Continuing our interview with Michele Bennett Decoteau, of Blue Hive Journals, today's topic is Colony Collapse Disorder, or CCD, a serious condition that is severely impacting honeybees in the United States. (If you're just joining us, here's part 1 and part 2 of the interview.)
I read recently that nearly one-third of the honeybee population died last year due to CCD. What is Colony Collapse Disorder and how can we help save the honeybees?
CCD is a scary new thing beekeepers are facing. What happens is that beekeeper will open a hive and find healthy larvae and honey but essentially no adult bees. Under typical disease circumstances [only a few adult bees leave and don't return and] there is a decline in bees that is reflected in the larvae and honey. Most diseases show their influence in the larvae [not the adult bees]. The question is where the [adult] bees are and why are they not returning to their hive.Michele's top five things we can do to help the honeybees:
I don’t think a single cause will be found. Some suspects are pesticides, pollution, transporting bees, and disease.
Some pesticides disrupt a bee’s ability to navigate home. One potential culprit is Imidacloprid. When bees get a good dose of this pesticide they act drunk – they cannot fly well, they don’t orient to home, and they get lost easily. This pesticide is banned in other countries but can be purchased [commercially] here in the US. (Mama Joules' sidenote: "Imidacloprid and nicotine have similar activity in the nervous system," according to a 2001 "Insecticide Factsheet" in the Journal of Pesticide Reform.)
Bees are also transported around the country to pollinate large crops. First bees pollinate almonds in California, then they go to Texas to pollinate squash, then maybe over to Georgia for peaches and head up to Maine for blueberries. Bees are eating one single crop at a time and are fed sugar water in transit. This doesn’t sound like a good life for a bee to me. For one thing, the queen and larvae get chilled during transport. I think that all this moving around and single crop feeding is a challenge to the bee’s immune system.
Pollution may affect bees in an unexpected way. Bees use pheromones to communicate within the hive and even to some extent between hives. Pollution can disrupt a bee’s ability to smell and [the bee] may get lost [due to] high levels of pollution.
Disease and bugs that bite bees are an ever increasing issue. Many of these pests come from other countries and were introduced into US bee populations from unmonitored imports of bees. Today, beekeepers use a number of pesticides to deal with these bee-pests.
I am a hobbyist beekeeper and generally we are not affected by CCD. Since we don't know what the cause of CCD is, it is unclear why hobby beekeepers don't see it often. Perhaps it is because we don't transport our hives and feed them a single nectar source or stress them other ways. Stress decreases every being's immune system and a weakened immune system might allow some disease to attack bees. Until we know more about what CCD is, we won't know for sure.
Nonetheless, even hobbyists do keep a close watch on diseases and pests in the hive. Essentially we are just big worker bees taking care of the colony!
1. Become a beekeeper
2. Buy local honey – Check out farmer’s markets and beekeeper’s organizations
3. Plant native plants for pollinators – Check with your local nursery for ideas
4. Grow organically – Stop using chemical pesticides in your flower and veggie garden
5. Buy organic – The fewer pesticides in use in the environment, the better for bees!
Thanks so much for the insight and advice, Michele! Join us next time as we conclude our interview by learning how to start beekeeping (read the next part of this interview here). Be sure to check out Michele's blog, Blue Hive Journals for more ideas and tips about keeping bees.
Michele says, "Take time to try different honey. It’s OK to have more than one jar of honey! Every honey tastes different. I love lavender honey made from lavender nectar."
If you liked this post, you might like:
Meet a beekeeper!
Meet a beekeeper! Part 2: The intelligence of bees
Meet a beekeeper! Part 4: Learning to keep bees
National Pollinator Week 2009
Photo credits: Michele Bennett Decoteau (top photo); Ryan Wick (bottom photo, through a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license)
[10/2/09: Updated to include links to the rest of the interview. Deleted phrase "native honeybees" because it is factually inaccurate. Honeybees were imported to the United States.]


In the middle of the day Monday, I received an email from my husband. The subject line was “say waaa?” with a link to this story: “Survey: Ky. kids healthier than US average.”
First, it is sad that someone’s first reaction to hearing that Kentucky kids are healthier than the average American kid is disbelief. Certainly we can do better as a state to both improve children’s health and improve the perceptions of children’s health.
That article only tells part of the story. The Data Resource Center for Child & Adolescent Health released data from the National Survey of Children’s Health for 2011 and 2012 last Friday. The results come from a survey of parents throughout the country who were asked questions about the perceived health of their children and the factors affecting their children’s health – a fact the article above fails to mention. As indicated in the article, it is true that according to the Kentucky parents surveyed, 85.5 percent of children are in excellent or very good health compared to the national response of 84.2 percent.
That’s great news! Most Kentucky parents believe their children are healthy. Also – more parents in Kentucky than the national average reported that their children have health insurance. This is largely due to the increase in the number of children covered by the Kentucky Children’s Health Insurance Program (KCHIP) in recent years. But parents don’t always have an accurate view of their children’s health. For example, many parents underestimate their children’s weight when asked. Examining other indicators raises some questions about those positive perceptions as well.
For example, almost 40 percent of Kentucky children live in households where someone smokes, as opposed to 24 percent nationally. That’s a huge disparity and illustrates the importance of implementing statewide smoke-free laws. Additionally, parents surveyed reported that 30 percent of Kentucky children have experienced two or more adverse childhood experiences. Adverse childhood experiences, like financial hardship, witnessing domestic violence, or living with someone with a drug or alcohol problem have been proven to negatively impact health when these children become adults. That number drops to just under 23 percent nationally. Parents also reported that fewer children in Kentucky are receiving preventive dental visits than children nationally.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if no one was surprised if Kentucky children were actually healthier than the national average? We have a long way to go first. Our policymakers can implement smoke-free laws across the state. We can work with community leaders to increase oral health literacy. Our Governor and legislators can adopt Medicaid expansion which will help children and parents alike receive the health care they need. We can do a better as a state – we need to do better as a community – to ensure our children grow up as healthy children to be healthy, productive adults. So, let’s acknowledge the positive results of this survey, but let’s also look to where we can improve.


Challenges to Treatment of Eating Disorders in Children
by Melinda Parisi, PhD
Program Director, Center for Eating Disorders Care University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro
Children with eating disorders appear to be increasing in number and decreasing in age. Epidemiologic studies demonstrate that the prevalence of eating disorders in children and adolescents has progressively risen since the 1950s; what’s more, eating disorders are occurring at younger and younger ages (Rosen, 2010). At University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro we work with children as young as age 8, and eating disorders can be seen in even younger children. Children with eating disorders present a unique set of challenges related to recognition, assessment, and treatment: They are not just smaller versions of adults or even adolescents, and treatment must be tailored to children’s particular developmental needs. It is especially important to provide effective, age-appropriate care when one considers the substantial toll that eating disorders take on children’s physical, psychological, and social growth and development; furthermore, good outcomes are very possible, especially with early and determined intervention. This article outlines some of the diagnostic and treatment issues involved in working with eating disordered children (essentially those under age 13), though some of this discussion may be extended to adolescents.
Challenges to assessment and diagnosis
Blurred boundary between normal and abnormal. One of the first complications to recognizing eating disorders is that there is not a clear dividing line between normal and abnormal eating behavior in children. Many children go through “picky eating” phases that are developmentally normal, and they usually grow out of them over time and without intervention. How, then, does one determine whether a given behavior, though likely troubling to parents, is likely to be transient, or whether it is an indication of a more problematic condition? Bryant-Waugh and Nicholls (2011) offer a useful framework to help assess whether problematic eating behavior is clinically significant:
- Nutritional adequacy: Is the child’s diet nutritionally sufficient to prevent physical risk in the short- and/or longer-term?
- Impact on physical development: Is the child’s eating behavior likely to impact weight, growth, and physical development?
- Impact on social development: Is the child’s eating behavior impacting social and emotional development (such as causing the child distress or causing the child to avoid social experiences)?
- Impact on relationships: Is the child’s eating behavior affecting family functioning and relationships with caregivers?
These authors suggest that problems in any one of these areas provide appropriate justification for intervention.
Differences in expression. An additional challenge to the early recognition of eating disorders in children is that they often present quite differently from older patients. Children have not fully developed their verbal and abstract reasoning skills, limiting their ability to understand and describe their thoughts, motivations, and behavior (Bravender et al, 2007). Accordingly, despite engaging in behavior that explicitly contributes to weight loss, children often do not endorse fear of fat and cognitive distortions about weight/shape; indeed, these very concepts have limited validity in this age group. Instead, they may refuse food based on claims that they are not hungry, that they feel bloated or nauseated, or that they are afraid of vomiting or choking. Children may also demonstrate a very strong movement compulsion (O’Toole, 2014). Just as it does in older patients, this may present itself as excessive exercise. However, other children may instead exhibit persistent, compulsive activity and an inability to sit for any length of time. For example, a child might stand or even run in place during typically sedentary tasks such as watching TV or doing homework.
ARFID. With the publication of DSM-5, Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) replaced the previous DSM-IV diagnosis Feeding Disorder of Infancy and Early Childhood, which required an age of onset prior to age 6 in order to make the diagnosis. The new ARFID diagnosis expands the previous category and identifies individuals presenting with various clinically meaningful restrictive eating disturbances, such as:
- Refusal to eat due to problems with the sensory characteristics, such as smell or texture, of food
- Significant anxiety about eating following an event such as choking or vomiting, resulting in food refusal
- General absence of interest in eating or desire for food
While ARFID is likely to present in infancy or childhood, it can also present or persist into adulthood (Kenney & Walsh, 2013). The new ARFID diagnosis provides a diagnostic alternative for those children with restrictive eating that is not related to fear of weight gain. Ultimately, however, treatment considerations are much the same as for those with other eating disorders: Full weight restoration and normalization of eating behavior is essential.
Assessing weight and target weight
Variability in the degree and timing of height and weight changes during puberty presents a further challenge to the assessment of children (and a related treatment issue of determining an appropriate target weight). Many children present not with weight loss, but with failure to gain weight while actively growing, and some children will experience stunted growth as a result of malnutrition. There is a lack of expert consensus on how to determine both expected body weight and target weight in children and adolescents (Golden, Jacobson, Sterling, & Hertz, 2008; LeGrange, Doyle, Swanson, Ludwig, Glunz, & Kreipe, 2012). Measures based solely on height and weight (such as absolute BMI) are not optimal for this age group, as these parameters change with normal maturational processes. Consideration of a child’s BMI percentile for age and gender is of much greater utility; however, even a child with a normal-looking percentile can be very ill, if that percentile represents a significant drop from the child’s previous growth curve. O’Toole (n.d.; 2014) outlines several important factors to consider when determining an appropriate target weight, taking into consideration the child’s degree of pubertal development, the child’s weight before the onset of the eating disorder, and whether the child is growth-stunted. She advocates for weight gain to the point of resumption of a healthy state, whereby the child returns not only to normal medical parameters (such as heart rate, blood pressure, temperature), but also to a normal developmental trajectory, including physical (resumption of growth and the advancement of puberty) and psychosocial (such as returning to school) aspects.
Additional treatment challenges
Children’s psychological immaturity. As previously noted, children have not yet developed sophisticated cognitive and emotional skills. As a result, one can’t have adult-level expectations for treatment engagement. It is important not to wait for the child to express desire to get well, but to take action regardless of the child’s intrinsic motivation. Furthermore, interventions must be developmentally appropriate. Psychotherapy is not likely to be the instrument of change early in treatment, if at all; instead, diligent refeeding is the essential treatment strategy. Parents are central to this process, and, for most children, some form of family-based intervention should provide the core of treatment.
Sense of urgency. The urgency of full weight restoration/ symptom interruption in children can’t be overstated. Returning a child to a normal developmental trajectory as quickly as possible is critical, as prolonging the illness has significant negative (and potentially enduring) implications for children’s physical and psychosocial growth and development. It is therefore necessary to establish and adhere to an appropriately aggressive rate of weight gain. O’Toole (2014) recommends setting clear benchmarks and avoiding negotiating with the eating disorder, noting that without weight restoration, there can be no recovery.
Hospitalization. Many children will do very well in outpatient settings. However, eating disorders are severe illnesses, and despite the best efforts of patients, families, and outpatient clinicians, there are times that hospitalization is necessary. Inpatient treatment allows for medical stabilization, prompt weight restoration, and symptom interruption, as well as intensive psychosocial interventions for both patients and families. The American Academy of Pediatrics (Committee on Adolescence, 2003) has established the following criteria for hospitalization:
- Anorexia Nervosa
- Less than 75% ideal body weight or ongoing weight loss despite intensive management
- Refusal to eat
- Body fat less than10%
- Heart rate
- Less than 50 beats per minute during the daytime
- Less than 45 beats per minute at nighttime
- Systolic pressure less than 90
- Orthostatic changes in pulse (greater than 20 beats per minute) or blood pressure (greater than10mm Hg)
- Temperature less than 96°F
- Bulimia Nervosa
- Serum potassium concentration less than 3.2 mmol/L
- Serum chloride concentration less than 88 mmol/L
- Esophageal tears
- Cardiac arrhythmias including prolonged QTc
- Suicide risk
- Intractable vomiting
- Failure to respond to outpatient treatment
Hospitalization may occur in primarily medical or mental health settings, and will often have a specialized eating disorders treatment component.
Summary and additional resources
Children have the best prognosis when the disorder is identified early, and intervention is applied rapidly and aggressively. Effective, age-appropriate assessment and treatment is therefore essential. The assessment and management of children with eating disorders is clearly a broad and complex topic. The following resources can provide additional helpful information:
- Eating Disorders: A Parent’s Guide by Rachel Bryant-Waugh and Bryan Lask
- Eating Disorders in Children and Adolescents: A Clinical Handbook Edited by Daniel Le Grange and James Lock
- Kartini Blog: http://www.kartiniclinic.com/blog
Bravender, T., Bryant-Waugh, R., Herzog, D., Katzman, D., Kreipe, R.D., Lask, B., Zucker, N. (2007). Classification of child and adolescent eating disturbances. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 40, S117-S122.
Bryant-Waugh, R., & Nicholls, D. (2011). Diagnosis and classification of disordered eating in childhood. In LeGrange, D., & Lock, J. (Eds.), Eating disorders in children and adolescents: A clinical handbook. New York: Guilford Press.
Committee on Adolescence (2003). Identifying and treating eating disorders. Pediatrics, 111, 204-2011.
Golden, N.H., Jacobson, M.S., Sterling, W.M., & Hertz, S. (2008). Treatment goal weight in adolescents with anorexia nervosa: Use of BMI percentiles. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 41, 301-306.
Kenney, L., & Walsh, B.T. (2013). Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). Eating Disorders Review, 24.
LeGrange, D., Doyle, P.M., Swanson, S.A., Ludwig, K., Glunz, C., & Kreipe, R.E. (2012). Calculation of expected body weight in adolescents with eating disorders. Pediatrics, 129, e438-e446.
O’Toole, J. (n.d.). Determining target weight ranges and ideal body weight. Retrieved from http://feast-ed.org/TheFacts/DetermineBodyWeight/aspx.
O’Toole, J. (2014). Anorexia Nervosa in the Very Young Child. Presentation at the Annual meeting of the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals, St. Petersburg, FL.
Rosen, D.S. (2010). Clinical report: Identification and management of eating disorders in children and adolescents. Pediatrics, 126, 1240-1253.


BioCarbon Engineering: Tree planting drones for democratic forest governance in Myanmar
We use emerging technologies such as drones to enable self-governing forest cooperatives in Myanmar and to restore global ecosystems.
Six billion trees are lost every year resulting in losses in biodiversity, healthy environment and jobs. While all ecosystems are impacted, and there are many initiatives to restore the lost forests, the most precious one is mangroves. Countries that depend on mangrove ecosystems, such as Myanmar can suffer tremendous losses from deforestation.
While millions of people depend on mangroves for their survival, the government of Myanmar and WorldView International Foundation are putting a lot of efforts in ecosystem restoration. The urgency of this work, and the scale of the problem made BioCarbon technology a great fit for the long-term partnership in planting millions of trees.
BioCarbon Engineering technology enables NGO partners and local communities to design data-driven forest management systems and to dramatically speed up mangrove planting with drones. While the technology allows to bring down the costs and speed up restoration, the villagers can focus on other areas of livelihood creation such as crab farming, education, textile production and eco-tourism development.
To make this a reality we use a two-step system. First, our drones create sophisticated maps of the terrain and allow local people to create forest governance plans and to empower communities to make decisions about their ecosystems. Then our planting drones follow the planting pattern and fire biodegradable seedpods. One team of pilots can plant up to 100,000 trees per day, ensuring rapid growth and ecosystem restoration, while providing jobs for local communities through seed collection and post-planting maintenance.
Stage of Development
- Early Stage
- Established Prototype
Organization to Receive Funds
BioCarbon Engineering is an Oxford-based start-up that carries out full-cycle ecosystem restoration projects. The company organises projects from finding local NGO partners, delivering mapping and planting services and providing post-planting monitoring.


Students in Malawi with their school meals, which were produced using crops from P4P-supported smallholder farmers. Copyright: WFP/Ken Davies
Home Grown School Feeding programmes implemented by governments with the support of partners, including WFP, are increasingly providing assured markets for smallholder farmers. At least half of the 20 P4P pilot countries report linking smallholder farmers’ organizations to school feeding programmes. By strengthening government ownership and fostering community engagement, this should enhance sustainability.
By linking local agricultural production to school meals, Home Grown School Feeding (HGSF) programmes multiply benefits for rural communities. They can increase enrolment, improve nutrition, boost local economies, improve smallholders’ livelihoods and develop government capacity. Due to varied country contexts, each HGSF programme is unique, but are generally characterized by the incorporation of local food purchases into government-run school feeding programmes.
In Ethiopia, Malawi and Mozambique the link between P4P and HGSF has been strengthened by the Purchase from Africans for Africa (PAA) initiative.
Benefiting rural communities
In Malawi, smallholder farmers are providing 10 primary schools with locally available foods, including fish, groundnuts and bananas, as well as staple grains. The project is currently being scaled up. Since the beginning of the HGSF pilot in Malawi, enrolment has increased by approximately 15 percent in participating schools. Serving nutrient-rich meals made from fresh, traditional foods can promote diet diversification, a lesson which many schools, such as the Hanja Chafa Primary School in Ethiopia reinforce through nutrition education. These efforts support improved nutrition at both household and community level, as children take this knowledge home with them. In Malawi and Ethiopia, through the PAA Africa partnership, FAO supports these efforts by providing inputs and training smallholder farmers in improving production.
The assured market presented by HGSF programmes can work as an incentive for smallholder farmers to invest in increasing agricultural production. In 2014, Malawian farmer Clara Bamusi earned nearly 80,000 kwacha (US$ 200) from her sales of maize, soya, sweet potatoes and ground nuts to the Ching’ombe Primary School. “The greatest benefit has been the reliable market,” says Clara. “With my earnings I bought double the fertilizer and hybrid seed, and because of these inputs I was able to grow and harvest more bags of maize this year compared to last.” HGSF programmes can specifically support women farmers through an emphasis on crops which women traditionally farm and market, such as pulses. This has been a focus in Zambia, where 30 to 50 percent of pulses required for HGSF are procured from P4P-supported farmers’ organizations.
Ownership by governments and communities is vital for the success and sustainability of HGSF programmes. National governments have already demonstrated their full commitment, in many cases seeking guidance on how to best link smallholder farmers to school feeding programmes. For example, in Honduras, WFP has worked with the national government to improve these links, including through exchange visits with WFP’s Centre of Excellence in Brazil. The national school feeding programme in Honduras reaches 90 percent of schoolchildren in the country. In 2013, nearly half the maize and beans required for the programme were provided by P4P-supported farmers’ organizations. In Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, Niger and Senegal government partnerships are further strengthened through PAA Africa, which is inspired by the Brazilian learning with institutional local procurement. Strong partnerships between national and district governments and WFP have allowed for more effective uptake by schools and farmers’ organizations.
The HGSF model has the potential to increase community engagement and participation. This is particularly true when procurement is decentralized, enabling district authorities or schools to purchase food directly from local smallholder farmers and their organizations. In Malawi, procurement committees composed of parents, community members, teachers and pupils receive training in procurement planning, negotiation and delivery terms. This allows schools to negotiate directly with farmers to most cost-effectively purchase nutritious food. They are also provided with a recipe book to guide their choice of foods, as well as guidance on how to ensure that students’ nutritional needs are met.
Moving forward with lessons learned
Emerging lessons learned suggest that HGSF efforts can be most effectively linked with P4P-supported farmers in those districts with the greatest productive potential. Many farmers’ organizations also require continued support to aggregate and market quality commodities. Linking smallholder farmers with school feeding in Kenya proved challenging due to the different implementation areas of the two programmes. To address this, additional farmers’ organizations near HGSF implementation areas are now being targeted for capacity development from P4P and partners. Though further support is required to increase their capacity, three farmer’s organizations have now supplied food to nine schools. Infrastructure and equipment, such as processing and storage facilities have also proven vital to success. In order to assist smallholders to sell to HGSF programmes in Ghana, P4P is working to link farmers’ organizations with processors.
Though progress has been made, many challenges remain. For example, in Liberia, limited funding and high local prices in comparison to the import parity price (IPP) makes purchasing rice from smallholders challenging. To assist smallholder farmers to be more competitive in the local market, the production of cowpeas and their incorporation in school feeding programmes is now emphasized. Regional initiatives such as the West Africa Rice Organization are investing in cost-effective production, which helps to further reduce costs for farmers. Purchasing local commodities from smallholder farmers at a cost slightly above market prices is sometimes necessary as a transition measure.
Tweet about it:
— Purchase 4 Progress (@WFP_P4P) August 27, 2014


back to school, back to work!
give yourself a beautiful SUMMERof 2016 memory!
We are happy to welcome our new artists Stigma One & Erik van Cuyck!
go and check their work on Facebook and Instagram as well:
A piercing actually means a piece of pierced skin with jewelry in it. Many parts of the body can be pierced, for instance ears, nose, lips, nipples and genitals. Sometimes not only the skin has been pierced but the cartilage as well.
If a piercing has not been performed professionally, you run the risk of damaged tissue that could lead to desensitized, or loss of function of nerves. Or to an infection, abcess, allergic reaction, scartissue and the rejection of the jewelry. A piercing usually is a deep wound that needs time to heal. Depending on the spot, quality of the jewelry, general health, physical condition and of course the way you have been pierced, healing times are between 2-50 weeks. If a piercing is performed in a professional way, and is treated with care, healing will usually be without any trouble.
Piercing has been practiced in many different countries of the world. In South America, the original tribe people have pierced and stretched ears, noses, lips. In Indonesia they have hugely stretched ears, the Eskimos had pierced noses and lips. In India they still pierce their tongue and cheeks on festivals, in Africa, they have pierced ears, noses, lips. Genital piercings originated probably out of a ritual or religious device of sexual control and there was not anything pleasureable about it but very painful. Only in the West, this type of body decoration has not been popular for up to 40 years ago (!), except maybe for some fetish-scenes, where more pleasurable functions for private piercings were being discovered. And for the rest a pierced earlobe, which was generally seen as primitive or suspicious!Fortunately, people began to take more interest in themselves and their bodies and the way they looked and started thinking about how to change their appearance, and how they wanted to look That is, clothing, hairstyle, make up, jewelry, shoes or any accessory and if that is still not you, maybe get pierced or tattooed.
Besides the good look of it, a piercing can have an additional function, namely that it can feel nice and can give an extra sensation to the part of the body that has been pierced. Like a tongue piercing does, and a nipple piercing will. And genital piercings of course are mostly performed for the extra stimulans.
For some piercings, you will have to downsize your jewelry, because the part that is pierced may swell up the first few days. So you start with something bigger or larger in size. You cannot start with jewelry which is more heavy or has pointed ends or sticks out in a way that it will not get the rest it needs to heal. Only after your piercing has healed, you can change it with a different type of jewelry. Some piercings you have to pay attention to not to take out too long before they will close. Even after it has healed and you`ve had it for a longer time. Do not take the jewelry out before it has healed!!
Choosing the piercer
Since piercing has become so popular, it became a booming business usually in combination with tattooing. In the beginning, there were only few piercing shops (and still are actually) and most of the time, piercing was being performed by tattooists in their tattoo shop, sometimes because it meant fast and easy extra money. These people were not always that well informed on piercing (because their main thing was tattooing and probably piercing didn’t look that difficult) and nowadays still teach their piercers the same bad piercing habits, without taking it serious enough. Usually a shop who does tattooing and piercing, have the same level of quality, because the image has to correspond. So if there’s serious tattooing going on, usually piercing will be serious too. And reverse.
Try to avoid the overexcited fresh piercer who just did the “2-day course how to learn piercing” who cannot act appropriately. It will take months before a piercing-trainee starts realizing what they are really doing and what to think of and what to do. There are so many piercings possible nowadays with each their own healing and wearing-process. This takes a long time to know about and a piecer will have to learn about hygiene, cross-contamination, materials, skin allergy, nerve-system, and so on.
The best way to become a professional piercer is by asking a professional piercer if he/she wants to train you, if you can have a look at it for many times, for many months, try to do the set-up, how to pick the right jewelry and get pierced yourself as much as possible, so you know how it feels, what you can do better, how to mark it the best to avoid rejection and how to size to jewelry, not too small because of swelling and not too big so it will move too much.
An experienced piercer should have a perfect eye for marking and choosing the right shape of jewelry and right material. And while doing the piercing, taking all neccessary precautions into consideration with care.Have a look in different shops. Ask for a possible photobook.
There is a tendency just to ask about prices and compare it with only that. This doesnt make sense; which one do you choose now? Cheap and low quality or expensive and high quality? Have a look at the jewelry displayed, try to catch a customer who just got pierced in the same place and ask the person if you can have a look at it. Piercers themselves can tell you a lot about the ways they work; do they have nice and clean and healed piercings themselves? Are their hands clean? Do they wash their hands before touching something? Do they take other people`s jewelry in their bare hands or with a towel or gloves? How long have they been piercing?
Piercing at streetfairs, markets, festivals etc not ok (piercing guns, dirty environment, low quality jewelry. And customers are too young, usually drunk and not clean) So-called guns for ear piercings have been forbidden by the Amsterdam health service. That is very good because a gun like that cannot be cleaned properly and cannot be sterilized at all. Furthermore it’s tricky for focusing and piercing cartilage with it can cause splinters or cracks in the cartilage and can traumatize the skin!
Getting your first piercing
Getting your first piercing is usually the biggest step in getting piercings. If you are really not sure if you are going to like the looks of it, buy a glitter stick-on and glue it on for a few days. You can even find rings with balls that have to be pinched together and looks like you got a piercing. In this way you`ll know whether you like it and on which spot you prefer it. It`s not too difficult to imagine yourself with it, so it`s not so much an issue if you like the looks of it but the thought of sticking a needle through your skin can be repulsive for people, depending on their own fantasy/ creative mind.. You can make yourself as scared or sick as you want, but you can also try to stay relaxed and realize it`s only a few seconds in total. Which is too short to be really painful. If you heal right and you like your body decorated with it, you`ll not be so hesitant to get another one.
Usually people have got their earlobes pierced, without realizing that you already have a piercing.. Other spots are actually not that different, the skin (tissue) varies in thickness and softness. Ears and nose have cartilage. But a piercing is always performed as quickly as possible, and will never last more than a few seconds. I would say everybody can handle that.
Choosing the kind of piercing
TRY TO KNOW WHAT YOU LIKE, SO YOU CAN CHOOSE WHAT YOU WANT. List of piercings: earlobe, cartilage, tragus, antitragus, innercartilage, orbital, transversal, industrial, bridge, eyebrow, nose, septum, monroe, lowerlip, upperlip, labret, cheek, eskimo, lipfrenum, tongue, tonguefrenum, nipple horizontal, nipple vertical, navel, outer labia, inner labia, clitoris hood, frenum, Pr. Albert, Pr. Albertina, fourchette, pubic F, pubic M, dydoe, scrotum, guiche, foreskin, ampallang, apadravya and many more I keep forgetting the name of.
You can only pierce places that will heal without too much pressure.
Sometimes a customer wants to get pierced somewhere different and unusual. Spots like neck, chest, arms, legs are not suitable to get pierced with standard jewelry but need custom piercingjewelry for this specific place. We call those surface bars (with double discs or stones) This is a special (square) piece of jewelry that fits an angle-pierced spot and doesn`t move.
Finally there are good (flat) surface bars being made that will
Heal places that were not possible before.
These come mainly from Japan where they are made flat by hand
And thats also where i have been taught to pierce these in a special way.
Because of this the piercing is perfectly deep and will not grow out
At the shop we have 1,2 and 1,6mm surface bars on which it is possible
To screw-on different ends.
We even have a connection-plate on which extra ends will fit.
Come by and we show you all!
To get this kind of piercing you will need extra consultation with the piercer.
Also microdermals (single disc/stone) are very suitable for places where skin is very tight en shallow. This is a mini version of the so-called trans-dermals that are half in the skin and half outside. This used to be a much bigger procedure but these microdermals can be done with a small 2,0 needle or 1,5 punch without stitching. Revolutionary development in the piercing history:
Or transdermal implants.
This is a small titanium plate (6x2mm) on which a
1,6mm bar is connected on which you can screw on a disc
ball, stone, spike.
It actually only is a single-point piercing, meaning that the needle goes
in and pulled out again. The plate will sit beneath the skin.
This is firm and stable and suitable for most places that were not suited
To pierce before.
Think about the wrist, arm, cheeckbone, bindi, temple, leg etc
Look at the visuals section for examples or come by to check more
Images in our books.
Sometimes a piercing influences or modifies the shape of the spot that has been pierced. For instance big, stretched earlobes change the shape of the ear, a largely stretched septum will bring the tip of your nose down and stretched nipples will make your them bigger, a stretched lip will curl your lip more..)
PREGNANCY AND PIERCINGS Nowadays many of the women who are pregnant, will be wearing a piercing. Nobody will start to worry about their earlobes or eyebrow being pierced, but a bellybutton-piercing, or maybe nipple- or genital piercing should make you think and realise some things. During pregnancy, the belly and breasts will swell up and because of this, pressure on your piercing will increase. Being pregnant can make the body react to metals- and so to the piece of jewelry that’s being worn. Pregnant bodies do not tolerate strange objects and materials well-as a defence mechanism to protect the baby
This information is about how to deal with your piercing(s) during and after pregnancy. It is advisable to clean your piercing with a mild seasalt-solution: Make a solution of a quarter of a liter of boiling water and a half a teaspoon SEASALT or BAKING SODA. More of the salt or soda works less. Put this solution in a cup and put the cup for 20-30 seconds against the piercing, so the piercing will soak in the solution. Try to move the jewelry a little while you are doing this. Rinse off with warm water. Do this 1 or 2 times a day. Salt water soaks help to stimulate air and blood circulation which facilitates healing.
PREGNANT AND PIERCED (nipple-bellybutton-genital) Piercing still healing: If you are pregnant you cannot get pierced out of precaution. It is possible that you got pierced recently when you get pregnant. You will have to stick carefully to the aftercare recommended as well as the healing time. It can take longer before it has healed because your body is busy growing a baby already. Go and see your piercer monthly to get your piercing checked. Sizes of jewelry can increase heavily: the length of a curved barbell for the bellybutton needed can start with 11mm and then change to 18mm after 30 weeks of pregnancy and can even become 22mm after 32 weeks! Womens’ pregnant bodies do not tolerate foreign objects well as it works as a defence mechanism to keep the baby safe. Sometimes it will make the piercing grow out. If this is happening go and see your piercer to get your piercing safely removed. If your body doesn’t react to the piercing at all and stays fine, you will only have to change to a bigger size of jewelry and preferably change material as well to allergy-free-bendable PTFE. The good thing about this material is that there will be no unnecessary pressure on the piercing because it’s flexible. During pregnancy your body may react to gold also.
Piercing fully healed: Make sure your piercing will stay clean by always rinsing and moving it in the shower Probably your piercing will swell up as your belly gets bigger. The size of the jewelry needed can vary widely: the length of a curved barbell for the belly button needed can start with 11mm and then change to 18mm after 30 weeks of pregnancy and can even become 22mm after 32 weeks! If this is happening, you will have to upsize the jewelry to a preferably anti-allergic plastic bendable material called PTFE. The good thing about this material is that there will be no unnecessary pressure on the piercing because its flexible. Especially after the first three months you will need a larger width of piercing jewelry-nipples will swell up more, the belly will get under more stress and pressure and labia become engorged with blood in preparation for delivery.
PIERCINGS AND DELIVERY Nipple: having a nipple piercing will not interfere with delivery and so can be worn. Belly-button: If you are still wearing your belly ring, you can keep it in during delivery also. Genital: Labial and clitoral jewelry would better be removed for delivery. The jewelry could cause damage to the baby. And it is very likely you will loose the jewelry because of tearing. If your piercing hole does look good and undamaged afterwards, the jewelry can be replaced. Keep doing seasalt soaks, at least for a week. And if you have lost the piercing you can always get re-pierced after some months.
BREASTFEEDING WITH PIERCINGS Nipple: Many women expect problems nursing with nipple piercings. A nipple has about 40 milkducts. It is possible that 2 holes will be closed off. Most of the time you will not notice anything, sometimes you will have 2 extra holes (especially if your piercing was placed far behind). Even after you have re-pierced the same nipple a few times or stretched it, and it feels like scar tissue (hard), you can still breastfeed. The body will find a way to re-route the flow. Even women who have breast implants or had breast reduction surgery are able to still breastfeed so there will be no problem having a small piercing. If you decide not to breastfeed and you are wearing your nipple piercings, you will have to soak them at least 1x a day for the coming months. This is because milk is staying inside and the ring or bar worn can be a source of bacteria by movement of the jewelry. If you think your milk ducts are blocked it is even more advisable to do seasalt-soaks and massages. Don’t put anything else on your piercing!!! Avoid wearing bras these months because of the cups and underwires cut off the ducts and may form a clog. And there can be too much pressure on the piercing as well. A nipple ring or –bar looks good but is not comfortable to feel for the newborn baby. Pressure on the baby`s palate can cause damage. U may loose a ball! So its advisable to remove the jewelry everytime before nursing. Mothermilk contains of antibacterial properties thanks to which your piercing is safe from infection, and the baby will never have any risk drinking. If you are planning to keep your nipple piercings and take them out before every nursing, you will have to keep on rinsing with seasalt 2 x daily. It may occur your nipples will get sore of taking them in and out constantly. If things get too sensitive it is advisable to take out the jewelry. And then get it re-pierced later on.
Getting it and taking care of it
Getting pierced is the best if you’re rested, nourished, healthy and relaxed. Make sure you don`t drink alcohol or use drugs the night before, because then you might bleed alot and your skin is more sensitive. Especially for piercings that swell up , they will swell up more than average if you have alcohol or other drugs in your blood. then your piercing will stay swollen for longer, which means it will take longer to heal also.
Don`t get pierced if you are not sure you really want it. Because then your mind will have to accept it first, before it starts healing. And if you don`t know whether you like it you can get too focused and troubled by it. Don`t get pierced until having consulted your doctor if you have the following complaints: diabetic, hemofilia, metalallergy, had (plastic) surgery on the desired spot and on spots where you see a swelling or any kind of deformation of the skin.
Since it only takes a few seconds, you should best concentrate on your breathing, then you relax your mind and body the best. This also makes it easiest for the piercer & yourself to do the piercing. Never take out the jewelry if you think your piercing is infected. Then both open ends will close and the dirt of the infection has nowhere to go! plus the infection can get bigger inside.. Try to see the shop or give us a call! If your piercing is still fresh and clean, you can take it out but you will not be able to put it back in. The hole will close very quickly, or it swells immediately after you take it out, and you will not be able to find the hole (tongue, lip, nipple). Usually the leftover mark of a fresh piercing is only a needlepoint-size mark/scar. When you want to take out a healed piercing, it will leave a mark depending on the size (thickness) of jewelry you are wearing. If stretched, how it has been stretched and the period of time you have had it for will influence the scar. If you massage the spot with a vitamine-E oil or calendulan-lotion afterwards for a few weeks the mark will disappear the best.
Getting more and/or stretching your piercing –
THE EARPROJECT Stretching of piercings has been performed in many cultures for thousands of years. Often most of the nicest piercing jewelry is made in larger sizes, so some piercings have to be stretched before you can actually wear the jewelry you had in mind. To stretch your piercing it has to be healed. Patience and good technique are neccessary for a succesful stretch. Patience is important because with too fast and too big stretching you can develop scartissue which is too hard to stretch any further. Furthermore if you have scartissue you can not go back to the original small size either. If you let your piercing heal well every time and stretch slowly by small steps up, you can also go back from large to small. For a stretched 5mm (=4gauge) earlobe you will be busy for a few months. Other, longer-healing piercings will take longer to stretch also. WE OFFER A SPECIAL PRICE FOR A STRETCHED EAR PROJECT. DO YOU LIKE GETTING STRETCHED EARS? RANGING FROM 5MM-50MM. This projects includes changing jewelry, stretching by us and yourself and all under supervision of the shop
Your rights as a customer (service)
After getting pierced, you can always come to the shop and show the piercing you got. If you have any questions or if you just like somebody to have a look at it, go back to the person who pierced you. Sometimes a piercing is not healing totally right and needs a larger size or a different shape of jewelry. you should be able to go back as a service. This should be done by preferrably the same piercer who did it originally and this should be for free of charge.
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At CLASSIC you can find all sorts of jewelry and accessories. Of course we sell the beautiful high end Tawapa jewelry from our sister company Dare 2 Wear. Classic involves stylish and elegant we got the most intricate gold selection you will find anywhere! This comes from New York, Mexico, India and also custom made pieces by our own design. Furthermore there is an interesting collection with old and replica tribe jewelry of other natural materials. Of course we sell basic pieces and design titanium and stainless steel.
Our view on being a bod mod studio means that we should offer different kinds of jewelry, suitable for every age. Because for some jewelry you need a piercing (also modern piercing jewelry in earlobes are more comfortable to wear and even more elegant and beautiful), we are proud to be a professional studio and at the same time try to create a tasteful scenery of overall body decoration. We travel abroad to get the nicest jewelry from the places where they originally come from. Have a look at the photos..
Sizes of jewelry: You can get almost any size of piercing jewelry. There’s a difference in the thickness, shape and length of what you need for healing and what you can wear after healing. For every person, a specific size is needed. There are no general sizes to start with, only minimum sizes of thickness and diameter, to prevent growing out or swelling from jewelry that’s too small.
Jewelry to start with: (to be worn during the whole healing time). Since July 2001 it’s been determined in Europe that there’s different materials of jewelry allowed for healed piercings and fresh piercings. This has to do with the amount of nickel present in the material. And the material should be hypoallergenic and should not be affected in any way by body liquids- and tissue. Metals need to be shiny polished and cannot be poreus to fight growing micro-organisms. Piercings should be started preferably with 6AL4V ELI F-136 implant grade titanium or 316LVM F-138 implant grade stainless steel jewelry. Or, if desired, with 18 k. Gold or Glass.
The shape and/or material is usually not the piece you had in mind. A piercing takes patience before you can actually do what you want with it (changing jewelry, playing, stretching)
Jewelry you can wear after healing: This list has a little more variety. These materials should be hypoallergenic as well and should not be affected in any way by bodyliquids- and tissue. Metals need to be shiny polished and cannot be porous. Fortunately this collection is made in more different shapes and materials. You can wear surgical steel, wood (ebony, sabowood, bloodwood, coconut etc but some woods are poisonous!), glass, horn, bone, natural stone, silicon, titanium, 14+18k. gold and PTFE.
Where to buy: If you want to change your piercing jewelry it’s always best to come back to the shop first. In this way we can have a look if it has healed properly and what kind of jewelry you can get. There’s so much available that you could easily pick something too small or too thick. If you have seen something you like to get for your piercing, ask the piercer if it is possible for you to wear. Fortunately we can get almost anything you like, so please ask if there’s something you have in mind!
Nowadays, piercing jewelry is being offered by many different businesses. Most of the non-piercingshops that do sell piercingjewelry, do not have enough knowledge of what they are selling. They offer a low-quality metal which can create an allergy to metal! Do not go to clothingstores, drugstores, fleamarkets, smartshops, beautysalons, nailstudios.. a jewelrystore without piercing usually sells gold piercings, but since they don`t pierce, the jewelry they offer is usually not suited for wearing (goldstamps, rough edges, wrong curve) Be aware of different qualities of materials. Ask for highly polished, non-toxic material. So, always try to get your jewelry in a real piercingshop, where there`s a piercer who can look and decide what you need. So you can keep your piercing as long as you like, without having problems with it.
We work with different jewellers known for their craftmenship, creativity and flexibility. This means that many things can be made, exactly the material, size and shape wanted. We are planning to buy more jewelry from all over the world, to find the nicest stuff from where it`s really been made. So that our choice of jewelry stays special. Made of high quality gold, silver, steel, wood, jade and other materials.
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Remember that your piercing is a wound and also has to be treated like one. A wound needs time, rest and cleaning to heal. A wound can get infected, so cleaning it is essential. Don`t touch if you`re not cleaning it. And don`t play with. Following are some important points concerning the cleaning of your piercing.
facial- and bodypiercing:
*Wash the piercing twice a day with a non-perfumed soap, preferrably with Satin, antimicrobial skin cleaner or with a bar of Sebamed soap.
*First wash your hands with the soap.
*Make your piercing wet until the dirt that`s dried up to the jewelry falls off or take this off with a wet q-tip. Don`t use your nails to scratch it off. If you see some dried up-dirt on your jewelry or skin, use a wet q-tip and gently remove it, without moving the jewelry.
*now put some foam of the soap on the piercing and move the jewelry GENTLY back and forth, so the soap also gets in the wound. Leave the soap in there for 20-30 seconds. Meanwhile you can gently press the skin around your piercing with a q-tip. If there`s any dirt inside, it will come out now.
*Finally rinse all of the soap away with warm water by gently moving the jewelry so the soap inside will go out.
*Then dry your skin and leave the skin around your piercing dry as it is.
DO NOT USE: sterilon, iodine, alcohol (= emergencysolutions for when you are not able to clean with fresh water for a few days) or creams ;an antibacterial soap cleans more than enough and the other products are usually too agressive for your skin and may take away good bacterias you need for healing as well.
upper- lower- side- lip, eskimo-piercing:
*OUTSIDE: First see above the instruction for facialpiercings
*INSIDE: Rinse your mouth about 5 times a day with yellow Listerine, you can add a little water. Do this in the morning after brushing your teeth, every time after you had something to eat. And rinse before you are going to bed. If you don’ awnt to use Listerine, use boiled water with half a teaspoon of seasalt. Or rinse with chlorhexidine.
*After brushing your teeth, also brush the inside of your lip. GENTLY brush around your piercing. This way, you take away all possible dirt and your piercing will heal better. Avoid chewing on gum, nails, pencils,sunglasses etc.
*don’t drink any alcohol the first few days-your piercing will be swollen already and could bleed a bit.
*Rinse your mouth about 5 times a day with yellow Listerine, you can add a little water. Do this when you get up out of bed and when you are going to bed en do this every time you had something to eat. If you don’t want to use Listerine, use boiled water with half a teaspoon of seasalt. Or rinse with chlorhexidine.
*After brushing your teeth, also brush your tongue and the inside of your lip. When you got your tongue pierced, brush the balls as well (on top and below), GENTLY brush around your piercing. With the lipfrenum, lift up your lip and brush the jewelry and skin around it carefully. Do this daily. This way, you take away all possible dirt and your piercing will heal better. Avoid chewing on gum, nails, pencils,sunglasses etc.
*don’t drink any alcohol the first few days-your piercing will be swollen already and could bleed a bit.
Alternative cleaning of all piercings (instead of cleaning with soap or at least 1x every week) and in case of an infection:
*Make a solution of a quarter of a liter of boiling water and a half a teaspoon SEASALT or BAKING SODA. More of the salt or soda works less. Put this solution in a cup and put the cup for 20-30 seconds against the piercing, so the piercing will soak in the solution.Try to move the jewelry a little while you are doing this. Rinse off with warm water. Do this 1 or 2 times a day. Salt water soaks help to stimulate air and blood circulation which facilitates healing.
*Too much cleaning is also not good, follow the points above. When you face any problems with your piercing then contact your piercer. Also don’t hesitate to come by the piercingshop.
*Never take out the jewelry if you think your piercing is infected. Infected looks red, swollen and it`s constantly covered with dried up waste. If you take out an infected piercing, Then both open ends will close and the dirt of the infection has nowhere to go but to stay there and infect the surrounded area inside.
The person being pierced should not touch the piercing nor the skin around it, or will have to wash his/her hands immediately after. Check for yourself how clean you are. Since a piercing usually takes a few weeks or longer to heal, you will have to be extra conscious about your own cross-contamination; dont touch your hair and then your piercing. Don`t touch or play with your piercing anyway, except for cleaning it, with clean hands. Dirty nails, especially long nails can easily cause an infection when touching it..
Sometimes a piercing is not healing totally right and needs a larger size or a different shape of jewelry.
service: You can always come to visit, not only to check your piercing, but also for changing, stretching and of course for another piercing!
-check daily with clean hands to make sure the balls are screwed on tight on barbells.
-make sure your bedding is clean, especially if pets get into your bed!
-a multi-vitamin mineral supplement containing zinc and vit.C help boost your healing. Take it in the morning with breakfast.
The healing period is the same as the time you have to spend on cleaning the piercing.
|earlobe/ septum/ tongue/ lipfrenum/hood/labia/pa/frenum||2-6 weeks|
|nose/ eyebrow||6-8 weeks|
|outer labia/ dydoe / guiche||2-4 months|
|upper-lower-side- lip / eskimo||2-6 months|
|nipple (both takes longer to heal)/cartilage/tragus||3-9 months|
Download the Aftercare Word document
prijzen piercings inclusief sieraad:
|euro||titanium ring||euro||titanium staafje||euro|
|oorlel||35||1,0-1,6 mm||35||1,2-1,6 mm|
|oorlel||40||2,0 mm||45||2,0 mm|
|oorlel 2 x||60||1,0-1,6 mm||60||1,0-1,6 mm|
|oorlel 2 x||70||2,0 mm||80||2,0 mm|
|oorstretchproject x2||110||3,0 mm|
|kraakbeen||45||1,0-1,6 mm||45||1,0-1,6 mm|
|kraakbeen x 2||80||80|
|forward helix x2||90||1,0-1,6 mm||90||1,0-1,6 mm|
|forward helix x3||135||1,0-1,6 mm||135||1,0-1,6 mm|
|rook/daith/snug/conch||50||1,0-1,6 mm||50||1,0-1,6 mm|
|tragus||50||1,0-1,6 mm||50||1,0-1,6 mm|
|wenkbrauw||50||1,0-1,6 mm||50||1,0-1,6 mm|
|navel||50||1,6 mm||50||1,6 mm|
|septum||50||1,6 mm||50||1,6 mm||60||retainer 1,6 mm|
|50||1,6 mm||50||1,6 mm|
|tepel horizontaal||50||2,0 mm||55||2,0 mm|
|tepel vertikaal||50||1,6 mm|
|tepel X 2||90||1,6 mm||90||1,6 mm|
|nek/nape||55 euro europees sieraad / 70 usa / 70 japans|
|surface piercing||55 euro europees sieraad / 70 usa / 70 japans|
|surface x 2||100 / 130 / 130|
|lip||50||1,6 mm||50||1,6 mm|
|lipfrenum||50||1,0-1,6 mm||50||1,0-1,6 mm|
|genitals V||75||1,6-2,0 mm||75||2,0 mm|
|genitals x2 V||140||1,6-2,0 mm||140||1,6-2,0 mm|
|genital x2 M||140||140|
|dermal punch||60 voor 2mm / 75, 3 en 4mm / 80, 5mm / 90, 7 en 8mm incl sieraad|
|beading||100 1x / 180 2x / 240 3x / 280 4x (=max per keer)|
|micro dermal||80 met schijfje / 85 met steentje|
|micro dermal x2||145 / 155|
|micro dermal x3||200 / 210||x4 = 245 / 255|
|wissel met hier gekocht sieraad||gratis|
|wissel met eigen sieraad||5|
|verwijderen MD niet van ons||10|
|oorstretch vanaf 25 voor 2 oorlellen. en oud sieraad behouden|


JAKARTA – ASEAN member countries need to have more data on the prevalence of violence against women to inform and guide the development of legislation, policies and programs that could prevent violence against women and protect survivors, UN official said on Monday.
“Without timely and accurate indicators, it is impossible to track progress or provide information that compels policy makers to act toward the elimination of violence against women,” UNFPA Representative for Indonesia, Jose Ferraris, was quoted by the Jakarta Post as saying.
Only few ASEAN countries have reliable statistical data on the prevalence of violence against women although the 2004 ASEAN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women underscored the need for reliable statistics both to assess the prevalence of the social problem and to continually monitor changes, he said.
The National Commission on Violence against Women recorded that 119,107 cases of violence against women took place in Indonesia in 2011.
“Having that kind of data and information will allow us to be able to confidently say this is the situation of violence in the country and ask what are the policy measures that are being taken to address the problem?” he said.
- Asian unions identify priorities to strengthen actions for migrant workers
- ASEAN bolsters cooperation in human rights
- FTA between China’s Hong Kong, 3 ASEAN nations to take effect in June
- Asean in 2040: Bolder and stronger?
- Asean unions and employers find common priorities to protect migrant workers
c/o National Trade Union Center Philippines
Suites 8 N & O, Future Point Plaza 2, 115 Mother Ignacia St., South Triangle, Quezon City 1103, PHILIPPINES


Writing life histories is a practical handbook which gives clear guidance on how to put together life histories in supportive or residential settings. It provides:
- Step-by-step guidance
- Ideas for different types of life histories
- Activities, strategies and material for promoting memories
- Helpful tools and writing tips
- Suggestions for support and forming partnerships with other local services
- Ideas for involving the person’s family and friends
- Discussion on ehtical issues to be considered.
The benefits of engaging a group or an individual in Life History activities include – an aid to memory; creative stimulation; a personalised identity when in a residential home; promotion of interaction and co-operation with others; continutity with previous life experience thus combating the loss of identity as well as an excellent opportunity to pass on knowledge and experience to others.
This is an indispensible resource for anyone interested in compiling life histories including nurses, residential home staff, carers, tutors and occupational therapists, group facilitators in day centres, clubs for the elderly or learning disabilities.


Kenya coffee beans are some of the most sought-after in the world. Kenyan coffee has a reputation for being bright, flavorful, and complex. Kenya is a major producer of coffee, and its coffee beans are exported all over the world.
Many factors contribute to the unique flavor of Kenyan coffee, including the history of the country, the growing regions, and the processing methods used. In addition, Ethiopian and Kenyan coffee beans share some similarities, which contributes to their high demand.
Kenyan Coffee History
Kenya is one of the world’s top coffee producers, and its beans are known for their bright acidity and full body. Kenyan coffee has a long history, dating back to the late 19th century.
Kenya’s coffee industry was started by British settlers in the late 1800s. The first coffee trees were planted in the country’s central highlands, where the climate is ideal for growing coffee. Kenyan coffee quickly developed a reputation for being high quality, and the country soon became one of the world’s major coffee producers.
In the mid-20th century, Kenya’s coffee industry was nationalized by the Kenyan government. However, the country’s coffee farms continued to produce high-quality beans, and Kenya remained an important player in the global coffee market.
In recent years, Kenya’s coffee industry has undergone some major changes. The government has privatized the industry, and many small-scale farmers have begun to grow coffee. These changes have resulted in a more diverse range of Kenyan coffees, with different flavor profiles and acidities.
Kenya’s coffee beans are renowned for their bright, flavorful, and complex profiles. But as you savor the richness of Kenyan brews, have you ever wondered about its African neighbors? Experience the Zimbabwe coffee cultivation and uncover a different facet of African coffee.
Who introduced coffee to Kenya?
The first coffee plants in Kenya were brought by the British from Yemen in 1893. These plants were grown on a small farm in Nyeri, in central Kenya. Coffee quickly became popular, and by the early 1900s, it was being grown commercially in the country.
Why is Kenyan coffee so good?
There are many reasons Kenyan coffee is some of the best in the world. The country’s unique climate and soil produce coffees with bright, complex flavors that are prized by coffee aficionados.
Kenyan coffees tend to have a bright, acidic flavor with notes of citrus and fruit. The best Kenyan coffees also have a pronounced sweetness and a full body.
Kenyan Coffee Grades:
Kenyan coffee is typically graded by altitude, with the highest grades coming from coffee grown at high altitudes. The coffee grades are AA, AB, and PB. AA refers to the highest quality Kenyan coffee, AA coffees are bright and have a complex flavor. AB coffee is Slightly lower quality than AA.
1. AA Coffee Grade
The highest quality Kenyan coffee is typically sorted into the AA grade. AA coffee beans are larger and more uniform in size than the AB grades. They also have fewer physical defects. This results in a coffee with better flavor and aroma.
Coffees graded AA are typically grown at high altitudes, which results in a slower rate of maturation. This allows the coffee cherries to develop more complex flavors. coffees from Kenya’s most famous growing regions, such as the Nandi Highlands and Mount Kenya, are typically sorted into the AA grade.
The AA grade coffee beans are usually sold at a premium, making them some of the most expensive coffees in the world. However, they are also some of the most rewarding, offering a complex and unique flavor profile that is unlike any other coffee.
2. AB Coffee Grade
AB coffee grade is the second highest quality classification of Kenyan Coffees. Coffee beans are classified as AB if they meet the following requirements:
- Must be grown in one of Kenya’s coffee-growing regions
- The coffee tree must be of the Arabica variety
- The coffee cherries must be picked by hand
- The coffee beans must be free of defects
Coffees that meet the AB classification are of excellent quality and fetch a higher price on the international market.AB coffees represent a small percentage of the Kenyan coffee crop, and only the very best coffees are classified as AB.
3. PB Coffee Grade
Kenya coffee is graded according to bean size, with “PB” meaning “Parchment Bean.” These are the highest quality beans and are typically 18 screens in size and up. The coffee is sorted by hand, and the beans are a deep green color.
Kenyan Coffee Beans Growing Regions:
Kenya is one of the top coffee producers in Africa, and its beans are renowned for their distinctive flavor. Kenyan coffee is grown in several different regions, each with its own climate and terrain.
The main coffee-growing regions in Kenya are Central Province, Eastern Province, the Rift Valley, The Nyanza Region, and The Western Region.
1. Central Province
Central Province is the largest coffee-producing region in Kenya, accounting for about 60% of the country’s total coffee output. The climate here is ideal for coffee, with plenty of sun and rainfall. The rich volcanic soils are also very fertile, providing the perfect conditions for coffee plants to thrive.
The majority of coffee farms in Central Province are small, family-owned operations. However, there are also some large commercial plantations. The most important coffee-growing areas in Central Province are the Thika district and the Aberdare range.
Central Province is also home to the Nyeri district, which is considered to be the birthplace of Kenyan coffee. Coffee was first introduced to Kenya in 1859 by British settlers, and it was in the Nyeri district that the first coffee trees were planted. Today, the Nyeri district is still an important coffee-growing area, producing some of the finest coffee in the country.
2. Eastern Province
The Eastern Province is located in the southeastern part of Kenya. The province has a temperate climate and is home to some of the country’s best coffee-growing regions.
The Eastern Province is one of Kenya’s most important coffee-producing areas, accounting for about a third of the country’s total coffee production. The main coffee-growing regions in the Eastern Province are Meru, Embu, and Thika.
The province is also home to Mount Kenya, the country’s highest mountain. Mount Kenya is an important source of water for the country’s coffee-growing regions.
3. The Great Rift Valley Region
Kenya is one of the world’s foremost coffee-growing countries, and the Great Rift Valley region is responsible for a large part of the country’s production. The region stretches from north to south and includes the famous Lake Victoria. The Rift Valley is a huge geographical feature, and the coffee-growing regions within it vary greatly in climate and terrain.
The coffee grown in the Great Rift Valley region is some of the best in the world and is highly sought after by coffee aficionados. The region’s proximity to the equator means that it receives plenty of sunlight, and the high altitudes produce a coffee with excellent acidity. The coffee-growing regions of the Great Rift Valley are located at elevations between 3,000 and 6,000 feet above sea level.
The climate in the Great Rift Valley region is generally hot and humid, with two rainy seasons per year. The first rains usually come in late March or early April, and the second rains typically arrive in late October or early November. These conditions are ideal for coffee production, as they allow the coffee plants to receive the moisture they need without experiencing any drought periods.
The Great Rift Valley region is home to some of Kenya’s most famous coffee-growing areas, including the Kiambu and Kericho districts. These two districts produce the lion’s share of Kenya’s coffee, and the coffee from these areas is typical of excellent quality. Other notable coffee-growing regions in the Great Rift Valley include the Nandi Hills, Eldama Ravine, and parts of the Baringo district.
4. The Nyanza Region
The Nyanza Region is located in the southwest corner of Kenya. The region is home to some of the country’s best coffee-growing land. The climate is warm and humid, with an average annual temperature of 27 degrees Celsius. The region gets plenty of rainfall, averaging around 1,500 millimeters per year.
The Nyanza Region is divided into two sub-regions: Migori and Kisii. Migori is the larger of the two, accounting for about 60% of the region’s coffee production. Kisii is known for producing some of Kenya’s finest coffee beans.
The Nyanza Region is home to the Luo people, who are known for their hard work and entrepreneurial spirit. Coffee farming is an important part of the Luo economy. In recent years, the region has been hit hard by drought and political unrest, but the coffee industry has remained strong.
The Nyanza Region produces about 15% of Kenya’s total coffee output. The region’s coffee is typically light in body with a delicate flavor. The coffee is often used in blends, and it is also popular as a single-origin coffee.
5. The Western Region
The Western Region of Kenya is home to some of the country’s most famous coffee-growing areas, including the slopes of Mount Kenya. The region has a diverse range of microclimates, which helps to produce a wide variety of coffee beans with different flavor profiles. The main coffee-producing districts in the Western Region are Kakamega, Bungoma, Vihiga, and Busia.
The coffees from the Western Region tend to be bright and lively, with strong acidity and fruity flavors. Many of Kenya’s best-known coffee brands come from this region, including Kenyan Blue Mountain Coffee and Gikanda Estate Coffee.
Interesting Facts About Kenyan Coffee
Kenyan coffee is a delicious and unique drink that has many interesting facts surrounding it. From the way it is made, to the roasting process, to the final product, there is a lot to learn about this coffee.
Kenya’s Unique Brewing Method
There are two main brewing methods used to make Kenyan coffee, the traditional method and the more modern flash brew method.
- The traditional method: is a slow and intentional process that results in a strong and flavourful cup of coffee. This method is still used by many coffee shops and homes around the world. Kahawa Chungu is the term used to describe this method of brewing and it literally means ‘coarse grind’.
- The flash brew method: is a much quicker way to make coffee and results in a cup that is less flavourful but still has a good amount of caffeine. This method is becoming increasingly popular as people want their coffee faster and easier.
How do you make Kenyan coffee?
There are many ways to make coffee, but the most popular method in Kenya is called “jebena.” This involves boiling water in a clay pot (jebena) and then adding coffee grounds. The coffee is allowed to steep for several minutes before being poured into cups.
Kenya’s Unique Roasting Method
Kenya is known for its unique roasting method, which involves roasting coffee beans over an open fire. This method results in a more intense flavor, and the coffee is often described as being more “smoky” than other coffees.
Kenya coffee is typically roasted to a Full City roast. This is a dark roast, but not so dark that the coffee beans are burnt. Full City roast coffee beans will have a dark brown color and a shiny surface. The coffee will have a strong, rich flavor with no bitterness.
The country is also home to some of the world’s highest-quality coffee beans. Kenyan coffee is often used in blends, and it is known for its strong flavor and aroma.
Discover the art of Kenyan coffee preparation and roasting through the Savoring Rwanda’s Coffee Beans guide.
Is Kenyan coffee bitter?
Kenyan coffee is known for its strong, rich flavor. However, it is not bitter. The coffee beans grown in Kenya are of high quality, and they are roasted to perfection. This results in a cup of coffee that is full-bodied and has a complex flavor.
How do Kenyans drink their coffee?
Kenyans typically drink their coffee black, without any added sugar or cream. However, some people do add a little bit of milk to their coffee. Kenyan coffee is typically quite strong and has a rich, bold flavor. Many people find that Kenyan coffee has a slightly fruity taste. Overall, Kenyan coffee is a delicious and unique way to start the day.
What is Kahawa Chungu?
In Kenya, coffee is more than just a morning beverage – it’s a way of life. And nowhere is this more apparent than in the country’s unique brewing method, known as Kahawa Chungu.
Kahawa Chungu is a traditional Kenyan coffee brewing method that involves using a clay pot, known as a jebena, to brew the coffee. The coffee is placed in the pot along with water and allowed to simmer for several minutes before being poured into cups.
This method of brewing coffee is believed to date back to the 16th century, and it’s still popular in Kenya today. In fact, it’s not uncommon to see people brewing Kahawa Chungu coffee on the side of the road.
There are a few things that make Kahawa Chungu coffee unique. First, the clay pot helps to infuse the coffee with minerals from the soil, which can give the coffee a unique flavor. Second, the long brewing time allows for more of the coffee’s oils and flavors to be extracted, resulting in a richer and more full-bodied cup of coffee.
Kenya vs Burundi Coffee Beans
Kenya and Burundi are both known for producing high-quality coffee beans that are loved by coffee aficionados all over the world. While our previous guide focused on Kenya coffee beans, we don’t want you to miss out on the amazing facts and unique characteristics of Burundi coffee beans.
Did you know that Burundi coffee beans are considered to be some of the best in the world and are known for their deep, rich flavors with hints of berry, chocolate, and spice?
Additionally, Burundi coffee beans are grown on steep hillsides, making the harvesting process incredibly unique and labor-intensive. If you’re a coffee lover looking to explore new flavors, we highly recommend checking out our Burundi Coffee Beans Guide.
Delving into the vibrant world of Kenyan coffee? Why not explore its Tanzanian counterpart? Check out our History of Tanzanian Coffee Beans to uncover the rich legacy and flavors of Tanzania’s brews.
Delving into the vibrant world of Kenyan coffee? Why not explore its Tanzanian counterpart? Dive into our Tanzanian Coffee Roasting Guide and savor the rich legacy and flavors of Tanzania’s brews.
Kenyan vs. Malawi Coffee Beans
Kenyan and Malawi coffee beans exhibit distinct flavors due to varying altitudes and climates. Kenyan beans boast bright acidity and fruity notes, owing to high elevations. Meanwhile, Malawi beans offer milder acidity and nutty undertones due to lower altitudes and diverse climates.
Explore the captivating flavors of Malawi Coffee Beans with their smooth, nutty profile and delicate acidity. Discover how Malawi’s unique growing conditions contribute to a one-of-a-kind coffee experience.


is the most impressive comet in nearly 25 years, and it’s visible now. After two other promising comets — — fizzled and faded away this year, Comet C/2020 F3 (aka Neowise) is already dazzling skywatchers, and the best views may be yet to come.
Emily Kramer is the co-investigator on the science team for NASA’s Neowise spacecraft that discovered the comet. She told reporters Wednesday that it’s rare for a comet to be bright enough to see with the naked eye.
“It’s been quite a while,” she said. “The last time was 1995-1996 (with comet Hale-Bopp).”
Neowise survived its closest brush with the sun on July 3 and is now headed toward its nearest pass by Earth on July 23.
Over the past couple of weeks, a number of amateur astrophotographers have shared stunning images of the comet captured as it appeared just above the horizon in predawn skies.
, aided by their premium vantage point, and NASA’s , showing it has multiple tails.
The best time to view the comet from the surface of Earth is currently shifting from the early morning hours to the evening.
According to NASA solar system ambassador Eddie Irizarry, it’ll start to be visible in the evening around July 15-16. It should be a little easier to see during the second half of July when it’s higher in the sky.
Right now, the advice being shared by many of those who have successfully spotted the comet is to first locate it in the sky using binoculars or a telescope. Once you’ve found it and its trademark split tail, you should be able to then track it with the naked eye.
The comet’s closest pass by Earth will be July 23, which might make for a particularly exciting viewing opportunity if the comet’s brightness continues to hold where it is or even intensifies. It’ll also rise a little higher in the sky on July 24 and 25 in case you miss the actual flyby date. Comets are notoriously fickle things that could always break up and burn out at any moment, so fingers crossed.
There’s a possibility, for the most optimistic of us, that Neowise might brighten dramatically to become a so-called “great comet” that’s easily visible and spectacular to see with the naked eye. While there’s no strict definition of what a great comet is, it’s generally agreed that we haven’t seen one since Hale-Bopp.
Once it appears in the evening sky at mid-month, the comet will be visible toward the northwest and western edges of the sky.
Here’s where you can spot the comet over the next couple of weeks. Online resources like TheSkyLive also offer similar night sky maps to aid your comet quest.
If you don’t catch the comet before it inevitably fades away in August or sooner, you’ll have to wait awhile for its next trip through the inner solar system, currently estimated to happen in the year 8786.


Recently waterfall false buttercup was moved from Ranunculus to Kumlienia. Thus the scientific name of this native perennial is seen as both Kumlienia hystricula and Ranunculus hystriculus in the literature. Thure Ludwig Thoedor Kumlien (1819 – 1880), a pioneer ornithologist and naturalist, is honored by the new genus designation. The species derives from the Greek “hystrix” (porcupine) and means “like a porcupine”, probably in reference to waterfall false buttercup’s beaked fruits.
Waterfall false buttercup is endemic to the Sierra Nevada of California. Its habitat is wet places near streams, especially near waterfalls, between about 1,000 and 6,000 feet. These specimens were growing next to an unnamed (probably seasonal) waterfall along the Wapama Falls Trail (Hetch Hetchy) at Yosemite National Park CA.
The erect waterfall false buttercup stem arises from a short caudex (stem thickening, usually underground). The basal leaves are semicircular or reniform (kidney shaped) and shallowly 5 to 7 lobed. The petiole is long. The cauline (stem) leaves are alternate, unlobed and scale-like.
The 5 or 6 sepals are white and look like petals. The actual waterfall false buttercup petals are shiny yellow-green and curve about the center of the bloom. These petals are developed as nectaries. The flower has many stamens and pistils.
Waterfall false buttercup fruits are cylindrical achenes with papery walls and strong veins. The achene has a longitudinal beak with a thread-like hook.


We have had some unseasonably warm weather here in Perth County – which means that ticks are active! There are two spikes in the tick population each year, occurring in the early spring and late fall. However, any time the temperature is above 4C, ticks are on the move and searching for a warm body to feed on.
Ticks are arachnids that feed on blood from small wildlife, dogs, cats and humans. Female ticks require a blood meal to complete their life cycle. Ticks start as eggs laid in the summer, emerge as larvae in the fall, molt into nymphs in the winter and end up as adults in the spring.
- An immature tick is the size of a freckle.
- An adult tick is the size of a sesame seed.
- An engorged adult tick is the size of a pencil eraser.
Ticks are mostly found in wooded areas, along the side of trails, playgrounds and grassy areas in urban areas. There are several species of ticks. The deer tickfeeds primarily on white-tailed deer in its adult form, but all life-stages of the tick will feed on dogs and humans.
Tick bites are usually not painful, but cause some mild swelling and redness. The bad part is that tick bites can transmit diseases; Lyme disease is one of the most prevalent in our region.
Tick numbers are on the rise in this part of the country.
Here is a map of Canada with the number of tick-borne diseases reported in dogs tested with a blood sample since 2017: http://www.petdiseasereport.com/content/prevmap.aspx
The Public Health Agency of Canada has a map with locations in Ontario that have the highest risk of Lyme disease transmission.


from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. See flycatcher.
Sorry, no etymologies found.
Three Mascarene endemic birds occur on more than one island, the Mascarene paradise-flycatcher (Terpsiphone bourbonnensis), Mascarene grey white-eye (Zosterops borbonicus), and Mascarene swiftlet (Collocalia francica).
There are 12 endemic species found here, including two species, the Seychelles Scops-owl (Otus insularis CR) and the Seychelles paradise-flycatcher (Terpsiphone corvine CR), which are confined to single islands.
The maleo is but one of some 50 bird species threatened with extinction in this hotspot, including the caerulean paradise-flycatcher (Eutrichomyias rowleyi, CR), which was thought to be extinct until its rediscovery in 1998.
Today, the only remaining habitat is a small patch of montane forest on top of an extinct volcano (Gunung Sahendaruman), thought to be the last home of the caerulean paradise-flycatcher and Sangihe white-eye, and last known stronghold for the Sangihe shrike-thrush (Colluricincla sanghirensis, CR) and elegant sunbird (Aethopyga duyvenbodei, EN).
The most beautiful of all the flycatchers is _Terpsiphone paradisi_ -- the paradise-flycatcher, or ribbon-bird, as it is often called.
Near-endemic species include Nahan's francolin (Francolinus nahani, EN), Ituri batis (Batis ituriensis), Turner's eremomela (Eremomela turneri, EN), Congo peacock (Afropavo congensis, VU), Sassi's greenbul (Phyllastrephus lorenzi), Bedford's paradise-flycatcher (Terpsiphone bedfordi), and on the eastern margins with the Albertine Rift Chapin's mountain-babbler (Kupeornis chapini).


Our friars of Great Britain & Ireland, the Blessed Agnellus of Pisa Custody, are known as the “Greyfriars.” At Walsingham, England’s National Marian Shrine, on March 19, 2018 (The Feast of St. Joseph), the Minster General of our Order and the 119th Successor to St. Francis of Assisi, the Most Reverend Fr. Marco Tasca, OFM Conv., and our Assistant General, Friar Jude Winkler, OFM Conv., while on pilgrimage, took part in this EWTN Great Britain report.
A bit of history:
In September of 1224, St. Francis sent the first friars to establish a Franciscan presence in England. They were drawn to the Medieval Christian Shrine devoted to Mary, the Mother of God, known as Mary’s Dowry, Walsingham. They established friaries in Canterbury, London and Oxford. After already having established a Franciscan presence in Paris, Blessed Agnellus of Pisa was chosen by St. Francis to lead the effort, along with a group of his confreres. He became the first Minister Provincial of the newly established province. Blessed Agnellus died in the 1236 and his grave and the church in which he was buried were destroyed during the persecution of the Catholics in the reign of Henry VIII.
At the time of the English Reformation (1534), there were around 60 Conventual Franciscan (OFM Conv.) friaries and six Observant (O.F.M.) friaries, in England. Henry VIII suppressed Religious and all of the the Observant friaries were closed and the King ordered a general survey of all church revenues in the realm. In the next two years, 376 religious houses had been suppressed but the Conventual Franciscans assets were of little worth to the King. The friaries were poor, property was in disrepair and that had little possessions. However, by 1538, the King had suppress the Conventual Franciscans as well. Be that as it may, all Conventual Franciscan friaries were suppressed by 1538. Conventual Franciscans returned to England in 1906 and through tough missionary work reestablished their presence in by 1910, when invited by the bishop of the Southwark diocese to Rye, East Sussex, then Liverpool (1926) and Manchester (1929).


These are my notes from Jen Sigrist‘s presentation, “Results in learning: What are ways we can assess the impact to teaching and learning?” at the Iowa 1 to 1 Institute on April 7, 2010. MY THOUGHTS AND REFLECTIONS ARE IN ALL CAPS. Jen is with Van Community Schools in Iowa.
Results in learning: What are ways we can assess the impact to teaching and learning? Jen Sigrist, Director of Teaching and Learning, Van Meter CSD. Will highlight some different assessment initiatives occurring in the district.
Addition 21 Feb 2011: An audio podcast recording of this session is available on Fuel for Educational Change Agents.
40 Inspirational Speeches in 2 Minutes
OH I LOVE THIS VIDEO!!! WOW. I AM REALLY FIRED UP NOW FOR THIS SESSION 🙂
When we are talking about changing education, I often go back to this video
As the director of teaching and learning, I am frequently asked questions like:
– How will the computers make a difference to student achievement?
– How will we show the return on investment?
– What ways are the computers preparing kids better than before
Right now in K-6 we don’t have laptops
– we don’t tell parents “it’s about the computers” (MY PARAPHRASE: IT’S ABOUT THE PEOPLE, THE LEARNING, THE HIGH EXPECTATIONS, THE ENGAGEMENT)
Reasons to go to a 1:1 from CASTLE’s website
– none of these are to increase ITBS scores
We look at education at VanMeter as a whole new system
– our system needs to fit our kids, rather than trying to force our kids to fit the system
Van Meter’s Direction
– we envision a new educational system
– personalized learning
– connections, collaboration and creativity
– flexible in time and structure
– helps kids prepare for any post secondary option (join the military, become a plumber, go to college, etc)
If my kids can design iPhone apps to pay for their post-secondary education, so much the better
Very important book: Daniel Pink
– talking about the right brain skills
Tony Wagner: The Global Achievement Gap
– critical thinking and problem solving
– imagination, curiosity, perseverance, self-awareness, courage, adaptability
– filter, learn, unlearn, engage, network, trust
Our traditional system does a poor job with many of these skills
Discuss: What ways are you thinking about learning
– collaboration is becoming so important
– thinking globally
– kids taking control of their learning
– timing: it can be anytime throughout the day
GOOD DISCUSSION IN THE BREAK ABOUT WHETHER WE NEED TO TAKE UP LAPTOPS DURING THE SUMMER
– HOW CAN WE TAKE AWAY LAPTOPS FROM KIDS WHO ARE USING THEM AS FUNDAMENTAL PARTS OF HOW THEY LEARN
harnessing the natural creativity of students
I’ve been out of the classroom 5 years
– I really thought my role as a Social Studies teacher was for them NOT to embarrass me if Jay Leno interviewed them (it was all about me, that was my old way of thinking)
Where do you start?
– Determine your goal
– What does it look like?
– Make connections
Our focus: THINK, LEAD, SERVE: What’s your passion?
– engage students with higher order thinking and tasks (notice we didn’t say “increase technology literacy with Apple applications”)
– a big pot of assessments
– professional learning communities (PLC’s)
Next year our focus will be PLCs (for all our teachers)
Our big pot of assessment is BALANCED ASSESSMENT
– Data collection and tests: Univ of Maine studies are probably best
– behavior data, attendance rates, graduation rates, achievement scores (writing, reading, math and science)
– Technology literacy *(NETS rubric)
We have 100% graduation rates now
– our ACT average score last year was 24.6 in math, we’re above state average in ACT and ITBS scores now
– those weren’t the reason we went 1:1
In Iowa you get to determine what the test is, and what the proficiencies are, for measuring 8th grade tech literacy
– we’re looking at using the NETS rubric now
THEY NEED TO FOLLOW THE LEAD OF NEW HAMPSHIRE AND USE ONLINE, DIGITAL PORTFOLIOS TO ASSESS TECH LITERACY
What do you think?
– what data do you currently collect
– what tests do you give?
– What thinking are you assessing?
From Julie Graber (a participant, during our conversation in the session)
– Discussing Grapplings Technology and Learning Spectrum (developed by Bernajean Porter)
– Jerry Valentine’s “Instructional Practices Inventory”
– measures engagement
— do 100 walkthroughs and assess levels of use
– also an assessment from METRI: Technology Integration Assessment
A lot of these assessments for kids can get really EXPENSIVE
now showing draft of ISTE rubric
IS THIS REALLY A RUBRIC, OR IS THIS MORE STANDARDS WITH MORE ELABORATION?
in our balanced assessment, we also look at Perceptions and Beliefs
– student perceptions, parent perceptions, 1 and 5 year post VM (graduate survey)
– administrator reflections on professional learning
– teacher reflections on professional learning
Our question: How do you know the $100K you are spending each year is making a difference?
– so strange: How we ever assessed how well your pencil is working, your overhead projector, your electronic whiteboard?
This kind of qualitative data is still very valuable in showing the picture
Questions for discussion:
– What ways do you ask learners to reflect on their learning?
– How do students feel about their learning experiences? How do you know?
Asked about how you see your students collaborating after school
– story from a participant: 7th grade parent went up to their son’s bedroom in the evening, and he was having a 3 way video chat (on iChat) about that day’s math assignment
MY COMMENT IN THE SESSION: SO YOU NEED TO GET YOUR KIDS TO MAKE VIDEOS ABOUT STORIES LIKE THIS, AND THEN SHARE THEM ONLINE, AS WELL AS WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
Big takeaway: You cannot quantify the type of learning you see kids doing
– you have to be a PR manager for your district
Participant comment: We have a TNT Night at our school (Tips and Technology)
– kids share for parents, they get extra credit
– that gives kids a stage
Product and performance assessments
– administrator walk throughs (aligned to Iowa Core Curriculum – Characteristics of Effective Instruction)
– Instructional Practice Inventory (Jerry Valentine work)
– student examples
– student and teacher digital portfolios
We were trained on “eWalk”
– there are some templates out there
– we go as 4 administrator teams
– teachers as well as students have now gotten used to large numbers of classroom visitors (regularly)
Big question: What does it really look like when students are engaged?
– How do you know if you saw differentiated learning / differentiated instruction
Our staff is still nervous about all this observation: Most want to know (like the kids) “What was my grade?!”
Seeing examples of “essential questions” on classroom wiki of teacher
– bringing teachers into walkthroughs as administrators has been VERY valuable in terms of how
This research out of Univ of Missouri College of Education on Instructional Practices Inventory is CRITICAL
– you can be disengaged with or without a computer
– it may be more visible with a computer
– classroom management takes on a different
IPI Observation Rubric (in PDF format)
Walk Through Template
– Teaching for Understanding
– Student-Centered Classrooms
– Rigorous and Relevant Curriculum
– Assessment for Learning
– Van Meter DNA
— 21st Century Skills from Iowa Core Curriculum
— Integration of Technology to enhance learning
— Evidence of CRISS strategies (scaffolding, graphic organizers, author’s craft, etc)
— Evidence of CRISS principles (background knowledge, metacognition, purpose setting)
THESE LOOK LIKE GREAT RUBRICS FOR WALKTHROUGHS!!! JENNIFER HAS THIS ON GOOGLE DOCS. I’D LOVE TO GET A LINK TO THE FULL DOC.
CRISS strategies are about helping students become independent learners
Great discussion questions:
– how do you assess creativity?
I SHARED WITH JULIE OUR OKLAHOMA CREATIVITY PROJECT. I DON’T THINK WE’RE DOING A GOOD JOB IN OKLAHOMA, HOWEVER (EVEN GIVEN THIS GREAT PROJECT / INITIATIVE) HELPING EDUCATORS ASSESS CREATIVITY, UNDERSTAND CREATIVITY, SUPPORT CREATIVITY…. WE NEED TO WORK ON THIS.
Participant sharing the value of a student video/iMovie about their passion, what they love
#i11i, creativity, edtech, i11i, integration, school, vanmeter, #vanmeter, assess, assessment
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On this day..
- Explain Everything Minecraft iPad Project (Treehouse Challenge on Area & Perimeter) - 2015
- Oklahoma Legislators: Don't Repeal Common Core Standards, Instead Reject High Stakes Testing - 2014
- Tips for Getting Started with AppleTV Mirroring - 2014
- A Five Photo Story for this Week - 2012
- Info Curation and Aggregation Services, Tools & Apps - 2012
- Apple Believes technology is not all you need, but a critical tool - 2011
- cnbc8. com Facebook hack / phishing scam - 2010
- Be The Change You Want To See In Schools by Shannon Miller #vanmeter #i11i (library perspectives) - 2010
- Fluency 3.0 by Angela Maiers #i11i - 2010
- Creativity requires a willingness to make mistakes and be wrong - 2009
I helped to develop the IPI process at the University of Missouri while completing my doctoral work. It is a powerful tool and the conversations and actions that emanate from teachers discussing the data are transformative. I use the IPI in our work at the University of Florida with high need schools across the state. Because of my own passion about technology leadership, I have also used the IPI to identify teaching and learning that utilizes technology to actively engage students in higher order learning. Let me know if you would like to talk about this sometime.
Thanks for the notes, Wes. I appreciate the recap and links. The walk through template that Van Meter has been working on can be found at http://docs.google.com/View?id=ddbksztv_0mqs4jkcr
Thanks for the notes Wes. Can you post the link to the Google Docs format of that walkthrough rubric if you get it? Thanks!
Wes, I was part of the team that developed the IPI process at Mizzou. The conversations and actions that occur after faculty examine their student engagement data are powerful and transformative. I introduced the IPI when I came to the University of Florida in 2005 and it has become a foundational component of our work with high need schools across the state. My own passion is technology leadership in schools and I have utilized the IPI to capture instructional practices that utilizes technology in highly engaging ways that require higher order thinking. Let me know if you would like to learn more about the process.
Sorry about the double posting. I thought the original post wasn’t successful so I posted again.