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News & Photos
Learning Specialist's Book is Published
Not long after Middle School learning specialist Lucy Martin began at McDonogh in 1997, a colleague suggested that she record what she does to help kids learn. "Lucy's Notes" became an instant hit, distributed first on paper and later electronically.
Last month, Martin's "bag of tricks," as she calls it, became a book. Strategies for Teaching Children with Learning Disabilities (Corwin Press, 2009) is available at Amazon.com and from the publisher's Web site, Corwinpress.com.
Martin calls the 149-page compilation a "grab and go book, which is what teachers need." It contains 30 years of Martin's K-12 classroom strategies for teachers. Tips are broken down by skill, such as attention, memory, note-taking, math, writing, and more.
Woven throughout is Martin's belief that a positive student-teacher connection is at the root of effective learning. "I am a helper," she says. "I encourage kids, help them find their gift, and keep them afloat. I believe in them. I believe in every kid who comes into my classroom."
About sixty kids go in and out of Martin's classroom each day, some just to say "hi," some to grab candy, and others to seek help. "Kids show me strategies," she says. "What doesn't work for them might lead me to what does work for them."
One of her favorites, useful for any reluctant learner, is called "split pea soup." The premise is that students must try something five times before they can reject it.
Martin herself received a few rejection slips before she heard the good news from Corwin Press in December 2007. She was stunned. "The day my proposal was accepted, I ran around to my buddy and we screamed and yelled together."
Eight drafts later, she had a book. "I can't even calculate the number of hours I spent on it," Martin says. "I had an academic editor and a lot of other people to support me."
So far, Martin's book has been marketed online and at conferences. The reviews have been very positive.
"I hope it helps kids. That's the bottom line," she says.
Not long after Middle School learning specialist Lucy Martin began at McDonogh in 1997, a colleague suggested that she record what she does to help kids learn. "Lucy's Notes" became an instant hit, distributed first on paper and later electronically.
Last month, Martin's "bag of tricks," as she calls it, became a book. Strategies for Teaching Children with Learning Disabilities (Corwin Press, 2009) is available at Amazon.com and from the publisher's Web site, Corwinpress.com.
Martin calls the 149-page compilation a "grab and go book, which is what teachers need." It contains 30 years of Martin's K-12 classroom strategies for teachers. Tips are broken down by skill, such as attention, memory, note-taking, math, writing, and more.
Woven throughout is Martin's belief that a positive student-teacher connection is at the root of effective learning. "I am a helper," she says. "I encourage kids, help them find their gift, and keep them afloat. I believe in them. I believe in every kid who comes into my classroom."
About sixty kids go in and out of Martin's classroom each day, some just to say "hi," some to grab candy, and others to seek help. "Kids show me strategies," she says. "What doesn't work for them might lead me to what does work for them."
One of her favorites, useful for any reluctant learner, is called "split pea soup." The premise is that students must try something five times before they can reject it.
Martin herself received a few rejection slips before she heard the good news from Corwin Press in December 2007. She was stunned. "The day my proposal was accepted, I ran around to my buddy and we screamed and yelled together."
Eight drafts later, she had a book. "I can't even calculate the number of hours I spent on it," Martin says. "I had an academic editor and a lot of other people to support me."
So far, Martin's book has been marketed online and at conferences. The reviews have been very positive.
"I hope it helps kids. That's the bottom line," she says.