Posts Tagged ‘Education’

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Tips for Teaching Gifted Students

September 22, 2013

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Courtesy of celebratingourgifts.com:

1. LET THEM SHOW YOU WHAT THEY KNOW/COMPACT THE CURRICULUM –  Generally, the work that we plan for our students is really “our work,” according to Dr. Joseph Renzulli. It doesn’t become “their work” until it represents true learning for them. Give all students the opportunity to write a pretest- if they do not get an “A” it does not count (some will choose not to – give them small group instruction while the others are writing the pretest). Students who get an above 83% choose to do a higher level thinking activity that represents meaningful learning to them (can or cannot be related to the topic).
2. MOST DIFFICULT FIRST – Gifted students can learn new concepts more quickly than their age peers. They need much less practice than your average students. Allow students complete about 5 of the most difficult problems or exercises first before doing rest of assignment. If they understand it they are free to choose activities that interest them (ongoing project, reading, enrichment or anything that doesn’t disturb others). Evaluation: when they meet the criteria set by you, their “A” for that work becomes their letter grade for entire assignment.
3. DIFFERENT, NOT MORE – Research shows that 40% to 50% of the content might be adapted for gifted students. It is important for educators to provide alternative challenging activities for them to do instead of grade level work. Discover what their interests are and build projects around those interests. Encourage them to self select topics on a conceptual rather than a factual basis.
4. OFFER THEM CHOICES BASED ON THEIR INTERESTS AND TALENTS – Thrill them with choices, choices and more choices. When you’re establishing learning opportunities, provide more than one choice for them to demonstrate understanding. Let them write a brochure or create a dramatization if they find that more interesting. Trust them to learn in non-traditional ways.

Gifted students are passionate about topics that are not connected to the curriculum, which is one reason why school can be frustrating for them. Once they have shown you they understand the concepts, allow them the opportunity to learn something they are interested in.

5. CHANGE YOUR APPROACH – Become “the facilitator.” Rather than just “giving” them information, help them to discover it! Let go of the idea of normal. Think outside the box.
Drill and practice may cause boredom which escalates into unacceptable behaviours. Keep them challenged. Provide ongoing challenging activities with a problem solving focus. For instance, instead of saying, “What is the perimeter of this 4 x 3 rectangle?” Pose it this way: “How many different rectangles can you make with a perimeter of 14 units?” Give them dot paper or geoboards to discover the solutions. Ask if they’ve found all of the rectangles and do they know if the have.

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YouTube Clip of High School Student Getting Slapped by Teacher

September 21, 2013

 

 

I hope all those misguided souls that believe that the answer to the behavioural problem in our schools is to allow teachers to engage in physical violence watch the video above.

Teachers should never be trusted to meter out physical punishment and it is abhorrent that Western democratic countries still allow this awful practice.

 

Click on the link to read 19 US States Still Allow Corporal Punishment in their Classrooms

Click on the link to read The Disgusting Act by a Teacher that Drove a Schoolgirl to Attempt Suicide

Click on the link to read Legalised Corporal Punishment = Legalised Physical Assault

Click on the link to read The New Form of Spanking

Click on the link to read Teachers Who Beat Kids Should Be Put Away!

 

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Tips to Help Parents Control Their Kids’ TV Habits

September 17, 2013

 

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One of the most original and innovative ideas my mother had came about when she realised that I was spending far too much time watching TV and the problem required a change of policy in form of a proposal. The proposal was that I could watch 3 episodes a week on a school night as long as it the show had educational merit. So instead of watching a chat show or sitcom, I watched documentaries and current affair programs. I  remember watching shows on criminology, science, politics and history – all of which would have been ignored were it not for the rule. To this day, my TV tastes have been radically altered because of that rule.

Of course not all children would respond to such an arrangement. So courtesy of parentsforhealth.org, here are 12 more tips:

1. Get the TV out of the Bedroom!

Having a TV in the bedroom may keep your kids quiet, but you lose control over what and how much they watch. A recent study found that children who had a TV in their bedroom watched more TV and performed worse in school tests.

If your child already has a TV in their bedroom, you may have a job on your hands to get it out. We recommend that you just remove the TV and explain your reasons to your child. Be prepared for protests, but remember that you are acting in the best interests of your child, and that you are the boss!

2. Don’t have the TV on in the Background

If no-one’s watching it, turn the telly off! TV has an amazing effect on us. We instinctively pay attention to moving images, so when a television is on it is difficult to concentrate on other things. Remember, the “off” button is there for a reason.

3. Don’t Allow Unsupervised Access

Do you really know what the kids are watching? Many studies have shown that children can be exposed to violent and sexual imagery that is inappropriate for their age. Keep track of what your kids are watching, and avoid having loads of TV sets around the house.

4. Agree Programmes

Buy a TV guide, and agree in advance which programmes your children will watch. This won’t take long, and will save your children from hours of zombie-like channel surfing. Most Sunday newspapers have a weekly TV guide included. Set rules for acceptable programmes together, and develop a list of programmes to be watched.

5. Agree TV Time

Agree with your children how much time the family will spend watching TV during the week. Remember to be firm during the negotiations. Your kids need to know that you are the boss – much easier with younger children.

If your children are massive telly addicts, you will need to reduce their screen time gradually. The most important thing for telly addicts is to replace TV time with something else, so you might need to think about active hobbies for your kids.

6. Assess the Situation

Keep a TV log for a week, and work out how much time you and your children spend in front of the box. Just write down the number of hours of TV you’ve watched – you may find this surprising.

7. Record Programmes

Record movies and programmes that you like, and watch them at convenient times. This can help to minimise the effect that TV has on your family’s sleeping and eating patterns.

8. Discuss the Plan

Explain to your children the reason why too much TV is a bad idea, and get their opinions. This is crucial, since you want your children to develop good TV habits that they will take with them into adulthood. Don’t be too dictatorial, and explain your actions. Your children will get into the habit of being discerning viewers.

You’re the boss, and you need to take a lead, but you have to bring your children with you. If your children are very young, this will not be a problem – they will just accept your rules as being normal.

9. Encourage Rebellion!

Your kids are going to rebel against something so why not make this rebellion a positive process? Point out to your child or young adult that the TV keeps them passive and under control. Your children probably won’t like the idea of being passive zombies controlled by others.

10. Cut the Cable…

…or get rid of the dish. Why not get rid of your satellite TV and with the money you save, rent the odd movie that you’re really keen on? You’ll be able to watch your movie at a more convenient time, you won’t be bombarded with adverts, and you will probably save money.

11. TV Dinners

Don’t eat in front of the telly! When you are looking at the box, you find it harder to keep track of how full you are. For this reason people tend to overeat when they are watching television.

When children routinely eat meals in front of the TV they are more likely to become overweight. The odd bit of popcorn during a movie is OK, but in general don’t let your family eat meals in front of the TV.

12. Keep Perspective

You don’t have to ditch the TV completely, although believe it or not some people take this option and live perfectly normal lives. TV isn’t all bad…you can see great movies, there are fantastic educational documentaries, and there are great comedy and entertainment shows. Just make sure that you control the TV, and the TV doesn’t control you!

 

Click on the link to read 10 Steps Parents Can Take if their Child is Being Bullied

Click on the link to read School Holidays are Very Hard for Many Parents (Video)

Click on the link to read 20 Reassuring Things Every Parent Should Hear

Click on the link to read 10 Tips for Nurturing Independence Among Children

Click on the link to read 4 Tips for Getting Your Kids up in the Morning

Click on the link to read Seven Valuable Tips for Raising Your Child’s Self-Esteem

Click on the link to read Top Ten Compliments Your Children Need to Hear

 

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10 Steps Parents Can Take if their Child is Being Bullied

September 17, 2013

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Courtesy of education.com:

  1. Make it safe for your child to talk to you. When your child comes to you to talk about a bullying experience, try to avoid having an emotional reaction. It can be scary for a child to hear that a parent is planning to lash out at a peer or parent. Calmly ask questions until you feel you completely understand the situation (Is it bullying, a peer conflict, or a misunderstanding?). Try not to leap into action right away, but instead focus on making sure your child feels taken care of and supported. Without blaming the bully, remind your kid that everyone has a right to feel safe and happy at school, and applaud the courage it took to take a stand and talk to you. Make a commitment to work with both your child and the school administration to resolve the issue.
  2. Teach your child to say “Stop!” or go find an adult. Research shows that most bullies stop aggressive behavior within 10 seconds, when someone (either a victim or a bystander) tells the perpetrator to stop in a strong and powerful voice. You, as the parent, can role-play an assertive response. Demonstrate the differences between aggressive and assertive and passive voices, as well as body language, tone of voice, and words used. If staying “stop” with an assertive voice does not work, teach your child to find an adult right away.
  3. Talk with your child’s principal and classroom teacher about the situation. Make it clear that you are committed to partner with the school in being part of the solution. Also emphasize that your expected outcome is that your child’s ability to feel safe and happy at school is fully restored. Ask the principal to share the school’s bullying policy, and make sure any action plan begins with notifying other teachers, recess aids, hallway monitors, and cafeteria staff so that everyone who comes in contact with your child can be on the lookout and poised to intervene should the bullying be repeated.
  4. Arrange opportunities for your child to socialize with friends outside of school to help build and maintain a strong support system. Try reaching out to neighborhood parents, local community centers with after-school activities, and your spiritual community. The more time your child can practice social skills in a safe environment, the better. Children who have friends are less likely to be bullying victims—and, if your child is bullied, friends can help ease the negative effects.
  5. Don’t go it alone. When supporting a child through a bullying situation, parents often discover previously unnoticed issues that may contribute to the child’s vulnerability. In addition to working with the school to help resolve the immediate issue, parents should also consider reaching out to physical and mental healthcare providers to discuss concerns about diagnosed or undiagnosed learning issues, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, etc.
  6. Encourage your child to stick with a friend (or find someone that can act as a buddy) at recess, lunch, in the hallways, on the bus, or walking home. Kids are more likely to be targeted when they are alone. If your child doesn’t have a friend to connect with, work with the school to help find someone to act as a safety partner.
  7. If cyberbullying is an issue, teach your child to bring it to the attention of an adult, rather than responding to the message. Many children fail to realize that saying mean things about someone on the Internet or through text messaging is a form of bullying. Make sure your child knows that you take cyberbullying seriously, and that you’ll be supportive through the process of handling the situation.
  8. Help your child become more resilient to bullying. There’s a lot parents can do to help “bully proof” their kids. Here are two biggies: first, provide a safe and loving home environment where compassionate and respectful behavior is modeled consistently. Second, acknowledge and help your child to develop strengths, skills, talents or other positive characteristics. Doing so may help your kid be more confident among peers at school.
  9. Provide daily and ongoing support to your child by listening and maintaining ongoing lines of communication. When your child expresses negative emotions about peers, it’s helpful if you acknowledge these feelings and emphasize that it’s normal to feel this way. After actively listening to the recounted bullying incident, discuss the practical strategies in this article together, especially the ones your child thinks will be most helpful.
  10. Follow Up. Even after your child’s bullying situation has been resolved, be sure to stay in touch with your child and the school to avoid a relapse of the issues. Keep the lines of communication open with your child, and learn the signs of bullying so that if another issue arises, you’ll be prepared to get involved early and effectively. Although a last resort, consider moving your child out of the current school or social environment. This may be a necessary action, and it sends the message that your child truly does not have to tolerate such treatment. Once established, social reputations among peers can be very difficult to eliminate. A fresh start in a new school environment may be a viable solution.

 

I would like to add another three steps of my own. Watch and discuss the following films with your child:

 

 

Click on the link to read The Devastating Effects of Bullying (Video)

Click on the link to read Sickening Video of Girl Being Bullied for Having Ginger Hair

Click on the link to read Our Young Children Shouldn’t Even Know What a Diet Is?

Click on the link to read Charity Pays for Teen’s Plastic Surgery to Help Stop Bullying

Click on the link to read Most People Think This Woman is Fat

Click on the link to read It’s Time to Change the Culture of the Classroom

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Posted in Bullying, Parenting | 1 Comment »

50 Things You DON’T Have to do to Maintain Classroom Management

September 15, 2013

 

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Courtesy of the brilliant site smartclassroommanagement.com:

 

1. You don’t have to lecture, yell, or scold.

2. You don’t have to micromanage.

3. You don’t have to ignore misbehavior.

4. You don’t have to be unlikable.

5. You don’t have to tolerate call-outs and interruptions.

6. You don’t have to use bribery.

7. You don’t have to walk on eggshells around difficult students.

8. You don’t have to give false praise.

9. You don’t have to send students to the office.

10. You don’t have to implore your students to pay attention.

11. You don’t have to say things you don’t truly believe.

12. You don’t have to be humorless, stern, or overly serious.

13. You don’t have to repeat yourself over and over again.

14. You don’t have to work on building community.

15. You don’t have to beg or coax or convince your students into behaving.

16. You don’t have to waste time and attention on difficult students.

17. You don’t have to do more or say more to have better control.

18. You don’t have to show anger or lose your cool.

19. You don’t have to lower your behavior standards.

20. You don’t have to talk so much, so often, or so loud.

21. You don’t have to have an antagonistic or demanding relationship with difficult students.

22. You don’t have to shush your students or ask repeatedly for quiet.

23. You don’t have to give frequent reminders and exhortations.

24. You don’t have to show hurt or disappointment to get your message across.

25. You don’t have to guide, direct, or handhold your students through every moment of the day.

26. You don’t have to be thought of as a “mean” teacher.

27. You don’t have to use threats or intimidation to get students to behave.

28. You don’t have to have friction or resentment between you and any of your students.

29. You don’t have to use behavior contracts to turn around difficult students.

30. You don’t have to give over-the-top or gratuitous praise.

31. You don’t have to plead with your students to follow your directions.

32. You don’t have to use different strategies for different students.

33. You don’t have to tolerate a noisy, chaotic, or unruly classroom.

34. You don’t have to talk over your students or move on until you’re ready.

35. You don’t have to accept being disrespected, cursed at, or ignored.

36. You don’t have use complicated classroom management methods.

37. You don’t have to be fearful of holding your students strictly accountable.

38. You don’t have to hold time-consuming community circles or hashing-out sessions.

39. You don’t have to be negative or critical to motivate your students.

40. You don’t have to cover up your personality or hold back from having fun.

41. You don’t have to tolerate arguing and talking back.

42. You don’t have to ask two or three times or more for your students’ attention.

43. You don’t have to offer praise for expected behavior.

44. You don’t have to rely on parents, the principal, or anyone else to turn around difficult students.

45. You don’t have to be overbearing or suffocating to have excellent control.

46. You don’t have to give incessant talking-tos to difficult and disrespectful students.

47. You don’t have to ask students why they misbehaved or force assurances from them.

48. You don’t have to have a boring, no-fun classroom to keep a lid on whole-class misbehavior.

49. You don’t have to be tense, tired, and sick of dealing with misbehavior.

50. You never, ever have to be at the mercy of your students.

 

Click on the link to read Ten Tips to Minimise Classroom Distractions

Click on the link to read 6 Methods For Getting Kids to Cooperate

Click on the link to read 10 Important Steps to Stop Yelling at Kids

Click on the link to read Classroom Management is Getting Harder

Click on the link to read The Dog Eat Dog Style of Education

Click on the link to read Problem Kids, Suspensions and Revolving Doors

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This is What I Think of the No Hugging Rule at Schools

September 14, 2013

 

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It is becoming all the rage to ban children from hugging each other at recess. This is what I think of the rule:

 

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Click on the link to read Political Correctness at School

Click on the link to read What Are We Doing to Our Kids?

Click on the link to read Stop Banning Our Kids From Being Kids

Click on the link to read Banning Home-Made Lunches is a Dreadful Policy

Click on the link to read School Using Bomb As Bell

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Posted in Political Correctness, School Rules | 1 Comment »

What Age Should Children Start School At?

September 12, 2013

 

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Prolonging the commencement of school by 2 years is a nonsense. There is nothing wrong with the current system when it comes to the school age requirement. However, there is a great deal wrong with the system when it comes to helping support children through the transition and developing an environment which is just as determined to boost a child’s sense of self as it is their grade average. Better they work on reinvigorating the current system instead of changing it radically:

Children should not start primary school until they are six or seven-years-old, according to a coalition of education experts who warn of the damaging pressure to perform in class at a young age.

A letter written by 130 teachers, academics and authors said the UK should follow the Scandinavian model and put off formal lessons for two years.

Under the UK’s current system, children start full-time schooling at the age of four or five.

Experts say this is causing ‘profound damage’ in a generation which is not encouraged to learn through play.

But the call was last night dismissed by as ‘misguided’ by a spokesman for the Education Secretary Michael Gove.

Children in the UK are obliged by law to be in school aged five, which the lobby group said is creating a ‘too much, too soon’ culture.

The warning singled out recent government proposals which mean five year olds could be formally tested from the beginning of their schooling.

Under the current system, children are first assessed at the age of seven. But under Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg’s proposals, a ‘baseline’ test could be introduced in the first year of primary school.

The group of experts warned that monitoring a pupil’s progress from such a young age promotes stress and fear around learning.

 

Click on the link to read Fun Facts about Children

Click on the link to read Teaching Children to be Honest Yet Respectful

Click on the link to read The Children of Today Show a Lack of Respect For Authority

Click on the link to read Is There Anything Better than an Inspirational Child? (Video)

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Posted in Child Development | Leave a Comment »

A Teacher Who Beds their Teenage Student Should be Jailed

September 11, 2013

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Here’s a pointer: A teacher should never be intimate with their students. Additionally, a child who can’t clean his own room without creating a stir and running away from home is probably not going to last long in any serious relationship:

A teacher put on the sex offenders’ register over an affair with a 17-year-old pupil is now living with him in her home.

Eppie Sprung Dawson, 27, lost her job and her marriage ended after police found her half-naked with Matthew Robinson in her car after a Christmas school dance.

In July she pleaded guilty to sexual activity with the lad while in a position of trust and narrowly escaped jail.

But last week she moved Matthew, now 18, into her house after he left home over a row about tidying his room.

His mum Sheree said: “He rang Eppie to pick him up. We don’t know what she’s after.”

Sprung Dawson was sacked by St Joseph’s College in Dumfries and split from teacher husband Ranald.

She is serving a community order and undergoing counselling after telling the town’s court she was attacked by an older man at 13.

She was unavailable for comment at her home yesterday.

Click on the link to read My Teacher, the Pedophile

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Teachers are Extremely Vulnerable to False Accusations

September 9, 2013

As serious as it is when a child accuses his/her teacher of inappropriate behaviour, it is essential that the teacher gets the opportunity to respond to the allegations without being judged. Unfortunately, teachers are often subject to false allegations and excessive reactions on the part of the parents:

Simone Baker, 25, confronted her son’s teacher on Thursday about 5.30pm over claims by the boy that she had scratched his neck, KCTV5 reported.

Baker, of Kansas City, grew irate after the teacher told her to schedule a meeting with the principal the following day, according to a Kansas City Police Department report.

She headed to the principal’s office before returning to the classroom where she allegedly hit the teacher in the face five to 10 times as she held the woman’s arm down.

Baker allegedly then grabbed the teacher by her hair and rammed her head against a filing cabinet two times.

“You better not touch my kid again,” Baker allegedly told the teacher, before fleeing the classroom.

The woman was treated at hospital for bruising to her arm and some redness and swelling on her face.

District officials said the six-year-old boy’s father brought his son into Truman Elementary School on Friday and that boy had recanted his story.

The teacher could not be reached for comment but a local school district spokesman said they would be pursuing legal action against Baker.

“The administration did everything they do to keep her calm. They asked her to leave,” the spokesman said.

“We’re very concerned about this measure and we’re doing everything we possibly can to ensure the safety of our staff and the students.”

Baker was issued a municipal citation for inflicting bodily harm and is due in court on October 22.

Click on the link to read Top 10 Ways of Dealing with Teacher Burnout

Click on the link to read Tips For Teachers for Managing Stress

Click on the link to read I Also Had a Student Hold a Toy Gun to my Face

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Posted in Teachers Stress | 1 Comment »

How Should Teachers Dress?

September 8, 2013

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While I am against the idea of making teachers wear a school uniform, it is important that teachers abide by a sensible dress code. I think that teachers should ostensibly be able to wear what they feel comfortable in, but at the same time, teachers can do without their spandex leggings:

It used to be the students that needed a dress code, but now a school district in Arkansas has drafted a formal set of guidelines for it’s teachers.

Listed in the four page document is the new requirement that staff must wear underwear.

Little Rock School District’s new superintendent Dr Dexter Suggs refers to underwear as ‘foundation garments’ in the document. 

The guidelines don’t stop there. Some of the other rules include the banishment of spandex leggings and hip-hugging jeans.

Teachers are required to find the happy medium between ‘excessively tight’ pants and those that are ‘sagging’.

Some of the rules seem perfectly reasonable in a school setting – like the banning of clothing which advertises alcohol, drugs or cigarettes.

But others seem over-the-top and obvious.

In addition to underwear requirement, teachers’ hair ‘must be clean, neat and well-groomed’ and shoes ‘must be worn at all times’.

In the letter dressed to the school district’s teachers, Dr Suggs doesn’t cite any particular incident that lead him to believe an official dress code needed to be made.

He only wrote that ‘the district’ believes an  ‘appropriately dressed employee is seen as a more suitable role model’.

Dr Suggs and union president Cathy Koehler released the rules at the end of August, but the rules won’t officially be district policy until the 2014-2015 school year to give time for teachers to transition to the new system

Ms Koehler admits that many union members voiced their distaste for the new regulations.

 

Click on the link to read The Rise of the Insensitive School

Click on the link to read The Worst School Rule I Have Ever Come Across

Click on the link to read If Schools Care Then They Must Prove It

Click on the link to read Kids as Young as 3 are Getting Tutors

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Posted in Uniform | Leave a Comment »

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