Ideas to Improve Writing and Critical Thinking

Ideas to Improve Writingand Critical Thinking Joseph Gulino, Ph. DRepresenting Nathan LevyPrincipal, Gulinogroup and Fearless Leadership ConsultingGulinogroup@gmail.com573-424-1046

Who is this guy? • Principal – Catholic elementary schools 28 Years, high school 2 years • Director of Graduate Studies and Undergraduate Clinical Experiences at Central Methodist University, Fayette, MO • Directed graduate education courses for the University of Missouri • Principal – The Gulinogroup and Fearless Leadership Consulting

What has he accomplished? • “Distinguished Educator Award” winning faculty members Agnes Forck (2011) and Laura Dampf (2013) of St. Peter Interparish School, by the National Catholic Educators Association. • “2013 Innovations in Catholic Education in Curriculum and Instruction Award” for St. Peter Interparish School by Today’s Catholic Teacher Magazine. • “2013 Distinguished Home and School Award” for St. Peter Interparish School by the National Catholic Educators Association. • Recipient, University of San Francisco Alumni Society Outstanding Educator in Administration Award • Recipient, National Association of Secondary School Principals Middle Level Dissertation Award.

What has he published? • “Principles of Fearless Leadership,” Nathan Levy Books, 2012 • “Church and State: Partners for the Common Good,” Missouri Catholic Conference, MESSENGER, Jan. 2012 • “Advisors to the Principal,” Today’s Catholic Teacher, August/September 2011 • “How young is too young?”- Jefferson City Magazine, September/October 2008 • “Kindergarten Readiness: A Challenge,” NAESP Magazine, May/June 2008 • “Middle School Programmatic Practices and Student Satisfaction With School,” NASSP Bulletin, Sept. 1999. • “To Brave Ulysses,” America at the Millennium a publication by The International Library of Poetry, 1999. • “Teacher Supervision: Use the Laptop,” Missouri Educational Leadership, 1998. • "My New Life," A Song for children with disabilities, Middle School Journal.

His strongest Areas of Knowledge? His Passions • Principles of Leadership • Kindergarten Readiness • Leading very successful schools • Empowering others • Proper education for each and every student

His goals For the Future? • Share my experiences, thoughts about education and some resources from people I believe in • Our (Nathan Levy) resources or not, the points I make I feel are ones we need to make sure we address. • …So that educators and parents do not have to search too far or reinvent wheels. Offer you resources at your finger tips • If interested in taking time to review resources, stop by my table • Please ask questions or add to the presentation/discussion as you please

Vocabulary is a huge key

What are you/we trying to do? • I Promote Critical thinking • A way of deciding whether a claim is true, partially true, or false. • A process that leads to skills that can be learned, mastered and used. • A tool by which one can come about reasoned conclusions based on a reasoned process. • This process incorporates passion and creativity, but guides it with discipline, practicality and common sense.

What else are you/we trying to do? • II Provide students with experiences which take into consideration basic human needs and critical thinking needs. • Students need to be able to express themselves critically and creatively arising from their experiences of the world. • Students need control of basic writing skills, i.e. sentence structure, paragraphing, etc. • Leaders need to provide relevant subject matter to write about. “Write a paragraph about…?” just does not get it.

What else? • III Encourage Divergent Thinking • A thought process or method used to generate creative ideas by exploring many possible solutions. • Often used in conjunction with convergent thinking, which follows a particular set of logical steps to arrive at one solution, which in some cases is a "correct" solution. • Divergent thinking typically occurs in a spontaneous, free-flowing manner. • Many ideas are generated in an emergent cognitive fashion • Many possible solutions are explored in a short amount of time, and unexpected connections are drawn. • After the process of divergent thinking has been completed, ideas and information are organized and structured using convergent thinking.

And… • IV Increase cognitive skills of resolving discrepancies through successful experiences • V Provide experiences that display the enjoyment and positives of working cooperatively rather than competitively to solve a common problem • What my son experiences… • VI Provide for growth in imagination and intuitive function • VII Provide a change-of-pace from task-oriented learning

Creative Writing Resources ‘Write from the Beginning’for younger students. Children in lower grades have much to say and many formats are traditionally limited and focus on simple topics. Activities in this resource were developed to promote interesting critical writing. Win or Lose Law and Order My Pet Monster Tis the Season

‘Not Just Schoolwork’ – for older students • Designed to focus on the many possibilities of creative writing. • I Perceptions of world • Perceiving through senses • Perceiving self • Perceiving others • Perceiving ideas

II Creative Story Writing • III Units – Spell and Write, Writing News, Holidays, Moods, Science Fiction, Music • IV Tools of the Trade – Help for students and teachers • The Other Word • Feeling Checklist • Eleanor Rigby

Affective Cognitive Thinking – ‘Thinking Strategies for the Gifted’ • Literature • Our children do not know their fairy tales. Time to return to reading them to students and having them read them as well. ‘Nathan Levy’s A.C.T. 1’ • Ex. Hansel and Gretel Activity • Science: Personal Activities and research projects • Living Things • Log • Animal locomotion Machines, Ideas and Inventions Log Can You Find it? • Take from basic to complex with personal adjustments

‘Stories with Holes’ – ‘Whose Clues’ • For Improving Inquiry and engaging in critical and imaginative thinking • Structured so that all will participate promoting group as well as individual success • May be adjusted by leaders to fit appropriate ages or needs • Length of time to solve each story will vary and is controlled by the ability of the group and the leader • Open or close a class, for a change of pace or most importantly to decrease down time

The first introduction… • “I am going to tell you a story with a hole in it – an important part will be missing. Listen carefully and figure out the missing part. The story might not make sense to you at first….” • Make sure that they know this is not about quick or guessing, but about figuring, thinking, maybe sharing, and being correct. • Tell the story once, pause, and then tell it again very slowly

The rules to share… • You can only ask questions that can be answered with a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’. The only answers I can give you are “Yes, No, Does Not Compute (meaning, I cannot just use a Yes or No without confusing you), or Is Not Relevant.” Let them know that “Does No Compute and It is Not Relevant” are stated so as not to confuse them. • You the director) will not be perfect and make mistakes, so just laugh with them. • You may allow for questions the first time if you choose, but not necessary. • Now – You only answer in the ways stated

Encourage Artistic Areas • Gifted students who are aware of an appreciate fine arts are at the advantage of others, as they will be considered more intelligent because of that knowledge. (And they will be!) • ‘Artistry’ • Ex. Chapter 16 - Impressionism

New to ‘Gifted Education’ – esp. your child • Learn as much as you can from anyone you can learn from • Our resource… • ‘What to Do When Your Kid is Smarter Than You?’

The Leadership Void… • Our students special with special gifts? • Then, expect movers, shakers and leaders. • So, most important must experience and practice quality leadership principles. • “We all need a voice of reliable perspective. We need it from loved ones in our lives. We need it from our colleagues. We need it from our school. .. And for the sake of others, we need to cultivate it within ourselves. • David Wilson, Asst. Principal, Jefferson City High School

‘Principles of Fearless Leadership’

If Time, SWH • Participant directed?

Closure • Thank you • One idea – Blossoms • If can be of help • As always, for each topic presented in any of the resources, activities may be adjusted personally to fit the age group of your students or children

Ideas to Improve Writingand Critical Thinking • Joseph Gulino, Ph. DRepresenting Nathan LevyPrincipal, Gulinogroup and Fearless Leadership ConsultingGulinogroup@gmail.com573-424-1046

Ideas to Improve Writing and Critical Thinking