The Carnival Of Education: Week 128

Welcome to the midway of the 128th Carnival of Education!

Here's the very latest roundup of entries from around the EduSphere. Unless clearly labeled otherwise, all entries this week were submitted by the writers themselves.

Folks interested in hosting an edition of the C.O.E. should please let us know via this email address: owlshome [at] earthlink [dot] net.

Thanks to everyone who helped spread the word about last week's midway, which was hosted here at 'The Wonks. Visit the C.O.E.'s archives here and see our latest entries there.

Next Week's Carnival will be hosted by Mike over at Education In Texas. Contributors are invited to send their submissions to: mikea3_98[at]yahoo[dot]com, or use this handy submission form. Entries should be received no later than 11:00 PM (Eastern) 8:00 PM (Pacific) Tuesday, July 24, 2007. Please include the title of your post, and its URL, if possible. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the midway should open next Wednesday morning.

Let the free exchange of thoughts and ideas begin!

EduPolicy:

The strange case of Georgia teen Genarlow Wilson (back story here) is the subject of this entry by the Elementary History Teacher who asks, "Should young men be prosecuted for a "Bourbon, Buds, and Booty Bash" when all parties consent and should the school systems shoulder the burden of this type of behavior?"

What place, if any, should a student's race play in the process that schools use to admit students? After citing a quote by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, The Colossus of Rhodey shows us that the British have developed some policies that will likely be divisive and may prove disastrous, especially if implemented on this side of the Atlantic.

Greg Farr's Effective Principals, Rebels With a Cause, provided the motivation for a thought-provoking entry by Dr. Jan's Blog. Here's a small sample:

My current school has gone from five consecutive years on the state's low performing list to number one in the state in five of six measured educational indicators; however, I am now beginning to believe maybe what we are teaching (and measuring) is not relevant, rigorous, or replicable beyond our small scope.

In education, we have a tendency to measure not what we want to (need to) measure but what we can measure... it's a lot like measuring some one's height because you can't measure their weight. If a person's weight is proportionate to their height then measuring their height might be a prediction of their weight; but if not, then what's the point of measuring their height?

Finance is a very important component of any public education equation, and Matt Johnston is taking a good look at what lessons we may all draw from the experience of one Pennsylvania charter school.

Why on Earth would a large city's public school system want to drop the word "public" from its name? Joanne Jacobs has the skinny on this one.

Do schools have any right to discipline students for what they do or say on the Internet? Even when they say it or do it off campus and with their own equipment? Rhymes With Right takes a stand.

See where "the long tail of business" meets "the long tail of education."

Engineer Kim of Kim's Play Place is alerting us to the fact that there is at least one school district that candidly responds to criticism of its math program. (How refreshing!)

Citing a recent incident in a New Jersey high school, The Atheist Revolution takes a tough stand against any sort of proselytizing in the classroom. Agree or disagree, you make the call!

Teaching and Learning:

Take a look at how Vivek of The Red Pencil uses a little personal history in order to demonstrate What A Bird Does When It Cannot Fly.

Teacher Tim Frederick introduces us to a new blog sponsored by the New York State English Council's Standing Committee on Teacher Inquiry ... The Teacher Research Blog. In a recent post, Tim takes a look at scientifically-based research.

Learning takes place both in and out of the traditional classroom. Think of the lessons that were learned when a 15-year-old boy in Malawi built a wind-powered electrical generator. (Be sure to follow the links.)

Joel has written yet another installment of his series, "The Five Habits of Highly Effective Teachers." Today's topic: Personal Procedures.

Learning the Gravy Way gets us to the "meat" of the matter when they remind us that students get stuck trying to remember content without a firm understanding of the story that brought us there. Remembering a subject's past can go a long way in learning.

When she was in college, Mamacita of Scheiss Weekly was tasked with pinning-down and vivisect a live frog and then time how long it would take for said frog to die. Discover what she did with her Prince Charming....

What's your "learning style?" Go here and find out!

Lesson Ideas:

Just in time for parents and teachers who are looking for student activities this summer: 10 things that can be done with empty plastic bottles. (Illustrated!)

How about an introduction to getting students to respond to "musical cues?"

Darren of Right on the Left Coast has an an alternate method of multiplying multi-digit numbers. (Be sure to checkout what the commenters are saying.)

See what you can do with these math jokes.

From the Classroom:

Eduardo has finished-up his teaching at Notre Dame and lets us take a peek at some of the candid responses that his students gave in answer to this question: “Eduardo, your life would be better if ___________ .”

From our "Kids Say the Darnedest things Department," we have this submission which finds a group of students asking the classroom question that many adults are afraid to ask: we know what the problem is, now why isn't anyone doing anything about it?"

Inside This Teaching Life:

NYC Educator has an entry that will resonate with many: Teachers who must continue to serve in bad working environments out of fear of losing their health insurance.

Even though there are several weeks of summer vacation remaining, Missprofe can't help but think of the "'S' Word" when she passes by her school's campus.

In his review of Mary Hershey’s The One Where the Kid Nearly Jumps to His Death and Lands in California, edublogger The Précis asks why do authors have to use that kind of language in a kids' book?

Ryan of I Thought a Think shares with us how being a teacher has helped him teach his own special needs child.

Private music teacher Mike Estep is in search of an EduJob and hopes that The Law of Attraction will help him land that position.

Flights of Fancy:

What would happen if the thrust for EduReform was to come to Harry Potter's Hogwarts? Read and find out!

EduTesting and EduTechnology:

EduBlogger and Georgia educator "30+Teacher" has taken notice of how her state has increased the percentage of students who are meeting proficiency standards: they've "dumbed-down" the tests!

They are also debating the role of tests up in Washington State and The Washington Teachers offer their take on the increasing use of one of that state's assessments, The Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills, or DIBELS for short.

Florida teacher Jason H. Bowman has some thoughts on the effective use of the Internet as a teaching tool through the use of a "classroom companion website."

Professional Issues:

Should teachers who take "educational tours" with their students get some sort of financial reward from the tour company? The Educational Tour Marm wrestles with the question and takes a stand.

Would you believe that there is a school out there that requires teachers to register "personal property" that is used for educational purposes? Believe it!

For teachers around the world, summer is the time for "professional development." EduBlogger Dan has contributed a step-by-stepper for making handouts your conference attendees will hold on to.

In this week's submission, Mathew K. Tabor takes EdNews.org to task for their inclusion of what he deems inappropriate material from newswithviews.com. (Follow the various links included in Tabor's post and judge for yourself.)

The Secret Lives of Students:

Psychologist Dr. Deb links to and comments upon, an American Psychological Association paper that posits girls are more likely than boys to develop anxiety and depression as a result of extensive conversations with friends about their problems.

Curricular Resources:

The homeschoolers over at Trivium Pursuit posted a reader's question about obtaining information about the phonetic teaching of Spanish and got some help from commenters.

Homeschooling:

Why do parents choose to homeschool their children? One family gives us their reasons and makes us wonder about what ours would be if we chose to teach our 15-year-old daughter (the TeenWonk) here at home.

International Perspectives:

Israeli teacher "Muse" attended a convention of fellow educators who teach English as a second language and shares some of her experiences as well as a rant. (It seems as though those of us on this side of the Atlantic may have some things in common with our Israeli colleagues...)

Japanese EduBlogger Steven Nishida makes his Carnival debut with this comparison of the English as a second language programs in Japan and the Philippines.

Behavior management, both in the classroom and campus wide, is the subject of this entry from the British-based EduBlog Scenes From the Battleground.

Inside the Blogs:

Next week's Carnival host, Mike in Texas, has received some news concerning an application for a substantial grant...

I.B. a Math Teacher of 3σ → Left describes how even the vaunted Wall Street Journal (now owned by Rupert Murdoch of Fox News Channel fame) can manipulate data in order to make their point. (Or mislead to their point, depending on one's point-of-view...)

We now have the C.O.E.'s very first YouTube submission: It's a video by Patrick L, Karl F. and Scott M. The video speaks to the growing importance of adequately educating and preparing young people to thrive in the world today and hopes to spark discussion among educators.

Respectfully submitted for your consideration is our entry about the Florida man who is (shockingly) being forced to financially support another man's child.

And finally: This, like nearly all of our journeys around the EduSphere, has been both enjoyable and informative. We continue to thank all the contributors whose submissions make the midway's continuing success possible, the folks who give of their time to help spread the word, and the readers who continue to make it A Free Exchange of Thoughts and Ideas.
----------------------------This midway is registered at TTLB's carnival roundup. See our latest EduPosts here, and the (somewhat) complete Carnival archives over there.