What To Do With Education Catalogs Instead of Tossing Them

from the Teachers.Net Chatboard
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Posted by Roger Fuller:

After you have been a teacher a while, you will get on mailing lists for various ed products and catalogs. Instead of tossing them, use them to build your professional image and educate tomorrow's citizen taxpayers. Pass them out to students.

Ask what they think would be the the best product.

Ask what they think of the value of a product.

Ask what are the pros and cons of one. (You can but a two-columned sheet for responses in the material as it circulates.)

Think of how this changes the attitudes of students about the teaching profession.

What other ideas do you have in this area?

Posted by doh:

I give mine to my mother..............

She has this cute little bird and she doesn't get a newspaper, well anyway, you get the picture.

Posted by Nelda:

Illustrations in science catalogues can be used in making posters/collages, flash cards, games--all kinds of uses.

Posted by Leslie/Alabama:

Just the simple act of letting kids know that other products exist is an education for many in my low income school. I teach technology, so seeing these products gives me an opportunity to talk to kids about what is available.

To the poster who worries about Roger finding time. It really is easy. I simply read the catalogs during class change time when we have to be in the hall. As students walk in I grab them and ask if they have ever seen something like whatever I am looking at at that time. It sparks conversation and interest. In my business ed. classes that I used to teach, passing out catalogs was a good way to spark a writing assignment about comparison shopping or any of the things Roger mentioned in his post.