IDRA Classnotes

Classnotes Podcast (October 1, 2012) More than regular computers and basic access to the Internet, iPads and other tablets present many possibilities for student learning when applied to real-world circumstances. These tools are particularly powerful for students who are learning English at the same time.

IDRA education associates, Veronica Betancourt, M.A., and Paula Martin Johnson, M.A., continue our series of conversations on seven research-based strategies IDRA has developed for delivering instruction differently for secondary students. In this episode, Veronica and Paula focus on Strategy #4: Maximize use of technology in delivery of effective science and el instruction and use Internet resources to supplement and enrich instruction of English learners. They describe how iPads can be used to enhance learning by engaging students in analyzing situations and applying critical and creative thinking to find reasonable solutions. Veronica and Paula are interviewed by Bradley Scott, Ph.D., director of the IDRA South Central Collaborative for Equity.

Show length: 14:56

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Science Classroom Strategies for English Learners – Learning with the iPad and Other Tablets

Science Instructional Strategies for English Learners ~ A Guide for Elementary and Secondary Grades

Visual Interpretation in Science – Strategies for English Language Learners

IDRA South Central Collaborative for Equity

Science Smart!

21st Century Skills: Rethink How Students Learn 

And What Do You Mean by Learning?

We welcome your comments and questions to the podcast. Send an e-mail to [email protected].

To ensure you don’t miss a single episode of IDRA Classnotes, subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, (download iTunes free if you don’t have it) or sign up to receive an e-mail alert as soon as a new show is published.

The post Learning with iPads for Diverse Students – Podcast Episode 114 appeared first on IDRA.

Classnotes Podcast (September 21, 2012) Beginning with the Brown vs. the Board of Education Supreme Court ruling in 1954, this nation has passed through several phases – or generations – of tending to civil rights in education. We have moved from focusing on desegregation to equitable access for all students and later to systemic equity and accountability.

Bradley Scott, Ph.D., director of the IDRA South Central Collaborative for Equity, describes how we are now entering into a sixth phase that is challenging us to be more focused on rigorous curriculum being presented by highly qualified teachers under the supervision of dynamic leadership. He says that this new sixth generation is calling us to examine the quality, correctness and suitability of the inputs to produce different outcomes for all learners regardless of their differences. Bradley is interviewed by Aurelio Montemayor, M.Ed., an IDRA senior education associate.

Show length: 15:15

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Courage to Connect: A Quality Schools Action Framework 

Who’s Responsible, Who’s to Blame?

Fulfilling the Promise of Brown vs. Board of Education, 

Contemporary Civil Rights Challenges of Brown vs. Board of Education: School Leaders Identify Current Issues

Position is Everything – A Comment on Brown vs. Board of Education

Equity Challenges Continue

A Different Kind of Will: Educational Equity and the School Reform Movement

IDRA South Central Collaborative for Equity

Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education

We welcome your comments and questions to the podcast. Send an e-mail to [email protected].

To ensure you don’t miss a single episode of IDRA Classnotes, subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, (download iTunes free if you don’t have it) or sign up to receive an e-mail alert as soon as a new show is published.

The post Sixth Generation of Civil Rights and Educational Equity – Podcast Episode 113 appeared first on IDRA.

Classnotes Podcast (August 29, 2012) Visual development in math and science requires students to interpret all types of information from images, charts, graphs, pictures and scenes. Students who also are learning English depend on their visual knowledge to understand math and science concepts. IDRA education associates, Paula Martin Johnson, M.A., and Veronica Betancourt, M.A., continue our series of conversations on seven research-based strategies IDRA has developed for delivering instruction differently for secondary students. In this episode, Paula and Veronica focus on Strategy #4: Scaffold and spiral language and science instruction for increased comprehension and literacy development. They describe how teachers can use visual tools to assess students’ background knowledge and cultural influences to help students connect to the language of the lesson. In the process, teachers can observe how students use content-related language in peer interactions. Paula and Veronica are interviewed by Bradley Scott, Ph.D., director of the IDRA South Central Collaborative for Equity.

Show length: 14:14

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Science Instructional Strategies for English Learners ~ A Guide for Elementary and Secondary Grades

Visual Interpretation in Science – Strategies for English Language Learnersb

IDRA South Central Collaborative for Equity

Science Smart!

You Can’t Win if You Don’t Get to Play – Effectively Engaging All English Language Learners

Language and Literacy in Science Education

Developing Visual Literacy in Science K-8

We welcome your comments and questions to the podcast. Send an e-mail to [email protected].

To ensure you don’t miss a single episode of IDRA Classnotes, subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, (download iTunes free if you don’t have it) or sign up to receive an e-mail alert as soon as a new show is published.

The post Visual Literacy in Math and Science – Podcast Episode 112 appeared first on IDRA.

Classnotes Podcast (August 20, 2012) How can a school district transform itself to create STEM-focused schools? David C. Boggio, who directs career and technology education for a low-wealth high minority school district, tells how he helped his district start this transformation by setting up 12 STEM related clubs. The students have done amazing work and are beginning to see themselves in STEM careers that they once thought were closed to them. Not all the teachers who lead the clubs are math or science experts, but they are seeing how they can support a STEM focus in their work. David says he has found STEM-focused activities to be an intriguing way to engage students. David is interviewed by Nilka Avilés, Ed.D..

Show length: 16:11

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Stellar Science Strategy – Building on English Learner Proficiency for Effective Science Instruction

The Need for Minority High Schools with a STEM Focus

Diversifying the STEM Pool – Revisiting the Recruitment of Underrepresented Students in STEM Careers

Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation – America ’s Science and Technology Talent at the Crossroads

IDRA South Central Collaborative for Equity

We welcome your comments and questions to the podcast. Send an e-mail to [email protected].

To ensure you don’t miss a single episode of IDRA Classnotes, subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, (download iTunes free if you don’t have it) or sign up to receive an e-mail alert as soon as a new show is published.

The post Creating a STEM Focused School Part 4 – Podcast Episode 111 appeared first on IDRA.

Classnotes Podcast (July 16, 2012) There is a difference between “parent involvement” and “parent engagement.” Involvement tends to imply participation in school activities and helping to fundraise. But engagement has more to do with the school’s partnership with parents to strengthen the school academically for the success of all students. Dr. Rogelio López recently worked with a high school in Houston to transform how it engages with parents starting with the understanding that the responsibility lies with everyone in the school, not a single staff member. He describes how the school led in-depth discussions with parents about the new graduation requirements and worked together to prepare students for college and seek scholarships. They also focused on how to create a safe school environment by addressing bullying. Rogelio is interviewed by Bradley Scott, Ph.D., director of the IDRA South Central Collaborative for Equity.

Show length: 13:55

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IDRA Family Leadership in Education in Education Center

IDRA’s Family Leadership in Education Model

Family Leadership in Education – Putting Principles into Action

Creating Culturally Responsive Parent Engagement – Principal Shares Strategies for SuccessBy Rosana G. Rodríguez, Ph.D., Rogelio López del Bosque, Ed.D., and Abelardo Villarreal, Ph.D.

Principal Shares Successes in Parent Involvement

We welcome your comments and questions to the podcast. Send an e-mail to [email protected].

To ensure you don’t miss a single episode of IDRA Classnotes, subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, (download iTunes free if you don’t have it) or sign up to receive an e-mail alert as soon as a new show is published.

The post Transforming Schools through Parent Engagement – Podcast Episode 110 appeared first on IDRA.

Classnotes Podcast (June 15, 2012) It’s naturally hard for students to see themselves in STEM careers that they don’t know exist. And low-income and minority students, in particular, may worry that they don’t have the background knowledge and tools they would need to be successful in a STEM field. Carole Henry is a Pre-AP chemistry teacher and runs a chemistry club for students in a low-wealth high minority high school. She describes the kinds of activities her students are doing to explore their curiosity in chemistry and see new options for their future. Carole is interviewed by Nilka Avilés, Ed.D. 

Show length: 13.52

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The Need for Minority High Schools with a STEM Focus

Diversifying the STEM Pool – Revisiting the Recruitment of Underrepresented Students in STEM Careers

Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation – America ’s Science and Technology Talent at the Crossroads 

IDRA South Central Collaborative for Equity

We welcome your comments and questions to the podcast. Send an e-mail to [email protected].

To ensure you don’t miss a single episode of IDRA Classnotes, subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, (download iTunes free if you don’t have it) or sign up to receive an e-mail alert as soon as a new show is published.

The post Creating a STEM Focused School Part 3 – Podcast Episode 109 appeared first on IDRA.

Classnotes Podcast (May 31, 2012) Possibly more than ever before, math touches our lives in a variety of ways to help us function in today’s society. We need math to think critically and solve problems. Paula Martin Johnson, M.A., an IDRA education associate, discusses how math instruction can be made to be accessible and engaging for all students by equipping teachers with best practices and strategies that work in diverse classrooms of all grade levels. Paula is interviewed by Bradley Scott, Ph.D., director of the IDRA South Central Collaborative for Equity.

Show length: 15:32

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When It Doesn’t Add Up – Developing a New Formula for Math Education

A Quality Math Curriculum in Support of Effective Teaching for Elementary Schools

Isn’t Smarter: Messages About Math, Teaching, and Learning in the 21st Century

A Coherent Curriculum – The Case of Mathematics

IDRA South Central Collaborative for Equity

We welcome your comments and questions to the podcast. Send an e-mail to [email protected].

To ensure you don’t miss a single episode of IDRA Classnotes, subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, (download iTunes free if you don’t have it) or sign up to receive an e-mail alert as soon as a new show is published.

The post How Does it All Add Up? – Podcast Episode 108 appeared first on IDRA.

Classnotes Podcast (May 14, 2012) Does a teacher have to be a science whiz to be a leader in transforming a campus to be STEM focused? Apparently not. Meet Robert Dingenary, a ninth grade English teacher in a low-wealth, high minority school, who volunteered to lead a STEM club when no one else wanted to take it on. And with strong administrative support, his ninth-graders are building a model solar airplane. In this interview, Robert talks how he got this program started, the support he’s getting from the community and how his students have latched on. Robert is interviewed by Nilka Avilés, Ed.D. 

Show length: 16:08

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The Need for Minority High Schools with a STEM Focus

Diversifying the STEM Pool – Revisiting the Recruitment of Underrepresented Students in STEM Careers

Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation – America ’s Science and Technology Talent at the Crossroads

Engage to Excel: Producing One Million Additional College Graduates with Degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics 

Prepare and Inspire: K-12 Education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) for America ’s Future 

IDRA South Central Collaborative for Equity 

We welcome your comments and questions to the podcast. Send an e-mail to [email protected].

To ensure you don’t miss a single episode of IDRA Classnotes, subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, (download iTunes free if you don’t have it) or sign up to receive an e-mail alert as soon as a new show is published.

The post Creating a STEM Focused School Part 2 – Podcast Episode 107 appeared first on IDRA.

Classnotes Podcast (April 30, 2012) Public schools have an obligation to provide an equitable and excellent education to students who speak a language other than English. Several decades of research and experience have shown that bilingual education is the best way to teach a student English while also teaching other subjects, like math and science. Dual language programs are a powerful type of bilingual education that serves English learners and English speakers with the goal of biliteracy. Adela Solís, Ph.D., discusses the growth of dual language programs across the country and important factors that must be in place. Adela is interviewed by Bradley Scott, Ph.D., director of the IDRA South Central Collaborative for Equity.

Show length: 14:56

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Two-Way Dual Language Immersion Programs

Teaching Spanish in Texas Schools – The Spanish Language Arts and Reading (SLAR), Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and Other Resources for Teachers of Spanish (pdf)

National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition

¡Colorín Colorado!

Educating English Learners for a Transformed World

Dual Language Education: A Promising 50–50 Model

National Association for Bilingual Education.

We welcome your comments and questions to the podcast. Send an e-mail to [email protected].

To ensure you don’t miss a single episode of IDRA Classnotes, subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, (download iTunes free if you don’t have it) or sign up to receive an e-mail alert as soon as a new show is published.

The post Building Opportunity through Dual Language – Podcast Episode 106 appeared first on IDRA.

Classnotes Podcast (April 13, 2012) Once seen as the cradle of knowledge for scientists and engineers around the world, the United States has fallen behind other first world countries in science and technology education. Schools today face the challenge of preparing students in the STEM areas of science, technology, engineering and math. The challenge is even greater as minority, low-income and female student populations grow – students who schools have traditionally underserved. Rodolfo Andres Urby is one teacher who has seen a transformation. A high school physics teacher and robotics club coach at a high-poverty, high minority school, he shares the story of how his school is becoming STEM focused. Rodolfo is interviewed by Nilka Avilés, Ed.D. 

Show length: 15:35

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The Need for Minority High Schools with a STEM Focus             

Diversifying the STEM Pool – Revisiting the Recruitment of Underrepresented Students in STEM Careers

Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation – America ’s Science and Technology Talent at the Crossroads 

Engage to Excel: Producing One Million Additional College Graduates with Degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics 

Prepare and Inspire: K-12 Education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) for America ’s Future 

IDRA South Central Collaborative for Equity

SCCE Sex Equity and Desegregation Web Page

American Association of University Women

We welcome your comments and questions to the podcast. Send an e-mail to [email protected].

To ensure you don’t miss a single episode of IDRA Classnotes, subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, (download iTunes free if you don’t have it) or sign up to receive an e-mail alert as soon as a new show is published.

The post Creating a STEM Focused School Part 1 – Podcast Episode 105 appeared first on IDRA.