Making Basic Education a Reality in Nicaragua with Cycle 4 SchoolBox

On June 7, 2011 Ilan Levy embarked on an 8000 km bike ride across Canada to raise money for a charity called SchoolBox.

Schoolbox raises money to help children in Central America go to school by building classrooms and purchasing school supplies. 

Basic education for all children is increasingly becoming regarded a fundamental right of children, and this charity helps the children of Nicaragua obtain an education that they would not otherwise have. 

To increase awareness and raise funds for this cause Canadian Ilan Levy is cycling from Vancouver BC to St. John's Newfoundland.  It will take him 81 days to complete the journey, 66 of the days planned for cycling.

Get involved by finding out more about the charity, follow Ilan as he makes his trek across the country, find out how close they are to reaching their $100,000 fundraising goal, learn more about the man making the trek and cycling machine Ilan Levy, make a donation, or find out how you can volunteer.

The Special Education Big Picture

I have been considering the idea of taking an Additional Qualification Course in Special Education.  As I reflect on some of the most important issues in Special Education, I have asked myself the following questions:

1. What are the main areas of knowledge for Special Education Teachers, or Classroom Teachers with students with Special Needs?  What do they need to know about?

• Knowledge of the IEP Process.
• Advocacy Process (getting students what they need).
• Knowledge and Understanding of the Whole Child, as well as Disorders and Disabilities.
• Knowledge of the entities involved in Special Education and their role.

     2.  What are the most important skills Teachers and Special Education Teacher need?

• Effective communication with all entities involved in Special Education.
• Flexible Problem Solving.
• Effective Assessment for a variety of purposes
• Effective Differentiation, inclusion
• Effective Classroom Management.
• Effective IEP Creation, Development, and Delivery.

     3.  What are the most important practices undertaken by Special Education Teachers?

• Regular reflection.
• Regular research.
• Regularly connect and learn with other professionals and learn about new resources, collaboration.

Face Memory Test

I found this great memory test on facial recognition.  It takes about 15 minutes to complete, but you are advised to take a 5 minute break half-way through. 

Take the test again in a few weeks to see if you have improved.  Check it out at:
Face Recognition Memory Test

Best Books By Canadian Authors

Visit check out the Forest of Reading website to find out what books written by Canadian Authors are recieving nominations. 

The Forest of Reading is a huge annual event that encourages children of all ages to read books by Canadian authors and vote for their favourites!

Some of the Nominees Include:

Books for the Primary Grades

Big Bear Hug by Nicolas Okland

C'mere, Boy! by Sharon Jennings

Have I Got a Book For You! by Melanie Watt

Jack the Bear by Christina Leist 

My Think-a-ma-Jink by Dave Whamond

Perfect Snow by Barbar Reid

Proud as a Peacock, Brave as a Lion by Jane Barclay

The Imaginary Garden by Andrew Larsen

Violet by Tania Stehlik

Willow's Whispers by Lana Button
That is just a sampling of the nominated books.  Check out Forest of Reading to find out what other great books are available by Canadian authors.


Factors Necessary for Reading Readiness

Reading is a very complex skill, and one that can begin years before children enter school.  Research has identified six factors that need to be in place to greatly improve a child's readiness to learn to read.  They include:

• Vocabulary.  Knowledge of the names of things and concepts.
• Print Motivation.  Refers to the interest and enjoyment a child has with books.
• Narrative Skills.  The ability to describe things and events and to tell stories or convey ideas.
• Phonological Awareness.  The ability to hear and play with the smaller sounds in words.
• Print Awareness.  Refers to how aware a child is of print, knowledge of how to handle a book, and how to follow the written word on a page.
• Letter Knowledge.  Refers to learning the sounds and names of letters, and the ability to recognize them in their environment.

I am preparing articles on activities parents, care-givers and teachers can do with babies and children to ensure that children have ample positive reading experiences that work on all of the factors listed above.

ADHD and Artificial Food Dyes

In the most recent issue of NutritionAction is this quote:

"Last spring, Health Canada finally acknowledged the scientifc evidence showing that artificial food dyes can exacerbate attention deficit/hyperactivitiy disorder (ADHD) in children.  But its proposal to better label the presence of the dyes--which are only used to make foods look more appealing--is a recipe for ineffectiveness.  If the government really wanted to help kids with ADHD, it would ban artificial food dyes."   (April 2011).

Is It OK to Make Fun of Students Online?

I found this interesting article online. 

It raises some interesting issues and invites us to explore our boundaries on what we consider to be bullying behaviour.

Teachers Make Fun of Their Students Online