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Guru and Govind

2012-01-14T19:23:00.000+04:00

Guru and Govind

A wonderful writeup about the high status of teachers and educators and they respect that society owes them.

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2010-07-07T16:48:00.003+04:00

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Talim & Tarbiyyah, Neglected Rights of Child

2010-05-25T07:47:00.002+04:00

By: Qazi Dr. Shaikh Abbas Borhany
PhD (USA), NDI, Shahadat al A’alamiyyah (Najaf, Iraq), MA, LLM (Shariah)
Mushir: Federal Shariat Court of Pakistan
Member: Ulama Council of Pakistan

Published in ‘Daily News’, Pakistan on 14-05-2010

It is a bitter fact that majority of Muslim parents are unaware of the method of Talim & Tarbiyyah of children, which is Wajib after Walayyah. They train and groom their children according to their way of understanding and unaware of the rightful course. To satisfy their conscience they think that their Talim & Tarbiyyah is in the right direction. When their children grow up, they are unaware of their own religion, their civilization and cultural values. Their understanding with their faith is so weak which can not help them in their life. When children face any trouble in their lives, they set a side the values of religion and are inclined towards their interest, which they find in western culture, where in the name of liberation one can do what he wishes. When their children start growing up, their attitude alarms the parents and they start cursing their own fortune. This phenomenon is really strange. Why you expect a mango after sowing the seed of an onion?

It is fact that parents are also not fully responsible, as this subject is not widely discussed. It is a great challenge for those parents who are living in the western societies, where cultural destruction and less religious practices are higher then in eastern countries. To consider the importance of the issue, a discussion in the light of the Shariah is necessitated. Long range discussions can not help our children unless operational plans are set up to accomplish this.

Devotion, affection and love for parents are considered voluntary Ibadah. This reward and status has been bestowed to parents due to their onerous responsibilities of rearing their children. It is their duty to understand the sublime position of the upbringing and grooming of their child. Fostering and training is a part of human nature. Following two Ahadith draw our attention in this regard:
“May Allah bless those parents who facilitate their children with Talim and serve them with kindness”
“May Allah send L’anah upon those parents who declared their children A’aq”

This respectful position is laden with serious responsibilities. Any negligence in this regard is unforgivable, in any way, and will be considered as a great sin. The process of Talim & Tarbiyyah can not stop in any phase of human life. It will be completed only when a person is laid to rest in the grave. A famous Hadith say:
“Get Talim from the cradle to the grave”.
Another Hadith say:
"All children are born fit and suitable for Islam. Later, their parents make them Christians, Jews or irreligious"
This Hadith indicates that both for the settlement and for the Talim & Tarbiyyah of religion the most important work on children can be done in their infancy. The first duty of each Muslim is to teach his children Islam and the Qur’an. The child is a great blessing. If the blessing is not appreciated, it will be lost. Therefore, the science of teaching children is very dear to all ‘Selected Chosen People of Allah’.

Child in the caring age child easily accepts the benefits of good nourishment both mentally and physically and is inclined to accept it. Those children become mentally disturbed whose parents indulge in non healthy activities, be it either father or mother. In these circumstances, the responsibility of the other companion becomes greater, to groom the child in a better way. The parent’s behavior should be so clear that the child should not feel any difference between theory and practice. A child could easily understand and know what is good and what is wrong. A point to be noted is that a baby from the first day of its birth is cropped up to learn. Little by little and time to time, he moulds himself towards an independent nature, taste and mentality, whether the parents are aware of it or not. In a human brain, a special power and ability is available, for example, first like a video camera, which records every scene. Up to the age of five years a brain can record the influence of surrounding, which remains lasting. Any change in that set up is never successful, normally. Ali Ibn Abi Talib says:
“The most difficult politics is to remove the habits”.
Examining the human nature Ali provides us final conclusion as follows:
“Habit controls human nature like an Emperor”.
He explains it further and clarifies:
“Habit of any person becomes nature”.

In short a child’s habits n the early stages is more easy to change and such efforts are really fruitful than the efforts in the growing age. If parents try sincerely to save their children from ill forces, Inshallah they will able to produce a good member of society. They would save a human life from the harmful forces in this manner. Qur’an praises the savior of human life in following words:
“One, who saves a single life, saved a large community of human being”.
Worldly life is fixed in time while eternal life is unlimited. Similar to the body, if the soul does not get spiritual nourishment, it will die. Basic and elementary spiritual guidance is the first step towards a good basic education.

Time to time guidance provide safe-guards, which allow enough warning to remain alert and not to fall into the pits of ills and sins, but toward Sirat al Mustaqim. The lack of guidance and warning is one of the most important reasons of the destruction of the younger generation. Due to the negligence in up-bringing and grooming, a child can easily get himself involved in non healthy activities. Destruction of a child is a dilemma for the entire family. If a girl gets out of control and follows the free life style, subsequently it is the result of the parents overlooking and negligence. If a boy is spoilt, so who is the responsible, it is the parents, not the society? The parents should know why their children are out of their control, and why there a generation-gap?

The basis of Talim & Tarbiyyah starts from the first day of birth. Many psychologists believe that Talim & Tarbiyyah during childhood determines the future behavior and personality of a child. Childhood is the best time to develop the nature and habits of a person. The family is the Basic Training Centre of a child. Parents should try their best in Talim & Tarbiyyah of the child as Imam Sadiq says:
“The best heritage left behind by the parents for their children is culture and Talim & Tarbiyyah, not (only) property and wealth”.

The influence of the family on a child’s cultural, social and moral development always reflects. Thus role of the parents, especially the role of mother, is very significant. Mothers usually spend more time than fathers with her children, so the children are normally more attached with their mothers, rather than fathers. This sentiments and affection is largely found stronger in a mother and this devotion makes a mother better able to take care of a child and train them. Her influence is particularly strong during the pre-school period. At this time a mother is the most influential source of Talim & Tarbiyyah, love and cheerfulness. Success, feeling of security and self confidence in children largely depends on the thoughts of the mother. The heart of mother is full of love and affection for her child.

The foremost Madrasah of each child is his own home, where the tutors are the parents. Due to the materialistic busy life style, parents unfortunately neglect their role, which sets a damaging effect upon the children. The parents’ main concern today is shrinking to get admission of their child in an ‘English Medium School’. The main purpose behind it is limited only to get a good job. They have no concern with ethical and moral values. As parents remain busy hectically in their social activities and are only concerned that their children are successful in their career. No doubt, they care for their children’s livelihood, but their basic needs are neglected in their spiritual training.

Parents do care for their children’s health and care, but they are quite un-aware of how many more psychological problems have crept into them. They may be happy to see their children in good looking dresses but do not care about the unpleasant habits which destroy their personality. Materialistic activities have bound them to overlook the hereafter, not only for them but also for their children. A Hadith says:
“A girl due to her shameless and immodesty will be thrown in Jahannam and right after her the mother of the girl would be thrown in the Jahannam, although the mother herself was very modest and used to cover herself”.
At this, the Malaek would question Allah as why this treatment is been meted upon the woman. Allah would reply that:
“She was modest herself, but did not give her daughter the lesson of piety, modesty and Hijab”.
Then Rasulullah(S) continued:
“Similarly a boy will be thrown in Jahannam for not observing Faraiz. His father, on whose forehead the mark of Sajdah is visible, will also go along with his son to the Jahannam, because he never awoke his child for morning Salaat, due to excuse that he may not be disturbed in sleeping”.
Similarly in the month of Ramazan father himself observes Sawm but never persuades his child for Sawm, due to the fear of physical weakness of his child. He himself recites the Qur’an, but never cared for his child, who was involved in hazardous erotic literature. No excuse can be accepted for the parents who are busy in Sajdah, whereas the children are busy in ruinous activities. No doubt, parents of such ill-cultured children will die as offender.

Craze of money minting phobia has reach to the peak of madness. The affluent class has now embarked on another life style. Governesses are now being hired to look after their children. This Nursery culture has alienated the child from their parents. Working class parents may note that exorbitant amount of fees of nursery or school can not build the character of a child. In an institution, a child can learn but can not feel the touch of parents’ affection, which is a great source of inspiration. None of the institution can fulfill the responsibilities of the parents, regarding guidance. The responsibility of parents is not confined to giving their child a good name, but to be a beacon of light for the child as far as manner and etiquettes are concerned. This is a precursor for a good moral character.

According to the Hadith Literature the most sensitive period of Talim & Tarbiyyah has divided into three phases. The first phase begins from birth and lasts until the 7th year. In this phase, the child should enjoy the meaning of liberty. He should be free to do what he wishes, except illegal and harmful activities. I cherished a Hadith at this juncture, which guides us regarding the grooming:
“The first seven years, the child is your lord, the next seven years he is your servant. After fourteen to twenty one years of age he is your adviser”.
Intellectuals of the world can not express this principle of guidance in volumes which Rasulullah(S) has expressed in a few words, through the inspiration of Wahi. Somehow; what is said:
“First seven years, child is your lord”.
It is a known fact that the lord is served by servants to his comfort and pleasures. They look after him throughout the year and provide all possible necessities.
“After the first seven years of age up to fourteen, the child is your slave”.
Slave means, one who serves for you, and to obey you. If the child will not learn to serve and obey he will become lazy and ultimately his carrier will perish.

The 2nd phase is from the 7th until the 14th year. In this phase, the child should get Talim & Tarbiyyah, learn creed of religion, etiquettes and modern sciences. For 3rd phase Rasulullah(S) guides:
“From 14 up to 21 years, the child is your adviser so take him into your consultation”.
This 3rd phase begins after the 14th year when the parent should have prepared his son to be as their friend and as an independent person. However, in this age, parents should help him to enter in his professional field and teach him good lessons from their experiences. This training grooms him to such an extent that he can differentiate in between right and wrong, and will never give you a wrong advice.

Parents, empty with the concept of love and kindness must pay attention on the Hadith:
“Extend love to your children and show kindness to them”.
Another Hadith says:
“Kiss your children more and more: because in exchange of every kiss, Allah raises up one position higher for you”.
A person came in the presence of Nabi(S) and submitted:
“I never kissed any child up till now and still ignore the sacred guidance”.
When he left then Rasulullah (S) declared:
“This man seems to be a hellish”.
Another person visited Rasulullah (S), when he was engaged in caressing his two grandchildren, Hasan and Husain. Being surprised at this act, the companion said:
"O Rasulullah (S)! Do you also caress children, I have ten children but I have never fondled even one of them."
Thereupon Rasulullah (S) raised his eyes and remarked:
“It seems mercy and kindness has left your heart."
He affirmed another place:
“Those who do not extend love and kindness to their children and do not have regard and respect to their elders, are not with us”.

Rasulullah (S) was very kind to children and loved them very much. He used to carry them on his shoulders. The children would become very happy and laugh. Rasulullah (S), too, would become happy at the pure happiness and laughter of the children and a smile would appear on his face. Imam Sajjad said regarding the rights of a child:
“It is the right of a child to expect love and kindness from parents. Therefore, it is the duty of parents to be kind to their children”.

But the love extended to child from the parents makes him successful only when it is accompanied with Talim. Love without Talim & Tarbiyyah without Marifah is like handicapped. These two can only be effective when they get together. If mother do not allow an opportunity to her children to exercise without depending on her, they always remain dependent by nature. Imam Baqir says about the love of parents:
“The worst parents are those who are extravagant and excessive in showing love to their child”.

Rasulullah (S) used to send his Salaam to children and would tell his Ash’ab:
"I greet children with Salaam and respect them, and Muslims should follow my manners and always be warm and loving with children."
Rasulullah (S) used to speak about children - boys and girls - and said:
"O Muslims, O fathers and mothers, O my followers, be kind and compassionate towards children, for someone who is not kind to children has no place amongst the Muslims."

Be alert the children who have been deprived of their parents love will also be ignored their parents (at ripe age) on the same manner. Ignorance in guidance and grooming of the children is un-pardonable, such parents should be asked, whether their innocent children have compelled them and insisted for to grow like an animal. Children are the valuable asset of the Nation. The progress of the Nation depends upon the education of the coming generation. So, those who enjoy the status of parents should maintain its dignity with respect and care.

Parents think that to groom their children means imposing orders upon them. This attitude brings consequences. Children become frustrated and hide to share their sentiments with parents. It is needed that the parents should change their attitude and show character through their own deeds. Let your children be influenced with your character. Several studies of the criminals showed that in their childhood they were deprived of love and affection of their parents, which turned them into monsters. It is also not enough that a child can only recite the sacred text while his actions are repugnant to. After puberty, such a child will be inclined to immoralities and other sins. He will not be ashamed by speaking fouls words and un-healthy practices, but takes it to be self-pride. The same is in the case of girls. Can you take them as good children and true followers of Islam?
Children are the gifts of Allah. Any negligence and breach of trust in this gift, which is a trust of Allah, is un-pardonable. A skilled child is a responsible founder of the next generation. Betterment and progress of the society depends on the coming generations. A child is entrusted to its parents for safe-keeping. The child’s pure heart is like a precious gem. Like wax, a child can take any shape. When small, it has not taken any shape. It is like pure soil. You will reap what you sow it in pure soil. If children are taught the tenets of Iman, the Qur’an and the commandments of Allah and accustomed to doing them, they will attain religious and worldly happiness. Their parents and teachers will share this happiness of theirs.

If they are not taught and trained, they will become unhappy. The sin of each evil they will commit will be given to their parents and teachers, too. Qur’an declares in the 6th Ayah of Surah At-Tahrim:
"Protect yourselves & those in your homes and under your command from the fire!"
It is more important for a father to protect his children against the fire of Hell than against worldly fire. And to protect them against the fire of Hell means to teach them Iman, the Faraiz and Haram, to accustom them to Ibadah and to protect them against irreligious and immoral friends. The source of all kinds of immoral deeds is evil company. I conclude my discussion on the following Hadith:
“Respect Your Children & Treat Them Well, Perhaps You May Be Relieved By Allah & Get Najaat”.

Gurfatul Quran

2010-04-28T18:23:00.002+04:00

Gurfatul Quran
Al wajihiyah Schools soceity - Indore

How a school kept parents happy using SMS

2010-04-28T09:52:00.000+04:00

Parents are funny creatures. When it comes to their offspring, their expectations of care and service generally escalate beyond that which they would be happy with for just themselves.

So a Queensland school recently scored 110% for customer service from parents of children returning from a school camp simply from the sending on a simple text message.

The school camp was on an island and as the weather had deteriorated and the seas become rough on the night before they were due to return home, the school took the initiative of organizing a bigger boat to ensure enhanced comfort and safety of the students and staff.

Of course parents may not have known this and remained worried.

The school took another step and sent a text message advising parents that a bigger boat had been organized, the firm arrival time of the boat and requested to know if the parents wanted to collect their children from the dock, or have them taken to school and be picked up at end of the normal school day.

By personalising the message not only with the parent’s name and the child’s name and asking for a response by SMS, there was a quick, simple and effective communication channel set up that only cost a few dollars and saved staff time and parent concern.

Principles and Indicators for Student Assessment Systems

2010-04-28T09:42:00.000+04:00

Assessment of student learning is undergoing profound change at the same time reforms are taking place in learning goals and content standards, curriculum, instruction, the education of teachers, and the relationships among parents, communities, schools, government, and business. These Principles provide a vision of how to transform assessment systems and practices as part of wider school reform, with a particular focus on improving classroom assessment while ensuring large-scale assessment also supports learning. To best serve learning, assessment must be integrated with curriculum and instruction.

High quality assessment must rest on strong educational foundations. These foundations include organizing schools to meet the learning needs of all their students, understanding how students learn, establishing high standards for student learning, and providing equitable and adequate opportunity to learn.

The Principles reflect an "ideal"--what the National Forum on Assessment believes is the best that assessment can be and do. We understand that they will not be implemented immediately or with great ease. We do firmly hold, however, that education systems must move toward meeting these principles if assessment is to play a positive role in improving education for all students.

Principle 1: The Primary Purpose of Assessment is to Improve Student Learning

Assessment systems, including classroom and large-scale assessment, are organized around the primary purpose of improving student learning. Assessment systems provide useful information about whether students have reached important learning goals and about the progress of each student. They employ practices and methods that are consistent with learning goals, curriculum, instruction, and current knowledge of how students learn. Classroom assessment that is integrated with curriculum and instruction is the primary means of assessment. Educators assess student learning through such methods as structured and informal observations and interviews, projects and tasks, tests, performances and exhibitions, audio and videotapes, experiments, portfolios, and journals. Multiple-choice methods and assessments intended to rank order or compare students, if used, are a limited part of the assessment system. The educational consequences of assessment are evaluated to ensure that the effects are beneficial.

Principle 2: Assessment for Other Purposes Supports Student Learning

Assessment systems report on and certify student learning and provide information for school improvement and accountability by using practices that support important learning. Teachers, schools and education systems make important decisions, such as high school graduation, on the basis of information gathered over time, not a single assessment. Information for accountability and improvement comes from regular, continuing work and assessment of students in schools and from large-scale assessments. Accountability assessments use sampling procedures. Rigorous technical standards for assessment are developed and used to ensure high quality assessments and to monitor the actual educational consequences of assessment use.

Principle 3: Assessment Systems Are Fair to All Students

Assessment systems, including instruments, policies, practices and uses, are fair to all students. Assessment systems ensure that all students receive fair treatment in order not to limit students' present and future opportunities. They allow for multiple methods to assess student progress and for multiple but equivalent ways for students to express knowledge and understanding. Assessments are unbiased and reflect a student's actual knowledge. They are created or appropriately adapted and accommodations are made to meet the specific needs of particular populations, such as English language learners and students with disabilities. Educators provide students with instruction in the assessment methods that are used. Bias review committees study and approve each large-scale assessment.

Principle 4: Professional Collaboration and Development Support Assessment

Knowledgeable and fair educators are essential for high quality assessment. Assessment systems depend on educators who understand the full range of assessment purposes, use appropriately a variety of suitable methods, work collaboratively, and engage in ongoing professional development to improve their capability as assessors. Schools of education prepare teachers and other educators well for assessing a diverse student population. Educators determine and participate in professional development and work together to improve their craft. Their competence is strengthened by groups of teachers scoring student work at the district or state levels. Schools, districts, and states provide needed resources for professional development.

Principle 5: The Broad Community Participates in Assessment Development

Assessment systems draw on the community's knowledge and ensure support by including parents, community members, and students, together with educators and professionals with particular expertise, in the development of the system. Discussion of assessment purposes and methods involves a wide range of people interested in education. Parents, students, and members of the public join a variety of experts, teachers, and other educators in shaping the assessment system.

Principle 6: Communication about Assessment is Regular and Clear<

Educators, schools, districts, and states clearly and regularly discuss assessment system practices and student and program progress with students, families, and the community. Educators and institutions communicate, in ordinary language, the purposes, methods, and results of assessment. They focus reporting on what students know and are able to do, what they need to learn to do, and what will be done to facilitate improvement. They report achievement data in terms of agreed-upon learning goals. Translations are provided as needed. Examples of assessments and student work are made available to parents and the community so they know what high quality performance and local students' work looks like. Assessment results are reported together with contextual information such as education programs, social data, resource availability, and other student outcomes.

Principle 7: Assessment Systems Are Regularly Reviewed and Improved

Assessment systems are regularly reviewed and improved to ensure that the systems are educationally beneficial to all students. Assessment systems must evolve and improve. Even well-designed systems must adapt to changing conditions and increased knowledge. Reviews are the basis for making decisions to alter all or part of the assessment system. Reviewers include stakeholders in the education system and independent expert analysts. A cost-benefit analysis of the system focuses on the effects of assessment on learning. These Principles, including "Foundations," provide the basis for evaluating the system.

The Ant and Modern work culture

2009-12-06T18:10:00.004+04:00

THE ANT

Every day, a small ant arrives at work very early and starts work immediately.

She produces a lot and she was happy.

The Chief, a lion, was surprised to see that the ant was working without supervision.

He thought if the ant can produce so much without supervision, wouldn’t she produce even more if she had a supervisor, So he recruited a cockroach

who had extensive experience as supervisor and who was famous for writing excellent reports.

The cockroach’s first decision was to set up a clocking in attendance system.

He also needed a secretary to help him write and type his reports and …

... he recruited a spider, who managed the archives and monitored all phone calls.

The lion was delighted with the cockroach's reports and asked him to produce graphs to describe production rates and to analyze trends, so that he could use them for presentations at Board‘s meetings.

So the cockroach had to buy a new computer and a laser printer and

... recruited a fly to manage the IT department.

The ant, who had once been so productive and relaxed, hated this new plethora of paperwork and meetings which used up most of her time…!

The lion came to the conclusion that it was high time to nominate a person in charge of the department where the ant worked.

The position was given to the cicada, whose first decision was to buy a carpet and an ergonomic chair for his office.

The new person in charge, the cicada, also needed a computer and a personal assistant, who he brought from his previous department, to help him prepare a Work and Budget Control Strategic Optimization Plan…

The Department where the ant works is now a sad place, where nobody laughs anymore and everybody has become upset...

It was at that time that the cicada convinced the boss, he lion, of the absolute necessity to start a climatic study of the environment .

Having reviewed the charges for running the ant’s department , the lion found out that the production was much less than before.

So he recruited the owl, a prestigious and renowned consultant to carry out an audit and suggest solutions.

The owl spent three months in the department and came up with an enormous report , in several volumes,

that concluded :

“The department is overstaffed ...”

Guess who the lion fires first?

The ant , of course, because she

“showed lack of motivation and had a negative attitude".

NB: The characters in this fable are fictitious; any resemblance to real people or facts within the Corporation is pure coincidence…

Having a bad teacher in first year can harm kids' entire academic life

2009-04-26T20:06:00.000+04:00

London, April 26 (ANI): Having a bad teacher in the reception year can harm a child's entire education, according to a new study.
Researchers at Durham University found that the effect of having an exceptionally poor - or an unusually good - teacher in the first year at primary school was still detectable six years later.
The findings suggest that many pupils are being betrayed by schools that, in an effort to rise up national league tables, concentrate their best teachers on pupils about to take their Sats tests at the age of 11.
"More effort needs to be spent on the most valuable years which are the earliest years," Times Online quoted study's lead author Peter Tymms, professor of education at Durham University, as saying.
For the study, the researchers analysed the progress in learning vocabulary, reading and mathematics of more than 73,000 primary school pupils who were tested at the beginning of their schooling in 1999 and then annually until 2005.
Kids who were in classes in the bottom 16 percent of progress in the reception year performed, on average, around a fifth of a level worse in their Sats test than those whose class progress was average.
On the other hand, those whose classes progressed most in reception year performed about a fifth of a level better.
According to researchers, the effect of good and bad teaching is cumulative, so if a child is unlucky enough to have a poor teacher every year of their primary school career, this would make a difference of an entire level in their test performance.
"The residual effect lasts as long as we can measure it," said Tymms.
The study is published in the journal Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability. (ANI)

LETTER FROM ABRAHAM LINCOLN TO HIS SON’S TEACHER

2008-07-07T14:22:00.003+04:00

Dear Teacher

“My son starts school today. It is all going to be strange and new to him for a while and I wish you would treat him gently. It is an adventure that might take him across continents. All adventures that probably include wars, tragedy and sorrow. To live this life, he will require faith, love and courage.

So dear Teacher, will you please take him by his hand and teach him things he will have to know, teaching him - but gently, if you can. Teach him that for every enemy, there is a friend. He will have to know that all men are not just, that all men are not true. But teach him also that for every scoundrel there is a hero that for every crooked politician, there is a dedicated leader.

Teach him if you can that 10 cents earned is of far more value than a dollar found. In school, teacher, it is far more honorable to fail than to cheat. Teach him to learn how to gracefully lose, and enjoy winning when he does win.

Teach him to be gentle with people, tough with tough people. Steer him away from envy if you can and teach him the secret of quiet laughter. Teach him if you can - how to laugh when he is sad, teach him there is no shame in tears. Teach him there can be glory in failure and despair in success. Teach him to scoff at cynics.

Teach him if you can the wonders of books, but also give time to ponder the extreme mystery of birds in the sky, bees in the sun and flowers on a green hill. Teach him to have faith in his own ideas, even if every one tell him they are wrong.

Try to give my son the strength not to follow the crowd when everyone else is doing it. Teach him to listen to every one, but teach him also to filters all that he hears on a screen of truth and take only the good that comes through.

Teach him to sell his talents and brains to the highest bidder but never to put a price tag on his heart and soul. Let him have the courage to be impatient, let him have the patient to be brave. Teach him to have sublime faith in himself, because then he will always have sublime faith in mankind, in God.

This is a tall order, I know teacher, but see what best you can do. He is such a nice little boy and he is my son.

"QUITTERS NEVER WIN AND WINNERS NEVER QUIT."

Probably the greatest example of persistence is Abraham Lincoln. If you want to learn about somebody who didn't quit, look no further.

Born into poverty, Lincoln was faced with defeat throughout his life. He lost 8 elections, twice failed in business and suffered a nervous breakdown.

He could have quit many times - but he didn't and because he didn't quit, he became one of the greatest Presidents in the history of US.

Lincoln was a champion and he never gave up. Here is a sketch of Lincoln's road to the White House :

1816 : His family was forced out of their home. He had to work to support them.
1818 : His mother died.
1831 : Failed in business.
1832 : Ran for state legislature - Lost.
1832 : Also lost his job. Wanted to go to law school, but couldn't get in.
1833 : Borrowed some money from a friend to begin business, but became bankrupt by the year end.
1834 : Ran for state legislature again - Won.
1835 : Was engaged to be married, but his fiancée died.
1836 : Had a total nervous breakdown and was in bed for 6 months.
1838 : Sought to become speaker of the state legislature - Defeated.
1840 : Sought to be elector - Defeated.
1843 : Ran for Congress - Lost.
1846 : Ran for Congress again. This time he won. Went to Washington and did a good job.
1848 : Ran for re-election to Congress - Lost.
1849 : Sought the job of land officer in his home state - Rejected.
1854 : Ran for the Senate of the US - Lost.
1856 : Sought the Vice-Presidential nomination at his party's national convention - Got less than 100 votes.
1858 : Ran for the US Senate again - Lost again.
1860 : Elected President of the US.

Lincoln's persistence echoed,
"Quitters Never Win and Winners Never Quit."

A Teacher's Lessons for Business Leaders - by Carmine Gallo

2008-05-09T01:22:00.002+04:00

Ron Clark is known as "America's Educator," but his formula for motivating students applies beyond the classroom. One of the most inspiring leaders I've met in the last several years does not run a Fortune 500 company, did not launch a startup in his garage, and has not led an army.

He's a school teacher. But his persuasion skills are so effective they should be adopted by anyone who manages anyone.

Ron Clark taught elementary school in North Carolina. After watching a program about a New York City school that had a hard time attracting qualified teachers, he decided to head to New York with the goal of teaching in one of its toughest schools. Clark eventually landed a job doing just that in Harlem.

He asked if he could teach a class of fifth-graders who had been performing at a second-grade level. The school's administrators wanted to give him the gifted class, but Clark insisted on the underperforming students. In one school year, Clark's fifth-grade class out performed the gifted class. Clark became Disney's teacher of the year, a best-selling author, an Oprah guest, and the subject of a made-for-TV movie, The Ron Clark Story, starring Matthew Perry.

When I was writing my last book, Fire Them Up! I caught up with Clark to discuss how managers can use his techniques to motivate their teams. Here are some of the things he said:

Raise expectations.

Students and employees will improve their game in response to a challenge. When Clark walked in to his Harlem class, he announced what seemed to be an

absurd goal:

The class would test at grade level by the end of the school year. Once the students learned Clark was serious, they responded and began to act like the successful students he had known they could be. One month later, after Clark had seen the results, he began to express a vision nobody had dared to dream—they would outperform the gifted class by the end of the year.

As a leader, your job is to think one step ahead of the rest of your team and then equip it with the tools and confidence to get there.

Explain why before how.

"It's not enough to set a goal," Clark told me. "You need to tell your students why it's important to reach that goal. For my students, it meant a better future. I told them why they needed to know a certain subject, how it would be an advantage to them in their lives."

When it comes to inspiring your employees, the "why" is also often more important than the "how." Why should they exceed quarterly sales goals? Why should they improve customer service scores? Show your team how accomplishing these goals will improve their lives as well as the lives of those around them.

Encourage celebration and praise.

In Clark's book, The Essential 55 - his rules for success in the classroom—rule No. 3 is applicable in almost any business setting: If someone in the class wins a game or does something well, we will congratulate that person. Clark believes that anyone student or employee will do a better job when he receives praise. But he went one step further in his class. He encouraged the students to celebrate each other's achievements as if they were a supportive family.

He writes: "If you want a team to be successful, you have to create an atmosphere where everyone on the team is proud of each other.If you set a goal and everyone is working toward that goal as an individual and not as a team, it can be intimidating. But if you feel like you have the support of an entire team then you can set the goal as high as you want because there is no fear associated with it. Every person on that team will want to contribute to achieving that goal because they are doing it together."

Show genuine interest beyond business.

Clark cultivated a sense of curiosity and respect in his Harlem classroom, requiring students to respond to a question with a question (his rule No. 6). "You are far more likable and respectful when you are asking about the thoughts and opinions of others,"

Clark writes. Showing a genuine interest is a consistent theme among inspiring communicators. Motivating is about bringing out the best in people, but people will not listen to your message until they know you care. Show you care about them personally and you will bring out their best professionally.

Be positive and enjoy life.

Clark's can-do spirit is infectious. His words reflect his optimism, and he refuses to let any of his students speak the language of defeat. Rule No. 50 is simply: Be positive and enjoy life. Clark told me a leader must set the tone, especially with the words he chooses to use. It is up to the leader to set high expectations, to praise people, to believe in them, and to do whatever it takes to help people meet their goals and have fun in the process.

Despite the challenges Clark faced as a teacher, he remained optimistic and steadfast in his belief that his rules would unlock the students' potential. His passion and positive energy allowed him to see opportunity where everyone else saw obstacles.

Clark's rules are intended to draw out the best in students. They can also help bring out the best in any team. And by inspiring your colleagues and employees in the workplace, you become the kind of person people want to be around.

Carmine Gallo is a Pleasanton, Calif. communications coach and author of the book, Fire Them Up! (John Wiley & Sons; October, 2007)

7 Interpersonal Skills

2007-12-27T23:11:00.000+04:00

A strong, healthy relationship is one in which the partners show respect and kindness toward each other. The relationship forms a rewarding and enduring bond of trust and support. Here are seven power skills by Steve Brunkhorst that will help you form stronger alliances and bring more closeness, authenticity and trust to your relationships.

1. Relax Optimistically

If you are comfortable around others, they will feel comfortable around you. If you appear nervous, others will sense it and withdraw. If you are meeting someone for the first time, brighten up as if you've rediscovered a long-lost friend. A smile will always be the most powerful builder of rapport. Communicating with relaxed optimism, energy and enthusiasm will provide a strong foundation for lasting relationships.

2. Listen Deeply

Powerful listening goes beyond hearing words and messages; it connects us emotionally with our communication partner. Listen to what the person is not saying as well as to what he or she is saying. Focus intently and listen to the messages conveyed behind and between words.

Listen also with your eyes and heart. Notice facial expressions and body postures, but see beneath the surface of visible behaviors. Feel the range of emotions conveyed by tone of voice and rhythm of speech. Discern what the person wants you to hear and also what they want you to feel.

3. Feel Empathetically

Empathy is the foundation of good two-way communication. Being empathetic is seeing from another person's perspective regardless of your opinion or belief. Treat their mistakes as you would want them to treat your mistakes. Let the individual know that you are concerned with the mistake, and that you still respect them as a person. Share their excitement in times of victory, and offer encouragement in times of difficulty. Genuine feelings of empathy will strengthen the bond of trust.

4. Respond Carefully

Choose emotions and words wisely. Measure your emotions according to the person's moods and needs. Words can build or destroy trust. They differ in shades of meaning, intensity, and impact. What did you learn when listening deeply to the other individual? Reflect your interpretation of the person's message back to them. Validate your understanding of their message.

Compliment the person for the wisdom and insights they've shared with you. This shows appreciation and encourages further dialogs with the individual. A response can be encouraging or discouraging. If you consider in advance the impact of your emotions and words, you will create a positive impact on your relationships.

5. Synchronize Cooperatively

When people synchronize their watches, they insure that their individual actions will occur on time to produce an intended outcome. Relationships require ongoing cooperative action to survive and thrive.

As relationships mature, the needs and values of the individuals and relationship will change. Career relationships will require the flexibility to meet changing schedules and new project goals. Cooperative actions provide synchrony and build trusting alliances. They are part of the give and take that empowers strong, enduring relationships.

6. Act Authentically

Acting authentically means acting with integrity. It means living in harmony with your values. Be yourself when you are with someone else. Drop acts that create false appearances and false security.

When you act authentically, you are honest with yourself and others. You say what you will do, and do what you say. Ask for what you want in all areas of your relationships. Be clear about what you will tolerate. Find out what your relationship partners want also. Being authentic creates mutual trust and respect.

7. Acknowledge Generously

Look for and accentuate the positive qualities in others. Humbly acknowledge the difference that people make to your life. Validate them by expressing your appreciation for their life and their contributions. If you let someone know that they are valuable and special, they will not forget you. Showing gratitude and encouragement by words and actions will strengthen the bonds of any relationship.

Don't forget to acknowledge your most important relationship: the relationship with yourself. Acknowledge your own qualities, and put those qualities into action. You cannot form a stronger relationship with others than you have with yourself. You will attract the qualities in others that are already within you.

Ask yourself: What thoughts and behaviors will attract the kind of relationships I desire? What is one action I could take today that would empower my current relationships?

Write down all the qualities or behaviors that you desire for your relationships. Select the power skills that will attract those qualities. Keep a journal of the actions you take and the progress you make. By turning these skills into lifelong habits, you will build relationships that are healthy, strong and mutually rewarding.

Lesson Plan Devolopment Guide

2007-12-13T00:06:00.000+04:00

Importance Of Proper Lesson Planning

Have you ever walked into an exam totally unprepared? Ever taken a fitness test when you were out of shape? What about briefings - ever "tap-dance" because you weren't properly prepared? Hopefully, these scenarios are not a regular occurrence or part of your lifestyle. Occasionally, you may "pull something off," but usually such unpreparedness ends in disaster.

Why then, is it that so many instructors try to "shoot from the hip" when it comes to teaching or facilitating? People frequently say they have it all in their "head" or they work best when they pull "something" together at the last minute. Teaching is similar to the scenarios above in that, in order to do a good job, you must be properly prepared. A high school football coach used to always preach what he called "The Seven Ps":

PROPER

PRIOR

PREPARATION

PREVENTS

PATHETICALLY

POOR

PERFORMANCE

You prepare to teach class by reviewing materials, ensuring the equipment works, setting up student supplies, etc. You must also prepare by developing lesson plans. A lesson plan is a plan for learning. In the lesson plan you arrange the activities in a logical sequence for learning to take place. It is only with careful lesson planning that we can ensure we have included everything we need to teach the students effectively and that the material is organized in a manner that encourages learning.

Purposes of Lesson Planning

Do not let the time it takes to prepare a lesson plan discourage you from doing so. The idea behind the lesson plan is to provide all instructors with a standardized tool for presenting instruction. In short, any instructor should be able to use the lesson plan and know exactly what needs to be taught and in what sequence. The three primary purposes of lesson plans are:
They aid the instructor in preparing for instruction.
They provide a tool for giving the instruction.
They document course content.

Eight-step Lesson Planning Process

Lesson planning includes the following eight steps:
Determine the objective
Research the topic
Select the appropriate instructional method
Identify a usable lesson planning format
Decide how to organize the lesson
Choose support material
Prepare the beginning and ending of the lesson
Prepare a final outline.

Step 1: Determining The Objective

A task list contains tasks (sometimes referred to as terminal objectives) and subtasks (sometimes referred to as enabling objectives). The objectives serve as the foundation for the entire lesson plan. For this reason, careful thought should go into their development. The objectives must be student centered, which is why the phrase "the student will...... is used in writing the objectives. They must be student centered to show what the student is required to learn, not what we want to teach!

Step 2: Researching The Topic

After the instructional objective has been decided, it is time to outline the main points of the lesson and gather materials together to develop the lesson plan. Once you begin to research your topic it may become necessary to modify an objective or rearrange main points. This is normal. When deciding which material to select, choose materials that are both useful and appropriate. In order for the material to be appropriate, it should relate to the lesson objective and have a high possibility for student retention. In order for the materials to be useful, it should aid the instructor and student in the teaching-learning process. In other words, if the instructor chooses material solely because it is interesting, it may add little or nothing to the learning process. On the other hand, dry, uninteresting facts, even though they pertain to the material, can serve to put the students to sleep rather than enhance learning. You should strive to find interesting materials to support your lesson and arrange them to enhance learning. There are three sources available for research material: yourself (personal experiences), experiences of others (from conversations or interviews), and written or observed material.

Self- When researching a topic we should always start with what we know about the subject. Our knowledge helps to organize the lesson or point out gaps where we have no experience and require more extensive research.

Others - Discussing the subject with someone experienced in the topic could provide ideas, facts and

testimony, or suggest sources of information for the research.

Written or Observed Material - Although a lot of information can be gathered by personal experience, and talking to others, generally, it is not enough information and you will need to find written material on the subject. The most important source for written material is the library where you can find books, newspapers, magazines, journals, and sometimes case studies. When you research these materials you may decide that some of them should be required reading for your students. Keep that thought in the back of your mind while conducting the research.

Step 3: Select An Instructional Method

An instructional method is a broad approach to instruction. The more common instructional methods include lecture, performance-demonstration, guided discussion, and teaching interview. When selecting a teaching method, consider the ways in which people learn: by doing, by discussing, by listening, by observing, by participating. No single method is suitable for all teaching situations. A method should be chosen that will best lead to the desired learning outcome.

Step 4: Identify a Lesson Plan Format

This is your preference. Your training department can assist you in selecting the best format for your lesson.

Step 5: Decide How To Organize The Lesson

Now that you have developed your objectives, researched the topic, selected your instructional (teaching) method, and identified a lesson planning format, it is time to organize your lesson. Every lesson requires an introduction, body, and conclusion. Most times, it is advisable to develop the body of your lesson prior to developing the introduction and the conclusion. This may sound backwards, but after you've completed the body of the lesson you will be in a better position to decide how you want to begin and end the lesson. When beginning the body of the lesson you must first decide how to organize main points and subpoints. Proper arrangement of the main points will help you, the instructor, teach the material, and it will help the students learn the material. Lessons, regardless of length, should have from two to five main points. Mainpoints and subpoints are arranged in one of six patterns of organization: patterns of time, space, cause-effect, problem-solution, pro-con, or topical. Along with the patterns, there are strategies (such as known to unknown or simple to complex) to be used. Although it may sound like a lot of decisions to make, once you've laid out your lesson materials they will lend themselves to one particular pattern and strategy.

The Strategy Statement

The following examples have been provided as a guide.

WHAT? HOW? WHY?

LESSON TYPE: Informal Lecture

ORGANIZATIONAL PATTERN: Topical

STRATEGY: This lesson will begin with a definition of personal effectiveness to ensure that students start from a common reference point. Once the definition is covered I will discuss the three elements of the time management model: setting priorities, daily planning, and delegation, along with their relationship to personal effectiveness. Beginning with priority systems, I will establish the principle that "Using a Priority System Improves Personal Effectiveness" through lecture, questions, and answers. Since establishing priorities is the first step one takes in a time management system, it is logical that I begin here. Once priorities are established, planning can begin. With the relationship between priorities and personal effectiveness established, I will next examine how planning daily activities improves personal effectiveness. Finally, I will discuss how "Delegation Improves Personal Effectiveness". Delegation is the last step in my time management model and therefore, will be reviewed last during today's presentation. I will summarize the three main points in a comprehension-level summary combining my teaching points with the student inputs from the classroom questions to aid in reaching the generalization that "Time Management Techniques Improve Personal Effectiveness".

WHAT? HOW? WHY?

LESSON TYPE: Teaching Interview

ORGANIZATIONAL PATTERN: Topical

STRATEGY: The interview will start with lead-off and follow-up questions about the general role and purpose of the Security Assistance Training Program (SATP) to show the main point that the SATP promotes national security. Then a series of lead-off and follow-up questions addressing the particular role the International Officers School (IOS) plays in the training process will demonstrate the other main point; viz., that IOS (also, as a player in the SATP) promotes national security. Students will learn what the SATP is from the point of view of its initial purpose as well as how it operates today. This will be done by use of a practicing expert within the SATP. The interviewing of the expert is chosen for two reasons: 1) to effectively present the concept of the SATP in an understandable and interesting format with the use of personal experience and real-life examples; and, 2) to foster an affective response on the part of the students by testimony of one who believes in the goals of the SATP. A topical pattern will be used to explain the goals and importance of the SATP as well as the goals and importance of IOS as it contributes to reaching that goal through the use of Air Force training resources. The interview will proceed from a general explanation and understanding of the role of IOS. This strategy should be more effective in fostering a deeper comprehension of the importance of the program as well as pointing out the personal relevance of the program to the ordinary Air Force civilian or military member, all of whom are likely to encounter an international military student during their careers. After the formal interview of the guest by the instructor, a question and answer period will be directed by the instructor to further illuminate the topic.

WHAT? HOW? WHY?

LESSON TYPE: Demonstration-Performance

ORGANIZATIONAL PATTERN: Sequential

STRATEGY: The lesson on determining cash value will be taught in sequential order to show how each step of the calculation builds on the next. The lesson will start with a brief explanation of present value and cash flows. This explanation will help students understand the benefit of using this method in deten-nining the time value of their money. Next, a demonstration and explanation of each task step of the process of calculating the present value of an unequal stream of payments to show each student how to extract necessary data from a scenario and obtain the present value of each amount. This demonstration and explanation step will also teach students how to use the present value table. The instructor will then have the students perform the calculations themselves while he reads the task steps to give the students practice under controlled conditions. Once the students have completed the task steps, they will practice once more on their own with the last practice occurring under conditions duplicating the final evaluation so that the instructor can be sure each student is ready. The demonstration and explanation of problem, the controlled practice problem and the independently done practice problem should provide enough repetition of the required sequence of steps while providing adequate time for questions to ensure students are learning the procedure. The instructor will then have the students perform the computations without assistance, and then he will grade the results to ensure the students have performed to the required standards.

Step 6: Choose Appropriate Support Material

Although the organization of the materials forms the basic structure of the lesson, some type of clarification or proof support is still required for the student to learn. Most students find it difficult to understand unsupported ideas or assertions. Those of us who have children can associate with this. When children learn something for the first time normally they ask questions like why? Where? How come? Adults are no different. If they are learning something for the first time, they want proof to support what you are telling them.

The subject, the method, the ability of the students, and the size of the class, along with other factors will determine how much support material you require. For instance, if students have no background knowledge of what you are teaching they will probably require more proof support. On the other hand, if you have some very experienced students in the class that share their own personal experiences, you will require less support to get your point across.

Verbal support is required to clarify points made or to prove our assertions. Definitions, examples, and comparisons are used for clarification support. Statistics and expert testimony can be used for both clarification and support. During lectures the instructor provides the proof support. When student interaction is involved (demonstration-performance, informal lecture, guided discussion), the instructor asks the students questions in order to have them provide the proof support.

Definitions - These are often used to clarify or explain the meaning of a term, concept, or principle. There can be more than one definition, however, for any of the above. Technical terms may be familiar to the instructor but confusing to the students. Technical terms should always be defined in a language the student understands. If a term has a different meaning to different people it should be defined to eliminate misunderstanding. Just as it is necessary to define technical terms, it is also necessary to define acronyms. When teaching students a skill it is very critical that you teach the tasks in language the student understands.

Examples - Examples (especially personal experiences) add credibility to what is being taught and give the students information they can associate with, to better understand what is being taught.

Comparisons - It is easier for students to understand something they are unfamiliar with if you place it next to (compare it to) something familiar to them. You can compare things that are very much alike or things that are unlike. To prove an assertion you must compare "like" things. Contrast is a form of comparison and helps to explain things, for example, comparing AF training or management to civilian training or management.

Testimony - The experiences, words, and thoughts of others (experts) provides proof support for the points we are trying to make. For example, often our children do not listen to us when we try to explain the dangers of talking to strangers. When the police visit the schools and talk to the children, the children consider them experts and often come home excited and remember exactly what was said to them and why it is important.

Statistics - These are the most misused and misunderstood type of verbal support. They can help clarify ideas if collected properly and used wisely. Statistics show relationships or summarize facts and data. Some figures, however, are just numbers, they are not statistics. If using statistics for proof support consider the following:

Are the statistics recent? If you were trying to develop a household budget, statistics on housing, cost of living, etc., would be of no value to you if they were several years old. Before using statistics check the date and if no date is provided, they may be outdated.

Do the statistics indicate what they pu&port to? A single test score on a high school student may not give a true picture of their grades or aptitude. This is why military personnel applying for special job positions are often requested to submit the last 3-5 EPRs for review. If only I report was reviewed, it would not give a clear picture of that person's work history.

Do the statistics cover a long enough time to be reliable? If we were to base curriculum development changes on the feelings of one class this would not be a valid critique. Students vary with every class as far as their intellectual capacity, their work experience, their disposition, and what they expect to learn. This is why when we validate curriculum we normally do it over a period of 3 classes. This allows us to reach a broad background of students, and weigh the validity of the feedback.

If the statistics are drawn from a sample, does the sample accurate r resent the group to which we are generalizing? If we are going to give statistics relating to the people in the United States (for instance), we would want a broad sample of people and we would want to take people from all age groups, all ethnic groups, both sexes, and different levels of social status to get accurate statistics.

When comparing things, are the same units of measure used to make the comparisons? If more students fail one course more than another, we cannot necessarily conclude that the content of one course is more difficult. It could be that the grading scale was more difficult in one course, that prerequisite knowledge was not the same for both courses, or several other reasons.

Do the statistics come from a reliable source? It is ineffective to state "recent surveys show......

You should state the exact source of your information.

Step 7: Beginning And Ending The Lesson

Before you start the final outline you must consider the beginning (introduction) and ending (conclusion) for your lesson. If the lesson is to stand alone, you should carefully prepare the introduction and conclusion. If other lessons follow this one it will be fairly easy to come up with your conclusion (it will lead into the following lessons). If this is the first lesson in a block of instruction the introduction will take more consideration than if it follows after the first lesson, for the same reason as above, the conclusion from the previous lesson will lead into the introduction of this lesson.

Introduction - The introduction serves the following purposes:
Establishes a common ground between instructor and students
Holds the student's attention
Outlines the lesson and shows how it relates to the entire course
Shows the student how the instruction will benefit them
Leads into the instruction

Jokes can be a good way to break the ice as long as the joke is relevant to the material being presented. The three necessary elements in the introduction are: gain attention, motivate, and provide an overview of the lesson to be taught.

Attention - There are several ways to gain the students attention: you may talk about an incident related to the lesson, thereby leading into the lesson, you may ask a question that relates to the material, or any other means of showing the students the lesson has begun. Your primary concern is to focus the student on the lesson being taught.

Motivation - The whole purpose of the motivation step is to show the students how the lesson relates to them and why they need to learn the material. Before students can be motivated to learn, they must feel the learning will benefit them.

Overview - The purpose of the overview is to tell the students what you will be teaching them, show them the big picture so to speak. You should show the students the main objectives of the lesson using visuals if possible. The overview should serve as a roadmap to the students, showing them what they will be learning, and the route taken to get there. The basic purpose of the overview is to prepare the students to learn.

The conclusion of the lesson will probably stick with the student longer than any other part of the lesson. For this reason, you should prepare your conclusion carefully. The conclusion should accomplish three things: summarize, remotivate, and provide closure.

Final Summary - When dealing with knowledge level lessons it may be appropriate to have interim summaries throughout the lesson to emphasize the main points. A final summary is always made at the end of the lesson and should retrace the critical elements of the lesson. Reviewing the main points will aid the student in retaining the information and allow them to jot down any missed information in their notes. If dealing with a comprehension level lesson the final summary should provide logical reasons to support the desired conclusion (lesson objective).

Remotivation - As an instructor this is your last chance to tell the students why the information-nation is important to them. Effective instructors will continually remotivate students throughout the lesson.

Closure - This is normally the most difficult portion of the lesson. During the closure the students need to be released from active listening. Because this part is difficult, instructors often end up saying something like "well, that's all I have to say" which sounds lame. Use inflection in your voice to show the lesson has ended, or try a funny story, a cartoon, or a thought provoking question related to your topic. If the lesson is followed by another lesson, it is very easy to close by telling the students what is ahead in the next lesson.

Step 8: Preparing The Final Outline

Now it is time to prepare the final outline! By now you've worked and reworked the lesson until hopefully you feel it is ready to go final.

Sometimes, as you develop your lesson you will discover the students would learn the material easier if it was presented using a different method or if the material was rearranged in a different order. Just remember to go back and readjust your method, media, and strategy statement, your task list, or whatever is affected by the change. Continually evaluate what you are doing to ensure the best student learning outcome!

Teaching Aids

2007-07-22T11:05:00.000+04:00

Basic teaching aids for the classroom:·

Chalkboard or whiteboard: A chalkboard or whiteboard will help you demonstrate and instruct. The best recommendation, if you need to decide between the two would be the whiteboard—they are cleaner than chalkboards by far.

· Pointer: This wand-like teaching aid has many purposes. A pointer can help you with pointing out certain areas like cities, rivers etc. on large, classroom maps, on overhead projectors and on your whiteboard or chalkboard.

· Classroom maps: Using classroom maps for your teaching aids is a great thing to do. Often textbooks will have maps in them, but they will be smaller and harder to read. Sometimes when you have the children look at a map in a book and ask them to find a certain area—not all the children will be able to find it right away and so they will miss out on the lesson while searching. Very seldom will a student raise his or her hand to ask where on the map the class is looking, either out of shyness or embarrassment.

· Overhead projector: To have an overhead projector for the classroom is a wonderful teaching aid, you can even use overhead projectors as a substitute for large, hanging classroom maps. The maps can come in eight and a half by eleven or eight by ten sizes that can be projected into much, much larger maps onto your whiteboard or onto a white canvas in the front of the room. These maps can often be drawn on by an erasable marker (the same you would use for a whiteboard). Thus, there would be no need to use a pointer or to have all those huge roll-up maps to deal with.

· Computers: If it is within the budget of your school or learning institution, to have computers in the classroom or even just in a computer lab somewhere in the school as teaching aids is one of the best types of teaching aids you can offer your students. Technology is growing every day—and the more children learn about the basics of—and even excel in school-related educational software programs is almost a necessity these days.§ There is also computer software for studying at home. Teaching aids that can be used in the home as tutorials for students who need help in one or more subjects. There are lots of them out there, so you may want to research which ones will best help the children in your class who have fallen behind. If the software is too costly for the parents, perhaps the school could have this software installed for after-school tutoring.

http://www.homeroomteacherforum.com/forum/

How Can Parents Model Good Listening Skills?

2007-06-12T12:46:00.000+04:00

Listen Better, Learn More

In one of the Family Circus cartoon strips, the little girl looks up at her father, who is reading the newspaper, and says: "Daddy, you have to listen to me with your eyes as well as your ears." That statement says almost all there is to say about listening, whether in our personal conversations or in learning in school.

Do Listening Skills Affect Learning?

Listening is not a school subject like reading and writing. Many of us seem to feel it comes naturally and that as long as we can listen to directions on how to find the restroom, nothing more needs to be said. The latest studies reveal that listening is a very large part of school learning and is one of our primary means of interacting with other people on a personal basis. It is estimated that between 50 and 75 percent of students' classroom time is spent listening to the teacher, to other students, or to audio media.

Can Parents Guide Their Children To Better Listening?

According to research on listening skills, being a good listener means focusing attention on the message and reviewing the important information. Parents can model good listening behavior for their children and advise them on ways to listen as an active learner, pick out highlights of a conversation, and ask relevant questions. Sometimes it helps to "show" children that an active listener is one who looks the speaker in the eye and is willing to turn the television off to make sure that the listener is not distracted by outside interference.

Guidelines For Modeling Good Listening Skills

* Be interested and attentive. Children can tell whether they have a parent's interest and attention by the way the parent replies or does not reply. Forget about the telephone and other distractions. Maintain eye contact to show that you really are with the child.

* Encourage talking. Some children need an invitation to start talking. You might begin with, "Tell me about your day at school." Children are more likely to share their ideas and feelings when others think them important.

* Listen patiently. People think faster than they speak. With limited vocabulary and experience in talking, children often take longer than adults to find the right word. Listen as though you have plenty of time.

* Hear children out. Avoid cutting children off before they have finished speaking. It is easy to form an opinion or reject children's views before they finish what they have to say. It may be difficult to listen respectfully and not correct misconceptions, but respect their right to have and express their opinions.

* Listen to nonverbal messages. Many messages children send are communicated nonverbally by their tone of voice, their facial expressions, their energy level, their posture, or changes in their behavior patterns. You can often tell more from the way a child says something than from what is said. When a child comes in obviously upset, be sure to find a quiet time then or sometime that day to help explore those feelings.

Suggestions For Improving Communication With Children

* Be interested. Ask about children's ideas and opinions regularly. If you show your children that you are really interested in what they think, what they feel, and what their opinions are, they will become comfortable about expressing their thoughts to you.

* Avoid dead-end questions. Ask children the kinds of questions that will extend interaction rather than cut it off. Questions that require a yes or no or right answer lead a conversation to a dead end. Questions that ask children to describe, explain, or share ideas extend the conversation.

* Extend conversation. Try to pick up a piece of your child's conversation. Respond to his or her statements by asking a question that restates or uses some of the same words your child used. When you use children's own phrasing or terms, you strengthen their confidence in their conversational and verbal skills and reassure them that their ideas are being listened to and valued.

* Share your thoughts. Share what you are thinking with your child. For instance, if you are puzzling over how to rearrange your furniture, get your child involved with questions such as, "I'm not sure where to put this shelf. Where do you think would be a good place?"

* Observe signs. Watch the child for signs that it is time to end a conversation. When a child begins to stare into space, give silly responses, or ask you to repeat several of your comments, it is probably time to stop the exchange.

* Reflect feelings. One of the most important skills good listeners have is the ability to put themselves in the shoes of others or empathize with the speaker by attempting to understand his or her thoughts and feelings. As a parent, try to mirror your children's feelings by repeating them. You might reflect a child's feelings by commenting, "It sounds as if you're angry at your math teacher." Restating or rephrasing what children have said is useful when they are experiencing powerful emotions that they may not be fully aware of.

* Help clarify and relate experiences. As you listen, try to make your child's feelings clear by stating them in your own words. Your wider vocabulary can help children express themselves as accurately and clearly as possible and give them a deeper understanding of words and inner thoughts.

Why Are Parents Important In Building Children's Communication Skills?

Parents play an essential role in building children's communication skills because children spend more time with their parents than with any other adult. Children also have a deeper involvement with their parents than with any other adult, and the family as a unit has lifelong contact with its members. Parents control many of the contacts a child has with society as well as society's contacts with the child.

Adults, parents, and teachers set a powerful example of good or poor communication. Communication skills are influenced by the examples children see and hear. Parents and teachers who listen to their children with interest, attention, and patience set a good example. The greatest audience children can have is an adult who is important to them and interested in them.

Sources

Most of the following references-those identified with an ED or EJ number--have been abstracted and are in the ERIC database. The journal articles should be available at most research libraries. For a list of ERIC collections in your area, contact ACCESS ERIC at 1-800-LET- ERIC.

* Bodner-Johnson, Barbara (November/December 1988). "Conversation Begins at Home--Around the Table." Perspectives for Teachers of the Hearing Impaired, 13-15. EJ 385 425.
* Carlisle, Lynn (1988). Communication Skills. Sacramento: California State Department of Education, Division of Special Education. ED 315 933.
* Edleston, Charlotte (1987). A Program of Games and Activities to Increase Listening and Attentional Skills in Kindergarten. Nova University: Ed.D. Practicum, Dissertation/Theses. ED 292 586.
* Harmon, Geraldine (1988). Facilitating Communicative Competence in Young Children: Techniques for Parents and Teachers. Nova University: Ed.D. Practicum, Dissertation/Theses. ED 292 565.
* Johnson, Ruth and others (1981). Improving Your Child's Listening and Language Skills: A Parent's Guide to Language Development. Washington, DC: Handicapped Children's Early Education Program Division of Special Education Programs. ED 234 576.
* Maxwell, Margaret John (1981). Listening Games for Elementary Grades. Washington, DC: Acropolis Books, Ltd.

For more information on this subject, contact:

* ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading and Communication Skills
* Indiana University
* Smith Research Center, Suite 150
* 2805 East 10th Street
* Bloomington, IN 47408-2698
* (800) 759-4723
* http://www.indiana.edu/~eric_rec/

Credits

Written by Carl Smith, Director, ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading and Communication Skills.

This publication was prepared by ACCESS ERIC in association with the ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading and Communication Skills, with funding from the Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education, under Contract No. RI890120. The opinions expressed in this brochure do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of the Department of Education.

TITLE: How Can Parents Model Good Listening Skills?
AUTHOR: Carl Smith
PUBLICATION DATE: Fall 1992

The Characteristics of a Good Teacher

2007-06-04T19:45:00.000+04:00

Good teachers:

are good at explaining things. Do you like to explain how something works, or how something happened? Being comfortable with explaining content to students is an essential skill for teachers.

keep their cool. There will be times when you will be tempted to scream or yell at your students, other teachers, parents, administrators, and so on. Good teachers are able to successfully resist this urge.

have a sense of humor. Research has consistently shown that good teachers have a sense of humor, and that they are able to use humor as part of their teaching methods. Humor, used properly, can be a powerful addition to any lesson.

like people, especially students in the age range in which they intend to teach. Most teachers choose an area of specialization such as elementary education, special education, secondary education, or higher education because they have a temperament for students in those age ranges. If you are not comfortable working with young children, don't major in elementary education!

are inherently fair-minded. They are able to assess students on the basis of performance, not on the students' personal qualities.

have "common sense." It may sound a bit corny, but good teachers are practical. They can size up a situation quickly and make an appropriate decision. Whether managing a classroom, leading students on a field trip, seamlessly shifting from one instructional procedure to another, assigning detentions, supervising an intern, or dealing with policy and curriculum issues in the school, there is no substitute for common sense.

have a command of the content they teach. For elementary school teachers, that means having knowledge of a broad range of content in sufficient depth to convey the information in meaningful ways to the students. For secondary school teachers, it usually means having an in-depth command of one or two specific content areas such as mathematics or biology.

set high expectations for their students and hold the students to those expectations. If you are thinking about becoming a teacher, you should set high expectations for yourself, and demand excellence not only of yourself, but your students as well.

are detail oriented. If you are a disorganized person in your private life, you will find that teaching will probably be uncomfortable for you. At the very least, teachers must be organized in their professional and teaching duties. If you're not organized and are not detail oriented, teaching may not be the best choice of a profession for you.

are good managers of time. Time is one of the most precious resources a teacher has. Good teachers have learned to use this resource wisely.

can lead or follow, as the situation demands. Sometimes, teachers must be members of committees, groups, councils, and task forces. Having the temperament to function in these capacities is extremely important. At other times, teachers assume leadership roles. Be sure you are comfortable being a leader or a follower, because sooner or later, you will be called on to function in those roles.

don't take things for granted. This applies to everything, from selecting a college or school of education to filing papers for certification. Good follow-through habits should be cultivated throughout life, but they are never more important than during your teacher education program. Read the catalog, know the rules, be aware of prerequisites and meet deadlines. In one sense, you don't learn to teach by getting a degree and becoming certified. You learn to teach in much the same way you learned to drive -- by driving. You learn to teach by teaching, by making mistakes, learning from them and improving. The purpose of a teacher education program is to get you as ready as possible to learn how to teach by subjecting you to a variety of methods and experiences that have a basis in tradition and research.

All of these qualities define some of the characteristics of good teachers. If it is not your goal to become a good teacher at the very least, perhaps thinking about the above will help you see other career alternatives. A good idea, when first making such a decision, is to talk to teachers. Find out what they do, and what led them into teaching. Do a personal inventory of your own values, personality, preferences and goals. But, whatever you do, don't go into teaching simply because you love kids!

Useful Link: Teachers Taking about Teaching (UNICEF)

The Rights of Teachers by Dr Tony Humphreys

2007-05-23T20:00:00.000+04:00

Violations of the rights of teachers have increased enormously. No teacher should have to tolerate the minutest violations of their rights. This equally applies to a student or a parent.

There is something radically wrong with a school and educational system when such offences are allowed to perpetuate.
It cannot be left in the hands of an individual teacher or students or parent to vindicate their rights. Such a policy has left many teachers feeling isolated in classrooms, stressed students without advocates within the school and concerned parents helpless. It can also mean that teachers under pressure can resort to abusive methods of control or throw in the towel and let chaos reign.

This is not to say that individual teachers, managers, students and parents have not responsibilities to mutually respect and uphold each others’ rights but there are individuals (students and teachers) within schools who are so emotionally troubled that they are not in a mature place to exercise such responsibilities. In situations like this it is the school system that must have clear and strong structures that ensure safety for all.

There are teachers who spend considerable amounts of time attempting to control one or more students who continually disrupt the order of the class. It is well documented that students who persistently offend the rights of teachers and other students come from troubled homes and it is only when the inner and outer conflicts of these children are resolved will they be ready for learning.

Every child has a right to education but some students in classrooms are learning little or nothing because of their distressed states which are manifested in undisciplined conduct. Some teachers and principals are reluctant to remove these students from classrooms as they feel they will be accused of violating the student’s right to be educated.

The contrary is true: by allowing these students to stay in classrooms, where it is clear they are not ready for learning and that they need considerable help before they will be in a fit emotional state for education, teachers and parents are neglecting these students’ right to be educated. Furthermore, the responsibility for helping these students’ family-based problems must rest squarely on the shoulders of parents with the support of the school system.
When parents are refusing to exercise their responsibilities the school needs to contact the Social Services. Putting a child out of class does not mean the school ceases involvement in the child’s education. However, the school needs to recognise that the problems of particular students cannot be allowed to be a source of the violation of teachers’ and indeed other students’ rights. It is amazing how both teachers and parents forget not only about the rights of teachers but also the right to be educated by the motivated students in classrooms where learning is disrupted by the undisciplined behaviour of students who are troubled.

It is not only students who violate the rights of teachers! Passive or aggressive leadership can result in many teachers feeling abandoned by a school system. Poor morale, staff conflict, few staff meetings, poor communication and an ineffective discipline system are products largely of ineffective leadership.

An effective school system will have structures (for example, recourse procedures to Board of Management, School Inspectorate, Department of Education, Parents’ Association) that empower teachers to voice difficulties about principals and vice-principals and ensure action on their concerns. Such actions are caring in nature, not only of the rights of teachers and students but of the principals who are not coping effectively with their responsibilities.

Private industry would not tolerate the ineffectiveness and neglect that some school leaders perpetrate. These individuals deserve professional help to resolve their personal difficulties and increase their professional effectiveness.

Teacher’s Rights

I have the right to physical, emotional, social, intellectual, creative and sexual safety.
I have the right to respect from students, colleagues, leaders and parents.
I have the right to teach in an atmosphere of order and attention.
I have the right to demand social structures within the school that guarantee respect for my rights.
I have the right to ask for help when needed.
I have the right to fair, just and effective leadership on the part of the school principal and vice-principal.
I have the right to express any need or grievance I may have.
When any of my rights are violated, I have the right to have recourse to social structures within and outside the school that protect those rights.

Extracted From "A Different Kind of Discipline"

The Author
Dr Tony Humphreys is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist in private practice and specialist lecturer for health care and teaching professions in University College, Cork and Limerick University. He is Ireland’s most influential psychologist and leading speaker on individual, couple and family relationships. He is the author of a number of bestselling books, including Work and Worth: Take Back Your Life, The Power of ‘Negative’ Thinking, A Different Kind of Teacher and Myself, My Partner. He is internationally renownedand has done lecture tours and media in countries such as South Africa, Sweden and Turkey. His books have appeared in nineteen foreign-language editions. August 2002 will see the publication of his latest book, Examining Our Times, a compilation of articles that originally appeared in The Irish Times and the Irish Examiner.From the book A Different Kind of Discipline

Watch yourself giving a lesson on video

2007-05-20T02:11:00.000+04:00

Watching a videotape of yourself is an extremely valuable experience. Videotaping allows you to view and listen to the class as your students do; you can also scrutinize your students' reactions and responses to your teaching. By analyzing videotape of the dynamics in your classroom, you can check the accuracy of your perceptions of how well you teach and identify those techniques that work and those that need revamping.

Faculty members at all levels and in all disciplines have benefited from seeing videotapes of themselves. The suggestions below are designed to help you use videotape to gain insights that will help you improve your teaching.

General Strategies

Select a typical class. Choose a class in which you are teaching as you generally do, using the chalkboard, overheads, handouts and so on. If possible try to pick a class that is a mix of lecture and discussion.

Let students know in advance that the class will be videotaped. Explain that the taping is a way for you to review your performance, not theirs, and improve your teaching. Assure them that the tape will not be preserved.

Ask the camera operator to tape the students as well as you. The cameraperson will know not to disrupt the class in any way. But feel free to remind the camera operator to break away from focusing on you in order to show your students' reactions to you and to each other.

While you are being videotaped try to focus on your teaching, not on the camera. Video equipment is not intrusive; no extra lighting is required.

Though you may feel uncomfortable and awkward at the beginning of taping, these feelings wear off quite quickly. Keep in mind that no one will see the tape except you, unless you choose to invite others to view it with you. Remember, too, you can erase the tape whenever you wish.

Viewing the video tape

View the videotape as soon as possible. Plan to view the tape on the day it is made or the next day so that your memory is fresh and you can readily recall what you were thinking or feeling during class. Run the tape through once or twice just to get used to seeing yourself on tape. During these first viewings, be prepared for a dose of "video induced despair', a common ailment brought about by the visual distortions of the medium. Most people tend to notice their voice, appearance, gestures, and mannerisms - Do I really sound like that? Is my hair always this disheveled? Why didn't I notice that my shirt was untucked? It is important to realize that these details are exaggerated on tape and are far less noticeable and distracting in real life. In any case, a wrinkled blouse or a crooked tie has nothing to do with effective teaching. (Source: Krupnick, 1987)

Plan to spend twice as long analyzing the tape as it took to tape your class. Once you've adjusted to seeing yourself on tape, set aside sufficient time to analyze it, about two hours to review a one-hour class session. As you start to analyze the tape, remember to focus on your strengths as well as aspects needing improvement. The problem areas are likely to jump out at you, but don't overlook those things that you are doing well: talking to the class, not the board, answering questions clearly, and so on.

View the tape with a supportive consultant. Many campuses have offices of faculty development or instructional improvement whose staff members can assist you in identifying your strengths and areas for improvement. In addition to providing helpful suggestions, the consultant can help you temper your natural tendency to be hypercritical.

Go for the gestalt. Run the tape straight through and answer the following questions:

	What are the specific things I did well?
	What are the specific things I could have done better?
	What do students seem to enjoy most?
	What do students seem to enjoy least?
	If I could do this session over again, what three things would I change?
	How could I go about making those three changes?

Focus on selected aspects of your performance the next time you view the tape. For example, review the tape looking solely at the kinds of questions you pose or noticing your voice characteristics or presentation style. Identify both your strengths and those areas that need improvement.

Chart the frequencies and types of classroom interactions. One simple method for analyzing classroom talk in discussion classes is called Contracted BIAS (Brown's Interaction Analysis System). As you watch a segment of the tape, stop every five seconds to make a tic mark in one of three columns: Teacher Talk, Student Talk, Silence. The totals will show you how much time was devoted to your comments and to students' comments. For a more detailed analysis, record a Q, for question, each time you or a student poses a question. (Source: Brown and Atkins, 1988)

Write down verbatim comments of a given type. Useful types of comments to copy down include teacher's questions, students' responses to teacher's questions, students' questions, teacher's responses to students' questions, teacher's responses to students' statements, teacher's reward and praise statements, and teacher's criticism. For example, if you are concerned about your use of questions, view the tape and write down all the questions you asked. Then you can examine such issues as these:

	How many questions actually requested a response from students?
	Did all the questions start with the same phrase?
	Did they all require yes/no or short answers?
	What level of thinking was required in the responses?
	Did you allow sufficient time between questions for students to respond?

In reviewing your videotape, you may find that you are asking too many questions or not pausing to give students time to answer. You can then work on improving your questioning skills.

Use checklists to focus your analysis. Create your own checklists that reflect your particular areas of interest or select items relevant to your teaching style and subject matter from the following checklists (adapted from Davis, 1988, based on questionnaires from the University of California, Berkeley, University of California, Los Angeles, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, University of Texas at Austin, and Northwestern University).

Organization and presentation

Do you:

	State the purpose of the class session and its relationship to the previous class?
	Present, on the board or in a handout, a brief overview or outline of the content at the beginning of the session or state the problem to be solved or discussed?
	Emphasize or restate the most important ideas?
	Make smooth transitions from one topic to another?
	Restate, at the end of the class, what students are expected to gain from the session?
	Summarize the main points or ask students to do so?
	Relate the day's session to upcoming presentations?
	Include neither too much nor too little material in a class period?
	Seem at ease with the material? Begin and end class promptly?

Style of presentation

Do you:

	Speak in a clear, strong voice that can be easily heard?
	Speak neither too quickly nor too slowly?
	Speak at a rate that allows students to take notes?
	Talk to the class, not to the board or windows?
	Listen carefully to students' comments and questions without interruption?

Clarity of presentation

Do you:

	Define new terms, concepts, and principles?
	Give examples, illustrations, or applications to clarify abstract concepts?
	Explicitly relate new ideas to familiar ones?
	Seem to know whether or not the class is understanding you? Whether students are puzzled or confused?
	Use alternate explanations when students do not understand?
	Slow down when discussing complex or difficult ideas?
	Refrain from needlessly digressing from the main topic?
	Use handouts and audiovisual aids effectively?
	Write legibly and clearly on the chalkboard?

Questioning Skills

Do you:

	Ask questions to determine what students know about the topic?
	Ask different levels and kinds of questions to challenge and engage students?
	Periodically ask questions to gauge whether students need more or less information on a topic?
	Pause sufficiently after all questions to allow students time to respond?
	Encourage students to answer difficult questions by providing cues or rephrasing?
	When necessary ask students to clarify their questions?
	Ask follow-up questions if a student's answer is incomplete or superficial?
	Request that difficult, time-consuming questions of limited interest be discussed during office hours?

Student Interest and participation

Do you:

	Encourage students' questions?
	Accept other points of view?
	Provide opportunities for students to practice what they are learning?
	Engage students' intellectual curiosity?

Classroom Climate

Do you:

	Address some students by name (and with the correct pronunciation)?
	Call on men and women students in equal numbers?
	Call on students of different ethnic groups in equal numbers?
	Evenhandedly listen attentively and respond to students' comments and questions?
	Give feedback, encouragement, criticism, and praise evenhandedly?
	Avoid language patterns or case examples that exclude or derogate any groups?

Discussion

Do you:

	Encourage all students to participate in the discussion?
	Draw out quiet students and prevent dominating students from monopolizing the discussion?
	Refrain from monopolizing the discussion yourself?
	Encourage students to challenge one another?
	Mediate conflicts or differences of opinion? Bring closure to the discussion?

Having Colleagues Observe your class

Invite a faculty development consultant or a colleague to observe you teach. If your campus has an office of faculty development or instructional improvement, one of the staff members can observe you teach. If your campus has a faculty development office, ask a supportive colleague to sit in on your class. If possible, try to select someone who is familiar with the course's content. If no single class is representative of your course, ask the observer to attend two sessions. Let the students know in advance that you have invited an observer to sit in.

Plan for the observation. You and the observer should meet before the visit to discuss class goals, students, and teaching strategies. Offer the observer a copy of your course syllabus and an outline of topics for the class period, and mention which particular features you would like the observer to focus on during class. At this initial meeting you and the observer can also decide on the method of observation (for example, checklist, rating form, open-ended comments). Some researchers recommend limiting the observation form to six or eight open-ended questions that will provide a narrative description of aspects of your teaching, such as organization of presentation, instructor-student rapport, clarity of explanations, and so on.

Meet with the observer within a week or so after the visit. A good way to begin the session is for you to identify your own impressions about the class and those aspects that went well and those that did not. Then ask the observer to comment on various aspects. It is sometimes helpful if the observer has prepared a brief written report that includes examples. Ask the observer to be concrete and specific, focusing on behavior and actions. You and the observer can also discuss the degree to which your goals for the class were accomplished. At the conclusion of the session, you may want to ask the observer for any suggestions for improvement in two or three specific areas.

Quizzes, Tests, and Exams

2007-05-19T02:32:00.000+04:00

[From the hard copy book Tools for Teaching by Barbara Gross Davis; Jossey-Bass Publishers: San Francisco, 1993. Linking to this book chapter from other websites is permissible. However, the contents of this chapter may not be copied, printed, or distributed in hard copy form without permission.]

Many teachers dislike preparing and grading exams, and most students dread taking them. Yet tests are powerful educational tools that serve at least four functions. First, tests help you evaluate students and assess whether they are learning what you are expecting them to learn. Second, well-designed tests serve to motivate and help students structure their academic efforts. Crooks (1988), McKeachie (1986), and Wergin (1988) report that students study in ways that reflect how they think they will be tested. If they expect an exam focused on facts, they will memorize details; if they expect a test that will require problem solving or integrating knowledge, they will work toward understanding and applying information. Third, tests can help you understand how successfully you are presenting the material. Finally, tests can reinforce learning by providing students with indicators of what topics or skills they have not yet mastered and should concentrate on. Despite these benefits, testing is also emotionally charged and anxiety producing. The following suggestions can enhance your ability to design tests that are effective in motivating, measuring, and reinforcing learning.

A note on terminology: instructors often use the terms tests, exams, and even quizzes interchangeably. Test experts Jacobs and Chase (1992), however, make distinctions among them based on the scope of content covered and their weight or importance in calculating the final grade for the course. An examination is the most comprehensive form of testing, typically given at the end of the term (as a final) and one or two times during the semester (as midterms). A test is more limited in scope, focusing on particular aspects of the course material. A course might have three or four tests. A quiz is even more limited and usually is administered in fifteen minutes or less. Though these distinctions are useful, the terms test and exam will be used interchangeably throughout the rest of this section because the principles in planning, constructing, and administering them are similar.

General Strategies

Spend adequate amounts of time developing your tests. As you prepare a test, think carefully about the learning outcomes you wish to measure, the type of items best suited to those outcomes, the range of difficulty of items, the length and time limits for the test, the format and layout of the exam, and your scoring procedures.

Match your tests to the content you are teaching. Ideally, the tests you give will measure students' achievement of your educational goals for the course. Test items should be based on the content and skills that are most important for your students to learn. To keep track of how well your tests reflect your objectives, you can construct a grid, listing your course objectives along the side of the page and content areas along the top. For each test item, check off the objective and content it covers. (Sources: Ericksen, 1969; Jacobs and Chase, 1992; Svinicki and Woodward, 1982)

Try to make your tests valid, reliable, and balanced. A test is valid if its results are appropriate and useful for making decisions about an aspect of students' achievement (Gronlund and Linn, 1990). Technically, validity refers to the appropriateness of the interpretation of the results and not to the test itself, though colloquially we speak about a test being valid. Validity is a matter of degree and considered in relation to specific use or interpretation (Gronlund and Linn, 1990). For example, the results of a writing test may have a high degree of validity for indicating the level of a student's composition skills, a moderate degree of validity for predicting success in later composition courses, and essentially no validity for predicting success in mathematics or physics. Validity can be difficult to determine. A practical approach is to focus on content validity, the extent to which the content of the test represents an adequate sampling of the knowledge and skills taught in the course. If you design the test to cover information in lectures and readings in proportion to their importance in the course, then the interpretations of test scores are likely to have greater validity An exam that consists of only a few difficult items, however, will not yield valid interpretations of what students know.

A test is reliable if it accurately and consistently evaluates a student's performance. The purest measure of reliability would entail having a group of students take the same test twice and get the same scores (assuming that we could erase their memories of test items from the first administration). This is impractical, of course, but there are technical procedures for determining reliability. In general, ambiguous questions, unclear directions, and vague scoring criteria threaten reliability. Very short tests are also unlikely to be highly reliable. It is also important for a test to be balanced: to cover most of the main ideas and important concepts in proportion to the emphasis they received in class.

Use a variety of testing methods. Research shows that students vary in their preferences for different formats, so using a variety of methods will help students do their best (Jacobs and Chase, 1992). Multiple-choice or shortanswer questions are appropriate for assessing students' mastery of details and specific knowledge, while essay questions assess comprehension, the ability to integrate and synthesize, and the ability to apply information to new situations. A single test can have several formats. Try to avoid introducing a new format on the final exam: if you have given all multiple-choice quizzes or midterms, don't ask students to write an all-essay final. (Sources: Jacobs and Chase, 1992; Lowman, 1984; McKeachie, 1986; Svinicki, 1987)

Write questions that test skills other than recall. Research shows that most tests administered by faculty rely too heavily on students' recall of information (Milton, Pollio, and Eison, 1986). Bloom (1956) argues that it is important for tests to measure higher-learning as well. Fuhrmann and Grasha (1983, p. 170) have adapted Bloom's taxonomy for test development. Here is a condensation of their list:

To measure knowledge (common terms, facts, principles, procedures), ask these kinds of questions: Define, Describe, Identify, Label, List, Match, Name, Outline, Reproduce, Select, State. Example: "List the steps involved in titration."

To measure comprehension (understanding of facts and principles, interpretation of material), ask these kinds of questions: Convert, Defend, Distinguish, Estimate, Explain, Extend, Generalize, Give examples, Infer, Predict, Summarize. Example: "Summarize the basic tenets of deconstructionism."

To measure application (solving problems, applying concepts and principles to new situations), ask these kinds of questions: Demonstrate, Modify, Operate, Prepare, Produce, Relate, Show, Solve, Use. Example: "Calculate the deflection of a beam under uniform loading."

To measure analysis (recognition of unstated assumptions or logical fallacies, ability to distinguish between facts and inferences), ask these kinds of questions: Diagram, Differentiate, Distinguish, Illustrate, Infer, Point out, Relate, Select, Separate, Subdivide. Example: "In the president's State of the Union Address, which statements are based on facts and which are based on assumptions?"

To measure synthesis (integrate learning from different areas or solve problems by creative thinking), ask these kinds of questions: Categorize, Combine, Compile, Devise, Design, Explain, Generate, Organize, Plan, Rearrange, Reconstruct, Revise, Tell. Example: "How would you restructure the school day to reflect children's developmental needs?"

To measure evaluation (judging and assessing), ask these kinds of questions: Appraise, Compare, Conclude, Contrast, Criticize, Describe, Discriminate, Explain, Justify, Interpret, Support. Example: "Why is Bach's Mass in B Minor acknowledged as a classic?"

Many faculty members have found it difficult to apply this six-level taxonomy, and some educators have simplified and collapsed the taxonomy into three general levels (Crooks, 1988): The first category knowledge (recall or recognition of specific information). The second category combines comprehension and application. The third category is described as "problem solving," transferring existing knowledge and skills to new situations.

If your course has graduate student instructors (GSIs), involve them in designing exams. At the least, ask your GSIs to read your draft of the exam and comment on it. Better still, involve them in creating the exam. Not only will they have useful suggestions, but their participation in designing an exam will help them grade the exam.

Take precautions to avoid cheating.

Types of Tests

Multiple-choice tests. Multiple-choice items can be used to measure both simple knowledge and complex concepts. Since multiple-choice questions can be answered quickly, you can assess students' mastery of many topics on an hour exam. In addition, the items can be easily and reliably scored. Good multiple-choice questions are difficult to write-see "Multiple-Choice and Matching Tests" for guidance on how to develop and administer this type of test.

True-false tests. Because random guessing will produce the correct answer half the time, true-false tests are less reliable than other types of exams. However, these items are appropriate for occasional use. Some faculty who use true-false questions add an "explain" column in which students write one or two sentences justifying their response.

Matching tests. The matching format is an effective way to test students' recognition of the relationships between words and definitions, events and dates, categories and examples, and so on. See "Multiple-Choice and Matching Tests" for suggestions about developing this type of test.

Essay tests. Essay tests enable you to judge students' abilities to organize, integrate, interpret material, and express themselves in their own words. Research indicates that students study more efficiently for essay-type examinations than for selection (multiple-choice) tests: students preparing for essay tests focus on broad issues, general concepts, and interrelationships rather than on specific details, and this studying results in somewhat better student performance regardless of the type of exam they are given (McKeachie, 1986). Essay tests also give you an opportunity to comment on students' progress, the quality of their thinking, the depth of their understanding, and the difficulties they may be having. However, because essay tests pose only a few questions, their content validity may be low. In addition, the reliability of essay tests is compromised by subjectivity or inconsistencies in grading. For specific advice, see "Short-Answer and Essay Tests." (Sources: Ericksen, 1969, McKeachie, 1986)

A variation of an essay test asks students to correct mock answers. One faculty member prepares a test that requires students to correct, expand, or refute mock essays. Two weeks before the exam date, he distributes ten to twelve essay questions, which he discusses with students in class. For the actual exam, he selects four of the questions and prepares well-written but intellectually flawed answers for the students to edit, correct, expand, and refute. The mock essays contain common misunderstandings, correct but incomplete responses, or absurd notions; in some cases the answer has only one or two flaws. He reports that students seem to enjoy this type of test more than traditional examinations.

Short-answer tests. Depending on your objectives, short-answer questions can call for one or two sentences or a long paragraph. Short-answer tests are easier to write, though they take longer to score, than multiple-choice tests.

They also give you some opportunity to see how well students can express their thoughts, though they are not as useful as longer essay responses for this purpose. See "Short-Answer and Essay Tests" for detailed guidelines.

Problem sets. In courses in mathematics and the sciences, your tests can include problem sets. As a rule of thumb, allow students ten minutes to solve a problem you can do in two minutes. See "Homework: Problem Sets" for advice on creating and grading problem sets.

Oral exams. Though common at the graduate level, oral exams are rarely used for undergraduates except in foreign language classes. In other classes they are usually time-consuming, too anxiety provoking for students, and difficult to score unless the instructor tape-records the answers. However, a math professor has experimented with individual thirty-minute oral tests in a small seminar class. Students receive the questions in advance and are allowed to drop one of their choosing. During the oral exam, the professor probes students' level of understanding of the theory and principles behind the theorems. He reports that about eight students per day can be tested.

Performance tests. Performance tests ask students to demonstrate proficiency in conducting an experiment, executing a series of steps in a reasonable amount of time, following instructions, creating drawings, manipulating materials or equipment, or reacting to real or simulated situations. Performance tests can be administered individually or in groups. They are seldom used in colleges and universities because they are logistically difficult to set up, hard to score, and the content of most courses does not necessarily lend itself to this type of testing. However, performance tests can be useful in classes that require students to demonstrate their skills (for example, health fields, the sciences, education). If you use performance tests:

* Specify the criteria to be used for rating or scoring (for example, the level of accuracy in performing the steps in sequence or completing the task within a specified time limit).
* State the problem so that students know exactly what they are supposed to do (if possible, conditions of a performance test should mirror a real-life situation).
* Give students a chance to perform the task more than once or to perform several task samples.

"Create-a-game" exams. For one midterm, ask students to create either a board game, word game, or trivia game that covers the range of information relevant to your course. Students must include the rules, game board, game pieces, and whatever else is needed to play. For example, students in a history of psychology class created "Freud's Inner Circle," in which students move tokens such as small cigars and toilet seats around a board each time they answer a question correctly, and "Psychogories," a card game in which players select and discard cards until they have a full hand of theoretically compatible psychological theories, beliefs, or assumptions. (Source: Berrenberg and Prosser, 1991)

Alternative Testing Modes

Take-home tests. Take-home tests allow students to work at their own pace with access to books and materials. Take-home tests also permit longer and more involved questions, without sacrificing valuable class time for exams. Problem sets, short answers, and essays are the most appropriate kinds of take-home exams. Be wary, though, of designing a take-home exam that is too difficult or an exam that does not include limits on the number of words or time spent (Jedrey, 1984). Also, be sure to give students explicit instructions on what they can and cannot do: for example, are they allowed to talk to other students about their answers? A variation of a take-home test is to give the topics in advance but ask the students to write their answers in class. Some faculty hand out ten or twelve questions the week before an exam and announce that three of those questions will appear on the exam.

Open-book tests. Open-book tests simulate the situations professionals face every day, when they use resources to solve problems, prepare reports, or write memos. Open-book tests tend to be inappropriate in introductory courses in which facts must be learned or skills thoroughly mastered if the student is to progress to more complicated concepts and techniques in advanced courses. On an open-book test, students who are lacking basic knowledge may waste too much of their time consulting their references rather than writing. Open-book tests appear to reduce stress (Boniface, 1985; Liska and Simonson, 1991), but research shows that students do not necessarily perform significantly better on open-book tests (Clift and Imrie, 1981; Crooks, 1988). Further, open-book tests seem to reduce students' motivation to study. A compromise between open- and closed-book testing is to let students bring an index card or one page of notes to the exam or to distribute appropriate reference material such as equations or formulas as part of the test.

Group exams. Some faculty have successfully experimented with group exams, either in class or as take-home projects. Faculty report that groups outperform individuals and that students respond positively to group exams (Geiger, 1991; Hendrickson, 1990; Keyworth, 1989; Toppins 1989). For example, for a fifty-minute in-class exam, use a multiple-choice test of about twenty to twenty-five items. For the first test, the groups can be randomly divided. Groups of three to five students seem to work best. For subsequent tests, you may want to assign students to groups in ways that minimize differences between group scores and balance talkative and quiet students. Or you might want to group students who are performing at or near the same level (based on students' performance on individual tests). Some faculty have students complete the test individually before meeting as a group. Others just let the groups discuss the test, item by item. In the first case, if the group score is higher than the individual score of any member, bonus points are added to each individual's score. In the second case, each student receives the score of the group. Faculty who use group exams offer the following tips:

* Ask students to discuss each question fully and weigh the merits of each answer rather than simply vote on an answer.
* If you assign problems, have each student work a problem and then compare results.
* If you want students to take the exam individually first, consider devoting two class periods to tests; one for individual work and the other for group.
* Show students the distribution of their scores as individuals and as groups; in most cases group scores will be higher than any single individual score.

A variation of this idea is to have students first work on an exam in groups outside of class. Students then complete the exam individually during class time and receive their own score. Some portion of the test items are derived from the group exam. The rest are new questions. Or let students know in advance you will be asking them to justify a few of their responses; this will keep students from blithely relying on their work group for all the answers. (Sources: Geiger, 1991; Hendrickson, 1990; Keyworth, 1989; Murray, 1990; Toppins, 1989)

Paired testing. For paired exams, pairs of students work on a single essay exam, and the two students turn in one paper. Some students may be reluctant to share a grade, but good students will most likely earn the same grade they would have working alone. Pairs can be self-selected or assigned. For example, pairing a student who is doing well in the course with one not doing well allows for some peer teaching. A variation is to have students work in teams but submit individual answer sheets. (Source: Murray, 1990)

Portfolios. A portfolio is not a specific test but rather a cumulative collection of a student's work. Students decide what examples to include that characterize their growth and accomplishment over the term. While most common in composition classes, portfolios are beginning to be used in other disciplines to provide a fuller picture of students' achievements. A student's portfolio might include sample papers (first drafts and revisions), journal entries, essay exams, and other work representative of the student's progress. You can assign portfolios a letter grade or a pass/not pass. If you do grade portfolios, you will need to establish clear criteria. (Source: Jacobs and Chase, 1992)

Construction of Effective Exams

Prepare new exams each time you teach a course. Though it is timeconsuming to develop tests, a past exam may not reflect changes in how you have presented the material or which topics you have emphasized in the course. If you do write a new exam, you can make copies of the old exam available to students.

Make up test items throughout the term. Don't wait until a week or so before the exam. One way to make sure the exam reflects the topics emphasized in the course is to write test questions at the end of each class session and place them on index cards or computer files for later sorting. Software that allows you to create test banks of items and generate exams from the pool is now available.

Ask students to submit test questions. Faculty who use this technique limit the number of items a student can submit and receive credit for. Here is an example:

You can submit up to two questions per exam. Each question must be typed or legibly printed on a separate 5" x 8" card. The correct answer and the source (that is, page of the text, date of lecture, and so on) must be provided for each question. Questions can be of the short-answer, multiple-choice, or essay type.

Students receive a few points of additional credit for each question they submit that is judged appropriate. Not all students will take advantage of this opportunity. You can select or adapt student's test items for the exam. If you have a large lecture class, tell your students that you might not review all items but will draw randomly from the pool until you have enough questions for the exam. (Sources: Buchanan and Rogers, 1990; Fuhrmann and Grasha, 1983)

Cull items from colleagues' exams. Ask colleagues at other institutions for copies of their exams. Be careful, though, about using items from tests given by colleagues on your own campus. Some of your students may have previously seen those tests.

Consider making your tests cumulative. Cumulative tests require students to review material they have already studied, thus reinforcing what they have learned. Cumulative tests also give students a chance to integrate and synthesize course content. (Sources: Crooks, 1988; Jacobs and Chase, 1992; Svinicki, 1987)

Prepare clear instructions. Test your instructions by asking a colleague (or one of your graduate student instructors) to read them.

Include a few words of advice and encouragement on the exam. For example, give students advice on how much time to spend on each section or offer a hint at the beginning of an essay question or wish students good luck. (Source: "Exams: Alternative Ideas and Approaches," 1989)

Put some easy items first. Place several questions all your students can answer near the beginning of the exam. Answering easier questions helps students overcome their nervousness and may help them feel confident that they can succeed on the exam. You can also use the first few questions to identify students in serious academic difficulty. (Source: Savitz, 1985)

Challenge your best students. Some instructors like to include at least one very difficult question–though not a trick question or a trivial one–to challenge the interest of the best students. They place that question at or near the end of the exam.

Try out the timing. No purpose is served by creating a test too long for even well-prepared students to finish and review before turning it in. As a rule of thumb, allow about one-half minute per item for true-false tests, one minute per item for multiple-choice tests, two minutes per short-answer requiring a few sentences, ten or fifteen minutes for a limited essay question, and about thirty minutes for a broader essay question. Allow another five or ten minutes for students to review their work, and factor in time to distribute and collect the tests. Another rule of thumb is to allow students about four times as long as it takes you (or a graduate student instructor) to complete the test. (Source: McKeachie, 1986)

Give some thought to the layout of the test. Use margins and line spacing that make the test easy to read. If items are worth different numbers of points, indicate the point value next to each item. Group similar types of items, such as all true-false questions, together. Keep in mind that the amount of space you leave for short-answer questions often signifies to the students the length of the answer expected of them. If students are to write on the exam rather than in a blue book, leave space at the top of each page for the student's name (and section, if appropriate). If each page is identified, the exams can be separated so that each graduate student instructor can grade the same questions on every test paper, for courses that have GSIs.

The Student Leadership Variable

2007-05-16T20:06:00.000+04:00

Leadership is a personality trait. All of us are on a "leadership" continuum. At one end, there are those that thoroughly enjoy and search out leadership roles. At the other end, there are those that actively seek a non-participatory status when forcibly involved with a group. Think back to your group work experiences in college courses, or your association with committees in your own school. Did you naturally "take over" the leadership of the group? Did you take an active, but participatory role? Did you sit back and take an absolute minimal role in the discussions of the group? It was your personal leadership style that served as the greatest determining factor as to amount of your group participation.

To briefly explain this phenomenon, during a study of Cooperative Learning in the classroom, I videotaped small group work during four different Cooperative Learning units. The videotapes were then analyzed, and the types of leadership shown within the various small working groups was explored. Each student was classified by predetermined criteria as either a "Leader," a "Follower" or a "Non-participant." The following are an explanation of the categories of leadership and leadership roles:

STUDENTS SHOW FOUR TYPES OF LEADERSHIP:

* TASK LEADERSHIP--The student is concerned with the process--keeping others on task, getting supplies, etc.
* INTELLECTUAL LEADERSHIP--The student offers a new idea to the group (versus simply answering someone's question with a research result).
* SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL LEADERSHIP--The student gives praise or encouragement to a member of the group.
* COERCIVE LEADERSHIP--A student gives negative feedback, or creates off-the-topic humor to disrupt the process, even momentarily.

STUDENTS TAKE THREE DIFFERENT LEADERSHIP ROLES:

* LEADERS--These students "run" all facets of the group, and initiate virtually all dialogue between members.
* FOLLOWERS--These students readily answer questions and participate, but usually only at the instigation of one of the leaders.
* NON-PARTICIPANTS--These students never offer information unless asked; they never volunteer for anything. However, they normally will do whatever task is assigned to them.

Amazingly, it was discovered that the only students who ever took significant leadership roles within the group, were those students who had been categorized as "leaders." "Followers" sometimes showed some leadership characteristics, and always at the instigation of the leaders. "Non-participants" never took any leadership roles; they answered questions when asked while using the shortest possible answers, and they quietly did their work without any interaction with others.

What was fundamentally interesting, and most important when determining Cooperative Learning group roles, was that a student leader might show leadership in "task" areas one day, or "intellectual" or "social" areas the next. The leaders varied in their leadership roles depending on what other leader happened to be in their group on that particular day. However, in all cases, all leadership roles were fulfilled by those students previously characterized as leaders. A student classified as a "follower" or a "non-participant" never took a leadership role within the group.

The repercussions of these findings are central to the development of a good Cooperative Learning lesson or unit. For if only those students with personality styles that enjoy and seek leadership take leadership roles, then the previous espoused concept of passing around group leadership becomes increasingly problematic. For if you make a student with a "non-participant" personality style into the group leader for that session, at least one of three possibilities will probably result:

* The students with leadership personalities will take over the group process.
* The students with leadership personalities will exert their internal need for leadership by sabotaging the group in some way, often unconsciously. (See the description of "Coercive Leadership" above )
* The non-participant student forced into leadership will be so uncomfortable and distressed at this role, that either nothing will get accomplished, or he will allow those who enjoy leadership to take over the group.

In all situations, if a "non-participant" type of student is artificially forced into a leadership position, the group will not function in the way that you originally planned.
Rather than incorporating predetermined group "leaders," a potential solution to this problem is to list tasks, or jobs, for the group to fill, and then let the natural group dynamics sort them out. For instance, you may tell a group that they need a spokesperson, a runner, a secretary, et cetera, and let them figure out who will do what job. You will find that in most cases, the group will distribute its leadership and task roles within minutes.

As an additional anecdote to this issue of group leadership, I had fun with the results of an extra cooperative learning lesson, one not included in the above study. In this lesson, among the various groups constructed, I ensured that three strictly homogeneous leadership groups were formed: one of all leaders, one of all followers, and one of all non-participants. The results were at times, humorous. The leaders group argued vehemently about who was going to do what task and cover what area. Finally, the students picked sections of the project out of a hat, and each worked on his own material--with no group cooperation or interaction. Since they were told that there was to be a group grade, many of the members covered areas assigned to other students, in addition to their own, figuring that they could do a better job! The followers had the best functioning unit, for within their own group, some had more leadership traits than others, and a natural hierarchy developed of leaders and followers. The non-participants each worked on the entire task, each on their own, with no feedback or discussion among the members of the group.

By:
DR. SCOTT MANDEL
PACOIMA MIDDLE SCHOOL
LOS ANGELES, CA

Teaching Skills - Basic Tips

2007-05-15T01:02:00.000+04:00

Speak Slowly - This is the most important thing. Speaking slowly allows your students to understand your pronunciation more clearly and it allows for easy note-taking by the students.
Look at your students - Don't teach to the board or transparency. Eye contact is an important non-verbal teaching tool with students.
Learn your students' names as soon as possible.
Give and repeat information in more than one way (example: While lecturing, show visuals, use transparencies, use colored markers to highlight). If you use a transparency, have a pointer, pencil, or ruler to point instead of your fingers.
Give examples - it helps to give 'real life' examples (rocks in Geosciences, models of atoms in Chemistry, newspapers in Management, etc.)
Ask specific questions - Always check to be sure your students are following your information. Check to be sure they can see the board and transparencies. Always finish your lesson by asking if anyone has any questions.
Teach male and female students with equal respect. The same holds true for people from differenct ethnic and linguistic backgrounds.
Be prepared for each class. Have a lesson plan ready. Have additional activites or lessons prepared if there is extra time.
Have your lesson plan or notes on a small piece of paper (1/2 letter size is good). Don't wave around large notes. This can be very distracting to students.
Remember to write your topic on the board every time. This helps students to focus. It allows latecomers to class to get an idea about which you are talking.
Speak loudly and clearly in a large classroom.
Walk around, but don't pace! Often you can inhibit disruptive student behavior if you are closer in distance to them.
Avoid distracting, nervous habits. Examples are clicking your pen, jiggling change in your pocket, or chewing gum.
Dress professionally. No hats, or t-shirts with sayings on them. Again, you want your students to focus on what you are saying, not what you are wearing!

An Important Lesson for Teachers

2007-05-14T20:00:00.000+04:00

WHY YOU SHOULD NEVER GRADE FOR CLASSROOM PARTICIPATION

Students participate as a result of their leadership personality traits. Think about your class--students who have a strong leadership personality enjoy raising their hand (even if they consistently have the incorrect answer). Those who have a weak leadership personality trait are extremely reluctant to raise their hand--even if they know the correct answer. This does not mean that these students are less on-task than those who continually raise their hand. Therefore, if you give points for classroom participation, are are really rewarding those with a strong leadership personality style and punishing those with a weak one.

Promoting Positive Self-Esteem: Marking Papers

2007-05-13T19:57:00.000+04:00

Many of the things teachers do to promote, or inhibit, positive self-esteem, comes from unintended actions. There are obvious things teachers do, such as who is called on in the class, who's papers are posted on the bulletin boards...but there are less obvious things that are done; actions which directly affect the students positive self-esteem. The most frequent area where this is the case is with marking student papers.

The following are some quick tips which any teacher can immediately use in improving the positive self-esteem in the classroom:

NEVER GRADE IN RED INK. Red is a "negative" color. Think: stop signs and lights, warning labels, poisen, etc. Our society has conditioned us to immediately view red as something negative. Subconsciously, (and often conscientiously), a paper that is handed back full of red marks tells the student that he or she is a "dummy". A "self-fulfilling prophesy" often results with these students!
USE GREEN OR BLUE INK. Green, on the other hand, is a "positive" color, as is blue to a lesser extent. When green is used, corrections, or markings, become more of a "constructive criticism" type of comment.
USE A SLASH "/" RATHER THAN AN "X" WHEN MARKING A WRONG ANSWER. Again, for the same reasons one does not use red ink. The "X" is a negative symbol.
MARK NUMBER RIGHT OUT OF THE TOTAL, VERSUS MINUS THE NUMBER WRONG. Do you accentuate the positive, or the negative? 2/20 still looks better than -18.

Also be aware of cultural differences. For instance, NEVER write a Korean student's name using red ink (even if it's a friendly note to the child). In the Korean culture, writing someone's name in red is a sign of death! Korean parents are often horrified when papers come home with their child's name written in red!

Ideas for New Middle School Teachers

2007-05-12T19:53:00.000+04:00

In order to teach, you must have control over your classroom. This does not mean you should act like a dictator. If you try to teach without establishing control, then the quality of teaching will suffer.

In order to have true respect, you must give it. This does not mean that you accept undesirable comments in the classroom nor does it mean that you can run a classroom without some consequences.

In order to have discipline there will be consequences for bad decisions. This does not mean that consequences must be harsh to accomplish its job. Harsh consequences do not accomplish much except for breeding hatred. Consequences should fit the offense. Often the natural consequence is the best.

In order to be the authority figure in a classroom, there is an imaginary line that you shouldn't cross. Does that mean you cannot be a friend to your students? No, it means that if the friendship gets in the way of education, then it has crossed the imaginary line. (For instance, others may see such conduct as playing favorites and it could undermine your relationships with them.)

A teacher cannot always be fair, but should strive to fairly apply the rules.

A positive classroom will accomplish much more than a classroom that is filled with negativism--don't threaten your students.

If you discipline in anger, your judgment can be in error. Learn to be calm in the face of problems. It will be a healthier approach for you, and your students will learn from your problem solving abilities. Don't take your students' remarks personally--students at this age may hate a teacher one day and love him/her then next. It is a sign of their age, not their overall opinion of the teacher.

It is important to act, not react. Give students choices--for example: 1. You may leave the room and go to . . . . .(a pre-selected place--maybe another teacher can provide a time out corner if you don't have a time out room). 2. You may stay here and make changes in your personal choices. 3. You may stay in the room, but change your seat to an area where you agree there will be fewer problems.---When you give students choices, they have power--power to make a good choice and continue receiving instruction.

If the emotional and/or physical well being of a student is at risk, then the offender should be removed from the room--no choices.

If teachers copy the discipline style of another, it may not fit them or their classroom. Classroom control, like teaching, requires personalization--what works best for your class is what you should do.

The above list is generalities that work. Think about using them.... Whatever you choose, keep a positive atmosphere in the classroom.

Teacher Survival Kits and Student Welcome

2007-05-11T19:50:00.000+04:00

SURVIVAL KITS

Have a student teacher or a secret pal? Give him/her this little survival kit. Place all items in a brown lunch bag along with this handout:

1. When it spills, wipe it (paper towel)
2. When it cries or sneezes, dry it (tissue)
3. When it bleeds bandage it (Band-Aid)
4. When it needs a hug and a kiss, give it (candy kiss)
5. When it rips, pin it (safety pin)
6. When it's sour, sweeten it (pack of sugar)
7. When it's wrong, erase it (eraser)
8. When it pounds, soothe it (aspirin)
9. When it hurts, grin and "bear" it (bear sticker)
10. When it's important, write it down (note pad sheet)
11. When it's a good day, chalk it up (piece of chalk)
12. When it's a bad day, ask God for strength and hope for a better day tomorrow (nothing is found in the survival kit for this need - it comes only from the heart and soul of the teacher).
13. When it's gossip, cut it out and dispose of it (word gossip on a sheet of paper with cutting dashes around it)

WELCOME BAGS

Place the items described below in a brown lunch bag and include this handout:

The items in this bag have special meaning:
The cotton ball is to remind you that this room is full of kind words and warm feelings.
The chocolate kiss is to comfort you when you are feeling sad.
The tissue is to remind you to help dry someone's tears.
The sticker is to remind you that we all stick together and help each other.
The star is to remind you to shine and always try your best.
The gold thread is to remind you that friendship ties our hearts together.
The rubber band is to remind you to hug someone.
The penny is to remind you that you are valuable and special.
The toothpick is to remind you to "pick out" the good qualities in your classmates.
The bandage is to heal hurt feelings in your friends and in yourself.
The eraser is to remind you that we all make mistakes, and that is O.K.
The life saver is to remind you that you can come to me if you need someone to talk to.

A School/Class Recognition Project

2007-05-11T19:36:00.000+04:00

The concept is based on the ideas of "Pay It Forward" and blue ribbon awards.

MATERIALS:

royal blue ribbon, the 3/4' works best and is sold on spools
small gold safety pins, be sure they are the kind that have a loop (or a curl) scissors
thimble-you will REALLY appreciate having this
zip lock type bags, gallon for class and quart sized for 3 ribbons per student
sharpie
optional: colorful or cheery computer paper, to write a personal message or instructions
optional: a children's book to illustrate kindness, selfless or related ideas

METHOD:

Pre-teaching activities: Submit the idea in writing or verbally to the principal, assistant principal and if possible your team leader, it is crucial to have the support of your administrator and team for the success of this project. Once you have the go ahead, enlist help to cut, place on the safety pin (like the AIDS and Cancer ribbons) count and sort into bags per student and class. On a Friday or Monday present the idea to the class to gage interest and publicity
Open with a short brainstorm discussion or children's story about kindness, recognition or other related topics.
After a few minutes, share a brief story of someone that you want to recognize and why.
Then call on a few students to briefly share similar stories.
Then after they have ownership of the idea of recognition, pass out blue ribbons to the students individually and help them put them on if needed.
Another way is to start with 1-5 students and individually recognize them and have those students in turn recognize another student and so on until the whole class has been recognized.
Try to say something to each student, but in the interest of time a whole class statement is fine.
After they are wearing their ribbons, have them think about someone that they would like to recognize for their positive contributions.
Then pass out the individual zip lock bags with 3 ribbons to each student.
The students recognize one person and present them with a ribbon, then the other two ribbons that are left in the bag.
The recognized person then recognizes another person and presents them a ribbon and the remaining ribbon in the bag for them to pass on.
To adapt this activity for the whole school: With the administrator's approval, make ribbons for each student in the whole school-enlist help for this if possible.
Have a student from your class pass out the ribbon bags to each teacher in the school, and be sure to have the students recognize everyone on the campus with a presentation of a ribbon, and possibly one to pass on. You might want to discuss this project in detail with the faculty in writing (on the cheery paper) or e-mail, a brief presentation at a faculty meeting is also good. You may also want to have the students in your class create a mini-explanation and type it up to copy/distribute with the ribbons.

EXTENSIONS:

Upper elementary learners can write journal entries about topics relating to the project including the person they gave a ribbon to and why, personal reflections/opinions about the project. Lower elementary can create a picture and a sentence, or dictate what is in the picture.
The student excitement and enthusiasm for this project is contagious! Not to mention the parents and the rest of the school. It is amazing to see virtually a whole school wearing blue ribbons and a smile.

A List of things to do before School starts

2007-05-10T08:01:00.000+04:00

ROOM ENVIRONMENT

Decide on a theme for your classroom
Prepare/purchase bulletin board materials
Decide where to post notices/materials
Make a classroom welcome sign
Set up learning centers, display tables, and student work areas

SUPPLIES

Writing, drawing, and construction paper
Pencils/Pens
Crayons
Paste/glue
Stapler/staples
Paper clips
Rubber bands
Straight and safety pins
Transparent tape
Manila folders
Marking pens
Rulers
Art supplies
Grade book
Lesson plan book
Attendance materials
Textbooks/workbooks
Boxes for keeping units

FIND OUT ABOUT

Fire drills
Tornado drills
Lunch procedure
Staff handbook
Dismissal procedure
Your colleagues

STUDENT PREP

Make student name tags
Prepare first-day materials to send home (emergency cards, school/classroom rules, bus regulations/info, letter to parents, classroom schedule)
Prepare class list
Decide on your seating procedure
Check records for students with special needs

GETTING ORGANIZED

Brainstorm class expectations
Arrange desks
Pin up bulletin boards, notices, etc.
Write lesson plans for the first week
Duplicate materials for first week
Write daily schedule, date, and your name on the board
Prepare files for parent correspondence, school bulletins, and sub teachers

THINK ABOUT PROCEDURES FOR...

Book distribution
Turning in work, format of work
Handing back assignments
Homework
Grading--recording grades, extra credit, portfolios
Housekeeping procedures--clean up, supply storage
Rewards and incentives
Communicating with parents
Signals for students' attention
Daily routines--beginning of day, transition times, independent and group work
Agenda use and motivators

Guidelines for good classroom management practice

2007-05-10T00:10:00.000+04:00

Editor's note: There are many different practices that are used for good classroom management. Here is one teacher's opinion. As with all classroom management practices, adapt what you like to your classroom, taking account the age, ethnicity, and personality of the class as a group, and of you as a teacher.S.M.

Maintaining good order in classrooms is one of the most difficult tasks facing young inexperienced teachers. The task has become more difficult over the past few decades as young people's attitudes to people in authority have changed dramatically. Some of the changes have led to greater self-confidence in students. Others--such as the acceptance of violence to achieve ends, attitudes to substance abuse and an increasing lack of respect for authority--have made classroom management and life in school generally more difficult, and more demanding, on those who are charged with maintaining a positive learning environment.

Many disruptive behaviors in the classroom can be alleviated before they become serious discipline problems. Such behaviors can be reduced by the teacher's ability to employ effective organizational practices. Such practices are at the heart of the teaching process and are essential to establishing and maintaining classroom control.

The following set of organizational practices should help to establish effective control of the classroom by the teacher:

1. Get off to a good start.

The first "honeymoon" encounter between the teacher and the students is when they formulate their impressions of the teacher. Students sit quietly, raise their hands to respond and are generally well behaved. The teacher is easily misled into thinking that this is an ideal class and may relax their vigilance. Students within a week will begin to test the waters to see what they can "get away with". It is during this period that the effective teacher will establish the expected ground-rules for classroom behavior.

2. Learning School Policies.

Prior to meeting the class for the first time, the teacher should become familiar with school policies concerning acceptable student behavior and disciplinary procedures. The teacher should definitely know what the school expects from both student and teacher in regard to discipline.

3. Establishing Rules.

Establish a set of classroom rules to guide the behavior of students at once. Discuss the rationale of these rules with the students to ensure they understand and see the need for each rule. Keep the list of rules short. The rules most often involve paying attention, respect for others, excessive noise, securing materials and completion of homework assignments.

4. Overplaning Lessons.

"Overplan" the lessons for the first week or two. It is important for the teacher to impress on the students from the outset that he or she is organized and confident of their ability to get through the syllabus.

5. Learning Names.

Devise a seating arrangement whereby students' names are quickly learned. Calling a student by his or her name early in the year gives the student an increased sense of well being. It also gives a teacher greater control of situations. "JOHN, stop talking and finish your work" is more effective than "Let us stop talking and finish our work".

6. Be Firm and Consistant.

A teacher can be firm yet still be supportive and friendly with students. A firm teacher can provide an environment where the students feel safe and secure. Many teachers report that it is easier to begin the year in a firm manner and relax later, than to begin in a lax manner and then try to become firm.

CLASSROOM SET-UP

2007-05-09T23:56:00.000+04:00

It is typical for classrooms to be set up in rows, or lately, in groups of 3-4 tables (which allow for easier cooperative learning). However, there are fundamental problems for each:

In rows, studies have shown that the further back you go, the more discipline problems there are. The visual, aural and physical stimulation from the teacher is increasingly diminished as you move further back. This allows boredom to set in, and as a result, potential disruption.

In groups, the opposite is true. Students are over stimulated--by the peers that are now not only next to him/her, but across the table! There is now MORE to distract the student, leaving it harder for the teacher to keep the student focused on any frontal instruction.

An alternative is to arrange the chairs/tables into a three-sided "box"shape (|_|), (with an occasional second row if room demands). In this fashion, EVERY STUDENT IS IN THE FIRST ROW! The teacher can freely move around the room while talking, and therefore giving "personal"contact with each student. The result: greater attention and fewer discipline problems. Desks/tables can be moved into cooperative learning groups as needed usually within two-three minutes!

Standards and Benchmarks and The Classroom Teacher

2007-05-08T11:25:00.000+04:00

First of all, you need an up-to-date copy of the curriculum for your grade or course

Standards, benchmarks, and indicators are becoming common in the world of educational jargon, but are we as teachers dealing well with the changes we are expected to make in the classroom. Many states are requiring state assessments based on the state curriculum. Here are six helpful hints in dealing with the new curriculum.

1. Look at the curriculum you must teach. Group like benchmarks by looking for a common topic where such a group could be taught. For example map skills might include learning the vocabulary, creating and using of a variety of maps, and identification of symbols on a map. (Concept: There is a place for everything.)

2. Next it would be beneficial to see if there is an overlapping with another subject. There is no need to teach the same concept twice. For instance, math might be covering scale drawing. Figuring the distance between two places might easily be taught at this time. (Concept: Kill two birds with one stone.)

3. Remember your activities MUST FIT INTO THE CURRICULUM. It is not effective to have a pet project that does not fit. One of the major obstacles to successful teaching is doing this backwards. (i.e., choosing an area of study and trying to "stick" the benchmarks into it). Be willing to let go of units that no longer fit the curriculum. (Concept: Only if the shoe fits, wear it.)

4. Understand the depth that is to be taught at your grade level and teach for mastery of that level. Some teachers cannot find middle ground. If it is introductory, then teach for mastery of the introductory concepts. If it mastery, then teach for mastery of the entire concept. (Concept: Water seeks its own level.)

5. Teach to the curriculum; do not teach to the test. If the testing genuinely tests the curriculum, then teaching the curriculum will make your students successful. Teaching the test gives limited understanding and is not responsible teaching. (Concept: Don't miss the boat.)

6. Incorporate fun activities. Just because the curriculum is well defined does not mean it will not fit into fun units. I teach how to buy cars when I teach economic concepts--think about it--when you buy a car you pay all kinds of taxes; it requires licensing and fees; understanding of supply/demand is necessary, acquiring savings, obtaining loans,etc. Can you think of anything an 8th grader would love to study more? Well, there are a few. But the point is the fun unit fits the curriculum. It also put the level of understanding into immersion because we pretend to buy the car at the lot (salesmen meet with the students and fill out a contract), loan officers actually review loan applications, etc. (Concept: Learning is fun.)

Okay, so are you tired of the cliches yet? Well, I stuck them in as reminders of the main points. If you work to do these things, teaching to standards and benchmarks won't be so bad. If fact, you know exactly what your responsibility is and that can make teaching easier.

THREE LETTERS FROM TEDDY

2007-05-07T11:53:00.000+04:00

The following is the most requested, and probably the most moving piece I've run in the 10+ years of Teachers Helping Teachers. It is one of the most powerful pieces that I've ever read. It reminds all of us of our power as teachers. I've often maintained, that the most important thing that elementary, and to a point, middle school teachers teach is self-esteem and self-concept. This submission only strengthens that conviction. With the year almost over, and all of us counting the days until vacation, it's good for all of us to read again, and to pass on to our teaching staffs. Dr. S. Mandel

Teddy's letter came today, and now that I've read it, I will place it in my cedar chest with the other things that are important in my life.

"I wanted you to be the first to know."

I smiled as I read the words he had written and my heart swelled with a pride that I had no right to feel.

I have not seen Teddy Stallard since he was a student in my 5th grade class, 15 years ago. It was early in my career, and I had only been teaching two years.

From the first day he stepped into my classroom, I disliked Teddy. Teachers (although everyone knows differently) are not supposed to have favorites in a class, but most especially are not supposed to show dislike for a child, any child.

Nevertheless, every year there are one or two children that one cannot help but be attached to, for teachers are human, and it is human nature to like bright, pretty, intelligent people, whether they are 10 years old or 25. And sometimes, not too often, fortunately, there will be one or two students to whom the teacher just can't seem to relate.

I had thought myself quite capable of handling my personal feelings along that line until Teddy walked into my life. There wasn't a child I particularly liked that year, but Teddy was most assuredly one I disliked.

He was dirty. Not just occasionally, but all the time. His hair hung low over his ears, and he actually had to hold it out of his eyes as he wrote his papers in class. (And this was before it was fashionable to do so!) Too, he had a peculiar odor about him which I could never identify.

His physical faults were many, and his intellect left a lot to be desired, also. By the end of the first week I knew he was hopelessly behind the others. Not only was he behind; he was just plain slow! I began to withdraw from him immediately.

Any teacher will tell you that it's more of a pleasure to teach a bright child. It is definitely more rewarding for one's ego. But any teacher worth her credentials can channel work to the bright child, keeping him challenged and learning, while she puts her major effort on the slower ones. Any teacher can do this. Most teachers do it, but I didn't, not that year.

In fact, I concentrated on my best students and let the others follow along as best they could. Ashamed as I am to admit it, I took perverse pleasure in using my red pen; and each time I came to Teddy's papers, the cross marks (and they were many) were always a little larger and a little redder than necessary.

"Poor work!" I would write with a flourish.

While I did not actually ridicule the boy, my attitude was obviously quite apparent to the class, for he quickly became the class "goat", the outcast -- the unlovable and the unloved.

He knew I didn't like him, but he didn't know why. Nor did I know -- then or now -- why I felt such an intense dislike for him. All I know is that he was a little boy no one cared about, and I made no effort in his behalf.

The days rolled by. We made it through the Fall Festival and the Thanksgiving holidays, and I continued marking happily with my red pen.

As the Christmas holidays approached, I knew that Teddy would never catch up in time to be promoted to the sixth grade level. He would be a repeater.

To justify myself, I went to his cumulative folder from time to time. He had very low grades for the first four years, but not grade failure. How he had made it, I didn't know. I closed my mind to personal remarks.

First grade: Teddy shows promise by work and attitude, but has poor home situation. Second grade: Teddy could do better. Mother terminally ill. He receives little help at home. Third grade: Teddy is a pleasant boy. Helpful, but too serious. Slow learner. Mother passed away at end of year. Fourth grade: Very slow, but well-behaved. Father shows no interest.

Well, they passed him four times, but he will certainly repeat fifth grade! "Do him good!" I said to myself.

And then the last day before the holiday arrived. Our little tree on the reading table sported paper and popcorn chains. Many gifts were heaped underneath, waiting for the big moment.

Teachers always get several gifts at Christmas, but mine that year seemed bigger and more elaborate than ever. There was not a student who had not brought me one. Each unwrapping brought squeals of delight, and the proud giver would receive effusive thank-you's.

His gift wasn't the last one I picked up; in fact it was in the middle of the pile. Its wrapping was a brown paper bag, and he had colored Christmas trees and red bells all over it. It was stuck together with masking tape.

"For Miss Thompson -- From Teddy" it read.

The group was completely silent, and for the first time, I felt conspicuous, embarrassed because they all stood watching me unwrap that gift.

As I removed the last bit of masking tape, two items fell to my desk; a gaudy rhinestone bracelet with several stones missing and a small bottle of dime store cologne -- half empty.

I could hear the snickers and whispers, and I wasn't sure I could look at Teddy.

"Isn't this lovely?" I asked, placing the bracelet on my wrist. "Teddy, would you help me fasten it?"

He smiled shyly as he fixed the clasp, and I held up my wrist for all of them to admire.

There were a few hesitant oohs and aahs, but as I dabbed the cologne behind my ears, all the little girls lined up for a dab behind their ears.

I continued to open the gifts until I reached the bottom of the pile. We ate our refreshments and the bell rang.

The children filed out with shouts of "See you next year!" and "Merry Christmas!" but Teddy waited at his desk.

When they had all left, he walked toward me, clutching his gift and books to his chest.

"You smell just like Mom," he said softly. "Her bracelet looks real pretty on you, too. I'm glad you liked it."

He left quickly. I locked the door, sat down at my desk, and wept, resolving to make up to Teddy what I had deliberately deprived him of -- a teacher who cared.

I stayed every afternoon with Teddy from the end of the Christmas holidays until the last day of school. Sometimes we worked together. Sometimes he worked alone while I drew up lesson plans or graded papers. Slowly but surely he caught up with the rest of the class. Gradually, there was a definite upward curve in his grades.

He did not have to repeat the fifth grade. In fact, his final averages were among the highest in the class, and although I knew he would be moving out of the state when school was out, I was not worried for him. Teddy had reached a level that would stand him in good stead the following year, no matter where he went. He enjoyed a measure of success, and as we were taught in our teacher training courses, "Success builds success."

I did not hear from Teddy until seven years later, when his first letter appeared in my mailbox:

Dear Miss Thompson,

I just wanted you to be the first to know. I will be graduating second in my class next month.

Very truly yours,

Teddy Stallard

I sent him a card of congratulations and a small package, a pen and pencil gift set. I wondered what he would do after graduation.

Four years later, Teddy's second letter came:

Dear Miss Thompson,

I wanted you to be the first to know. I was just informed that I'll be graduating first in my class. The university has not been easy, but I liked it.

Very truly yours,

Teddy Stallard

I send him a good pair of sterling silver monogrammed cuff links and a card, so proud of him I could burst!

And now today -- Teddy's third letter:

Dear Miss Thompson,

I wanted you to be the first to know. As of today, I am Theodore J. Stallard, M.D. How about that?

I'm going to be married in July, the 27th, to be exact. I wanted to ask if you could come and sit where Mom would sit if she were here. I'll have no family there as Dad died last year.

Very truly yours,

Teddy Stallard

I'm not sure what kind of gift one sends to a doctor on completion of medical school and state boards. Maybe I'll just wait and take a wedding gift, but my note can't wait:

Dear Ted,

Congratulations! You made it, and you did it yourself! In spite of those like me and not because of us, this day has come to you.

God bless you. I'll be at that wedding with bells on!

Elizabeth Silance Ballard

PARENT INVOLVEMENT

2007-05-07T11:12:00.000+04:00

The primary goal of this plan is to encourage and facilitate parental involvement in the elementary classroom. Since there is no one reason for nonparticipation I am advancing several approaches that seek to address a variety of obstacles that parents face in becoming involved in their child's education. I'm also interested in ideas that others may have on this topic, so please e-mail me with your feedback and ideas.

Start Up Calls

Spend the week before school starts calling each parent to introduce your self, emphasize their importance from the start and open lines of communication. Invite them to a parent meeting and take this time to discuss scheduling a meeting for when the most parents can attend.

Calling Web

Establish a calling web in which each parent is responsible for calling two or three other parents to notify of special events or news. Attempt to set up so bilingual parents will call those that don't speak English well. This will help to address communication issues for those who don't read. Designate a neighbor to inform those with out phones.

Beginning of the Year Questionnaire

Send a questionnaire home to parents on the first day of school. Ask them these kind of questions:

Tell me about your child, what are his or her interests?
What do you think is important for your child learn this year?
Is there anything you especially want me to know about your child?
How would you like to be involved in your child's education this year?

Suggestion Box

Have box mounted outside of class door for student or parent suggestions. Let it be known it is perfectly fine to make anonymous suggestions or to send them in envelopes with students.

Thursday Folder Notes

Send home a folder on Thursdays with student work in one side, school communication on the other side. Have a sheet that is permanently included for hand written comments and communication between parent and teacher.

Monthly Calendar

Each month send home a calendar that highlights times when parental participation would be encouraged on a school and class level. Include times in your daily schedule when parents are free to drop in, perhaps a study hall at the end of the day or a reading time when they can come listen to readers or read themselves. Invite parents to lunch, recess, library times, lab time and special activities. Try to schedule at least one thing a month that will occur in the evening (for working parents). Have an authors tea where students share works they've published. Set up an art museum for parents to come see. Have parents let you know if they have an idea to add. A calendar will give parents on a tight schedule an opportunity to plan in advance and give them a variety of options to choose from.

Office Hours

Have one evening a week marked on calendar when you will either be available in the class room or available over the phone to speak with parents. Periodically change the time so you will be available to all parents at sometime.

Rotating Homeroom Parent

Have the homeroom parent position change each new nine week period. This will give more parents an opportunity to participate so that the work load will be less likely to fall on one or two persons.

Weekly News Letters

Send home a news letter in Thursday folders. Try to incorporate the help of a bilingual parent or coworker if necessary. Use news letter to thank parents and acknowledge their contributions and inform them of any new developments.

Teacher Calls

In the case of parents who don't respond to written communication, periodically call them so they will know you are aware of them and care about their input. If they do not speak English enlist the help of their "web" caller or a member of the school staff who speaks their language.

Bulletin Board Feature

Use a specific bulletin board to highlight individual students, their families, and cultural heritage on a one or two week rotating basis. Encourage the parents to help the student plan the board. Send each family a note about it with suggestions (that they aren't limited to) and a sign up schedule. Be prepared with plans to assist students that have parents who don't get involved.

Homework Packets

Consider all family situations in homework assignments. Give weekly or monthly packets so a family can be flexible in designating time to work on it. Include activities that can be accomplished with parental input such as family histories, surveys, and projects.

Parent Book Shelf

Have books, even if only a few, available to parents on a specifically designated shelf in your room Include books on parenting, homework and study skills, and what ever the need is in the class.

Getting Parents Involved

2007-05-07T11:08:00.000+04:00

by Tom Hobart
Used with permission from NYSUT's The Bottom Line, January 27, 1999

Teachers have long known - and research confirms - that when parents are involved in their children's education, the children do better in school.

It's as important today as ever, but the changing family structure (both parents working, one-parent families, step families, etc.) often make it more difficult than in past generations for parents to become involved. the challenge for us is to encourage the parents (or guardians or grandparents) of the children we teach to show a real interest in their kid's school work and activities. Here are some ideas you might want to suggest at your next round of parent-teacher conferences or at a school open house.

Establish a routine at home that gives your child an opportunity to share with you what they are doing in school. It might be tough at first to get the kids to open up, and it shouldn't be an inquisition. By making it a part of every day, you will make the point that school is important and that you are interested in what goes on there.

Attend as many school events - sports, concerts, plays, open houses, even an occasional school board meeting - as you possibly can. If this means sometimes rearranging you business or social calendar, it's part of your responsibility as parents.

Call your child's teachers once in awhile, just to ask how things are going. The teacher will appreciate your interest and you will have opened an important line of communication. Together, you may be able to head off future problems.

To the best of your ability, assure that your child goes to school each day ready to learn. That includes having homework completed, the necessary materials, sufficient sleep and nourishment, and the knowledge that you consider school a top priority in your child's life.

Read with your child as early in her or his life and as often as possible. he availability of books, magazines, and newspapers in your home not only provides material for your child to read, but also says, "Reading is an important activity in this family." Nothing is more important to a person's lifetime ability to learn and grow than reading. Don't allow television to take the place of reading, in general, or homework, in particular.

One of the most serious obstacles to learning in a classroom is a lack of students' self discipline and respect for others. If your child exhibits such tendencies at home, address the situation, immediately. Insist on appropriate behavior. If the child is unresponsive seek professional advice.

I'm sure you can think of many more ways parents can help their children in school. Don't keep them to yourself. Share with colleagues ideas that have worked for you. Most important, share them with parents.

The parent -teacher partnership is critical for a child's success.

How Important is Homework

2007-05-07T10:39:00.000+04:00

Assigning homework serves various educational needs. It serves as an intellectual discipline, establishes study habits, eases time constraints on the amount of curricular material that can be covered in class, and supplements and reinforces work done in school. In addition, it fosters student initiative, independence, and responsibility and brings home and school closer together.
What Is Homework?

Homework is defined as out-of-class tasks assigned to students as an extension or elaboration of classroom work. There are three types of homework: practice, preparation, and extension.

Practice assignments reinforce newly acquired skills. For example, students who have just learned a new method of solving a mathematical problem should be given sample problems to complete on their own. Preparation assignments help students get ready for activities that will occur in the classroom. Students may, for example, be required to do background research on a topic to be discussed later in class. Extension assignments are frequently long-term continuing projects that parallel classwork. Students must apply previous learning to complete these assignments, which include science fair projects and term papers.
Back to the Table of Contents

Why Is Homework Important?

Research in the last decade has begun to focus on the relationship between homework and student achievement and has greatly strengthened the case for homework. Although there are mixed findings about whether homework actually increases students' academic achievement, many teachers and parents agree that homework develops students' initiative and responsibility and fulfills the expectations of students, parents, and the public. Studies generally have found homework assignments to be most helpful if they are carefully planned by the teachers and have direct meaning to students.
Back to the Table of Contents

How Can Parents Get Involved?

* Share any concerns you may have regarding the amount or type homework assigned with your child's teacher or principal.

* Encourage your child to take notes concerning homework assignments in case questions arise later at home.

* Provide a suitable study area and the necessary tools (for example, paper and books) to complete the homework assignments.

* Limit after-school activities to allow time for both homework and family activities.

* Monitor television viewing and establish a specific homework time.

* Plan a homework schedule with your child. Allow for free time when assignments are completed.

* Praise your child's efforts. If questions arise about the assignments, and your child asks for help, ask him or her questions or work through an example rather than simply providing the answer.

* Younger children need more parental assistance with homework than older children. Go over homework assignments with your child. Do several problems or questions together, then observe your child doing the next one or two.

* If your child is in elementary school, check completed assignments. At all levels, ask to look at homework once it has been marked and returned.

* Ask your child's teachers about their homework policy and specific assignments.

How Much Time Should My Child Spend on Homework?

According to some researchers, two ways to increase students' opportunities to learn are to increase the amount of time that students have to learn and to expand the amount of content they receive. Homework assignments may foster both these goals. Reforms in education have called for increased homework, and as a result, reports show that students are completing considerably more homework than they did a decade ago.

According to statements by the National PTA and the National Education Association (NEA), the following amounts of homework are recommended:

* From kindergarten to third grade, no more than 20 minutes per day.

* From fourth to sixth grade, 20 to 40 minutes per day.

* From seventh to twelfth grade, the recommended amount of time varies according to the type and number of subjects a student is taking. In general, college-bound students receive lengthier and more involved homework than students preparing to enter the workforce immediately after graduation.

Why Should Parents Be Concerned About a School Homework Policy?

* Lack of an established homework policy may place either insufficient or unrealistic demands on your child. Students may not be expected to work to capacity; alternatively, they may receive too many assignments from different teachers on the same evening.

* Schools with homework policies tend to set guidelines for teachers to correct, grade, and return homework systematically to their students, thus reinforcing learning.

* Schools with homework policies generally provide specific guidelines regarding what is expected from parents.

* Schools with homework policies tend to carefully design and provide homework assignments appropriate to each grade level.

Students may not always view homework as a pleasant experience, but if the assignment serves a good purpose and parents reinforce the completion of the tasks, students will benefit by gaining higher grades, better study habits, and a more positive attitude toward school and learning.

Homework assignments give parents insight into the school curriculum and offer a greater opportunity for student learning to occur.

Parents Have Homework, Too

2007-05-06T15:11:00.000+04:00

"No gift is too costly (or too hard to obtain) for a parent to give his child."

No parent would choose to give his or her child an inferior gift, or a gift that would be harmful in any way. The gift of a good education is a most valuable one. What can parents do to contribute their part to this gift? The teachers (school) have one very important part. The child has a very important part. Parents have an equally important part. Without the parent's part, the education will not measure up.

In short, parents have homework. The home is where it all begins. Parents are the head of the home. The head of the home provides, teaches, reinforces, and enforces. If the head of the home does not fulfill its obligations, no other agency can fill in the gap. The child carries with him/her everything that is absorbed in the home. First of all, parents must supply the basic needs of the infant, including food, shelter, clothing, love, and security. By the time the child has reached school age, parents have done lots and lots of "homework." However, the assignment is just beginning.

When the child begins school, the parent's role takes on a new dimension, that of enhancing the "formal education." That is, the education that is provided by the school. A parent's role in the education of his child has many dimensions. A parent's "homework" carries with it many responsibilities. These responsibilities include keeping the proper attitude toward education and school, supporting/helping your child, setting healthy priorities, consistency in discipline, rewards and consequences, open communication, helping with work missed during sickness, being active in school matters, and controlling your child's school attendance.

Attitude. It begins with attitude. If you have a positive attitude toward school in general, your child will also have a positive attitude. If you have concerns about the school or the teacher, be very careful how you voice these concerns in front of your child. Your child will pick up on your attitude, adopt it as his or her own, and take it to school. Negative and apathetic attitudes are at the root of a large portion of discipline problems at school.

Support. Your child cannot go it alone. When he or she has a particular assignment that may require special help or supplies, you are the one s/he turns to for help. Be there with all the support and help possible. There may come a time when your child will need extra help on schoolwork. If you cannot provide this help, speak to your child's teacher about it. There may be some remedial materials, or the teacher may be able to help you and your child work through the problem. You may consider outside help, such as a tutor. Arranging the schedule in the home to accommodate quality "homework" time/place is one aspect of support. Your child will need to feel secure in the fact that you will be there helping.

Priorities. In order for education to come out on top, it must be given top priority. This must be a true commitment in light of the many interesting and beneficial activities that are available for the youngsters. These include sports, scouts, music/dance lessons, and other activities. Too many activities will bring down the educational level of your child. This should be closely monitored during the school year.
Consistency. Whatever your methods of discipline, consequences, and household management, consistency is the key. When you promise a consequence, follow through. Be firm. Try not to be influenced by your child's persuasive tactics. Children consistently test authority. Be prepared to follow through each time. Results, while not always immediate, will be forthcoming. Children are just that - children. Although they are learning to accept some responsibility, they are not yet adults, and should not be treated as such. This is their time in life to learn things like consistency and priorities, and it is your "homework" to instill these qualities in your child. Children need to know that their poor choices create consequences.

Rewards and Consequences. Worthwhile rewards may help reinforce responsible actions. However, rewards do not have to be in the form of costly material gifts. Rewards may be in the form of time spent together, a special word of praise, or a chance to skip a chore. Just let your child know how proud you are of him/her. Consequences should fit the misbehavior as much as possible, and should be done immediately, when possible. Try not to become emotional when you discipline your child, and be sure to let the incident go. "Forgive and forget." If you remain hostile toward your child after disciplining him/her, you are distancing yourself from your child. Make sure you are still "available" to your child.

Communication with your child. Talk with your child. Listen to your child. Make casual comments about what he/she is saying to show that you are listening. Do not "put words" in his/her mouth about what went on in class. If your child has an unpleasant story to tell you, do not make it worse for him/her by becoming visibly upset. This will only upset the child even more. Let your child tell the story in his or her own way, in his or her own time. If you resort to an "interrogation", you will likely get the story from a biased point of view. If the problem persists, call or write the teacher.

Communication with your child's teacher. Keep the lines of communication open. Check your child's agenda daily. This is the teacher's best method of communicating with you. Always go to the teacher with any problems before going to the principal. You and the teacher are on the same side - the side of your child. The teacher wants your child to succeed. Make a friend of the teacher.

Missed Work. If your child is absent due to an illness, he or she may need extra attention from you in order to get caught up on assignments missed. Your child most likely has a given number of days to get the work done and turned in. If the illness is prolonged, you may call the school for assignments, but be sure to make every effort to see that the work is actually done. This extra effort on the part of your child's teachers is very time consuming, and the time is taken from their planning or from their classes. This practice is one that is encouraged if you plan to see that your child does the work. If you have an occasion in which your child cannot complete a daily assignment because of a family emergency, write a note to the teacher asking for a one day extension. It is likely that your child will have consequences at school for missing work. "Homework" for the parents is to instill the importance of school assignments in your children.

Be involved. Show your child that you want to be involved in his or her school. Whenever you get notification of a school meeting, or a school need, show that you are interested. Participate in various activities at school. If there is a school event, show up with your child.
Child's Attendance. You, as the parent have the power to control your child's attendance, including being on time. Poor attendance and tardiness directly affect a child's school success in numerous ways, emotionally as well as scholastically. Please understand that signing out is the same as being absent. Your child will miss vital instruction. Instruction continues up until dismissal. When you sign your child out unnecessarily, you are telling your child that school doesn't matter. Restrict sign outs to sickness of the child, or a true family emergency. "Homework" for you as the parent is to keep your child in school.

Yes, parents have "homework". Your homework continues as long as you are responsible for your child. Without your part, your child's school experience will not be all that it can be. Together, let's prepare the "Gift" of education for your child!

Educational Tips

2007-05-06T14:52:00.000+04:00

Below please find a few tips that can help you get the most out of your education:

Take responsibility for your own education. How much you learn is up to you.

Be an active participant in the educational process: ask questions, express your ideas, seek out opportunities to learn.

Get to know your professors.

Go to class regularly, on time and alert.

Keep an open mind; we often learn the most from those with opposing opinions and "crazy ideas."

Make friends with classmates who have backgrounds different from your own.

Take advantage of opportunities to supplement your coursework. Volunteer for the community, pursue a special project in an area of interest, get involved in campus activities.

Use the multitude of resources available at USF and throughout the city of San Francisco.

Managing your time effectively

The best students are not always the brightest - just the most skilled time managers. Here are some quick tips on the subject:

Plan to spend about 3 hours per week studying for every hour of class time; if you're taking 15 units you will need to schedule 45 hours per week for studying.

Develop your weekly schedule: schedule all classes, work hours, study time, class time, campus activities, exercise and recreation. Remember that sleep accounts for approximately 56 hours per week, and with studying taking up about 45 hours per week, you only have 64 hours of the week left! Plan your time wisely!

Be realistic in planning your schedule - and then live by it.

Using your syllabus from each of your classes, record in your appointment book the dates that all tests are scheduled and all papers, presentations and projects are due.

Prioritize your tasks when you sit down to study. Do the most pressing and the most challenging first.

Study in a place where potential distractions are minimized. (Beware of the telephone if you study at home.)

Allow yourself frequent short breaks when studying to rejuvenate your ability to concentrate.

Use your time between classes, waiting for the bus, or standing in line to review notes of chapters or memorize terms.

Start studying for exams a week before they are scheduled. Discover problem areas before it is too late to resolve them.

Review and edit class notes as soon as possible after class, preferably within 24 hours.

Preview reading assignments, study introductions and summaries, and develop a list of questions to seek answers to before actually reading a chapter.

How Do You Deal With Students Who Are Disruptive?

2007-05-06T14:46:00.000+04:00

Reprinted with permission from the AFT Communications Association, Oct./Nov. 1997

If you haven't yet encountered a student who is just plain disruptive, consider yourself fortunate. And consider your options, too, because chances are sooner or later one of those students will show up in your classroom.

Here are some proven techniques you may want to consider:

Develop and maintain positive relationships with all of your students.

Show respect for your students' dignity and find ways to foster their self-esteem.

Maintain a professional demeanor and remain calm.

Explain, teach and enforce rules and consequences.

Be consistent and fair.

Try to discover the cause of the problem.

Have high expectations for all students.

Respond immediately to potentially disruptive situations.

Use active listening.

Use private confrontation when appropriate.

Avoid power struggles.

Remove students as quickly as possible from the disruptive situation.

Use positive reinforcement when students do well.

Model correct behavior.

Source: John C. Shaughnessy, Maureen Coughlin and Kathryn Smith, "Dealing with Disruptive Behavior in High School Classrooms," The High School Magazine, June/July 1997 (National Association of Secondary School Principals, 1904 Association Dr., Reston, VA 20191, 703/860-0200)