Goin' Google Blog: Karen M.: Introduction

Goin' Google Blog: Karen M.: Introduction: "My name is Karen. I am a fairly new resident of Barre (less than two years), where I live my husband Chris, our 20 month old son Rowan and ..."

Hi Karen,

We really have a lot in common. I also love the outdoors, hiking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, gardening, cooking. I love to sew and quilt, but do not have the time right now! One of my goals for this class is to become more comfortable with digital photography so that I can document cool student projects and events at school.

I was also a stay-at-home mom for a few years after our 2nd child was born. Your little boy, Rowan is very cute! We have two 10-year-old litter mate cats, Oliver and Maggie.

I enjoyed reading your blog. Have a nice day. See you Tuesday.

Nancy

Gladwell's Law of the Few

Hi Blogger Buddie!
We talked a lot in class about each of Gladwell's three factors of the Tipping Point.  I decided to blog about the rule of the few because I could think of two good examples from yesterday's classes at school.

In my freshmen Wellness classes, students were working in small groups to Build an Ally.  This activity required each group to brainstorm qualities needed by a person so s/he would advocate for someone else who was being bullied. Then, each group came up with a way to draw something on their ally poster to represent each quality.  They were asked to give their ally a meaningful name.  Finally, they presented to the whole class.  This activity related to the law of the few in several ways.  First, in the meaning behind the activity - that one individual can make a difference.  Secondly, yesterday when my students worked in small groups, they were much more involved, engaged, and most of the time, more personally responsible in the process. They were part of a group of "few" as compared to being part of "many" in the whole class.
The third way that activity demonstrated the power of the few was when one student commented in passing, "I like this class." Another student said at a different time, "I like working on projects like this."
Participation in a small group allows students to use their own learning styles, whether that be as a visual learner, an interpersonal learner, etc.

My second example from yesterday at Spaulding was during the Exploring Foods class.  Part of the class involved students working in the kitchen labs to make pie dough.  One of the kitchens had three cooks. When I realized that the absence of another student would leave one person working alone, I asked for a volunteer to switch kitchen groups.  The result of the changes in groups left two pairs.  One of the pairs included a students who is slightly learning challenged and who is less confident of himself.  He was really nervous about losing their third teammate!  I knew he could step up and he did!  The law of the few at work again! They worked slowly and surely and were completely successful!

Ta Dah!  Have a great day!

Introduction

Hi fellow classmates!
I teach about Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll!  No kidding - I try to teach kids about making healthy choices  in our Wellness or Health classes.  I also teach FCS classes.  This year I am teaching  2 Parenting & Child Psychology classes, and 1 Food Exploration class.  My interest in content drew my into teaching when I started out.  Now, I realize that even more important than the content that I teach, is the fact that I teach kids.

My family is very important to me.  Our son and daughter are grown up, and both are living and working in California now.  That is way too far away, but they are healthy, independent, and pursuing their career dreams.  Being close is not just about physical nearness (I have to remind myself daily).  My small family unit that is physically near includes my husband, my elderly mother, and my sister.

Fun for me is getting outside.  Can you tell what my favorite winter activity is?  The deeper the snow, the more fun, but it does mean shedding warm hats and coats because you get a great work-out!  When I am not outside, I love to watch movies, read, cook, sew, play games like dominoes or Upwords or Catch Phrase.

One of my favorite restaurants is That's Life Soup in Montpelier.  I LOOOOVE soup!  Their soup is hand-crafted from scratch.  They even wash the salad greens individually for each salad!

I dearly love Vermont.  It is such a beautiful place to live.  I have not traveled very much, but I do love the water.  Lake Champlain is a gem.  I have enjoyed the beaches on both the Atlantic and the Pacific.  I was thrilled to watch dolphins when we were in California last summer.

Tell me a joke - I love to laugh, but I give the impression of being serious.  I have funny cat photos on my home page.  I really enjoy laughing with my students.  I have a lot of freshmen - they are really fun and spontaneous, and often very open with their thoughts.  They do not have as many walls up yet as they will by the time they are juniors or seniors.

I look forward to getting to know you as a new blogger friend.

Nancy