?

Why do you love to read? What made you transcend your first picture book to tackle chapter books and then full novels and nonfiction? When I ask myself this question, two things come to mind immediately: gathering on my parents’ bed while they read to us at night, and watching Reading Rainbow.

I was just four years old when Reading Rainbow first aired on PBS, so the program was with me from the very beginning as I learned to read. In my favorite episode, host LeVar Burton took viewers behind the scenes of his other role as Geordi La Forge, navigator of the starship Enterprise on Star Trek: The Next Generation. I was fascinated by the hidden process of creating a TV show.

When I learned that after 26 years in production, Reading Rainbow had failed back in August 2009 to secure the funding needed to continue, I was saddened (and a bit behind the curve, because I just found this out a few weeks ago). Of all the shows I enjoyed as a child, Reading Rainbow is the only one I really wish were around for my kids to watch. The article I read said that the focus for early childhood education has moved educational TV toward teaching phonics and more basic reading skills, rather than instilling a love for reading in children.

Posted by Seth in Early Childhood Education, Education in the news, Imagine Learning English, Struggling Readers | 2 Comments »

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Does better nutrition mean better learning?

Moms have been saying this for years, usually while shoving a piece of toast and a banana into the hand of a child rushing to catch the bus, and a growing body of research is backing up that maternal logic. A post from earlier this month examined how the quantity of food can affect students, so because March is National Nutrition Month and I’m a nutrition enthusiast, let’s talk about how the quality of what kids eat can affect their capacity for learning.

The most basic studies have found that a balanced profile of protein, complex carbohydrates, and unsaturated fats is the best framework for childhood nutrition. When any of these important groups overshadows the others, significant health concerns that relate directly to a child’s ability to learn can quickly become apparent.

Several studies have also examined the effects of specific micronutrients on learning, and while the importance of things like iron, folate, and iodine are pretty well established, research is still emerging on nutrients like vitamin B-12 and omega-3 fatty acids.

Here’s a quick list of nutrients thought to be of particular importance to the developing minds of school-age children: Read more »