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FIND YOUR BALANCE
in teaching the student and nurturing the child

 

Children are unique and special people who come to us with their own stories, interests and strengths. 

 

We often become so focused on helping them to strengthen their weakness, whether it is becoming better readers, writers or mathematicians, that we forget to focus on the whole child.  Through keeping an open mind and remembering our students are actually children, we can find a balance that will enable us to teach our students what they need to know and still help have the confidence to truly be the distinctive people they are. 

 

Through getting back in touch with your inner child, art activities and play, you will start a “tool chest”. 

 

These tools are designed to help and inspire you to not only get to know the strengths and appreciate the unique gifts of your students, but also of your colleagues and yourself.

WORKSHOPS

FIND YOUR BALANCE
in teaching literacy

 

1-day workshop. Words are one of the most important tools we use to explain our thinking, understand new ideas, and express our feelings.  The right words can hold strength, beauty and clear vision.  Unfortunately, with such big reading programs that pressure us to keep moving on to the next thing, we rarely get to savor the splendor of words. If we focus on literacy skills every time we read or write, students will not only understand words better, they will begin to see the importance and beauty of the right words. 

 

The goal of balanced literacy is to help students to comprehend and make meaning of words and include components such as: modeling, vocabulary development, peer discussions, building on prior knowledge, independent practice, close read/problem analysis, and metacognition.

 

Through balancing your literacy instruction with other content areas students will understand that reading and writing can a means to an end rather than the end itself. 

 

FIND YOUR BALANCE
in excelling in the classroom
and leading an enriching
personal life
 
Life is a gift and so often we are too busy to truly appreciate all it has to offer.  We miss the days of our childhood, when we had time to play.  Fortunately, we don’t have to completely let go of the innocence and playfulness we once had. 
 
Through living more consciously and appreciating the little things, we can find a balance that will enable us to get our work done and still have time to re-energize through play and joy.

 

This workshop guides you toward finding your balance.  Through reflection, art activities and play, you will start a “tool chest”.  These tools are designed to help and inspire you to play more often, helping you to be more relaxed and efficient in your work.

FIND YOUR BALANCE
in teaching numeracy

 

There is a beauty in the patterns and logic of numbers and our brain is hardwired to look for and extend those patterns.  All too soon we break away from concrete patterning and understanding of numbers to jump right into abstract formulas and algorithms. 

 

If we use more language, play and conversation in our mathematics instruction, a true understanding of math happens and the formulas and algorithms develop more organically in the minds of our students and do not need to be memorized. 

 

These workshops guide you to finding your balance.  Through reflection, math activities and play, you will start a “tool chest”. 

These tools are designed to help and inspire you to look for patterns and truly understand how numbers work so that when it is time to use algorithms and formulas they truly are understood, enabling us to better help our students understand.

FIND YOUR BALANCE
in teaching core subjects and integrating the arts

 

There are many reasons for integrating the fine arts into our educational system including: creative and critical thinking, flexibility and improved academic performance. 

 

When we see the arts as separate from academic areas and one more thing to fit into our short teaching day, it is easy to push the arts aside since they are not on the standardized testing.   If we look at the arts and movement as a means to deeper understanding, the reasons to integrate the arts and movement into our instruction begin to be more obvious. 

 

This workshop guides you to finding your balance.  Through reflection, art activities and play, you will start a “tool chest”.  These tools are designed to help and inspire you to find ways to integrate the arts and movement into your instruction to more effectively reach more students.

FIND YOUR BALANCE
in teaching your class
and developing your
professional practice
 
Education is an art form, which takes a lot of practice, meaningful reflection and most of all it takes passion.  Because there is so much research that tells us how to teach, what to teach and when to teach it, there are times we may start to believe that education could be an exact science. 
 
If we look at the research through the lens of an expert about our own students and our own school, we can find a balance that will enable us to use parts of the research to enhance the art of our own unique teaching style and make it more effective. 
 
This workshop guides you toward finding your balance.  Through reflection, art activities and play, you will start a “tool chest”.  These tools are designed to help and inspire you to use research to provoke your own action research, to think flexibly and to enrich your own teaching practices.

Each workshop can be customized to meet your needs of content, time, and location.  Please contact me for times and prices.

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