Read to a dog

Hi!

Today, I want to mention a program called Read to a Dog, where children can read to therapy dogs. Of course, children can also be encouraged to read to their own dogs if they have one. If you don't already know, this method can be very therapeutic. Dogs alone have been shown to promote happiness. Reading aloud helps children develop reading skills. Many librarys or local parks have programs similar to this. One benefit of reading to dogs rather than humans is the fear of making a mistake or reading too slowly is erased. No dog will point out mistakes. This does not mean that the child won't learn. Most likely, they know many of the mistakes they make anyways. Giving students this stress-free time to learn to read with a furry companion can make the task of learning to read much less daunting and fear-inducing. Here is one article by Bark which discusses the benefits of this program and others like it.

I have attached pictures of my three loving dogs. Hope you enjoy!

-Leah

Growth Mindset

Hi!

In this post, I wanted to make sure everyone is aware of the different types of mindsets. There is a growth mindset, which is believing one can improve, and a fixed mindset, which is not believing in oneself. In schools, it is important that we as teachers promote a growth mindset. Here you can read an article from Harvard Business Review which highlights the importance of this mindset. Here is a link for another article on growth mindset from Education Week which is more education focused than the last article. Lastly, here you can find a list of activities and resources for students learning about a growth mindset from Edutopia.

Thanks for reading!
-Leah

Lesson Plan

Hello,

I recently discovered a lesson plan on Africa and was really impressed with it. Based on my own experiences and what I have seen from standards and curriculums, Africa seems to be the least discussed continent (by far) in U.S. schools. I think this perpetuates the incorrect stereotypes adults have about Africa. One of the most shocking things I have learned about is how Americans seem to think Africa is a country and refer to it as one. I encourage teachers to spend more time discussing Africa, whether it be about geography, cultures, music and art, war and genocide, or otherwise.

The link to the lesson plan is here.

I have also included a few pictures I took ten years ago on my trip to Ghana.

-Leah

Twitter

Hi again,

So, the truth is, I had to create this blog for one of my classes. For now, that's all it will be--fulfilling requirements for that class. But, hopefully one day once I have more time I will be able to turn it into a real blog that can be of use to others. For now, here is my Twitter @LeahSpe53128659 (which I also had to create for this class) but also plan to begin using at some point.

Thanks for reading,
Leah

First Blog

Hello all,

A little about me... I am currently in school to get my Masters in Elementary Education so I can fulfill my dream of becoming a teacher! I have only had the pleasure to work in a 1st and 3rd grade classroom so far and I loved both of them. I still want to try 5th grade before making a decision on what my preference would be. I will graduate in December of this year from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ. Flagstaff's snowy climate is a sharp contrast to the dry heat of Tucson, AZ where I grew up. I received my BS from the University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ where, after a lot of deliberation, I majored in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences.

I will use this blog as a place to post interesting articles on education or teaching-related subjects. I hope you find it useful.

-Leah