Students with ASD

ASD=Autism spectrum disorders

I have just reviewed one of my favorite journals, Intervention in School and Clinic, in particular the September 2009 issue. One of the articles titled “Supporting students with autism spectrum disorders  in inclusive settings” by Debra Leach and Mary Lou Duffy provides a solid overview to strategies for general education teachers whose classrooms include students with ASD. The authors divide them into three categories: preventative, supportive and corrective.

If you would like to read this article, the Library can send you a print copy or email it to you from our journal databases.

Rowan

New Ministry Arts (K-8) document

Over the past couple of years the Ministry has been revising the curriculum documents, the most recent being the 2009 The Arts for K-8.  It is at least triple the size of the old one, nicely formatted with a fabulous glossary for the included subjects (dance, drama, music, and visual arts). 

Teachers can read it online <here> or get your school to contact the TDSB Curriculum Resources Department- they have some free print copies to distribute. Email them at  curriculumdocs@tdsb.on.ca or phone (416) 395-6571.

Rowan

2 new books

We receive new books all the time, and titles  can be so predictable (reading, math,  assessment, success….you get my drift).  I like to mention books that are not more of the usual, so here are 2 new books with fun titles/content.

1. Hit me again.. I can still hear him: The secrets of public speakingby John Miers. Short and reader friendly, this book has great advice for anyone venturing into the realm of public speaking, or for anyone whose skills need fine tuning.
2. Extreme dreams depend on teamsby Pat Williams (Sr VP of the Orlando magic). Readable, uses lots of sports analogies to demonstrate the importance of teamwork to the success of an organization.

Teachers may contact the library at (416) 395-8289 to borrow.

Rowan

Copyright in K-12 schools

The old Pan Canadian Licence is no longer in effect having been replaced with the Access Copyright Tariff, 2005-2009.  Access Copyright has created a new document The ABCs of the Access Copyright Tariff available on their web page. It includes one page that summarizes the dos and donts of the tariff in easy to read language and several pages of FAQs that provide more detailed information.  If you have any questions about photocopying in K-12 schools, this is great place to begin.

Rowan

Brain Exercises and School Success

The idea that brain is pliable and that the weak parts can be strengthened with cognitive exercises has found its way into schools.  

 TDSB is considering four different neuroplasticity programs to implement. Two programs are already used in TDSB schools:  Cogmed Working Memory Training and Fast ForWord.  The other programs under consideration are Wasdell SMaRts and the Arrowsmith program. 

 Neuroplasticity programs operate on the underlying principle that by strengthening the weak paths in the brain, the student is able to access skills that enable the student to learn better.

 Read on …

Arrowsmith seen as ‘last hope’: Success stories from small program for children with learning disorders. Toronto Star, Sep 15, 2009. www.thestar.com/article/695581

 Giving brains a workout: cognitive exercises being tested in Toronto schools break new ground. Toronto Star, June 26, 2009.  www.thestar.com/printArticle/656090

 Learning alternative: one school’s belief in a fixable brain. Feb 25, 2009. www.parentcentral.ca/parent/education/article/592531

 Raising cognitive capacity.  ProfessionallySpeaking,  Sep 2008. www.oct.ca/publications/professionally_speaking/september_2008/raising_cognitive_capacity.asp

 Report on the Arrowsmith program in the Toronto Catholic District School Board. Jan 25, 2007. http://www.arrowsmithschool.org/images/Report%20on%20the%20AP%20in%20the%20TCDSB%20%20Feb%202%2007.pdf

 Also, you can borrow the following popular book from the Professional Library The Brain that Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science, by Norman Doidge.  Contact us to borrow it.

 Judy C

 

 

Finding feature films on Medianet (TDSB)

As eveyone knows, TDSB has an extensive central collection of DVDs, videos, and kits, located at  the Tippett Centre.  The collection includes resources for K-12 classrooms, and they all have public performance rights (PPR) so you don have to worry about copyright.

TDSB teachers search and book media using the catalogue Medianet. 

Did you know that there is a simple way to find feature films in the Medianet catalogue?  Follow these steps:

• Open Medianet
• Click on “Mediagraphies by Curriculum Subject and Grade Levels” (on right hand side)
• Click on heading  ”General and Special Bibliographies”
• Click on “Feature Films”, about midway down the alphy list under “General and special”…

Use the Mediagraphy lists to find new media pertaining to  the subject that you teach.

Rowan

2009 Ont Education Research Symposium

The Ministry of Education sponsors an annual research symposium and the 2009  theme was the achievement gap.

The papers have been posted online <here>. Read the papers get a synopsis of the current research on the link between the achievement gap and the following subjects: Aboriginal, gender (boys and reading), poverty, English /French language classes, special education.

Rowan

Leithwood and Strauss on Turnaround Schools

This report on turnaround leadership is dated 2008, so I am behind the times, however better late than never, and the information remains relevant in today’s data and measurement based education world.

The Canadian Education Association commissioned Kenneth Leithwood and Tiiu Strauss to examine the impact of leadership on school’s that demonstrate siginificant improvment in the acadmic achievement of their students.

The Exective Summary of the report titled Learning about Leadership from School Turnaround Efforts in Ontario <here> lists 8 key findings about successful turnaround leadership.  I am not going to list them all: read the  8 page summary! 

Note that the Library does not have the full report at this time, but we will purchase it.

Rowan

EQAO results minus SES factors

Judy C sent me this link. The C.D. Howe Institute has released an e-brief by David Johnson, titled Ontario’s Best Public Schools, 2005/06 – 2007/08: An Update to Signposts of Success (2005), <here>. 

The author has developed a methodology that filters out the influence of the socio-economic background on student performance, thereby allowing a comparison of the schools, the quality and effectiveness of a schools’ staff and teaching practices. 

The table in the report lists the 11 schools in the province that reflect an exceptionally high academic achievement.  Of the 11, one is a TDSB school (Cornell JPS); the rest are all Catholic schools. In the brief, Johnson, states “it is apparent from this result and other studies that Catholic Boards are stronger than public boards” .

Rowan

French resources for elem literacy and numercy

Judy A wants me to remind teachers about the Min of Ed and TFO eWorkshop web page of online resources (including video resources) that  support literacy and numeracy. French page <here> and English page <here>.

And I am attaching a recent bibliography of books in French for French language teachers. Teachers may contact the library to borrow them.

FrenchTeacherResources

Rowan