**SHORTCUTS** making life easier for international educators Vol 2, no 2 November 13, 2002 *------------------------------------------------------- To: {EMAIL} IN THIS ISSUE § Editorial § Effective learning § Is your CV/Resume up to scratch? § Useful Websites *------------------------------------------------------- § EDITORIAL The first two issues of Shortcuts last year covered the topics of post-traumatic stress disorder and crisis management. Sadly these subjects are of relevance once again. http://www.international-ed.com/freepublications.htm The bombing in Bali has brought home to so many in the international school community the fragility of our lives. At the time of writing we mourn the deaths of Jon Ellwood (International School, Ho Chi Minh City and Deborah Snodgrass (Bali I S). Shane Walsh-Till (Chinese I S, HK) and Jamie Wellington (Jakarta I S) are still missing. The many messages of love and support to all the families has shown that our community is very much a 'family', we are interlinked in so many ways. Caroline Ellwood, Jon's mother, is the current editor of the ECIS magazine 'is'. Caroline has borne her great loss with courage, this is shown by the article she wrote for the UK newspaper, The Independent. This is a 'must read' for all international educators, it upholds our common belief in tolerance and understanding. http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=343901 Courage comes in many forms -- The Anne Frank Trust has just published a teaching handbook and video, 'Moral Courage: who's got it?'. This focuses young people's attention on the value of moral behaviour in everyday life to themselves and to society; and teaching moral lessons concerning right and wrong. Further information on: http://www.annefrank.org.uk The ECIS November 2002 conference has as the keynote speaker, Ian Jukes, (http://www.thecommittedsardine.net/jukesbio.html) who will be speaking about "Effective Learning Environments in the 21st century". In Shortcuts we highlight some links related to effective learning. Speaker Handouts for the ECIS conference can be downloaded from http://www.ecis.org/profdev/nov/SpeakerHandouts.asp Jennifer Henley Editor *------------------------------------------------------- This free email newsletter is available to anyone in international schools. It is written by professionals to save teachers and administrators time searching for information. Please feel free to forward the newsletter to other colleagues. Heads of Schools are asked to distribute Shortcuts to all their faculty. However, we ask that you keep it intact and forward it in its entirety. To add or remove your name from the mailing list please go to the end of the newsletter. *------------------------------------------------------- FEATURE *Effective learning* What is effective learning? The key skills are identified as critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making. The University of London, Institute of Education, has published a paper (downloaded as a PDF) that gives a clear definition of the topic: http://k1.ioe.ac.uk/iseic/research.pdf The paper states that the acquisition of learning and thinking skills are essential. It looks at outcomes, learner characteristics, and teaching characteristics. http://www.nwrel.org/scpd/sirs/6/cull.html The School Improvement Research Series (SIRS), published online by North West Regional Educational Laboratory, features "Teaching Thinking Skills" by Kathleen Cotton. The easily downloaded article covers -- definitions; thinking skills research; and research findings. Key references are given. In her summary Ms Cotton gives many reasons for the importance of student instruction in thinking skills including the necessity of these skills in a rapidly changing technologically oriented world. http://www.topiconline.org.uk/index_1.asp "Developing debriefing skills: the gateway to metacognition and transfer" by Julie McGrane & David Leaf presents the findings of teachers' own research into the teaching of thinking within four secondary schools. It is stated that when students think about their own thinking, they are developed into transferable skills, which can have an impact on all their learning. Debriefing targets this key area, making sure that students are asked the questions that really make them evaluate and reflect on their thought processes. Practical strategies for use in the classroom are provided. (Original abstract amended.) The article can be obtained from TOPIC Online, a service from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER). The cost is £3 to receive it as a PDF file by email. To locate the article use "keyword searching" for the term "thinking skills" and follow the instructions. http://ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/rpl_esys/thinking.htm This page from the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory asks "What is a Thinking Curriculum?" Although written in 1990 by T F Fennimore and M B Tinzman, the article is still relevant today. It discusses the characteristics of successful learners and of the Thinking Curriculum. The question is posed: "What Are Some Guidelines Across Content Areas That Promote a Thinking Curriculum?" Guidelines are then provided for a thinking curriculum in the language arts; mathematics; science; and social studies. http://www.media-awareness.ca/enf/med/class/kidsnet2.htm The Media Awareness Network bilingual web site is one of the largest educational Web sites in Canada. The site contains a section on "Critical Thinking Skills for Web Literacy" covering grades 1-3; 4-6; 7-9; and 10-12. The outline analysis of what kids should know about Cyberspace covers 1)kids understanding of the Internet at each Age & Stage; 2)Online Educational Resources; 3) Online Commercial Strategies; 4)Online Issues; and 5)Educational Response: Teaching Critical Thinking Skills. http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/critical.htm The Internet School Library Media Center, James Madison University, VA, has a Critical Thinking Page, which contains information, lesson plans and bibliographies for educators interested in higher order thinking skills. Some of the lesson plans listed are from the AskERIC website. The direct link is: http://www.askeric.org/ where you can obtain more lesson plans using the appropriate search terms. http://www.philosophers.co.uk/games/games.htm TPM Online - The Philosphers' Magazine has a fun and games section. This includes: a 'Morality Play' to see if your moral judgements match those of others; and 'Shakespeare v. Britney Spears' asks 'what is art?' There is a Philosophical Health Check to find out if your thinking is up to scratch. http://www.dialogueworks.co.uk/newswise NEWSWISE is an online educational resource based on news stories, which is designed to improve the literacy and thinking skills of children aged between 8 and 18. ERIC DIGEST Learning To Learn: Preparing Teachers and Students for Problem-based Learning (2001) by Karen Ngeow and Yoon-San Kong. ERIC Number: ED457524 This ERIC Digest describes problem-based learning (PBL), which helps students develop critical thinking abilities. It discusses challenges that students face in their learning. Web resources for teachers to use to support student learning are identified. The digest examines scaffolding, cooperative learning, inquiry skills, reflection skills and assessment. To obtain the ERIC DIGEST click on http://ericir.syr.edu/Eric/adv_search.shtml and do the following: 1. Enter the ERIC number -- ED457524 -- in the Term 1 box. 2. Choose 'ERIC No' to search by. 3. Hit submit, and submit again to confirm request. 4. On the 'document found' page click the highlighted number ED457524. 5. The document found page will appear, click OBTAIN to get the full text version of the Digest. *------------------------------------------------------- *CVs/Resumes* The new school year has started and suddenly it is already time to be thinking ahead to the recruitment fairs from February onwards. Is your CV/Resumes up to scratch? As part of its recruitment service Executive Shortcuts receives many applications for jobs overseas. So many excellent candidates let themselves down by CVs/Resumes that are too long; poorly presented; or do not contain the essential information needed to catch the attention of a recruiter. Executive Shortcuts has the skills and expertise to help you make a good first impression. We will advise on content, layout and edit the document if necessary. We can also use our in-depth knowledge of international schools worldwide to advise you on your career path -- what school? What job? What curriculum? Email Anne Pönisch or Jennifer Henley at jobs@international-ed.com to find out more about the service and costs. In the next issue of Shortcuts we will offer some tips for improving your CV/Resume. *------------------------------------------------------- *Useful websites* NoodleTools is a suite of interactive tools designed to aid students and professionals with their online research. NoodleQuest helps you to locate the best search engines for a research topic. NoodleLinks enables users to browse by category or search by keyword for bibliographies written by researchers around the world on hundreds of topics. Every submission is reviewed for basic quality and usefulness before it is approved. Quick Cite enables users to compile a bibliographic citation in MLA style for a range of materials including books, web pages, email messages, interviews, and encyclopedias http://www.noodletools.com/tools.html http://tutorials.freeskills.com/ Freeskills.com provides free online IT tutorials -- these range from entry level texts on using word processors through to advanced techniques in web development/database design and network routing. Software covered includes the Microsoft suite of programs; Photoshop; HTML; Dreamweaver and Java. *------------------------------------------------------- Thank you for reading this issue of Shortcuts. If you have found it useful please tell at least two other people or forward the newsletter to them. Your ideas and contributions for future issues are welcomed. 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