Learn Something New

Right now, I'm obsessed with learning about how people learn. In the "spare" time I have (which pretty much means late at night after all logical folks are sleeping), I've been studying up about learning strategies. And I have to admit that I'm currently going "graphic organizer" crazy.

I've used a graphic organizer for pretty much every lesson I've taught in the last 2 weeks.

For my social skills group, it was a KWLS chart about how to introduce yourself to other people. K is for what you already Know. W is for what you Want to know, L is for what you Learned from the lesson, and S is for what you still want to know.

For my writing kiddos, I've been using the "double bubble chart" to help them organize compare/contrast ideas for essay writing. For my reading kiddos, I've been using a "sun chart" to help brainstorm all the words we find that contain a silent -e.
For my articulation kiddos, I've been using a "brace chart" to break down the steps involved in correct /r/ and /s/ production.
And then, today, when I was writing up an evaluation report, I found that it wasn't until I'd plotted all the test scores on a bell curve to graphically/visually represent strengths and weaknesses, that I was truly confident that I understood the nature of the child's disorder.

I might be overdoing it a bit.

But seriously, if you're trying to teach ANY concept out there, there is a visual thinking aid for it. (They're actually called Thinking Maps, created by David Hyerle, by the way.) Want to talk to your preschooler about how tadpoles become frogs? You need the sequence chart. Want to teach your high schoolers how to figure out analogies? You need the bridge chart.

I promise I won't bore you any more with my excitement. It probably seems so 2002 to a lot of you teachers out there who have been trained in Learning Focused Strategies and stuff like that. But I stumbled onto this video when I was looking for good planning tools for the writing process for my 3-5th grade kiddos, and it inspired me to use these with Flannery, too. So many times, when we go grocery shopping, I give her a list of things to look for at the store. Why not make it a "tree chart" and have the items categorized under headings like fruit, dairy, grains while we're at it?

Today I'm thankful that I get to do interesting work that I'm passionate about. That makes me pretty happy.



What boring topic do you just love to learn about!

Baby Steps

Is this not the cutest picture ever? I tried to find a picture of Flannery's little feet to post here, but this one of her with my mom when she was tiny was just too adorable not to post. Seriously. Those cheeks!

Annnyway.

For some reason, today I decided to take stock of where I am on my path to meeting my happiness resolutions for this year. Maybe it's because I had a few moments to myself after my last client before I had to pick up my daughter, so I could ponder my life a bit. Or maybe it's because I read a few books in Spanish today, which energized me. Or maybe it's because I get ambitious in a delirious way when I stay up late. In any case, here are my happiness resolutions for 2010, along with my current progress:

MY HAPPINESS RESOLUTIONS:

1. Learn Something: Read in Spanish at least 15 minutes 5 times per week. - I have fallen off of the-reading-Spanish-wagon for a few weeks, but today, I listened to Spanish music CDs in the car and read 2 books in Spanish, so I'm hoping to climb back on. Since I don't commute to Chapel Hill for work anymore, I've lost a good routine for learning Spanish. (I used to listen to the Pimsleur language series - conversational Audio CDs--to learn a little each week.) I really think tying the learning time to something that I do regularly each week is going to be key for consistent progress. But what routine?

2. Be social: Start a girls’ night by June. - done. OK, so it's not a regular girls' night yet. But all the mommies of young kiddos on my street went out for drinks recently, and it was a huge success. So I'm hoping it will be a regular thing soon. (Have I mentioned how neat and diverse my street is? The people are so wonderful.)

3. Really listen: Interview at least 5 past clients about happiness amidst struggles. - not addressed. Can someone send me some nerve, please? I hate to bug busy people. But I know that these stories are just lovely and would make the world a better place by being told. Sigh. Not sure why I can't execute this one yet.

4. Cut the chaos: Tidy up the house for 10 minutes each night, every night. - Wow. My house is so not tidy right now. I've realized that now that the "100 Day Clutter-Free Challenge" is over (from the inspiring Clutter Free Journey blog), I've really let this resolution fall away. Maybe I should start the challenge again from day one by following her archives. OK. I think I'll try that.

5. Exercise: Dance with Flannery on Mon, Wed, Fri afternoons. - met on days that I'm home (I work Friday afternoons now, but we do dance pretty regularly on Mon/Weds!)

6. Eat Well: Bring a lunch on Tues/Thurs. - Um. Sometimes I drop by my house between clients and grab a cereal bar for lunch. Does that count? Yeah, I didn't think so. A scary thing has happened to make this resolution more difficult. I now pass a Taco Bell every Thursday around lunch time, between clients. And I admit it, I am a sucker for a 99 cent bean burrito. I mean, it's cheap, it's fast, it's protein, and it's not as terribly unhealthy as...um, a hamburger? yeah. I still do need to pack a salad.

So, there we are, folks. This progress report is not as glowing as the last one was. But maybe that will make me get myself in gear so that I can focus on growth this summer.



Have you kept any of your new years' resolutions this year? What areas of your life are you moving forward in? Stalling in? Do you think that taking stock of where you are makes you happier or just depressed? Or depressed in the short run and happy in the long run if it inspires change? OK, I promise I'll stop asking questions now, especially multiple choice ones. :)

Be a Know It All

It's what you learn after you know it all that counts.
~Attributed to Harry S. Truman

Learning new things is fun for me. Not exactly the whole process--I actually really hate the hard work it takes to get started when learning something brand new. But once I'm on my way to learning something new, when the ball gets rolling, and I start seeing a little progress, it really boosts my happiness!

I enjoy a challenge. Not everyone does. But the moment I stop feeling challenged, is the moment I get bored and am ready to move on. (Which is probably why I've changed jobs every 2 years since I graduated! I'm working on that!)

Maybe it's also why I love working in early intervention, with those tiny clients who are such a puzzle to figure out. And why I love working with children with autism so much. These complex kiddos teach me something every time I'm with them, and I'm constantly having to scramble to figure out a new way to do something when the old way stops working.

Here's a website I've been learning a ton of information from: Autism Games. I also like to watch videos on the Autism Speaks website, especially the personal stories from families of what has worked for them. Oh, and have you watched any of the amazing videos on TED about "ideas worth sharing"? Here's one by Temple Grandin that's pretty interesting.



What are you learning right now?