Extra Cover Pages - Teacher Bulletinteacherbulletin.org/media/resources/c06_Tips_TB2006.pdf · Atlantic Union Conference Teacher Bulletin 5 Tips The Missing Attitude: Gratitude a

Tips

Top 10 Ways to Get Top Grades

Learning Styles

Keeping Peace at School

Dealing with Bullies

School Safety Check List

and More . . .

daveb45

Stamp

2 Atlantic Union Conference Teacher Bulletin www.teacherbulletin.org

Tips

Although the following exerpt is geared for the business professionals, I believe there are some applicable lessons for us educators. Gary Lockwood is a business coach who seeks to increase the effectiveness of business owners and professionals.

Personal and Professional Growth: Old Dogs and New Tricks

by Gary Lockwood

“You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” How many times have you heard this old saying as an excuse for not trying something new or avoiding a fresh approach?

The expert animal trainers say that a dog of almost any age can learn new tricks. It’s the human animal that makes choices regarding when and how much to learn.

I’m constantly amazed at how frequently I hear one of my CEO clients say, “I’m too old to change.” Nonsense! This is simply an excuse to sidestep the effort required to learn or experiment. When you try something new, you often feel uneasy about it, and frequently pull back. The security feels good. You are in your “comfort zone.”

Your personal “comfort zone” is where you are comfortable in what you are doing in your job, your life and your experiences. It is when you have no feelings of risk or anxiety. Some would call it “being comfortable.” You could also call it “a rut.”

The downside of always staying in your comfort zone is that it can be very limiting. Why is this significant?

The past few decades have seen enormous and accelerating changes in technology and so-cial structure, in geopolitics and especially in the organizations in which we work. The pace of change is staggering and daunting. The mass of information available to humankind is doubling every 20 months.


Tips

The world passes us by as we stand still. Complacency, in our fast-paced competitive world, can be fatal to business and severely limit personal and professional growth. If you are not learning, trying new things and growing, your job or business may be deteriorating.

Having a positive attitude toward learning and changing may be one of the most important characteristics of successful people. In my years as a business coach, I have observed many successful CEOs and entrepreneurs. With very few exceptions, those who are successful and happy have developed and maintained a positive outlook about change and continuous improvement.

This positive attitude is not accidental. Successful business people know how to create a positive attitude and positive motivation for themselves. They don’t just wait for it to hap-pen. They purposely create positive change.

All change implies learning and vice versa. They are inseparable, one impossible without the other. If you learn, you change.

Effective learning must be conscious vs. unconscious, active vs. reactive. It must be some-thing you seek, not just “let it happen.” If learning is not conscious, it can’t be improved. It just becomes “another task” without effective application to the circumstances in your business (and personal) life.

Learning in today’s fast-paced and ever-changing environment can’t be left to chance. Make a conscious effort to capture your experiences and learn from them or be doomed to repeat your mistakes. Worse yet, you may habitually keep doing those things that are working for you while your competition is actively seeking new ideas, innovation and growth.

The competitive advantage of the future is your adaptability to learning and change.

“There are risks and costs to a program of action, but they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction.” ~ John F. Kennedy


Tips

What are some higher level activities that could add to your personal and professional growth?

Here’s my challenge to you.

Make a list of 50 things that, if you really were successful in doing them, you would be a better person or a better company. Consider a few new tricks such as:

• Give a speech

• Write and publish an article

• Start an exercise program

• Meditate daily

• Teach a class

• Feed a homeless person

• Volunteer

• Climb a mountain

• Learn to play a new musical instrument

Then choose one or two that you are willing to do within the next 90 days. Schedule those new activities, then go for it. Afterward, choose one or two more and do it again.

Make personal and professional growth a lifelong habit. You will not become an old dog as long as you keep learning new tricks.


Tips

The Missing Attitude: Gratitude a Big Need

Few of us probably believe that we receive all the appreciation we want, need or desire. In fact, we often hear ourselves and others say that we would like our work much bet-

ter if people were only more grateful for us and appreciative of what we are doing. And if we took the time to assess the cause of many problems people experience, we would find a lack of gratitude at the root of many of them. Yet, gratitude works in two directions. If we're really honest, we would have to admit that one of the reasons people don't show more gratitude is that we're guilty of showing so little of it toward them. That's why it is important to have a professional discussion about gratitude. We need it. Our colleagues need it. And so do our students. In truth, our lives would be made richer if gratitude were found in abundance in our classroom and school.

The only form of gratitude that we totally control is our own.

When we think about gratitude, one reality ought not to elude us. The people whom we usually appreciate and respect the most are grateful people. Their attitude toward others makes them a joy—and exemplary in other people's eyes. They also seem to be the happi-est people. Their ability to be grateful gives them the opportunity to focus on the positive rather than the negative. And when they express their gratitude to the people in their lives, others seem to want to bestow even more gratitude upon them. So, what prevents us from expressing more gratitude?

Unfortunately, one of the reasons is that we really aren't grateful. This fact should give us both pause and concern. Many of us are guilty of believing that others should be grateful for us, not the reverse. After all, we're the ones who are plugging away to make the school successful. The problem with this thinking is multidimensional.


Tips

First, there is no disguising it. When we have the attitude that others and the or-ganization are lucky to have us—rather than that we are just as lucky to have them—it is written all over us. The best and most generous people in our school aren't likely to respect or reward such an attitude. Therefore, a lack of gratitude begets a lack of gratitude from others. Second, a void of gratitude often keeps us from giving people and work all we have. As a result, the void limits our accomplishments. Opportunities to excel are missed. When this is the case, the void of gratitude had diminished the attitudes and actions which foster it in others. Third, when gratitude is lacking, it's hard to be happy. Too, we have an underdeveloped capacity to be awed and are not likely to allow ourselves to be impressed by others and the miracle of the work and mission of the school. This often leaves us feeling negative. Once we experience gratefulness, however, these conditions reverse.

Fourth, sometimes we are so concerned with what we want that we spend little time reflecting on what we have, whom we appreciate, and what life would be like without the opportunities we have. Without gratitude, this condition will remain. As professionals, we can double or triple our effectiveness by being grateful. Here how to begin:

It's easy to change. We must simply decide to do so.


Tips

Finally, search out the people who work hard and go the extra mile. Then, give credit where credit is due. Thank the secretary who goes out of his or her way to help you, and the custodian who takes care of your room. And don't forget the colleague you always count on, or the administrator who hears your countless requests and tries to facilitate and support your success. Start by thanking people for what they do mean to you and for what they do for you. When you start to show gratitude you'll quickly realize how many things people do day in and day out that make your life more enjoyable. In addition, you'll discover that people will enjoy more and your relationships will grow stronger.

The Master Teacher knows that gratitude is a quality worth developing.

The Master Teacher vol. 32 No. 15


Tips

Praiseby Joy Jones

Do you send home a note when a child misbehaves? Certainly. But do you also tell parents when their child doing especially well?

Of course you mark an "X" when the answer is wrong. Do you also make a mark be-side the answers that are right?

The ways you can provide positive reinforcement in the classroom are easy and simple. You can post outstanding work on the board, phone parents to report when Juan or Wanda have improved, not only when he or she is causing problems. Make a point to catch that troublemaker when he or she is not acting out and comment on the improved behavior. Put a star on a student's paper.

Since it's so easy and simple, why do so many of us have trouble giving praise? Sometimes people (falsely) regard giving out compliments as weak and wimpy. Particularly, if we want our students to work hard, stay on task and be disciplined, we fear that if we praise them, they'll relax, slack off, or won't respect the teacher. Or maybe we have the mistaken belief that people only learn to do better if one points out their mistakes, so praise doesn't serve any useful purpose. But praise serves a useful and wonderful pur-pose. It inspires our students' best efforts.

And don't forget, praise doesn't just work on children. Maybe if you praise your principal or your spouse every now and then, you'd see an improvement in their behavior, too. courtesy of http://kapalama.ksbe.edu


Tips

What About Hurt Feelings?

by Norman Vincent Peale

Are you too sensitive to criticism? Are you able to get over your hurt? These are two important questions. For the person who gets his feelings hurt and can't snap out of it quickly is a problem to his family, his associates, his friends, and most certainly him-self. The head of a large manufacturing organization says that in these experiences, most people fail to get ahead because of their inability to control their sensitiveness. Poor relationships with fellow workers may result and eventually cause the sensitive per-son to lose his job. What are some simple steps in getting over hurt feelings?

1. The minute your feelings are hurt, get the situation straightened out as soon as possible. When you hurt your finger you immediately use a healing medicine. Similarly, you should put spiritual iodine on the hurt emotion as quickly as possible.

2. Apply what is called GRIEVANCE DRAINAGE to your mind. Put out your resentment and then forget it.

3. Write a letter telling the person just how you feel about the way he has hurt you. Don't mince any words. Fold and seal the letter. Then tear it up and, difficult as it may be, forgive him. Drop the pieces into the wastebasket and say, "with God's help I'll forget the situation."

4. Ask yourself honestly what there is in you that disturbs your relationship with people. Then ask God to put some healing balm on that sore spot until it heals. Analyze whether in this particular situation you are not more at fault than you're willing to admit.

5. Pray for the person who has hurt your feelings until you feel all the malice fading away. Sometimes this may take quite a while. Try this short prayer, "May the love of Christ fill my heart." Then add, " May the love of Christ for _____ (insert a person's name) flood my soul." Offer this prayer with feelings, and it will come about. "He that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God. Give love to them that need it most." Fundamentals of Christian Education, p. 281.


Tips

Teaching Thinking Skills

Get Students Thinking About Questions

Teachers know they are doing a good job when their students are generating questions.

Students need to understand why it is important to ask questions. Here are five discussion-starter questions that are sure to spawn a lively classroom give-and-take:

1, When do you ask the most questions?

2. Who in your family asks the most questions?

3. What kinds of questions are tricky (or easy) to answer? 4. Do you think it's important to ask questions?

5. Are there any "stupid" questions?

To give students practice in asking questions, put students in small groups. Have them pick a subject and think up questions about the subject beginning with the following words: Who, What, When, Where and Why?


Tips

Tips for Spanish Teachers

Word of the Day

Each day, students are given a “password” to write down in their notebooks. These are words not covered in the textbook and fun words to learn. Slang, proverbs, idioms, etc. are chosen. These are then used for bonus points on quizzes and tests. My students really have fun learning and actually use them in speaking!

Trivia for Today! For the first three to five minutes of every class period, “trivia questions” are asked for bonus participation points. (Participation is 25% of my class). These questions are asked both in English and Spanish. I try to create variety. These have to do with geography, his-tory, cultural, and vocabulary topics. I utilize trivia purchased from various publishers. My students love this and it is a great way to get class started and everyone is interested. If they have difficulty answering a question, I throw it back in to ask several days later.


Tips

Recording Students ActivitiesHere are two different ways to keep track of students’ efforts such as pair practices, skits, ob-servations, or remedial needs.

1. Use peel-off address labels that come in rolls or strips. As you make an observa-tion or record a grade, write the student’s name and date at the top of the label. Write the information on the label and at the end of the day, transfer the address label to student folders. Students can also write their own thoughts (or comments on another student) on address labels and transfer them to folders.

2. Use Post-it notes to write comments. Store the Post-it notes during the day on a piece of cardboard or a manila folder. Transfer the notes to the students’ folders or a three-ring binder with pages for each student.

Postcards for Spanish Learning

Note: This activity is applicable to any language and any language level. If computers are not available for research, use any other reference materials available in the classroom or media center.

In order to make use of the computer programs in our high school library, I have my first-year Spanish students draw a name of a Spanish-speaking country. They then use the programs to obtain information on their individual countries. After they are familiar with the places, events, customs, and so on, they make a postcard and send it to someone else in the class. Postcards are 5 x 8 index cards that have pictures that the students have either drawn or cut from magazines on one side. On the other side is a place for an address and a message in Spanish about what they have seen or done on their imaginary vacation to a Hispanic country. Students love receiving “mail.”

This activity can be extended to a speaking task by asking students who receive the postcard to write five questions to ask the travelers about the vacation. After they ask the questions, the students can then write their conversation as a writing activity.


Tips

Test Assessment

After I give a test in Spanish II, I ask the students to evaluate the test. I give students a questionnaire (written in Spanish) which asks them to assess the test and their performance. I collect the comments and use them as a source of continued dialogue with the student. They can also be added to their portfolios.

This type of self-assessment helps students focus on where they need to improve, and lets me get a sense of how they perceived the test.

This type of reflective assessment can be adapted to any language and any level of instruction.

Here’s my evaluation sheet in English.

Test Evaluation 1. Identify the best part of the test. What did I do well?

2. Identify the worst part of the test. What do I need to review or relearn?

3. I did ___ as well as ___ better than ___ worse than I expected on the test.

4. Here are two errors that I did this time or have done several times. I will focus on them and eliminate them next time! 1. 2.

5. I was pleased with what I did on/with:

6. I think this test asked what I should have learned. ___ Yes ___ No. (If you answered no, please explain with specific examples.)

Courtesy of Paso A Paso.com


Tips

Although the following exerpt is geared for the business professionals, I believe there are some applicable lessons for us educators. Gary Lockwood is a business coach who seeks to increase the effectiveness of business owners and professionals.

Personal and Professional Growth: Old Dogs and New Tricks

by Gary Lockwood

“You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” How many times have you heard this old saying as an excuse for not trying something new or avoiding a fresh approach?

The expert animal trainers say that a dog of almost any age can learn new tricks. It’s the human animal that makes choices regarding when and how much to learn.

I’m constantly amazed at how frequently I hear one of my CEO clients say, “I’m too old to change.” Nonsense! This is simply an excuse to sidestep the effort required to learn or experiment. When you try something new, you often feel uneasy about it, and frequently pull back. The security feels good. You are in your “comfort zone.”

Your personal “comfort zone” is where you are comfortable in what you are doing in your job, your life and your experiences. It is when you have no feelings of risk or anxiety. Some would call it “being comfortable.” You could also call it “a rut.”

The downside of always staying in your comfort zone is that it can be very limiting. Why is this significant?

The past few decades have seen enormous and accelerating changes in technology and so-cial structure, in geopolitics and especially in the organizations in which we work. The pace of change is staggering and daunting. The mass of information available to humankind is doubling every 20 months.


Tips

The world passes us by as we stand still. Complacency, in our fast-paced competitive world, can be fatal to business and severely limit personal and professional growth. If you are not learning, trying new things and growing, your job or business may be deteriorating.

Having a positive attitude toward learning and changing may be one of the most important characteristics of successful people. In my years as a business coach, I have observed many successful CEOs and entrepreneurs. With very few exceptions, those who are successful and happy have developed and maintained a positive outlook about change and continuous improvement.

This positive attitude is not accidental. Successful business people know how to create a positive attitude and positive motivation for themselves. They don’t just wait for it to hap-pen. They purposely create positive change.

All change implies learning and vice versa. They are inseparable, one impossible without the other. If you learn, you change.

Effective learning must be conscious vs. unconscious, active vs. reactive. It must be some-thing you seek, not just “let it happen.” If learning is not conscious, it can’t be improved. It just becomes “another task” without effective application to the circumstances in your business (and personal) life.

Learning in today’s fast-paced and ever-changing environment can’t be left to chance. Make a conscious effort to capture your experiences and learn from them or be doomed to repeat your mistakes. Worse yet, you may habitually keep doing those things that are working for you while your competition is actively seeking new ideas, innovation and growth.

The competitive advantage of the future is your adaptability to learning and change.

“There are risks and costs to a program of action, but they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction.” ~ John F. Kennedy


Tips

What are some higher level activities that could add to your personal and professional growth?

Here’s my challenge to you.

Make a list of 50 things that, if you really were successful in doing them, you would be a better person or a better company. Consider a few new tricks such as:

• Give a speech

• Write and publish an article

• Start an exercise program

• Meditate daily

• Teach a class

• Feed a homeless person

• Volunteer

• Climb a mountain

• Learn to play a new musical instrument

Then choose one or two that you are willing to do within the next 90 days. Schedule those new activities, then go for it. Afterward, choose one or two more and do it again.

Make personal and professional growth a lifelong habit. You will not become an old dog as long as you keep learning new tricks.


Tips

The Missing Attitude: Gratitude a Big Need

Few of us probably believe that we receive all the appreciation we want, need or desire. In fact, we often hear ourselves and others say that we would like our work much bet-

ter if people were only more grateful for us and appreciative of what we are doing. And if we took the time to assess the cause of many problems people experience, we would find a lack of gratitude at the root of many of them. Yet, gratitude works in two directions. If we're really honest, we would have to admit that one of the reasons people don't show more gratitude is that we're guilty of showing so little of it toward them. That's why it is important to have a professional discussion about gratitude. We need it. Our colleagues need it. And so do our students. In truth, our lives would be made richer if gratitude were found in abundance in our classroom and school.

The only form of gratitude that we totally control is our own.

When we think about gratitude, one reality ought not to elude us. The people whom we usually appreciate and respect the most are grateful people. Their attitude toward others makes them a joy—and exemplary in other people's eyes. They also seem to be the happi-est people. Their ability to be grateful gives them the opportunity to focus on the positive rather than the negative. And when they express their gratitude to the people in their lives, others seem to want to bestow even more gratitude upon them. So, what prevents us from expressing more gratitude?

Unfortunately, one of the reasons is that we really aren't grateful. This fact should give us both pause and concern. Many of us are guilty of believing that others should be grateful for us, not the reverse. After all, we're the ones who are plugging away to make the school successful. The problem with this thinking is multidimensional.


Tips

First, there is no disguising it. When we have the attitude that others and the or-ganization are lucky to have us—rather than that we are just as lucky to have them—it is written all over us. The best and most generous people in our school aren't likely to respect or reward such an attitude. Therefore, a lack of gratitude begets a lack of gratitude from others. Second, a void of gratitude often keeps us from giving people and work all we have. As a result, the void limits our accomplishments. Opportunities to excel are missed. When this is the case, the void of gratitude had diminished the attitudes and actions which foster it in others. Third, when gratitude is lacking, it's hard to be happy. Too, we have an underdeveloped capacity to be awed and are not likely to allow ourselves to be impressed by others and the miracle of the work and mission of the school. This often leaves us feeling negative. Once we experience gratefulness, however, these conditions reverse.

Fourth, sometimes we are so concerned with what we want that we spend little time reflecting on what we have, whom we appreciate, and what life would be like without the opportunities we have. Without gratitude, this condition will remain. As professionals, we can double or triple our effectiveness by being grateful. Here how to begin:

It's easy to change. We must simply decide to do so.


Tips

Finally, search out the people who work hard and go the extra mile. Then, give credit where credit is due. Thank the secretary who goes out of his or her way to help you, and the custodian who takes care of your room. And don't forget the colleague you always count on, or the administrator who hears your countless requests and tries to facilitate and support your success. Start by thanking people for what they do mean to you and for what they do for you. When you start to show gratitude you'll quickly realize how many things people do day in and day out that make your life more enjoyable. In addition, you'll discover that people will enjoy more and your relationships will grow stronger.

The Master Teacher knows that gratitude is a quality worth developing.

The Master Teacher vol. 32 No. 15


Tips

Praiseby Joy Jones

Do you send home a note when a child misbehaves? Certainly. But do you also tell parents when their child doing especially well?

Of course you mark an "X" when the answer is wrong. Do you also make a mark be-side the answers that are right?

The ways you can provide positive reinforcement in the classroom are easy and simple. You can post outstanding work on the board, phone parents to report when Juan or Wanda have improved, not only when he or she is causing problems. Make a point to catch that troublemaker when he or she is not acting out and comment on the improved behavior. Put a star on a student's paper.

Since it's so easy and simple, why do so many of us have trouble giving praise? Sometimes people (falsely) regard giving out compliments as weak and wimpy. Particularly, if we want our students to work hard, stay on task and be disciplined, we fear that if we praise them, they'll relax, slack off, or won't respect the teacher. Or maybe we have the mistaken belief that people only learn to do better if one points out their mistakes, so praise doesn't serve any useful purpose. But praise serves a useful and wonderful pur-pose. It inspires our students' best efforts.

And don't forget, praise doesn't just work on children. Maybe if you praise your principal or your spouse every now and then, you'd see an improvement in their behavior, too. courtesy of http://kapalama.ksbe.edu


Tips

What About Hurt Feelings?

by Norman Vincent Peale

Are you too sensitive to criticism? Are you able to get over your hurt? These are two important questions. For the person who gets his feelings hurt and can't snap out of it quickly is a problem to his family, his associates, his friends, and most certainly him-self. The head of a large manufacturing organization says that in these experiences, most people fail to get ahead because of their inability to control their sensitiveness. Poor relationships with fellow workers may result and eventually cause the sensitive per-son to lose his job. What are some simple steps in getting over hurt feelings?

1. The minute your feelings are hurt, get the situation straightened out as soon as possible. When you hurt your finger you immediately use a healing medicine. Similarly, you should put spiritual iodine on the hurt emotion as quickly as possible.

2. Apply what is called GRIEVANCE DRAINAGE to your mind. Put out your resentment and then forget it.

3. Write a letter telling the person just how you feel about the way he has hurt you. Don't mince any words. Fold and seal the letter. Then tear it up and, difficult as it may be, forgive him. Drop the pieces into the wastebasket and say, "with God's help I'll forget the situation."

4. Ask yourself honestly what there is in you that disturbs your relationship with people. Then ask God to put some healing balm on that sore spot until it heals. Analyze whether in this particular situation you are not more at fault than you're willing to admit.

5. Pray for the person who has hurt your feelings until you feel all the malice fading away. Sometimes this may take quite a while. Try this short prayer, "May the love of Christ fill my heart." Then add, " May the love of Christ for _____ (insert a person's name) flood my soul." Offer this prayer with feelings, and it will come about. "He that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God. Give love to them that need it most." Fundamentals of Christian Education, p. 281.


Tips

Teaching Thinking Skills

Get Students Thinking About Questions

Teachers know they are doing a good job when their students are generating questions.

Students need to understand why it is important to ask questions. Here are five discussion-starter questions that are sure to spawn a lively classroom give-and-take:

1, When do you ask the most questions?

2. Who in your family asks the most questions?

3. What kinds of questions are tricky (or easy) to answer? 4. Do you think it's important to ask questions?

5. Are there any "stupid" questions?

To give students practice in asking questions, put students in small groups. Have them pick a subject and think up questions about the subject beginning with the following words: Who, What, When, Where and Why?


Tips

Tips for Spanish Teachers

Word of the Day

Each day, students are given a “password” to write down in their notebooks. These are words not covered in the textbook and fun words to learn. Slang, proverbs, idioms, etc. are chosen. These are then used for bonus points on quizzes and tests. My students really have fun learning and actually use them in speaking!

Trivia for Today! For the first three to five minutes of every class period, “trivia questions” are asked for bonus participation points. (Participation is 25% of my class). These questions are asked both in English and Spanish. I try to create variety. These have to do with geography, his-tory, cultural, and vocabulary topics. I utilize trivia purchased from various publishers. My students love this and it is a great way to get class started and everyone is interested. If they have difficulty answering a question, I throw it back in to ask several days later.


Tips

Recording Students ActivitiesHere are two different ways to keep track of students’ efforts such as pair practices, skits, ob-servations, or remedial needs.

1. Use peel-off address labels that come in rolls or strips. As you make an observa-tion or record a grade, write the student’s name and date at the top of the label. Write the information on the label and at the end of the day, transfer the address label to student folders. Students can also write their own thoughts (or comments on another student) on address labels and transfer them to folders.

2. Use Post-it notes to write comments. Store the Post-it notes during the day on a piece of cardboard or a manila folder. Transfer the notes to the students’ folders or a three-ring binder with pages for each student.

Postcards for Spanish Learning

Note: This activity is applicable to any language and any language level. If computers are not available for research, use any other reference materials available in the classroom or media center.

In order to make use of the computer programs in our high school library, I have my first-year Spanish students draw a name of a Spanish-speaking country. They then use the programs to obtain information on their individual countries. After they are familiar with the places, events, customs, and so on, they make a postcard and send it to someone else in the class. Postcards are 5 x 8 index cards that have pictures that the students have either drawn or cut from magazines on one side. On the other side is a place for an address and a message in Spanish about what they have seen or done on their imaginary vacation to a Hispanic country. Students love receiving “mail.”

This activity can be extended to a speaking task by asking students who receive the postcard to write five questions to ask the travelers about the vacation. After they ask the questions, the students can then write their conversation as a writing activity.


Tips

Test Assessment

After I give a test in Spanish II, I ask the students to evaluate the test. I give students a questionnaire (written in Spanish) which asks them to assess the test and their performance. I collect the comments and use them as a source of continued dialogue with the student. They can also be added to their portfolios.

This type of self-assessment helps students focus on where they need to improve, and lets me get a sense of how they perceived the test.

This type of reflective assessment can be adapted to any language and any level of instruction.

Here’s my evaluation sheet in English.

Test Evaluation 1. Identify the best part of the test. What did I do well?

2. Identify the worst part of the test. What do I need to review or relearn?

3. I did ___ as well as ___ better than ___ worse than I expected on the test.

4. Here are two errors that I did this time or have done several times. I will focus on them and eliminate them next time! 1. 2.

5. I was pleased with what I did on/with:

6. I think this test asked what I should have learned. ___ Yes ___ No. (If you answered no, please explain with specific examples.)

Courtesy of Paso A Paso.com

A “How To” Guide to Writing Interdisciplinary Units Carolyn Kearbey Conditions that are vital for good quality units and quality teaching

1. Communication a. Principal needs to know the plan and why it will broaden the

learning experience b. Coordinating teachers

2. Preparation a. Procedural notes b. Instructional materials c. Students

3. Structure a. See inter-relationships clearly

4. Role a. New learning and teaching roles emerge b. Shifts from lecturer to facilitator…make things happen

5. Groups a. Learning dynamics within groups b. Enhance group’s mastery level c. Individual success is dependent on success of coworkers

6. Environment a. Slowly and honestly relinquish control to working groups b. Need to train students to prepare them for this

7. Questioning a. Conclusions b. Logical mental structures c. Inquiry, investigation, discovery d. Questions alternating with further investigation

8. Commitment a. Must be made by teacher to pursue this form well beyond one

teaching unit

Selecting a topic 1. Is the topic broad enough to ensure individual choices about some aspect? 2. Will topic appeal to both genders and all cultures represented in the class? 3. Will the topic lend itself to a theme of reasonable length—not too short

and not too long? (no more than 4 weeks for academy) 4. Does the teacher have a background of experience upon which to draw

from for this unit of study? 5. Are materials and resources necessary readily available?

Need to get beyond the surface Answer questions to get beyond the surface and get to a deeper level

Pull them together into a single paragraph to form the deeper meaning of the unit…

1. What is the nature of the problem? To make this study of the past meaningful to the teenagers in my class. Some of them have a more direct connection to this particular unit than others, but they all can gain something from it. My job is to point them in the direction and encourage them to find what it is for themselves as individuals.

2. What different perspectives do people (i.e. students!) have about it?

Some say it is boring, some say it is irrelevant. I say it is only boring if they don’t know how they can use the information and the experience of immersing themselves in the material. I believe that studying the past informs our relationships and choices of today.

3. What inferences and generalizations can be drawn from this problem?

If one didn’t know better, one might assume that kids don’t care about anyone but themselves. The truth is that they just don’t think often enough about using what they learn in school right then and there. Most of the time they think that high school is “just” a stepping stone to college and that that’s all they have to gain, an entrance into college. My goal is to make the information and experience useful at the moment, but also for the future.

4. What are its causes and its effects? On the students’ part, there is their

general ennui and lack of interest, their overall resistance to the need to focus…and think…and their sometimes lack of concern about anything but their current self. The effect of all this, of course, is that they don’t gain what they could, that their vision remains narrow and their critical thinking skills remain undeveloped.

5. Is it changing, and if so, how and why is it changing? This attitude

changes as they get older, and the junior year is often when the change is most obvious. This is actually my favorite level to teach because of that. They are aware that college is around the corner and that they will need more skills than they have now… And if I preface what I ask them to do with “this will help you in college and this is how you will be able to use this then…” then they see more value…

6. What are your choices with respect to it? Just keep bringing their

attention to the past and offering them opportunities to apply what we’re learning to their present situation. Use a variety of approaches and learning experiences to capture their attention and learning styles.

7. What can be done by the students to help fix the problem? Keep an open mind, enter into the discussion and the experience with a “possibility” mind set…Do the work!!! All of it!!!

The problem with teaching teenagers, especially juniors, is that if they are going to apply themselves fully to the lesson, they need to understand how it will work for them as individuals now and later…for college. The challenge, then, for me as the teacher is to make this unit of Slave Narratives and Spirituals meaningful enough for them to put themselves whole-heartedly into it so they can gain something from it on all levels, but especially personally. My whole goal in teaching is for my students to come away from their study as better individuals, not just good students. Engaging the students every step of the way should accomplish this. Graphic Organizer Make a graphic outline of the total unit

• To keep track of various elements of unit • To keep track of materials needed, etc.

Introduction to Unit

• Statement of problem, purpose • Information not to be taken for granted • Scope and sequence • Grade level, length of unit

Unit Schedule

• Table of Contents • Suggested Schedule • Lesson Outlines

Creating Activities

• Are activities related?

• Are critical thinking embedded

• Does this help reach curriculum goals? • Does this build community, involvement and extends understanding

• How should the teacher tie this new learning to past experiences?

• Direct teaching, discussion, lecturing that ties learning experience together so that students have a more coherent overview…what the teacher needs to do to hold it all together

• How should the teacher assess student learning

• Can this activity meet several goals in one lesson?

• Introductory activities o Should engage the students and can include textbooks along with

outside materials • Developing activities

o The heart of the unit—projects, writing, creating, that move students towards final goal

• Culminating o Publishing, sharing, and celebrating awareness o Enrichment activities o Vocabulary o Research projects

1Atlantic Union Conference Teacher Bulletin www.teacherbulletin.org

Teaching Tips

Top Ten Ways to Help Your Kids Get A’s

Parental Involvement Is the Answer

Study after study has shown that parental involvement is the number-one determinant of how well all children, regardless of their background, do in school. Here are ten ways you can help your kids succeed in the classroom–and beyond.

1. Create an environment in your home that encourages learning. This will be a major influence on how well your children do in school. Provide them with many different opportunities to become excited about learning. Make sure that appropriate materials from puzzles to paints to computers are available to stimulate their curiosity.

2. Provide your children with a well-balanced life. A stable home, filled with love, serves as a solid foundation for getting straight A’s. Establish routines so your children get enough sleep, eat regular, nourishing meals, and receive suf-ficient exercise. Limit excessive TV viewing and the playing of video and computer games.

3. Read to your children every day. Most of the learning your children do in school involves reading. Read to your kids to teach them about reading, expand and enrich their vocabularies, and broaden their experiences. Reading aloud exposes them to materials that would be difficult for them to read on their own.

4. Encourage them to read extensively. As your children progress through school, as much as 75 percent of what they learn will come from the printed page. The more children read, the better their reading skills become. Make sure there is a wide variety of interesting reading materials in your home to encour-age the reading habit.

5. Show your children how to be organized. Children who are organized find it much easier to succeed in school. One of the best ways to teach organizational skills is through example. Show your children how to use such orga-nizational tools as assignment pads, calendars, notebooks, binders, and backpacks.

6. Teach them effective study skills. Good study skills are absolutely essential to get A’s. Make sure your children know how to read their textbooks, prepare for tests, memorize facts and use their time efficiently. Encourage them to have a regular time for studying, and provide a study place that is free of distractions.


Teaching Tips

7. Urge your children to listen and participate in class. Listening in class is the easy way for children to learn. Advise your older children to take notes, which will help them concentrate on what is being said. Encourage your children to participate in class. It will greatly increase their interest in what they’re learning.

8. Help your children learn how to tackle homework. Doing homework reinforces what your children learn in school. Show them how to do it so that homework quickly becomes their responsibility. Help them learn what assignments to do first and how to plan their time. Encourage them not to rush through their homework but to consider every assignment a learning experience.

9. Talk to your children about school. Your children spend hours in school every day. A lot can happen during that time. Show that you are genuinely interested in their day by asking questions about what they did and talking with them about the papers they bring home. When problems occur, work with your kids to find solutions.

10. Develop a good relationship with your children’s teachers. Good communication between home and school helps children do well in school and makes it easier to address problems. Be sure to attend parent-teacher conferences, visit your kids’ classrooms, and volunteer to help their teachers. And don’t forget to express your appre-ciation to teachers for all that they do for your children.

Courtesy of: Peggy Gisler, Ed.S. and Marge Eberts, Ed.S.


Teaching Tips

Keeping the Peace at Schoolby Ann Svensen

Kids are bullying each other, assaulting teachers, and bring-ing guns to school. What are schools doing to stop youth violence? A growing number are turning to conflict-resolution programs.

Violence prevention comes in a variety of shapes and sizes: It can be peer mediation, life-skills training, or anger manage-ment. But at its core, each program attempts to teach children one thing: how to resolve their conflicts peacefully.

One success storyThe staff at Kenwood Heights Elementary School in urban Springfield, OH, has found a way to keep the peace. Its top-notch Kenwood Peace Program is a model for other schools. Principal Marni Gochenour began the program out of desperation: “Many of our children come from violent neighborhoods. We had a lot of assaults on teach-ers and other children. We literally had first-graders being led out of school in handcuffs. We were not able to teach.”

Today, a peace flag flies over Kenwood Heights. In nearly every nook and cranny are reminders of the program’s mission: Peace banners hang in the hallways; a scoreboard in the cafeteria records each peaceful day; and students, teachers, custodians and parents all work together to maintain the school’s award-winning gardens. Gochenour starts each day by announcing over the PA a hypothetical problem for students and teachers to solve. And classrooms are equipped with “peace tables” where students go to resolve their disagreements.

A unique approachThey tend to do things a little differently at Kenwood Heights. Most schools that adopt violence-prevention programs target fourth or fifth graders because that’s often the age when behavior problems become unmanageable. “We chose initially to implement our program in the kindergarten and first grade,” says Gochenour. “We wanted to reach kids before the problems began.” Kenwood Heights also chose not to use “peer mediation,” a common violence-prevention method that involves training a few students to diffuse conflicts among their peers. Instead the faculty’s goal is to teach all students to be mediators. The results have been impressive: dramatic drops in fights and emergency removals; increased attendance, and more students making honor roll.


Teaching Tips

What it takes to be greatNot all violence-prevention programs are as effective as Kenwood’s. According to the Drug Strategies’ Safe Schools, Safe Students study, high-quality violence-prevention programs do make a difference. But the majority of programs studied did not make the grade. Only 10 out of the 84 reviewed received an A. The study states that, to be successful, a violence-prevention program must:

Encourage school attitudes against violence, aggression, and bullying.Provide teacher training.Create a positive school climate.Include families, peers, media and the community.

To find out more about school violence-prevention programs, order a copy of the study Safe Schools Safe Students ($12.95). To learn more about preventing youth violence, pick up a copy of Before Push Comes to Shove: Building Conflict Resolution Skills with Children by Nancy Carlsson-Paige and Diane Levin.

Courtesy Of:www.familyeducation.com/article/0,1120,1-2571,00.html


Teaching Tips

Bullied Kids: Suffering in Silenceby Carleton Kendrick

Bobby St. Pierre tormented me. Every school recess he taunted me (“Momma’s little boy won’t fight back?”), roughed me up, and made my life on the playground a living hell.I was nine and the tallest kid in Cold Spring School’s fourth grade. Bobby had just turned thirteen and was warehoused in Mrs. Cavi’s “spe-cial class.” It was the dumping ground for incor-rigible kids aged 8 through 14.

I was the latest in the long line of Bobby’s vic-tims. He’d been bullying me for two months, since school began. I dreaded going to school. My stomach was in knots every day. I couldn’t concentrate in class. Most nights I woke up with nightmares.

My mom could see I hadn’t been my usual cheery self for some time but couldn’t figure out what was wrong. I wanted to tell her about Bobby, but I’d have been a “momma’s boy” if I did. Mrs. Peterson, my teacher, had written my mom a note stating I’d seemed “frequently preoccupied in class.” I was preoccupied all right! All I could think about was Bobby and his bullying. When would it ever stop?

In desperation I turned to my father. “You’ve got to stand up to him,” he insisted. “I’ll show you how.” He taught me how to use Bobby’s next shove to hip-flip him to the ground. We practiced the move. My father pronounced me battle-ready. I was terrified.

Monday’s recess began with Bobby’s usual “sissy-boy” taunts. This time, however, I turned and faced him. He pushed me. I fell back but then stepped toward him. His next shove was met with the hip-flip. Bobby was airborne and then landed hard on his back–stunned, hurt, and humiliated. I put my finger in his face and screamed “Don’t you ever touch me again!” He never did.

I’ve never recommended using retaliatory force to any of the bullied kids I’ve counseled. It’s dangerous advice. I was lucky that day. But adults must take bullying more seriously. We can’t simply reply “I can’t do anything about it unless I see it.” Bullies usually wreak their damage well out of sight of adults.

I’ve treated bullied kids who were close to suicide because they couldn’t see a way out of their chronic pain and depression. In despair, many kids have killed themselves rather than face endless hurt from their tormentors. I understand that hopelessness.


Teaching Tips

BullyproofingBullying should not be tolerated in our schools. In addition to caring for the victims, we must also focus on teaching our children how to stand up against unprovoked harassment and ag-gression. The bullies need to be shown alternative paths to achieve self-esteem. They often come from families where bullying behavior is a way of life. The Wellesley College Center for Research on Women addresses all these issues in their superior fourth and fifth grade curriculum called “Bullyproof.”

Bullying isn’t harmless child’s play. It can be debilitating and life-threatening. Children need us to defend them from its ravages.


Teaching Tips

Is Your Elementary-School Child Gifted? Developed by the Council for Exceptional Children

Does your child have an insatiable appetite for learning? Does she seemleaps and bounds ahead of her peers? You just may have a gifted child onyour hands. Take this quiz to find out.

Does your elementary-school child have:

1: Strong problem-solving abilities? Yes No

2: An extensive vocabulary? Yes No

3: A preference for older playmates? Yes No

4: Curiosity, especially about how things work (electrical appliances, forexample). Yes No

5: A long attention span when interested in a topic. Yes No

6: An extremely sensitive or emotional response to situations andinformation? Yes No

7: Compassion for others? Yes No

8: A perfectionistic attitude toward projects and performance? Yes No

9: A vivid imagination? Yes No


Teaching Tips

10: A sense of humor, especially for puns and other word play. Yes No

11: A good memory? Yes No

12: A fascination with books, puzzles, or maps? Yes No

13: An ability to learn rapidly when engaged by a topic? Yes No

14: A high level of energy? Yes No

15: A tendency to question authority? Yes No


Teaching Tips

Bully-Proof Your Kids

Bullies. Every school has them. They taunt, tease, shove, and beat up other kids. Indirect bullying, where kids are ignored or excluded, can be just as devastating as a physi-cal assault, say experts.

To Ronald Stephens, executive director of the National School Safety Center, bullying is “one of the most under-rated but enduring problems in schools today.” In the U.S., surveys show that as many as one in four kids say they’ve been bullied recently in school.

Kids may be afraid or ashamed to tell adults about a bully. Some parents don’t intervene because they think kids should work it out on their own. What can you do to help your kids protect themselves from a bully?

Encourage your kids to tell you, a teacher, or another adult when they’re having a problem. It’s important for them to let someone know early, before the situation escalates.

Explain the difference between tattling and telling. Tattling is when you report something just to get someone in trouble. Telling is when you report that you or someone else is in danger.

Insist on the buddy system to and from school and in the neighborhood. Children give each other support, and a child who has friends is less of a target. “This can be hard to do when kids don’t have a lot of friends,” says Jeannette Collins of the New Jersey Center for As-sault Prevention. “Parents should encourage their kids to reach out to other kids. That way they can watch out for one another.”

Consider enrolling your child in a self-defense course. “People think the training will escalate the violence,” says a mother whose son was bullied. “But it’s just the opposite. It stresses self-discipline, self-control, and self-esteem, not aggression.”

Turn off the TV. Too many shows reinforce the idea that aggression is the only way to deal with conflicts.

Let your school know your safety worries. Suggest closer supervision in hallways, bathrooms, lunchrooms, under stairways, and on the playground. Your kids have the right to feel safe at school, so find out what your school’s policies on bullies are.


Teaching Tips

Ask the school or home and school association to sponsor safety training workshops and to initiate a peer mediation program, in which staff and students are trained in nonviolent conflict resolution. For more information, contact the National Center for Assault Preven-tion, 609-582-7000, or the National School Safety Center, 805-373-9977.

Studies have shown that children are also bullied online, via instant messaging or email. Parents are often unaware of this problem, since many children do not report it to their parents. Bullies may find the anonymous nature of email and instant messaging an attrac-tive means of threatening their victims. To help your child avoid cyber bullying, monitor his Internet use by keeping the computer in the family room, or another common room in your house, and teach your child never to open email or accept instant messages from an unknown sender. If your child does receive a harassing message, teach him not to reply and to let you know right away. You can contact your Internet service provider to block the sender from your email, or use the “block” or “ban” feature on your instant messaging program to deter the cyber bully.


Teaching Tips

School Safety ChecklistDeveloped by Education Development Center, Inc.

School safety is everyone’s business. The best safety effort will involve all aspects of your child’s school, including classroom instruction, school services, and the school climate.

If you’re like many parents, the very idea of “school safety” is overwhelming and frighten-ing. Do your kids feel safe at school? What’s the school doing to keep its students safe? Use this list of questions to find out if you school could be doing more.

Getting Started

Take this checklist with you to your next home and school association meeting and review it with other parents.

Ask a group of parents to fill it out. You can then present it to the principal.

Fill it out with your child.

Send it to your local school board for its consideration.

The List

Is student safety a priority for your school and your community?

Do parents have access to reports that include information about the number of violent or other unsafe incidents at the school?

Does your school have procedures for responding quickly to unsafe situations?

Is your school addressing ways to prevent as well as respond to crises?

Are the school board, school principal, school superintendent, teachers, school staff, par-ents, students, and community professionals all involved in these efforts?

Has someone been designated to coordinate activities to maintain a safe and healthy envi-ronment?

Are counselors and psychologists available to work with students who are troubled or disruptive?

Do students in all grades participate in classes to help them develop conflict resolution and other life skills?


Teaching Tips

Do school health service providers help or refer students who come to them with concerns about safety?

Does the school emphasize promoting self-esteem and respect for others in all aspects of the school program?

Are parents and students involved in activities that promote school safety?

Are teachers encouraged to set examples of positive physical, social, and emotional health?

Does the school have fair, firm, consistent discipline policies?

Are school facilities attractive and hazard-free?

Is safety addressed in all aspects of the school program: the cafeteria, physical education, classrooms, playgrounds, after-school programs, etc.?

Do school staff, parents, and community members working on school safety collaborate?


Teaching Tips

Ways to Improve Critical Thinking IntroductionBloom’s Taxonomy divides the way people learn into three domains. One of these is the cognitive domain which emphasizes intellectual outcomes. This domain further divides into categories which are ar-ranged progressively from the lowest level of thinking, simple recall, to the highest, evaluating information.

The keywords and questions that follow can be used to develop all levels of thinking within the cognitive domain. The results will be improved attention to detail, increased comprehension and expanded problem solving skills.

Use the key words as guides to structuring questions and tasks. Fin-ish the questions with content appropriate to the learner. All in all, work to challenge your students and help them grow.

Level 1 – KnowledgeObjective: Exhibit memory of previously-learned material by recalling facts, terms, basic concepts and answers.

Key Words who choose list what find match why name when define relate omit label tell show recall which spell select how where

Questions• What is . . .? • Where is . . .?• How did ______ happen? • Why did . . .?• When did . . .? • How would you show . . .?• Who were the main . . .? • Which one . . .?• How is . . .? • When did ____ happen?• How would you explain . . . • How would you describe . . .?• Can you recall . . .? • Can you select . . .?• Can you list the three . . .? • Who was . . .?


Teaching Tips

Level II - ComprehensionObjective: Demonstrate understanding of facts and ideas by organizing, comparing, translating, interpreting, giving descriptions and stating main ideas.

Key Wordscompare contrast demonstrate interpret explainextend illustrate infer outline relaterephrase translate summarize show classify

QuestionsHow would you classify the type of . . .?How would you compare . . .? contrast . . .?Will you state or interpret in your own words . . .?How would you rephrase the meaning . . .?What facts or ideas show . . .?What is the main idea of . . .?Which statements support . . .?Can you explain what is happening . . .? what is meant . . .?What can you say about . . .?Which is the best answer . . .?How would you summarize . . .?

Level III - AlicationObjective: Solve problems to new situations by applying acquired knowledge, facts, tech-niques and rules in a different way.

Key Wordsapply build choose construct developinterview make use of organize experiment with planselect solve utilize model identify

QuestionsHow would you use . . .?What examples can you find to . . .?How would you solve ___________ using what you've learned . . .?


Teaching Tips

How would you show your understanding of . . .?What approach would you use to . . .?How would you apply what you learned to develop . . .?What other way would you plan to . . .?What would result if . . .?Can you make use of the facts to . . .?What elements would you choose to change . . .?What facts would you select to show . . .?What questions would you ask in an interview with . . .?

Level IV - AnalysisObjective: Examine and break information into parts by identifying motives or causes. Make inferences and find evidence to support generalizations.

Key Wordsanalyze categorize classify compare contrastdiscover dissect divide examine inspectsimplify survey take part in test for distinguishlist distinction theme relationships functionmotive inference assumption conclusion

QuestionsWhat are the parts or features of . . .?How is ________ related to . . .?Why do you think . . .?What is the theme . . .?What motive is there . . .?Can you list the parts . . .?What inference can you make . . .?What conclusions can you draw . . .?How would you classify . . .?How would you categorize . . .?Can you identify the different parts . . .?What evidence can you find . . .?What is the relationship between . . .?Can you make a distinction between . . .?What is the function of . . .?What ideas justify . . .?


Teaching Tips

Level V - SynthisObjective: Compile information together in a different way by combining elements in a new pattern or proposing alternative solutions.

Key Wordsbuild choose combine compile composeconstruct create design develop estimateformulate imagine invent make up originateplan predict propose solve solutionsuppose discuss modify change originalimprove adapt minimize maximize deletetheorize elaborate test improve happenchange

QuestionsWhat changes would you make to solve . . .?How would you improve . . .?What would happen if . . .?Can you elaborate on the reason . . .?Can you propse an alternative . . .?Can you invent . . .?How would you adapt __________ to create a different . . .?How could you change (modify) the plot (plan) . . .?What could be done to minimize (maximize) . . .?What way would you design . . .?What could be combined to improve (change) . . .?Suppose you could ________ what would you do . . .?How would you test . . .?Can you formulate a theory for . . .?Can you predict the outcome if . . .?How would you estimate the results for . . .?What facts can you compile . . .?Can you construct a model that would change . . .?Can you think of an original way for the . . .?


Teaching Tips

Level VI - EvaluationObjective: Present and defend opinions by making judgments about information, validity of ideas or quality of work based on a set of criteria.

Key Wordsaward choose conclude criticize decidedefend determine dispute evaluate judgejustify measure compare make raterecommend rule on select agree appraiseprioritize opinion interpret explain supportimportance criteria prove disprove assessinfluence perceive value estimate deduct

QuestionsDo you agree with the actions . . .? with the outcome . . .?What is your opinion of . . .?How would you prove . . .? disprove . . .?Can you assess the value or importance of . . .?Would it be better if . . .?Why did they (the character) choose . . .?What would you recommend . . .?How would you rate the . . .?What would you cite to defend the actions . . .?How would you evaluate . . .?How could you determine . . .?What choice would you have made . . .?What would you select . . .?>How would you prioritize . . .?What judgment would you make about . . .?Based on what you know, how would you explain . . .?What information would you used to support the view . . .?How would you justify . . .?What data was used to make the conclusion . . .?Why was it better that . . .?How would you prioritize the facts . . .?How would you compare the ideas . . .? people . . .?

Documents

Extra Cover Pages - Teacher Bulletinteacherbulletin.org/media/resources/c06_Tips_TB2006.pdf · Atlantic Union Conference Teacher Bulletin 5 Tips The Missing Attitude: Gratitude a